Until the Sun

by Chandler Morrison

Responsibility. Authority. Mortality.

If you could liberate yourself of these burdens, would any cost be too great?

On a hot August night, a troubled fifteen-year-old boy with a tragic past wakes to find his tyrannical foster parents murdered by a trio of nocturnal, blood-drinking heathens. The killers give him the opportunity for a new life, one where he can be relieved of traditional hardships, vanquish his enemies, and attain a sense of true belonging…at the cost of what little remains of his humanity. The life he is offered is one of eternal darkness, but the promise of undying acceptance, freedom, and power gives it an appeal that his current dreaded existence is lacking.

Fraught with resentment over his catastrophic adolescence and confronted by ambiguous notions of good and evil, he is forced to explore a dark world on the fringe between bliss and oblivion. As he edges ever closer to a climactic encounter with the demons that plague his soul, he discovers just how dangerous it is to be young and alienated in modern society.

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Fiction, Horror Thriller, Paranormal

338 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2019

About the author

Little is known about Chandler’s origins. He has claimed, on separate occasions, to be both from Helltown, California, and Cleveland, Ohio. To date, it is still unclear from which locale he actually hails. He currently resides in Los Angeles, but sightings of him are rare.

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

What brought me to this book was the fact that the premise resembled the general set up for the main character in my first Preternatural book. As I read some of the previous reviews, they focused on how sentimental it made them feel, in relation to their adolescence, so I looked forward to the depth of this story. As I read through this very, very long book, I found very little of what I was looking for. It is a fifteen year old being dragged around a pseudo-vampire network, with most of the adolescent events focused on drug use, sexual encounters, and all of the surface-level things you would imagine. This is just my particular preference, but none of that interests me at all, and nothing new or interesting was introduced here, especially as it relates to the horror genre. Adolescence sucks for everyone, and I get it, but I don’t like to keep being brought back to it repeatedly, as I tend to see many authors do. In my original book, I included some parts of adolescence to round my characters, but I focused moreso on trauma and abuse, transitioning from real world horror to supernatural-based, and not keeping it solely centered on the aforementioned superficial and very predictable parts of the teenage years. I felt that the horror elements in this book were greatly harmed at various points by focusing too much on the adolescence, with many spots being flooded with dialogue-heavy diatribes that felt forced. Now the author makes some marked shifts from traditional vampires, taking a lot of the fun away from these creatures, all leading to a somewhat unremarkable twist ending, which further took away from the premise. It was also written in a strange way, as you are the main character, even though ‘you’ are being told ‘your’ background, feelings, and thoughts. Just an odd choice. So the reason that I’m giving this such a high rating is that I fully acknowledge that there may be fans of this sort of story, despite me not being one of them, and the writing was done well.

[Rayne Havok · Rating 5 out of 5]

SERIOUSLY! This mother effer knows how to write a book!
I just spent the whole day with my eyes glued to this. I can't say enough good things about this author in general. Fucking BRILLIANT!
Check it out, or whatever...I guess, if you want to.

[Sadie Hartmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll admit that sometimes, I go into a book with some preconceived notions based on expectations generated by social media or maybe some other random influences.
When I picked up UNTIL THE SUN by Chandler Morrison, I was prepared to face a vampire novel leaning heavily on Chandler's brand of extreme horror/bizarro.
I was surprised by the first sentence: "Google tells you that you're going to die at 7:06 AM". I don't read very many books in the second person POV, you. So that was totally unexpected; it started the chain of surprises in store for me during this read.
This is a coming-of-age story about a 15-year-old boy that wakes up to discover his foster parents are being fed upon by a small gang of vampires.
He's invited to join their ranks. They call him, Casanova.
"Well la-dee-da, look at Casanova."
Readers will find themselves growing increasingly more engrossed in the story of young Casanova as he tries on the new lifestyle this gang of vampires model for him. Parties. Sex. Drinking. Drugs
and,
Hunting.
The characters are constantly referring to a mentor named, Ambrosio and I think the desire to have Casanova encounter Ambrosio for the first time is one of the most compelling aspects of UNDER THE SUN.
For fans of vampire novels, this one is a must read. Morrison's vamps are modern, hip, and sexy. Sometimes the kills are brutal in a traditional Splatterpunk style and sometimes the kills are almost like a fever dream, stradling the edge of what is really happening and what is maybe the hallucinations of a young man trying illicit drugs for the first time.
Certain sentences stood out to me like neon signs; pure terror. I was sufficiently creeped out several times.
Stylistically, I enjoyed the second person POV and the titles for every chapter. I can't stress how much I love titled chapters. This was a fun and exciting read getting to know Morrison's voice and imagination. i'm looking forward to reading more of his work.

[MadameD · Rating 5 out of 5]

WoW !!!
Brilliant !!!
I loved it !!!
I enjoyed this author stories very much !!!

[Daniel Volpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, but not for the weak hearted. Definitely one of my favorite vampire books and a great read all around. The details used by the author were well thought out. There were times I used all of my senses when reading certain passages. He left a lot of clues for the ending, so if you're paying attention it shouldn't be a shock. The last line is a great close to the book and really encompassed the entire feel of the story.

[Brad Tierney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stay Away... From Captain Howdy

Well, Chandler has solidified himself as one of my all time favorite authors on the planet with this story, one of the sickest vampire tales ever created. Bleak, and I mean way, way bleak, an absolutely pulverizing assault on the senses at times, ohhhhhhhh JFC I’ll never forget this book. Ever. Brutality, truthfulness, pain, so much pain, gore, gore, gore, good God almighty the gore.

Characters I grew to loathe, love, loathe again.

An unrelenting pacing, I read this baby in 2 fat sessions, and it was all I could think about as I did my daily chores and what-nots, you know?

The big reveal? I almost called 911 because of the impending coronary it nearly gave me, OH MY GOD. But... what... who... OH MY GOD!!!

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read in my entire life, regardless of genre, let alone read in 2020.

I give Chandler’s “Until The Sun” 5 perfectly hideous skulls.

☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️

[Pisces51 · Rating 4 out of 5]

UNTIL THE SUN [2019] By Chandler Morrison
My Review 4.0 Stars

I read this novel as a Buddy Read last month with a Goodreads friend who is a passionate fan of Chandler Morrison. It could be said that I am just as fascinated by his works.

“Until the Sun” was published by Death’s Head Press in the Fall of 2019. The length of the novel is an impressive 409 pages. Ratings on Goodreads (4.1) were surprisingly close to those reported by readers on Amazon (4.4). That said, the total book sales collectively (from both sites) were low at 400+ which suggests that it was a well-received novel by a select number of buyers. Is Chandler Morrison’s works an acquired taste? Hmmm. One of the 5-Star Customer Reviews on Amazon expressed my own thoughts quite well in that Chandler writes in “a very literary and beautiful way” and that he has such “a way with his wielding of prose”. Another 5-Star Customer Review on Amazon zeroed in on one of my questions about the novel’s writing style. That may be a trivial or irrelevant point to many readers, but I thought about it a lot and scratched my head. The reviewer in question opined that (the writing style) “puts you in the character’s shoes”. In fact, I felt strongly that Morrison had chosen one of the least used POVs in literature (2nd Person POV which uses the pronoun “You”). It is remarkable that Morrison was innately able to masterfully maintain this difficult Second Person Point of View for the entire 409-page novel. I believe it is safe to say that with this author’s consummate skill and mastery of the written word that this method never felt gimmicky and was successful in placing the reader in the proverbial hot seat for comprehensive range of effects. These essentially ran the full gamut of human emotions. Morrison was able to tap into my empathy, horrify me, break my heart, surprise me, and so much more.

I spent what seemed like endless hours with this novel and I loved it but was disappointed by what I felt was a fundamental betrayal by the plot twist which was evident well before the end of the novel. I started writing an intense review this morning and went off the tracks. Nobody wants to read a novella. I would agree that the common thread was disaffected youth and there is a nod to the intensity and passion of a person's "first love". There is additionally the cynical belief that there is no free will. I have no intention of putting readers through Hades to support that conviction. It is only my opinion. I do love Morrison's works, and it may very well be an "acquired taste".

[Laxmama · Rating 4 out of 5]

WTF!!! Wow so if I had to give this- rounding up to 4 stars. This book….it’s different and definitely held my interest once I was invested in the story. For me I wouldn’t have figured out the twist - a bit of heavy on the gore- not a fave.

[Corrina Morse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloody brilliant! Another great twist ending I didnt see coming. I couldnt put this book down. After 2 Chandler Morrison books in a row....I NEED MORE!!!!

[Tom Over · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top marks for the prose alone. This guy really is head and shoulders above the rest of the “extreme” crowd in terms of writing ability. While less edgelordy than Dead Inside and not as cold and detached as Along the Path of Torment, this work felt more mature and I frequently had to reread sentences just to luxuriate in their refined elegance.

[Mounkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow. I'm not a vampire book kind of person. but I am now. Morrison really pulls on your heartstrings in this violent "coming of age" story (in a f'd up way)

I fell in love with the main characters which is really hard for me to get into in a book, but Morrison was able to pull this off in spades.

This book touched me personally in some ways of my youth and his painting of LA and its gritty lifestyle is truth......Mara....my heart..... sigh....

I completely couldn't stop laughing about the Al Jorgensen comment backstage. Must be a thing as i met him 20+ years ago backstage as well...

The ending!!!!!!! OMG... you will NOT see that coming.

[Nikolas Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

You're a 15-year-old boy living with a foster family when you awaken to the sounds of shattering glass followed by what can only be violence. This isn't the first time your short life has been punctuated with instances of horrific bloodshed, and if you choose to join the band of peculiar killers reveling in the chaos they've created in what is your third home in only a third as many years, this most certainly will not be the last. Don't worry, this isn't a choose-your-own-adventure story, and this pivotal decision is taken out of your hands and placed in the skilled, albeit sadistic custody of Chandler Morrison.
Entering the dizzying narrative of Until the Sun, you'll be swept along currents of blood, strange drugs, and adolescent hormones until you find yourself standing dazed, in the sunlight of a new day, waiting for the ride to end. Morrison thoroughly captures that sense of being caught up in a life that feels entirely out of your control. This extends so far as to include the fact that, as a reader, you'll see the final moments coming long before our protagonist does...and you'll experience sensations that range from pity to heart-wrenching sympathy as you witness events unfolding.
We're forced to wonder--if we're being honest with ourselves--whether we'd be any more capable of wresting control from those who steer us along the destructive path ahead of us if we'd experienced the same tragic and disorienting life of young Casanova. I suspect we'll never know, and we should be grateful for the fact that the dreadful sequence of events befalling that young man could only happen in fiction.
Morrison provides us with a vampire story that is both more and less than that. Until the Sun is a dark, twisted, and perverse coming-of-age tale that abruptly detours us through the worst possible paths to reach the conclusion. A conclusion, I might add, that is equal parts hilarious and cruel in both its predictability and subversion of what a reader might expect when first choosing the book.
John Wayne Comunale's narration is effective in bringing to life the characters who often feel like caricatures of people we might have known in our own lives, or maybe people we've been at different points in our lives. There probably isn't a narrator who would have been better suited for this drug-fueled, bloody, and irreverent combination of various horror subgenres.

[Tara Losacano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely epic! Chandler Morrison writes extreme horror like no other. His books are twisted and depraved yet poetic. This is my third read of his and they've gotten better and better each time. Always a 5/5 skull read with Morrison💀

[Dakota Dawe · Rating 5 out of 5]

From start to finish this book is a rollercoaster of emotions. This story puts you as the main character, starting with the death of your foster parents at the hands of a trio of teenage vampires who you ultimately befriend. From here, the story is a nonstop ride through the pleasures of vampirism and the pain of your past that has brought you to this point. Until the Sun is so incredibly emotional. You’ll smile like a fool, you’ll fall in love as your character does, and your heart will be stabbed repeatedly. This book is emotionally draining in the best way. This book should be read by everyone, Morrison knows how to freaking write, and he takes that talent and hurts us with it.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extreme horror novel in second person? I thought I wouldn't into it, but I was! It was just as good as Chandler's other books! Check out my full review on my BookTube channel:

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjqb-...

[Mindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow soon...

[The Local Spooky Hermit · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted and hoped for something like, near dark, lost boys, lost souls. I got none of that and im frustrated. I hate everyone in this but somehow powered through this very fast and was very vocal about my displeasure of the book. I groaned and moaned about the book to anyone in earshot.
It gets 2 stars bc there were times I liked it but most of all I kept getting irritated. Its not about vampires. It follows a teen boy doing stupid shit. Like I could go into detail but ugh. I don't wanna.. ugh fast kinda plot points then.
Some kids parents die by a serial killer then moves in with hot cousin they "fall in love?" Do drugs together, which eventually causes her to go crazy from a weird drug (that they keep getting told is very bad and terrible and it glows purple.. like the hell? Plus this kid has terrible visions and hates doing it. But keeps on taking the drug.. so I guess.. play stupid games win stupid prizes.) and she kills ppl so the kid is forced to kill her (I keep saying kid bc I don't think they ever say his name. Also this part is a looooong flashback thats like a 1/3rd of the book and over stays way to long imo, lots of parts feel too long.) Kid then goes back to hometown to find the serial killer that killed his parents, gets bullied and put into foster care with shitty foster parents. 3 teens break in and kill the foster parents, say they are vampires (THEY ARE CLEARLY NOT, ITS NOT A BIG TWIST). Kid's like "cool whatever can I join?" So he does, the teens were also terribly bullied(also they are so woke it hurts 'orange man bad, cops are bad, that triggers me blah blah blah'). then some guy who's clearly the devil who also made the weird drug is like "drink my blood and be a vampire". Then the 4 do terrible killing sprees and I hate everyone in this story. Have i said that yet?
Finally find the serial killer but don't kill him. And the devil is like lol none of you are vampires are are probably dying from some weird blood diseases or something from trying to drink blood. And it ends. And I threw the book. The best part is the cover.. thats it.

[Nicole Eigener · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Drinking blood, after all, sure as hell beats drinking Drano.”

Reading Chandler Morrison is difficult, because he’s one of those authors that ruins me for reading anything else for awhile. His language construct brings to mind the drinking of a fine, leggy glass of cognac, only to find, at your last sip, that there’s been a dead fly in the glass the entire time. But you don’t care, because the fly was an essential part of the flavor, and you swallow the last drop — fly and all. Then you lick the inside of the glass, swirl your finger around inside, and extract every last bit of its essence. Then you’re bereft, because you’ve finished it and you can’t ever drink it again for the first time.

Until the Sun begins in media res and segues into flashback for a good part of the book. The way he transitions back into present time and ties the story together is nothing short of masterful.

Few authors can pull off second-person narrative, and it is a risky, rarely effective technique. But Morrison has mastered this, gliding between second- and third-person with evil ease.

He has created a fascinating vampire world with Until the Sun, a book that will become a part of my permanent collection, and one that I will read over and over again for the rest of my life…because when I really love a book, I must absorb it into my subconscious.

And that ending… *chef’s kiss*

[Alex West · Rating 4 out of 5]

A No Spolier Review

Until The Sun
Chandler Morrison

Bunnicula?

Life sucks. For most of it it does not suck harder than growing up. Everything you don't wanna dry hump you want to destroy. What happens when a 15 year old with a troubled past finds his foster parents eviscerated? What happens when he finds their killers standing over them? What happens when he discovers everything he knows is a lie?

As always Morrison brings the hammer down. The story telling is sharp, the carnage is stupefying, and all that follows is engaging and hilarious. I really like the Morrison-verse and how characters from other works pop up every now and again. Lucky me got to find out what happens to one of Morrison's most *emotional* characters in this saga of teenage existentialism.

Read this!
And all his other works of course!

[Michelle {Book Hangovers} · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY SHIT!!!! Or should I say “UNHOLY SHIT!!!”
THIS BOOK IS GNARLY AF!!!
….
That’s it for now, though. I need to let my brain ponder on some things before I write a review.
Until then…. GO READ THIS BOOK! Better yet, GO LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK!!!!! John Wayne Comunale, another bomb ass writer, did a phenomenal job narrating this book!

[Christina Eleanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faced with the reality that he's now an orphan due to the brutal murder of his parents, a young teen can focus only on one thing...revenge. While placed with relatives, he's uncertain of his future. Uncertain he even wants to live until a series of coincidences guide him to a person that can mold and give him the tools to prepare for his mission of killing the man who murdered his parents...immortality. Morrison takes us on a roller coaster ride of love, loss, friendship, loyalty, and heinous acts of depravity. This was a fast read for me. I quickly got invested in the teenager as he navigates the twists and turns of this new life under the tutelage of his newfangled friends. I enjoyed the story because it gave a different rendition of immortals that we haven't viewed in other narratives. Chandler Morrison has managed to make vampires cool again!

[Dan Gould · Rating 1 out of 5]

I enjoyed 'Hate to Feel' and 'Dead Inside' from the same author, but this one was a drag. Trump-bashing and social justice rhetoric generally makes me want to throw horror books out of the window - that's not what I'm reading a horror book, or any fictional book to be honest, for - and although there was a little of that in the aforementioned books, it was ramped-up in this one. I never know if Morrison is doing it ironically to make the characters even more unlikeable, and I don't think it matters.

The plot in this was also not very compelling and the characters were dull/ loathsome. Interestingly, the aforementioned books also didn't have much in the way of plot or likeable characters, but the stories had some originality and character to them that made the stories more compelling. The ending was also ridiculous.

[Ayden Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing style itself intrigued me. It puts you in the characters shoes almost as if your playing the main character as a video game or reading a script. I think this really got me more into the story. The main character , Casanova (his nickname) , encounters home invaders that kill his foster parents. The home invaders are vampires. He doesn’t have much reaction to the death scene displayed in front of him. The vampires think he might be a good fit to join their ranks but first he has to prove he can handle their life style. They tell Casanova about their life styles and recount how they came to be revealing what their lives were before the change. I was drawn to find out more about who their leader was and the main character’s life story before meeting these “vampires”. This story includes a lot of sex, drugs, and violence. It’s some what a coming of age story with a unique vampire twist. 5/5🌟 review! There are questions that I would love the author to answer one day but I did love that the book kept me guessing.

[B. Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love reading Chandler Morrison’s books even though they are so messed up. This is his take on vampires and I loved every second of it. What makes this book different from others (and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would after realizing it) is that it is written in 2nd person point of view. The first third of the story is a kids current situation. The middle section is a flashback to what happened to him the past year. And the final third of the book picks up again from the first part. You really start to understand the main character and why his emotions and reactions happen like they do. As always with Morrison, there is an abundance of blood and debauchery. The one is not for everyone and if you aren’t used to the “splatterpunk” genre then don’t even consider this book. I loved the twist Morrison puts on things and can’t wait to get my hands on another book of his. It’s also laugh out loud funny how much he references Hawthorne Heights in his books and not just this one. He must really hate that band or is just making fun of himself. I haven’t figured it out yet.

[Deb Soward · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am suffering from a major book hangover! I just finished Until the Sun by Chandler Morrison. This is the first book I have read by this Author. I was immersed, hypnotized by this story.
This is a Vampire Coming of Age Story told in second person. This story is extreme at times, but told in such a beautiful poetic way. Morrison has a way with words. The Author also has a way of making you feel sorry for deplorable characters and situations. This book goes down as one of the best books I have ever read. 5 out of 5 shining stars!

[Meghin · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️
(No one is perfect unless they’re me)

Jk. I wasn’t sure how I felt about part 1 of this book or the second person narrative at first but this just kept getting better and better. The ending was pure perfection. Will discuss more in the future but I’m obsessed.

[Tobias · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually don't go for second person narratives but Morrison pulled it off. 4.5/5

[Madison McSweeney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chandler Morrison’s Until the Sun is a cynical, stylish coming of age story about a traumatized teen who falls in with a clique of vampires.

Morrison’s vampires are shallow and insufferable, self-important goth caricatures with names like Varney, Mircalla and Erzebet. They quote from The VVitch, Interview with the Vampire, and A Clockwork Orange; kill men, women, and children indiscriminately; and live in the lap of luxury thanks to mysterious benefactor Ambrosio. They’re also, in a way, lost and loveable, and they soon form an ersatz family around our troubled narrator.

It admittedly took me a while to warm up to this book. Its tone, at least initially, struck me as detached and nihilistic; while I admired the cutting humour and sharp writing, I couldn’t imagine myself feeling much affection for the story. The turning point came 1/4 of the way through, in a scene were blustering coven leader Varney is humiliated by some kids from his old high school, who remember him for the pathetic nerd he was rather than the cocky vampire he’s become. It’s a viciously funny moment that softens the character, and is an effective lead-in to a tragic flashback.

Until the Sun is brutally violent and often tongue-in-cheek, but there’s an earnestness beneath the irony. Characters who initially seem contemptible (from sadistic creatures of the night to the spoiled LA rich kids the narrator befriends in his pre-vampire life) are treated with compassion, and there’s a sadness that permeates the blood-soaked final chapters.

[Lucas Mangum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chandler Morrison's Until the Sun is full of pain, beauty, and some of the best prose I've read all year. His words evoke a wide range of emotions: Horror yes, but also joy, sadness, longing and bleak cynicism, often on the same page. If this is the new bar, the rest of us need to work a lot harder.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story but could have been about 100 pages shorter. The horror scenes were good, but needed more.