S T U A R T L E T H E
Horror/Opera
B O U G H (2025)
A feature-length poem written in rhyme and the cadence of a song. It tells of a tree, one that gives, one that takes and the people who worship it. A haunting folkloric myth of devotion, sacrifice, and the quiet power of what grows in the dark recesses of corrupted faith.
They press their hands to bark like bone, where something breathes beneath the stone. A mouth of marrow, slick and wide, a god, a groom, a wretched bride. The queens, with bellies split and swayed, are fed to roots in milk and shade. Their fingers twitch, their skin unseams, as life is poured through amber streams. The men, unmade, with hollow hips, sing hymns through bloody, cracking lips. No seed, no blood, no gift of bone, just hands to serve the swelling throne. The tree uncoils, the tree bestows, its limbs a web, thick with throes. It drinks, it gives, it hums and grieves, it makes, unmakes, and never leaves.
And when the queens can swell no more, their husks are hung from boughs before The next are draped in bridal thread, to kiss the bark, to wed the dread.
“DARK, DISTURBED AND INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL.”
-Euphegenia Surewater, author of The Parental Deceit
“I think I may have stumbled upon the next great classic.”
-Morris Wentford, author of I May Be Dead, but I Still Got It
“Reading this was like being dragged backwards into a burial mound. A stunning, grotesque, lyrical work of nightmarish power.”
—The Old North Reader
Horror
B A N Q U E T (2025)
A modern Beowulfian style poem about duty and ritual.
In a small colonial town, each year is a harvest of fear. Every season, the townsfolk gather food: grain from the fields and meat from their flocks, even their fallen neighbor.
It’s not for winter. It’s not for them but for the Mound.
Each year, they stack their offerings high in the town square and when the first frost bites and the night grows longest, they lock their doors, shutter their windows, and hide.
They do not watch. They do not speak. Only listen to the incessant chewing and when they come out of hiding, the Mound is gone. It is the price they pay. It is the pact they do not question.
No hymns are sung, no voices pray, yet here they stand and waste away. A town unseen, a fate unspoken, a chain of flesh that mustn't be broken. They guard the void, this starving throne, where something waits with tooth and bone. For if they wane, if one should fall, the king will wake and eat them all.
“A terrifying elegy to blood, fate, and the cold mouth of the grave.”
—Thaddeus Varn, author of Saltmother
“The scariest thing I’ve ever read. Not because of the monsters. Although the monster is one of my favorites and very original. But rather because of the feeling of dread and magnificent awe between each line.”
—Felix Crow, horror critic and host of The Bloody Bind
“A black mirror. A history of the end of things. This book is alive, and it is hungry.”
—Jameson Hollow, author of The Salt Rite
“Lethe creates a terrifying world that I never want to go back to. But it’s so damn good I don’t think I have a choice.”
— Wynona Hoyt
“Wow. This book blew me away and gave me chills at the same time. I love the creativity of the story. 100% recommend- if you're thinking about reading it, DO IT!! Ill definitely be checking out the other books by Stuart Lethe.”
- Amazon Review
Horror / Drama
B E N E A T H T H E
T I M B E R L A N D (2024)
When Caleb accepts a job caring for a remote mansion deep in the Colorado Mountains, he sees it as the perfect chance to give his family a fresh start. Surrounded by dense forests and towering peaks, the estate promises peace and a life far removed from their troubled past.
At first, the mansion offers exactly that. The days are serene; the nights are quiet. But as strange noises echo through the halls and shifting shadows creep along the walls, the forest’s stillness begins to feel more like a trap than a refuge.
When tragedy strikes and one of their children go missing, the family’s fragile calm is shattered. The search for their child transforms into a nightmare of terror and a descent into madness, as they uncover the horrifying secrets buried within the mansion and Beneath the Timberland.
For fans of dark, atmospheric tension and visceral body horror, Beneath the Timberland is a chilling exploration of fear, transformation, and the bonds that hold us together or tear us apart.
“This might be my favorite book to come out this year! I picked it up from a random ad and read through it over the weekend. I couldn’t put it down. Very original story, graphic and cool! If you love horror, family drama, or monsters you won’t find a better story than here. Buy this now!”
- The Library of Horror Q