Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

by Frank Lambirth

The author of the critically praised Behind the Door returns with a chilling tale of Linc Wilhite, a young man alone on a remote Canadian island with a murderous presence bent on driving him insane. An eerie novel from an author in the top rank of horror novelists.

Genres: Horror, Horror Thriller

240 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1989

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Linc Wilhite accepts a job offer from Alan Mayfield to work on a private island he owns, as a caretaker for the summer. Looking to escape a rather dark past, Linc believes this is just the thing he may need. However, Stone Warrior Island is not like any ordinary island; it has an extensive history, marked with death and disaster. Alan is upfront about the history of the land, and Linc is not put off.
Alan tells Linc there are two houses, his and one belonging to his business partner - who is loaning the house to family for a month. The family is set to arrive one or two days after Linc, and Alan himself will meet them up there in two weeks.
When Linc finds out a local man, Marvin, used to work for Mayfield the previous summer, he's very interested in getting his feedback, and goes to talk with him. He's angrily sent away by the man's father, who says his son went to Stone Warrior Island a god-fearing man and returned "possessed by Lucifer." When Linc gets home however, he receives a call from Marvin who demands Linc come meet him in person later that night.
When they meet, Linc is afraid Marvin is stark-raving mad - not making sense, unkempt, and hiding out in the basement of a burned down building . He tells Linc that the island is "a gateway to hell," going on to add that he loved the first week, but after that began to feel as if he weren't alone on the island and was being watched - but not by people. He says eventually, he gave in to the evil spirits he felt surrounding him, and felt himself change immediately. Linc rushes out, dismissing him as crazy.
The next day, a piolet drops Linc off, telling him that he'll return in ten days. Things are okay, albeit strange at first - as Linc has odd experiences upon waking up, such as being dirty and scratched up, as if he were sleepwalking at night. He begins to see lights going on at the house next door, even though it is not yet occupied. He very much begins to look forward to the Delvecchio's arrival.
Things go from bad to worse after the family's arrival on the island. They invite him for dinner and throw him out beforehand without explanation. His room is torn apart. His items begin to go missing. The generator goes out. Then he finds the whole family dead, propped up in front of the TV. Even with the whole family dead, their lights still turn on and off. The bodies move. Then, Linc hears someone - or something walking around upstairs in Mayfield's house, and he can tell whoever it is wants not only to drive him crazy, but wants to kill him as well.
Can Linc make it alone on the island until help arrives, or will Stone Warrior Island claim another victim?
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The ending was really kind of confusing. I don't honestly understand it. It was still a really good book, but when I have questions at the end of a book, it drives me nuts. I tried looking up the ending for this, hoping to get an explanation, but I couldn't find anything.

[Wayne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess this was supposed to be kind of like a "Quite Horror" novel like Charles L. Grant use to write or some descent into madness like Lovecraft. I may be wrong, but either way, this was a dreadful book. There was no tension or scares to get things moving. There were no interesting characters to attach to. Even the dreary remote setting of Stone Warrior Island was lost in boredom.

It seems a man is hired to open up a couple of houses on an island in remote Canada. This is the best part of the book. We hear of the legends and deaths of those who happened upon the island. Once we get there, it's all downhill. A family of four arrive soon after but die. Still dull.

The guy roams around and talks and bitches and moans about everything. Soon a young lady shows up and we have two people jawing and doing absolute nada. The end was really no surprise. It was a moot point by then. Avoid if you value a decent horror read.

[David Veith · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.75) good read overall, writing is well done, almost Poeish (and he is even mentioned in the book ha). Twist ending was fun, at times though you have to question the main characters thought process/reasoning. A little hard to follow at times when the main character starts to think about his past, since he is normally the only person it is not like a dialog and therefore sometimes you were not sure when the flashback started, but still overall a very good read.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an all time favorite of mine. I read it at least once a year and still scares me every time! Classic.

[Dennis Smithers, Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow, creepy burn!