The Conqueror Worms
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The Conqueror Worms (alternate title Earthworm Gods) is a post-appocalyptic themed horror novel written by author Brian Keene. "Earthworm Gods" was a 9,000 word short story that simultaneously was printed in 4x4 and No Rest For The Wicked. An in-direct sequel to this tale, the 19,000 word novella The Garden Where My Rain Grows, appeared in Fear Of Gravity; it was set in the same world, but the characters and situation was differed.
These two tales, short story and novella, were later re-imagined as an 85,000 word novel entitled Earthworm Gods that was published by Delirium Books. The title was altered to The Conqueror Worms when the paperback edition was released by Leisure Books, but the content (aside from minor spelling/grammatical alterations) was the same. The novel version also links to Brian Keene's The Rising by including Ob.
Synopsis
On a day like any other day, it starts raining—--and never stops. With the rains come super tornadoes, killer tsunamis, powerful earthquakes, eradicated polar icecaps—and a supernatural menace like no other. Forty days later, cities are flooded and farmlands submerged. Earth is a vast ocean. Pockets of survivors gather on mountaintops, watching the waters climb higher and higher. But as the tides rise, something else is rising too. Rising towards the surface. Deep within the bowels of the earth, an ancient evil has awoken. And it hungers…
Now, in the midst of an ecological nightmare, mankind faces a new battle, a battle that stretches from the submerged rooftops of Baltimore to the flooded mountains of West Virginia. And if they lose, then humanity faces extinction.
The old gods are dead. Long live the Earthworm Gods…
Editions
- Leather-Bound Hardcover (Delirium Books, Sept. 2005): Limited to 52 signed and lettered copies. Also includes the short story "Take Me To The River," which is set in the same universe as Earthworm Gods.
- Limited Edition Hardcover (Delirium Books, Sept. 2005): Limited to 400 signed and numbered copies. 229 pages.
- Mass Market Paperback (Leisure Books, May 2006): 326 pages; Dimensions (inches): 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.9; ISBN 0843954167.
Plot
Teddy Garnett tells this story of a global flood that has left humanity in tatters. Holed up in his mountain home, Teddy and his buddy Carl Seaton struggle through daily life, puzzling over things even stranger than a 40-day rainstorm, including the giant slime-coated holes that keep showing up in Teddy's yard. Before long, Teddy and Carl are fending off man-eating earthworms the size of buses. A helicopter crash nearby brings Kevin and Sarah, the last two survivors of an outpost in Baltimore, into Teddy's story; their tale makes up the even more bizarre second part of the book that explores, graphically, the insanity doom can inspire. It all leads to a slam-bang showdown back at Teddy's house with a creature so monstrous it scares even the killer annelids.
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