Orphans

by Ed Naha

Kate Winston senses the chilling presence of evil among the first-grade children at Belleville's exclusive Roth School, discovering that these menacing kids had been adopted after their natural parents had been killed in a bizarre fire

Genres: Horror

184 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 2, 1989

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Winston is starting her job as a teacher in the idyllic village of Belleville. Soon children start to change. Something is calling for the children. Something from beyond... Wow, what a blast from the past. Possessed children, experiments on the human brain, a government program gone wrong, a shot of Night of the Living Dead... will Kate and the kids survive or get an evil force the better of them? This was extremely fast past and intriguing with all the proper horror elements needed. Old graveyard, fog and some uncanny shadows lurking in it, a scientific experiment. Great material for every horror enthusiast and an outstanding cover. Highly recommended!

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more of a novella than a novel, but Naha still manages to pack a lot of story in here. It is set in the small town of Belleville in upstate NY with the main protagonist, Kate Winston, being a new school teacher at the Roth School. A Dr. Roth brought his institute to town, bringing lots of money and jobs and refurbished the old school house. Obviously, there is something really odd going on in town; there always seems to be a strange fog and people start going missing. Further, her students, 7 years old, are rather strange as well; at least, one of them at first. The student seems way too old for his years, and way too smart, getting the teacher's goat from the first day. A few days later, others in the class are acting the same way. They walk around in lockstep and always seem to be looking out at the woods...

Kate has a pal in town, an investigative reporter for the local rag who lives in the same boarding house. She also smells something rotten, but what could it be? Can the two ladies uncover the mystery? This is a fun, campy read for sure that I am sure was intended for the big screen, like Naha's Robocop screenplay. Some good laughs and grizzly scenes with a truly campy ending. 3 stars.

[Will Errickson · Rating 2 out of 5]

So-so. Has some crazy stuff going on in the last few chapters. Helluva cover tho! My full review:

https://toomuchhorrorfiction.blogspot...

[Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A village of the Damned type thing going on here. Kids terrorize a small country town. Not by mental powers, but by a screwed up result of a scientific experiment gone wrong. Some nice touches of gory horror. The book is just a bit to wacky at times. Nice short read.

[Lance Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not winning any awards but it's still a fun read. It's like having a Tilt a Wirl at 6 flags. It's not going to blow your mind, but it will still put a smile on your face.

[Scott Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. Like a cross between Night of the Living Dead and The Village of the Damned

It would have made a great TV movie

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super creepy book.