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The Boy Who Glowed In The Dark
Welcome to Hayfork, Iowa, a peaceful farming community nestled in the heart of a tranquil valley, a town that looks after its own. It’s a place where gossip is king, but secrets are kept from outsiders and those who are born there live and die at the mercy of the weather, or the forgiveness of the land.
Now a strange terror roams the sky at night, a dread horror lurks among the corn and a troubled widow gives birth to a boy who glows in the dark. Death on the streets and blood in the fields seed suspicion and division deep in the valley’s fertile soil as the town folk are terrorized season after season with the deadly visitations of a mysterious ancient hunter of human emotions.
Now a strange terror roams the sky at night, a dread horror lurks among the corn and a troubled widow gives birth to a boy who glows in the dark. Death on the streets and blood in the fields seed suspicion and division deep in the valley’s fertile soil as the town folk are terrorized season after season with the deadly visitations of a mysterious ancient hunter of human emotions.
638 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 4, 2022
3 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Richard Holeman
18 books23 followersRichard Holeman was born in New Jersey in 1966 and lives in southern California. He has been a teenaged hobo, a ride jock on a traveling carnival show, a full-patch member of a motorcycle club, and a chef. He draws on his unusual life experiences to craft unique stories. He is the author of memoirs, novels, and many short stories and poems.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 8, 2022
My thanks to the author Richard Holeman for an eBook copy for me to review.
I really enjoyed this book, loved the characters, especially Harlow Peck. His mother was human but his father was something else..... an angel? maybe a demon?..... depending on whom you asked, what was certain is that he's different, and different isn't good in a typical 1950's American town.
That era was rife with mistrust, class division and resentment. A town with many secrets which is waiting for you to find out.
I found a few surprises along the way which added to the flow of the story and kept me hanging on. Loved the ending which I guess was predictable but at the very end something happened and I hope there is a sequel.
Really love the authors writing style which brings me to a paragraph in which I have to reproduce here because it's so good: "Hers was a living pain, an extraordinary heartache that would never fade so long as she drew breath. It was a fountain of sorrow. Of course, it was, otherwise he would not have sensed it from so great a distance or hurried so fast to get to her. It was a hurt to linger over, to follow deep inside her and savour. He could swim in it now and come back again and again." . Isn't that something!!.
It's got Horror (not the squeamish kind)/Sci-Fi and folklore, I highly recommend it.
I really enjoyed this book, loved the characters, especially Harlow Peck. His mother was human but his father was something else..... an angel? maybe a demon?..... depending on whom you asked, what was certain is that he's different, and different isn't good in a typical 1950's American town.
That era was rife with mistrust, class division and resentment. A town with many secrets which is waiting for you to find out.
I found a few surprises along the way which added to the flow of the story and kept me hanging on. Loved the ending which I guess was predictable but at the very end something happened and I hope there is a sequel.
Really love the authors writing style which brings me to a paragraph in which I have to reproduce here because it's so good: "Hers was a living pain, an extraordinary heartache that would never fade so long as she drew breath. It was a fountain of sorrow. Of course, it was, otherwise he would not have sensed it from so great a distance or hurried so fast to get to her. It was a hurt to linger over, to follow deep inside her and savour. He could swim in it now and come back again and again." . Isn't that something!!.
It's got Horror (not the squeamish kind)/Sci-Fi and folklore, I highly recommend it.
November 14, 2023
Um. I don’t know even know how to start. Never has a book had such compelling characters. I was so wrapped up in each of their lives, that I found myself horribly heartbroken by the end. Each character was a masterpiece and I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive the author for making a villain I hated and pitied at the same time. If I hadn’t also loved the hero just as much I would have been cheering for the villain to win. Harlow Peck is my favorite kind of tragic hero and his character development and transformation is gut wrenching. Truly a wonderful work by Holeman! In my top books of this year. I think I’ll take a break from reading for a little bit because anything I read after this will pale in comparison. *still sad and rereading sections days later* Also don’t read this if you jump a fence and walk home alone at night. You may have to start asking people for rides or go insane with new fears this book unlocks!
May 2, 2023
Before doing a breakdown I'll just say this is 100% worth the listen or the read. I really loved this book and was absorbed by its small town charm.
Some spoilers but properly marked below.
The Good:
A very well-crafted story in a style similar to Stephen King's small town horrors.
An excellent villain who gets under your skin with just how creepy and casual their disregard for life is.
Imaginative, disturbing, violent, No one's safe.
Hansom Greene (sorry, don't have the spelling since it's an audiobook) it's a lovingly crafted character that you immediately fall in love with for better or worse.
characters have complexity to them, you don't just get good or bad people here, you get flawed people which makes them feel human.
The Bad:
(If this section seems longer it's because even though the good outweighs the bad, the bad is more difficult to explain, but the good definitely outweighs the bad in this book)
Having such a huge cast is a big risk because you end up picking one or two trades from your characters to show and that can leave some of them feeling less than three dimensional.
There are certain deaths that work wonderfully, and others that feel like shock value, but happen to some major characters In a way that feels offhand. It kind of feels like they were built up and then didn't actually have an arc.
(SPOILERS for two minor characters)
While I don't believe LGBTQ+ characters should get a pass in the horrors of a story. This story has exactly two gay characters, who both meet horrible and in one case humiliating ends.
All of that doesn't hurt the overall story, but then we get to...
THE ONE TRULY BAD THING:
WITHOUT SAYING WHO OR HOW OR WHEN CERTAIN CHARACTERS DIE TO AVOID SPOILERS: I love a story in which no one is safe, but when the climax to thus book comes in, it sort of feels like I wasted so much time getting to know certain characters for them to get such a rushed sendoff. honest to God there is one character that gets the Shining movie Halloran treatment: long way to reach a destination only to die without doing anything.
I honestly don't know if I'm missing something; I don't know if this was on purpose, but one of the things that Stephen King gets more criticized about are his endings, and the ending of this book feels like it's trying to emulate some of King's worst endings. I wish the book had ended a couple of paragraphs earlier.
OVERALL:
LISTEN TO / READ THIS BOOK. it's so entertaining, it has such a creative eye for simplicity in evil. It can take a concept that feels very common, like you maybe so that somewhere before but can't remember where, but handled in a very imaginative way. you will not be bored for one second of this book and the buildup of tension and the way it places its pieces on the board for the climax is worthy of praise. Just be warned that some deaths feel rushed and maybe unnecessarily cruel without thought for the character development that came before, and if it had only ended a couple paragraphs earlier it would have been a spectacularly better book, but it's still a very good read that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Some spoilers but properly marked below.
The Good:
A very well-crafted story in a style similar to Stephen King's small town horrors.
An excellent villain who gets under your skin with just how creepy and casual their disregard for life is.
Imaginative, disturbing, violent, No one's safe.
Hansom Greene (sorry, don't have the spelling since it's an audiobook) it's a lovingly crafted character that you immediately fall in love with for better or worse.
characters have complexity to them, you don't just get good or bad people here, you get flawed people which makes them feel human.
The Bad:
(If this section seems longer it's because even though the good outweighs the bad, the bad is more difficult to explain, but the good definitely outweighs the bad in this book)
Having such a huge cast is a big risk because you end up picking one or two trades from your characters to show and that can leave some of them feeling less than three dimensional.
There are certain deaths that work wonderfully, and others that feel like shock value, but happen to some major characters In a way that feels offhand. It kind of feels like they were built up and then didn't actually have an arc.
(SPOILERS for two minor characters)
While I don't believe LGBTQ+ characters should get a pass in the horrors of a story. This story has exactly two gay characters, who both meet horrible and in one case humiliating ends.
All of that doesn't hurt the overall story, but then we get to...
THE ONE TRULY BAD THING:
WITHOUT SAYING WHO OR HOW OR WHEN CERTAIN CHARACTERS DIE TO AVOID SPOILERS: I love a story in which no one is safe, but when the climax to thus book comes in, it sort of feels like I wasted so much time getting to know certain characters for them to get such a rushed sendoff. honest to God there is one character that gets the Shining movie Halloran treatment: long way to reach a destination only to die without doing anything.
I honestly don't know if I'm missing something; I don't know if this was on purpose, but one of the things that Stephen King gets more criticized about are his endings, and the ending of this book feels like it's trying to emulate some of King's worst endings. I wish the book had ended a couple of paragraphs earlier.
OVERALL:
LISTEN TO / READ THIS BOOK. it's so entertaining, it has such a creative eye for simplicity in evil. It can take a concept that feels very common, like you maybe so that somewhere before but can't remember where, but handled in a very imaginative way. you will not be bored for one second of this book and the buildup of tension and the way it places its pieces on the board for the climax is worthy of praise. Just be warned that some deaths feel rushed and maybe unnecessarily cruel without thought for the character development that came before, and if it had only ended a couple paragraphs earlier it would have been a spectacularly better book, but it's still a very good read that I thoroughly enjoyed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
August 18, 2024Small towns are notorious for the secrets they hide in the dark, and they foster and grow until the secret or horror is at last released in the most extreme form. This is not an uncommon trope in literature, it transcends genre’s, you can find examples of it in horror, science-fiction, romance, YA, literary fiction and goes all the way back to the earliest examples of American fiction with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The Boy Who Glowed in the Dark exists well within the pantheon the small town with a secret story.
Jack Lynche is an outsider to the town of Hayfork, Iowa, but how outside is he? He has wings and can fly (naturally) and a luminous appearance. Among the townspeople of Hayfork theories abound is he an angel, demon or alien?
Most stories of small towns with secrets every character has a secret lurking in the background that could implicate them in the main mystery, and The Boy Who Glowed in the Dark has plenty of those. But in most stories the characters are one-dimensional tropes or archetype, but the characters in The Boy Who Glowed in the Dark, are well rounded and seem to have lives and stories outside the context of the novel. There are no stereotypes, you’ll think you know the character but at some point or other in the book you’ll find out something about the character you never anticipated.
The Boy Who Glowed in the Dark is so well written I found myself getting bummed out when I realized I was getting towards the end of the book, and the characters are coming together for the climatic moment. Various scenarios could play out at the climax but you’re never sure which one it will be. If you’re into discovering a new writer, Richard Holeman is it.
Jack Lynche is an outsider to the town of Hayfork, Iowa, but how outside is he? He has wings and can fly (naturally) and a luminous appearance. Among the townspeople of Hayfork theories abound is he an angel, demon or alien?
Most stories of small towns with secrets every character has a secret lurking in the background that could implicate them in the main mystery, and The Boy Who Glowed in the Dark has plenty of those. But in most stories the characters are one-dimensional tropes or archetype, but the characters in The Boy Who Glowed in the Dark, are well rounded and seem to have lives and stories outside the context of the novel. There are no stereotypes, you’ll think you know the character but at some point or other in the book you’ll find out something about the character you never anticipated.
The Boy Who Glowed in the Dark is so well written I found myself getting bummed out when I realized I was getting towards the end of the book, and the characters are coming together for the climatic moment. Various scenarios could play out at the climax but you’re never sure which one it will be. If you’re into discovering a new writer, Richard Holeman is it.
April 8, 2022
Outstanding Horror/SciFi blend ...
Holeman has found his stride in The Boy Who Glowed in the Dark and Stephen King should be looking over his shoulder. This blend of science fiction and horror is peopled with unique and fully fleshed-out characters without an archetype on the horizon. Without giving anything away, the story unfolds in a small rural town over the course of many years, building toward a climax that would challenge the sanity of anyone.
Reading this book, at first I couldn’t put it down, but as I approached the ending I slowed so I could savour the masterful story telling. I highly recommend this novel to fans of King, Koontz, and Barker. You won’t be disappointed.
Holeman has found his stride in The Boy Who Glowed in the Dark and Stephen King should be looking over his shoulder. This blend of science fiction and horror is peopled with unique and fully fleshed-out characters without an archetype on the horizon. Without giving anything away, the story unfolds in a small rural town over the course of many years, building toward a climax that would challenge the sanity of anyone.
Reading this book, at first I couldn’t put it down, but as I approached the ending I slowed so I could savour the masterful story telling. I highly recommend this novel to fans of King, Koontz, and Barker. You won’t be disappointed.
February 24, 2023
I found the book to be riveting. I probably would have finished it in two sittings but I was reading a couple more at the same time. I’d pick up and read whichever one I was in the mood for. I loved the characters and the storyline. It is a little outside the box from the type of books I usually read but it was definitely worth reading!
I would have given it 5 stars but part three was hard on me! That’s all I can say without giving anything away. I guess I could say the ending was unexpected without giving anything away. Regardless, I highly recommend the book. It was definitely an enjoyable read.
I would have given it 5 stars but part three was hard on me! That’s all I can say without giving anything away. I guess I could say the ending was unexpected without giving anything away. Regardless, I highly recommend the book. It was definitely an enjoyable read.
September 12, 2022
This is an incredible story!
So this was an interesting horror sci-fi story that was gripping to read! The intricate and intimate small town setting was great! The antagonist, without giving much away, was well designed, well written, and drove the story in ways I didn't expect.
This story also pays a good bit of homage to Stephen King's work in a fun and brilliant way. But it certainly has a life of it's own! 5 stars all the way!
So this was an interesting horror sci-fi story that was gripping to read! The intricate and intimate small town setting was great! The antagonist, without giving much away, was well designed, well written, and drove the story in ways I didn't expect.
This story also pays a good bit of homage to Stephen King's work in a fun and brilliant way. But it certainly has a life of it's own! 5 stars all the way!
April 20, 2022
#review book given to me by Lucy~book promo services
I really enjoyed it. A very solid plot. I will be honest first 2 chapters I wasn't sure I'd enjoy the book but by chapter 3 my mind changed and I really got into. 5 stars from me.
I really enjoyed it. A very solid plot. I will be honest first 2 chapters I wasn't sure I'd enjoy the book but by chapter 3 my mind changed and I really got into. 5 stars from me.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews