Children of the Shadows

by Don L. Freeman

CHILDREN OF DARKNESS: They were the legacy of the United States' chemical warfare in Vietnam. Children blind, deaf, and mute; so deformed, they could survive only in the artificial environment of a life support capsule. Just one, Lan, was functional enough to move around in an electric wheelchair. The mutant children knew nothing of the world beyond the care provided by Dr. Owen Arbus, the scientist assigned by the U.S. government to observe them, study them, and report any unusual data...

CHILDREN OF TERROR: Lan discovered it first. Their special gift. Their bodies may have been forever bound to the machinery that kept them alive, but their minds were free to travel the world in whatever shape their imaginations conjured up. Lan did it first, then he taught the others how to follow him. But the more they experienced of the real world, the more they hated what they were, and the people out there who had made them this way. So far their power had been limited by their imaginations. Now they were ready to enter the unimaginable...

Genres: Horror

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Although the place of birth was California--and I currently reside in CA--I consider myself an Okie, having been raised up in that place that keeps Texas and Kansas apart. I graduated from high school there and went to Oklahoma University, from which I received a BFA. I taught high school in Kansas for a year and went into the Army. I went to OCS and was commissioned in '64. I went to flight school in '65 and ultimately ended up in Vietnam flying helicopters in '67-'68. When I left the Army I moved to California where I got a MFA from University of California at Irvine. I was an actor with Seattle Reparatory Company for a season, getting to tour the state. Since then I have worked in business as an instructional designer and developer, trainer, consultant and quality systems auditor.

Throughout all my travels, I have always told stories, sometimes as theatre pieces and sometimes as prose narratives. I had a one-act play produced while I was a student at OU, and I had a full-length play produced by a semi-professional company here in Southern California. I have written many award-winning industrial film scripts and training programs. I have been nominated for a Golden Spur aware five times, but never won. "Children of the Shadows" was my first published work. It is long out-of-print, but I still receive comments about it. My other books are all available on Amazon, and they are a rather eclectic group: a young adult book, written for my daughter, a western fantasy, written for my younger daughter, a story of the gold camps in the 1850's and contemporary mystery stories. As I said, I just like to tell stories.

Reviews

[Amanda Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children of the Shadows was one of those books that I just HAD to stay up until 3 in the morning to read every single night until I finished. Freeman was really descriptive, and built his characters really well. The beginning, where you're first introduced to the Big People, the Children, and the Children's powers, is a little overwhelming and somewhat confusing (I re-read the chapter twice), but it's really interesting none the less. Their special ability makes for an amazing, unique story. The ending is so satisfying, yet I was thinking about it for days after I finished! This book was truly a work of art. I would recommend this book to anyone, regardless of what types of books they usually read.

[Kelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Legitimately, I read this book because it reminded me of Stranger Things, and I was having withdrawals from watching season 2. The stories are totally different, but the basis is kind of the same.

Anyway, the story was interesting, definitely, but the writing wasn't good. I was intrigued, and wanted to know what was going to happen, but I also felt like it was kind of a chore to get through, because, like I said, the writing was kind of lame, and also, the story was a little confusing at parts.

I wouldn't say this book is awful, I just thought it was going to be different. I'm sure other people would like it a lot more. I just wasn't one of those people.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was good enough, but the writing - not so good.