What do you think?
Rate this book
Chosen
Librarian's Note: Alternate-cover edition for ISBN10: 1481127640 / ISBN13: 9781481127646
There's something the matter with Ludlow, Pennsylvania. Something in the water. When Malcolm Warner first learns about the Light in the Dark, it sets in motion a ghastly, grisly crusade for the heart and soul of this tiny town that draws everyone to banks of the Mercy River, and something dreadful living in the muck and shadows. A few brave townsfolk desperately try to stem the tide of the Brethren who move inexorably to claim the town, and the world beyond it. Can anyone resist the Light in the Dark?
There's something the matter with Ludlow, Pennsylvania. Something in the water. When Malcolm Warner first learns about the Light in the Dark, it sets in motion a ghastly, grisly crusade for the heart and soul of this tiny town that draws everyone to banks of the Mercy River, and something dreadful living in the muck and shadows. A few brave townsfolk desperately try to stem the tide of the Brethren who move inexorably to claim the town, and the world beyond it. Can anyone resist the Light in the Dark?
284 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 2016
36 people want to read
About the author
D.T. Neal
18 books37 followersBorn in Missouri, growing up in Ohio, living for decades in Chicago, and now residing in Pittsburgh, D. T. Neal has always written fiction, but only got really serious about it in the late 90s. He brings a strong Rust Belt perspective to his writing, a kind of "Northern Gothic" aesthetic reflective of his background.
Writing his first novel at 29, he then devoted time to his craft and worked on short stories, occupying a space between genre and literary fiction, with an emphasis on horror, science fiction, and fantasy. He has seen some of his short stories published in “Albedo 1,” Ireland's premier magazine of speculative fiction, and he won second place in their Aeon Award in 2008 for his short story, “Aegis.” He has lived in Chicago since 1993, and is a passionate fan of music, a student of pop culture, an avid photographer and bicycler, and enjoys cooking.
He has published numerous novels, SAAMAANTHAA, THE HAPPENING, and NORM—collectively known as The Wolfshadow Trilogy—CHOSEN, SUCKAGE, and the cosmic folk horror-comedy thriller, THE CURSED EARTH.
He has also published the superhero thriller novel, BRIGHTEYES and the short story collections, THE THING IN YELLOW and SINGULARITIES.
Additionally, he has published three eco horror novellas—“Relict,” “Summerville,” and “The Day of the Nightfish.”
AWARDS:
• 2008 Aeon Award, Second Place for “Aegis”
• 2009 Honorable Mention, “Best Horror of the Year,” edited by Ellen Datlow for “Aegis” and “Rotgut.”
• Runner-up, 2013 Best New Novel by a Chicagoan, Chicago Reader, for “Suckage”
• Shortlisted for the 2012 Aeon Award for “Day of the Nightfish.”
Writing his first novel at 29, he then devoted time to his craft and worked on short stories, occupying a space between genre and literary fiction, with an emphasis on horror, science fiction, and fantasy. He has seen some of his short stories published in “Albedo 1,” Ireland's premier magazine of speculative fiction, and he won second place in their Aeon Award in 2008 for his short story, “Aegis.” He has lived in Chicago since 1993, and is a passionate fan of music, a student of pop culture, an avid photographer and bicycler, and enjoys cooking.
He has published numerous novels, SAAMAANTHAA, THE HAPPENING, and NORM—collectively known as The Wolfshadow Trilogy—CHOSEN, SUCKAGE, and the cosmic folk horror-comedy thriller, THE CURSED EARTH.
He has also published the superhero thriller novel, BRIGHTEYES and the short story collections, THE THING IN YELLOW and SINGULARITIES.
Additionally, he has published three eco horror novellas—“Relict,” “Summerville,” and “The Day of the Nightfish.”
AWARDS:
• 2008 Aeon Award, Second Place for “Aegis”
• 2009 Honorable Mention, “Best Horror of the Year,” edited by Ellen Datlow for “Aegis” and “Rotgut.”
• Runner-up, 2013 Best New Novel by a Chicagoan, Chicago Reader, for “Suckage”
• Shortlisted for the 2012 Aeon Award for “Day of the Nightfish.”
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 16, 2022
Oh, the irony of Mercy River showing no mercy to all who enter her waters. If you enter and perish, you emerge as something otherworldly.
Mal Lazarus leads a people to the Light in the Dark. He hopes to spread his gospel throughout Ludlow. Only a handful of people hope to overcome his followers' demands of sacrifice and prevent Lazarus from destroying Ludlow and all who live there.
I really do enjoy D. T. Neal’s stories. It is easy to lose yourself in the world he creates with his writing. Of all the stories I've read by Neal, CHOSEN is by far the darkest and most wicked. I look forward to reading the rest of his collection.
Mal Lazarus leads a people to the Light in the Dark. He hopes to spread his gospel throughout Ludlow. Only a handful of people hope to overcome his followers' demands of sacrifice and prevent Lazarus from destroying Ludlow and all who live there.
I really do enjoy D. T. Neal’s stories. It is easy to lose yourself in the world he creates with his writing. Of all the stories I've read by Neal, CHOSEN is by far the darkest and most wicked. I look forward to reading the rest of his collection.
June 7, 2020
' "Are you dead?" Knightly asked.
"Reborn, Father," Lazarus said. "Dead men tell no tales." '
.
.
When Malcome fell into the water of the Mercy River, water filling his throat and lungs, dragging him to the depths, the last thing he expected was to rise from the waters three days later. Now a changed man, with a new lease on life he sets about the town of Ludlow, spreading the word of the Angel in the Depths, his saviour. He soon finds his followers and starts to convert the quiet town into his own nightmarish cult. Its down to a rag tag team to stop the newly born 'Mal Lazarus'.
.
.
The biggest of D.T. Neal's novels that I've read so far, but equally as devourable. An incredibly quick read and proper page turner. The premise of religious cult terrorising a small town is a terrifying prospect, whilst also walking the thin line between what human nature is capable of with all the restraints of society removed and the supernatural.
.
.
Paranoia plays a large part in this novel and Neal uses it sparingly, just sprinkling the already distubing scene to make you question who is a convert and which of the characters you can trust. Not bloody many as it happens!
.
.
Once again a winner for me from the mind of Neal, beautiful cover art again to match. It's great when you find an author whose work you can really gel with. Consider me hooked.
"Reborn, Father," Lazarus said. "Dead men tell no tales." '
.
.
When Malcome fell into the water of the Mercy River, water filling his throat and lungs, dragging him to the depths, the last thing he expected was to rise from the waters three days later. Now a changed man, with a new lease on life he sets about the town of Ludlow, spreading the word of the Angel in the Depths, his saviour. He soon finds his followers and starts to convert the quiet town into his own nightmarish cult. Its down to a rag tag team to stop the newly born 'Mal Lazarus'.
.
.
The biggest of D.T. Neal's novels that I've read so far, but equally as devourable. An incredibly quick read and proper page turner. The premise of religious cult terrorising a small town is a terrifying prospect, whilst also walking the thin line between what human nature is capable of with all the restraints of society removed and the supernatural.
.
.
Paranoia plays a large part in this novel and Neal uses it sparingly, just sprinkling the already distubing scene to make you question who is a convert and which of the characters you can trust. Not bloody many as it happens!
.
.
Once again a winner for me from the mind of Neal, beautiful cover art again to match. It's great when you find an author whose work you can really gel with. Consider me hooked.
May 1, 2013
This novel creeped me out. There's a quiet, richly-detailed sense of place to it that runs into an ever-escalating horror as things go from bad to worse for the characters. It felt very "real" to me, despite the fantastical elements to it. The fictional Rust Belt setting of it, Ludlow, Pennsylvania, calls to mind Sewickley and places like that -- little towns along rivers in Pennsylvania, tied to their industrial past and living in obscurity within the hills and mountains of the state.
The focus of the book is on Mal Lazarus, who has a transformative experience in the fictional Mercy River that turns him into what would be seen as a zombie by some, but a zombie unlike anything that people usually think with them. He's undead, but he's not unthinking; in fact, he thinks a lot. All of the characters do, and the writer jumps from group to group within the story to give you a real sense of dread and descent into nightmare.
The novel's hero, Max, is a kind of foil for monstrous Mal -- they are almost shadowy reflections of each other, with Max living in a kind of disengaged living limbo that contrasts the determined deathlessness of Mal. Mal forces Max to move beyond his own slacker ethos to pursue true heroism, and the way this grows on him feels very human and authentic.
The monsters in it are horrifying, and the book has genuinely skin-crawling scenes in it that will haunt you. Without wanting to reveal any spoilers, the Angel in the Depths is absolutely horrifying, and even thinking about it gives me the willies.
The novel explores themes of religious fanaticism and paranoia, and has a definite vibe to it that is both worldly and cynical but with a keen insight into what makes us human and what takes that away. I really enjoyed it, even thought it gave me the heebie-jeebies.
The focus of the book is on Mal Lazarus, who has a transformative experience in the fictional Mercy River that turns him into what would be seen as a zombie by some, but a zombie unlike anything that people usually think with them. He's undead, but he's not unthinking; in fact, he thinks a lot. All of the characters do, and the writer jumps from group to group within the story to give you a real sense of dread and descent into nightmare.
The novel's hero, Max, is a kind of foil for monstrous Mal -- they are almost shadowy reflections of each other, with Max living in a kind of disengaged living limbo that contrasts the determined deathlessness of Mal. Mal forces Max to move beyond his own slacker ethos to pursue true heroism, and the way this grows on him feels very human and authentic.
The monsters in it are horrifying, and the book has genuinely skin-crawling scenes in it that will haunt you. Without wanting to reveal any spoilers, the Angel in the Depths is absolutely horrifying, and even thinking about it gives me the willies.
The novel explores themes of religious fanaticism and paranoia, and has a definite vibe to it that is both worldly and cynical but with a keen insight into what makes us human and what takes that away. I really enjoyed it, even thought it gave me the heebie-jeebies.
December 26, 2012
Set in the fictional town of Ludlow, Pennsylvania, the undead are taking over one by one. As is quickly discovered in the Mercy River, an Angel in the Depths begins claiming victim after victim starting with Malcom Warner who is baptized as their leader; as the Angel in the Depths' messenger. CHOSEN quickly becomes everyone's worse nightmare revealing itself as people in the community fall prey to the brain washed members of this undead cult. I quickly began to put my faith in Max and a few others who were able to deflect the zombies advances trying to save their hometown; at least for awhile. They were fighters in a sea of those who were infected.
CHOSEN is a genre I had not read in quite some time, but Neal brought back the excitement and anticipation of it for me. His writing captivated me to keep reading making it hard to put it down. It also brought to mind many commonplace scenarios as related to our society. One of my favorite lines in the book was "The triumph of mediocrity." So many people today have fallen into that category and will submit to others opinions and accept them without forming any ideas of their own. They will live "as is" without striving to do better. CHOSEN was not only scary for me, but thought provoking as well. An A+++!
CHOSEN is a genre I had not read in quite some time, but Neal brought back the excitement and anticipation of it for me. His writing captivated me to keep reading making it hard to put it down. It also brought to mind many commonplace scenarios as related to our society. One of my favorite lines in the book was "The triumph of mediocrity." So many people today have fallen into that category and will submit to others opinions and accept them without forming any ideas of their own. They will live "as is" without striving to do better. CHOSEN was not only scary for me, but thought provoking as well. An A+++!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews