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Oasis
A golden time — that's what Chris Anderson, his brother Aaron, and their friends expected of that final summer. Freedom, and lazy, pleasure-filled days before the responsibilities of college and career. An idyll in the seclusion of their newfound hideaway on the shores of three small lakes.
But Tri-Lakes is no oasis. A millennium ago it became the focal point of a powerfully malevolent force, and the remnants of an ancient bloodfeud.
Hatred is its source.
Blood gives it power.
Only sacrifice can banish it.
PRAISE FOR OASIS
"Hodge once again plays by the rules, but with a frightening catch … His characters breathe, and his prose is chilling and crisp." — West Coast Review Of Books
"Hodge writes well, he is adept at both atmosphere and action, and his sense of story is good. Like [Stephen] King, whom Oasis continually echoes (but doesn't copy), he keeps the reader's interest — a major task for many horror writers today … He's made the jump from the small presses to the mainstream in a short time. Oasis is one reason why." — Fangoria
"Fine degrees of nuance and shading … Hodge's knack is in invoking sympathy for his characters. He draws on a talented mix of humor and suspense to entertain. It makes for compelling style." — Deathrealm
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brian Hodge is the award-winning author of ten novels of horror and crime/noir, over 100 short stories, novelettes, and novellas, and four full-length collections. His most recent collection, Picking The Bones, from 2011, became the first of his books to be honored with a Publishers Weekly starred review. His first collection, The Convulsion Factory, was listed by critic Stanley Wiater as one of the 113 best books of modern horror.
Upcoming works include a collection of crime fiction, No Law Left Unbroken; a lengthy novella, Without Purpose, Without Pity; and hardcover editions of a couple of early novels.
He lives in Boulder, Colorado, where he’s currently engaged in a locked-cage death match with his next novel. He also dabbles in music, sound design, and photography; loves everything about organic gardening except the thieving squirrels; and trains regularly in Krav Maga and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which are of no use at all against the squirrels.
But Tri-Lakes is no oasis. A millennium ago it became the focal point of a powerfully malevolent force, and the remnants of an ancient bloodfeud.
Hatred is its source.
Blood gives it power.
Only sacrifice can banish it.
PRAISE FOR OASIS
"Hodge once again plays by the rules, but with a frightening catch … His characters breathe, and his prose is chilling and crisp." — West Coast Review Of Books
"Hodge writes well, he is adept at both atmosphere and action, and his sense of story is good. Like [Stephen] King, whom Oasis continually echoes (but doesn't copy), he keeps the reader's interest — a major task for many horror writers today … He's made the jump from the small presses to the mainstream in a short time. Oasis is one reason why." — Fangoria
"Fine degrees of nuance and shading … Hodge's knack is in invoking sympathy for his characters. He draws on a talented mix of humor and suspense to entertain. It makes for compelling style." — Deathrealm
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brian Hodge is the award-winning author of ten novels of horror and crime/noir, over 100 short stories, novelettes, and novellas, and four full-length collections. His most recent collection, Picking The Bones, from 2011, became the first of his books to be honored with a Publishers Weekly starred review. His first collection, The Convulsion Factory, was listed by critic Stanley Wiater as one of the 113 best books of modern horror.
Upcoming works include a collection of crime fiction, No Law Left Unbroken; a lengthy novella, Without Purpose, Without Pity; and hardcover editions of a couple of early novels.
He lives in Boulder, Colorado, where he’s currently engaged in a locked-cage death match with his next novel. He also dabbles in music, sound design, and photography; loves everything about organic gardening except the thieving squirrels; and trains regularly in Krav Maga and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which are of no use at all against the squirrels.
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First published December 1, 1988
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About the author
Brian Hodge
150 books462 followersBrian Hodge, called “a writer of spectacularly unflinching gifts” by Peter Straub, is the award-winning author of ten novels of horror and crime/noir. He’s also written well over 100 short stories, novelettes, and novellas, and four full-length collections. His first collection, The Convulsion Factory, was ranked by critic Stanley Wiater as among the 113 best books of modern horror.
He lives in Colorado, where he also dabbles in music and photography; loves everything about organic gardening except the thieving squirrels; and trains in Krav Maga, grappling, and kickboxing, which are of no use at all against the squirrels.
He lives in Colorado, where he also dabbles in music and photography; loves everything about organic gardening except the thieving squirrels; and trains in Krav Maga, grappling, and kickboxing, which are of no use at all against the squirrels.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 24, 2022
It's graduation night, and Chris Anderson and his two best friends, Rick and Phil are out driving around when they happen upon their very own oasis - a private spot on the water, surrounded by nature - which they name Tri-lakes. But despite the beauty of their new hangout, and the peaceful solitude, Chris gets a weird feeling.
Eventually, Chris takes his younger brother, Aaron, whom he has always shared a special bond with, to Tri-Lakes, and Chris can tell Aaron feels the strange vibes as well.
During the summer, strange and terrible things begin to happen at Tri-Lakes... Rick smashes his hand in the car door, right before he was supposed to play a huge show with a popular band. Chris becomes uncharacteristically violent at times. One of their small group disappears into seemingly thin air. Typically shy classmates assault women and shoot up the local high school. Their friends begin to die awful deaths. It seems the plague surrounding their beautiful new 'oasis' is never-ending.
Chris finally decides Tri-Lakes is best left alone for good - for the place just has an inherent... wrongness about it, that defies reason and explanation - the problem is, Tri-Lakes is not willing to be left behind.
Chris learns of a fire in 1940 out at Tri-Lakes and manages to track down the lone survivor: Joshua Crighton, who tells Chris on that day in 1940, he dug up "a stone with some writing I couldn't understand. Found it quite by accident." He goes on to say, "And soon after that, Doris my sister-in-law, went utterly berserk. She came after me with an axe. But before that, she... she murdered her own children." He also tells Chris quite a bit about the Vikings who settled the Tri-Lakes area centuries ago.
Knowing now, the land was Viking territory, but still just as confused and desperate for answers, Chris spills to Joshua everything that has happened since that first day out at Tri-Lakes, leaving no detail out.
"Suppose there is a remnant still there, a piece of whatever hideous drive feuled Olaf the Dark... a piece that remains harbored in the tree where they practiced their pagan rites. And when someone comes close enough, he's able to use them to live again. Should a host body die, he can simply move on to another and live again. Taking what he pleases, plundering where he wills. He feeds on the chaos in people's lives. "
"It's like he's chosen me and my brother to hammer on. I mean everything that's happened these past few months has clustered around us. It's not random at all. What the hell is it all about?"
"For that, I have no answer."
"Whatever happened to Olaf's archenemy, the guy that beat him down?"
"You recall I mentioned earlier their method of forming patronymic surnames? That's what Thorfinn did. His father's name was Handorr, and so the name became - it became, Handorrsson."
The original spelling of Chris's last name... Suddenly, it dawns on him why everything has been centered around he and Aaron.
"Revenge. The oldest motive in the world. Olaf must have been biding his time for centuries, waiting, watching, looking for the perfect set of circumstances to strike back at the descendants of the man who cast him from his home."
Now knowing what they're up against, will Chris and Aaron be able to stop the evil before it claims another life?
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In my opinion, books like this one only come around once in a blue moon; there are a lot of really good books out there, but this one is great. I loved it and if I didn't have horrible concentration problems, I would've finished it in one night. If you've never read this one, you're definitely missing out.
Eventually, Chris takes his younger brother, Aaron, whom he has always shared a special bond with, to Tri-Lakes, and Chris can tell Aaron feels the strange vibes as well.
During the summer, strange and terrible things begin to happen at Tri-Lakes... Rick smashes his hand in the car door, right before he was supposed to play a huge show with a popular band. Chris becomes uncharacteristically violent at times. One of their small group disappears into seemingly thin air. Typically shy classmates assault women and shoot up the local high school. Their friends begin to die awful deaths. It seems the plague surrounding their beautiful new 'oasis' is never-ending.
Chris finally decides Tri-Lakes is best left alone for good - for the place just has an inherent... wrongness about it, that defies reason and explanation - the problem is, Tri-Lakes is not willing to be left behind.
Chris learns of a fire in 1940 out at Tri-Lakes and manages to track down the lone survivor: Joshua Crighton, who tells Chris on that day in 1940, he dug up "a stone with some writing I couldn't understand. Found it quite by accident." He goes on to say, "And soon after that, Doris my sister-in-law, went utterly berserk. She came after me with an axe. But before that, she... she murdered her own children." He also tells Chris quite a bit about the Vikings who settled the Tri-Lakes area centuries ago.
Knowing now, the land was Viking territory, but still just as confused and desperate for answers, Chris spills to Joshua everything that has happened since that first day out at Tri-Lakes, leaving no detail out.
"Suppose there is a remnant still there, a piece of whatever hideous drive feuled Olaf the Dark... a piece that remains harbored in the tree where they practiced their pagan rites. And when someone comes close enough, he's able to use them to live again. Should a host body die, he can simply move on to another and live again. Taking what he pleases, plundering where he wills. He feeds on the chaos in people's lives. "
"It's like he's chosen me and my brother to hammer on. I mean everything that's happened these past few months has clustered around us. It's not random at all. What the hell is it all about?"
"For that, I have no answer."
"Whatever happened to Olaf's archenemy, the guy that beat him down?"
"You recall I mentioned earlier their method of forming patronymic surnames? That's what Thorfinn did. His father's name was Handorr, and so the name became - it became, Handorrsson."
The original spelling of Chris's last name... Suddenly, it dawns on him why everything has been centered around he and Aaron.
"Revenge. The oldest motive in the world. Olaf must have been biding his time for centuries, waiting, watching, looking for the perfect set of circumstances to strike back at the descendants of the man who cast him from his home."
Now knowing what they're up against, will Chris and Aaron be able to stop the evil before it claims another life?
----------------------------------
In my opinion, books like this one only come around once in a blue moon; there are a lot of really good books out there, but this one is great. I loved it and if I didn't have horrible concentration problems, I would've finished it in one night. If you've never read this one, you're definitely missing out.
July 2, 2020
Това, мисля е дебютният роман на Ходж и като такъв има трески за дялане. Авторовият стил, познат ми от по-късните произведения липсва изцяло, но може да се дължи и на подбраното първо лице, единствено число от което се води повесртвованието. Все пак едно 18 годишно хлапе, няма как да ни раззкаже историята като автор с богата еррудиция и шантава фантазия.
Развръзката ми хареса страшно много и това спаси книгата за мен. Мистерията се заплете добре, а финалните битки бяха задоволителни.
Лятото на завършващият гимназията Крис и по-малкия му брата Аарон няма да бъде такова, каквото си го представят. Особено след като открият идеалното място за висене, на няколко километра от града - дъбрава, езеро, тишина, природа... и нещо злобно, древно и търсещо отмъщение. Докато приятелите им измират един по един, братята Андерсон ще разкрият доста неща за собственото си родословно дърво и ще разберат, че няма кой друг да им реши проблемите.
Развръзката ми хареса страшно много и това спаси книгата за мен. Мистерията се заплете добре, а финалните битки бяха задоволителни.
Лятото на завършващият гимназията Крис и по-малкия му брата Аарон няма да бъде такова, каквото си го представят. Особено след като открият идеалното място за висене, на няколко километра от града - дъбрава, езеро, тишина, природа... и нещо злобно, древно и търсещо отмъщение. Докато приятелите им измират един по един, братята Андерсон ще разкрият доста неща за собственото си родословно дърво и ще разберат, че няма кой друг да им реши проблемите.
April 14, 2021
This book was a fun read. The 80s were just a magic time for horror fiction. If you need me, I'm going to be busy training to become a berserker and listening to Amon Amarth.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2016
Have I mentioned that I hate the 5 star rating system? I do. 4/5 is too high, but 3/5 is too low.
I would give this ~80/100 which leaves room for improvement. I know that is the same as 4/5, but it is not the same as "I really liked it" and one star shy of "it was amazing".
Anyway, the narration and story kept me interested throughout, but the "antagonist" was a bit bizarre. I have read much worse, so when Mr Hodge writes again, I will give it a shot.
I would give this ~80/100 which leaves room for improvement. I know that is the same as 4/5, but it is not the same as "I really liked it" and one star shy of "it was amazing".
Anyway, the narration and story kept me interested throughout, but the "antagonist" was a bit bizarre. I have read much worse, so when Mr Hodge writes again, I will give it a shot.
February 28, 2015
America has so much interesting and terrifying history in spite of its comparably young age, like the settlers moved in an decided to do their damndest to catch up with the rest of the world if in nothing else than atrocity. So WHY grasp for as unlikely scenarios as this? Maybe the same reason that the whole book is wrought with thematic clichés and literal repititions.
April 1, 2015
I liked this book. It was exciting, entertaining, and kept me guessing all the way to the end. I think the characters were believable, likable, and sympathetic. I listened to a audio version, and really enjoyed the narrator as well. I think he gave plenty of life to the story without being obnoxious.
July 20, 2014
Review available on Audible
June 12, 2014
Well written, highly impressive debut novel from esteemed writer Brian Hodge.
May 13, 2015
Did not like the ending. Seemed unfinished.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews