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Night Noise
The most malevolent, bloodthirsty beast Kanatan’s village had ever seen has marked his family for destruction.
To make matters worse, its attack sends his once-unified community freefalling into a fractured landscape of suspicion and betrayal. With each grisly kill, the secrets of Kanatan's family unravel, and the burden falls upon him to rid his village and the surrounding Night Forest of the terror stalking its woods. When failure means a violent death and an end to his tribe’s way of life, he has no choice but to grow up early, face fear itself right in its glowing yellow eyes, and reconnect with an ancient source of wisdom and power that he had only known through vain praise and empty words. Fans of horror and fantasy will enjoy this compelling novel set in a fantastical Native American setting.
All fear to enter Night Forest, and for good reason… Do you dare enter?
All fear to enter Night Forest, and for good reason… Do you dare enter?
Kindle Edition
Published September 27, 2024
4 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
David G. Allen
5 books8 followersDavid is a language teacher, author, and speaker who has written fiction and nonfiction. His most public works include the Emotionally Bulletproof - Scott's Story book series and the standalone psychological novel Pool of Echoes, both of which are Christian Fiction.
His works contain the following paradigm shifts:
- Trust is the foundation of all relationships.
- You don’t have to be ruled by your past.
- We were made to create, to love, to embrace the future and honor the past.
He has an MBA in Business Management and currently teaches and speaks about language learning in South Korea.
His works contain the following paradigm shifts:
- Trust is the foundation of all relationships.
- You don’t have to be ruled by your past.
- We were made to create, to love, to embrace the future and honor the past.
He has an MBA in Business Management and currently teaches and speaks about language learning in South Korea.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 23, 2024
This book had me hooked! I read the whole thing in two sittings. It definitely had a creep factor to it. I enjoyed the Native American, fantasy, and horror themes. I also enjoyed the positive, Christian message in it. I really liked the cover art and would've picked up this book for that reason alone.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
November 26, 2024
This book took me a lot longer to read than it should have but that is mostly on me. I fell into a mood reading period for a spell. The first half of this book was kind of slow for me and it just wasn’t holding my attention. We were learning about Kanatan, his family and village. It’s like a slice of life type story as he is preparing for his upcoming pilgrimage. The story hooked me when the Racers stampeded through the village. The book ramps up with action and intrigue as characters experience loss. The monster in this book is terrifying but also kind of familiar as it is described. My favorite part of this book takes place about 75% of the way through when Kah is training with Enko. It is very much a Luke and Yoda situation. The discussion of faith throughout this story is quite refreshing to read about especially its commentary on prayer. The final showdown between Kanatan and the Totekhelpa was good. The beast still felt like an OP video game monster even with the assistance of the Binesi. However, the reveal of the true big bad I kind of saw coming but exactly in the way it played out. By the end of the story Kah’s life has changed in so many ways like that of most heroes in coming-of-age stories.
What did I really like in this book, this book is a coming-of-age Native American tale. I really love learning about Native American history, so this was intriguing. However, I wouldn’t put this in historical fiction because the Night Forest and the surrounding lands and tribes are all fictional in fact I wouldn’t even say they are Native American just indigenous to this fantasy world the author has created. I really Kanatan’s tragedy after the Totekhelpa attacks and he flees escaping wolves. Kah’s journey from death to his training at Enko’s hut is my favorite part of the story. Enko added so much exposition to the world. Earlier when the village is attacked by the herd of Racers many of the villagers’ characters start to become some fleshed out characters. It was at that moment that I started to care about them. The pacing throughout the story was quite good and kept the plot moving. The prose style, while not being overly complex, was accessible and easy to read.
What did I not really vibe within the story. The prologue while pretty good at the time other than setting a tone didn’t go anywhere if this is a standalone story I feel the prologue is kind of weak but if this is a start of a trilogy or duology then it might come back later. The world of the Night Forest and the village at the Eye of Inheritance are great locations but I wish the author spent more time describing them. We get some of that later on but I wish that there was more of it. There is a tonal shift after the first attack of the Totekhelpa a shift where the story dips its toe into the horror but doesn’t fully dive into the genre. The fights in this book felt a little confusing as I was reading there were moments that I found difficult to understand whet Kah or other characters were doing as they fought different creatures. It wasn’t in every fight but in some of the consequential ones, it pulled me out of the story. The ending of this story while bringing forth a finality to the conflict between man and the monster felt incomplete. Again, if this is part of a bigger series then I am looking forward to it but if this is a one off the ending wasn’t satisfying enough for me.
Overall, I would recommend this book to other readers, I would especially if you are a fantasy, historical fiction or Christian fiction fan. If you love coming of age stories, then this is a book for you. I will look for more from this author and hope he finds time to expand upon this world.
What did I really like in this book, this book is a coming-of-age Native American tale. I really love learning about Native American history, so this was intriguing. However, I wouldn’t put this in historical fiction because the Night Forest and the surrounding lands and tribes are all fictional in fact I wouldn’t even say they are Native American just indigenous to this fantasy world the author has created. I really Kanatan’s tragedy after the Totekhelpa attacks and he flees escaping wolves. Kah’s journey from death to his training at Enko’s hut is my favorite part of the story. Enko added so much exposition to the world. Earlier when the village is attacked by the herd of Racers many of the villagers’ characters start to become some fleshed out characters. It was at that moment that I started to care about them. The pacing throughout the story was quite good and kept the plot moving. The prose style, while not being overly complex, was accessible and easy to read.
What did I not really vibe within the story. The prologue while pretty good at the time other than setting a tone didn’t go anywhere if this is a standalone story I feel the prologue is kind of weak but if this is a start of a trilogy or duology then it might come back later. The world of the Night Forest and the village at the Eye of Inheritance are great locations but I wish the author spent more time describing them. We get some of that later on but I wish that there was more of it. There is a tonal shift after the first attack of the Totekhelpa a shift where the story dips its toe into the horror but doesn’t fully dive into the genre. The fights in this book felt a little confusing as I was reading there were moments that I found difficult to understand whet Kah or other characters were doing as they fought different creatures. It wasn’t in every fight but in some of the consequential ones, it pulled me out of the story. The ending of this story while bringing forth a finality to the conflict between man and the monster felt incomplete. Again, if this is part of a bigger series then I am looking forward to it but if this is a one off the ending wasn’t satisfying enough for me.
Overall, I would recommend this book to other readers, I would especially if you are a fantasy, historical fiction or Christian fiction fan. If you love coming of age stories, then this is a book for you. I will look for more from this author and hope he finds time to expand upon this world.
September 27, 2024
This was an interesting read. The Native American Horror Fantasy setting was unique, fascinating and vivid. I think the character development, for Kah in particular, was well executed and I had a real soft spot for him towards the end. Some parts of the story, along with the beasts, were truly terrifying and I loved it! I found the spiritual theme touching and the profound insight to know that we keep opposite emotions in our hearts at the same time - gratitude and anger, disappointment and awe, loathing and generosity, and joy and misery was really the core of this story for me.
October 14, 2024
Night Noise was amazing! It took a tiny second to get into it but in the end, I recommend to EVERYONE. The story is beautiful in a haunting, horrific way.
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October 21, 2024History or Lore?
Native American history and lore has always fascinated me.
This author's take was a good read. Recommended to my friends.
Native American history and lore has always fascinated me.
This author's take was a good read. Recommended to my friends.
April 19, 2025
Native American fantastical horror is not something you get a chance to read every day, so I took the chance the moment I saw this book. So what's it about? Let's start on the macro and zoom on in.
The setting is one of my favorite parts of the book: a small village surrounded by wilderness and wild animals? Count me in. I love a good story that takes place in specific location for the majority of it. You get a chance to really feeling you're a part of the village. It also felt full enough to support a full tribe.
The Night Forest I'd no less important, and twice as creepy. Credit to the book, when you feel most safe in it, is when you are most vulnerable. This plays out several times, but still caught me off guard once or twice.
There are talks of other tribes and traveling men, of other geographic locations that make the world feel full and alive. And it's a world full of variety and color.
The story is one full of twists, small and big. I was able to sniff out several of them, but there were still revelations that caught me off guard, particularly at the halfway point.
I appreciate that people act their age, in realistic ways to the avalanche of events that begin to terrorize the village, and everyone gets involved. There is a stark contrast between losing your mind or getting outside of it to make decisions.
However, the width of the village means a large cast of characters, and aside from Kah, a few of the parents, and a character I can't spoil, some of them fall a bit flat as a result. At times the emotional impact and the visceral response I expected was much more subtle or not seen at all, and this made it harder to see some characters as real people.
Kah is well-fleshed out though, and that is the most important guy around. He goes through a large character arc, and iappreciated that even at the end he isn't 100% the hero and man who has no more to learn and is suddenly supremely confident.
The beasts of Night Noise are a big part of what makes this book fun and intriguing. The main enemy is conniving, brutal, a monster in every sense of the word that fights both a physic and a psychological war.
And that's not mentioning the Binesi, one of the coolest creatures I've seen in a long time. And what made it even better was that, along with Kah, I had completely forgotten about it despite its earlier mentions.
There's a lot of action at times, followed by lulls in the story. The pacing struggles a bit at times, starting very slow before the second act escalates drastically. The action scenes dragged on a bit for me as they got extremely technical at parts. There is a reason for some of it within the world we are residing, but at times it started to drag on for me.
I was also a little disappointed in a certain character's unresolved end in the laat part of the book. I was looking forward to a deeper dialogue and clash of ideologies, but it felt like it was just time to wrap it up so we never get to see what becomes of the two main antagonists that Kah and his friends have to face.
Overall, I would give Night Noise a 7/10. It's a short enough read that never wastes your time, even if you dont find it to be your cup of tea. Im giving it a 4-star because its closer to an 80 than a 60 grade, and with it being one of Allen's first books, I can only imagine it will get better.
There are some real highlights like the fire attack, a night rescue in the forest, the Benisi, Kah's continued struggle, and the overall feeling that these are real people making real decisions that are flawed but believable, and a the few twists that caught me.off guard. And I mean come on, look at that cover! Gorgeous.
The setting is one of my favorite parts of the book: a small village surrounded by wilderness and wild animals? Count me in. I love a good story that takes place in specific location for the majority of it. You get a chance to really feeling you're a part of the village. It also felt full enough to support a full tribe.
The Night Forest I'd no less important, and twice as creepy. Credit to the book, when you feel most safe in it, is when you are most vulnerable. This plays out several times, but still caught me off guard once or twice.
There are talks of other tribes and traveling men, of other geographic locations that make the world feel full and alive. And it's a world full of variety and color.
The story is one full of twists, small and big. I was able to sniff out several of them, but there were still revelations that caught me off guard, particularly at the halfway point.
I appreciate that people act their age, in realistic ways to the avalanche of events that begin to terrorize the village, and everyone gets involved. There is a stark contrast between losing your mind or getting outside of it to make decisions.
However, the width of the village means a large cast of characters, and aside from Kah, a few of the parents, and a character I can't spoil, some of them fall a bit flat as a result. At times the emotional impact and the visceral response I expected was much more subtle or not seen at all, and this made it harder to see some characters as real people.
Kah is well-fleshed out though, and that is the most important guy around. He goes through a large character arc, and iappreciated that even at the end he isn't 100% the hero and man who has no more to learn and is suddenly supremely confident.
The beasts of Night Noise are a big part of what makes this book fun and intriguing. The main enemy is conniving, brutal, a monster in every sense of the word that fights both a physic and a psychological war.
And that's not mentioning the Binesi, one of the coolest creatures I've seen in a long time. And what made it even better was that, along with Kah, I had completely forgotten about it despite its earlier mentions.
There's a lot of action at times, followed by lulls in the story. The pacing struggles a bit at times, starting very slow before the second act escalates drastically. The action scenes dragged on a bit for me as they got extremely technical at parts. There is a reason for some of it within the world we are residing, but at times it started to drag on for me.
I was also a little disappointed in a certain character's unresolved end in the laat part of the book. I was looking forward to a deeper dialogue and clash of ideologies, but it felt like it was just time to wrap it up so we never get to see what becomes of the two main antagonists that Kah and his friends have to face.
Overall, I would give Night Noise a 7/10. It's a short enough read that never wastes your time, even if you dont find it to be your cup of tea. Im giving it a 4-star because its closer to an 80 than a 60 grade, and with it being one of Allen's first books, I can only imagine it will get better.
There are some real highlights like the fire attack, a night rescue in the forest, the Benisi, Kah's continued struggle, and the overall feeling that these are real people making real decisions that are flawed but believable, and a the few twists that caught me.off guard. And I mean come on, look at that cover! Gorgeous.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2024
I love this book so much! My favorite genre is fantasy horror, and as there aren’t too many books out there that meet that criteria I was excited to read Night Noise. It did not let me down.
The horror (5/5 creepy. Will definitely keep you up at night)
Fantasy (4/5 historical fantasy with Native American mythology!)
Suitable for YA and Adult readers.
**Also, there’s a map of this fictional world! I have never seen a map in an e-book (format I read) before, and you know what that means…
It’s gonna be good! 🤌🏼
The horror (5/5 creepy. Will definitely keep you up at night)
Fantasy (4/5 historical fantasy with Native American mythology!)
Suitable for YA and Adult readers.
**Also, there’s a map of this fictional world! I have never seen a map in an e-book (format I read) before, and you know what that means…
It’s gonna be good! 🤌🏼
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews