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The Dead of Winter
For the Anderson family, Rockwell is the picture perfect small town. A wholesome place to start over. But as the autumn days begin turning to winter something is awakened deep within the woods. Something bent on revenge.
Cut off from the rest of the world they must fight to stay alive as the haunting presence lays claim to Rockwell, exposing the dark secrets of the town that created it.
Cut off from the rest of the world they must fight to stay alive as the haunting presence lays claim to Rockwell, exposing the dark secrets of the town that created it.
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 25, 2012
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381 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
February 2, 2020
Nick, his wife Rebecca and daughter Emily move into the idyllic town of Rockwell. Soon after their arrival people start killing themselves or turn into creepy creatures. What's going on here? Cut off from the outside world by a terrible snow storm Nick and some friends have to deal with the dark secrets of Rockwell's history. Why did evil and uncann killings start after the new family arrived? Is there any connection? How ended the conflict between the Cansack and the Tal Teh Thule and what about the mysterious stone monuments in town? Fast paced action, many eerie moments, sinister creatures and a dark secret. That was a very compelling story set in a little American town. Really liked it. Highly recommended!
November 4, 2016
I swear I'm not a mean person but this writing was bad.
Really bad.
No one says anything. They retort, command, respond, whatever... there's no "he said, she said." It bothered me. Other than that failed attempt to flavor the prose, it was entirely bland.
I'm surprised it was published. I had to DNF around 80%.
Really bad.
No one says anything. They retort, command, respond, whatever... there's no "he said, she said." It bothered me. Other than that failed attempt to flavor the prose, it was entirely bland.
I'm surprised it was published. I had to DNF around 80%.
March 1, 2016
I guess I didn't previously comment on or review this book, so I'll add a little sumthin-sumthin here before I forget about it. I LOVED the cover. Don't judge a book by its cover? Well, I did here. Is that not a creepy thing peeking out from behind a tree? Also, the book was free through Kindle Unlimited, so, if I hated it, I could return it like an undercooked steak. In fact, this was a suspenseful, frightening and enjoyable read. A lot of snow, horrible undead creatures, strange symbols, a small town on the brink, Native American lore, and a lot of....blood. (Yes, this IS a horror novel.) Good times.
May 17, 2013
A very good book, and quite eerie if had to put a word on it. Jack Night as other readers may or may not have mentioned seems to have a real feeling for the effects of cold isolation, particularly with environmentally harsh conditions like snow, to where it wouldn't surprise me if it was a staple in his writing. It comes through here very clearly as the climate and its unique characteristics and challenges becomes more than just a backdrop. It becomes a contributing character of its own.
As with most art, it becomes more difficult every day to produce something truly original. Truly groundbreaking to the point of not bringing other work to mind. As a musician and designer, I know that deep down this is bone of contention for an artist. Everyone wants to be original. The compromise is that more often than not, what you come up with is a unique variation on a theme in which your devil is in your details, so to speak.
It is on display here, as there are several different easily identifiable themes on display. Anyone who considers themselves a fan of stories like The Mist will love this. Desperation? Sure thing. If you love desolation and the fear of the unknown waiting just out of sight, where the environment plays a huge role like in Silent Hill? This is up your alley as well. There was even a point at which the sort of spooky discovery thing found in some children's books, like The Mystery of Chimney Rock (Choose Your Own Adventure) came to mind. And there are others I can't mention because they will surely qualify as major spoilers simply by reference. You will indeed find elements of many MANY other stories you've read in this book; many variations on themes. You will also likely be very impressed with the way they were blended together here to form something that ultimately is a standalone and high quality piece of literature.
The attention to detail mentioned earlier is pretty much everywhere. The story builds very well without revealing itself too quickly or too slowly and it is neither gore heavy nor unacceptably sanitized. Just about right for what's happening. The story never drags, nor is it ever hard to follow or jumping around in seemingly random patterns as many books of this type seem to do. Night is quite good at keeping his plot lines organized which is much appreciated.
It is a definite page turner. Not the sort of book it will take you days or weeks to read, because there is enough mystery going on and enough dread created to keep you going, and where it goes from its starting point is not at all where you'd expect.
Recommended highly for dedicated fans of the author's style and also for those who like to see where an author's personal vision can take time honored themes when he or she has embraced doing that and made it almost as powerful a form of originality.
As with most art, it becomes more difficult every day to produce something truly original. Truly groundbreaking to the point of not bringing other work to mind. As a musician and designer, I know that deep down this is bone of contention for an artist. Everyone wants to be original. The compromise is that more often than not, what you come up with is a unique variation on a theme in which your devil is in your details, so to speak.
It is on display here, as there are several different easily identifiable themes on display. Anyone who considers themselves a fan of stories like The Mist will love this. Desperation? Sure thing. If you love desolation and the fear of the unknown waiting just out of sight, where the environment plays a huge role like in Silent Hill? This is up your alley as well. There was even a point at which the sort of spooky discovery thing found in some children's books, like The Mystery of Chimney Rock (Choose Your Own Adventure) came to mind. And there are others I can't mention because they will surely qualify as major spoilers simply by reference. You will indeed find elements of many MANY other stories you've read in this book; many variations on themes. You will also likely be very impressed with the way they were blended together here to form something that ultimately is a standalone and high quality piece of literature.
The attention to detail mentioned earlier is pretty much everywhere. The story builds very well without revealing itself too quickly or too slowly and it is neither gore heavy nor unacceptably sanitized. Just about right for what's happening. The story never drags, nor is it ever hard to follow or jumping around in seemingly random patterns as many books of this type seem to do. Night is quite good at keeping his plot lines organized which is much appreciated.
It is a definite page turner. Not the sort of book it will take you days or weeks to read, because there is enough mystery going on and enough dread created to keep you going, and where it goes from its starting point is not at all where you'd expect.
Recommended highly for dedicated fans of the author's style and also for those who like to see where an author's personal vision can take time honored themes when he or she has embraced doing that and made it almost as powerful a form of originality.
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March 3, 2013I have to admit I loved the book. I give it a 4.5 out of 5
The story line was great and unique (in all my reading wanderings, only one book has came close to the background story this book offers) It had me right at the beginning. As soon as I started reading it, it took everything I had not to read it all at once. The characters where believable, and you kept hoping nothing would happen to them.
Everything in my imagination kept trying to figure out what was causing the "events", I have to give this author credit for making me wonder right up to the point I found out the truth. Great Job Jack!
I read outside a lot, waiting for my ride to and from work, and I smoke out side too. I always take my tablet with me (it has both Kindle and Kobo on it) and it lights up so need to carry a light. When I am reading I have a habit of forgetting where I am and talking out loud or gasping (and on a few occasions have had tears running down my face) Well this book had me gasping or talking to it. Have had a few funny looks until I explain what I am reading. LOL!
I kept waiting for what was to come next. Trying to guess what was going to happen and to whom. Most of my guesses where wrong but I was not disappointed. I loved the story line and the characters. The writer gave you enough information on each one to have you hoping yours would make it. Right up until the end.
Now the reason I gave it 4.5 out of 5 is because when it ended I felt like I had missed something in the book. Now I am not sure if it was something I missed or if it was there at all. I do intend to read the book again some time in the future, maybe I will see what I missed.
In my opinion, if you like thrillers, read this book, it is well worth it!
The story line was great and unique (in all my reading wanderings, only one book has came close to the background story this book offers) It had me right at the beginning. As soon as I started reading it, it took everything I had not to read it all at once. The characters where believable, and you kept hoping nothing would happen to them.
Everything in my imagination kept trying to figure out what was causing the "events", I have to give this author credit for making me wonder right up to the point I found out the truth. Great Job Jack!
I read outside a lot, waiting for my ride to and from work, and I smoke out side too. I always take my tablet with me (it has both Kindle and Kobo on it) and it lights up so need to carry a light. When I am reading I have a habit of forgetting where I am and talking out loud or gasping (and on a few occasions have had tears running down my face) Well this book had me gasping or talking to it. Have had a few funny looks until I explain what I am reading. LOL!
I kept waiting for what was to come next. Trying to guess what was going to happen and to whom. Most of my guesses where wrong but I was not disappointed. I loved the story line and the characters. The writer gave you enough information on each one to have you hoping yours would make it. Right up until the end.
Now the reason I gave it 4.5 out of 5 is because when it ended I felt like I had missed something in the book. Now I am not sure if it was something I missed or if it was there at all. I do intend to read the book again some time in the future, maybe I will see what I missed.
In my opinion, if you like thrillers, read this book, it is well worth it!
June 20, 2013
This is a spooky tale of centuries old evil stalking a small American town. The spirit of a woman slaughtered by the town's first settlers, is awakened by a young girl and immediately sets out to destroy the town and it's people. A gripping read that will have you looking over your shoulder upon hearing an unexpected noise.
June 27, 2018
Before reading, I must put a disclaimer. The review may sound a little bit salty and that's only because how disappointed I was with this book, especially after buying it for 15 JD while I was short on money. It's worth the sacrifice... I thought. Boy was I wrong!
2/5 only because of the writing.
At the beginning of the book, I must admit I thought I'd review it for 5 stars! From the very first pages I was scared... or to be exact terrified. The night right after I started reading this book, I would picture the body (From chapter one) dragging itself toward my bedroom, or the hand touching the end of my bed. Anyway, as the story went on I was spooked over and over till I got to page 100 there I started to lose my interest in the book only because it shifted the tone from horror story into a walking dead cheap rip off. At page 161 I gave up on the book
First all the characters ARE DULL! And an evil character suddenly emerged without giving proper reasons why he's evil, or why people hate him. Nick and his family (Who I thought would be the main characters) had hardly played anything in the first 161 pages! It was mentioned that Em's (nick's daughter) was the reason behind all of that! And yet in my opinion she had done NOTHING! When she encountered the ghost body in chapter one, she wasn't doing anything! In fact she was just walking around a huge stone that some teenage boys were having a party at the night before.
The story events fell from horror to some thing like the walking dead, and most characters acts were not real! They really can't survive for a week in a TAVERN with what must be food and water! Humans can survive without eating for days as long as there is water and guess what water was available all along..but no! They didn't think they would survive in the safest place in town so they decide to go outside and look for another escape, like wtf! Pretty much it became the walking dead.. though the walking dead was a good show for at least three seasons.. this book is not.
I don't recommend this book. Truly the writing look's A LITTLE like Stephan king but the plot and story are very stupid and glass-made. Don't buy it.
2/5 only because of the writing.
At the beginning of the book, I must admit I thought I'd review it for 5 stars! From the very first pages I was scared... or to be exact terrified. The night right after I started reading this book, I would picture the body (From chapter one) dragging itself toward my bedroom, or the hand touching the end of my bed. Anyway, as the story went on I was spooked over and over till I got to page 100 there I started to lose my interest in the book only because it shifted the tone from horror story into a walking dead cheap rip off. At page 161 I gave up on the book
First all the characters ARE DULL! And an evil character suddenly emerged without giving proper reasons why he's evil, or why people hate him. Nick and his family (Who I thought would be the main characters) had hardly played anything in the first 161 pages! It was mentioned that Em's (nick's daughter) was the reason behind all of that! And yet in my opinion she had done NOTHING! When she encountered the ghost body in chapter one, she wasn't doing anything! In fact she was just walking around a huge stone that some teenage boys were having a party at the night before.
The story events fell from horror to some thing like the walking dead, and most characters acts were not real! They really can't survive for a week in a TAVERN with what must be food and water! Humans can survive without eating for days as long as there is water and guess what water was available all along..but no! They didn't think they would survive in the safest place in town so they decide to go outside and look for another escape, like wtf! Pretty much it became the walking dead.. though the walking dead was a good show for at least three seasons.. this book is not.
I don't recommend this book. Truly the writing look's A LITTLE like Stephan king but the plot and story are very stupid and glass-made. Don't buy it.
May 19, 2015
I about gave up on this book halfway through. I'm glad I didn't. It started off well, but the characters remained too thin for too long, and there were several inconsistencies that made me groan. Even worse, the book seemed to be spiraling into an awful hodge-podge of horror tropes. However, when the novel finally took some unexpected turns, it got a lot more interesting and a few of the characters came into better focus. That said, one of the main problems I have with this book is that it has too many point-of-view characters to develop the main ones sufficiently.
spoiler:
Another problem is pretty much irredeemable: Early in the novel, a music box belonging to Emily -- the character who is the very heart of the story -- is broken by paranormal force while she is at school. Her father (predictably a writer) is the only one home when this happens, and (predictably) he doesn't want to share his ghost story with his family, so he picks up the broken pieces of the box and disposes of them, hoping Emily doesn't notice that her music box is missing. And. . .she never does. However, not long after this scene, it is revealed that Emily has an eidetic memory and can memorize pages from the phone book just by looking at them. Moreover, soon after the music box scene, Emily takes the time on a scary night to notice and remember the shapes of her darkened room before going to sleep so she will know if the ghoul is in the room later. Yet she never notices that her music box has disappeared. I don't know how the music box scene made it into the final draft of the novel; it should have been cut. It isn't an important scene, and it destroys the credibility of one of the key elements of the plot.
spoiler:
Another problem is pretty much irredeemable: Early in the novel, a music box belonging to Emily -- the character who is the very heart of the story -- is broken by paranormal force while she is at school. Her father (predictably a writer) is the only one home when this happens, and (predictably) he doesn't want to share his ghost story with his family, so he picks up the broken pieces of the box and disposes of them, hoping Emily doesn't notice that her music box is missing. And. . .she never does. However, not long after this scene, it is revealed that Emily has an eidetic memory and can memorize pages from the phone book just by looking at them. Moreover, soon after the music box scene, Emily takes the time on a scary night to notice and remember the shapes of her darkened room before going to sleep so she will know if the ghoul is in the room later. Yet she never notices that her music box has disappeared. I don't know how the music box scene made it into the final draft of the novel; it should have been cut. It isn't an important scene, and it destroys the credibility of one of the key elements of the plot.
January 17, 2013
I was in the mood for something spooky this time around. It started out being spooky but turned into more of a horror thriller. It was definitely a good book. I often dream about books that I read before I go to sleep so I definitely avoided this one before bed. I like the ghost/zombie type mix even though I’m not a fan of the zombie craze. I thought the storyline was good and kept the action going throughout the book. My only complaint is that it was a little to long. I could’ve lived without the group running in yet another problem before finally wrapping up. Definitely worth the read.
August 2, 2013
I really enjoyed The Dead of Winter by Jack Night. The cover of the book caught my attention. This is one of the better horror stories that I have read in awhile. The storyline is pure horror at its best. The novel is packed with plenty of action and I did not want it to end. Night is an excellent writer and a great storyteller. If you are looking for a horror novel with a different twist, I would highly recommend this book. This is the first novel that I have read by Jack Night but it will not be the last.
October 23, 2012
I LOVED this book! I'll be honest, I grabbed this because of the cover but I'm glad I did! I had to read this in one sitting because the writing had me captivated. There were plenty of creepy and atmospheric chills, and the story itself was riveting! I'm a fan!
February 24, 2013
What a good time I had reading this book. Perfect in the dead of winter. If Jack Night keeps writing books this good he's going to be listed with the best of them. Can't wait to read his next novel. 4.5 stars.
May 22, 2013
Seriously one of the best horror books I have read in a very long time! I couldn't put the book down! The character development is wonderfully written, not something you usually get in a horror book. I am hoping for a sequel! Can't wait to read more of the author's work, he's absolutely phenomenal.
April 10, 2013
This is an awesome read, suitably spooky with a mystery surrounding the small town. Just the way I like it! LOL Good story, well written, entertaining.
July 16, 2013
Creepy at first and then it becomes a kind of a zombie--stand off. The ending was OK. Could have developed the characters a bit more.
August 30, 2013
Excellent! Genuinely creepy, and keeps you involved right to the end.
November 18, 2013
There was never a dull moment in this book and I found myself neglecting other things just so that I could see what was going to happen next.
November 11, 2017
Solid paranormal horror. The first couple of chapters scared the heck out of me and it was daytime. So scary. The action heats up and it was a little less tense scary, but if this were a movie, I would have been flipped out.
Anyway, pretty gross, with some interesting backstory, lots of blood, guts, guns and death. I will be looking for other books by Knight.
Anyway, pretty gross, with some interesting backstory, lots of blood, guts, guns and death. I will be looking for other books by Knight.
April 15, 2018
Scary. This book is a true HORROR story. From the onset until the final chapter, there were blood pumping frights. Knight did a wonderful job developing the characters. NO character was safe and until the final sentence I was expecting someone I'd come to cheer for, die. Very fun read! looking forward to more like this
January 22, 2025
3.5 - I don't understand all the hate this story gets. I thought it was great! Fast-paced writing and super entertaining. It's more zombie and less haunting, so I guess it depends on your taste. I'd recommend!
March 15, 2024
I wish I'd liked this more
January 20, 2015
I enjoyed this book. Jack Night put together a creepy little story that took place, at least when it really ramped up, over mostly about two days time. Its something that we as readers, whether horror or suspense readers or even people in general might think about if snowed in, cut off from the outside world in a little town so far off the beaten track that it could fall off the face of the earth and no one would even be concerned about it, what would happen if there was something out there. Something terrible and vengeful. Something wanting to get to you, and the only ones alive that you know of are the few people that you have gathered together with in a small group to survive what is happening, never mind trying to make sense of it, or why it is.
That is the tone set here. A snow storm can be a very scary thing no matter where you are. Your imagination can run away with itself if you let it. Think about the last time you were out on a country or lonely or even deserted road in the winter. Snowing. Cold. Windy. Your mind thinks it sees something out there, in the white. You feel Goosebumps on your skin rise or feel the fine hairs on your arm or neck stiffen. It makes you want to walk very quickly back to where you came from.
Those are the elements present in The Dead of Winter. Jack Night details scenes that make you want to crawl under your blanket a little further, or maybe even look at the setting on your thermostat just to make sure its where its supposed to be.
You can tell from the beginning, that he is setting you up for come chills. His characters are the kinds of people that might inhabit a small town like this in the north. You'll find his characters have just enough of a backstory, and it is very little, to make you care about the ones you might feel for. There are novels and stories out there that the players in the stories have a tremendous amount of back story to them, all probably not even relative to the story at hand, but I find that being mired down into something like that can often take away from that story. That being said, This story accomplishes that point. It keeps up and doesn't slow down.. If you were in that situation, you wouldn't slow down either so there you go.
I gave The Dead of Winter 4 stars, though I teetered on the cusp of giving it the fifth star. The only reason I didn't give it was because there was a change to the story. A necessary one but a lot of the mind creeps that happen at the beginning give way to utter horror later. Its well crafted to sure. But that is the only thing I will say about it.
Its a great story, creepy and horrific. Its worth reading and putting yourself in their places. Enough to remember the next time we get a really big snow storm.
IM hoping that Jack Night will do another story with the same feel. That would be something worth looking forward too.
That is the tone set here. A snow storm can be a very scary thing no matter where you are. Your imagination can run away with itself if you let it. Think about the last time you were out on a country or lonely or even deserted road in the winter. Snowing. Cold. Windy. Your mind thinks it sees something out there, in the white. You feel Goosebumps on your skin rise or feel the fine hairs on your arm or neck stiffen. It makes you want to walk very quickly back to where you came from.
Those are the elements present in The Dead of Winter. Jack Night details scenes that make you want to crawl under your blanket a little further, or maybe even look at the setting on your thermostat just to make sure its where its supposed to be.
You can tell from the beginning, that he is setting you up for come chills. His characters are the kinds of people that might inhabit a small town like this in the north. You'll find his characters have just enough of a backstory, and it is very little, to make you care about the ones you might feel for. There are novels and stories out there that the players in the stories have a tremendous amount of back story to them, all probably not even relative to the story at hand, but I find that being mired down into something like that can often take away from that story. That being said, This story accomplishes that point. It keeps up and doesn't slow down.. If you were in that situation, you wouldn't slow down either so there you go.
I gave The Dead of Winter 4 stars, though I teetered on the cusp of giving it the fifth star. The only reason I didn't give it was because there was a change to the story. A necessary one but a lot of the mind creeps that happen at the beginning give way to utter horror later. Its well crafted to sure. But that is the only thing I will say about it.
Its a great story, creepy and horrific. Its worth reading and putting yourself in their places. Enough to remember the next time we get a really big snow storm.
IM hoping that Jack Night will do another story with the same feel. That would be something worth looking forward too.
February 19, 2015
I love horror. This was an inventive story idea. A good enough story with good enough characters told well enough with inventive enough language and suspense. An above average horror novel. But...
the racial politics were ehhhh... It was hard for the writer not to slip into noble savage stereotypes, even with the best of intentions, and the first nations character, for awhile there the author seemed to not be able to say his name without mentioning his heritage (augh). Why bring it up? Because race comes up a lot. Hard to go into it without dropping spoilers, but race and bloodlines are at the center of this story. I think the thing that the author takes for his inspiration has been discredited, and that may be annoying enough to spoil this for some readers, plus the well intentioned but ubiquitous stereotyping could also really ruin this for some readers, so I'm going to mention it here because for some readers this will be a big problem and I'd rather spare them.
the racial politics were ehhhh... It was hard for the writer not to slip into noble savage stereotypes, even with the best of intentions, and the first nations character, for awhile there the author seemed to not be able to say his name without mentioning his heritage (augh). Why bring it up? Because race comes up a lot. Hard to go into it without dropping spoilers, but race and bloodlines are at the center of this story. I think the thing that the author takes for his inspiration has been discredited, and that may be annoying enough to spoil this for some readers, plus the well intentioned but ubiquitous stereotyping could also really ruin this for some readers, so I'm going to mention it here because for some readers this will be a big problem and I'd rather spare them.
November 19, 2014
Cliched and reminiscent of several horror stories/films mish mashed into one, this certainly wasn't the most original book that I've ever read, but it was still an enjoyable enough book to read. I liked the characters quite a bit; they had good chemistry and were believable. I didn't really find the book creepy at all, but I loved the winter setting and the town it was based in. The evil presence in the book didn't seem all that menacing to me and reminded me way too much of the girl in the horror movie The Ring (her long hair, the twitchy way she moved etc.)but it worked well enough here. Bottom line is, if you are into a lot of horror related entertainment, this story isn't going to be scary to you or very original at all, but likeable characters and good writing might make it worth your while to check it out
June 8, 2015
I really liked this book. Ominous and foreboding, the storyline builds nicely and is well paced. I like authors that can keep you guessing to the end and he did just that. Just when you think it could be one thing something new emerges and has you guessing again.
The characters you were supposed to like you do and the ones you don't you don't. Not a lot of background to the characters but it's okay because it doesn't take away from the story at all. If you think of it this way, moving to a VERY small town (pop. less than 1000), you're not going to know background of people in the town. That's exactly what the main character and his family had done.
He did a great job in describing winter and all that encompasses the cold and desolation.
This was a great little find and I would definitely recommend.
The characters you were supposed to like you do and the ones you don't you don't. Not a lot of background to the characters but it's okay because it doesn't take away from the story at all. If you think of it this way, moving to a VERY small town (pop. less than 1000), you're not going to know background of people in the town. That's exactly what the main character and his family had done.
He did a great job in describing winter and all that encompasses the cold and desolation.
This was a great little find and I would definitely recommend.
March 18, 2015
I had no idea this book would be this good. It had the perfect mix of all things spooky, mysterious and worthwhile. I loved this book. It had characters you really come to love, my fav was a big Indian man named Jake. Strong and a good leader.
This book is a town that has a secret and a bloody past, lost but NOT forgotten. The past comes rushing back to the present to take its due.
This book could easily become a movie. I loved the winter setting, the descriptions of the blizzard and the cold. The descriptions of people being injured, the action that ensues, the town, the buildings, I was there with these people.
This one is NOT to be missed and you dont have to be a fan of horror either. It had an excellent plot a believable storyline. SUPERB and 5 stars!
This book is a town that has a secret and a bloody past, lost but NOT forgotten. The past comes rushing back to the present to take its due.
This book could easily become a movie. I loved the winter setting, the descriptions of the blizzard and the cold. The descriptions of people being injured, the action that ensues, the town, the buildings, I was there with these people.
This one is NOT to be missed and you dont have to be a fan of horror either. It had an excellent plot a believable storyline. SUPERB and 5 stars!
June 24, 2015
What I loved about the book:
- It is creepy and Jack Night does a great job slowly building the dread and using a lot of creepy words such as "dead" throughout to describe inanimate objects.
- The author doesn't waste much time in introducing the horror/ghost in the story.
- Plenty of foreshadowing with things going bump in the night.
- Appropriately gory and terrifying.
What I did not like:
- One-note characters: you have the a$$hole bad-guy; them you have the noble, wise and strong Native American who saves the day; the small town cop who hasnt seen much action; a precocious and too-curious little girl and etc.
- The swift and 'neat' ending that barely went into why all of this even happened.
- It is creepy and Jack Night does a great job slowly building the dread and using a lot of creepy words such as "dead" throughout to describe inanimate objects.
- The author doesn't waste much time in introducing the horror/ghost in the story.
- Plenty of foreshadowing with things going bump in the night.
- Appropriately gory and terrifying.
What I did not like:
- One-note characters: you have the a$$hole bad-guy; them you have the noble, wise and strong Native American who saves the day; the small town cop who hasnt seen much action; a precocious and too-curious little girl and etc.
- The swift and 'neat' ending that barely went into why all of this even happened.
August 28, 2015
This was a very good story. Technically, I'd give this 4.5 stars but as that is not possible - 5 stars it is! Interesting story line and the author did a great job of helping to set in the creep factor - especially the feeling of isolation! I was upset that some people died but glad to see who all did survive. It is good to remember people die - especially in supernatural scenes of desolation and tragedy. This story is full of that but there is also a sense of closeness and you get to really know the selection of main characters. Each seems to have their own voice which is something I find lacking in many "horror" stories these days.
July 19, 2015
I picked this out mainly based on the cover and its Goodreads ratings...however it exceeded my expectations in a way that horror fiction seldom does. This one was well plotted not under plotted. The first part is very scary with a rich sense of foreboding...then spins out into alternating chapters which are at turns reflective and/or action sequences. I hate it when horror tales rush past foreboding and menacing and then become like a slasher movie with one gory sequence after another. This book didn't do that...it had well developed twists which moved the story along rather than attempting to shock the reader. Well done!
May 19, 2015
Look out Stephen King Jack Night brings something truly terrifying to the world of horror fiction. Aside from the fact that I couldn't put this one down, it scared me. I loved it from start to finish, an intriguingly brilliant novel well worth the read. I have to admit I am not a horror fan, but this blew me away. Jack's ability to draw you in and frighten you creating a vivid visual image that stays with you. A must read! Superb!
For the full review and more about the author check out my interview with Jack Night.http://www.scout1881.com/
For the full review and more about the author check out my interview with Jack Night.http://www.scout1881.com/
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