Description
Moloch is a grounded, psychological horror novel that traces the collapse of an ordinary life after an encounter with an ancient Canaanite demon whose influence is anything but ceremonial. Nothing in these pages relies on belief or religious practice. The story follows the quiet ways an old myth can slip into the cracks of modern ambition, feeding on exhaustion, compromise, and the small choices a person makes when they are desperate.
Our protagonist is a writer on the edge of failure. Bills stack up. Opportunities vanish. The pressure to succeed grows faster than he can keep up with. When a moment of weakness opens a door he never meant to touch, something steps through. It does not arrive in a blaze of ritual or prophecy. It settles into the everyday, shaping his thoughts, sharpening his hunger, and blurring the line between effort and obsession.
What you will find inside
The horror grows slowly, built from behaviour rather than spectacle. A changed tone of voice. Strange revisions. Pages he does not remember writing. A rising fame that feels unearned, as if pushed from behind by invisible hands. Those closest to him notice the shift long before he does, and their lives carry the cost of his ascent. The demon at the centre of the novel is not an agent of faith, it is a force of appetite. It rewards ambition while demanding something intimate in return.
The novel weaves psychological decay, creative pressure, and domestic tension into a single tightening spiral. It explores how a person can mistake possession for productivity, and how a small compromise can turn into a life altering bargain when no one is watching.
Connection to the larger Ashlar mythos
Moloch stands alone as a complete story. Readers familiar with Dark Matter or 86400 will recognise the broader mythic echoes within it, although the connections remain subtle and atmospheric rather than direct.
Who this book is for
This edition is for readers who favour character driven psychological horror over ritual based or faith centred storytelling. If you enjoy slow pressure, intimate dread, and a monster that rewrites a life one decision at a time, Moloch belongs on your shelf. There are no sermons here and no mythology lessons, only the unsettling truth that the most dangerous deals are the ones we make with ourselves.
Details
Publisher - Ashlar Press
Language - English
Perfect Bound
Contributors
By author
Ian Bayly
Published Date - 2025-09-14
ISBN - 9781764298315
Dimensions - 21 x 14.8 x 1.1 cm
Page Count - 192
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