What do you think?
Rate this book
Neverland
Second place winner 2018 Oklahoma Writing Federation's (OWFI) annual writing contest Horror Division. Following the brutal murder of his wife and the traumatic backlash to his son, Detective Mark Boyd has retired from the Alsuma Police Department and taken up the tranquil country life outside picturesque Button Creek, Oklahoma. But Mark’s plans to heal his son and rebuild their relationship are shattered when their new life is destroyed by a pack of violent marauders. Mark’s call to authorities falls on deaf ears and his only assistance comes in the form of alluring telephone lineman, Heather James. With Heather’s help, Mark makes plans to uncover those responsible but soon learns the peaceful town of Button Creek is not what it seems. Its citizens are prisoner to a horrible secret, a secret which could steal his son and destroy their chance for a fresh start.
- GenresHorror
262 pages, Paperback
Published June 21, 2018
About the author
Jeff Dosser
21 books11 followersAward-winning author, Jeff Dosser is an ex-Tulsa cop and current software developer. When not writing, Jeff spends his days working for the man and cycling through the Oklahoma hills.
Jeff’s short stories can be found in magazines such as Iridium Zine, Tales of Terror, Shotgun Honey, Bewildering Stories, and Down In the Dirt just to name a few. He's also been published in the Deadman’s Tome, Mother’s Revenge, Hindered Souls and Bringing It Back anthologies.
His novel, Neverland, was the 2018 Oklahoma Writer's Federation winner for best new horror. He is also the recipient of the 2016 Writing.Com Quill award for best short fiction. When not writing, Jeff can be found wandering the woods behind his rural home pondering the mysteries prowling the darkness.
Find out what Jeff's been up to on his website. jeffdosser.com
or follow him on Twitter @JeffDosser
Jeff’s short stories can be found in magazines such as Iridium Zine, Tales of Terror, Shotgun Honey, Bewildering Stories, and Down In the Dirt just to name a few. He's also been published in the Deadman’s Tome, Mother’s Revenge, Hindered Souls and Bringing It Back anthologies.
His novel, Neverland, was the 2018 Oklahoma Writer's Federation winner for best new horror. He is also the recipient of the 2016 Writing.Com Quill award for best short fiction. When not writing, Jeff can be found wandering the woods behind his rural home pondering the mysteries prowling the darkness.
Find out what Jeff's been up to on his website. jeffdosser.com
or follow him on Twitter @JeffDosser
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 9, 2019
Neverland is a tight, well ordered, nicely executed dark fantasy. While it may not be groundbreaking, it should happily satisfy the appetites of any lover of horror or dark fiction. It definitely does not disappoint.
Neverland is the story of former police detective Mark Boyd and his son Abe. After a traumatic event, Mark decides to move to the small town of Button Creek, Oklahoma in search of a better, simpler life. As befits a scary story that takes place in a small town, Button Creek has dark secret. (Queue spooky background music here.) I leave it to you find out more about what that secret is. Saying much more would give it away.
One of Dosser’s best accomplishments in this story can’t be fully elucidated without spoilers. I will say this much: the “baddies” of this story are extremely well tread territory for dark fiction. I should have groaned when I realized where Dosser was taking me. I should have, but I didn’t. Instead, I became more excited for the journey ahead. Impressively, Dosser manages to bring something new, interesting, and even clever to an area of dark fiction where it is nearly impossible to do so.
There’s a lot that Dosser does right in his story telling. Any story set in a small town requires a fine and stead supporting cast of local characters. Dosser manages to avoid getting lost in countless pages of “world creation”, like Stephen King. (I adore King, but there are times when he might not need to add 300 pages of background on all his characters and their history in his books.) Instead, Dosser sticks carefully to the tale he’s trying to tell. You have all the hints you need to suggest a full-formed and real town. Yet the only characters you really meet are the ones you need.
This last one is a thing that matters mostly to me: Dosser’s tale is the perfect length for the tale he is telling. At 264 pages, there’s neither wasted space nor are you left wondering about plot points that don’t get wrapped up (or are sloppily wrapped up). He doesn’t complicate an already complete story with numerous sub-plots.
Prospective readers should be warned that there are a few pretty intense scenes in the book. In particular, the intensity of the opening scene can be upsetting to some readers.
For me, characters, plot, setting, narrative, story, themes, etc are what matters most to me. On this level, I thoroughly enjoyed Neverland. My only criticism of the book would be that it could have used a better editor. There were errors that on occasion distracted me.
Neverland is the story of former police detective Mark Boyd and his son Abe. After a traumatic event, Mark decides to move to the small town of Button Creek, Oklahoma in search of a better, simpler life. As befits a scary story that takes place in a small town, Button Creek has dark secret. (Queue spooky background music here.) I leave it to you find out more about what that secret is. Saying much more would give it away.
One of Dosser’s best accomplishments in this story can’t be fully elucidated without spoilers. I will say this much: the “baddies” of this story are extremely well tread territory for dark fiction. I should have groaned when I realized where Dosser was taking me. I should have, but I didn’t. Instead, I became more excited for the journey ahead. Impressively, Dosser manages to bring something new, interesting, and even clever to an area of dark fiction where it is nearly impossible to do so.
There’s a lot that Dosser does right in his story telling. Any story set in a small town requires a fine and stead supporting cast of local characters. Dosser manages to avoid getting lost in countless pages of “world creation”, like Stephen King. (I adore King, but there are times when he might not need to add 300 pages of background on all his characters and their history in his books.) Instead, Dosser sticks carefully to the tale he’s trying to tell. You have all the hints you need to suggest a full-formed and real town. Yet the only characters you really meet are the ones you need.
This last one is a thing that matters mostly to me: Dosser’s tale is the perfect length for the tale he is telling. At 264 pages, there’s neither wasted space nor are you left wondering about plot points that don’t get wrapped up (or are sloppily wrapped up). He doesn’t complicate an already complete story with numerous sub-plots.
Prospective readers should be warned that there are a few pretty intense scenes in the book. In particular, the intensity of the opening scene can be upsetting to some readers.
For me, characters, plot, setting, narrative, story, themes, etc are what matters most to me. On this level, I thoroughly enjoyed Neverland. My only criticism of the book would be that it could have used a better editor. There were errors that on occasion distracted me.
October 5, 2018
A perfect way to start off my Halloween reads! Dosser does an excellent job of giving us a dark version of Peter Pan in this spin on the traditional werewolf tales.
The story is about Mark Boyd and his son Abe moving out to the country for a fresh start and a new life. They get what they wish for, but not in the way they wanted! Mark soon loses Abe to a band of ageless werewolves, and along with his new girlfriend Heather, needs to find a way to save his son and bring him back home.
Dosser give us likable characters, believable settings, and a story that keeps us hanging on to find out what the next step will be. I have a son the same age as Abe, so that made it even more personal for me.
Just like a twist on Peter Pan, Dosser takes a bit of liberty with the traditional werewolf lore and makes the gang immortal, more like vampires. He also turns to vampires to add the twist of killing the head of the pack to free all the other boys under his spell.
The end has yet another spin on it. It is not the "and all returns to normal and they live happily ever after" you may be expecting, but a far more creative and fun option. Could be a very interesting start of a sequel, Mr. Dosser!
The story is about Mark Boyd and his son Abe moving out to the country for a fresh start and a new life. They get what they wish for, but not in the way they wanted! Mark soon loses Abe to a band of ageless werewolves, and along with his new girlfriend Heather, needs to find a way to save his son and bring him back home.
Dosser give us likable characters, believable settings, and a story that keeps us hanging on to find out what the next step will be. I have a son the same age as Abe, so that made it even more personal for me.
Just like a twist on Peter Pan, Dosser takes a bit of liberty with the traditional werewolf lore and makes the gang immortal, more like vampires. He also turns to vampires to add the twist of killing the head of the pack to free all the other boys under his spell.
The end has yet another spin on it. It is not the "and all returns to normal and they live happily ever after" you may be expecting, but a far more creative and fun option. Could be a very interesting start of a sequel, Mr. Dosser!
December 30, 2018
Good read
Retired cop & his son move to a small town, with secrets. This is after his wife is murdered. This town has a secret. Also, who is Colleen, at the 43% mark, a typo?
Retired cop & his son move to a small town, with secrets. This is after his wife is murdered. This town has a secret. Also, who is Colleen, at the 43% mark, a typo?
June 8, 2020
THIS IS ENTIRELY OUTSTANDING , RECOMMENDED!
DEAR READERS, THIS BOOK IS A WONDERFULLY DELIGHT TO READ THE CHARACTERS INTENSITY AND WELL WRITTEN STORYLINE MAKE IT A WINNER!😍. BUY THIS BOOK NOW!😍
DEAR READERS, THIS BOOK IS A WONDERFULLY DELIGHT TO READ THE CHARACTERS INTENSITY AND WELL WRITTEN STORYLINE MAKE IT A WINNER!😍. BUY THIS BOOK NOW!😍
March 13, 2019
Review coming soon on scifiandscary.com
March 11, 2019
Jeff Dosser as his bio reads worked for the man. Seems he writes what he knows, police work is in his blood. His fictional cops seem to have retired from the service as well. There’s an element of the paranormal about this story.
The text suffers from some glaring editorial gaffs. The plot is rather dark, not a feel-good type of read. Again the author delves into a paranormal world as if there wasn’t enough intrigue in the real one. Again he provides his own spoilers removing the mystery for the reader. He seems to take a dim view of law enforcement but here the local sheriff was probably elected.
Those who enjoy paranormal literature involving vampires and werewolves will probably like this book.
The text suffers from some glaring editorial gaffs. The plot is rather dark, not a feel-good type of read. Again the author delves into a paranormal world as if there wasn’t enough intrigue in the real one. Again he provides his own spoilers removing the mystery for the reader. He seems to take a dim view of law enforcement but here the local sheriff was probably elected.
Those who enjoy paranormal literature involving vampires and werewolves will probably like this book.
September 7, 2020
Okay, not bad at all! There were a few typos that were distracting and oddly enough, seem to be more common towards the end. Even still I greatly enjoyed this read. It was fast pace and pretty rounded in terms of plot and advancement.
My only real complaint would be the development and then the overwhelming focus on Heather. I liked her just fine but we really miss a lot of Abe at the end he becomes just another of the wild boys in town... Which is too bad.
Barring that, I liked the ending very much! It's probably what got me to bumping and keep the rating a four. I'm not upset that this book somehow found its way onto my Kindle!
My only real complaint would be the development and then the overwhelming focus on Heather. I liked her just fine but we really miss a lot of Abe at the end he becomes just another of the wild boys in town... Which is too bad.
Barring that, I liked the ending very much! It's probably what got me to bumping and keep the rating a four. I'm not upset that this book somehow found its way onto my Kindle!
April 23, 2023
Detective Mark Boyd moves his son, Abe, to the country after the child is witness to the brutal murder of his mother. Things seem to be going well enough until their livestock is attacked by a pack of some type of wild dog & the sheriff is uninterested in helping to resolve the issue. The townsfolk act as if they wish the outsiders had never arrived.
Mark finds an ally in Heather, who works floor the phone company as a lineman. She willingly steps up to help Mark when Abe is in danger.
Great premise, though the book needs another pass through editing. Also, if there was some description & development of Heather beyond her ample hips and bust, well, that would be great.
Mark finds an ally in Heather, who works floor the phone company as a lineman. She willingly steps up to help Mark when Abe is in danger.
Great premise, though the book needs another pass through editing. Also, if there was some description & development of Heather beyond her ample hips and bust, well, that would be great.
July 21, 2019
Loved it
This is gonna be a best seller. The characters are real and fleshed out. I loved every minute. Mark was a hero with just regular everyday powers. I found myself running across the grassy fields being chased by howling wolves with the main character.
This is gonna be a best seller. The characters are real and fleshed out. I loved every minute. Mark was a hero with just regular everyday powers. I found myself running across the grassy fields being chased by howling wolves with the main character.
March 30, 2019
A fun, action packed read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews