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The Seventh Child
The man wasn't worried about attracting attention. Because he wasn't doing anything wrong. Oh, ultimately he was doing something very wrong. He smiled at the thought of it. But now he was just waiting and watching. Watching for a particular little girl....The man looked again at the photograph. The last piece was in place. Everything was a perfect match.
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The town of Ripton Falls, where the Richardson family comes to settle, is idyllic: nestled in the Berkshires, it boasts a stunning village green, large old houses, and a breathtaking setting. It is perfect for Hal and Judy Richardson and their nine-year-old daughter, Annie. Recruited overnight fro a frustrating job in Los Angeles by the Hilliards, Ripton Falls' oldest family, they and several other families join the Hilliards' privately owned firm in what seems a stroke of good luck. They are happier than they have been in years.
But then the accidents begin. None is fatal, and some are so slight as to seem frivolous. It is Judy Richardson who first notices the disturbing and unmistakable pattern emerging as one by one the children of the new families are singled out. An obscure reference to a centuries-old legend begins to take on meaning for her--a legend about seven other children, children apparently so evil that the town had to erase from its history all record of their existence. As July and Hal's suspicions grow, speculation turns to realization and then to horror: Thy have been brought to Ripton Falls for a specific reason and for one reason and for one reason only: for their daughter, Annie.
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The town of Ripton Falls, where the Richardson family comes to settle, is idyllic: nestled in the Berkshires, it boasts a stunning village green, large old houses, and a breathtaking setting. It is perfect for Hal and Judy Richardson and their nine-year-old daughter, Annie. Recruited overnight fro a frustrating job in Los Angeles by the Hilliards, Ripton Falls' oldest family, they and several other families join the Hilliards' privately owned firm in what seems a stroke of good luck. They are happier than they have been in years.
But then the accidents begin. None is fatal, and some are so slight as to seem frivolous. It is Judy Richardson who first notices the disturbing and unmistakable pattern emerging as one by one the children of the new families are singled out. An obscure reference to a centuries-old legend begins to take on meaning for her--a legend about seven other children, children apparently so evil that the town had to erase from its history all record of their existence. As July and Hal's suspicions grow, speculation turns to realization and then to horror: Thy have been brought to Ripton Falls for a specific reason and for one reason and for one reason only: for their daughter, Annie.
316 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 30, 2024
Got to say I was disappointed in this one. Mostly because I could see the potential early on, just a shame it didn't reach my expectations. I liked the authors writing style, but very little of substance happens, even the ending he was building up to just sort of fizzled out in to nothing. Only finished this out of a vague hope the ending would be worth it, sadly it wasn't.
December 8, 2017
The dolls are made of (mummified) people!
November 25, 2022
Nope, skip this 'wanna be Harvest Home' over long book.
Can't recommend it.
Can't recommend it.
April 20, 2011
This book was boring and slow moving. It gave the impression of leading up to something interesting, but it never did. Mediocre writing and bad characterization. I definitely wouldn't recommend it. Thank goodness it was a short read.
April 9, 2020
This was a very creepy little novel that was quite good. I enjoyed it and would recommend.
April 7, 2020
I did like it.
What I liked:
-The originality of the story line.
-The perfect little town with the out of place run down church.
-The perfect lives the Hilliard's gave their employees.
-The chase scene toward the end.
However I confused by a few aspects. What is the purpose of some of the accidents that don’t leave scars? How do the accidents help the control the kids? What would revenge accomplish, would it strengthen the villains somehow? What killed the parakeet? What was in Brads basement?
In the beginning having so many husbands, wives, and kids to keep track of was tough.
Spoilers: Summary: Family is recruited for the perfect job on the perfect town, along with 6 other families. Over time, things don’t add up. A fire is said to have burned all the town records, but they were found in the pastors attic. People who ask questions die. It’s revealed the town has a dark past where 7 evil children killed 7 normal children 300 years ago. All the new kids to the neighborhood suffer accidents and are never themselves after that. They have muted personalities. One mother, after investigating, realizes there is a plot against the 7 new kids. They will be sacrificed to complete the ritual/ revenge from 300 years ago. The painting of the slain kids and the new kids are doppelgängers. All but one of the people planning to murder the kids are killed.the survivor escaped with the 300 year old mummified remains of the slain kids to do the ritual in the future.
What I liked:
-The originality of the story line.
-The perfect little town with the out of place run down church.
-The perfect lives the Hilliard's gave their employees.
-The chase scene toward the end.
However I confused by a few aspects. What is the purpose of some of the accidents that don’t leave scars? How do the accidents help the control the kids? What would revenge accomplish, would it strengthen the villains somehow? What killed the parakeet? What was in Brads basement?
In the beginning having so many husbands, wives, and kids to keep track of was tough.
Spoilers: Summary: Family is recruited for the perfect job on the perfect town, along with 6 other families. Over time, things don’t add up. A fire is said to have burned all the town records, but they were found in the pastors attic. People who ask questions die. It’s revealed the town has a dark past where 7 evil children killed 7 normal children 300 years ago. All the new kids to the neighborhood suffer accidents and are never themselves after that. They have muted personalities. One mother, after investigating, realizes there is a plot against the 7 new kids. They will be sacrificed to complete the ritual/ revenge from 300 years ago. The painting of the slain kids and the new kids are doppelgängers. All but one of the people planning to murder the kids are killed.the survivor escaped with the 300 year old mummified remains of the slain kids to do the ritual in the future.
November 27, 2020
Look, if you are a hardcore 80s horror aficionado, I can understand why you might dislike this book. For one, it's formulaic and not that original. Based on the author bios, you might also feel like this was more of a business investment than a genuine artistic venture--a chance to jump on board the 80s horror gravy train. In any case, I mostly enjoyed this book for what it is--a quick, largely entertaining if not very memorable piece of formulaic horror fiction. If you squint really hard, you can try to graft a critique of 80s-style capitalism onto the narrative, but that might be pushing things. The book loses a star, for me, because of the rushed ending--it's like the book hit page 250 and they figured "well, we cleared our word count, let's wrap this bad boy up." Still think the barn reveal--while any even half aware reader will have guessed it a hundred pages earlier--was a decent move. All in all, the characters are legitimately braindead in their decision-making, but you might get a sick thrill in seeing them being toyed with by the world's least threatening Satanists.
Overall, this book is nothing to go out of your way for and, because of it's rushed ending, I can't really recommend it enthusiastically as a random guilty pleasure read. But I guess if you come across a copy, and you really want a quickie 80s horror fix, this one might do the trick.
Overall, this book is nothing to go out of your way for and, because of it's rushed ending, I can't really recommend it enthusiastically as a random guilty pleasure read. But I guess if you come across a copy, and you really want a quickie 80s horror fix, this one might do the trick.
April 10, 2022
Pretty bland characters in a simple, predictable plot that doesn't really develop, just teases you, until around 3/4 of the way in. Ending was incredibly rushed but I guess I was just happy to be done. Nice setting and some creepy moments here and there, but doesn't feel like much more than the novel equivalent of a forgettable 80s television horror movie.
August 14, 2020
Read in 1982. Child is abducted.
July 13, 2023
I quite enjoyed this book.
Sure somethings were left unexplained like the noise in the basement and so forth but it had the whole New England village cult thing going for it
Sure somethings were left unexplained like the noise in the basement and so forth but it had the whole New England village cult thing going for it
March 11, 2024
Oof.
Was hoping for some corny 80's horror, but this one was incredibly dull. Almost a DNF which is rare for me.
Was hoping for some corny 80's horror, but this one was incredibly dull. Almost a DNF which is rare for me.
October 22, 2022
A Grady Hendrix paperbacks from hell newsletter recommendation. Published I’m 1883, it is all one could wish for in a cheesy, grocery-store, horror novel. If you want a great review, check out Mr. Hendrix’s.
March 15, 2016
blah...i did not like this book...i am a horror junkie and this is rather dull, uninteresting and altogether bad....the back cover leads to readers believing one thing and turns out not to be true...glad to be done
June 2, 2008
Has a mood similar to Rosemary's Baby and The Wicker Man. Not the best book I've read recently, but a fun read nonetheless.
August 9, 2011
My daughter bought this for me because she thought I had loved it in my younger days, she got the wrong book. Had to read it though.Forgettable horror.
August 9, 2012
Tightly written, suspenseful (although words and sentence structure seem so simplistic). Enjoyable.
July 11, 2013
ok but not memorable, would only read once.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews