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Night Stone
Hidden Toys
The old house in Maine gave Beth the creeps. She couldn't believe they were really moving in. If it weren't for the wooden doll she had found in the closet of her new bedroom, she would have been miserable. But the strange hand-carved figure fascinated her, and she sensed with a child's instinct that she had to hide it from her parents...
Hidden Evil
It was a house of darkness and shadows, but with her secret doll, Beth wasn't afraid. Not even when she heard the scratching and whispering at night. Not even when the tall massive stones of her dreams began to ooze with blood. For as she stared into the eyes of the wooden doll, she heard it call to her and felt the force of its evil power. And she knew that it was about to tell her what she had to do...
The old house in Maine gave Beth the creeps. She couldn't believe they were really moving in. If it weren't for the wooden doll she had found in the closet of her new bedroom, she would have been miserable. But the strange hand-carved figure fascinated her, and she sensed with a child's instinct that she had to hide it from her parents...
Hidden Evil
It was a house of darkness and shadows, but with her secret doll, Beth wasn't afraid. Not even when she heard the scratching and whispering at night. Not even when the tall massive stones of her dreams began to ooze with blood. For as she stared into the eyes of the wooden doll, she heard it call to her and felt the force of its evil power. And she knew that it was about to tell her what she had to do...
592 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
14 people are currently reading
818 people want to read
About the author
Rick Hautala
137 books125 followersAKA A.J. Matthews
Rick Hautala has more than thirty published books to his credit, including the million copy, international best-seller Nightstone, as well as Twilight Time, Little Brothers, Cold Whisper, Impulse, and The Wildman. He has also published four novels—The White Room, Looking Glass, Unbroken, and Follow—using the pseudonym A. J. Matthews. His more than sixty published short stories have appeared in national and international anthologies and magazines. His short story collection Bedbugs was selected as one of the best horror books of the year in 2003.
A novella titled Reunion was published by PS Publications in December, 2009; and Occasional Demons, a short story collection, is due in 2010 from CD Publications. He wrote the screenplays for several short films, including the multiple award-winning The Ugly Film, based on the short story by Ed Gorman, as well as Peekers, based on a short story by Kealan Patrick Burke, and Dead @ 17, based on the graphic novel by Josh Howard.
A graduate of the University of Maine in Orono with a Master of Art in English Literature (Renaissance and Medieval Literature), Hautala lives in southern Maine with author Holly Newstein. His three sons have all grown up and (mostly) moved out of the house. He served terms as Vice President and Trustee for the Horror Writers Association.
Sadly, Rick died on March 21, 2013.
Rick Hautala has more than thirty published books to his credit, including the million copy, international best-seller Nightstone, as well as Twilight Time, Little Brothers, Cold Whisper, Impulse, and The Wildman. He has also published four novels—The White Room, Looking Glass, Unbroken, and Follow—using the pseudonym A. J. Matthews. His more than sixty published short stories have appeared in national and international anthologies and magazines. His short story collection Bedbugs was selected as one of the best horror books of the year in 2003.
A novella titled Reunion was published by PS Publications in December, 2009; and Occasional Demons, a short story collection, is due in 2010 from CD Publications. He wrote the screenplays for several short films, including the multiple award-winning The Ugly Film, based on the short story by Ed Gorman, as well as Peekers, based on a short story by Kealan Patrick Burke, and Dead @ 17, based on the graphic novel by Josh Howard.
A graduate of the University of Maine in Orono with a Master of Art in English Literature (Renaissance and Medieval Literature), Hautala lives in southern Maine with author Holly Newstein. His three sons have all grown up and (mostly) moved out of the house. He served terms as Vice President and Trustee for the Horror Writers Association.
Sadly, Rick died on March 21, 2013.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
October 20, 2017
That was quite a long book but what a page turner. I couldn't wait for the denouement in the end. Great novel full of suspense. Only a horror novel of the 80s can take you on such thrilling roller coaster ride like this. An absolute recommendation for every horror fan of the 80s!
March 22, 2020
3.5 stars
Night Stone features standing stones, an ancient burial ground, AND a creepy doll so ticking off a few horror tropes right off the bat!
The characters were relatable and the story was fun and quite a page-turner. There were some great creepy moments and a couple of really well done gory moments too. I'm not sure it needed to be 600 pages long, I feel like it could have been tightened up, but saying that it ended up being a pretty quick read despite its length. I enjoyed Hautala's writing and would definitely like to read more of his work.
Night Stone features standing stones, an ancient burial ground, AND a creepy doll so ticking off a few horror tropes right off the bat!
The characters were relatable and the story was fun and quite a page-turner. There were some great creepy moments and a couple of really well done gory moments too. I'm not sure it needed to be 600 pages long, I feel like it could have been tightened up, but saying that it ended up being a pretty quick read despite its length. I enjoyed Hautala's writing and would definitely like to read more of his work.
October 17, 2017
The Inman family — Don, Jan, and daughter Beth — have just moved to Maine and they are living in a house that once belonged to Don’s grandparents. The house and woods surrounding it have a sordid, creepy past; naturally, strange occurrences start happening. Beth finds an old doll in the house, and for me that was one of the more unnerving aspects of this novel. Dolls scare me!
A lot of this book deals with Native American culture, which I find interesting — and it is something that can make for good horror. The skeletal remains of a human hand are found in the Inman’s backyard, and it is soon discovered that their yard could be home to an Indian burial ground some thousands of years old. Naturally, curiosity gets the best of the Inmans (especially Don) . . . and, well, things go from bad to worse.
I really loved this novel. I picked it up at my local thrift store yesterday and expected nothing more than a cheesy Stephen King-wannabe tale. Rick Hautala’s 1986 bestseller is much more than that: it is a genuinely unsettling look at Native American burial traditions, and what can happen when an old house ‘goes bad.’ Fans of King would do well to check this out, though, for this does take place in Maine and bears a few passing resemblances to some of SK’s novels such as The Tommyknockers and Pet Sematary. A ripping good read, I finished this thing in two days — I didn’t want to put it down. 5 Stars.
Read for ‘Haunted House’ in Halloween Bingo.
A lot of this book deals with Native American culture, which I find interesting — and it is something that can make for good horror. The skeletal remains of a human hand are found in the Inman’s backyard, and it is soon discovered that their yard could be home to an Indian burial ground some thousands of years old. Naturally, curiosity gets the best of the Inmans (especially Don) . . . and, well, things go from bad to worse.
I really loved this novel. I picked it up at my local thrift store yesterday and expected nothing more than a cheesy Stephen King-wannabe tale. Rick Hautala’s 1986 bestseller is much more than that: it is a genuinely unsettling look at Native American burial traditions, and what can happen when an old house ‘goes bad.’ Fans of King would do well to check this out, though, for this does take place in Maine and bears a few passing resemblances to some of SK’s novels such as The Tommyknockers and Pet Sematary. A ripping good read, I finished this thing in two days — I didn’t want to put it down. 5 Stars.
Read for ‘Haunted House’ in Halloween Bingo.
May 27, 2013
This was one of those books that has several scenes that are still horrifyingly vivid to me--many years later!
March 13, 2020
This book would have been perfectly fine at 300-pages, but it's a victim of the publisher's wish to bloat all their books to Stephen King size that really just makes this one dead on arrival.
A good 300-pages or so of the book is just fixing up the house (that might be giving it too much credit) and it just turns into a banal exercise in page-turning until it's over. A good editor hacking off the extra fat of the story, around 70% of it would have helped things.
There are not even any surprises for the experienced horror readers, which is odd since the length of this book would turn off anyone just getting into the genre. Buy it for the cover for a dollar or two, just skip reading it.
You have better things to read.
A good 300-pages or so of the book is just fixing up the house (that might be giving it too much credit) and it just turns into a banal exercise in page-turning until it's over. A good editor hacking off the extra fat of the story, around 70% of it would have helped things.
There are not even any surprises for the experienced horror readers, which is odd since the length of this book would turn off anyone just getting into the genre. Buy it for the cover for a dollar or two, just skip reading it.
You have better things to read.
June 7, 2015
I thoroughly enjoy this tale of a family moving into their ancestral home with its haunted past. The storyline was great, with the husband obsessed with finding the answers to the unexplained history. The father and his 12 year old daughter are soon affected by the strange feelings that have them wondering what is real or are these feelings trying to tell them something. Filled with horrifying scenes, the author has the reader drawn in and experiencing the horrors with them. One scene has the father crawling through a tunnel, that had me freaking about claustrophobia. Needless to say I have enjoyed Rick Hautala's books immensely and recommend this book.
March 30, 2021
4 stars.
Such a good story. It was a slow building one and it didn't have this massive ending but the whole way through, I did enjoy it. For me, a story has to be pretty well written and keep my attention, if it is a slow one. This ticked all my boxes because there was enough going on for me to keep turning, page after page.
It wasn't so much about a haunted house as I originally thought but more so haunted land, the house was on and the creeepy doll was only a minor part of the story throughout, until the end. But, it didn't matter.
Also, some descriptions suggest that this is written from Beth's (the 11 yr old girl) point of view, which it isn't but that makes no difference. The storyline was great and I would definitely like to read this again.
I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.
Such a good story. It was a slow building one and it didn't have this massive ending but the whole way through, I did enjoy it. For me, a story has to be pretty well written and keep my attention, if it is a slow one. This ticked all my boxes because there was enough going on for me to keep turning, page after page.
It wasn't so much about a haunted house as I originally thought but more so haunted land, the house was on and the creeepy doll was only a minor part of the story throughout, until the end. But, it didn't matter.
Also, some descriptions suggest that this is written from Beth's (the 11 yr old girl) point of view, which it isn't but that makes no difference. The storyline was great and I would definitely like to read this again.
I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.
May 13, 2020
Did not finish, for the second time.
I have tried to get through this cinder block of a book, twice. 600 pages in this thing.
The first time, I got to a hundred pages. The second, this time, I got halfway through, 300 pages.
Both times, no matter how many hundred pages I read, I was not hooked. There was nothing to hook onto, frankly. Pages and pages of painting, eating, squabbling and bitching. Occasionally,
a spooky something-or-other will happen, but it's not worth hanging in for.
I can already forecast this one out anyway, as the plot if just yanked from every other "whoops-we-moved-onto-a-house-builtonna-sacred-indian-burial-ground-andnowwearefucked".
I tried twice, because Hautala has a very good reputation, and it sold A MILLION COPIES in its first printing. I figured it has to be at least readable, and not just on account of that cool hologram cover...right?
No. Not right. This book was, for me, like reading about drying paint. Only there literally were pages about drying paint.
I'm not going to try with Night Stone for a third time. See ya.
I have tried to get through this cinder block of a book, twice. 600 pages in this thing.
The first time, I got to a hundred pages. The second, this time, I got halfway through, 300 pages.
Both times, no matter how many hundred pages I read, I was not hooked. There was nothing to hook onto, frankly. Pages and pages of painting, eating, squabbling and bitching. Occasionally,
a spooky something-or-other will happen, but it's not worth hanging in for.
I can already forecast this one out anyway, as the plot if just yanked from every other "whoops-we-moved-onto-a-house-builtonna-sacred-indian-burial-ground-andnowwearefucked".
I tried twice, because Hautala has a very good reputation, and it sold A MILLION COPIES in its first printing. I figured it has to be at least readable, and not just on account of that cool hologram cover...right?
No. Not right. This book was, for me, like reading about drying paint. Only there literally were pages about drying paint.
I'm not going to try with Night Stone for a third time. See ya.
July 7, 2013
The most memorable aspect of this book is the cover. I read the book a few years ago, or rather, I tried to read it. I quit with 76 pages to go, according to my bookmark. That close to the end, I only quit if I'm thoroughly annoyed or know exactly what's going to happen. In this case, it was the former.
I thought that the plot was interesting, and I wanted to know what happened. However, the endless "fix-up-the-house" scenes and other mundane, pointless additions took their toll. I didn't lose interest exactly... the tediousness began to outweigh my interest in the plot.
If this book had been edited down to say, 400 pages instead of 600, it would have been a more intense read. The padding just killed me! I'm all for long novels (1000+ pages is fine with me) but only if they serve a purpose.
I'm torn between a one and two star rating for this book. The plot hooked me enough to read 500 pages consisting mostly of mundane garbage. One star for the garbage or two stars for the plot within the garbage? It hardly matters I suppose.
I thought that the plot was interesting, and I wanted to know what happened. However, the endless "fix-up-the-house" scenes and other mundane, pointless additions took their toll. I didn't lose interest exactly... the tediousness began to outweigh my interest in the plot.
If this book had been edited down to say, 400 pages instead of 600, it would have been a more intense read. The padding just killed me! I'm all for long novels (1000+ pages is fine with me) but only if they serve a purpose.
I'm torn between a one and two star rating for this book. The plot hooked me enough to read 500 pages consisting mostly of mundane garbage. One star for the garbage or two stars for the plot within the garbage? It hardly matters I suppose.
Read
November 16, 2018This book features this internal interruption in italics around 50 times:
"No! Not blood!"
So I will probably yell that inside my head every day for the rest of my life.
"No! Not blood!"
So I will probably yell that inside my head every day for the rest of my life.
October 5, 2020
Another fun read by Hautala, and this one with a great Zebra cover-- a hologram no less that, depending on the angle, is either a skull or the face of a little girl. Well, with 80s horror, you never know what you are going to get, but Hautala was really a rising star at this point (published in 1986) and it shows.
NS chronicles the Inman family's summer at their 'new' house in St. Ann Maine. The house it seems has been in the family for over 60 years, but it was used as a rental. The last owner of it, grammy, is dying, however, and Don, her grandson, just got a new job nearby so once again, it will be inhabited by Inmans. Don, a school teacher, brings his wife Jan (a former real estate worker) and their 12 year old daughter Beth up from Rhode Island. They move in June and plan on having the summer to renovate the place, and it needs it to be sure. At first I thought this would be a haunted house story, as Don hears various scrapings in the night, along with voices in strange languages; he is also haunted by nightmares. Obviously, there is some bad mojo somewhere!
We follow along the Inman family's trials and tribulations for some time, but the discovery of a mummified human hand while digging a garden sparks a new twist in the story. Don becomes rather obsessed with the discovery, and hooks up with a local Indian with some knowledge of ancient lore; together, they try to discover if the house is on an old burial ground or something, or maybe something even worse. We also have Beth's strange obsession with an old wooden doll she found in the house that get weirder and weirder. Then, Don finds what seems to be an old tomb buried in the yard...
Hautala always takes you for a ride, and while some may call for some severe editing (this is a rather long book), I think it serves to build the tension brick by patient brick until we reach the conclusion. Hautala really is a master at this, and his easy prose just pulls you along. While this did have its share of gory bits, this is mostly a mind bender-- is everyone in the family slowly going insane, or is something/entity warping their minds? Lots of fun and it ends with a bang. 4 stars.
NS chronicles the Inman family's summer at their 'new' house in St. Ann Maine. The house it seems has been in the family for over 60 years, but it was used as a rental. The last owner of it, grammy, is dying, however, and Don, her grandson, just got a new job nearby so once again, it will be inhabited by Inmans. Don, a school teacher, brings his wife Jan (a former real estate worker) and their 12 year old daughter Beth up from Rhode Island. They move in June and plan on having the summer to renovate the place, and it needs it to be sure. At first I thought this would be a haunted house story, as Don hears various scrapings in the night, along with voices in strange languages; he is also haunted by nightmares. Obviously, there is some bad mojo somewhere!
We follow along the Inman family's trials and tribulations for some time, but the discovery of a mummified human hand while digging a garden sparks a new twist in the story. Don becomes rather obsessed with the discovery, and hooks up with a local Indian with some knowledge of ancient lore; together, they try to discover if the house is on an old burial ground or something, or maybe something even worse. We also have Beth's strange obsession with an old wooden doll she found in the house that get weirder and weirder. Then, Don finds what seems to be an old tomb buried in the yard...
Hautala always takes you for a ride, and while some may call for some severe editing (this is a rather long book), I think it serves to build the tension brick by patient brick until we reach the conclusion. Hautala really is a master at this, and his easy prose just pulls you along. While this did have its share of gory bits, this is mostly a mind bender-- is everyone in the family slowly going insane, or is something/entity warping their minds? Lots of fun and it ends with a bang. 4 stars.
January 8, 2014
Sadly, I never read Hautala while he was alive, I heard so many good things about him upon his passing I picked up several of his books, this was the earliest one I found. It concerns a small family moving to and old ancestral home that is cursed in some way. There is bad history there and the matriarch, who is no longer able to care for herself, wanted no member of the family to ever live there. Well, she is no longer able t make sure that doesn't happen, so here they come with an eleven year girl in tow.
You can guess some of the story, the girl is the first to experience signs, and afflictions, and soon, as with all of these books, all hell breaks loose. Here though, Hautala allows the story to take its time and build to a satisfying climax. Written in the eighties, it is dated, but only on the surface, prices, lack of technology, but that is it. Nightstone, has it where it counts, in the chills department. I would have liked the book to be a bit shorter, at 591 pages it seemed to be a bit tiresome at parts, but it is a worthwhile read, from a worthwhile author, who, sadly, is no longer with us. I will be reading much more from Hautala during the year.
You can guess some of the story, the girl is the first to experience signs, and afflictions, and soon, as with all of these books, all hell breaks loose. Here though, Hautala allows the story to take its time and build to a satisfying climax. Written in the eighties, it is dated, but only on the surface, prices, lack of technology, but that is it. Nightstone, has it where it counts, in the chills department. I would have liked the book to be a bit shorter, at 591 pages it seemed to be a bit tiresome at parts, but it is a worthwhile read, from a worthwhile author, who, sadly, is no longer with us. I will be reading much more from Hautala during the year.
June 4, 2012
I bought the book because the little girl on the cover looked exactly like my eldest daughter (now 21), but when I began to read it, it was very good. Definitely a thriller and would make an awesome movie but the repetitions would have to be taken out. I enjoyed it and my girls thought it was scary too. I recommend it to those who like to read before bedtime, boo!
August 15, 2023
Night Stone by Rick Hautala is a moderately creepy, supernatural horror novel. Don, his wife Jan, and their 11-year-old daughter Beth move from Rhode Island to Maine after buying a house belonging to Don’s grandmother. Shortly after arriving to the house, Beth discovers a wooden doll and instantly makes an odd connection with it. Strange happenings begin occurring in certain parts of the house and around the property, leading Don to question the history of his new home and uncovering long buried secrets.
The prologue of the story was suspenseful, and the overall premise was good. There was a thread of creepiness running throughout the novel with interesting supernatural elements. One of my biggest criticisms of Night Stone is its length. Night Stone is a slow burn which does not bother me; however, it could have been so much more enjoyable around the 200-250 page count. There are several scenes, storylines, and characters that could have been eliminated, so that more history of the Native American burial site could have been explored and perhaps revealed its connection to Grammy Kivinen’s tragedy. The characters are not the most dynamic, and the relationship between Don and Jan doesn’t seem believable at times, especially in regards to a decision Jan makes concerning her marriage. With that being said, Hautala redeems himself is the last 50 pages or so by incorporating some gruesome details related to an unsavory character and writing a satisfying but unhappy ending.
The prologue of the story was suspenseful, and the overall premise was good. There was a thread of creepiness running throughout the novel with interesting supernatural elements. One of my biggest criticisms of Night Stone is its length. Night Stone is a slow burn which does not bother me; however, it could have been so much more enjoyable around the 200-250 page count. There are several scenes, storylines, and characters that could have been eliminated, so that more history of the Native American burial site could have been explored and perhaps revealed its connection to Grammy Kivinen’s tragedy. The characters are not the most dynamic, and the relationship between Don and Jan doesn’t seem believable at times, especially in regards to a decision Jan makes concerning her marriage. With that being said, Hautala redeems himself is the last 50 pages or so by incorporating some gruesome details related to an unsavory character and writing a satisfying but unhappy ending.
October 14, 2022
A 12-year-old Beth and her parents Don and Jan move to their familial home in Maine, formerly belonging to the grandparents of her father. Both the house and the contiguous woods have a ghastly repute — and for good reason. Beth finds an outlandish handmade doll in a closet, which evidently proves to be more than just a toy.
But the discoveries (and affairs) which tag along will be many, and ever more distressing, diabolical and disquieting.
Native American folklore takes its place in this storyline, recalling some works by Stephen the King.
A novel dealing with archetypal premises like the haunted house and diabolical dolls, it is a tome full of apprehension and claustrophobia.
This one is recommended.
But the discoveries (and affairs) which tag along will be many, and ever more distressing, diabolical and disquieting.
Native American folklore takes its place in this storyline, recalling some works by Stephen the King.
A novel dealing with archetypal premises like the haunted house and diabolical dolls, it is a tome full of apprehension and claustrophobia.
This one is recommended.
May 1, 2019
A classic old school horror novel, it has all the 80s tropes: family moving into old home that's been in the family for ages, mysterious ancient stones, possible ancient Indian connections, obsessed father, strange doll influencing child, strange horrific dreams, odd deaths and other tragic events, a weird ending that doesn't really explain all that happened in the book. One very positive thing about the book is it's full of actual horror and dread.
The only real negatives I felt were that the book was way too long. A hundred or more pages easily could have been cropped to keep the story more focused; and the wife the was the most annoying, awful character. I was hoping for a terrible fate befalling her throughout the story.
The only real negatives I felt were that the book was way too long. A hundred or more pages easily could have been cropped to keep the story more focused; and the wife the was the most annoying, awful character. I was hoping for a terrible fate befalling her throughout the story.
April 16, 2020
It is always a frustration.
When you get a book, that seems to have so much promise, then does not deliver.
Going from the teaser on back cover.
This would maybe appear to be a haunted house tale.
Not even close. Most of the doings, happen outside the home.
It starts, with some interesting, and decent horror images.
Then just falls flat.
For a good amount of the book.
The story just plods along. Very little suspense or horror to it.
A few little tid bits. Then back to waiting for more.
A few quick shock and awe moments. Yet for the most part.
It was a chore, to keep reading.
In the hopes it would be a good payoff.
Some of the same theme, plot points. Just beaten on OVER and over again.
For the most part, did not really pick up. In the horror aspect, until 3 to 400 pages in.
Just attempt at foreshadowing. What could be.
Finally by the finish.
Like some of the Asian brand more recent horror film franchises.
There is no real explanation, behind everything.
A few things inferred.
No way to stop it from happening.
The main character, really lose desire to care about. Due to his own actions.
So after 500 plus pages. You get to an unsatisfying close, and ending.
If some of the things had at least. Been given a reason or explanation.
May have salvaged some of it.
I simply did not enjoy this one in any way.
When you get a book, that seems to have so much promise, then does not deliver.
Going from the teaser on back cover.
This would maybe appear to be a haunted house tale.
Not even close. Most of the doings, happen outside the home.
It starts, with some interesting, and decent horror images.
Then just falls flat.
For a good amount of the book.
The story just plods along. Very little suspense or horror to it.
A few little tid bits. Then back to waiting for more.
A few quick shock and awe moments. Yet for the most part.
It was a chore, to keep reading.
In the hopes it would be a good payoff.
Some of the same theme, plot points. Just beaten on OVER and over again.
For the most part, did not really pick up. In the horror aspect, until 3 to 400 pages in.
Just attempt at foreshadowing. What could be.
Finally by the finish.
Like some of the Asian brand more recent horror film franchises.
There is no real explanation, behind everything.
A few things inferred.
No way to stop it from happening.
The main character, really lose desire to care about. Due to his own actions.
So after 500 plus pages. You get to an unsatisfying close, and ending.
If some of the things had at least. Been given a reason or explanation.
May have salvaged some of it.
I simply did not enjoy this one in any way.
July 10, 2024
This chunker was a slow burn that could definitely have benefited if it had been trimmed down a bit but the suspense and mystery does keep you turning to the next page. 3.5 stars but all round up 4 for Goodreads.
April 30, 2020
This isn’t just another great art no substance Stephen king ripoff paperback—this thing exceeded my expectations and I can’t wait to dig into more of Rick’s work!
August 9, 2012
I only dabble in horror reading and this had me going for a bit. I think my copy was missing a few pages at the very the end which may have cleared things up but I doubt it. It seemed that there was far more storyline that was cut, I do hope there was more to the daughter and her knowledge-at least according to the back cover there sure was. To me the fear factor was there initially, I wanted to only read it in the blistering daylight and the descriptions had me visualizing the grotesque. But the clear lack of communication between the characters as a basis for the fear to build was just too obvious for me to get over and let the story sink in again. His growing obsession and the visions of the daughter's crazy behavior, had he communicated them, would have built the tension, in my opinion. The house fire connection wasn't clear, nor was the significance of the hands. And the list of life and death at the end seemed...random, unlinked to the other horror that obviously happened. Please clarify if I missed some obvious points. Maybe it would have made more sense if I had read it in the 1980s. I did reread some chapters and went back to make sure I didn't miss something. The disconnect between the malevolent-seeming force and its/their connection with the daughter had me rereading parts and still come up empty. I was eventually waiting for the story to end. I had a similar reading to Stephen King's Cujo, it just didn't maintain my fear. But at least King's had logic. Magic has logic, which the character Billy Blackshoe alluded to. I just couldn't find the final logical connection in this novel. Help is welcome! If you are into this kind of horror/suspense read, I do suggest it. I only gave it two stars because of the missing link with the daughter's knowledge. To me as a writer and editor it seemed either cut out or pieces thrown in. I am going to get another copy from the library, maybe the missing page(s) will make it all clear, but I highly doubt it.
October 24, 2019
I bought this at a thrift store solely for the cover but it ended up being entertaining. I figured I'd dive in to some mass market horror from the '70s-'90s for a fun break from what I usually read and as a return to the days when as a teenager I would pick up and read just about anything (before checking reviews online was a thing).
The blurb on the back of the book has almost NOTHING whatsoever to do with the narrative. It reads as if the book is told from a young girl's POV but there are very few parts in the book where we see things from Beth's perspective. So, it's not really about a little girl and a doll, but about her father, Don, becoming more and more obsessed with these large stones in the backyard of their new house in Maine. It also features a mummified hand, an apparent Indian burial ground, a girl seemingly obsessed with a wooden doll, a pervy neighbor, and Don's wife, Jan, who seems to have no strong feelings about anything (not even a mummified hand found in the backyard!) except her sometime boss down at the divey tourist restaurant she works at when all her other job prospects are exhausted.
The ending was pretty abrupt and a little disappointing, I think for the length there should have been a little more payoff at the end.
The blurb on the back of the book has almost NOTHING whatsoever to do with the narrative. It reads as if the book is told from a young girl's POV but there are very few parts in the book where we see things from Beth's perspective. So, it's not really about a little girl and a doll, but about her father, Don, becoming more and more obsessed with these large stones in the backyard of their new house in Maine. It also features a mummified hand, an apparent Indian burial ground, a girl seemingly obsessed with a wooden doll, a pervy neighbor, and Don's wife, Jan, who seems to have no strong feelings about anything (not even a mummified hand found in the backyard!) except her sometime boss down at the divey tourist restaurant she works at when all her other job prospects are exhausted.
The ending was pretty abrupt and a little disappointing, I think for the length there should have been a little more payoff at the end.
April 28, 2020
NO! NOT BLOOD!!!
I lost track of how many times that came up in this bloated story.
Not quite 3 stars due to the length of this thing at over 500 pages for a Zebra horror novel?? This was probably Zebra's answer to Stephen King. Lots of similarities. it takes place in Maine, there is a ancient Indian burial ground, lots of dialogue with the characters , and it goes on way to long!
Mid 80's book here and like others from that era this book could have been much shorter and told with all the same ingredients in about 300 pages or less.
Don't expect much horror here, its just a creepy book. The creepy moments are far and few between. I had to get to over 500 pages to find out what it was all about, which honestly wasnt that surprising.
NO! NOT BLOOD!!!!
ughhhhh.. next!
I lost track of how many times that came up in this bloated story.
Not quite 3 stars due to the length of this thing at over 500 pages for a Zebra horror novel?? This was probably Zebra's answer to Stephen King. Lots of similarities. it takes place in Maine, there is a ancient Indian burial ground, lots of dialogue with the characters , and it goes on way to long!
Mid 80's book here and like others from that era this book could have been much shorter and told with all the same ingredients in about 300 pages or less.
Don't expect much horror here, its just a creepy book. The creepy moments are far and few between. I had to get to over 500 pages to find out what it was all about, which honestly wasnt that surprising.
NO! NOT BLOOD!!!!
ughhhhh.. next!
September 17, 2014
ok, let me tell you how much i disliked this book. first of all, the plot was fairly muddled. stonehenge, indian burial grounds, ghosts, you honestly couldn't tell what these people were supposed to be scared of. the whole "wife cheats on her husband" subplot was unnecessary. the wife and husband bickered so much half of the book was dedicated to how much they suck. the daughter had a lot of potential for creepiness and i wish the book had been focused on her because most of the scary moments involved her character! this book was almost 600 pages. it should have been less than that. and whew did the ending suck! seemed like the author didn't have a concrete ending in mind so he just made one up and the whole thing just felt rushed. thank goodness i only spent $.50 on this novel.
August 28, 2021
4.8 stars!
Criminally underrated horror novel and writer. Dark and scary. Solid characterization combined with vivid settings and tons of scares. Terror! Terror!
"It was a house of darkness and shadows, but with her secret doll, Beth wasn’t afraid. Not even when she heard the scratching and whispering at night. Not even when the tall, massive stones of her dreams began to ooze with blood. "
-Rick Hautala
Welcome addition to serious horror collections and essential for any Zebra horror collector.
Criminally underrated horror novel and writer. Dark and scary. Solid characterization combined with vivid settings and tons of scares. Terror! Terror!
"It was a house of darkness and shadows, but with her secret doll, Beth wasn’t afraid. Not even when she heard the scratching and whispering at night. Not even when the tall, massive stones of her dreams began to ooze with blood. "
-Rick Hautala
Welcome addition to serious horror collections and essential for any Zebra horror collector.
April 28, 2011
This was a book that could have been really good, it had a good storyline and plot ,but it never took off for me.Some parts seemed to just be thrown in for no good reason. I hate the wife all she does is fuss the whole book for no good reason. I really wanted something bad to happen to her the whole way threw.All in all it was sad because i felt if i just kept reading it would get better but it just never did.
January 26, 2016
This book is terrible! So bad a couldn't finish it I literally throw it away after a disgusting scene where a man watched a married couple do it. This book is nothing like its description, I had not idea I was reading a porno. From one scene where a little girl gets a pet horse, to the next the horse kills the dog, to a scene about a man watching people have sex. If you think your reading a horror book your not. Take it from me I found out the hard way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2013
I wanted to like this novel. I really did. parts of it work wonderfully. The one part of the book that ultimately fails is the characterization of the wife. The character is bland, hateful and dull. Drags down the whole novel.
That said, there are some great set-ups in this novel, so it is worth a look.
That said, there are some great set-ups in this novel, so it is worth a look.
Read
September 1, 2015Stumbled across this while stocking paperbacks at work, and it immediately became an impulse-buy. The plot is nothing I haven't seen, but the fact that I distinctly remember growing up and seeing this book at stores was enough for me to get it. If nothing else, I at least bought some nostalgia for $1.50.
March 19, 2024
I spent pretty much the entire book with an unshakeable - in fact, mounting - sense of dread. And the only “relief” to the simmering shivering was as potential for something dreadful to happen finally came to fruition, there was that little mini-break from worrying about the family before the next ripple outwards from the central terror.
The central terror for Don, Jan, and young Beth, is clearly their new home and the grounds it sits on, right from page 13 - if you’re superstitious about that number, then most of the early pages are honorary page 13…until at some point later on every chapter is unlucky Chapter 13. Unlucky for the family, lucky for a reader looking for a long but continuously compelling, and thus speedy, Horror novel from the 1980s. Hautala was a name I passed on, back in the day, no matter how many Horror shelves were pockmarked with his product when I was younger. In fact, Zebra Horror never really managed to infect my Horror pleasure centre; finally, in 1990, I bought on impulse something called Shaman Woods by Morgan Fields which gave me only what I assumed I would get from the publishers, and no more.
But thank goodness for Horror reading guides, even though it was originally their fault I avoided anything from Zebra - my first ‘100 Best’ Horror reading guides, or even larger studies of the genre, did not steer me to any novels coming from Zebra Books. One exception over in the Mystery field: Zebra gave me The Circular Staircase, by Mary Roberts Rinehart, which a list told me to get.
Everything changed, with the more recent Horror list-plus-essays guide called 150 Exquisite Horror Books, because hey, it suggests Night Stone, complete with cover art that has virtually no connection to the contents of the book, as originally published under the Zebra imprint. So I had faith, and was curious as to how good the book might be, especially as compared to more modern long Horror tomes, and those big names from the 1980s Horror scene the Zebra stable had to compete with, and always lost out to, in my case.
Finally, I had been steered to a Zebra book, from an author I had always been a little tempted to give a go.
The Horror tropes are somewhat familiar - don’t muck with “sacred ground”; a girl in jeopardy due to supernatural forces that have for their hooks into her and also got worse hooks into an obsessed parent that will not simply get the family the hell away; the mysterious Native American with some weird “powers” - but by any page 13 you wanna pick, I did not care what this book reminded me of. By the time all the honorary Chapter 13s kept frightening me beyond many other Horror novels or films I had been clawed by over the last, oh, 15 years, I realized this book had its own fresh take on the familiar, anyway. As far as what’s rattlesnaking around in my head after reading this, there have to be at least five unforgettable scenes that scared me in ways I usually only get from movies.
It’s a roughly carved-out and mysterious-fluid-oozing notch or two below perfect, with the finale effective but perhaps a little abrupt, and not all questions answered (I don’t think I mind that; logic and a nightmare supernatural scenario are not a happy pair when pushed together) - and yes let’s all chant “It’s too LONG!” until we all believe it like some horrible cult - but my goodness was this much better than I was anticipating, and beyond. Hard to put down, even though that stops the relentless attack.
The central terror for Don, Jan, and young Beth, is clearly their new home and the grounds it sits on, right from page 13 - if you’re superstitious about that number, then most of the early pages are honorary page 13…until at some point later on every chapter is unlucky Chapter 13. Unlucky for the family, lucky for a reader looking for a long but continuously compelling, and thus speedy, Horror novel from the 1980s. Hautala was a name I passed on, back in the day, no matter how many Horror shelves were pockmarked with his product when I was younger. In fact, Zebra Horror never really managed to infect my Horror pleasure centre; finally, in 1990, I bought on impulse something called Shaman Woods by Morgan Fields which gave me only what I assumed I would get from the publishers, and no more.
But thank goodness for Horror reading guides, even though it was originally their fault I avoided anything from Zebra - my first ‘100 Best’ Horror reading guides, or even larger studies of the genre, did not steer me to any novels coming from Zebra Books. One exception over in the Mystery field: Zebra gave me The Circular Staircase, by Mary Roberts Rinehart, which a list told me to get.
Everything changed, with the more recent Horror list-plus-essays guide called 150 Exquisite Horror Books, because hey, it suggests Night Stone, complete with cover art that has virtually no connection to the contents of the book, as originally published under the Zebra imprint. So I had faith, and was curious as to how good the book might be, especially as compared to more modern long Horror tomes, and those big names from the 1980s Horror scene the Zebra stable had to compete with, and always lost out to, in my case.
Finally, I had been steered to a Zebra book, from an author I had always been a little tempted to give a go.
The Horror tropes are somewhat familiar - don’t muck with “sacred ground”; a girl in jeopardy due to supernatural forces that have for their hooks into her and also got worse hooks into an obsessed parent that will not simply get the family the hell away; the mysterious Native American with some weird “powers” - but by any page 13 you wanna pick, I did not care what this book reminded me of. By the time all the honorary Chapter 13s kept frightening me beyond many other Horror novels or films I had been clawed by over the last, oh, 15 years, I realized this book had its own fresh take on the familiar, anyway. As far as what’s rattlesnaking around in my head after reading this, there have to be at least five unforgettable scenes that scared me in ways I usually only get from movies.
It’s a roughly carved-out and mysterious-fluid-oozing notch or two below perfect, with the finale effective but perhaps a little abrupt, and not all questions answered (I don’t think I mind that; logic and a nightmare supernatural scenario are not a happy pair when pushed together) - and yes let’s all chant “It’s too LONG!” until we all believe it like some horrible cult - but my goodness was this much better than I was anticipating, and beyond. Hard to put down, even though that stops the relentless attack.
May 3, 2021
It's the one with the hologram! Look, it's a kid! Now it's a skeleton! It's a million copy bestseller, that's what it is. The nearly 600-page novel beneath the small, shiny hologram proves that Zebra probably knew and cared more about marketing than editing.
The Inman family moves into Don the dad's ancestral home in rural maine, a house which has been abandoned for a long time. Tenants never stay for long and its original owners the Kivinen family met with tragedy and death. Soon Don dreams of giant bleeding stones and finds an ancient severed hand possibly of Native American origin buried in the ground. Meanwhile, Beth the daughter finds and bonds with a creepy doll, always a bad sign, while Jan the wife tries her hand at waitressing and serves as the one normal person in the increasingly dysfunctional family trio.
The atmosphere is king here and Hautala gets it right from the start. The decaying but still habitable house and its sylvanian premises ooze some of that sweet New England backwoods magic, familiar from his other novels. Hautala uses his own Finnish roots as ingredients for the immigrant Kivinen family, adding a word of Finnish here and there for authencity (sadly there are some mistakes in grammar and spelling, but I guess checking stuff out in the pre-Internet age wasn't as easy as it is today).
There's something almost Lovecraftian in the way the ancient plot hides ancient secrets, which the increasingly obsessed Don digs out like a Nahum Gardner. University experts swoop in like their colleagues in The Colour Out of Space, and could those scratching sounds underground be Rats in the Walls? It's a nice touch in a novel that otherwise follows the basic tenets of eighties horror 101, with even a cameo from a sex-obsessed voyeur teen familiar from anything by Richard Laymon.
But the novel meanders a bit and occasionally loses its focus, with the many different elements not quite coming together into an effective whole. At nearly 600 pages there's a lot of excess, with some plotlines going nowhere and others getting abrupt endings. The finger of blame points accusingly at the editors at Zebra, but maybe they were busy with the hologram nonsense. The events do pick up pace towards the tragic conclusion, but getting there is often slow going.
The ending itself is as unhappy as it gets, with sadness and loneliness turned up to eleven. There's something unmistakably Finnish and Scandinavian about it, with none of new world optimism at display. In the end Night Stone feels simultaneously too ambitious and not ambitious enough. But there might be the bones of a good novel buried somewhere deep beneath that gleaming, beckoning hologram.
The Inman family moves into Don the dad's ancestral home in rural maine, a house which has been abandoned for a long time. Tenants never stay for long and its original owners the Kivinen family met with tragedy and death. Soon Don dreams of giant bleeding stones and finds an ancient severed hand possibly of Native American origin buried in the ground. Meanwhile, Beth the daughter finds and bonds with a creepy doll, always a bad sign, while Jan the wife tries her hand at waitressing and serves as the one normal person in the increasingly dysfunctional family trio.
The atmosphere is king here and Hautala gets it right from the start. The decaying but still habitable house and its sylvanian premises ooze some of that sweet New England backwoods magic, familiar from his other novels. Hautala uses his own Finnish roots as ingredients for the immigrant Kivinen family, adding a word of Finnish here and there for authencity (sadly there are some mistakes in grammar and spelling, but I guess checking stuff out in the pre-Internet age wasn't as easy as it is today).
There's something almost Lovecraftian in the way the ancient plot hides ancient secrets, which the increasingly obsessed Don digs out like a Nahum Gardner. University experts swoop in like their colleagues in The Colour Out of Space, and could those scratching sounds underground be Rats in the Walls? It's a nice touch in a novel that otherwise follows the basic tenets of eighties horror 101, with even a cameo from a sex-obsessed voyeur teen familiar from anything by Richard Laymon.
But the novel meanders a bit and occasionally loses its focus, with the many different elements not quite coming together into an effective whole. At nearly 600 pages there's a lot of excess, with some plotlines going nowhere and others getting abrupt endings. The finger of blame points accusingly at the editors at Zebra, but maybe they were busy with the hologram nonsense. The events do pick up pace towards the tragic conclusion, but getting there is often slow going.
The ending itself is as unhappy as it gets, with sadness and loneliness turned up to eleven. There's something unmistakably Finnish and Scandinavian about it, with none of new world optimism at display. In the end Night Stone feels simultaneously too ambitious and not ambitious enough. But there might be the bones of a good novel buried somewhere deep beneath that gleaming, beckoning hologram.
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