About Gulf: A Gripping, Otherworldly Coming-of-Age Novel (Dark Walker Series Book 1)
A lonely teen discovers a new door in his family’s old summer cottage and unknowingly opens a portal to a terrifying world.
All my life they told me monsters weren’t real. They were dead wrong.
Hello. My name is David Rawlingson Junior and I’ve accidentally opened a door into Hell.
When my brothers and I found the locked door to the newly built extension on our rental cottage, the race to find the key was on. Little did I know that exploring the room beyond would create a bridge to countless alternate realities where humans have been eradicated. Ravenous creatures stalk the night, and they want nothing more than to get onto my side and feast.
But time is running out. I can’t get the bridge to break, and the more time I spend on the wrong side of the door digging for clues, the more I fade in my world.
Whatever these creatures are, I’m the only thing in their way. Shit.
Get ready for the re-release of this creepy, disturbing and intense novel by Shelly Campbell.
Including a brand new BONUS Novella taking place after the events of that fateful day.
Book Two in The Dark Walker Series – OUT JULY 2024!
Reviews for Gulf
“Shelly Campbell’s Gulf is an extraordinary read. Equal parts coming of age story and otherworldly horror, Gulf probes the depths of loneliness, loss of identity and childhood trauma. It is a true treat for fans of the genre and had me clutched in its razor-clawed hands from the first word to the last.” -C.M. Forest author of Infested
“GULF is a heartbreaking and frightening exploration of isolation, loneliness, and timeless childhood horror. Campbell plays on our fears of being abandoned or forgotten by those around us, crafting a literal depiction of a young man slowly cut off from the world he knows, and subsumed into a horrific existence that his own family cannot understand or perceive.” -Sunyi Dean (she/her) author of The Book Eaters
“Gulf reads like a fever dream, where the pull of the darkness is all consuming and screaming into the void is only the beginning. Deeply disturbing and unsettling, be careful not to lose yourself in the Gulf.” -Candace Nola, author of Hank Flynn and Bishop.
“They only come out at night… Part horror, part dark fantasy, Campbell draws the reader in with an immensely likeable main character, pitting a normal teenage boy against the forces of darkness. The story will grip you from the very start and keep you turning pages to the end..” – Holley Cornetto, author of We Haunt These Woods
“Campbell’ work exudes atmosphere, mixing themes like family and identity in a dark, tense, and stunningly unique manner. Gulf is bleak and eerie, but brimming with heart.” – Brennan LaFaro, author of a Noose and Slattery Falls
“Portal fiction works best when this world and that world are living, breathing entities that co-exist deep within the readers nightmares. ‘Gulf’ by Campbell has remained steadfastly taking up space within my head ever since I first read it. Outstanding.” – Steve Stred, Splatterpunk-Nominated author of ‘Mastodon’
Buy The Book Here
Learn More About The Author
At a young age, Shelly Campbell wanted to be an air show pilot or a pirate, possibly a dragon and definitely a writer and artist. She’s piloted a Cessna 172 through spins and stalls, and sailed up the east coast on a tall ship barque—mostly without projectile vomiting. In the end, Shelly found writing fantasy and drawing dragons to be so much easier on the stomach.
Shelly’s tales are speculative fiction, tending toward literary with dollops of oddity. She enjoys the challenge of exploring new techniques and subject matter, and strives to embed inspiring stories in her writing.