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Trigger Warning: Extreme Horror
Trigger Warning: strong sexual content involving rape and incest; graphic descriptions of aberrant violence and torture; genital mutilation; blood, puke, sh*t, and other bodily fluids; insects and their consumption; vermin; animal costumes and/or furries; clowns; pervasive vulgar language; police brutality; misogyny; reference to the Confederate flag; religious abuse and/or portrayal of religion as abuse.
Four sinners—a dirty cop, two strippers with dark pasts, and a crazy white supremacist—trapped in the bowels of a labyrinth known as Hell House. Their tormentors: clowns and men/women in animal masks. If the sinners think the torture chamber is terrifying, wait until they meet Gramma Wilkins—a religious pecan who believes very strongly in Old-Testament-style punishment.
Robert
I wake up in darkness, a red pulsating pain throbbing between my eyes; the thick stench of sewage putrefying in my nostrils. I retch onto the concrete. I retch until there is nothing left but strings of acidic bile hanging from my chapped lips. And then I wobble onto rubbery legs, stumbling through the darkness, heart pounding in the base of my throat, until I collide with a stone pillar—which I lean against for support.
Swallowing deep breaths, I wait for my eyes to adjust to the room. There is a faint green glow, which tints the walls and floor—the latter spotted with black puddles of some noxious smelling substance. I squint, rub my eyes, and realize my hands are covered in it: Mud?
I scan the room. No, not a room. A chamber. The size of it startles me. Concrete walls and floor, no windows. Some parts of the floor are covered in gravel.
My heart skips and I nearly scream when I spot someone else in the chamber: a girl, blonde, sitting against the far wall, her knees drawn up to her chest, mascara smeared all over her cheeks. She’s wearing a mini-skirt and halter top and big pumps. Looks like a cheap whore.
She doesn’t acknowledge me. Stares at the floor.
“Where are we?” I try to yell, but it comes out a soft quiver. Almost sounds like a cry.
She doesn’t answer.
“Hey!” My anger comes out this time.
The girl looks up, glaring.
Startles me.
“Who are you? Where are we?”
“I…don’t know,” she whispers, and it echoes eerily off the concrete walls.
Her face scrunches up, and she starts sobbing.
“Hey. Don’t cry. It’s going to be okay. I’m a cop. They’ll come looking for me.”
“They say you’re the reason we’re here.”
Warm dread flowers in my chest.
“What? Who?”
“The bunny,” she says.
I lean against the pillar, hands shaking. I take a deep breath, choking on the humid stench of rot.
“The bunny?”
“They’re wearing masks.” She breaks down sobbing again.
“Pull yourself together. Who are you?”
“J-J-Jennifer.”
“Okay…Jennifer. Just calm down. Everything is going to be alright…I promise.”
“They said you’d say that.”
A chill racks my body, despite the fact that it’s hotter than hell down here. “Wha—who?”
“The bunny,” she says.
I sigh and sit down on the floor, against the pillar.
“They said you’re an expert in evil.”
I run my hands through my hair—greasier than a lubricated rat.
“What do they mean by that?” she asks.
“I don’t know."
Four sinners—a dirty cop, two strippers with dark pasts, and a crazy white supremacist—trapped in the bowels of a labyrinth known as Hell House. Their tormentors: clowns and men/women in animal masks. If the sinners think the torture chamber is terrifying, wait until they meet Gramma Wilkins—a religious pecan who believes very strongly in Old-Testament-style punishment.
Robert
I wake up in darkness, a red pulsating pain throbbing between my eyes; the thick stench of sewage putrefying in my nostrils. I retch onto the concrete. I retch until there is nothing left but strings of acidic bile hanging from my chapped lips. And then I wobble onto rubbery legs, stumbling through the darkness, heart pounding in the base of my throat, until I collide with a stone pillar—which I lean against for support.
Swallowing deep breaths, I wait for my eyes to adjust to the room. There is a faint green glow, which tints the walls and floor—the latter spotted with black puddles of some noxious smelling substance. I squint, rub my eyes, and realize my hands are covered in it: Mud?
I scan the room. No, not a room. A chamber. The size of it startles me. Concrete walls and floor, no windows. Some parts of the floor are covered in gravel.
My heart skips and I nearly scream when I spot someone else in the chamber: a girl, blonde, sitting against the far wall, her knees drawn up to her chest, mascara smeared all over her cheeks. She’s wearing a mini-skirt and halter top and big pumps. Looks like a cheap whore.
She doesn’t acknowledge me. Stares at the floor.
“Where are we?” I try to yell, but it comes out a soft quiver. Almost sounds like a cry.
She doesn’t answer.
“Hey!” My anger comes out this time.
The girl looks up, glaring.
Startles me.
“Who are you? Where are we?”
“I…don’t know,” she whispers, and it echoes eerily off the concrete walls.
Her face scrunches up, and she starts sobbing.
“Hey. Don’t cry. It’s going to be okay. I’m a cop. They’ll come looking for me.”
“They say you’re the reason we’re here.”
Warm dread flowers in my chest.
“What? Who?”
“The bunny,” she says.
I lean against the pillar, hands shaking. I take a deep breath, choking on the humid stench of rot.
“The bunny?”
“They’re wearing masks.” She breaks down sobbing again.
“Pull yourself together. Who are you?”
“J-J-Jennifer.”
“Okay…Jennifer. Just calm down. Everything is going to be alright…I promise.”
“They said you’d say that.”
A chill racks my body, despite the fact that it’s hotter than hell down here. “Wha—who?”
“The bunny,” she says.
I sigh and sit down on the floor, against the pillar.
“They said you’re an expert in evil.”
I run my hands through my hair—greasier than a lubricated rat.
“What do they mean by that?” she asks.
“I don’t know."
137 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 20, 2016
35 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
About the author
John Raptor
18 books76 followersJohn Raptor was born in Kagoshima, Japan, and grew up in Fargo, North Dakota.
He currently lives in Kokura, Japan as a writer and an English teacher.
He currently lives in Kokura, Japan as a writer and an English teacher.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 3, 2018
"It’s a f**ked up, monotonous world out there. Full of filth and shit. Monsters wearing human masks...."
...and sometimes humans wearing animal masks....
In Hell, North Dakota, A group of people are abducted and taken to a subterranean labyrinth where they are tortured for their sins. Whores, killers and cheaters alike are subject to gruesomely graphic vioence and agony at the hands of people dressed in animal costumes.
Told from different character perspectives, readers learn the history of each person and the reasons they've been taken to the horrific re-creation of hell for punishment.
This story is pretty vile, gritty and extreme. Fortunately, those things are right up my alley. Now I'll be honest, I did have a few issues with this book. The writing is a bit crude, the characters lacked unique voices and the author uses a LOT of parentheticals (which can be distracting).
Despite the flaws, I found the unfolding story incredibly entertaining. It actually helped to pull me out of my recent book funk. It's not for everyone but those who can appreciate a good, gory, depraved story will likely enjoy this one every bit as much as I did.
...and sometimes humans wearing animal masks....
In Hell, North Dakota, A group of people are abducted and taken to a subterranean labyrinth where they are tortured for their sins. Whores, killers and cheaters alike are subject to gruesomely graphic vioence and agony at the hands of people dressed in animal costumes.
Told from different character perspectives, readers learn the history of each person and the reasons they've been taken to the horrific re-creation of hell for punishment.
This story is pretty vile, gritty and extreme. Fortunately, those things are right up my alley. Now I'll be honest, I did have a few issues with this book. The writing is a bit crude, the characters lacked unique voices and the author uses a LOT of parentheticals (which can be distracting).
Despite the flaws, I found the unfolding story incredibly entertaining. It actually helped to pull me out of my recent book funk. It's not for everyone but those who can appreciate a good, gory, depraved story will likely enjoy this one every bit as much as I did.
January 28, 2016
I like horror, I don't mind blood, I like serial killers. (Even cereal killers).
This book was not planned out.
There was no horror. Apparently the new theme for horror is more blood and guts.
Horror is not all about blood. (Nope, that's just the additional part). Horror is the trepidation you feel when you're about to turn the page. That when you look under your bed in the dark, that monster is going to look back.
This was not scary at all.
Just a sad racist book. (And yes, I read the warnings).
.5/5 stars.
This book was not planned out.
There was no horror. Apparently the new theme for horror is more blood and guts.
Horror is not all about blood. (Nope, that's just the additional part). Horror is the trepidation you feel when you're about to turn the page. That when you look under your bed in the dark, that monster is going to look back.
This was not scary at all.
Just a sad racist book. (And yes, I read the warnings).
.5/5 stars.
November 1, 2023
I’m on the floor and the Thing has a wire around my neck, choking me. I scratch at the wire, but cannot pull it away; I only succeed in gathering scraps of neck-flesh beneath my fingernails.
My eyes pound in their sockets and I feel blood gathering heavy in my face and I swear I can hear her, Gramma, whispering in my ear: “Oh, but I can, Robbie. I caaan.”
My eyes pound in their sockets and I feel blood gathering heavy in my face and I swear I can hear her, Gramma, whispering in my ear: “Oh, but I can, Robbie. I caaan.”
November 17, 2019
It was all the triggers that drew me to this book like a moth to a flame. With an intro listing dozens of triggers, I expected to love this book. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. The page of trigger warnings was the most excitement in this whole book. Maybe I set my hopes too high after the author tease d with extreme stuff. It was just another book of blood and gore. The characters jumped around and I had a hard time keeping them straight. I liked the twist, even though it wasn't great. I guess my problem with this book was that it teased me with so much that it wasn't. Still, it was okay
February 13, 2016
Wow!
This book was quite extreme to say the least. The whole story starts clearing up about 3/4 the way through. I definitely didn't see the end coming. I won't ever look at Easter bunnies the same ( or any other flurries ). The amount of torture in this book is insane. I couldn't even imagine the things that happened. This book shouldn't be read by everyone. There is a story there that comes thru at the end. It brought the story full circle and then it all made sense. Considering the content I have to say nice job!
This book was quite extreme to say the least. The whole story starts clearing up about 3/4 the way through. I definitely didn't see the end coming. I won't ever look at Easter bunnies the same ( or any other flurries ). The amount of torture in this book is insane. I couldn't even imagine the things that happened. This book shouldn't be read by everyone. There is a story there that comes thru at the end. It brought the story full circle and then it all made sense. Considering the content I have to say nice job!
October 29, 2018
Hahaha!!! Well this was stupid. I love how everyone pukes, pee's and shits their pants so easily. What a weird book. This book felt like it was trying too hard to be edgy and cringy when it came across as stupid. Let's write a book and put the word rape 3 times on each page.
March 19, 2016
Good idea, not as good as it could have been.
February 29, 2016
Horror- Review Template
Book Specs
Title/Author
Trigger Warning/ J. Raptor
Length
a bit demented (between 100-199 pages)
Price
Kindle Unlimited
Genre
Horror/Splatter horror
Review may contain spoilers, read with caution; Read tags for other content
If you read the "trigger warnings" for this book you know what you are in for...
Scare Tactics
5= "Saw" a "Hostel" and got "Cabin Fever"
Overall Rating
2
Overall Rating
2- OK, would not read another book by this author
Book Specs
Title/Author
Trigger Warning/ J. Raptor
Length
a bit demented (between 100-199 pages)
Price
Kindle Unlimited
Genre
Horror/Splatter horror
Review may contain spoilers, read with caution; Read tags for other content
If you read the "trigger warnings" for this book you know what you are in for...
Scare Tactics
5= "Saw" a "Hostel" and got "Cabin Fever"
Overall Rating
2
Overall Rating
2- OK, would not read another book by this author
October 18, 2016
Wow
Dark, disturbing, disgusting and Oh so good! This was my first read by this deliciously sick but talented writer. I will be looking for more of his work.
Dark, disturbing, disgusting and Oh so good! This was my first read by this deliciously sick but talented writer. I will be looking for more of his work.
June 6, 2017
Enlightening
Really enjoyed this ride... Lots of bizarre sex and torture, even with Furries. Great original story and could not put down.
Really enjoyed this ride... Lots of bizarre sex and torture, even with Furries. Great original story and could not put down.
September 27, 2023
I found this book on accident. I stumbled upon it while looking for something else, and the title interested me. I love horror, I love gore, and I like books that talk about modern subjects. I convinced myself this would be an interesting read.
"Trigger Warning" is a book that has absolutely no idea what it's supposed to be, what it is, what's happening within it, or what's supposed to be happening. It is everything that good horror is absolutely not.
I suspect the author intended this to be a sort of meta commentary on edgy books like it—references to "American Psycho" and "Fight Club" are placed in the book, along with several scenes that feel familiar to content from both. However, there is a clear difference between the works of Bret Easton Ellis and John Raptor. American Psycho is not written to be gore, vomit, and shit in your face for the sake of shock value. The violence and disgusting acts that take place in that book—any novel by Ellis—are written in with the explicit intent of being necessary to the story and important to what's happening. They are symbolic, meaningful.
The gratuitous gore and violence in Trigger Warning is anything but. I suspect Raptor was rubbing his hands together like a fly as he wrote this, thinking he was some genius mastermind of meta commentary and that he had cracked the code and successfully made fun of "feminazis" and "filmbros" alike. The only thing this book succeeds in is making me disappointed and embarrassed on the author's behalf. This book is not even deserving of being called disgusting—that would imply the outrageous amount of rape and gore is, at the very least, interesting enough to be surprised by. It is instead dull and empty. This is the work I'd expect of a fourteen year old boy, not a grown adult man.
If you enjoy books with extreme amounts of gore, I would not recommend this to you at all. Not even the gore is captivating in any meaningful way and is cartoonishly unrealistic at best. There is no element of horror present; everything that looks as if it could almost be thrilling, suspenseful, or frightening shoots itself in the head before it can come close to being worth paying attention to.
If the author of this book still reads his reviews, I wouldn't be surprised if this gave him an ego boost, convincing him he had truly made the most perfectly offensive novel known to man, one that's infamous and crude and terrible in all the best ways, but let me be clear: as soon as I am done writing this review, I will toss this book out and most likely never think of John Raptor's name again. This book is so terrible, it can't even be mind-blowingly so. It is forgettable and bland. This is the stale white bread of horror content. It is not worth anyone's time, even those who want to hate-read. There are hundreds, thousands of better options out there. Best of all, this book's plot isn't even organized or properly explained to the viewer in any sort of way. Remembering the details NOW, even as I write this review, having finished the book only a few hours ago, is proving to be difficult. It has nothing going for it.
If I could give this book below one star, I absolutely would.
"Trigger Warning" is a book that has absolutely no idea what it's supposed to be, what it is, what's happening within it, or what's supposed to be happening. It is everything that good horror is absolutely not.
I suspect the author intended this to be a sort of meta commentary on edgy books like it—references to "American Psycho" and "Fight Club" are placed in the book, along with several scenes that feel familiar to content from both. However, there is a clear difference between the works of Bret Easton Ellis and John Raptor. American Psycho is not written to be gore, vomit, and shit in your face for the sake of shock value. The violence and disgusting acts that take place in that book—any novel by Ellis—are written in with the explicit intent of being necessary to the story and important to what's happening. They are symbolic, meaningful.
The gratuitous gore and violence in Trigger Warning is anything but. I suspect Raptor was rubbing his hands together like a fly as he wrote this, thinking he was some genius mastermind of meta commentary and that he had cracked the code and successfully made fun of "feminazis" and "filmbros" alike. The only thing this book succeeds in is making me disappointed and embarrassed on the author's behalf. This book is not even deserving of being called disgusting—that would imply the outrageous amount of rape and gore is, at the very least, interesting enough to be surprised by. It is instead dull and empty. This is the work I'd expect of a fourteen year old boy, not a grown adult man.
If you enjoy books with extreme amounts of gore, I would not recommend this to you at all. Not even the gore is captivating in any meaningful way and is cartoonishly unrealistic at best. There is no element of horror present; everything that looks as if it could almost be thrilling, suspenseful, or frightening shoots itself in the head before it can come close to being worth paying attention to.
If the author of this book still reads his reviews, I wouldn't be surprised if this gave him an ego boost, convincing him he had truly made the most perfectly offensive novel known to man, one that's infamous and crude and terrible in all the best ways, but let me be clear: as soon as I am done writing this review, I will toss this book out and most likely never think of John Raptor's name again. This book is so terrible, it can't even be mind-blowingly so. It is forgettable and bland. This is the stale white bread of horror content. It is not worth anyone's time, even those who want to hate-read. There are hundreds, thousands of better options out there. Best of all, this book's plot isn't even organized or properly explained to the viewer in any sort of way. Remembering the details NOW, even as I write this review, having finished the book only a few hours ago, is proving to be difficult. It has nothing going for it.
If I could give this book below one star, I absolutely would.
December 10, 2018
Disappointing
The cover looked interesting. The forward or description really got my attention. Near the beginning of this book, I did see the need for a trigger warning. However, the majority of the book was so disappointing. There really was no need for a trigger warning in my opinion. I say this from experience as a victim of a horrible trauma I endured as a child. To say this brought back the horrific nightmares....in a word....no. I have read much better work from other indie authors. Nice try though.
The cover looked interesting. The forward or description really got my attention. Near the beginning of this book, I did see the need for a trigger warning. However, the majority of the book was so disappointing. There really was no need for a trigger warning in my opinion. I say this from experience as a victim of a horrible trauma I endured as a child. To say this brought back the horrific nightmares....in a word....no. I have read much better work from other indie authors. Nice try though.
May 24, 2020
My first book by John Raptor.
Four morally corrupt people find themselves in a recreational hell where people in furry and clown costumes torture them for their sins.
The characters are over-the-top, author's writing style original albeit a little bizarre and the writing-structure deviates from the norm with the story being told in the first 3/4's of the book and the main character's backstory in the final 1/4's of the book.
If you are looking for your typical extreme horror book filled with blood and gore, violence, graphic sex and a twisted story, give this author/book a go.
Four morally corrupt people find themselves in a recreational hell where people in furry and clown costumes torture them for their sins.
The characters are over-the-top, author's writing style original albeit a little bizarre and the writing-structure deviates from the norm with the story being told in the first 3/4's of the book and the main character's backstory in the final 1/4's of the book.
If you are looking for your typical extreme horror book filled with blood and gore, violence, graphic sex and a twisted story, give this author/book a go.
March 7, 2018
I am not a huge fan of the tortue/splatter horror genres, but if you liked the hostel movies you'll probably enjoy this more than I did. That out of the way, this book feels like a fever dream. When it's over you'll be startled awake, dripping in cold sweat... That is probably the best praise I could give it.
July 11, 2024
I feel like the concept could have had more potential. Introducing the gore and then jumping back in time for the reasoning made it feel very choppy. Would have been interesting if it was told more in a sequential order. Didn’t get a sense of dread and shock from the way it was told, which is what I like to look for in horror books.
January 3, 2018
When I saw extreme horror I was ready for it, but this book has no horror just extreme. This book also has little in the way of plot and waaaaaaaaaaaay too many parenthesis. I nearly went into a rage over parenthesis.
August 27, 2022
This is what happens when an edgelord decides to write a book: a subpar work with mediocre writing and torture/racial slur-porn to try and compensate for it. Never reading a book by this author again.
August 22, 2025
Well that was garbage
I read half of the book because I kept thinking it would have to get better eventually, but there's only so much of that someone can handle.
This author hates anyone who isn't himself and he seems to be in a politically paranoid state.
I read half of the book because I kept thinking it would have to get better eventually, but there's only so much of that someone can handle.
This author hates anyone who isn't himself and he seems to be in a politically paranoid state.
October 4, 2019
AMAZING READ!
Couldn't put it down! An awesome extreme horror read.. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Couldn't put the book down and it kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat..
Couldn't put it down! An awesome extreme horror read.. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Couldn't put the book down and it kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat..
November 30, 2021
This is seriously extreme horror. If easily offended stay away from this.
May 7, 2018
Bland and confusing
As is so often the case with "extreme horror" these days, Raptor uses violence and gore to mask mediocre writing. TRIGGER WARNING is almost incomprehensible as it jumps perspective and time, usually without warning. And when the perspective changes between characters that are so underdeveloped (or under utilized), it's extremely hard to follow.
That's the first half of the book. The second half follows just one character. He makes decisions that are questionable at best, and by the time of the big reveal, I was just ready for it to be over. The horror, such as it was, left me bored. If a writer is going to use sex and violence as a crutch, it better be able to handle the weight.
As is so often the case with "extreme horror" these days, Raptor uses violence and gore to mask mediocre writing. TRIGGER WARNING is almost incomprehensible as it jumps perspective and time, usually without warning. And when the perspective changes between characters that are so underdeveloped (or under utilized), it's extremely hard to follow.
That's the first half of the book. The second half follows just one character. He makes decisions that are questionable at best, and by the time of the big reveal, I was just ready for it to be over. The horror, such as it was, left me bored. If a writer is going to use sex and violence as a crutch, it better be able to handle the weight.
January 3, 2017
Meh.
I'm not offended with graphic violence or explicit sex. Not even offended by the obsessive use of the N word or the extreme misogyny. What offends me about this book is it's acute lack of substance. No real story. No interesting characters to connect with. It's like just a string of violent acts strung together and with a shaky back story and unrealistic scenes stolen from various horror movies.
I'm not offended with graphic violence or explicit sex. Not even offended by the obsessive use of the N word or the extreme misogyny. What offends me about this book is it's acute lack of substance. No real story. No interesting characters to connect with. It's like just a string of violent acts strung together and with a shaky back story and unrealistic scenes stolen from various horror movies.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews