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Phantom Nights
The year is 1952. Fourteen-year-old Alex Gambier is rebellious by nature and scarred by childhood tragedy in the southern community of Evening Shade. An outcast in his own family, mute from a bout with diptheria at an early age, Alex expresses himself by writing imaginative stories and by conceiving daredevil stunts that test all of his physical rescources while putting his life in extreme danger.
The aftermath of one of his hair-raising stunts finds Alex in the care of a young black nurse named Mally Shaw. An unlikely friendship results, which is ended by an unspeakable crime that costs Mally her life.
Or not quite ended, for Mally finds herself trapped in a nether world by the force of Alex's will and his need to exact a terrifying revenge on the man responsible for Mally's death.
But the revenge he seeks is a two-edged sword, the price Alex's own soul as he recklessly pursues his quarry in a chilling double twist climax that surpasses anything John Farris has written before.
The aftermath of one of his hair-raising stunts finds Alex in the care of a young black nurse named Mally Shaw. An unlikely friendship results, which is ended by an unspeakable crime that costs Mally her life.
Or not quite ended, for Mally finds herself trapped in a nether world by the force of Alex's will and his need to exact a terrifying revenge on the man responsible for Mally's death.
But the revenge he seeks is a two-edged sword, the price Alex's own soul as he recklessly pursues his quarry in a chilling double twist climax that surpasses anything John Farris has written before.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2005
10 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
About the author
John Farris
85 books165 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
American writer and screenwriter of both adaptations of his own books (e.g. 'The Fury'), of the works of others (such as Alfred Bester's 'The Demolished Man') and original scripts. In 1973 he wrote and directed the film 'Dear Dead Delilah'. He has had several plays produced off-Broadway, and also paints and writes poetry. At various times he has made his home in New York, Southern California and Puerto Rico; he currently resides near Atlanta, Georgia. Early in his career he also wrote under the name Steve Brackeen.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
American writer and screenwriter of both adaptations of his own books (e.g. 'The Fury'), of the works of others (such as Alfred Bester's 'The Demolished Man') and original scripts. In 1973 he wrote and directed the film 'Dear Dead Delilah'. He has had several plays produced off-Broadway, and also paints and writes poetry. At various times he has made his home in New York, Southern California and Puerto Rico; he currently resides near Atlanta, Georgia. Early in his career he also wrote under the name Steve Brackeen.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 9, 2024
They're all dead!...
PHANTOM NIGHTS by John Farris
No spoilers: 5 stars. This well-written tale takes place in the 1930s in a small southern town called Evening Shade...
One evening...
Mally, a 39 year old black woman, parked her old car at the edge of the woods at Cole's Crossing...
... to wait for the Dixie Traveler, a train which passes through at exactly 9:04 every night...
Mally is an imaginative train watcher and wondered what it would be like to be a paying passenger...
Suddenly, by the light of the moon...
Mally saw 14 year old Alex, a mute white boy from town, stretched out between the train tracks... also waiting for the train...
Mally rushed to save the boy, and as the train sped past on the way to its destination, Mally and Alex watched the people sitting in the lighted salon from the train windows...
They're were dead!...
Shaken by the sight, Alex stayed that night on Mally's sofa, but... in the middle of the night... while coming from the small bathroom... Alex witnessed...
... the local rich politician, Leland Howard, raping then kidnapping Mally... The next morning, Mally was found dead on the lawn of the black church's graveyard...
Alex and the dead Mally meet again that evening at Cole's Crossing... dying can be a hard business...
... Nobody in town believes Alex's story about Leland Howard, so Alex teamed up with Mally's ghost to bring him to justice...
This is a fine southern gothic horror novel that I've read several times. The story is good from start to finish and paints a realistic picture of a small southern town during the segregation era of America.
Warning to some readers: racism and racial slurs are used as part of the story to depict life as it was in 1930s small-town America.
PHANTOM NIGHTS by John Farris
No spoilers: 5 stars. This well-written tale takes place in the 1930s in a small southern town called Evening Shade...
One evening...
Mally, a 39 year old black woman, parked her old car at the edge of the woods at Cole's Crossing...
... to wait for the Dixie Traveler, a train which passes through at exactly 9:04 every night...
Mally is an imaginative train watcher and wondered what it would be like to be a paying passenger...
Suddenly, by the light of the moon...
Mally saw 14 year old Alex, a mute white boy from town, stretched out between the train tracks... also waiting for the train...
Mally rushed to save the boy, and as the train sped past on the way to its destination, Mally and Alex watched the people sitting in the lighted salon from the train windows...
They're were dead!...
Shaken by the sight, Alex stayed that night on Mally's sofa, but... in the middle of the night... while coming from the small bathroom... Alex witnessed...
... the local rich politician, Leland Howard, raping then kidnapping Mally... The next morning, Mally was found dead on the lawn of the black church's graveyard...
Alex and the dead Mally meet again that evening at Cole's Crossing... dying can be a hard business...
... Nobody in town believes Alex's story about Leland Howard, so Alex teamed up with Mally's ghost to bring him to justice...
This is a fine southern gothic horror novel that I've read several times. The story is good from start to finish and paints a realistic picture of a small southern town during the segregation era of America.
Warning to some readers: racism and racial slurs are used as part of the story to depict life as it was in 1930s small-town America.
July 23, 2011
This was my first book by veteran horror/thriller writer John Farris, a ghost story of sorts that could function almost as well without the supernatural element. Alex, a mute troubled adolescent, witnesses the rape and events that lead to a later murder of a woman who has become his most trusted friend. Alex's will causes the woman's spirit to stay behind and help bring justice. There are great themes here: that revenge has a cost that may be too high to bear, that we help nobody by hanging on to the past. There are great characters in older brother and guardian Bobby, acting sheriff who tries to do well, Bobby's loving wife with conflicts of interest regarding Alex, her mother who is self-serving and vindictive enough to set up Alex for false accusations in attempt to force Bobby to send him away. There is the power-hungry villain in Leland Howard and the anti-stereotypical negro Father of the murdered woman. The sleepy Tennessee town setting during the 1950s is Gothic and appropriate. Where the book mildly disappoints is in how it sets up all of these personal conflicts for Alex and then completely dismisses them after the murder at the halfway point. Nicely redeemed by the finale and epilogue.
July 22, 2020
Set in 1952 in Tennessee, Priest Howard on his death bed, tells his black nurse Mally Shaw that his son, Leland, an aspiring politician, is a thief. When Leland learns that his father has given Mally information that would indict him, he kidnaps her, rapes, and kills her. This is the first part of the story where the believability really gets stretched. After Mally’s death, she somehow has established a psychic connection with a mute boy Alex, whose brother is the town’s sheriff. In this racially divided town, Alex and his brother must take Leland down.
I’ve never been the biggest John Farris fan, but this novel was especially weak. The writing style didn’t work for me at all. Even after accepting the paranormal aspects of the story, the believability of the characters’ actions are non-existent. There was nothing that I liked about this novel. The plot is thin and full of holes. I would strongly advise skipping this one.
Carl Alves – author of Blood Street
I’ve never been the biggest John Farris fan, but this novel was especially weak. The writing style didn’t work for me at all. Even after accepting the paranormal aspects of the story, the believability of the characters’ actions are non-existent. There was nothing that I liked about this novel. The plot is thin and full of holes. I would strongly advise skipping this one.
Carl Alves – author of Blood Street
August 6, 2012
With the combination of a thriller/ghost story, and Alex a rebellious 14 year old mute, that's befriended by Mally, a young black woman in 1952 Tennesee. Farris writes a tale with dread and also tender moments. The description of that era and wonderful writing make this a recommended read, by a long time thriller/horror writer.
March 29, 2021
I've been a fan of Farris since reading The Fury in 1978, and he still yet to let me down. This book started as a standard "Will the killer get caught?" tale, but with Farris' classic blend of suspense and the supernatural, Phantom Nights becomes so much more.
August 29, 2017
This was a great read I felt sorry for Alex and really dislike his sister in law and her mother would love to read more from John Farris
June 10, 2020
very well written....
June 30, 2022
Read in 2005. Interesting blend of the natural and the supernatural.
Read
May 30, 2023I recently came across John Farris and have been enjoying his books. This one from 2005 is another good read!
December 3, 2023
Set in the 1950's. This is not a book for people that cannot read the N word.
It has wonderful characters and a quick pace. I loved the paranormal aspect of it.
It has wonderful characters and a quick pace. I loved the paranormal aspect of it.
November 15, 2013
Phantom Nights is an interesting blend of the natural and super natural under the sub title as a rape and murder case. Set in the antebellum South, which I estimated to be the 1950's, by its tone and usage of terminology, especially in addressing race relations. The story has all of the standard making's of a drunken rape, then subsequent murder which takes the reader into a number of different directions from there.
One of the only reasons I became interested in this book had to do with the promise of the paranormal. I have never read John Farris before so had no idea as to his writing style or strength in subject matter, with that in mind, I cannot speak to his past endeavors nor draw any conclusions as the the quality of the story other then my own observation. The " ghostly " side to the work, which initially attracted me to it to begin with, wasn't to bad, it was easy to under stand.
This book was a 5 hour flight, and a leave on the seat book upon departure. Nothing to write mother about.
One of the only reasons I became interested in this book had to do with the promise of the paranormal. I have never read John Farris before so had no idea as to his writing style or strength in subject matter, with that in mind, I cannot speak to his past endeavors nor draw any conclusions as the the quality of the story other then my own observation. The " ghostly " side to the work, which initially attracted me to it to begin with, wasn't to bad, it was easy to under stand.
This book was a 5 hour flight, and a leave on the seat book upon departure. Nothing to write mother about.
June 7, 2010
In the vein of iconic ghost stories, this takes a leisurely pace and slowly amps up the tension and menace surrounding its very likable young hero. If we had the option of half-stars I might have given it a 3 1/2 because, while very good and an excellent armchair or beach read, it would be helpful to be able to save the four- and five-star designations for those phenomenal linger-in-your-brain stories. Faced with the three versus four choice, though, I readily give this four because the issues of race and the struggle to come-of-age in the absence of strong parental love or guidance give this book heft and resonance. Added to the classic ghost story, that takes it past the merely "nice ride" happy medium that three stars could suggest. Eerie and inventive ghost stories are hard to find, but you found one.
October 1, 2013
This one falls between 2 and 3 stars due to the fact that if felt like two stories forced together. One was a gritty, depressing thriller filled with vulgarity and lewd sexual content. The other was a ghost story with sketchy theology. The author could have left out some of the more graphic descriptions and had an engaging story. Instead, he resorted to cheap tactics to keep the reader shocked. I almost stopped after reading the first 30 pages, but kept going because I felt there was something redemptive. And there was, it just wasn't very satisfying.
January 24, 2014
this book was somewhat confusing and slow at first, it took me a while to understand the story. Once you are a little past the middle it starts to come together. This story is very sweet in alot of ways. A misunderstood handicapped teenager, a black woman who is looked down on and treated second class but who is kind and forgiving. Murder, rape and guilt seem to rule this story and of course all is made right in the end in an unexpected way
September 22, 2015
I enjoyed this a lot...a ghost story just spooky enough to give me a small frisson at the end. There were actually several satisfying endings in a way, and it made me smile. I think this book will stay with me and give me pleasure for quite awhile to come.
February 21, 2012
One of my All Time Favorites! I can't wait for the movie!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews