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Down on the Farm
Fine/Fine. First American Edition.
216 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1987
219 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 19, 2022
February 13th, 1809 - something falls from the sky and out crawls a "pure nightmare," - 3 1/2 feet long, innumerable legs, each ending in a double pair of claws. Its face most ghastly of all: triangular in shape, insect-like mandibles... and human eyes. "A cross between a centipede and a bright red, enormous lobster." It digs itself and its ship deep underground and stays there for the better part of the next 200 years. During that time, a barn is built on top of it's burial site.
Present Day - upon returning home from work, Casey Dubois parks in front of his barn, drawn to it for some reason, and sees one of their farm cats laying dead in the grass, flattened, looking as if it's been dead for weeks, even though he saw it that very morning before work.
Upon going to bury the cat, Casey notices there are no obvious signs of death, then sees that it's been penetrated by a pinkish-red root. Casey chops at the root with his shovel, but instead of breaking, it bounces off, and the root slithers back down into the dirt. Without truly understanding how he knows this, Casey realizes something wrong is living underneath the barn, and he just knows it's something evil.
Even as a kid, Casey would dare or "test" himself to go into the basement-like room in the barn, but each time he would still feel the same: as if he were being watched and listened to; a feeling of impending doom; the mentality and inherent knowledge that if you didn't get out - now - you never would.
Meanwhile, the thing under the ground grows stronger, now able to "reach out, manipulate and control evil," and it is now searching for a host. Not only that, but it must feed to survive and continue to gain strength - and soon, cats will not be enough anymore.
It begins to reach out mentally to Casey's 5 year old daughter, Samantha, causing her to experience uncontrollable anger, accompanied by ringing and voices inside her head, telling her what to do and say. It begins to cause Casey and his whole family to have horrible nightmares every night. It begins to mentally takeover first the farm animals, then grows strong enough to take on human mind control.
With enough strength now, the creature has tunnelled above ground and into the barn, but its ship is still stuck under the ground. Its goal is to find a human to, via mind control, dig a hole in the concrete floor of the barn floor, so it can get its ship out and return to where it came from. Frustrated, the creature discovers humans are more difficult to control than it anticipated - but comes to learn they are more easily manipulated when asleep, accounting for all the bad dreams.
Waking up crying from one of these dreams, Sam tells Casey about The Baddest Thing (her name for the creature in her dreams) that hates/needs him. Casey realizes whatever it is, is buried under that room in the barn - and it needs him to dig its way out. Casey does not know how to stop an evil alien creature, but knows he has limited time left to save his family. He knows it won't kill him as long as it needs him - but will he be able to figure out a way to stop it in time?
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I've been looking forward to reading this one for a very long time, and also putting it off for a very long time, knowing it's the last horror book there is from this author. I loved Paddywhack, and was hoping this would be great too, and it was. I love a good creature horror book. It was fun and quick, and man that cover sure is something.
Present Day - upon returning home from work, Casey Dubois parks in front of his barn, drawn to it for some reason, and sees one of their farm cats laying dead in the grass, flattened, looking as if it's been dead for weeks, even though he saw it that very morning before work.
Upon going to bury the cat, Casey notices there are no obvious signs of death, then sees that it's been penetrated by a pinkish-red root. Casey chops at the root with his shovel, but instead of breaking, it bounces off, and the root slithers back down into the dirt. Without truly understanding how he knows this, Casey realizes something wrong is living underneath the barn, and he just knows it's something evil.
Even as a kid, Casey would dare or "test" himself to go into the basement-like room in the barn, but each time he would still feel the same: as if he were being watched and listened to; a feeling of impending doom; the mentality and inherent knowledge that if you didn't get out - now - you never would.
Meanwhile, the thing under the ground grows stronger, now able to "reach out, manipulate and control evil," and it is now searching for a host. Not only that, but it must feed to survive and continue to gain strength - and soon, cats will not be enough anymore.
It begins to reach out mentally to Casey's 5 year old daughter, Samantha, causing her to experience uncontrollable anger, accompanied by ringing and voices inside her head, telling her what to do and say. It begins to cause Casey and his whole family to have horrible nightmares every night. It begins to mentally takeover first the farm animals, then grows strong enough to take on human mind control.
With enough strength now, the creature has tunnelled above ground and into the barn, but its ship is still stuck under the ground. Its goal is to find a human to, via mind control, dig a hole in the concrete floor of the barn floor, so it can get its ship out and return to where it came from. Frustrated, the creature discovers humans are more difficult to control than it anticipated - but comes to learn they are more easily manipulated when asleep, accounting for all the bad dreams.
Waking up crying from one of these dreams, Sam tells Casey about The Baddest Thing (her name for the creature in her dreams) that hates/needs him. Casey realizes whatever it is, is buried under that room in the barn - and it needs him to dig its way out. Casey does not know how to stop an evil alien creature, but knows he has limited time left to save his family. He knows it won't kill him as long as it needs him - but will he be able to figure out a way to stop it in time?
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I've been looking forward to reading this one for a very long time, and also putting it off for a very long time, knowing it's the last horror book there is from this author. I loved Paddywhack, and was hoping this would be great too, and it was. I love a good creature horror book. It was fun and quick, and man that cover sure is something.
May 2, 2012
Down on the Farm is a horror novel from the late 80's that really grabs your attention at the beginning with a malevolent creature from outer space which buries itself in the ground in the early part of the 19th century. The story moves to present day where an old barn now covers the burial site and the creature is beginning to awaken. The story holds promise early as the creature is able to affect the minds of those people near it but soon the story tends to get muddled and a little hard to follow. The ending is also a little abrupt. It's as if the author simply chose to end the story rather than carry it out to a logical conclusion. It's not really a common book, however, I can't recommend going out of your way to find it either.
February 10, 2024
This is another book I have been trying to find for a few years now (at a decent price that is) and I am happy to say it was worth the wait. Down on the Farm exemplifies 80s horror camp and is just OTT enough to really enjoy. The sitrep is pretty obvious from the get go; an alien lands circa 1809 or so in what will be Michigan and buries itself.* Almost 200 years later, it decides to wants to leave, but someone built a barn with a cement floor over it.
The alien basically personifies evil, and likes nothing better to feed of negative emotions of sentient beings (along with their corporeal bodies). Our main protagonist, Casey, now owns the farm; it has been in his family for a few generations. When the tale starts, school is just out for the summer and Casey's two young kids are ready for summer. Yet, they have been plagued by bad dreams, as has Casey and his wife Anny. Samantha, their youngest at age 5, calls the being the Baddest Thing, but does not really know what it is, only that something is making her uneasy, especially in her dreams. Casey also feels something is wrong around the huge barn on the property, and one of the opening scenes has him coming across some 'root' sucking the dissolved tissue from a kitty cat that died next to the barn.
What makes this rather unique resides in rather heartfelt and naiveté prose surrounding the main characters interrelations. Casey really loves his wife and kids, which is reciprocated, and love is the one thing the alien both really hates and has a hard time dealing with. The Baddest Thing can exert some mind control over sentient beings, command them like puppets, but love gets in the way. The question comes down to this-- can the love of the main characters overcome the evil of the Baddest Thing?
I am sure people will have mixed takes on this one. Stchur can be long winded at times, and holy run on sentences! The slow pace and lack of splatter will not satisfy those looking for exciting bloody action either. Yet, I found it strangely endearing and Stchur did do a good job at building up the suspense. 3.5 evil aliens, rounding up for GR.
*
The alien basically personifies evil, and likes nothing better to feed of negative emotions of sentient beings (along with their corporeal bodies). Our main protagonist, Casey, now owns the farm; it has been in his family for a few generations. When the tale starts, school is just out for the summer and Casey's two young kids are ready for summer. Yet, they have been plagued by bad dreams, as has Casey and his wife Anny. Samantha, their youngest at age 5, calls the being the Baddest Thing, but does not really know what it is, only that something is making her uneasy, especially in her dreams. Casey also feels something is wrong around the huge barn on the property, and one of the opening scenes has him coming across some 'root' sucking the dissolved tissue from a kitty cat that died next to the barn.
What makes this rather unique resides in rather heartfelt and naiveté prose surrounding the main characters interrelations. Casey really loves his wife and kids, which is reciprocated, and love is the one thing the alien both really hates and has a hard time dealing with. The Baddest Thing can exert some mind control over sentient beings, command them like puppets, but love gets in the way. The question comes down to this-- can the love of the main characters overcome the evil of the Baddest Thing?
I am sure people will have mixed takes on this one. Stchur can be long winded at times, and holy run on sentences! The slow pace and lack of splatter will not satisfy those looking for exciting bloody action either. Yet, I found it strangely endearing and Stchur did do a good job at building up the suspense. 3.5 evil aliens, rounding up for GR.
*
May 3, 2017
Stephen King recommended book. Blurb on book says: "I'd mark it down on my mental "must-buy" list. (Stchur) turns Michigan into Lovecraft country!
5/3/17
It's a shame there haven't been more positive reviews of this. Yes it's very disturbing and gruesome, but isn't a lot of horror that way? It was a decent story, if a bit predictable. As another reviewer stated, the ending was a bit rushed. But it was a page-turner for me, nonetheless. Horror fans would not be disappointed.
5/3/17
It's a shame there haven't been more positive reviews of this. Yes it's very disturbing and gruesome, but isn't a lot of horror that way? It was a decent story, if a bit predictable. As another reviewer stated, the ending was a bit rushed. But it was a page-turner for me, nonetheless. Horror fans would not be disappointed.
Want to read
June 24, 2024That impressionistic cover; those harrowing human eyes deep set on that centipede body.
I see only one star from Brian Keene.
We shall see.
I see only one star from Brian Keene.
We shall see.
March 18, 2020
John Stchur writes an incredible book about a killer space centipede egg monster! I had a fun time following Casey, Colleen, and Samantha's fight against this lovecraftian entity! The only reason this wasn't a five star read for me was the ending was confusing. I didn't understand what was going on, but overall the story and characters were great and I had a fun time with this novel! And that Rooster scene! *Shivers*
November 4, 2023
A schoolteacher / farmer is home for the summer to tend his farm. Little does he know, some alien from God knows where takes shelter under his barn. Evil things start to happen soon after. People start to die. Livestock are torn apart. The man's family are in a life and death struggle.
This book has its moments of entertaining. There is interesting characters and a few thrills, but the authors narrative, especially when he's talking through the creature just put me to sleep. He goes on and on about space and needs, etc., that I just drifted off. Lost to what he was rambling on about. This happens when he's going on about the farmer, too.
The ending starts to peak a bit of interest for me, then it just goes off the rails. Quite silly to be honest. Also, the description of the creature, they called the "Baddest Thing" with pincers for hands. At one point, as the farmer and his family are trying to figure out what to do, he says "We have to beat it." After that I just pictured a Red-Lobster Michael Jackson fiend terrorizing them. It sort of ruined it for me.
This book has its moments of entertaining. There is interesting characters and a few thrills, but the authors narrative, especially when he's talking through the creature just put me to sleep. He goes on and on about space and needs, etc., that I just drifted off. Lost to what he was rambling on about. This happens when he's going on about the farmer, too.
The ending starts to peak a bit of interest for me, then it just goes off the rails. Quite silly to be honest. Also, the description of the creature, they called the "Baddest Thing" with pincers for hands. At one point, as the farmer and his family are trying to figure out what to do, he says "We have to beat it." After that I just pictured a Red-Lobster Michael Jackson fiend terrorizing them. It sort of ruined it for me.
November 8, 2014
sorry i couldn't finish it - read about 60 pages, too boring. Wasted enough of my time on this.
January 26, 2025
This book is full of every writing sin imaginable.
No ramping of tension, very little in the way of plot progression, weak characterization, embarrassing gender stereotypes, a pathetic self-insert protagonist, high school composition-level dialogue. The list goes on.
The way the main character, Casey, struggles to “love” a young woman who’s not his wife, but more like an adopted daughter, reads like the author’s justification for having an affair.
The ending of the story is a textbook deus ex machina. You think because you named it some knockoff Stephen King-type name like “Good-Lights” gives you a pass? Did your editor give you any, literally any, notes on the structure of this novel?
I bought this at a used book store because it was a lovely hardcover first edition. Despite being a measly 216 pages, it would probably have been quicker to read War and Peace. Absolutely avoid; this novel has been forgotten for a reason.
No ramping of tension, very little in the way of plot progression, weak characterization, embarrassing gender stereotypes, a pathetic self-insert protagonist, high school composition-level dialogue. The list goes on.
The way the main character, Casey, struggles to “love” a young woman who’s not his wife, but more like an adopted daughter, reads like the author’s justification for having an affair.
The ending of the story is a textbook deus ex machina. You think because you named it some knockoff Stephen King-type name like “Good-Lights” gives you a pass? Did your editor give you any, literally any, notes on the structure of this novel?
I bought this at a used book store because it was a lovely hardcover first edition. Despite being a measly 216 pages, it would probably have been quicker to read War and Peace. Absolutely avoid; this novel has been forgotten for a reason.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews