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Dog Days O' Summer
I had just turned fourteen years old the night my best friends and I decided to kill Mr. Martinsen.
He was my friend. My mentor. I would even go so far as to say I loved him, as I looked up to Mr. Martinsen the same way I had looked up to my maternal grandfather, who died from a heart attack when I was ten.
He was the best teacher I ever had. I will never forget him, or the knowledge he imparted to me, as long as I live.
But on that summer evening just several weeks before I began my freshman year of high school, he gave my friends and me no choice. Things had gone too far. We had put it off for too long.
We knew Mr. Martinsen had to die.
He was my friend. My mentor. I would even go so far as to say I loved him, as I looked up to Mr. Martinsen the same way I had looked up to my maternal grandfather, who died from a heart attack when I was ten.
He was the best teacher I ever had. I will never forget him, or the knowledge he imparted to me, as long as I live.
But on that summer evening just several weeks before I began my freshman year of high school, he gave my friends and me no choice. Things had gone too far. We had put it off for too long.
We knew Mr. Martinsen had to die.
202 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 6, 2018
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187 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 17, 2019
This is a quick read you can enjoy anytime and anywhere but my recommendation is that you read it on a lazy, summer Saturday afternoon.
I’m utter trash for a coming-of-age horror story. I enjoy all the nostalgia that comes with reading about kids on the cusp of adulthood--especially if the story involves some kind of unspeakable evil the kids must battle.
Think, IT by Stephen King, Children of the Dark by Jonathan Janz, December Park by Ronald Malfi and Summer of Night by Dan Simmons.
In Dog Days of Summer, we get to know our gang of misfits through authentic dialog and realistic childhood drama. There’s a big reveal in the very first line and the back of the book,
So the reader has a pretty good idea of what’s going on and what’s going to happen. The story starts with the spoiler but then goes back in time to unravel the events that led up to such a heinous statement.
Our story is set in the 90s, an era I am totally at home with as I was an incoming high school freshman in 1990. The main character/protagonist is a level headed boy with a stable home life. He has a mentor/teacher named Mr. Martinsen who also lives just up the street from him. The 14 year old boys are rattled when a child their age is brutally murdered in the woods nearby. The tragedy is still the main topic of conversation in their small town when yet another murder of a child rocks the community. The boys gather in their hangout to discuss what they’ve heard and develop some working theories based on town gossip.
The direction this story goes in will surprise and entertain you!
I’m always curious how a collaborative effort on a story works out, which author was responsible for certain aspects of the story--especially when the narrative is particularly engaging in a seemingly singular voice. James Newman and Mark Allan Gunnells have harmonized their author voices so well, it was impossible to recognize any isolated fingerprints. A truly remarkable achievement.
I’m recommending this one to horror fiction fans who enjoy Lycanthropy Folklore and coming of age stories they can devour in one sitting!
I’m utter trash for a coming-of-age horror story. I enjoy all the nostalgia that comes with reading about kids on the cusp of adulthood--especially if the story involves some kind of unspeakable evil the kids must battle.
Think, IT by Stephen King, Children of the Dark by Jonathan Janz, December Park by Ronald Malfi and Summer of Night by Dan Simmons.
In Dog Days of Summer, we get to know our gang of misfits through authentic dialog and realistic childhood drama. There’s a big reveal in the very first line and the back of the book,
So the reader has a pretty good idea of what’s going on and what’s going to happen. The story starts with the spoiler but then goes back in time to unravel the events that led up to such a heinous statement.
Our story is set in the 90s, an era I am totally at home with as I was an incoming high school freshman in 1990. The main character/protagonist is a level headed boy with a stable home life. He has a mentor/teacher named Mr. Martinsen who also lives just up the street from him. The 14 year old boys are rattled when a child their age is brutally murdered in the woods nearby. The tragedy is still the main topic of conversation in their small town when yet another murder of a child rocks the community. The boys gather in their hangout to discuss what they’ve heard and develop some working theories based on town gossip.
The direction this story goes in will surprise and entertain you!
I’m always curious how a collaborative effort on a story works out, which author was responsible for certain aspects of the story--especially when the narrative is particularly engaging in a seemingly singular voice. James Newman and Mark Allan Gunnells have harmonized their author voices so well, it was impossible to recognize any isolated fingerprints. A truly remarkable achievement.
I’m recommending this one to horror fiction fans who enjoy Lycanthropy Folklore and coming of age stories they can devour in one sitting!
March 14, 2019
Whoa! New favorite. This book sunk its claws in and held on until the very last page. There's something terrorizing the small town of Banesville and a group of teenage boys find themselves in the midst of it. There's no better time to read Dog Days O' Summer. It's the perfect chilling story for a warm summer night.
March 17, 2019
Fun, entertaining, and well-crafted, Dog Days O’ Summer is a great weekend or one-sitting type read when you want something propulsive and captivating, perhaps on a warm summer night, as you sit outside and watch the sun go down.
Set in the mid-nineties, the story follows a group of young boys in a small town where people are being brutally murdered. The story doesn’t hold much close to the vest, offering up the potential suspect on the first page as Jason narrates from a point in the future and not attempting to veil the supernatural tones of the story for too long (I mean, if you take a peek at the cover and title, you could probably wager a guess).
But that doesn’t work against the story. I was completely on board with the boys and their shenanigans, appreciating the ’90s references and the strong dialogue and relationships between the characters.
While this book was fun to read, I doubt that it will be very memorable for me because there really wasn’t anything in it that stood out as new and original. It was a mashup of the lovable kids from The Body, slasher elements from stories like December Park, and the —adding a tag just in case you wanted to keep that last bit a surprise!
I also thought the extensive explanation at the backend of the story via a journal brought the plot to a screeching halt and was unnecessary; we didn't need all that background to understand what was going on, and it wasn’t important to the main character’s journey.
Overall, this is a quick and fun read, but doesn’t offer anything new to the (quite large) catalog of stories similar to it, and it didn’t present any big, overarching ideas that made the story resonate deeply with me.
My thanks to Unnerving and the authors for sending this one to the Night Worms to read and review.
Set in the mid-nineties, the story follows a group of young boys in a small town where people are being brutally murdered. The story doesn’t hold much close to the vest, offering up the potential suspect on the first page as Jason narrates from a point in the future and not attempting to veil the supernatural tones of the story for too long (I mean, if you take a peek at the cover and title, you could probably wager a guess).
But that doesn’t work against the story. I was completely on board with the boys and their shenanigans, appreciating the ’90s references and the strong dialogue and relationships between the characters.
While this book was fun to read, I doubt that it will be very memorable for me because there really wasn’t anything in it that stood out as new and original. It was a mashup of the lovable kids from The Body, slasher elements from stories like December Park, and the —adding a tag just in case you wanted to keep that last bit a surprise!
I also thought the extensive explanation at the backend of the story via a journal brought the plot to a screeching halt and was unnecessary; we didn't need all that background to understand what was going on, and it wasn’t important to the main character’s journey.
Overall, this is a quick and fun read, but doesn’t offer anything new to the (quite large) catalog of stories similar to it, and it didn’t present any big, overarching ideas that made the story resonate deeply with me.
My thanks to Unnerving and the authors for sending this one to the Night Worms to read and review.
March 31, 2019
"Some wrongs couldn't be made right. Some things couldn't be fixed."
I read Dog Days O'Summer with the Nightworms review group, and I really enjoyed it! This is both a coming of age novel and a creature feature, and these subgenres can be hit or miss with me. However, James Newman & Mark Allan Gunnells do a great job, and they captured my attention with this story.
I enjoyed reading about this particular creature from the viewpoint of the potential victims instead of the creature itself. I have been exhausted with this subgenre for a bit, but I liked this format. It wasn't anything wildly different, but it was entertaining overall. Thank you to Unnerving for sending the Nightworms copies to review.
I read Dog Days O'Summer with the Nightworms review group, and I really enjoyed it! This is both a coming of age novel and a creature feature, and these subgenres can be hit or miss with me. However, James Newman & Mark Allan Gunnells do a great job, and they captured my attention with this story.
I enjoyed reading about this particular creature from the viewpoint of the potential victims instead of the creature itself. I have been exhausted with this subgenre for a bit, but I liked this format. It wasn't anything wildly different, but it was entertaining overall. Thank you to Unnerving for sending the Nightworms copies to review.
June 13, 2019
I have said it many times before and I am sure I will continue saying it: I LOVE a coming-of-age story! I love when kids or teens band together and go out to solve a mystery or defeat a big bad beasty. Something about stories like this one just take me back to my own youth where I was invincible as long as I was part of my group of friends. We could do anything. We were the Goonies. We were the Monster Squad. We were walking down railroad tracks without a care in the world.
Nothing else mattered.
Dog Days O'Summer provides everything you need or want in a coming-of-age story. And this tale is centered around some bad happenings in a small town in the 90s. And it just so happens that the big bad has something to do with werewolves!
The way this story was written, I was easily transported back to my headspace when I was that age. The dialogue, the fears, and all the relationships the boys had with each other, parents, and teachers all made sense to me.
Newman and Gunnells crafted a great story in a quick 200 page read. You will definitely be able to shut the world out and finish this in one sitting if you wanted to. But you can also make it last a few days if that's your style, too. I never got lost or confused with the story or where it was going. So if coming-of-age, nostalgia, and werewolves get you going, then I highly recommend this one! And if they don't, I still recommend it because this one will change your mind! 4 stars!
Nothing else mattered.
Dog Days O'Summer provides everything you need or want in a coming-of-age story. And this tale is centered around some bad happenings in a small town in the 90s. And it just so happens that the big bad has something to do with werewolves!
The way this story was written, I was easily transported back to my headspace when I was that age. The dialogue, the fears, and all the relationships the boys had with each other, parents, and teachers all made sense to me.
Newman and Gunnells crafted a great story in a quick 200 page read. You will definitely be able to shut the world out and finish this in one sitting if you wanted to. But you can also make it last a few days if that's your style, too. I never got lost or confused with the story or where it was going. So if coming-of-age, nostalgia, and werewolves get you going, then I highly recommend this one! And if they don't, I still recommend it because this one will change your mind! 4 stars!
July 3, 2020
3.5 stars.
I'll be the first to admit I don't normally wolf down werewolf stories, (yes that was a terrible pun. Be prepared,) but coming of age stories? Well that's a whole other ball game. Werewolves, vampires, monsters, shit it could be about killer bath rugs and I'd be all over it like a dog on heat. The story centres around a young fella who's name I've forgotten but you aren't here for names. You are here to find out if things get hairy, and I am happy to confirm that they do indeed.
We learn from the very start that the young bloke has killed his favourite teacher from many moons ago and he is here to tell us why. I can't blame him really but we'll get to that.
The back story is interesting, I mean, he became infected from * checks notes* clapping the cheeks of a young woman on a Christian rescue mission overseas. I know ya probably thinking ain't nothing wrong with two adults mutually consented to sex, BUT and its a huge but, his wife certainly didn't consent to him doing the doggy with another woman. See what I mean about not blaming the kid? That's still not even the worst part... he also happens to eat a whole bunch of people and kinda marks his territory everywhere. I can't say much more without spoilers so if you like werewolves, quick entertaining reads, and lots of coming of age goodness, then you aren't barking up the wrong tree house. This book is a howl.
X
I'll be the first to admit I don't normally wolf down werewolf stories, (yes that was a terrible pun. Be prepared,) but coming of age stories? Well that's a whole other ball game. Werewolves, vampires, monsters, shit it could be about killer bath rugs and I'd be all over it like a dog on heat. The story centres around a young fella who's name I've forgotten but you aren't here for names. You are here to find out if things get hairy, and I am happy to confirm that they do indeed.
We learn from the very start that the young bloke has killed his favourite teacher from many moons ago and he is here to tell us why. I can't blame him really but we'll get to that.
The back story is interesting, I mean, he became infected from * checks notes* clapping the cheeks of a young woman on a Christian rescue mission overseas. I know ya probably thinking ain't nothing wrong with two adults mutually consented to sex, BUT and its a huge but, his wife certainly didn't consent to him doing the doggy with another woman. See what I mean about not blaming the kid? That's still not even the worst part... he also happens to eat a whole bunch of people and kinda marks his territory everywhere. I can't say much more without spoilers so if you like werewolves, quick entertaining reads, and lots of coming of age goodness, then you aren't barking up the wrong tree house. This book is a howl.
X
October 1, 2021
Wow. This was a really good well written story. This really reminded me of silver bullet by Stephen King. This is the second James Newman book I've read and all I can say is he is a great storyteller. Newman has a special way of writing that leaves you totally immersed in the characters and the story and then pretty soon before you realize it, you've read the whole book. This gets a 4 star from me only because this did remind me a lot of kings silver bullet. Still one he'll of a read and I definitely recommend this book and this author.
August 14, 2018
Holy wow! James Newman and Mark Allan Gunnels have created a wonderful werewolf story that sank its claws in deep at the very beginning.
If you like a good werewolf story, this is definitely one you don’t want to miss. I liked that there were different, more original ideas instead of the usual, more typical werewolf tale without venturing into weird, too far fetched territory.
Excellent!
Thanks to James for providing me with this copy. I’ll forever be grateful.
If you like a good werewolf story, this is definitely one you don’t want to miss. I liked that there were different, more original ideas instead of the usual, more typical werewolf tale without venturing into weird, too far fetched territory.
Excellent!
Thanks to James for providing me with this copy. I’ll forever be grateful.
June 22, 2024
I slid through this book like a hot knife through butter. Quick, smooth and satisfying. A great coming of age horror story reminiscent of The Cycle of The Werewolf, Fright Night, etc. Pretty much a perfect little guilty pleasure. An outstanding way to spend my afternoon.
January 11, 2023
Very fun, quick read. Really good pace and flow. Jumps right into it, which was nice. Sort of weird that there are no chapters really, just breaks in the story as you go. I liked that it deviated the normal werewolf stories. No silver or full moon. Love the way you get turned haha. Really liked the little twist in the epilogue.
June 7, 2022
Holy cow. I randomly stumbled upon this one last week when Unnerving tweeted out a link to the book on amazon. I clicked on it and saw it was a coming of age story with a werewolf and was like okay cool. I instantly bought it and have been devouring it since. I’m sucker for coming of age stories and werewolves so double whammy there. It’s also set in the 90s and I’m passionately waiting for the 90s to become the new 80s.
This book is a quick breezy read about the childhood friendship of a group of boys and them dealing with a monster of summer break. We aren’t inventing the wheel here but it was a good story with heart and good characters. Easily worth the 5 bucks. Strong recommend from me.
This book is a quick breezy read about the childhood friendship of a group of boys and them dealing with a monster of summer break. We aren’t inventing the wheel here but it was a good story with heart and good characters. Easily worth the 5 bucks. Strong recommend from me.
June 10, 2025
A great little horror read! Perfect for summer. It was a quick, but satisfying story. A boy gang vs. a werewolf.
July 25, 2018
Very good werewolf novella that can be read in one sitting.
September 23, 2022
Dog Days O Summer surprised me in the best way possible. It was well written and a blast to read. I was invested in the story from page one until the final line.
October 1, 2019
I knew there was no way to go wrong with these two in the driver's seat.
A gripping story with fragile, real characters and a doozy of an ending.
A gripping story with fragile, real characters and a doozy of an ending.
January 25, 2022
4.5 stars.
January 29, 2022
Good werewolf story!
August 20, 2024
What a rabid revelation this was
July 15, 2021
Cool coming of age werewolf story! I enjoyed the Summer of Winters easteregg!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews