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Abiding Evil
A sleeping menace is roused deep in the darkness of the forest. For decades it grows, biding its time, reaching out to tug at the ordinary lives of those living beyond the shadow of the trees.
Their children begin to disappear.
Unaware and unsuspecting of the danger, a group of families, friends for many years, journey to a newly opened hotel. It stands alone in a clearing a mile or more within the forest boundary.
For some this will be their last reunion.
Their children begin to disappear.
Unaware and unsuspecting of the danger, a group of families, friends for many years, journey to a newly opened hotel. It stands alone in a clearing a mile or more within the forest boundary.
For some this will be their last reunion.
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
5 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 26, 2011
I will tell you right from the start that this is one of the finest horror novels I have ever read. There is no doubt in my mind that Alison Buck is one of the best writers of horror around today. Abiding Evil left me hanging on the edge of my chair so many times that the next time I read one of her books I may strap myself into my seat. The story drew me in from the first page and never released its grip. Even hours after putting down my Kindle I found this story playing on my mind.
The tale is told in two parts, the first of which takes us quickly through a number of years and acts as a lunch pad for the main meat of the novel. The background narrative is detailed and fully believable while at the same time setting a chill in your soul. This chilled spot only grows as the story progresses. The second part of the tale fills out with multiple characters all of whom feel as natural as the people you meet every day. You can identify with most people in the book, including the not so nice ones. Everyone’s back story and personality are fully formed and developed. Their interactions are credible and plausible, giving you the feeling that you really know their characters. The plot develops a web of suspense and tension that builds into an explosive ending.
The villain in Abiding Evil is one that will give any parent nightmares for years to come and is as memorable as all the great monsters of modern horror. Alison Buck has created an evil that just cries out for a sequel and her unlikely heroes capture your heart from the start. Everyone within that book has been fashioned with such care and attention that you quickly become emotionally involved with the storyline.
The quality of writing within this book is as good as it gets. The pacing of the plot is perfect and carries you through the story at just the right speed. I found myself hitting every major emotion there is with this book. The locations are depicted with such meticulous detail and sense of atmosphere that I feel that I was there during the horrid events of the story.
In short I could find nothing lacking in this book. I don’t know why Alison Buck’s name is not better known. If this book is anything to go by she is easily as good as Stephen King or Dean Koontz. I don’t think I can recommend this book enough. If you enjoy horror with a real fear-provoking storyline then read Abiding Evil and then recommend it to all your friends. If there was ever an author that deserved to be seen on the shelves of all the high street bookstores then it’s Alison Buck.
The tale is told in two parts, the first of which takes us quickly through a number of years and acts as a lunch pad for the main meat of the novel. The background narrative is detailed and fully believable while at the same time setting a chill in your soul. This chilled spot only grows as the story progresses. The second part of the tale fills out with multiple characters all of whom feel as natural as the people you meet every day. You can identify with most people in the book, including the not so nice ones. Everyone’s back story and personality are fully formed and developed. Their interactions are credible and plausible, giving you the feeling that you really know their characters. The plot develops a web of suspense and tension that builds into an explosive ending.
The villain in Abiding Evil is one that will give any parent nightmares for years to come and is as memorable as all the great monsters of modern horror. Alison Buck has created an evil that just cries out for a sequel and her unlikely heroes capture your heart from the start. Everyone within that book has been fashioned with such care and attention that you quickly become emotionally involved with the storyline.
The quality of writing within this book is as good as it gets. The pacing of the plot is perfect and carries you through the story at just the right speed. I found myself hitting every major emotion there is with this book. The locations are depicted with such meticulous detail and sense of atmosphere that I feel that I was there during the horrid events of the story.
In short I could find nothing lacking in this book. I don’t know why Alison Buck’s name is not better known. If this book is anything to go by she is easily as good as Stephen King or Dean Koontz. I don’t think I can recommend this book enough. If you enjoy horror with a real fear-provoking storyline then read Abiding Evil and then recommend it to all your friends. If there was ever an author that deserved to be seen on the shelves of all the high street bookstores then it’s Alison Buck.
September 29, 2011
The exquisite pain of wide eyed horror: That is what went through my mind as I finished Alison Buck's Abiding Evil, it is one seriously creepy book.
There are novels which have the power to grip you from their very first sentence, this is one of them. Ms Buck's writing is superbly balanced, vivid description and tense dialogue, give way to moments of blood soaked action and shattering emotions, before the latter withdraws, leaving you wondering 'did that actually happen?' It's makes for a compelling and memorable read.
Yet, for all the excellence in delivering the staples of the horror genre, with its creepy setting, crazed antagonist and flavours of the supernatural, what shines through in this book is the plausibility and humanity of its characters. They are people whom every reader will feel that they know, more, they are us. There is at least one person here with whom each reader will be able to identify. As you delve deeper into the mystery and the ever more violent terrors which unfold, you'll begin to care and worry about the well being of these characters, as you would for your own friends, as you would for yourself, if you were ever so unlucky to be caught up in the diabolical imagination of Ms Buck. All the more, as the author demonstrates that the true horror is found not in the visceral, for all its brilliant gore, but in the psychological, where the truth opens up as an terrible epiphany.
To say much more would be to run the risk of spoiling the read for others, a sin by anybody's standards. This is superb horror, wonderfully written, exciting and well paced. A treat for any fan of genre.
There are novels which have the power to grip you from their very first sentence, this is one of them. Ms Buck's writing is superbly balanced, vivid description and tense dialogue, give way to moments of blood soaked action and shattering emotions, before the latter withdraws, leaving you wondering 'did that actually happen?' It's makes for a compelling and memorable read.
Yet, for all the excellence in delivering the staples of the horror genre, with its creepy setting, crazed antagonist and flavours of the supernatural, what shines through in this book is the plausibility and humanity of its characters. They are people whom every reader will feel that they know, more, they are us. There is at least one person here with whom each reader will be able to identify. As you delve deeper into the mystery and the ever more violent terrors which unfold, you'll begin to care and worry about the well being of these characters, as you would for your own friends, as you would for yourself, if you were ever so unlucky to be caught up in the diabolical imagination of Ms Buck. All the more, as the author demonstrates that the true horror is found not in the visceral, for all its brilliant gore, but in the psychological, where the truth opens up as an terrible epiphany.
To say much more would be to run the risk of spoiling the read for others, a sin by anybody's standards. This is superb horror, wonderfully written, exciting and well paced. A treat for any fan of genre.
April 8, 2012
Let me assure potential readers that Abiding Evil will stay with you long after you've read it. It is 'filmic' - I'd love to see Hollywood have a go! It's packed with characters, all well written, some that you like and some you really find distasteful - all human life is there! It has that quality that true, good horror fiction has, that makes you feel the chill on the back of your neck and the thought that this could possibly happen. I find myself wondering if there are some places that have an evil 'nature' about them. Places where bad things happen.
Without giving anything away I think I can mention the soft spot I had for the 'excluded' person in the woods. None of these characters is a stereotype. They are all rounded and believable which makes the bad that happens seem all the worse. Some of the descriptive passages are truly scary. It's a very exciting ride - fasten your seat belt!
Without giving anything away I think I can mention the soft spot I had for the 'excluded' person in the woods. None of these characters is a stereotype. They are all rounded and believable which makes the bad that happens seem all the worse. Some of the descriptive passages are truly scary. It's a very exciting ride - fasten your seat belt!
Read
May 20, 2011I rarely review books I read but I feel with this book I have to. In short it is one of the most awful I have ever read. I chose this book on the many positive reviews it had, they obviously read a different book to me. There is no horror in it - just a lame attempt at the usual ingredients for this genre that have been successful for the likes of Stephen King, James Herbert and Richard Laymon to name just a few. The characters are one dimensional and very stereotypical, the story loses its way and at times contradicts itself. I read the Kindle version and it wasn't expensive - I can see why. I don't mean to sound harsh but I feel the reviews of this book are very misleading so maybe I can add some balance.
October 1, 2012
Four college buddies and their families meet for their annual reunion at a newly-opened hotel deep in the forest. The presence of children awakens an evil entity, and as the creature stalks his victims, a blizzard cuts off any means of escape or rescue. Their best hope for salvation is a reclusive misfit who failed to destroy the creature decades earlier.
The tension builds quickly in this very well-written chilling paranormal thriller. The characters are well-defined, from the nerdy college professor to the sullen egotistical lawyer. Unlikely heroes are born as the group fights for survival. Keep the lights on – this is one that will keep you up all night, and you may never feel comfortable taking a stroll in the woods again!
The tension builds quickly in this very well-written chilling paranormal thriller. The characters are well-defined, from the nerdy college professor to the sullen egotistical lawyer. Unlikely heroes are born as the group fights for survival. Keep the lights on – this is one that will keep you up all night, and you may never feel comfortable taking a stroll in the woods again!
December 1, 2018
Absoloutely loved this book! Was intrigued from the get go and didn't want to put it down. The ending was a nice little twist too
March 7, 2017
Totally absorbing.
Wow! Such a fantastic, scary, creepy, chilling, heart stopping book. I was completely absorbed from the start. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Wow! Such a fantastic, scary, creepy, chilling, heart stopping book. I was completely absorbed from the start. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
June 13, 2011
I thought the book started off promising. After the initial setup of the story however, when they introduce the rest of the main characters and the main plot point, it just totally went downhill for me. The characters are generally intolerable, and the multiple, lengthy scenes of dialogue amongst them are equally bad. The reason I didn't stop reading this book midway through was that it seemed like something good was going to happen. It just never did. There was no horror, and nothing even remotely scary in the book.
On a positive note, I did like the author's writing style, and would consider reading another of her books in the future.
On a positive note, I did like the author's writing style, and would consider reading another of her books in the future.
March 3, 2016
I am torn over this book. I really enjoyed the beginning, then once all the characters had been introduced I felt the book just dragged on and on. There were some scary parts, scary, not gory, which I enjoyed. All in all, the middle and ending could have been condensed into half. There is a lot of dialogue which got old fast. Some of the main characters were such terrible human beings, I found it hard to believe anyone would be their friend, especially the others in the story. I found myself rushing to get the book finished. Not good.
April 22, 2011
Overall this book was a good quick read. The storyline was fairly unique and a welcome change in a genre that has been over saturated with vamps, weres and zombies.(I do love my vamps, weres, and zombies---don't get me wrong!) There are a lot of characters to keep track of in this one which did get a little confusing at times.
May 21, 2011
A good read. Not particularly profound but a good page-turner. I've polished it off in well under a day, albeit with a lot of reading!
The characterisations are a mixture of well-written and a little one-dimensional, but I would recommend it for a lazy beach-read, assuming you like horror.
The characterisations are a mixture of well-written and a little one-dimensional, but I would recommend it for a lazy beach-read, assuming you like horror.
September 12, 2011
started off really good this book, but quickly diminished half way through, a lot of characters where introduced in the middle making it hard to keep track of what was going on.main villain was'nt very credible, and the end was rather feeble,very disappointing, not for me i am afraid.
November 1, 2011
had such high hopes for this book,it was really a good read for most of the time, but did get bogged down with a mish mash of characters in the middle,and the main character was hardly believable nor menacing.sorry alison not my thing.
June 13, 2011
Awfully slow going. Mainly finished this while my dad was in the hospital and I sat in the waiting room all night. It did pick up at the end and was quite enjoyable.
June 28, 2012
Lousy read...could not get into it could not finish it
February 10, 2013
Sorry I just couldn't continue with this , it's not good
February 13, 2014
This book started out so promising. But about the middle it really went downhill for me. Took all I had just to finish it. Not scary in the slightest.
November 26, 2015
I don't usually read this genre but I thought I would try this one. Mistake.
December 3, 2016
Did not like it. It was well written, but it meandered all over the place, and it wasn't compelling enough to make me care about the story or the characters.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews