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Serenity Falls #2
The Pack
The town of Serenity Falls has a history of the unspeakable. One man unearthed it. He paid the price. So will all who fail to heed the warning...
Something is coming to Serenity Falls, something that has already touched the town with its demonic power. A young girl is horribly tortured, a boy becomes a conduit to hell, the dogs of the town turn feral. One man—a stranger to the town but not to the powers of darkness—has been enlisted to stop the encroaching evil. And soon he will discover that the true horror lies not with those who walk the earth, but with those who lie beneath it—in the damp, dark graves of the restless dead...
Something is coming to Serenity Falls, something that has already touched the town with its demonic power. A young girl is horribly tortured, a boy becomes a conduit to hell, the dogs of the town turn feral. One man—a stranger to the town but not to the powers of darkness—has been enlisted to stop the encroaching evil. And soon he will discover that the true horror lies not with those who walk the earth, but with those who lie beneath it—in the damp, dark graves of the restless dead...
411 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 28, 2005
2 people are currently reading
187 people want to read
About the author
James A. Moore
231 books766 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
James A. Moore was the award winning author of over forty novels, thrillers, dark fantasy and horror alike, including the critically acclaimed Fireworks, Under The Overtree, Blood Red, the Serenity Falls trilogy (featuring his recurring anti-hero, Jonathan Crowley) and his most recent novels, seven Forges, The Blasted Lands, City of Wonders , The Silent Army and the forthcoming The Gates of The Dead (Book Three in the Tides of War Series) and A Hell Within, co-authored with Charles R. Rutledge.
James A. Moore was the award winning author of over forty novels, thrillers, dark fantasy and horror alike, including the critically acclaimed Fireworks, Under The Overtree, Blood Red, the Serenity Falls trilogy (featuring his recurring anti-hero, Jonathan Crowley) and his most recent novels, seven Forges, The Blasted Lands, City of Wonders , The Silent Army and the forthcoming The Gates of The Dead (Book Three in the Tides of War Series) and A Hell Within, co-authored with Charles R. Rutledge.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 19, 2008
The main idea of the story is interesting, but there's too much filler. There are a lot of bits about the local children that don't seem all that necessary, and the best character from the previous book didn't put in an appearance until halfway through.
It also could have been edited better. Sure, there are a lot of characters. But having one whose name changes back and forth between Nona and Nora is just sloppy.
Some of the action scenes (especially the ones that involve Crowley) are fantastic, but others felt kind of dull. As a horror buff, I'm still not exactly sure how a pack of dogs ripping off a guy's face can feel dull. But just like some of the story, some of the horror scenes were hard to get into.
Most of this book still feels like setup, so the third one better have one hell of a payoff to make it worthwhile.
It also could have been edited better. Sure, there are a lot of characters. But having one whose name changes back and forth between Nona and Nora is just sloppy.
Some of the action scenes (especially the ones that involve Crowley) are fantastic, but others felt kind of dull. As a horror buff, I'm still not exactly sure how a pack of dogs ripping off a guy's face can feel dull. But just like some of the story, some of the horror scenes were hard to get into.
Most of this book still feels like setup, so the third one better have one hell of a payoff to make it worthwhile.
May 29, 2016
Other reviewers have compared this trilogy to the early writing of Stephen King, and in some ways, I think that's an apt analogy. This book is the second in the trilogy and both the writing and storylines are strong. The comparison between the two authors has more to do with length and scope than anything else. Stephen King novels are so successful in part because they are fully-crafted psychological studies of the characters within the pages. The reader becomes fully-invested in them emotionally; they could be the folks next door. Thid novel attempts the same, and while it succeeds, the edge is not quite as finely honed. The length of this one caused it to drag a little - but only a little. A lot of the book appears to be almost a study of Stephen King's seminal It - both have young pre-teen characters named Stanley.
I don't mean the comparison harshly or gushingly. It's just there. My only real complaint is that I think it's sad that (a) these books have not been re-published and are currently out-of-print. Yes, they are a bit dated, but they are only in reality 11 years old. They should have been re-published and opted for Kindle. I'm not sure why they haven't been. I had to track them down in used paoerback versions. As others have noted, they should also have had stronger editing - lots of typos and a character name inconsistency that didn't bother me the way it did others.
I also had about a 4-month gap between reading the first book and this one. I wish I hadn't waited - I forgot some of the finer details. I am going to immediately read the final book. I'm thinking this is a trilogy that should probably be edited and marketed as one long work, again a la Stephen King. We'll see. True rating: 4.5 stars
I don't mean the comparison harshly or gushingly. It's just there. My only real complaint is that I think it's sad that (a) these books have not been re-published and are currently out-of-print. Yes, they are a bit dated, but they are only in reality 11 years old. They should have been re-published and opted for Kindle. I'm not sure why they haven't been. I had to track them down in used paoerback versions. As others have noted, they should also have had stronger editing - lots of typos and a character name inconsistency that didn't bother me the way it did others.
I also had about a 4-month gap between reading the first book and this one. I wish I hadn't waited - I forgot some of the finer details. I am going to immediately read the final book. I'm thinking this is a trilogy that should probably be edited and marketed as one long work, again a la Stephen King. We'll see. True rating: 4.5 stars
December 18, 2020
My second time reading this, bc something about the little dolls is so intriguing. Let's see what happens in the 3rd book.
Impressive detail about each character, but that's also my least favorite part. lol!
Impressive detail about each character, but that's also my least favorite part. lol!
December 3, 2017
Serenity Hills Trilogy author manuscript
May 11, 2021
An improvement on the first volume, largely due to side-lining the irritating Crowley character, and dwelling on the history and detail of the town, which remains as fascinating as ever, and slowly developing tension and backstory.
This volume does, however, begin to show up Moore's shorthand fault with characterisation, which is that he gives each character an attribute, and then bangs on about it every time they show up (this kid's mother never lets him out to play, this guy's an alcoholic because his wife was murdered, this new deputy's a really big fucker) and this gets very old very quickly.
This volume does, however, begin to show up Moore's shorthand fault with characterisation, which is that he gives each character an attribute, and then bangs on about it every time they show up (this kid's mother never lets him out to play, this guy's an alcoholic because his wife was murdered, this new deputy's a really big fucker) and this gets very old very quickly.
February 27, 2017
Middle book of the Serenity Falls trilogy - and it's good. Moves the storyline along and manages not to get bogged down in the process. This isn't a 'filler' book - this is a story.
January 27, 2016
Enjoyed this as much as the first, perhaps a little more, as it continued the story, fleshed it out, but kept familiar characters.
Mainly Crowley stays as the interesting character I loved reading about, and most held their own too, while other characters lagged a bit. Almost a little too much perspective shifting, which doesn’t help interest and pacing, but makes it more convenient on building the main storyline.
Gore and violence is stronger, especially with the dogs that have been employed to be vicious weapons. Body count in the present rises, not just from stories of the past. Simon is seen little from the first novel, which is understood because of the last book’s mini cliffhanger.
I’m happy the past doesn’t have to be visited quite as much anymore.
Annoyingly the book cuts off in the middle of action, despise when that happens, but thankfully I had the next book waiting for me to continue it. It probably would have irked me more, and maybe brought the rating down a little, if I read it as it was published and had to wait.
Overall a good addition, even better than the first, and of course I'm loving the cover style for these.
Mainly Crowley stays as the interesting character I loved reading about, and most held their own too, while other characters lagged a bit. Almost a little too much perspective shifting, which doesn’t help interest and pacing, but makes it more convenient on building the main storyline.
Gore and violence is stronger, especially with the dogs that have been employed to be vicious weapons. Body count in the present rises, not just from stories of the past. Simon is seen little from the first novel, which is understood because of the last book’s mini cliffhanger.
I’m happy the past doesn’t have to be visited quite as much anymore.
Annoyingly the book cuts off in the middle of action, despise when that happens, but thankfully I had the next book waiting for me to continue it. It probably would have irked me more, and maybe brought the rating down a little, if I read it as it was published and had to wait.
Overall a good addition, even better than the first, and of course I'm loving the cover style for these.
October 24, 2008
Really enjoyed this second book in the Serenity Falls trilogy. This book is written quite differently than the first but I think that you definitely want to read the first book before this one so that you can have the background of the town and the introduction to the town that you get in the first book.
With this second book we actually get into the current day happenings in the town. There really seem to be two different forces at work here. One is the evil being that has lured the Hunter to town and seems to be possessing people to taunt Crowley and then we have the evil that is being generated by the man who placed the curse on the town (can not remember his name off hand). It occasionally gets confusing as to which evil we are currently dealing with but it also makes for a much more involved and intricate plot.
I do have to say that this book ended right in the middle of the story and I would be very unhappy if I did not already have the last book in the trilogy laying here to read right away. I do look forward to finishing the story, though.
With this second book we actually get into the current day happenings in the town. There really seem to be two different forces at work here. One is the evil being that has lured the Hunter to town and seems to be possessing people to taunt Crowley and then we have the evil that is being generated by the man who placed the curse on the town (can not remember his name off hand). It occasionally gets confusing as to which evil we are currently dealing with but it also makes for a much more involved and intricate plot.
I do have to say that this book ended right in the middle of the story and I would be very unhappy if I did not already have the last book in the trilogy laying here to read right away. I do look forward to finishing the story, though.
November 28, 2007
After the first volume detailing the history of the town of Serenity Falls (with many editorial inconsisitencies) we welcome this volume in which bad things begin to happen in the present (with many typos and one editorial inconsistency). It is amazing the ability of people to deny and deny that something unnatural is happening before their eyes. It is also amazing how this novel runs the gauntlet of the horror cliche including zombie dogs, possessed children, evil clowns, dead people popping out of graves, ominous dreams, rolling heads that speak, the stalker in the dark and my personal favorite: the attack at lovers lane. Yet this volume also introduces individual town folk to us and we feel for them although it also makes us wonder, just when will they pull their heads from their asses and run for the hills?
November 7, 2019
This sequel felt quite different from the first installment. First of all, the overlying structure that so organized the first one is gone here. The chapters are still divided, but now the story follows more characters and the whole book follows a more chronological path. It took quite a while for Crawley to be re-introduced, but overall, I think that this sequel is even stronger than the first book! I had a hard time putting it down and all in all found it to be quite thrilling!
January 14, 2008
It had been a while since I read the first book in this trilogy, but I picked up where it left off with ease. A very engrossing tale about strange and supernatural things going on in a small town. There were a lot of characters to keep up with, but I'm sure that's just laying the groundwork for the final book, which I will be reading next.
December 17, 2011
Very good continuation. Completely different from the first book, which was designed to give an extended history of the town and introduce some of the major players. This chapter begins to bring everything involving Serenity Falls' curse to a slow boil. Cannot wait to see how things wrap up in part three.
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April 14, 2008Horror
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews