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Sustenance
In a time when friends, wrestling and graduation should be his top priorities, Coert unlocks a terrible secret about himself, unleashing an ancient evil that threatens to destroy his very existence, but to overcome this evil and save those he loves, he must learn to gain sustenance and harness the power trapped within.
- GenresHorror
246 pages, Paperback
First published March 30, 2012
2 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 16, 2012
I wrote it. I loved it.
October 15, 2018
Quite surprised to see this get such high rating. 4.4
at time of writing, Not that it doesn't deserve such
high ratings, Just in my opinion a book that is a comfortable 3.
Nothing to elaborate, no way could it be classed as a "Page Turner"
But It's a good story, well, told, I Get the feeling maybe aimed more
at the late Teen, early 20s market. & not the late 50s! However, best
judge that for yourselves, The Authors first Novel, And a good solid
start.
at time of writing, Not that it doesn't deserve such
high ratings, Just in my opinion a book that is a comfortable 3.
Nothing to elaborate, no way could it be classed as a "Page Turner"
But It's a good story, well, told, I Get the feeling maybe aimed more
at the late Teen, early 20s market. & not the late 50s! However, best
judge that for yourselves, The Authors first Novel, And a good solid
start.
April 16, 2012
Being a father of two in my late twenties, I’ve not read much YA fiction (apart from The Hunger Games, Go Read It NOW!), as I’m outside the demographic. But when I was offered the chance to read this new offering from Nate D. Burleigh I jumped at the chance. In the past I’ve read a few of his short tales and have being suitably impressed, so I thought why not?
Without giving too much away the story, set in late eighties America involves a young man named Coert who discovers by way of a genetic awaking, has developed extraordinary powers, giving him a God-like power over the rest humanity, who he must harvest in order to gain sustenance in order to continue using his great power. But it seems a power even greater than himself is stalking the students of his high school.
There’s enough twists and turns in this to keep your attention, even if it is aimed generally at a teen audience, I enjoyed it all the same and found myself chuckling in places at a few of the one-liners. The action scenes are excellently described and there’s enough gore without scaring off younger readers.
The monster is apt, tying in nicely with the story and various legends and mythologies, making for a brutal and seemingly indestructible villain who ever hungers for the end of humanity (which good villain doesn’t?).
The setting of late eighties America is beautifully caught as is the parlance of the times, Burleigh takes you there, creating an atmosphere you can’t deny was once real and really mattered to the author.
My only sore point is the ending was a little abrupt, I like things tied off nice and neatish when I finish a novel, and the cliff-hanger ending, whilst keeping the story open ended for an obvious sequel, wasn’t needed in the way it was done.
A well crafted story, deserved of its praise. Though I suspect that a younger crowd might gain more enjoyment from this that I did, still a decent read that held my attention throughout.
Without giving too much away the story, set in late eighties America involves a young man named Coert who discovers by way of a genetic awaking, has developed extraordinary powers, giving him a God-like power over the rest humanity, who he must harvest in order to gain sustenance in order to continue using his great power. But it seems a power even greater than himself is stalking the students of his high school.
There’s enough twists and turns in this to keep your attention, even if it is aimed generally at a teen audience, I enjoyed it all the same and found myself chuckling in places at a few of the one-liners. The action scenes are excellently described and there’s enough gore without scaring off younger readers.
The monster is apt, tying in nicely with the story and various legends and mythologies, making for a brutal and seemingly indestructible villain who ever hungers for the end of humanity (which good villain doesn’t?).
The setting of late eighties America is beautifully caught as is the parlance of the times, Burleigh takes you there, creating an atmosphere you can’t deny was once real and really mattered to the author.
My only sore point is the ending was a little abrupt, I like things tied off nice and neatish when I finish a novel, and the cliff-hanger ending, whilst keeping the story open ended for an obvious sequel, wasn’t needed in the way it was done.
A well crafted story, deserved of its praise. Though I suspect that a younger crowd might gain more enjoyment from this that I did, still a decent read that held my attention throughout.
March 23, 2013
High School was a nightmare for most of us. Many of us. Okay, I didn’t enjoy it. When I found Nate Burleigh’s horror Sustenance about an 80’s High School, I figured, finally, someone who understands what it was like. But alas, the horror here is not teenage angst, overcrowded classrooms and testing anxiety, it’s much darker than that much older than that. High Schools are, after all a relatively recent form of torture.
Sustenance however is about monsters and kids, Oregon and wrestling. It is a nostalgic visit to the years of my life when life was actually pretty good. Sustenance manages to capture the flavor of the 80’s, it’s culture and limitation but his real strength is in his characters. Burleigh has a real talent in writing teenage dialog and interaction that sound convincing.
There are many plot twists in Sustenance that keep you guessing up until the last page. Its horror is horrific, its romance is romantic and its supernatural elements are supernatural. However, in doing all this the author has to shift gears a lot and it is this that I found to be the greatest weakness Sustenance and keeps it to 4 stars. The sudden changes in direction from say, teenage sexual curiosity to wholesales slaughter can be a jarring and the various moods of the book are more than I’m used to.
Sustenance is a good read. It’s got it all. I’d suggest you buy it and read it in slower stages than I did; stretch it out over a few days or a week instead of the can’t-put-it-down day I devoured it in. Make it last longer and it might sustain you!
Sustenance however is about monsters and kids, Oregon and wrestling. It is a nostalgic visit to the years of my life when life was actually pretty good. Sustenance manages to capture the flavor of the 80’s, it’s culture and limitation but his real strength is in his characters. Burleigh has a real talent in writing teenage dialog and interaction that sound convincing.
There are many plot twists in Sustenance that keep you guessing up until the last page. Its horror is horrific, its romance is romantic and its supernatural elements are supernatural. However, in doing all this the author has to shift gears a lot and it is this that I found to be the greatest weakness Sustenance and keeps it to 4 stars. The sudden changes in direction from say, teenage sexual curiosity to wholesales slaughter can be a jarring and the various moods of the book are more than I’m used to.
Sustenance is a good read. It’s got it all. I’d suggest you buy it and read it in slower stages than I did; stretch it out over a few days or a week instead of the can’t-put-it-down day I devoured it in. Make it last longer and it might sustain you!
April 26, 2014
This is a horror title, but it has also been mentioned as a young adult novel. With the application of the latter, I initially wondered whether the horrific slant might be affected, but if so, I didn't notice. There is an abundance here for anyone who enjoys horror, and the book was a pleasure to read. Intriguing developments, both in character and in action, keep the story spinning along, and it's also entertaining to observe the various references, as the story is set in the 1980's. In summary, Sustenance is an engaging read, and I'll look forward to seeing more from Nate Burleigh in the future.
April 27, 2012
"Well, looks like I've found another great book, a horror novel from an author who's about to strike fear in our souls like so many others we've come to know. Nate Burleigh's debut novel "Sustenance," picks up the pace from the very start and never lets us go. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the realistic characters he's created in this creepy novel, and so will you. Two bony thumbs up from the evil little jester and myself."
-Charles Day Author of "Legend of The Pumpkin Thief" & "The Plan, A Mystery"
-Charles Day Author of "Legend of The Pumpkin Thief" & "The Plan, A Mystery"
April 24, 2012
This was an amazing book, geniously written by the amazing Nate D. Burleigh, it keeps you interested, I don't care what genre you enjoy this one is for you! It has EVERYTHING!
November 5, 2012
Great horror book based in southern Oregon where I live.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews