They

by David Morrell

In a remote valley in the dead of winter, a pioneer family encounters a pack of mysterious animals with uncommon ferocity and intelligence. As a blizzard worsens, the trap tightens until only a twelve-year-old girl holds the secret of survival.

This chilling e-story proves why David Morrell received a lifetime-achievement ThrillerMaster Award from the International Thriller Writers organization as well as three Bram Stoker Awards from the Horror Writers Association. Morrell, who has been called “the father of the modern action novel,” is also an Edgar, Anthony, and Macavity nominee.

“David Morrell is, to me, the finest thriller writer living today, bar none.”
—Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Jefferson Key

“David Morrell is a master of suspense. He wields it like a stiletto—knows just where to stick it and how to turn it. If you’re reading Morrell, you’re sitting on the edge of your seat.”
—Michael Connelly, New York Times bestselling author of The Lincoln Lawyer

“Morrell, an absolute master of the thriller, plays by his on rules and leaves you dazzled.”
—Dean Koontz, New York Times bestselling author of Odd Thomas

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Short Stories, Thriller

33 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 13, 2011

About the author

David Morrell is a Canadian novelist from Kitchener, Ontario, who has been living in the United States for a number of years. He is best known for his debut 1972 novel First Blood, which would later become a successful film franchise starring Sylvester Stallone. More recently, he has been writing the Captain America comic books limited-series The Chosen.

Reviews

[itchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

titular sentence:
p11: Usually they were bull snakes, but sometimes they were rattlers.

Haunting.

[Jonathan Maas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Came across this in 'Best New Horror' - and it is worthy of David Morrell's ouevre. Quick short story - gets to the point. Check your roof for snakes!

[Barry Simiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short story from a modern master of both speculative and action/adventure fiction. a re-release of an earlier story, I loved it. the ending left me a little cold but i'm betting there's a heaps bigger story hidden here. One for the Morrell collection on my Ipad.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I started this, I couldn't put it down. It's only 21 pages, a very quick read, but so good, so exciting!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a short novelette based loosely on Little House on the Prairie. Horrifying! I read it quickly to find out the outcome. David Morrell is a favorite author of mine.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short story. Quick, punchy, to-the point. It really quickly established the characters, let you get a feel for them, and then kills most of them off. There's enough mystery about what "They" actually are without going into the supernatural or something similar, which keeps the story grounded. The only thing that I wish had been expanded on is:
how she got found after surviving her ordeal, and if she ever got any kind of closure as far as a hint to what happened to her family, or any remains. We can easily assume that "They" got them, but at least a paragraph or a few parting words letting us know how she got out of there after winter and if they ever found any part of her family members.

[L J Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

They, by David Morrell, is a little stunner of a page-turner. After reading through “Little House on the Prairie” by Wilder, Morrell re-imagines what life on the prairie was REALLY like. The story begins as a pastoral and quickly becomes an uneasy and then terrifying tale of one possible hardship of the pioneers. Four and a half stars!

[Steve Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gritty and intense survival story from the author of First Blood in which a pioneer family are under siege from a pack of ravenous wolves.
David Morrell is a master at creating and maintaining tension. Much like his most famous novel, a tense atmosphere is swiftly created and your attention is gripped until the final sentence.

[Robert Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short little jaunt into hell on the prairies. Interesting tale that manages to scare and give a bit of flavour to what life must have been like out on the open prairie in harsh winter conditions. Oh yeah, it has some ferocious beasties roaming the prairie too! Really good short story.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

They prowl around the valley where the pioneer family live, and soon they will come for them. Without giving away too much, this is a horror reinterpretation of Little House on the Prairie. As usual, Morrell’s storytelling is clear and gripping. I enjoyed this short story.

[Jay Rothermel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant and beautifully realized

[Kathy Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is one I bought today after running across it on B&N. David Morrell wrote the book Creepers which is in my Top Ten favorite books. David Morrell was a professor at the University of Iowa here in Iowa City from 1970 to 1986 – a fact I didn’t know until reading about him at the back of this book. He is also one of the creative minds behind the book/movie “Rambo”.

“They” is a very short story for which I paid ninety-nine cents for. This is one of the things my son keeps getting on me about – getting some of my short stories out there for ninety-nine cents. David’s story is about a family living the pioneer life back when everyone got around via horse & buggy. His inspiration came from Laura Ingles Wilder’s books “Little House on the Prairie.”

The family of five is widdled down to the one 12-year-old child who battles wits against creatures of wolf decent. She tries to remember the things her papa taught her about how to survive as she scrounge to make it till spring.

I enjoyed the short story – it was fast paced and interestingly done. I did think David rushed the epiphany the girl had that maybe her father didn’t know everything after all – but I suppose he had space constraints.

Overall it is a great short story – I did enjoy it and wish it was a tad bit longer. I’m giving it a B+.

[Alsjem · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short horror inspired by Little House on the Prairie - yes really!!!

I'm not a huge fan of the short story but for David Morrell I'm prepared to make an exception and this one didn't disappoint.

[Chris (thebookaholic) Padgett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another short e book by Morrell, and it will not leave a warm comfortable feeling after its completion. It is like Laura Ingles Wilder has the worst winter ever! Morrell is a master of suspense!

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun but predictable

I found this a fun little read, especially interesting because I, as well as the author had little girls that loved "Little House on the prairie." I gave it 3 stars for the predictable plot but I still plan on reading more from Mr Morrell.

[David Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thrilling short story about the terrifying things that go bump in the night at the Little House on the Prairie...