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Orangefield #2
Hallows Eve
After more than 12 years, Corrie Phaeder is returning home to Orangefield, the last place in the world he wants to be. Orangefield is a town of nightmares, where the impossible and horrific happen all too often. This Halloween, something is awaiting Corrie's homecoming
326 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2004
5 people are currently reading
375 people want to read
About the author
Al Sarrantonio
140 books131 followersAl Sarrantonio was an American horror and science fiction writer, editor and publisher who authored more than 50 books and 90 short stories. He also edited numerous anthologies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
October 14, 2021
Cool cover, but nope! Next….
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
October 11, 2023
Detective Bill Grant (aka Bob) has picked a hell of a time to quit smoking Kent cigarettes and to lay off drinking cheap Scotch as he returns for the second entry set in Al Sarrantonio's fictional spooky town of Orangefield.
The Orangefield cycle is one of the ultimate literary gems to put horror fans in the mood for their favorite holiday. As such, this book is briming with autumnal atmosphere and embraces the history and aesthetic of Halloween. Reading it is like drinking a cup of warm spiced cider on a haunted hayride through a pumpkin patch on a clear October night.
Here is the premise: For some reason, the Lord of the Dead, Samhain, has settled in America and has been scheming since 1940 to end the world, all from his headquarters in the tourist town of Orangefield. His latest mission, however, has caught the attention of spirits in the afterlife, because this plan could also annihilate the worlds of the living and the dead into nothingness. A seven-year-old girl and a tormented man suspected of matricide are at the center of a tug of war between the afterlife's attempts to foil Samhain and the indomitable will of Samhain's ultimate boss, an unknown entity that hates any form of conscious agency, whether it be the living or the undead. Can Detective Bob protect the man and girl from the forces of darkness to prevent the end of both this world and the next?
If the premise sounds a bit hokey, that's because it is. But go with it. This is like watching your favorite B-movie with a fresh bowl of buttered popcorn. But don't think this means that the book is pure pulp trash. I actually like Sarrantonio's writing a lot. He has a very accessible style that still remains quite elegant, is vividly descriptive, and proudly displays a deep love and respect for all things Halloween.
I am actually quite surprised that these stories have not been made into at least one film, as I imagine they would translate well to screen, especially if directed by someone like Tim Burton.
The main drawback is that, even though this book was published first, it is actually the second of the cycle. The chronological first book, "Horrorween," is a mash-up of three shorter tales that seem to have little connection with each other. But "Hallow's Eve" provides the thread, and as such, often refers back to those stories. So even though this book stands alone, readers may get confused by characters and events that are not fully fleshed out because they were established in another volume.
A second element that may put off some readers is that the tone seems a bit inconsistent. You've got kind of a Wizard of Oz thing going on with relatively little violence mixed with a cute little girl who speaks in run-on sentences and a talking scarecrow, but then have brutal deaths and guts smeared all over the place in other scenes. But Sarrantonio cut his teeth in the days of classic paperbacks from hell, so this book reflects the nature of films and novels from that era. It gives fans of all things spooky pretty much everything they want.
So if you approach it with the right mindset, this book will be a perfect companion as you stock up on Halloween candy, get your costumes ready, and finalize your Halloween plans.
SCORE: 3.5 Jack o' lanterns, rounded to 4/5
The Orangefield cycle is one of the ultimate literary gems to put horror fans in the mood for their favorite holiday. As such, this book is briming with autumnal atmosphere and embraces the history and aesthetic of Halloween. Reading it is like drinking a cup of warm spiced cider on a haunted hayride through a pumpkin patch on a clear October night.
Here is the premise: For some reason, the Lord of the Dead, Samhain, has settled in America and has been scheming since 1940 to end the world, all from his headquarters in the tourist town of Orangefield. His latest mission, however, has caught the attention of spirits in the afterlife, because this plan could also annihilate the worlds of the living and the dead into nothingness. A seven-year-old girl and a tormented man suspected of matricide are at the center of a tug of war between the afterlife's attempts to foil Samhain and the indomitable will of Samhain's ultimate boss, an unknown entity that hates any form of conscious agency, whether it be the living or the undead. Can Detective Bob protect the man and girl from the forces of darkness to prevent the end of both this world and the next?
If the premise sounds a bit hokey, that's because it is. But go with it. This is like watching your favorite B-movie with a fresh bowl of buttered popcorn. But don't think this means that the book is pure pulp trash. I actually like Sarrantonio's writing a lot. He has a very accessible style that still remains quite elegant, is vividly descriptive, and proudly displays a deep love and respect for all things Halloween.
I am actually quite surprised that these stories have not been made into at least one film, as I imagine they would translate well to screen, especially if directed by someone like Tim Burton.
The main drawback is that, even though this book was published first, it is actually the second of the cycle. The chronological first book, "Horrorween," is a mash-up of three shorter tales that seem to have little connection with each other. But "Hallow's Eve" provides the thread, and as such, often refers back to those stories. So even though this book stands alone, readers may get confused by characters and events that are not fully fleshed out because they were established in another volume.
A second element that may put off some readers is that the tone seems a bit inconsistent. You've got kind of a Wizard of Oz thing going on with relatively little violence mixed with a cute little girl who speaks in run-on sentences and a talking scarecrow, but then have brutal deaths and guts smeared all over the place in other scenes. But Sarrantonio cut his teeth in the days of classic paperbacks from hell, so this book reflects the nature of films and novels from that era. It gives fans of all things spooky pretty much everything they want.
So if you approach it with the right mindset, this book will be a perfect companion as you stock up on Halloween candy, get your costumes ready, and finalize your Halloween plans.
SCORE: 3.5 Jack o' lanterns, rounded to 4/5
January 28, 2015
A decent sequel to be read like a b-movie is to be watched. If you try to take talking pumpkinmen seriously, you might be disappointed. Nothing groundbreaking here, just a quick and fun read. Things got a bit whacky toward the end, but I found I liked the balls the author had to go places small-town horror stories aren't expected to go.
I liked the first book better, and am now about to embark on book three.
I liked the first book better, and am now about to embark on book three.
January 27, 2016
All Hallow's Eve isn't anything new -- it's a twist on an old theme, concentrating too much on the practices of Halloween (which has been beaten to death already), while showing all it's cards up front. The villians are introduced way too fast, there's not enough mystery remaining, the characters aren't really latched on to, and the ending wasn't anything overly powerful. Still, All Hallow's Eve isn't too bad...it kept me reading, and that's saying something. If a novel is genuinely bad, I usually won't finish it. I finished this one, because it DID have some saving grace. One being the well written detective, another being morbid curiosity for the show down (although my expectations weren't that high), and another being that while the plot was disorganized and jumbled, it wasn't exactly dull.
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October 26, 2014I have absolutely no interest in finishing this one.
November 29, 2020
"He gave another involuntary shudder, and stood looking at the sign as the train huffed into life behind him and pulled slowly away. There were cold fingers of air on his back at the sudden emptiness behind him. The sign said: ORANGEFIELD.
He had a feeling in the deepest, coldest part of him that he would never leave here again. At least not alive."
Yikes! Within the first few paragraphs the author gives us this beginning for the story's focal point character Corrie Phaeder. This is book 2 in the Orangefield series and I already have a good idea what "evil lurks in the hearts of men" [or in the case of this town the inhabitants fears and vulnerabilities] from book 1 and believe me the very nasty and "evil shadow" who lurks around Orangefield especially around Halloween certainly does, so I am already feeling sorry and apprehensive about this guy and the book had just started.
Two otherworldly dimensions seem to be battling for dominance one with a black entity named Sam Hain (the Lord of Death) who wears a black cloak with a pasty white face, hooded black holes for eyes, the mouth a cruel red slash and only bones for hands who follows orders from an unnamed evil master known as the Dark One and the other faction with a wispy scarecrow type entity dressed in old clothes stuffed with dry corn stalks and a carved glowing pumpkin head named John with the town of Orangefield NY as the nexus for the confrontation for a clash beteen these two otherworldly dimensions who both seem intent on capturing Corrie Phaeder and his seven year old neighbor Regina Bright. Halloween seems to be an important point in time for the meeting of these two factions. More is added in filling the reader in the backstory of what is really happening in this town and why this otherworldly battle is taking place. Well this book is a great story but with still no resolution with the Dark One still planning for the destruction of all living life it leaves the reader with one big Oh Boy! What's next? As sequels and the middle book of a trilogy go Sarrantonio did a good job of keeping my interest up in continuing with this saga.
He had a feeling in the deepest, coldest part of him that he would never leave here again. At least not alive."
Yikes! Within the first few paragraphs the author gives us this beginning for the story's focal point character Corrie Phaeder. This is book 2 in the Orangefield series and I already have a good idea what "evil lurks in the hearts of men" [or in the case of this town the inhabitants fears and vulnerabilities] from book 1 and believe me the very nasty and "evil shadow" who lurks around Orangefield especially around Halloween certainly does, so I am already feeling sorry and apprehensive about this guy and the book had just started.
Two otherworldly dimensions seem to be battling for dominance one with a black entity named Sam Hain (the Lord of Death) who wears a black cloak with a pasty white face, hooded black holes for eyes, the mouth a cruel red slash and only bones for hands who follows orders from an unnamed evil master known as the Dark One and the other faction with a wispy scarecrow type entity dressed in old clothes stuffed with dry corn stalks and a carved glowing pumpkin head named John with the town of Orangefield NY as the nexus for the confrontation for a clash beteen these two otherworldly dimensions who both seem intent on capturing Corrie Phaeder and his seven year old neighbor Regina Bright. Halloween seems to be an important point in time for the meeting of these two factions. More is added in filling the reader in the backstory of what is really happening in this town and why this otherworldly battle is taking place. Well this book is a great story but with still no resolution with the Dark One still planning for the destruction of all living life it leaves the reader with one big Oh Boy! What's next? As sequels and the middle book of a trilogy go Sarrantonio did a good job of keeping my interest up in continuing with this saga.
October 19, 2025
This was a weird one, but I think I liked it more than Horrorween, the first book in Sarrantonio’s Orangefield series. The book is of course very Halloween centric, but there’s a lot more going on underneath the hood. Sarrantonio plays with some big ideas here, in fact the stakes couldn’t be higher for our odd assortment of characters. The young tortured photographer who’s returned to the town that almost destroyed him, his ex girlfriend the frequently suicidal librarian, a young girl with strange powers, and our cop with a chip on his shoulder. I won’t get into the elements that make this book unique, but suffice it to say that the author certainly had a lot of inventive concepts bubbling up and flowing out of his mind. I appreciated that, but felt that the book could have been better if it was 100-200 pages longer and given him the space to properly develop these characters. As it is, it’s a fun Spooktober read with Halloween atmosphere for days, and some truly wild conceptual stuff that I found oddly appealing.
October 20, 2019
New book review video is up! This weekend I reviewed Hallow's Eve by Al Sarrantonio.
https://youtu.be/vA8TSBgHQ-M
https://youtu.be/vA8TSBgHQ-M
December 27, 2021
Книгата беше част от октомврийското ми четене, но някак в повече ми дойдоха онези по ревю на ден в другата социална мрежа, така че тук ще се появят с доста голямо закъснение част от заглавията
Завръщането в Оринджфийлд беше доста изненадващо. Сарантонио доста се е постарал да прескочи клишетата за малкия провинциален град и да изгради самобитна история. В процеса част от хелоуинската атмосфера се е изгубила, но за сметка на това се е получила доста приятна книга на онзи любим мой жанров синор между градското фентъзи и хоръра.
Кори се завръща в Оринджфийлд, не по свое желание и още от първия ден си припомня ударно защо е избягал преди дванадесет години. Старата му къща е все така изпълнена с видения, а из града и околните полета обикаля плашило с тиквена глава. На всичкото отгоре едно съседско момиченце Реджина е атакувано от същите неща, така вгорчили детството му.
Детектив Гранд е все така обсебен от хелоуинската история на града и в частност Самейн и продължава да търси истината, въпреки всички нормални и паранормални пречки, които съсипват живота му.
Сам пък продължава да служи на Тъмния и идването му на земята, като тук отново се вижда как през годините е посял мрачните си семена в душите на местните. Само на края се загатва, че не е покорния слуга, за който се представя.
Съдбите на всички ще се преплетат, естествено на Хелоуин. Дали отново ще успеят да спасят света от идването на Тъмния? И така да е, винаги има следващ Хелоуин.
Приключението в отвъдния свят, през който Тъмния цели да влезе в нашия, беше шантаво и доста оригинално, макар и леко наивно. Финалът изглади всички неравности по пътя на произведението.
October 27, 2025
After finish the first novel and with idea of reading all 3 I got into this one and automatically felt bored with the book. The last book was a compilation of several stories that were turn into s full length novel..here it starts as such. I was half way through and I was bored by it.. maybe I made a mistake of reading one after the other. Next year by Halloween I may read th third to conclude the story but this one was not good.
April 24, 2019
This was ok. I had a hard time getting into the story or the characters.
December 10, 2012
The only real issue I had with Hallows Eve was the ending. Not the event of the ending or the resolution to the horrific events of the novel, but the rushed feeling of the ending. Honestly, I felt like I was only half way through the story when the final act started, and I thought this story would've been better served as a longer tale that expanded on ... well, I don't want to give anything away.
I did throroughly enjoy the read, and I'm going to give Mr. Sarrantonio the benefit of the doubt and guess that his agent and/or publisher asked him to cut the books length (something that's done often with smaller presses and lesser-known authors). I was drawn into the characters and setting and the history of Orangefield -- a small town that is the center of more than one of Sarrantonio's novels.
I read this during October when I was trying to consume as many Halloween-ish books as I could. Next year, I'll probably be adding one of the other Orangefield books to that list.
I did throroughly enjoy the read, and I'm going to give Mr. Sarrantonio the benefit of the doubt and guess that his agent and/or publisher asked him to cut the books length (something that's done often with smaller presses and lesser-known authors). I was drawn into the characters and setting and the history of Orangefield -- a small town that is the center of more than one of Sarrantonio's novels.
I read this during October when I was trying to consume as many Halloween-ish books as I could. Next year, I'll probably be adding one of the other Orangefield books to that list.
January 9, 2015
To be honest, I went into this one a bit negatively. I'm kind of tired of the small-town-during-Halloween stories. They're so ubiquitous that they run together. They're almost always the same. They use the same formula. It's a bit of a bore. However, I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would. While it does use the same formula (up until the end), there is enough different about it to keep my interest. There was one thing in particular that I enjoyed, because it runs so contrary to any kind of story that I couldn't help but like it. However, it's a spoiler, so I won't mention it. However, there is a reveal in the end that is so ridiculous that I couldn't take the rest of the book seriously. This one isn't great, but it's good.
October 22, 2014
I find it hard to pin down just how I feel about this one. It wasn't a bad story, and I can say that it kept me going all the way through, but it wasn't outstanding in plot or characters either. If you want a fun, slightly spooky Halloween read, this might be just what you need!
November 5, 2021
While I'll be the first to admit that this isn't the greatest work of deep and impactful literature, I have to say this is just what the doctor ordered. Sometimes you just want a nice creepy Halloween-themed book to read around the end of October and that's exactly what this book is. Everything in it is tailored to evoke the Halloween season, and if you read it at the right time of year, it's certain to either get you in the Halloween spirit.
The book will grab your attention from the first page and keep you reading into the wee hours if you let it. Despite its fast pace, though, it manages to take enough time to develop a believable cast of characters and a truly wonderful setting.
Though part of a series, the book can be read on its own or in sequence with the others. If you do read it as a stand-alone, you won't feel like you're missing important details, so it remains an enjoyable read. However, the ending leaves a bit to be desired. As part of a series, that's not necessarily a problem--it's just motivation to pick up the next volume. As a stand-alone, though, it will leave you wanting more, for better or for worse.
Ultimately, if you're looking for something fun and spooky to read around Halloween, you could do a lot worse than Hallows Eve. It's not the scariest horror novel in the world, but it is a wonderful seasonal treat.
The book will grab your attention from the first page and keep you reading into the wee hours if you let it. Despite its fast pace, though, it manages to take enough time to develop a believable cast of characters and a truly wonderful setting.
Though part of a series, the book can be read on its own or in sequence with the others. If you do read it as a stand-alone, you won't feel like you're missing important details, so it remains an enjoyable read. However, the ending leaves a bit to be desired. As part of a series, that's not necessarily a problem--it's just motivation to pick up the next volume. As a stand-alone, though, it will leave you wanting more, for better or for worse.
Ultimately, if you're looking for something fun and spooky to read around Halloween, you could do a lot worse than Hallows Eve. It's not the scariest horror novel in the world, but it is a wonderful seasonal treat.
November 4, 2019
I went into this thinking it would be more of a cozy Halloween read....not so. The first 1/2 of the story is atmospheric, descriptive, and brings you in with the mystery element. Then about 1/2 way through you get the feeling "we're not in Kansas anymore". It turns into full-blown fantasy - still mystery but the combo took me off-guard. I wish the author gave us a bit more backstory on how we got to this place & why it was "chosen". I don't normally ready fantasy so I didn't warm up to it or my idea of a Halloween read. Still, the author did a good job with some eerie & unsettling descriptions. I would try something else by this author again.
October 1, 2023
This vintage horror novel was surprisingly good. I was a little bored and confused in the first third, but it kept getting better and more interesting, then the last third really sucked me in. It felt a little more like science fiction that horror, which isn’t really my thing, but I really liked it a lot!
October 20, 2024
Had to listen to the audio book, and my paperback is too damaged to read. Ist thing the voice actor was Great, how he changed his voice for different characters even Samhain voice was suburb. Now on to the actual book, the story was really great. Detective Bill returns to Orangefield to solve a crime.
February 18, 2025
i REALLY liked the beginning, the atmosphere of a 2000s small town halloween was so good. once we really started getting into the storyline, it wasn’t as much my thing. that scene where they’re investigating the hornet death in the beginning set my expectations a little too high, i think. i was expecting there to be more things of that nature.
still a good, quick book.
still a good, quick book.
October 12, 2025
What started like an interesting read, slowly developed into a grueling task having to finish it.
The story itself is not entirely bad. It’s just poorly fleshed out. AL is not the best at world building, at least going by this book.
I do have the second part, which I hope will be more entertaining.
The story itself is not entirely bad. It’s just poorly fleshed out. AL is not the best at world building, at least going by this book.
I do have the second part, which I hope will be more entertaining.
September 11, 2019
A supernatural thriller of no small emotional poignancy. Characters act, and some make real sacrifices out of love and solidarity.
June 19, 2020
Great book!
June 21, 2020
Fun little horror read
September 28, 2020
Hard to get into in the beginning. I found it a little difficult to take a cop story with spirits seriously but it had a decent pace. It picked towards the middle/end and had overall satisfying end.
August 24, 2022
I had fun with this. A Halloween-themed horror, what’s there to hate?
January 23, 2023
So good
October 11, 2024
Felt like I read half a book. Also felt like half of a Clifford Simak sci-fi novel.
November 22, 2024
4.5 stars rounded down for GR! Great Halloween/fall vibes!
October 24, 2025
This was really fun. A spooky story that dips its toes into urban fantasy. I really loved this; perfect for the season.
September 28, 2015
For anyone unfamiliar with the Leisure Horror Book Club (RIP 2010), allow me to offer the following disclaimer: the publisher produced two titles a month at its height, reprinted novels that may or may not have been part of a series, and ultimately (especially at its end) seemed concerned with producing QUANTITY over quality. That said, a gnawing awareness that any offering from the line may or may not fall victim to these practices is present. Sadly, I feel Hallows Eve belongs in this diagnosis.
I feel compelled to note that my 3 star rating is not indicative of "I didn't like the book," but rather, several complicating factors have influenced my reception of this novel so that it doesn't merit higher consideration. Disclaimer disclaimed, let's begin...
Hallows Eve has one of the most gorgeous covers of any Leisure Horror Book I have encountered--and that is no small feat. Although cheapness definitely emerged time to time, Leisure Horror often had some of the most visually stimulating and disturbing covers out there. I buy my paperback horror in bulk from second hand stores, and when choosing this month's reading selections this book nearly leapt into my hands. The back cover suggests good intrigue: a former resident of a Halloween town is returning after an extended hiatus. What Leisure *neglected* to mention is that Hallows Eve is part of a longer running series...8 titles to be exact. Inside the cover, the only other title mentioned is Sarrantonio's short story collection Toybox. Had I known this, this reader would have paid due diligence to track down and read THOSE title first. I exempt the author for this, although...
An argument may be made that serial novels carry the responsibility of being a self-sufficient story. Does Hallows Eve achieve that? By my measure, no. Although we are economically presented with two chief protagonists (Detective Grant and Corrie Phaeder), several elements of previous stories play out in the pages to absolutely zero emotional stakes: a former love interest of Corrie/abandoned, the aftermath of a gun standoff between Corrie and Detective Grant, and so on. Having only conversational-mention awareness, these scenes are without any impact for the this-book reader, and thus, fall flat.
Hallows Eve begins with crisp language, beautiful narration, and sets up a great premise: the town of Orangefield is a "Halloween town," its chief economic export is pumpkins, and a great festival attempts to heighten awareness. We're shown how the residents all get sucked in, and we're also told that those who don't participate become pariahs. Ominous tension builds, delicate characters are imperiled, and textbook execution horror unfolds. Until about the midway point.
**Spoilers begin here**
After several careful rereads, allow me to present my understanding of events.
Samhain, lord of the dead, is the pawn of Nothingness, the opposite of creation. When characters die in Sarrantonio's world, they enter a fugue like state where they lose all memory of earth life and transform to shapes and compositions like a Reading Rainbow episode. Hallows Eve centers around the planned incursion of Nothingness via Samhain where if no opposition presents itself, all creation will be wiped out.
This undoing is influenced by Samhain, who manipulates mortals in Orangefield via bribes and threats. He controls the town drunk, a cop/serial killer, and unhinges a mentally unstable woman. Although he cannot harm characters, he seems to have no trouble physically handing bottles of liquor to the drunk, and so on.
To combat this entity, a scarecrow (a dead soul's choice of how to present itself) named John seeks out Corrie to explain his breaks with reality: again, a fugue like state of nightmares which he has suffered his entire life. Add to this Regina, a little girl who suffers the same. Strange enough? There's more.
With little explanation as to the why, in the book's penultimate moment, Corrie and Regina enter Reading Rainbow land and provide glimpses to the dead souls of who they were in life. John is actually Corrie's deceased mother, and in the end Corrie sacrifices himself after a two page conversation with Nothingness in order to prevent the destruction of creation, by...well, umm.
Exactly. A rushed conclusion, or the carefully constructed payoff of several titles beforehand? I am unaware. But for a this-novel reader, I found the last hundred pages or so of Hallows Eve boring and without any emotional pull. Before this, a chilling and well-built town of Orangefield held my rapt attention. It's clear that Sarrantonio invested a lot of love and thought into his mythology, but whether Leisure or he is to blame for the Hallows Eve conclusion I don't know.
If time and fate permit I intend on tracking down the rest of the "Orangefield Cycle" and giving it a read. Sarrantonio has a fantastic imagination and a great economy with words that made this book an enjoyable, if not frustrating read (I know, a paradox). 3 stars.
I feel compelled to note that my 3 star rating is not indicative of "I didn't like the book," but rather, several complicating factors have influenced my reception of this novel so that it doesn't merit higher consideration. Disclaimer disclaimed, let's begin...
Hallows Eve has one of the most gorgeous covers of any Leisure Horror Book I have encountered--and that is no small feat. Although cheapness definitely emerged time to time, Leisure Horror often had some of the most visually stimulating and disturbing covers out there. I buy my paperback horror in bulk from second hand stores, and when choosing this month's reading selections this book nearly leapt into my hands. The back cover suggests good intrigue: a former resident of a Halloween town is returning after an extended hiatus. What Leisure *neglected* to mention is that Hallows Eve is part of a longer running series...8 titles to be exact. Inside the cover, the only other title mentioned is Sarrantonio's short story collection Toybox. Had I known this, this reader would have paid due diligence to track down and read THOSE title first. I exempt the author for this, although...
An argument may be made that serial novels carry the responsibility of being a self-sufficient story. Does Hallows Eve achieve that? By my measure, no. Although we are economically presented with two chief protagonists (Detective Grant and Corrie Phaeder), several elements of previous stories play out in the pages to absolutely zero emotional stakes: a former love interest of Corrie/abandoned, the aftermath of a gun standoff between Corrie and Detective Grant, and so on. Having only conversational-mention awareness, these scenes are without any impact for the this-book reader, and thus, fall flat.
Hallows Eve begins with crisp language, beautiful narration, and sets up a great premise: the town of Orangefield is a "Halloween town," its chief economic export is pumpkins, and a great festival attempts to heighten awareness. We're shown how the residents all get sucked in, and we're also told that those who don't participate become pariahs. Ominous tension builds, delicate characters are imperiled, and textbook execution horror unfolds. Until about the midway point.
**Spoilers begin here**
After several careful rereads, allow me to present my understanding of events.
Samhain, lord of the dead, is the pawn of Nothingness, the opposite of creation. When characters die in Sarrantonio's world, they enter a fugue like state where they lose all memory of earth life and transform to shapes and compositions like a Reading Rainbow episode. Hallows Eve centers around the planned incursion of Nothingness via Samhain where if no opposition presents itself, all creation will be wiped out.
This undoing is influenced by Samhain, who manipulates mortals in Orangefield via bribes and threats. He controls the town drunk, a cop/serial killer, and unhinges a mentally unstable woman. Although he cannot harm characters, he seems to have no trouble physically handing bottles of liquor to the drunk, and so on.
To combat this entity, a scarecrow (a dead soul's choice of how to present itself) named John seeks out Corrie to explain his breaks with reality: again, a fugue like state of nightmares which he has suffered his entire life. Add to this Regina, a little girl who suffers the same. Strange enough? There's more.
With little explanation as to the why, in the book's penultimate moment, Corrie and Regina enter Reading Rainbow land and provide glimpses to the dead souls of who they were in life. John is actually Corrie's deceased mother, and in the end Corrie sacrifices himself after a two page conversation with Nothingness in order to prevent the destruction of creation, by...well, umm.
Exactly. A rushed conclusion, or the carefully constructed payoff of several titles beforehand? I am unaware. But for a this-novel reader, I found the last hundred pages or so of Hallows Eve boring and without any emotional pull. Before this, a chilling and well-built town of Orangefield held my rapt attention. It's clear that Sarrantonio invested a lot of love and thought into his mythology, but whether Leisure or he is to blame for the Hallows Eve conclusion I don't know.
If time and fate permit I intend on tracking down the rest of the "Orangefield Cycle" and giving it a read. Sarrantonio has a fantastic imagination and a great economy with words that made this book an enjoyable, if not frustrating read (I know, a paradox). 3 stars.
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