What do you think?
Rate this book
Dark Forces #12
The Ashton Horror
Dennis is shocked to discover that the ritual performed by his fantasy game club has released an ancient evil power
- GenresHorrorYoung AdultFiction
160 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
164 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 2, 2021
The only Dark Forces book I've read thus far that name drops HP Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, and the movie 'An American Werewolf in London'...so hip! ❤
This kid Adrian is the king of all dorks. He's the wackadoo in high school you ran away from because he was maybe just a little TOO much into Dungeons & Dragons, and because he skulked around the halls wearing a black trench coat and muttering about "THE PRIMAL EVIL" and "ANCIENT HORRORS".
Anyway, Adrian is very intent on sacrificing a virgin to the one-eyed tentacled monster named MOGAR who lives in the caves (It's real!! It's not just a town legend!!)...SOOO why didn't he just fling his own sorry virgin ass into the cave hole??
Anyway he DOES get swallowed up by the cave in the end and hopefully eaten by Mogar. It's the only death in the book, but it's the only death I wanted to happen, bahahah byeeee!! 👋👋💀💀
This kid Adrian is the king of all dorks. He's the wackadoo in high school you ran away from because he was maybe just a little TOO much into Dungeons & Dragons, and because he skulked around the halls wearing a black trench coat and muttering about "THE PRIMAL EVIL" and "ANCIENT HORRORS".
Anyway, Adrian is very intent on sacrificing a virgin to the one-eyed tentacled monster named MOGAR who lives in the caves (It's real!! It's not just a town legend!!)...SOOO why didn't he just fling his own sorry virgin ass into the cave hole??
Anyway he DOES get swallowed up by the cave in the end and hopefully eaten by Mogar. It's the only death in the book, but it's the only death I wanted to happen, bahahah byeeee!! 👋👋💀💀
September 2, 2021
Ooo a Dark Forces installment that isn’t about demonic possession! Got some Stranger Things vibes from this one.
Moral of the story: stay away from creepy nerds. You might think you’re joining an intense Lord of The Rings style fantasy role-playing game only to find out it’s actually a serpent-worshipping, virgin-sacrificing mini cult instead.
I’d say this one was CHAOTIC GOOD.
Moral of the story: stay away from creepy nerds. You might think you’re joining an intense Lord of The Rings style fantasy role-playing game only to find out it’s actually a serpent-worshipping, virgin-sacrificing mini cult instead.
I’d say this one was CHAOTIC GOOD.
October 2, 2010
The Hale family moves to Vermont when Mr. Hale gets a job with Ashton College's Computer Science Center. This means Dennis has to start his senior year at a new school, miles away from his friends. But things are going well for Dennis. He starts dating Janet, impresses his teacher with an essay on Poe, and is one of the few people to actually have a computer at home. All of which draws the attention of the Adrian Furolle -- dark and mysterious, but a misfit because of his interest in fantasy gaming.
Dennis joins Adrian's gaming group as the Imperial Astrologer, in charge of using his computer to determine the best times for sacrifices. As the game goes on, Dennis grows uneasy with Adrian's ability to separate fantasy from reality and the quest -- tied in to Ashton's tragic history -- takes on real world consequences.
The Dark Forces series of books were short horror novels written for teens in the early 1980s. While reading them now counts as a guilty pleasure, it's important to remember that these were terrifying when I read them in elementary school. I remember sharing them with my friends, having the sneaking suspicion that we were getting away with something, and comparing notes the next day about the scariest parts. Why were they so frightening? Because there was no Scooby-Doo trickery here. Supernatural forces were at work and people died.
If Ashton Horror had heavy metal, it would be the ultimate 1980s parents' nightmare. You have kids playing role playing games (Adrian's unique version of D&D stand-in Caves and Conquerors) which leads to animal sacrifice and supernatural possession. In actuality, Adrian's game is more of a LARP -- players wear robes in a cave in order to curry the favor of Lord Mogar, a tentacled snake straight from a Lovecraftian nightmare. There are some genuinely creepy bits, but mostly the book is surprisingly quaint.
Written in 1984, the computer is a strange and wonderous thing. Much is made about Dennis having one in his house and Janet soon asks that Dennis teach her how to play those computer games. A full page is devoted to Dennis connecting a modem to his computer and dialing into an "information base." Dennis loses a half hour in Astro-Catastrophe, an arcade game at the Pizza Palace, leading Janet to say, "It's a woman's lot. If it's not football, it's video games." And their relationship reads more like Leave it to Beaver than Like a Virgin.
Ultimately The Ashton Horror has more nostalgia value than anything else, but it's a fast fun read -- and it's a clear sign that we need more Lovecraft YA.
Dennis joins Adrian's gaming group as the Imperial Astrologer, in charge of using his computer to determine the best times for sacrifices. As the game goes on, Dennis grows uneasy with Adrian's ability to separate fantasy from reality and the quest -- tied in to Ashton's tragic history -- takes on real world consequences.
The Dark Forces series of books were short horror novels written for teens in the early 1980s. While reading them now counts as a guilty pleasure, it's important to remember that these were terrifying when I read them in elementary school. I remember sharing them with my friends, having the sneaking suspicion that we were getting away with something, and comparing notes the next day about the scariest parts. Why were they so frightening? Because there was no Scooby-Doo trickery here. Supernatural forces were at work and people died.
If Ashton Horror had heavy metal, it would be the ultimate 1980s parents' nightmare. You have kids playing role playing games (Adrian's unique version of D&D stand-in Caves and Conquerors) which leads to animal sacrifice and supernatural possession. In actuality, Adrian's game is more of a LARP -- players wear robes in a cave in order to curry the favor of Lord Mogar, a tentacled snake straight from a Lovecraftian nightmare. There are some genuinely creepy bits, but mostly the book is surprisingly quaint.
Written in 1984, the computer is a strange and wonderous thing. Much is made about Dennis having one in his house and Janet soon asks that Dennis teach her how to play those computer games. A full page is devoted to Dennis connecting a modem to his computer and dialing into an "information base." Dennis loses a half hour in Astro-Catastrophe, an arcade game at the Pizza Palace, leading Janet to say, "It's a woman's lot. If it's not football, it's video games." And their relationship reads more like Leave it to Beaver than Like a Virgin.
Ultimately The Ashton Horror has more nostalgia value than anything else, but it's a fast fun read -- and it's a clear sign that we need more Lovecraft YA.
January 1, 2022
I would've given this 3 stars but the writing at some parts where awkward. It's unfortunate because the prologue was interesting to me. I didn't like how the author had to keep writing Adrian's full name when the chapter starts in Adrian's POV. I know it's such a minor detail but it was kind of annoying.. I mean, I get it... he's Adrian Furolle. Cool name. Also, I thought it was weird when DENNIS looked around the classroom and noticed Adrien. According to his POV, Adrian is a "strangely handsome boy..." I don't think guys notice another guy's looks in great detail. There was a point when he noticed Adrian's eyes and lips. Uhm, yeah... My head cannon is that Dennis is bisexual. Sadly, I don't think this is what the author had in mind.
August 18, 2022
I realize I'm about to get way too critical of a middle grade novel from the mid-80s but I have opinions and I need to get them out of my brain before they suffocate me.
The long and short is this is not a good book.
I know nothing about the previous series or the author. I picked this up as part of a reading challenge where the challenge was to read a book based solely on the cover. I didn't even read the back of the book until I had already started reading it. I was surprised and a little delighted to find I had found a relic of the Satanic Panic!
The delight ended shortly after.
To start out with, Adrian strikes me as slightly autistic (special/obsessive interests, not fully comprehending others' emotions, upset when plans change, etc) so making him the antagonist already strikes a nerve. Add in the casual racism towards Indigenous peoples (a product of the time, I'm aware, but does not excuse it), and the constant references to sports being the way to avoid evil (Dennis constantly running to clear his head, Jan's tennis remark), I was over this book before I was even halfway finished and it's only 160 pages long.
Also the tone does not mesh well at all: the author tried to combine fantasy with Indigenous legend and came up with an entity named "Mogar". I didn't realize this was supposed to be set in Vermont/The United States for a while because of how European fantasy that sounds. Like, it's clearly not thought out well at all and there's no attempt to even try to blend the main "aesthetics" of the story together.
When I had picked up the book I was hoping to get a fun little spooky story that was maybe a bit cheezy but in an endearing way and all I got was a book that made me mad. Would not recommend.
The long and short is this is not a good book.
I know nothing about the previous series or the author. I picked this up as part of a reading challenge where the challenge was to read a book based solely on the cover. I didn't even read the back of the book until I had already started reading it. I was surprised and a little delighted to find I had found a relic of the Satanic Panic!
The delight ended shortly after.
To start out with, Adrian strikes me as slightly autistic (special/obsessive interests, not fully comprehending others' emotions, upset when plans change, etc) so making him the antagonist already strikes a nerve. Add in the casual racism towards Indigenous peoples (a product of the time, I'm aware, but does not excuse it), and the constant references to sports being the way to avoid evil (Dennis constantly running to clear his head, Jan's tennis remark), I was over this book before I was even halfway finished and it's only 160 pages long.
Also the tone does not mesh well at all: the author tried to combine fantasy with Indigenous legend and came up with an entity named "Mogar". I didn't realize this was supposed to be set in Vermont/The United States for a while because of how European fantasy that sounds. Like, it's clearly not thought out well at all and there's no attempt to even try to blend the main "aesthetics" of the story together.
When I had picked up the book I was hoping to get a fun little spooky story that was maybe a bit cheezy but in an endearing way and all I got was a book that made me mad. Would not recommend.
October 4, 2019
I really like the idea of the Dark Forces series. When I was thirteen or so I would have voraciously gobbled up every book I could find! Being almost 40 though, I don't think I'll search them out.
The Ashton Horror is interesting. I can absolutely see it being a gateway into more serious horror for a teenager. There a Lovecraftian feel, that I find very interesting, but left me wishing there was more to it.
There was a fairly slow and interesting buildup, but then it seemed the author realized they were nearing their word limit and had to rush to an ending.
It isn't bad for what it is, and if you just want something entertaining to occupy your mind for a couple of hours, then give it a go. Otherwise, just skip over it.
The Ashton Horror is interesting. I can absolutely see it being a gateway into more serious horror for a teenager. There a Lovecraftian feel, that I find very interesting, but left me wishing there was more to it.
There was a fairly slow and interesting buildup, but then it seemed the author realized they were nearing their word limit and had to rush to an ending.
It isn't bad for what it is, and if you just want something entertaining to occupy your mind for a couple of hours, then give it a go. Otherwise, just skip over it.
December 6, 2021
I liked that this was based around a role playing game and Lovecraft. The plot works well overall and generally speaking the characters were good. Having only a cursory knowledge on LARPing, I felt that what was represented wasn't that convincing. The ending also seemed a little rushed, although it worked fine. I enjoyed it but I didn't enjoy it as much as I have others.
January 10, 2020
Still a classic after all these years, the lovecraftian tones make it a great intro to the mythos to the younger readers.
February 9, 2017
I have a few of the Dark Forces and Twilight (the original young adult series from the early 80's not the series that was turned into movies) books and every couple of years I re-read few of them as they are easy and quick to read. As an adult, I realize how silly they are but they are still fun to read.
Regarding this specific book, I liked the characters and the general concept but found the ending a little too quick and there was not enough wrap up of the story. Its funny reading a book that was written for young adults in the 80's and you see how much has changed. The two main characters who seem to be dating but never seem to kiss and only hold hands a couple of times. High school teenagers are so not so innocent and naieve anymore about dating...especially kids in grade 11 and 12. In addition, I LOL when a small part of the story was about how Dennis had an Apple computer at home and all the other kids were in awe of him and wanted to see it and go to his house. These little subplots and storylines look so dated now and the books were written only 30 years ago but show you how much has changed.
Regarding this specific book, I liked the characters and the general concept but found the ending a little too quick and there was not enough wrap up of the story. Its funny reading a book that was written for young adults in the 80's and you see how much has changed. The two main characters who seem to be dating but never seem to kiss and only hold hands a couple of times. High school teenagers are so not so innocent and naieve anymore about dating...especially kids in grade 11 and 12. In addition, I LOL when a small part of the story was about how Dennis had an Apple computer at home and all the other kids were in awe of him and wanted to see it and go to his house. These little subplots and storylines look so dated now and the books were written only 30 years ago but show you how much has changed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2009
I read all of the books in this teen horror series over and over in junior high and high school. I'm sure if I read them now I would find them hideous (in the bad way), but because I loved them so much then, I'm giving them all five stars!
September 14, 2011
This is one of my top favs of the Dark Forces books. I love the role-playing aspect of it, the characters, the quaint Vermont town, and the ancient evil. Very fun read!
July 14, 2015
I'm finding that the books by Laurie Bridges aren't so great. I could not get into this one at all. Mogar didn't do it for me.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews