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Something Stirs
IT BEGINS WITH A SCREAM
The Pack, a group of teenagers, gathers to mourn at the Starlite Diner. Eddie, their leader, is dead. The survivors are all outcasts from high school's usual cliques: Scott, who heard the scream the night Eddie died; Katie, who lives with her senile grandmother; Barnaby, whose placid strength masks a powerful anger; Laine, always protective of her slightly slow younger brother; and the others.
United first by Eddie's forceful personality and now by his death an the increasingly brutal murders that follow, the young people are the eye of a storm of death and destruction.
For some reason, only the members of the Pack hear the terrible screams that mark each death. Only they will be able to stop the killing.
The Pack, a group of teenagers, gathers to mourn at the Starlite Diner. Eddie, their leader, is dead. The survivors are all outcasts from high school's usual cliques: Scott, who heard the scream the night Eddie died; Katie, who lives with her senile grandmother; Barnaby, whose placid strength masks a powerful anger; Laine, always protective of her slightly slow younger brother; and the others.
United first by Eddie's forceful personality and now by his death an the increasingly brutal murders that follow, the young people are the eye of a storm of death and destruction.
For some reason, only the members of the Pack hear the terrible screams that mark each death. Only they will be able to stop the killing.
275 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1991
5 people are currently reading
228 people want to read
About the author
Charles L. Grant
309 books265 followersCharles Lewis Grant was a novelist and short story writer specializing in what he called "dark fantasy" and "quiet horror." He also wrote under the pseudonyms of Geoffrey Marsh, Lionel Fenn, Simon Lake, Felicia Andrews, and Deborah Lewis.
Grant won a World Fantasy Award for his novella collection Nightmare Seasons, a Nebula Award in 1976 for his short story "A Crowd of Shadows", and another Nebula Award in 1978 for his novella "A Glow of Candles, a Unicorn's Eye," the latter telling of an actor's dilemma in a post-literate future. Grant also edited the award winning Shadows anthology, running eleven volumes from 1978-1991. Contributors include Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, R.A. Lafferty, Avram Davidson, and Steve Rasnic and Melanie Tem. Grant was a former Executive Secretary and Eastern Regional Director of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and president of the Horror Writers Association.
Grant won a World Fantasy Award for his novella collection Nightmare Seasons, a Nebula Award in 1976 for his short story "A Crowd of Shadows", and another Nebula Award in 1978 for his novella "A Glow of Candles, a Unicorn's Eye," the latter telling of an actor's dilemma in a post-literate future. Grant also edited the award winning Shadows anthology, running eleven volumes from 1978-1991. Contributors include Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, R.A. Lafferty, Avram Davidson, and Steve Rasnic and Melanie Tem. Grant was a former Executive Secretary and Eastern Regional Director of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and president of the Horror Writers Association.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 16, 2012
A classic Charles Grant ending - is it over? Really? Has the evil been beaten? Or only stopped, for now? We don't really know, but with that cold lingering touch caressing our cheek, we really don't WANT to know...
Or do we?
Some wonderful passages in here, too. Like all of his work, I stop and re-read certain passages not because I didn't get it, but I just want to savor the language...
Or do we?
Some wonderful passages in here, too. Like all of his work, I stop and re-read certain passages not because I didn't get it, but I just want to savor the language...
November 4, 2025
God I love Grant
July 28, 2017
Something Stirs is another of Grant's typical quiet horror novels. This is good or bad, depending on how you feel about his books. They're atmospheric, character driven, and sometimes obtuse, which means the plots are a little light, but man, does he know how to string some words together. After reading so many of them (this book marks number thirty-three), I've grown accustomed to his style, but Something Stirs isn't quite his best effort.
This book seems to be Grant's take on Stephen King's It, since it's about something menacing a group of teenagers. That's about the only similarity, but it came five years after King's novel, so one has to wonder if it influenced the book. Like It, the cast of characters in the book is large, enough so that I had a difficult time keeping track of everyone. I could name all of the seven Losers (first and last name) to win a bet, but I'm not sure I could name four of the main characters of this book if my life depended on it.
The story also felt unfocused, since Grant was pulling in not just the characters, but also their fears. The plot had a pivot around which everything else balanced, but with so much going on, and with Grant typically dancing around his descriptions to tease out tension, it was easy to lose track of the story. Still, most of the joy of reading a Grant novel is his atmospheric narrative, so it's hard to quibble over something as minor as, say, the main plot.
So, I'm one book closer to reading all of Grant's horror novels. I have four left (Fire Mask, Raven, and the two X-Files books), and that will be one more reading project I can cross off the list. It's been a fun ride so far, and yeah, I think I'm going to be a little sad to see it come to an end.
This book seems to be Grant's take on Stephen King's It, since it's about something menacing a group of teenagers. That's about the only similarity, but it came five years after King's novel, so one has to wonder if it influenced the book. Like It, the cast of characters in the book is large, enough so that I had a difficult time keeping track of everyone. I could name all of the seven Losers (first and last name) to win a bet, but I'm not sure I could name four of the main characters of this book if my life depended on it.
The story also felt unfocused, since Grant was pulling in not just the characters, but also their fears. The plot had a pivot around which everything else balanced, but with so much going on, and with Grant typically dancing around his descriptions to tease out tension, it was easy to lose track of the story. Still, most of the joy of reading a Grant novel is his atmospheric narrative, so it's hard to quibble over something as minor as, say, the main plot.
So, I'm one book closer to reading all of Grant's horror novels. I have four left (Fire Mask, Raven, and the two X-Files books), and that will be one more reading project I can cross off the list. It's been a fun ride so far, and yeah, I think I'm going to be a little sad to see it come to an end.
February 12, 2020
An interesting slow burn horror novel by Grant, who is probably most famous for writing the X-files. In some ways, this is a YA novel; the main characters are all juniors in High School, and are members of 'gang' (very loosely-- they all decided to dress 50s style). The leader of the 'gang' along with his father are brutally murdered, but no murderer is found. Others start to die in gruesome ways. What exactly is stirring in the dark? Psychological horror to be sure. 3.5 stars.
November 5, 2012
I was very sad to learn that Charles Grant, one of my favorite horror authors, died shortly before I read this. I've only read 6 of his books so far, but here is a man I definitely felt deserved more fame than he got.
I've said it before, but I love Grant's style. He is the master of nightmarish, dreamlike stories -- Tim Lebbon is the only author I can think of who approaches his style. For more on what he's generally like, see my review of A Glow of Candles.
This book is about a group of teenagers who are individually being stalked, and each of them feels their stalker is completely different from what the others share with them.
Unfortunately, Something Stirs was not one of Grant's better efforts. It's almost like King's It, but without adults involved, and with a LOT less scares. Grant is the master of atmosphere, and this book radiates it...but it rarely gets beyond that. I kept waiting for it to build, and by the time it did I'd lost patience with it. I'm all about a slow build of tension, but I felt that this book only occasionally delivered. I enjoyed it, it just didn't live up to what I'd hoped for.
I've said it before, but I love Grant's style. He is the master of nightmarish, dreamlike stories -- Tim Lebbon is the only author I can think of who approaches his style. For more on what he's generally like, see my review of A Glow of Candles.
This book is about a group of teenagers who are individually being stalked, and each of them feels their stalker is completely different from what the others share with them.
Unfortunately, Something Stirs was not one of Grant's better efforts. It's almost like King's It, but without adults involved, and with a LOT less scares. Grant is the master of atmosphere, and this book radiates it...but it rarely gets beyond that. I kept waiting for it to build, and by the time it did I'd lost patience with it. I'm all about a slow build of tension, but I felt that this book only occasionally delivered. I enjoyed it, it just didn't live up to what I'd hoped for.
July 31, 2024
I wanted to read a quiet horror book to see what the style is like. The story was slow, but the characters kept it interesting. The horror was hinted at as the story progressed. The ending wasn't very satisfying, but the story was interesting. I'll have to read more of Charles' stories to see if his style is always like this, but I liked this one overall.
July 9, 2013
Another masterfully written Charles L Grant novel read. This guy has become on of my top favorite writers very quickly. His story telling is superb and something every writer should aspire to. Something Stirs is a page turner. Prepare to lose sleep.
August 10, 2016
Like a terrible episode of Tales from the Darkside. A lot of it is buildup and it never made any sense till the end. Could've gone towards a better Goosebump version but it was just tension without any resolve. Total waste of time.
October 23, 2012
Very good book
September 5, 2016
A creepy, beautifully written gem! Loved it!
November 8, 2020
All I can say is this is definately my
ALL TIME FAVORITE book by my
Top favorite author Charles Grant ...
ALL TIME FAVORITE book by my
Top favorite author Charles Grant ...
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews