Rusthook

by Tony Del Degan

A cult-run town, a serial killer, and a haunted puppet.

Snowy Oaks, Virginia is an isolated town overtaken by the Church of the Holy Transcension. Those who still dwell here live in squalor within the boundaries of a barbed, chain-link fence--no cell service to the outside, no television, no connections. And no one to call when the dismembered bodies of young women start to turn up around town. The Transcensionists need someone to catch the killer who's culling their flock--someone special.

Because this killer is no ordinary man...

292 pages, Paperback

Published May 20, 2025

About the author

Made-up worlds are far better than our real one.

You might find yourself reading one of my stories and thinking to yourself: "wow. What kind of illegal substance was he taking?"

That's really my goal. I try to write outside the boundaries of what I probably should be writing. Many would describe me as a bit of an eccentric person.

Yes.

I typically write complex sci-fi/fantasy horror with elements of human psychology. Ever since I watched Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, I knew what I wanted to do with my life.

I try to involve an orange cat in any and all scenarios.

tony.deldegan.ca

Reviews

[Aaron Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wild experience. This is clearly a very personal story, just based on some of the details and clear emotions behind the characters. It is also incredibly dark and violent in certain areas, and there's a twist halfway through that really left me in a pretty bad mood for the rest of the day. But in a good way?

The main villain, who turns out to sort of not be the main villain, is one of the most vile characters I think I've ever read in a book. He's disfigured and menacing, and his dialogue is delightfully crude.

Sprinkled in amongst this all is a really heartbreaking little love story that does not have a happy ending. It really touched me and hit me pretty hard.

Tony has really managed to paint a very clear picture of this little town, and as always, I love his vivid and imaginative way of describing things, especially gore and violence. And the ending tied everything together more succinctly than his previous work. It still left lots of open questions and things to reflect and theorize on, but I think the protagonist, Martin, really got a happy ending after all the crazy shit he goes through in here.

Overall, this is a fantastic next piece of work for Tony Del Degan, and I am excited to see what he comes up with next.

[Gabriel Tavares · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rusthook is not just a great tale about the eerie and the unsettling, it's also a true passion project on top of it. It's in its core just the kind of work we're eager to see taking shape by the hands of new authors, equal parts ambitious and grounded enough to stick the landing.

Tony gets a lot of praise for his talent and creativity, but I don't think people give enough credit to how focused and hardworking he is when it comes to really hammering down what makes all that creativity stand out in the first place. Laying out a solid worldbuilding is in itself hard enough as it is, but picking up from there and actually fleshing out a story engaging enough to make the effort worth it is a whole other journey. Tony's no amateur, he knows how to thread both these paths in a way they complement each other, and I think his presentation of Rusthook allows results such as these to speak for themselves.

I get this weird hunch we're gonna be seeing more stuff in a similar vein soon, either in the same setting or at least with a similar tone, and I gotta say I'm really looking forward to whatever this could be. Lots of potential in this project, but right now I'm already sold on that which has been explored so far.