The Grave

Oxrun Station #4

by Charles L. Grant

Josh Miller has a talent for finding things. So far, the things people have asked him to find - antique tables, old movie posters - have been innocuous enough. And Andrea Montague, the daughter of a local writer, may be his most interesting find so far.

But no one's asked Josh to find the missing fifth victim of an unexplained auto accident - the one who vanished from the scene of the crash without leaving a trail of blood, though he must have been badly hurt. No one's asked Josh to look for the other missing people - residents of Oxrun Station who mysteriously and inexplicably vanished on their birthdays.

Someone very definitely doesn't want him to find the clearing full of century-old gravestones, the clearing that feels so evil.

This time whatever Josh is hunting is hunting him, too...and it's hungry..

ABOUT OXRUN STATION:

Charles L. Grant wrote 12 books (9 novels and three collections of four related novellas with interstitial material) set in the fictional Connecticut town of Oxrun Station. There is a loose continuity running through the Oxrun Station books, with characters from one novel making minor appearances in others.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Charles L. Grant (1942-2006) won a World Fantasy Award for his novella collection Nightmare Seasons, a Nebula Award in 1976 for his short story "A Crowd of Shadows", and another Nebula Award in 1978 for his novella "A Glow of Candles, a Unicorn's Eye," the latter telling of an actor's dilemma in a post-literate future. Grant also edited the award-winning Shadows anthology, running eleven volumes from 1978-1991. Contributors include Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, Al Sarrantonio, R.A. Lafferty, Avram Davidson, and Steve Rasnic and Melanie Tem. Grant was a former Executive Secretary and Eastern Regional Director of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and president of the Horror Writers Association. His story "Temperature Days on Hawthorne Street" was adapted into an episode of Tales from the Darkside entitled "The Milkman Cometh" in 1987.

He also served eight years as an officer of the Science Fiction Writers of America, served ten years on the Board of Directors of the World Fantasy Awards, is past-president of the Horror Writers of America, served five years as President of the Board of Trustees of HWA, and is on the board of advisors for The Burry Man's Writers Center.

In 1987 he received the British Fantasy Society's Special Award, for life achievement. In May of 2000, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from HWA. In addition, he has received two Nebula Awards and three World Fantasy Awards for his writing and editing. He is sorely missed.

Genres: Horror, Fiction

223 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1981

About the author

Charles Lewis Grant was a novelist and short story writer specializing in what he called "dark fantasy" and "quiet horror." He also wrote under the pseudonyms of Geoffrey Marsh, Lionel Fenn, Simon Lake, Felicia Andrews, and Deborah Lewis.

Grant won a World Fantasy Award for his novella collection Nightmare Seasons, a Nebula Award in 1976 for his short story "A Crowd of Shadows", and another Nebula Award in 1978 for his novella "A Glow of Candles, a Unicorn's Eye," the latter telling of an actor's dilemma in a post-literate future. Grant also edited the award winning Shadows anthology, running eleven volumes from 1978-1991. Contributors include Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, R.A. Lafferty, Avram Davidson, and Steve Rasnic and Melanie Tem. Grant was a former Executive Secretary and Eastern Regional Director of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and president of the Horror Writers Association.

Reviews

[Kenneth McKinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoy the slow burn of Grant's storytelling. If you know anything of him, you know that he doesn't bludgeon you over the head with nonstop gore and action. He teases you with the horror, slowly building up into a final crescendo. I've been reading his Oxrun Station series in chronological order and The Grave is my latest in the journey. Up until now, my complaint has been the weak, shallow and helpless female characters. The kind that have a conniption if they break a nail or are helpless unless a big strong male rescues them. I realize that this stereotype was common in quite a few horror novels from the late 1970s. It still doesn't help me enjoy it. In The Grave, the female characters can stand on their own two feet and even though the male lead is kind of a dingbat, he's not so bad that he's annoying. But what has always been Grant's strength - a wonderful slow burn of a strong storyline - is miserably empty of plot. In an attempt at being murky to keep you guessing, it actually is an exercise of patience. Nothing, and I mean nothing, happened until 40% into The Grave and then the plot was muddy and incoherent at best. This continued on and on and then at the end, it felt like Grant tried to explain it all as quickly as possible so that he could bring the story to a close. Unfortunately, the explanation doesn't help or make it any more interesting. You're just kind of "meh" and closed the book.

2 Unmarked Graves out of 5


You can also follow my reviews at the following links:

https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com

http://intothemacabre.booklikes.com

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Grave is part of Grant's Oxrun series, known as very atmospheric tales of quiet, or perhaps reserved is a better word, horror. Lots of description and kind of short on plot action, until the very end, which feels rushed by comparison. It's the story of Josh, who finds lost things for other people. That may have been a realistic way to make a living in those pre-internet days, I'm not sure. I remember thinking that the most unrealistic aspect of the novel was Josh's sex life, but it was a fun, fast read.

[[on hiatus, probably forever] The rockabilly werewolf from Mars · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favorite of Grant's novels so far. I find that I tend to be less interested in horror novels once the exact nature of the threat has been fully revealed, and here Grant manages to avoid giving too much away right until the last couple of chapters.

[Matthew Bielawa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow...again Charles Grant offers up another great story, full of a steady stream of character and plot building, culminating in his classic way. Terrific!

So far, it's my favorite piece in the Oxrun Station series (as I read them in order). It's the first novel in the series where Grant writes from a male character's point of view...and what a difference! The story is much more raw and graphic, while still serving up his acclaimed and addictive 'quiet horror' style. (Yea, I'm referring to that scene in the cemetery. "Shut up, she repeated, and do what you're told". Now, the question you ask yourself, do you trust a woman who gets wildly aroused in an abandoned New England cemetery?! Do you trust yourself?!)

Although there were several references to town's folk from previous Oxrun Station novels, you certainly can read this one without losing out anything. But by recognizing theses people that you feel you know pretty intimately from other stories, it gives you a. Ice comfortably cozy feeling, while adding more a sense of belief in the story. I also felt that Grant was able to move a little more away from describing the town so he could focus more on the characters' relationships. I just love both Andrea and Felicity, the objects of Josh's affection. But I still love this line where Josh remembers his father's warning I've seen some things here, his father whispered once, while his mother was out shopping and they were alone in the house; you can't live in the Station all your life without knowing the place isn't what you call your normal town. . Normal, indeed!

I know some may be turned off by the length of quiet periods. But trust me, if you read slowly and carefully, Grant doesn't just fill pages with empty descriptions. There's depth to the writing that pulls you in and holds you until the perfect time. Hold. Hold...HOLD. (Man, I love that ending and reread it several times in a row!).

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Rounded up.

This was a quick little horror novel that deals more in atmosphere than conventional scares. There were a few nightmare sequences that really gave me the willies though.

Most of this is about a mans interpersonal relationships in a small town. The beautiful descriptions and the genuinely compelling characters made this a worthwhile read.

[Hayden Gilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I’m aware of Grant’s MO (“quiet horror”), prior to this I’d only ever read The Pet. I really enjoyed it, and was champing at the bit to get ahold of these beautiful Oxrun Station books. After my friend Jenna told me about Bloodwind, and given my previous experience with him, it didn’t really come as a surprise to me when I became aware that the real story-driven tension didn’t kick in until the last 50 pages of The Grave. And there wasn’t even really a disappointment leading up to that, either.

The Grave is definitely slowly paced, but everything leading up to the final race to solve the mystery is so damn cozy it was a pleasure to be drawn along. The plot: a loser guy owns a cute, kooky business in a small town, and his biggest responsibilities are finding a plow and being torn in half by a love triangle between his feisty, sarcastic receptionist and the mysterious, alluring daughter of an old writer on the edge of town. Chefs kiss. Allow me to soak a while in that tub.

And this guy isn’t just a loser, he’s an idiot too. Very early on we become privy to a creepy recent trend of people in Oxrun Station disappearing without a trace on their birthdays. The only person who assured him otherwise is his doctor friend who he is aware is lying to him or at least only half-telling the truth. Instead of telling anyone this, he just kinda keeps wondering which lady in his life he like-likes more. Relatable. However, it’s also kind of the point of the book. Josh Miller is good at finding things. It’s about all he’s good at. So when he gets side-tracked, and it becomes a point of increasing frustration, the reader begins to wonder if there might not be a spell on this guy, the quiet threat hanging over the book having been right in front of us all along.

This book isn’t great, and it really isn’t about much. But as an idiot loser who spends too much time thinking about love it was…a pretty fun read

[Charles · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've loved just about everything Charles Grant has done, but this one seemed unfinished and disorganized to me. It was definitely not up to his usual skilled storytelling.

[Kevin Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favorite Oxrun Station novel, because I really wanted Josh Miller to survive....

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am about 1 & 1/2 hours into the book and I give up. I really don't think it is so much the book but David Stifel the narrator is just very boring. He is speaking slowly and in monotones and I just cannot follow the book at all. I try not to give up on books and seldom do, but I just cannot go any further with this one. I will try to get a kindle copy of the book and try reading it for myself as the story sounds like it is very interesting.


I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Jamie Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌟🌟🌟🌟 to The Grave by Charles L. Grant

Joshua Miller finds things for a living, sheet music, rare manuscripts and for the most part he’s good at it. That is until he uncovers a plot involving a section of Oxrun Station’s community that are disappearing, each person vanishing on their birthday. Now the stakes are raised in this game of hide and seek as the person responsible turns their attentions to Joshua.

This one took a little while to put all the players into place and find its traction, but once it did I was hooked along for another atmospheric ride in Grant’s mysterious Oxrun Station, a community where things aren’t just right though no one can pin point why. To complicate matters Joshua is torn between two woman, the first is his straight talking secretary. The second is the mysterious daughter of an author just moved into town. Josh spends so much time preoccupied between the two that he initially isn’t aware of the disappearances taking place in Oxrun, which makes for interesting reading as the reader as there are times in this book where I felt like shouting, ‘you should notice that piece of info’ when a character drops a hint at the nefarious going’s on. That’s not to say the back and forth Josh has over the two women in his life isn’t interesting, it is but it could be frustrating for some readers wanting to sink their teeth into the main mystery.

[Meli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good atmospheric read, perfect for the start of fall right before Halloween.
I gave it a middle-of-the-road rating because the pacing is very slow, almost nothing happens until the last 10 pages, and the protagonist is unbearable. He is hopelessly romantic, to the point of ignoring blatant clues of the sinister activity at play in his town, and he is kind of an entitled asshole. Likeable protagonists are not a prerequisite for me necessarily, but in this case it certainly would help me care more about the story.

I would rate it lower, but the atmosphere was truly spooky and kept me engaged enough to follow it through to the end. There were also some side characters who were delightful that kept things interesting.

[Zachary Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Grave has some of the most eerie atmosphere I've come across in a horror novel. Its languid pace didn't bother me...Grant was such an evocative writer that even the most "dull" portions of this book were pleasant to read. The hero is a bit of a dope who, depending on who you ask, is either a hopeless romantic or a womanizer, but he is still human enough to root for. There was a slew of scenes which had me looking over my shoulder. Maybe Charles L. Grant is an acquired taste, especially for those more used to fast-paced and grisly modern horror. To me, he is almost unparalleled in his skill.

[Jay Rothermel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Grave is a strange mystery thriller with supernatural plot elements. Grant has a field day with red herrings and other methods of misdirection. It is a brief novel with a single third-person limited point of view. This point of view is of questionable reliability through no fault of the character's own. As with many Grant stories: the protagonist, in his thirties, is judging which of three women might be worth a long-term commitment. Also as with much of Grant, the sex is freewheeling.

[Ron Kerrigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was unimpressed by this book. The hero's occupation of hunting down all sorts of unusual objects for his clients was interesting, but nothing much happens for many, many pages, and when the mystery develops it's not that gripping. Well written, but the plot doesn't satisfy. Plus the twist at the end wasn't a surprise.

[Bruce Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to review a book that had me engaged from start to finish, but left me a bit dissatisfied. I feel like there must be a missing chapter somewhere, and now I’m left with questions that will never be answered.

[C.C. Bruno · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one. The main character was a bit annoying in his stupidity and romanticism for a character that was so obviously the evil entity, though Grant is always so good at making me want to keep reading about Oxrun Station.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another solid Oxrun installment. What exactly was going on was still a little opaque to me at the end, but better than the villain doing a Snidely Whiplash and explaining everything in great detail while twirling their mustache. Some very creepy imagery. The wasps!

[Bill Borre]

I am sorry to leave a comment here under reviews for a book that I have not read yet but I wanted to assign a date for this book and the date set functionality of the website currently seems to be broken. If they get this working I will use this and delete this review.

03-25-2007

[ColinJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of Grant's best, but he still has a way of generating atmosphere that any horror writer should envy.

[Scott Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth in the Oxrun Station series

This was a weird read, regarding the fight for immortality

Not bad but a bit all over the place

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Grave is another in the Oxrun Station pseudo-series of books, and it's another one that I've read before. Like other books I've read before from what feels like eons ago, I remembered nothing about it. With The Hour of the Oxrun Dead, I stumbled across a scene I remembered, but The Grave may as well have been a new-to-me book. It's interesting to me that this is the case, since there are other books I haven't read in over thirty years, yet still remember clearly. It makes me realize that the books I don't remember simply aren't that memorable, even when I re-read them.

I think that's true of all five Grant books I've read this past month. The writing style is good, and I love the atmosphere of the stories, but when you look at the plots of the books, they simply don't stand out. I'll likely remember the feelings I had over the books, but I'm not sure if I'll remember any details, even a couple of years out from now. I'm not even sure I'll remember the stories based on the titles; I think I'll be more likely to remember them as The One with the Toy Store, or The One with the Book Store, or The One with the Guy Who Found Hard-to-Find Things. I might be able to recall The Grave by its title, since it's the first one in the series with a concrete title that relates to the events in the book, but how am I going to be able to remember whether the toy store owner was in The Last Call of Mourning or The Sound of Midnight? Hell, I'm not sure I could tell you right now, and I just finished those two within the last two weeks.

This is the first Grant book to feature a male point-of-view character, which is kind of interesting. In his previous novels, the women have been the ones with their insecurities reinforcing the horror, but now he gives those characteristics to a man. It's a flip in how Grant usually approaches the story, and I liked that there was a male "damsel in distress" this time around, at least to start evening things out.

Something else I noticed with this book was how dense some of Grant's main characters can be. It's easy to tell when reading the book when something just isn't right, and when the characters just keep on pushing in that direction, it's hard to remain too sympathetic to them. It would be different if there were some motivation for the characters to be forced in that direction -- to protect others or themselves -- and I suppose that has been the case if a couple of the books, but in the cases of the others, The Grave included, the protagonists seem willfully ignorant.

One thing I do like about the books, though, is that they're anachronistic. When I think of the ideas I have for horror stories, one of the hardest things to do is work around the convenience of things like cell phones and the Internet. It's hard to isolate characters in the modern world, but Grant's books were written before the ubiquity of those conveniences. Sure, they date the story -- not only do people have to wait through busy signals when they can even find a phone, but they also have to contend with a lack of answering machines -- but they work within the frame of the story. It does make me wonder if younger readers wouldn't have the patience for these stories, but anyone who remembers what it's like, say, to keep dialing the theater for the latest movies and times, hitting the redial button over and over until you finally get through the busy signal, will be able to relate.

Something else I liked about this book was how Grant wrapped up the ending of the previous book. So far, each Oxrun Station book has served as a brief coda to the previous book set in the town, with a line or paragraph telling you what happened with the main characters from that book, and so far, the codas have been happy. The protagonists and their love interests have married and are moving on with life as usual. Now, though, what we get as the coda to The Last Call of Mourning is a suspicious absence. Cyd's bookstore is still there, but there's no mention of Cyd, just that the elderly couple she hired to help at the store are now the owners. It suggests that things did not end well for Cyd, but the absence of detail regarding that ending is chilling. Like all good horror, the readers are left to fill in the blanks themselves, and when we do that, we fill them with our own personal horrors.

The Grave is a decent read, and probably worth reading for folks who already like his style. Other readers, though, might want to give this one a pass. Even if you're interested in trying one of Grant's books, this doesn't seem like the place to start.

[Diane Wachter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Charles L. Grant, PB-B @ 1981, 7/89. A tale of the supernatural. Josh finds things, but no one has asked him to find the people who go missing on their birthdays, or the accident victim that vanished without a trace from the scene. Blah! I hated it!

[Kevin Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devoured it. Loved it. Loved Josh Miller...but want him back!

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite horror with an unexpected twist. Loved it!

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best of the Ox-run Dead stories 13 not as easy to get into as the rest and it felt a little rushed