''The Conqueror Worms'' (alternate title ''Earthworm Gods'') is a post-apocalyptic

horror novel Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror, which is in the realm of speculative fiction. Literary historian J. ...

written by author

Brian Keene Brian Keene (born September 22, 1967) is an American author and podcaster, primarily known for his work in horror, dark fantasy, crime fiction, and comic books. He has won the 2014 World Horror Grandmaster Award and two Bram Stoker Awards. In ...

. "Earthworm Gods" was a 9,000-word short story that simultaneously was printed in ''4x4'' and ''No Rest for the Wicked''. An indirect sequel to this tale, the 19,000 word novella ''The Garden Where My Rain Grows'', appeared in ''

Fear of Gravity Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear i ...

''; 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 Delirium Books, launched in the summer of 1999 by Shane Ryan Staley, is a horror publisher in the collector's market, producing low print-run limited editions intended for both collectors and readers alike. Delirium Books first published The Ris ...

. The title was altered to ''The Conqueror Worms'' when the paperback edition was released by

Leisure Books Leisure Books was a mass market paperback publisher specializing in horror and thrillers that operated from 1957 to 2010. In the company's early years, it also published fantasy, science fiction, Westerns, and the Wildlife Treasury card series ...

, but the content (aside from minor spelling/grammatical alterations) was the same.

Plot summary

Teddy Garnett, an older man and war veteran, tells the story of a global flood that has left humanity in tatters. Holed up in his mountain home in West Virginia, 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 and the giant worm-like creature that ate a robin outside of Teddy's window. Meanwhile, Teddy is reeling over the loss of his wife Rose and the mysterious fate of his children and grandchildren. Before long, Teddy and Carl are fending off man-eating

earthworms An earthworm is a terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. They exhibit a tube-within-a-tube body plan; they are externally segmented with corresponding internal segmentation; and they usually have setae on all segments. Th ...

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 bizarre second part of the book that explores the insanity doom can inspire. Kevin serves as the narrator for this tale and he tells about how he and a group of survivors faced off against all kinds of terror in Baltimore, including Satanists who make sacrifices to a mysterious beast known as Leviathan. It all leads to a showdown back at Teddy's house with a creature so monstrous it scares even the killer earthworms.

Editions

* Leather-Bound Hardcover (

, 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 (

, Sept. 2005): Limited to 400 signed and numbered copies. 229 pages. * Mass Market Paperback (

, May 2006): 326 pages; Dimensions (inches): 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.9; . 2005 American novels American horror novels American post-apocalyptic novels {{2000s-specf-novel-stub