If you are looking for something different to read this weekend, check out The Ferryman by Krishna Kumar. At its heart, The Ferryman is really a deep dive into life, death, and the choices that shape who we are. It delves into profound questions, such as fate versus free will, and explores whether the darkest parts of our minds can come to life.
It’s not a typical dark horror story, but instead, it dives into some pretty deep stuff—existential dread, the passage of time, and all those regrets we try to ignore. The fear here feels more real and unsettling because it’s about facing the unknown and what it means to be human.
The bed in the story isn’t just furniture—it’s a symbol for all those hidden desires and unresolved issues we carry around. As we follow Adithya’s journey, the book nudges us to think about our own fears, regrets, and how much our past choices weigh on us. It’s the kind of story that sticks with you long after you finish.
Kumar does an amazing job mixing a spooky vibe with moments that really make you think. If you’re into horror that messes with your mind rather than just scares you, The Ferryman is definitely worth checking out.
About the book: Adithya is bitter when he is forced to accept the delivery of an antique bed on behalf of his neighbor. The large and majestic bed occupies his whole bedroom. Every time he sleeps on it, he has nightmares. He dreams about killing different people with whom he had disputes. And at the end of it all, he wakes up devastated, completely drained. When he soon learns that the people whom he had killed in his dreams have also died in real life—passing away naturally in their sleep—he begins to realize the power the bed wields. What follows is a macabre series of events as the monstrosity and deep dark desires of the human mind are unleashed by a power so horrific, that escaping it seems hopeless.
Quotes from reviews
“What if your dreams were more than just dreams? This novel takes that idea and turns it into something truly terrifying. The psychological horror is executed so well that it feels disturbingly real.” – Suleman
“The Ferryman: A Novel is an evocative exploration of human fragility, existential dread, and the supernatural. Krishnakumar masterfully blends realistic struggles with haunting surrealism, creating a story that lingers in the reader’s mind.” – Keetabi Keeda
“Krishnakumar’s writing in The Ferryman is a great combination of psychological suspense, a taut and gripping exploration of the human psyche that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.” – Privy Trifles
About the author: Krishnakumar is a Software Engineer based in the beautiful city of Pondicherry, India. An avid reader since childhood, he owns a personal collection of nearly a thousand books. Interested in writing fiction, he has done some stints penning down short stories for competitions in both Tamil and English. Pursuing his love for horror fiction, taking inspiration from the writings of Stephen King and Joe Hill, The Ferryman is his first full-fledged novel.