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The Nestling
Newspaperman Jason Clarke returns to Windriver, Wyoming after twenty years to find the town under the influence of an evil and supernatural force whose coming was foretold in ancient Indian legend
406 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
7 people are currently reading
380 people want to read
About the author
Charles L. Grant
309 books263 followersCharles Lewis Grant was a novelist and short story writer specializing in what he called "dark fantasy" and "quiet horror." He also wrote under the pseudonyms of Geoffrey Marsh, Lionel Fenn, Simon Lake, Felicia Andrews, and Deborah Lewis.
Grant won a World Fantasy Award for his novella collection Nightmare Seasons, a Nebula Award in 1976 for his short story "A Crowd of Shadows", and another Nebula Award in 1978 for his novella "A Glow of Candles, a Unicorn's Eye," the latter telling of an actor's dilemma in a post-literate future. Grant also edited the award winning Shadows anthology, running eleven volumes from 1978-1991. Contributors include Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, R.A. Lafferty, Avram Davidson, and Steve Rasnic and Melanie Tem. Grant was a former Executive Secretary and Eastern Regional Director of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and president of the Horror Writers Association.
Grant won a World Fantasy Award for his novella collection Nightmare Seasons, a Nebula Award in 1976 for his short story "A Crowd of Shadows", and another Nebula Award in 1978 for his novella "A Glow of Candles, a Unicorn's Eye," the latter telling of an actor's dilemma in a post-literate future. Grant also edited the award winning Shadows anthology, running eleven volumes from 1978-1991. Contributors include Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, R.A. Lafferty, Avram Davidson, and Steve Rasnic and Melanie Tem. Grant was a former Executive Secretary and Eastern Regional Director of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and president of the Horror Writers Association.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 1, 2021
I have read a few of Grant's novels and enjoyed them, but they are not for everyone to be sure. Grant really puts the slow in 'slow burn' with TN. This is a rather ambitious novel, perhaps too much so. The shear number of characters and their development in TN at times makes your head spin and this is much more than a simple horror story as well.
The story centers on Jason Clarke, a relatively young reporter who, while raised in New Jersey, spent much of his childhood in Windriver Valley, Wyoming. After a letter from his cousin in Windriver, Jason heads back 'home' to help his cousin out. Jason's cousin runs the local paper and is respected in town, but there is big trouble in the town as well. Most of the trouble concerns growing antagonism between the local Indians and townies; increasingly, a number of local ranchers and so forth have been bought out by Indians who used to live on a nearby reservation. That by itself is no big deal, but the Indians are just sitting on the land. Ted, who runs the local feedstore/grocery is royally pissed because his business is drying up and feels the burning need to put the Indians back in their place. Hence, what we have is something of a slow burning racial war that is escalating in a tit for tat manor and growing in violence.
Along side this backdrop we have some ancient Indian mojo/magic (known as 'the teachings') that allow Indian shamans to assume the form of a giant eagle. The shamans are all women, and the head shaman has a vision to rid the valley of white folk by scaring them into leaving; the eagle kills a white guy and then starts going after livestock.
Jason hooks up gradually with Donna, the local vet, and they conspire to figure out what is going on. The killings are like nothing she has seen before, but a growing rumor has it that a rabid bear is running around. Jason and Donna start to figure out it is something else, something supernatural, but who can they tell?
I liked the overall story, but slow burn is what you will get in spades. I also thought number of characters was excessive, even though it helped underscore the racial tension in the book. 3 stars.
The story centers on Jason Clarke, a relatively young reporter who, while raised in New Jersey, spent much of his childhood in Windriver Valley, Wyoming. After a letter from his cousin in Windriver, Jason heads back 'home' to help his cousin out. Jason's cousin runs the local paper and is respected in town, but there is big trouble in the town as well. Most of the trouble concerns growing antagonism between the local Indians and townies; increasingly, a number of local ranchers and so forth have been bought out by Indians who used to live on a nearby reservation. That by itself is no big deal, but the Indians are just sitting on the land. Ted, who runs the local feedstore/grocery is royally pissed because his business is drying up and feels the burning need to put the Indians back in their place. Hence, what we have is something of a slow burning racial war that is escalating in a tit for tat manor and growing in violence.
Along side this backdrop we have some ancient Indian mojo/magic (known as 'the teachings') that allow Indian shamans to assume the form of a giant eagle. The shamans are all women, and the head shaman has a vision to rid the valley of white folk by scaring them into leaving; the eagle kills a white guy and then starts going after livestock.
Jason hooks up gradually with Donna, the local vet, and they conspire to figure out what is going on. The killings are like nothing she has seen before, but a growing rumor has it that a rabid bear is running around. Jason and Donna start to figure out it is something else, something supernatural, but who can they tell?
I liked the overall story, but slow burn is what you will get in spades. I also thought number of characters was excessive, even though it helped underscore the racial tension in the book. 3 stars.
August 27, 2014
An intense, slow-paced novel combining seething tensions between the whites and native Americans, with a supernatural force bent on destruction and carnage. The build up in this book was felt incredibly slow, but was definitely worth the pay out in the end. My only complaint would have been that there were almost too many characters to keep track of, and I had to go back into the story several times to remind myself who was now involved.
Overall though, there are very few books of Charles Grant's that I haven't REALLY enjoyed, and THE NESTLING fits right into that category.
Recommended!
Overall though, there are very few books of Charles Grant's that I haven't REALLY enjoyed, and THE NESTLING fits right into that category.
Recommended!
September 2, 2014
Grant moves from the suburban East Coast locales he is known for to rural Wyoming in this tale of clashing cultures and a lethal supernatural force that hunts with an agenda all it's own. An atmospheric small town chiller that keeps the reader guessing till the end.
June 15, 2014
Love it. The only reason I do not give it five stars is the overabundance of characters. Hard to follow sometimes. BUT they do come into their own, and the reward is so worth it. A must-read if you dig slow burns.
December 27, 2019
4.7 stars
The Nestling and The Pet are my favorite Charles L Grant Novels. I don't understand the less than stellar reviews. Engrossing read. Slow burn horror classic. Love the native American angle. Mysterious, terrifying read.
Excellent edition to any horror collection and compulsory for Charles L. Grant fans.
The Nestling and The Pet are my favorite Charles L Grant Novels. I don't understand the less than stellar reviews. Engrossing read. Slow burn horror classic. Love the native American angle. Mysterious, terrifying read.
Excellent edition to any horror collection and compulsory for Charles L. Grant fans.
July 29, 2016
I think my random book generator understands that we're coming up on Halloween. Even after going outside of it for once to read Dark Harvest, the last two books it's picked have been horror novels. Given the season, it's hard to complain about it.
The Nestling is set in the southwest, which is unusual for Grant, but the story is about the tensions that exist between the Shoshone and the whites in a small town, so it makes sense to relocate to that location. Most of the novel focuses on the tensions that exist between the groups, with the supernatural element arising from that tension. Grant uses the setting as a means to rely on Native American mythology to source that supernatural element, which was somewhat bothersome. In his previous books, minority characters are used less for their character and more for incorporating some sort of aspect of that culture to give a reason for the supernatural events. It seems exploitative, and I prefer his novels where the supernatural just is, without trying to anchor it into any particular culture.
The book is a good example of Grant's style. It has the long, slow buildup of characters and setting, interspersed with some supernatural events so we don't forget we're reading a horror novel. There was less atmosphere in this novel than there was in his Oxrun Station books, which could be due to the setting. I would say that atmosphere is better associated with dark, gloomy spaces, instead of bright, hot places, but The Elementals proved me wrong on that point. There were a lot of characters in this book, too, enough so that I found myself several times having to flip back to remember which character was which. Many years ago, I got in the habit of having a scrap piece of paper with me when I read a book, so I could jot down characters' names and a brief bio; I wish I'd thought to do that with this one.
At best, the book is just OK. It has some big-name blurbs on the front and back cover (King and Straub), so I was hoping for more. Even being accustomed to his style, the book felt underwhelming. I'd recommend it for hardcore Grant fans, but even for folks who are hardcore horror nuts, I'd recommend most any of his other books over this one.
The Nestling is set in the southwest, which is unusual for Grant, but the story is about the tensions that exist between the Shoshone and the whites in a small town, so it makes sense to relocate to that location. Most of the novel focuses on the tensions that exist between the groups, with the supernatural element arising from that tension. Grant uses the setting as a means to rely on Native American mythology to source that supernatural element, which was somewhat bothersome. In his previous books, minority characters are used less for their character and more for incorporating some sort of aspect of that culture to give a reason for the supernatural events. It seems exploitative, and I prefer his novels where the supernatural just is, without trying to anchor it into any particular culture.
The book is a good example of Grant's style. It has the long, slow buildup of characters and setting, interspersed with some supernatural events so we don't forget we're reading a horror novel. There was less atmosphere in this novel than there was in his Oxrun Station books, which could be due to the setting. I would say that atmosphere is better associated with dark, gloomy spaces, instead of bright, hot places, but The Elementals proved me wrong on that point. There were a lot of characters in this book, too, enough so that I found myself several times having to flip back to remember which character was which. Many years ago, I got in the habit of having a scrap piece of paper with me when I read a book, so I could jot down characters' names and a brief bio; I wish I'd thought to do that with this one.
At best, the book is just OK. It has some big-name blurbs on the front and back cover (King and Straub), so I was hoping for more. Even being accustomed to his style, the book felt underwhelming. I'd recommend it for hardcore Grant fans, but even for folks who are hardcore horror nuts, I'd recommend most any of his other books over this one.
July 25, 2013
This is a slow-moving, yet tension-filled story that had me engrossed the whole way. There were characters I could sympathize with, an atmosphere that creeped me out, and truly frightening imagery, mostly due to the fact that the horror was often hidden among the mundane aspects of everyday life. Loved this book.
August 27, 2020
A slow-burn tale of quiet and eerie horror, perhaps overburdened with characters, but balancing the Native American/white tensions even-handedly, and taking its time with the people and the place. As ever, Grant's prose is both poetic and precise, used both for lyricism and tension.
June 7, 2018
This is my favorite book. I have had a copy of it on my shelf ahave read and reread this book numerous times since high school
September 12, 2019
Amazing book, started slow but when it grabbed me it did with amazing speed
January 9, 2022
Whisper-soft, Shadow-fast
What a great tag line... Too bad it didn't live up to it's own hype.
Not great but not terrible (just terribly slow)
What a great tag line... Too bad it didn't live up to it's own hype.
Not great but not terrible (just terribly slow)
March 25, 2011
A slow burn, but definitely well worth the time spent...
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews