Bloodstone

by Nate Kenyon

In the tradition of Salem's Lot and The Exorcist comes a mesmerizing novel of murder, possession and twisted family secrets.

A recovering alcoholic on the run from his past, all Billy Smith wants is to be left alone. But commanded by the voices in his head to commit acts of violence he does not understand, he kidnaps a prostitute known only as Angel and heads north to a bucolic little New England town called White Falls. Something monstrous has taken root in White Falls, and has waited centuries for the right time to awaken. Psyches begin to unravel and violence erupts. The fate of the living ultimately rests on the back of one man. For the dead are watching . . . and they are hungry.

Nate Kenyon and his family reside in Boston, Massachusetts.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Zombies, Supernatural, Fantasy, Ghosts, Novels

333 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Nate Kenyon's latest novel is the techno-thriller Day One (Thomas Dunne/St. Martins Press). Booklist gave it a starred review, calling it "exciting and inventive." Library Journal called it a "must" and Kenyon's "scariest to date."

Kenyon grew up in a small town in Maine. His first novel, Bloodstone, received raves from places as varied as Library Journal, Fangoria, Publishers Weekly, about.com, Cemetery Dance and The Romance Studio, and praise from authors such as Brian Keene, Tim Lebbon, Douglas Clegg, Mort Castle and Rick Hautala. Bloodstone was a Bram Stoker Award finalist and and P&E Novel of the Year Award winner. It was released in paperback from Leisure Books.

Nate's second novel, The Reach, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which called it "superb." The Reach is in development as a major motion picture. His third novel, The Bone Factory, and his science fiction novella, Prime, were released in 2009. The Bone Factory was called "masterful" by Booklist, and Shroud Magazine called Prime "a blistering, fast-paced tale."

Nate's fourth novel SPARROW ROCK was also optioned for film. He has written the novel StarCraft Ghost: Spectres, based on the bestselling videogame by Blizzard and published by Pocket Books, and Diablo: The Order, also based on a Blizzard game and published by Gallery Books.

Nate is one of four authors featured in the Dark Arts Books anthology When the Night Comes Down, March 2010.

Nate's dark fiction stories have appeared in various magazines such as Shroud and The Belletrist Review, and in the horror anthologies Terminal Frights, Northern Haunts, Legends of the Mountain State, and Monstrous, among others. Kenyon has worked at the Brookline Public Library in Brookline, Mass. and the Boston College Law School as their Director of Marketing & Communications. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association and International Thriller Writers.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book started strong with a great prologue and well crafted characters. Why do Billy and Angel have to go to White Falls? What about Jeb Taylor whose father died in prison? Why does his personal change so much to the negative since he sorted his fathers sparse belongings? There is a mysterious amulet and an eerie background story about the Taylors and first settlers of the land. Is the land evil or haunted? Then the dead seem to come back... There are many fine ingredients, even a mentioning of the Necronomicon and a references to Egyptian magic and demonology but in the end the story is a bit overloaded, long winded and confusing. Maybe the author should have focused on one string in the narration instead of opening up too many horrific scenes. I liked the Bone Factory more as it was a straight to the point story. Here we have great opening quotes from the Bible to each chapter but the main story is a bit blurry. Not bad, the characters are very well drawn, but to me there are too many sidetracks and unsolved questions here. It was okay and had its compelling moments but nothing more.

[mark monday · Rating 2 out of 5]

Missing: a Bloodstone
Last Seen: a small town in Maine
the Problem and the Solution: "Push Me Pull You"

Push Me Pull You is a game about friendship and wrestling. Joined at the waist, you and your partner share a single worm-like body.

she learns to love her kidnapper and he learns to love her back because they are two broken souls in need of fixing and together they will fix each other except there's a small town and a bloodstone that's calling, the writing is competent, the lead characters are sympathetic, the author is empathetic, the bonding is sweet and the lovemaking is tender, the doctor is a good guy and he'll help save the day maybe, this town is not worth saving it's full of assholes, the pace is calm and thoughtful then fast-fast-fast, the author has a wheelbarrow full of ideas and he's throwing them all at the wall, uh-oh Necronomicon, uh-oh surprise incest, uh-oh zombies on the loose, uh-oh zombie dog, uh-oh zombie dog dies again, uh-oh spaghetti-o's, the author is having fun but I realize I'm not, but I'm having fun writing this review, handcuffs again but this time for a good reason, spontaneous flood, spontaneous miscarriage, could this be a happy ending, could it be would it be should it be, the end.

[Bandit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this book and...I don't know who won Bram Stoker award in 2008, but I'm going to find out as soon as I'm done with this review, because I would be very interested to hear of a book more deserving of the prize than Bloodstone. In other words, Bloodstone was an amazing book. Sometimes, I get overly generous with the ratings on here, especially if the books are by authors I like. This was an absolutely five star read. The kind of book that makes you go out and get all the other books the author wrote and read them. Except that I've read The Reach and now I can't wait to get and read Kenyon's other books. The book cover compares him to early King, but that's just so generic...I'd compare Bloodstone to Gary Braunbeck's work, maybe In Silent Graves, which in my book is as high of a compliment as I can think of. The writing is so strong, the characters are well drawn and the story is captivating and nearly impossible to put down, terrifying, yet very humane, palpable dread interlaced with heartbreaking tenderness. This is better than a good read, this is a great read.

[Richard K. Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I CANNOT believe that this was Kenyon's debut novel of horror!! This definitely reads like a horror classic....get ready to visit White Falls, Maine, and you will never visit a small town where you have no idea why you are there....ever AGAIN!! This book was flawless!

I am so tired of author's being compared to Stephen King, that it just gets boring! So, i had recently ventured into Kenyon's horror works with his 2009 novel 'The Bone Factory' and gave it 4 stars....and thought that he had me hooked with THAT one....well, with this being his first (and WAY better than TBF, IMO) book, had me so addicted to the characters, and the horror, that I could not wait to get to the next chapter to see what was coming next! This book starts out so fucking weird at first and I thought 'are these characters just messes; or what!?' and I almost did not finish it....I am so glad I did; i LOVED this book! Now I am going to say that it did give me vibes of 'Salem's Lot' and it such a great way, but I would compare his writing more to Gary Braunbecks, or or Thomas Tryons.

When the book starts, Billy Smith is running from the law, his hometown, and from secrets. He 'kidnaps?' a drug addicted hooker by the name of 'Angel' and they are on a cross country trip to a small town that is calling to both of them thru nightmares and visions. They end up in White Falls Maine....and let me tell you, the people and monsters in this town make Barlow, and Straker look like your neighbors that live next door to you.....you know, the ones you know NOTHING about.
We next meet Jeb Taylor. After his father mysteriosly 'Dies' in prison, Jeb is back in White Falls to recover his fathers belongings, and what he uncovers you are not soon to forget. Nate Kenyon, takes his pen/keyboard, dips the keys in blood and writes so well, that you will swear he has been writing forever! Now he lives in Maine and this even adds to the creep factor and horror that he throws at you at such a quick pace, that you just with he would have written a sequel, and took you back to White Falls. The books scenes of Horror, death and possession, and letters from over 100 years ago, that uncover secrets are so well written it was amazing. I have 6 of Nates other books, and cannot wait to delve into the messed up mind of this author again. I highly recommend this author and most def this book! Pick it up......but, if you are easily scared, do NOT read it at night in bed.......

stay SCARED!!! Richard

[Ravenskya · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a horror story like this one. Most horror novelists are either very good at openings but then the rest of the tale doesn’t hold up, or they are excellent a mood but the characters are week, or sometimes you get the occasional author who struggles in the beginning but if you can make it 50 pages or so into the book, it really gets rocking and rolling. For a debut novel, I am unbelievably impressed by the even-ness of the entire book. We start out creepy, and the level of creepiness remains from beginning to end. We have multidimensional characters that we care about, and an intriguing plot that includes both present day and also letters from over a hundred years ago. Honestly I found the letters to be very intriguing and would like to read more on that particular tale.

Short Summary: We open with Bill Smith having kidnapped “Angel” a junkie and prostitute, he is being plagued by dreams of the undead coming after him and seems to be drawn to a place he has never been. Angel is also having the dreams and has been hiding behind her addiction to keep them at bay. The two finally end up in a small town in Maine (why is it always Maine?) where they feel that something dark and sinister is about to occur and somehow they have a part to play. Meanwhile, Jeb Taylor’s homicidal father has passed away in prison and Jeb collects his father’s belongings, among which include some very strange and ancient artifacts. Jeb’s behavior soon begins changing and horrific dreams begin to plague his mind as well.

I found this to be one of the most well thought out “first novels” I’ve read in a long time. I truly enjoyed the read. It is fairly fast paced and as I mentioned earlier, the level of “creepy” begins right off the bat and remains with you from beginning to end. True there are a lot of unexplained things in this book, but sometimes that just adds to the terror. Many people have compared him to an “Early Stephen King” and I can see the similarities, though I actually preferred this novel to the “More recent Stephen King novels.” On the whole this was a very fun read and I look forward to more books by Mr. Kenyon.

[MarytheBookLover · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Opinion:
Great read and nail biting. Let me just say I didn’t expect the twist almost at the ending. You know it was there in front of my face just never connected it. I was drawn to this book like a moth to a flame. I spent almost every minute I could reading it. But not rushing through it. I had no idea why Angel and Billy were drawn to this town and as it unfolded I was so wrapped up in it I didn’t even notice time flying by. I loved almost all the characters and didn’t feel that Nate left anything out. The writing was fantastic and every chapter was a thrill to read. I had many questions as I was reading the book and felt all of them being answered as the book went on. I think the only thing that was disappointing was that the book had to end.
I give Bloodstone by Nate Kenyon 4.5 of 5 stars. I am also adding this as one of my favorites of 2012.

[Ms. Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

The dead are hungry. They're dangerous and they want to reach out to us. They've found a way. The key must be destroyed.

This read started off rather sedated with a not-so like-able character taking the reins. Others soon joined the cast and we get a little story and background info on each one. The writing itself was deceptively simple, otherwise I might not have finished this or stayed interested due to the fact that the pace never really varied. The epilogue diminished the climatic conclusion of this story. I suppose you would call this old-school or classic horror. A mellow read that was just "alright."

[John Bruni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pretty surprised at how good this book is. It's another small town ancient horror deal, but it was handled really well. I like the machinations that went into this story, especially when a very dark twist is introduced near the end. These are great characters in a horrifying situation. There were comparisons between Nate Kenyon and Stephen King, and I can see it. Usually when someone says something like that about an author, it's empty and meaningless. Not in this case. I highly recommend this book.

[Teresa Lavender · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit that the cover put me off at first - I thought this was going to be more frightening and nightmare inducing than it was. Loved this story - very well-written. Great characters that were well developed. Loved the twists and turns in this tale. Looking forward to reading more by Nate Kenyon.

[Daniel Russell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Driven by nightmares of the dead, Billy Smith kidnaps a girl called Angel and heads for the sleepy Maine town of White Falls. The town has a few oddballs and a tragic history, mainly concerning the eccentric Thomas family and a young man called Jeb, whose father murdered Jeb's mother and recently died in prison.

History begins to repeat itself with Jeb following the same dark path as his father, and as the town descends towards madness, the reason Billy and Angel have been drawn to White Falls becomes apparent.

Nate is a good guy, one of the nicest blokes in the industry in my opinion, and this book is not only released through Leisure (which makes me green with jealousy), but is also a Bram Stoker nominee and a P&E award winner, which makes me wonder that my rating (which remember...is ok. It deserves another half a star)is not a straight forward reflection of quality, more of personal taste.

Because there's nothing really wrong with Bloodstone. The writing is of an excellent standard and Nate sets the stage nicely. Unfortunately, the book just didn't grab me. You know when you play RPGs and you roll into a town and have to talk to everyone first? That's the feeling I got from this read. The majority of the book is Billy and Angel talking to people and trying to piece the mystery together. The events of the past are relayed to our protags (I use plural, despite Angel being sidelined for the second half of the novel. She sleeps all the time...and I wonder if the story didn't have enough for her to do) and the reader via discovered letters and town gossip. I feel the book would have benefited greatly from a back and forth approach between past and present, akin to Edward Lee's The Golem or Bentley Little's The Walking (which this reminded me of, to be honest, especially the finale).

Something else which struck me as off key was the character of local doctor Harry Stowe. While this character was the most likable in the book (such a nice guy!) I thought he was perhaps too nice. He instantly befriends Billy, who has been nothing but cagey and suspicious - he has just kidnapped a girl after all - and even offers him a job and all the town's little secrets and gossip. Later, nice guy Harry becomes a shotgun touting hardcase bailing out Billy, who tends to freeze up. He just seemed a little unbelievable at times.

My niggles aside, Nate includes zombies in Bloodstone, and to be honest, I loved the zombie scenes. Nate does zombies very, very well. I hope he writes something akin to The Rising by Brian Keene. Should Nate concentrate on his zombies more, he may even give Eric S Brown a run for his money! Yeah, Nate's zombies...two thumbs up.

I just wish the pace had been upped a bit. More action, less milling around the town. It just didn't hook me as much as other Leisure titles just because of the pace. It felt like King's Salem's Lot at times, but without King's characterisation, it fell a little short.

In summary, a well written book, let down by pace and action late in the day.

[Cyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished this book and it was creepy as crap in some places. The author did a good job with many of the characters - making them feel realistic and sympathetic. I think he could have done a little better with Stowe, but other than that, this was a great first effort by the author.

There were a couple/few places that felt a bit unpolished, but it wasn't enough to make me knock a star off the review. I was a tad confused about events at the end, but I think I do get it after all.

There was one glaring issue I had and it was: [SPOILER ALERT] Angel's pregnancy. It made itself known way, way too early, I think. Unless that had something to do with the supernatural elements or something, I don't think there's a way to know whether someone is pregnant a mere few days after the act has occurred. That always nagged at me. If the act had occurred at the beginning of Angel and Billy's encounter, then I could get it, but they didn't become involved until towards the middle of the book (just a few days before the final events of the story - not even a week, IIRC)[/END SPOILER]

[Valerie Zink · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good. I liked it. I have gotten a huge box of books from a new friend of mine, mostly Leisure horror books and sadly, many of them are not cutting it. I suppose I am very spoiled by the likes of Stephen King and Clive Barker, Peter Straub, all of whom bring quite a bit of actual literature and substance to their horror, but for me Nate Kenyon does cut it in this book. The premise is two people being inexplicably beckoned to a town that is on the cusp of evil happenings. The two fall in love and I began to really care about the characters. The horror was well described and scary as well, and the backstory was interesting as well as the ending.

Was it up to my higher standards? No. But it was a great read and it was fast and compelling and scary!

I will read more by Nate Kenyon (who, by the way is on Kindle Unlimited which helps).

[🥀 Rose 🥀 · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a first time author of horror and it was a book that was written totally by the numbers. Very predictable! I really didn't like my characters, there were absolutely no surprises as this storyline has been done over and over again. It was not the least bit scary and a bit jumpy and leaving lot's of things unexplained. It felt very rushed as well. It read like someone just graduated from writing class and this was their first attempt.

I don't think the author is bad, he just needs time to grow. I think I'll wait till he has a few books under him first.
I cannot recommend this at all.

[Jeff French · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting more from this book. I could go as high as 3.5 stars, but the novel is a mixed bag. It starts out very slowly. The narrative plods along for about two thirds of the book. Many characters were introduced at a rapid pace. You would read about them once, and then not see them again for quite a while. By this point I had forgotten who they were, and what their story was. I had to keep reading until something jogged my memory. On the upside, the last 70 or 80 pages are dynamite. Kenyon excels at creating an eerie atmosphere and complex characters. This was Kenyon's first novel. He has the potential to be an excellent horror writer.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well written, creepy debut. What if you were having dreams/visions/nightmares, that you were supposed to be somewhere. To find someone to take with you on your journey. Stopping in a small town in Maine, because it "feels right" , that this is the place. Don't want to say why, and what our protagonist's find there. A well paced good vs. evil story, that leaves you feeling like you had just walked into a spider web.

[Adam Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is obviously tryying too hard and reads like the unpopular sibling of Salems Lot. This writing is nice but it could not hold this one together well enough for me.

[Rob Worth · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a fun read. Billy kidnaps Angel in Miami and takes her to Maine. They realize they are having the same dreams, and Angel was meant to be there with Billy, but since she was killing herself with drugs in Miami, Billy was kind of a make sure she gets there vehicle used by the supernatural realm. Billy and Angel research the area to try and figure out why they were led there, but they find it all out soon enough.

[Amy Phelps · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was confusing. The prologue made no sense at all. It kept jumping from time to time & nothing seemed to connect. Even when the book made the connection it didn’t feel right.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book. I wept along with Angel at the loss of Billy.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, solid and well-written tale of horror that had me from the beginning. I'm going to check out some of Kenyon's other works.

[Horror Guy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Worth a read if you're stuck in a tiny small town like one featured in the novel and can't get your hands on a copy of Salem's Lot.

[Livvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very reminiscent of Stephen king but had no real ending

[Yusuf · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5
Supernatural horror that crawls in the first half and sprints at a breakneck speed in the second. There was a bit of depth amidst the macabre and mayhem.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story was ok but too slow

[Rolaka Pisarka · Rating 2 out of 5]

https://rolakatalog.blogspot.com/2016...
Były więzień Billy Smith chce tylko spokoju. Lecz co noc dręczą go koszmary, a na jawie słyszy głosy namawiające go do przemocy. Ulegając tym podszeptom, Billy porywa młodą kobietę… i odkrywa, że nie spotkali się przypadkiem. Potworne wizje wzywają ich do miasteczka, gdzie czeka coś stokroć bardziej strasznego niż jakikolwiek nocny koszmar...
I po raz kolejny Krwawy piątek stoi pod znakiem zapytania. Liczyłam, że będę Wam polecała pozycje godne uwagi, a tymczasem okazuje się, iż natrafiam raczej na rozczarowania.
Książka Nate’a Kenyona nie jest zła, ale stanowi przykład typowej literatury grozy, w której główni bohaterowie rozliczają się z przeszłości. Akcja początkowo rozpoczyna się wyjątkowo dobrze i ciekawie, by potem przejść do listu, którego nawet w najmniejszym stopniu nie zrozumiałam. Dalej dostajemy narracje od strony różnych postaci i ostatecznie wychodzi mieszanka, które zniechęciła mnie do dalszego czytania. Dlaczego? Trudno powiedzieć. Nie można niedoceniać tej książki, ale jednocześnie nie wolno jej zbytnio chwalić.
– Przyczyny naturalne – powiedział ostrożnie. – Bóg wezwał go do domu.
– E tam. Chyba pan nie wierzy w te bzdety, co?
– Cóż – stwierdził Pepper. – Może jednak powinniśmy zadzwonić do kostnicy okręgowej. Mogliby tu przysłać patologa…
Szeryf się roześmiał.
Za bohaterami również ani zbytnio nie przepadam, ale również nie mieszam ich z błotem. To może byłby interesujące postaci, gdyby nie to, że tak ciężko było mi przebrnąć przez każdą stronę.
Mam ogromnie mieszane uczucia, ale nie umiem wystawić większej oceny aniżeli 5 gwiazdek. Ciężko się czytało. Nie czerpałam przyjemności z lektury, a dla mnie jest to priorytet. „Krew zombie” nie reprezentuje wysokiego kunsztu literackiego. Jest taką ciekawostką, dodatkiem dla fanów horrorów, może nawet Kinga, za którym ja zbytnio nie przepadam.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ancient evil lies waiting below the surface of quiet White Falls, Maine. Billy Smith’s nightmares have been preparing him for the danger to come and he answers the subconscious call that leads him there. Along the way, he kidnaps Angel, a woman who shares Billy’s nightmares, and brings her along for the ride. The two soon realize that although they have no idea what awaits them at the end of their journey, they do share a common bond and their once hostile relationship evolves into something more. Jeb Taylor has lived with the stain of his father’s horrible crime all his life. Now his father is dead, but his ghost won’t let Jeb be. In fact, people all over White Falls find themselves tossing and turning nightly with strange nightmares, haunted by the sins of their pasts. I guess this Stoker nominated title just wasn’t for me. First off, it reminded me way too much of another nominated title (from the same year) Sarah Langan’s The Keeper. Kenyon’s book, however, is slow to develop and left me with a feeling that there was something missing. The build-up to the final revelation is underwhelming and I still don’t really “get” what was happening. I wanted to like it but was sadly disappointed. Overall, other reviews of the book have been positive, though.

[TJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bloodstone is a plodding supernatural tale that never got off the ground for me. I struggled to get through the first 200 pages and should have stopped at that point and moved on to another book. I kept going only because a number of reviewers noted that the book improved dramatically during its last third. Well, maybe that was true, but not enough for me to give the book more than one star.

The book contained characters that I really didn't care about, and frankly, found unlikeable. The story, at least in my humble opinion, certainly didn't match the book's exciting and provocative cover. Kenyon's novel has been compared to the work of Stephen King; in my estimation the only thing "Bloodstone" has in common with anything that King's written was that it used Maine as the setting for the story.

[Sean McBride · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a Halloween book which ended up taking waaaayyy to long. I lovingly call books like these my crappy horror books, but as I get older and my palate for novels and literature gets more refined, it becomes harder and harder to come back to these mainstays of my youth. I understand that these books are written within a year an probably aren't fleshed out because of deadlines, but I still feel like one has to live up to expectations. The writing in this on was sound and the characterization was decent, but the plot just fell flat. It really seemed like he was rushed to finish and didn't get the end product he was going for. Again I understand that it's like Peter Jackson says, you never finish, you just run out of time, but I'm really looking forward to finding a modern horror book that's actually well written...maybe I'll have to do it!!

[Elke · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book starts out like some kind of sick road movie thriller: a recovering alcoholic kidnaps a prostitute. But, as already suggested by the recurring nightmares both of them have, things take a completely different turn once they arrive in White Falls. Bit by bit, the backgrounds of Billy and Angels are revealed, turning them into characters we can start to sympathize with and ally against the evil force that lives in this small town.

Though the explanation about the origin of the evil and the historical flashbacks were not very original, the development of events and the satisfying ending were well enough written to keep me going.

A nice horror story which does not reinvent the genre but provides some entertaining reading hours.

[Merredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nate Kenyon is my new favorite horror author. Remember when Stephen King used to be good? All those early books set in Maine with their odd little towns & the scary goings-on? Well that's Nate Kenyon. This book is about an old small Maine town that was built on some bad land, and the main character is drawn to find a woman from a miami beach and bring both of them here. And strange things are happening in town. Well, it's a horror story so i cant give too much away without being tmi. There were some twists in there. it gets a little all fall apart at the end but at the same time, i kind of like when that happens. and it didnt go exactly the way i thought either. so, if you like scary books, or even scary movies, check this out.