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Material Type | Library | Call Number | Suggested Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book | Searching... Cabell County Public Library | MAL | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Logan Area Public Library | MAL | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... West Huntington Public Library | MAL | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
A group of friends return to their hometown to confront a nightmare they first stumbled on as teenagers in this mesmerising odyssey of terror.
An atmospheric, haunting page-turner from the bestselling author of Come with Me
For nearly two decades, Jamie Warren has been running from darkness. He's haunted by a traumatic childhood and the guilt at having disappeared from his disabled brother's life. But then a series of unusual events reunites him with his estranged brother and their childhood friends, and none of them can deny the sense of fate that has seemingly drawn them back together.
Nor can they deny the memories of that summer, so long ago - the strange magic taught to them by an even stranger man, and the terrible act that has followed them all into adulthood. In the light of new danger, they must confront their past by facing their futures, and hunting down a man who may very well be a monster.
Author Notes
Ronald Malfi is the award-winning author of several horror novels, mysteries, and thrillers, including the bestselling horror novel Come with Me. He is the recipient of two Independent Publisher Book Awards, the Beverly Hills Book Award, the Vincent Preis Horror Award, the Benjamin Franklin Award, and his novel Floating Staircase was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Maryland and tweets at @RonaldMalfi
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
It takes a village, or at least a neighborhood, of misfits to deal with the malignant monsters at the core of this accomplished psychological horror story from Malfi (Come with Me). Jamie Warren, a not-quite-recovered alcoholic, returns to his hometown to bury his mother and care for his developmentally challenged brother, Dennis, even as his childhood friends Mia and Clay tangle with hauntings involving a homeless drifter all four knew as the Magician when they were young. As children under the Magician's spell, the friends attempted to reach the source of magic, delving into the vast collapsed coal pit called the Black Mouth. Escaping his control caused tragic deaths--and they worry history will repeat when they discover that the Magician is stalking new apprentices. Malfi pulls in familiar horror elements--a weird carnival, an eerie backcountry filled with ghosts, a serial killer with a face fixation, a disabled person with supernatural sensitivity--but rings new changes on them, keeping readers tensely off-balance and unsure of what's real. The well-done cosmic horror and mix of mundane and magical scares make this a standout. Agent: Cameron McClure, Donald Maass Literary. (July)
Booklist Review
Many years ago, Jamie Warren split from his mother and brother. Now, in Malfi's latest gothic-horror novel, Jamie and his brother, Dennis, reunite after their mother's suicide. It's not a smooth reunion: Jamie is a newly recovering alcoholic, and he really doesn't have the stamina to deal with his obviously distressed brother, not to mention the reappearance of an evil force that scarred their childhoods and now threatens to destroy their futures. Malfi (The Night Parade, 2016), like Stephen King and Stephen Graham Jones, tells horror stories that are anchored in the real world. His characters, like theirs, are ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events. He earns his screams and shudders honestly, through good writing and careful plotting: there are no B-movie jump scares here, just an increasing sense of dread that erupts into blood-chilling horror. Don't miss this one.
Library Journal Review
Malfi (Bone White; Come with Me), a respected novelist among horror and suspense fans, returns with a compelling new title for readers to add to their list. Jamie Warren, freshly recovering from alcohol- use disorder, returns to his hometown after his mother's suicide. There, he and his childhood friends Mia and Clay confront a monstrous man from their past. Malfi's characters (in both their young and older incarnations) are well written, sympathetic, and endearing. Jamie has both realistic and potentially supernatural struggles, and they both feel equally believable. Narrator Joe Hempel's voicing of Jamie and portrayal of the adult male characters in the book both pass muster, but his female and child voices are not very distinctive. His pacing is quite slow--slow enough that listeners may prefer to listen to a digital copy so that they can increase the listening speed. VERDICT This horrific tale will appeal to readers who appreciate coming-of-age stories, found families, sibling relationships, and childhood friends reuniting as adults to defeat a villain from their youth. Share with fans of Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, and Peter Straub.--Ammi Bui
