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Nightmare
The Institute at Grads Village offers Richard Platt a new job and a house in the village, a model society located completely underground, but Jessie Platt gradually learns that the Institute is concerned with more than the study of communicable diseases
- GenresHorror
232 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 7, 2024
There must have been something in the air, or maybe the water, in the 70s/80s that generated a slew of novels featuring secret government and/or private sector institutions, doing all kinds of research. A few, like Nightmare, incorporated these institutions into the heart of towns, or planned 'utopias' (really dystopias, but so be it). Crestwood Heights, for example, features a brand new small town, surprisingly high tech, that 'lures' people in. In Nightmare, the town sits in Maine-- an underground city of several thousand. Very high tech as well.
Jessie, the wife of Rich and mother of two kids, serves as the narrator here in her role as protagonist. In the last year, Rich lost his business, a once very successful security firm, starting drinking and even once beat their son. Now, it seems like Rich has a new life-line, being offered the head of security at the Institute at Grads Village. The novel starts with the Platt family driving from Orlando to Maine and Murphy slowly, in dribs and drabs, gives us the family backstory. Their son Buddy, obviously a genius, even at age 4, has been having horrible nightmares for the last year. All in all, they are all hoping the move and new job will save their marriage.
Well, Jessie, a character I felt pretty hard to empathize with, has strong misgivings right away, as the institute seems to not only chart their every move, but insists on a wide range of rules she finds uncomfortable to say the least. Worse, her car breaks down and they are all basically stuck in the 'village'. She meets some friends and soon discovers not everyone is happy in 'paradise', but what is really going on?
Maybe King started this motif with Firestarter, but in any case, it has long legs! I liked this, but this was more and attempt to shock the reader rather than scare them, although Murphy did provide some good chills along the way. Plus, at just over 200 pages, it does not overstay its welcome. 3 nightmares!
Jessie, the wife of Rich and mother of two kids, serves as the narrator here in her role as protagonist. In the last year, Rich lost his business, a once very successful security firm, starting drinking and even once beat their son. Now, it seems like Rich has a new life-line, being offered the head of security at the Institute at Grads Village. The novel starts with the Platt family driving from Orlando to Maine and Murphy slowly, in dribs and drabs, gives us the family backstory. Their son Buddy, obviously a genius, even at age 4, has been having horrible nightmares for the last year. All in all, they are all hoping the move and new job will save their marriage.
Well, Jessie, a character I felt pretty hard to empathize with, has strong misgivings right away, as the institute seems to not only chart their every move, but insists on a wide range of rules she finds uncomfortable to say the least. Worse, her car breaks down and they are all basically stuck in the 'village'. She meets some friends and soon discovers not everyone is happy in 'paradise', but what is really going on?
Maybe King started this motif with Firestarter, but in any case, it has long legs! I liked this, but this was more and attempt to shock the reader rather than scare them, although Murphy did provide some good chills along the way. Plus, at just over 200 pages, it does not overstay its welcome. 3 nightmares!
May 2, 2020
Great cover, so-so book. Murphy’s thrillers are sometimes great, but when she ventures into light sci-fi she’s way out of her element. Everyone in a new underground community is expected to conform to a bunch of rules while their higher-than-average IQ children are being assessed by the government for some reason (it’s pretty vague). Kinda like if John Saul had written The Stepford Wives.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews