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Valley Of Scarecrow
Seventy years ago the residents of Miller's Grove rose to destroy their devil-worshipping minister. They lashed him to a cross in his church and left him to die, resembling a macabre human scarecrow. But now the scarecrow has returned to life and is hungry for his revenge.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 24, 2010
17 people are currently reading
475 people want to read
About the author
Gord Rollo
61 books224 followersGord Rollo was born in St. Andrews, Scotland, but now lives in Ontario, Canada. His short stories and novella-length work have appeared in many professional publications throughout the genre and his novels include: The Jigsaw Man, Crimson, Strange Magic, and Valley Of The Scarecrow. His work has been translated into several languages and his titles are currently being adapted for audiobooks.
Besides novels, Gord edited the acclaimed evolutionary horror anthology, Unnatural Selection: A Collection of Darwinian Nightmares. He also co-edited Dreaming of Angels, a horror/fantasy anthology created to increase awareness of Down's syndrome and raise money for research. He recently completed his newest horror/dark fantasy novel, entitled The Translators and can be reached at his website www.gordrollo.com
Besides novels, Gord edited the acclaimed evolutionary horror anthology, Unnatural Selection: A Collection of Darwinian Nightmares. He also co-edited Dreaming of Angels, a horror/fantasy anthology created to increase awareness of Down's syndrome and raise money for research. He recently completed his newest horror/dark fantasy novel, entitled The Translators and can be reached at his website www.gordrollo.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
September 25, 2020
Freedom is only a nightmare now, a curse to haunt his rare moments of lucid thought, but when he does think clearly, he remembers what the village elders did to him all those long years ago and how he vowed to make them рау.
Someday they'll come back.
He will be ready.
Vote: ☆☆☆ 1/2
A cheesy 80s slasher B-movie homage. Sadly the premise was far better than the ride for me and the despicable clichè-fest cast of characters (the horny couple, the curvy bitch, the weirdo with a thing for photography, the black guy, the Final Girl and the old man warning them unheard) were so lame that probably I was going to enjoy much more this novel if they started dying early, instead the well deserved gory massacre started just after more than half book.
None of them had any idea just how bad an idea they had committed themselves to, or the savage nightmare they were about to willingly walk themselves into.
Not bad at all if you are into trashy old low budget horror flicks, just not as good as expected.
Such a shame because prologue, premise and rural settings were really good ones.
Inside the dilapidated church they all hoped to find adventure and incredible wealth, but unfortunately something else would be waiting for them inside those desecrated walls.
Something that had once been holy.
Something that stood watch over this corrupted and forgotten place.
Something that straddled the razor-thin line between man and beast, life and death, heaven and hell.
Onward to my next read.
Adding to their misery was the bitter disappointment of not locating the treasure they'd come all this way to find. Of course, by the time this stormy
night was over they'd all learn there were worse things in store for them than having to go home empty-handed. Far worse.
In fact, it would be a miracle if any of them ever got to go home at all.
December 20, 2021
Reverend Joshua Miller is losing his mind. In fact the townspeople think he has made a pact with the devil. So they do what normal people do lash the reverend to his wooden altar cross, then boarded up the windows and doors to leave him to fate and God's judgment. Then they abandon their homes and flee. Decades pass and 74 years later the church and it's reverend waits to be reborn.
I got serious Jeepers Creepers vibes reading this one. I really don't like scarecrows. They are just creepy. It was a good read. Not really scary.
😻😻😻
I got serious Jeepers Creepers vibes reading this one. I really don't like scarecrows. They are just creepy. It was a good read. Not really scary.
😻😻😻
August 13, 2022
It's been almost a century since the “elders” of the little Iowa town Miller's Grove decided to take their reverend down by crucifying him in his own church and left the place all together. Today, after finding out that besides Reverend Joshua Miller, there is also a valuable treasure hiding in the former town, a group of greedy teenagers set off to find Miller's Grove and get rich. Unfortunately they awake something that had better been left sleeping...
I would have enjoyed this book much more in the form of a B movie. The characters were rather flat and not necessarily people you want to take the time to get invested in, their motives were questionable, their actions were questionable and sometimes not very logical. Take, for example, Malcolm Tucker, the grandpa of one of the teenagers mentioned above - Please, just make up your mind.
The non-linear narration leaves you in the dark as to what exactly the reverend did to earn his fate, but I was glad it was all explained in the last chapter.
All in all, an OK pastime, but nothing too spectacular.
I would have enjoyed this book much more in the form of a B movie. The characters were rather flat and not necessarily people you want to take the time to get invested in, their motives were questionable, their actions were questionable and sometimes not very logical. Take, for example, Malcolm Tucker, the grandpa of one of the teenagers mentioned above - Please, just make up your mind.
The non-linear narration leaves you in the dark as to what exactly the reverend did to earn his fate, but I was glad it was all explained in the last chapter.
All in all, an OK pastime, but nothing too spectacular.
November 12, 2014
Having had Gord Rollo on my TBR pile for quite some time, I nominated Valley of the Scarecrow for a monthly group read here on Goodreads. Several other members of the Paced Reading Horror and Thrillers group joined me.
To each of them, I apologise.
Valley of the Scarecrow failed to work for me on multiple levels. The characters experienced zero development, the supernatural slasher threat took far too long to get off his cross and do something, and the only surprise through the whole novel was kind of laughable . The partial saving graces of the novel were the occasional gory kill scene and the inventive way the surviving characters aim to deal with the undead scarecrow menace.
In short, if you're going to spend over half a novel shuffling your characters into mortal danger position, the reader should care about a large proportion of them by the time that you do. Ideally, this would occur by making them relatable and/or worthy of empathy. Valley of the Scarecrow achieves neither, so it becomes an exercise in patience, waiting for the scarecrow to finally start slashing. Unfortunately for this novel, when he does, it's already too little, too late.
2 Resurrected Reverends for Valley of the Scarecrow.
To each of them, I apologise.
Valley of the Scarecrow failed to work for me on multiple levels. The characters experienced zero development, the supernatural slasher threat took far too long to get off his cross and do something, and the only surprise through the whole novel was kind of laughable . The partial saving graces of the novel were the occasional gory kill scene and the inventive way the surviving characters aim to deal with the undead scarecrow menace.
In short, if you're going to spend over half a novel shuffling your characters into mortal danger position, the reader should care about a large proportion of them by the time that you do. Ideally, this would occur by making them relatable and/or worthy of empathy. Valley of the Scarecrow achieves neither, so it becomes an exercise in patience, waiting for the scarecrow to finally start slashing. Unfortunately for this novel, when he does, it's already too little, too late.
2 Resurrected Reverends for Valley of the Scarecrow.
September 7, 2015
A homage to the slasher films of the 1980s with a few twists and turns. A body is found inside the walls of an old Iowa theater in a hidden sealed room. Now in an assisted-living facility, Kelly's grandfather has been harboring a secret from his childhood past for all these years. A forgotten small town deserted since the 1930s, buried in the thick woods of rural Iowa. The old, dilapitated church still boarded up after all this time and inside still remains the Reverend Joshua Miller where he was last left by the towns people - lashed to the church's old wooden cross. His body mumified from decades of intense, dry heat and intertwined with old, dried cornstalks that have grown up through the rotting floor. The townspeople long gone to their graves thinking that the evil that took over Reverend Miller and caused them to turn against the town's founder was dead too. But evil never dies. It simply waits for it's time to be resurrected again.
I loved the premise of Valley of the Scarecrow. The Iowa setting was different than most stories and I loved the back history of what happened in Miller's Grove in the 1930s. It gave the slasher story a unique place to grow from. Thats a hard thing to do from a tired horror genre. Rollo weaves the interestiing characters and events from the past into the present day storyline. He succeeds for the most part, but still falls in some of the traps that make the slasher scene a worn out one. You have the group of college age kids - the oversexed boyfriend and girlfriend, the awkward artistic type, the slutty bimbo, the token black guy, and the normal, all-american girl that you know is going to survive until the end. The other thing that kept sticking out like a sore thumb is that Rollo kept having his midwestern characters say the word Bloody all the time - bloody hell, I can't see a bloody thing, it might be worth a bloody fortune, etc. I'm from the midwest and I've been to Iowa. I have yet to run across any native Iowan that says the word bloody to describe anything that doesn't have blood running down it. Also, a couple of the characters come across a stash of Agent Orange that their dad happened to have stockpiled. OK, I needed this to be a little more fleshed out. Where the hell would he get a banned military defoliant that was never legal to use in the states? It would be like pulling a fully operational tank out of the barn without explaining how they got their hands on it. But other than that, the story was rather enjoyable. If you can overlook a few of the flaws, there are enough creepy moments to make it worth the read. Rollo does a good job at wrapping the material he has all together.
3 1/2 dessicated scarecrows out of 5
You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2J1...
I loved the premise of Valley of the Scarecrow. The Iowa setting was different than most stories and I loved the back history of what happened in Miller's Grove in the 1930s. It gave the slasher story a unique place to grow from. Thats a hard thing to do from a tired horror genre. Rollo weaves the interestiing characters and events from the past into the present day storyline. He succeeds for the most part, but still falls in some of the traps that make the slasher scene a worn out one. You have the group of college age kids - the oversexed boyfriend and girlfriend, the awkward artistic type, the slutty bimbo, the token black guy, and the normal, all-american girl that you know is going to survive until the end. The other thing that kept sticking out like a sore thumb is that Rollo kept having his midwestern characters say the word Bloody all the time - bloody hell, I can't see a bloody thing, it might be worth a bloody fortune, etc. I'm from the midwest and I've been to Iowa. I have yet to run across any native Iowan that says the word bloody to describe anything that doesn't have blood running down it. Also, a couple of the characters come across a stash of Agent Orange that their dad happened to have stockpiled. OK, I needed this to be a little more fleshed out. Where the hell would he get a banned military defoliant that was never legal to use in the states? It would be like pulling a fully operational tank out of the barn without explaining how they got their hands on it. But other than that, the story was rather enjoyable. If you can overlook a few of the flaws, there are enough creepy moments to make it worth the read. Rollo does a good job at wrapping the material he has all together.
3 1/2 dessicated scarecrows out of 5
You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2J1...
April 20, 2011
On Saturday afternoons I sometimes like to put the SyFy Channel on and mute it and occasionally glance at the screen to see some two-dimensional annoying characters get eaten or eviscerated by a monster or evil fiend. I like this because I can read or do laundry and not have to give very much attention over to a B rated movie. Unfortunately Valley of the Scarecrow is a low budget B movie in book form. The characters remind me of the stick figures I used to draw when I was three, resembling people, but really not having anything substantial to give them form or a brain. After reading Strange Magic I was expecting a lot more from Valley of the Scarecrow. I did not expect to find stilted dialogue, sentence structure problems, almost zero character development. I would pause in my reading, gobsmacked by some horrible line, to reread the sentence. To say the least this was a distraction from really falling into the book and letting the plot take me to Miller's Grove. I couldn't wait for the Reverend Joshua Miller to awaken and destroy these people in various nefarious ways, but I had to grit my teeth to get to the payoff. I didn't identify with any of these people which in itself is not a problem if the book is well written and the plot takes off like a rocket. One of the characters, Lizzie, the only thing I can remember about her is she gets "horny" when it rains. Dan has muscles. Pat takes pictures. Kelly is 5'10". Rich is Dan's sidekick. Kim has big boobs and is sexually attracted to Dan. They are basically all red shirts and just fodder for the Reverend.
I have a sneaking suspicion that this was an earlier novel, hanging out in a drawer, and after he had a few other novels accepted this was pulled back out of the drawer and given a hatch job makeover. Some books are best left in the drawer or published as an airport horror novel under a pseudonym.
I have a sneaking suspicion that this was an earlier novel, hanging out in a drawer, and after he had a few other novels accepted this was pulled back out of the drawer and given a hatch job makeover. Some books are best left in the drawer or published as an airport horror novel under a pseudonym.
June 22, 2013
The year was 1936 and the community of Miller's Grove was faced with a problem with their spiritual leader Joshua Miller. The community of Miller's Grove once put their trust in this man but something dark and evil has taken him over. The towns people believe that the Reverend Miller had signed a contract with the man in black. Angus Tucker and a group of elders were going to the church to destroy Joshua Miller. Angus and the elders hung the Reverend from a cross on the altar of his own church. Miller said that he would get his revenge one day. After the crucifixion, the towns people boarded up Joshua Miller's church. The citizen of Miller's Grove pack up all their belongings and left there for good. 74 years later Joshua Miller's church is still standing. Inside the church the Reverend body still hangs from the cross. Evil still lurks inside the church in the forgotten town of Miller's Grove.
April 19, 2015
Review of Valley of the Scarecrow
5 stars
Did I find this book SCARY? You bet. Imaginative? Ditto. Enthralling? Yep of course. So what more do you need to know ?
“Valley of the Scarecrow” is one of those horror stories that postulates the existence of actual evil, not just psychological misfitting, but real, down-to-earth (or down-to-Hades) evil. Way back during the Great Depression in America, a community of Scottish immigrants following the directives of their pastor, found their crops bountiful and prospering. The problem was, the preacher was enriching himself at the expense of surrounding communities, and he wasn’t growing these incredibly expansive crops through prayer. Instead, he had dealt himself and the Community to “the Man in Black.” Worse comes to worse, and a group of men from the small community unite to stop this devilishness, in a horrifying way.
Decades later, the son of one of that number, now in his eighties, makes the mistake of mentioning the anecdote to his granddaughter, and speaks of the Reverend’s treasure. Greed is set afoot, and she and her ex-boyfriend and several of their best friends decide to hunt the lost community and dig up the treasure, wherever and whatever it may be. Treasure is not all they discover, though.
5 stars
Did I find this book SCARY? You bet. Imaginative? Ditto. Enthralling? Yep of course. So what more do you need to know ?
“Valley of the Scarecrow” is one of those horror stories that postulates the existence of actual evil, not just psychological misfitting, but real, down-to-earth (or down-to-Hades) evil. Way back during the Great Depression in America, a community of Scottish immigrants following the directives of their pastor, found their crops bountiful and prospering. The problem was, the preacher was enriching himself at the expense of surrounding communities, and he wasn’t growing these incredibly expansive crops through prayer. Instead, he had dealt himself and the Community to “the Man in Black.” Worse comes to worse, and a group of men from the small community unite to stop this devilishness, in a horrifying way.
Decades later, the son of one of that number, now in his eighties, makes the mistake of mentioning the anecdote to his granddaughter, and speaks of the Reverend’s treasure. Greed is set afoot, and she and her ex-boyfriend and several of their best friends decide to hunt the lost community and dig up the treasure, wherever and whatever it may be. Treasure is not all they discover, though.
November 2, 2012
I can see this book totally as a great Horror Movie. The pacing was fantastic and it was a very fast read. Gord did an excellent job with the main protagonist Kelly and you cared what happened to her and her friends. The novel did have some cliche moments but this is a Horror story after all and I felt they worked perfect within the context of the story. Joshua Miller was an excellent villain and even though he doesn't make an appearance until half way through the novel the story still held a great atmosphere and a good backstory which could have been expanded upon further.
This was a perfect Halloween read and another strong outing from Gord Rollo. Probably my favorite of his so far but I still need to read a couple of more. Looking forward to his next and hopefully a sequel.
This was a perfect Halloween read and another strong outing from Gord Rollo. Probably my favorite of his so far but I still need to read a couple of more. Looking forward to his next and hopefully a sequel.
October 19, 2011
Let's be honest here... this book is a written form of a B-movie horror film. Six kids hear about the legend of Miller's Grove and the treasure that may be there. Even though they are warned not to go, guess what? They go. And as they look for the treasure, they do soemthing stupid that awakens the monster and they are whacked one by one. This really isn't a spoiler because you know this is going to happen from the very beginning. Anyway, the writing is sharp, the villain is neat, and ther ending leaves the opening for a sequel. Of you are looking for King/Barker - esque psychologicla horror, this is not for you. But if you are looking for a quick read full of blood and gore, then by all means, take a peak.
April 8, 2012
Had there not been many egregious errors of usage in this book (I read the Kindle version), I would give it another star. It seriously annoys me when republishers cannot take the trouble to proofread a book that has been prepped for re-release. I'm no less literate because I like to read on a device rather than to fight with a paper volume.
That being said, this was a pretty creepy story; the animate scarecrow is one of those under-exploited monsters, and this one is quite vile and mean. The story makes a couple of turns that I hadn't bothered to expect, so they were pleasing when I came upon them. As always, I like a little less sex with my violence, but that puts me in the minority, so I'll just mention that without complaining too hard. It's a good read.
That being said, this was a pretty creepy story; the animate scarecrow is one of those under-exploited monsters, and this one is quite vile and mean. The story makes a couple of turns that I hadn't bothered to expect, so they were pleasing when I came upon them. As always, I like a little less sex with my violence, but that puts me in the minority, so I'll just mention that without complaining too hard. It's a good read.
November 5, 2011
This book doesn't really get going until the good old Rev wakes up and by that point i was already 80% through...
The villain was plenty nasty as were the deaths but if im honest it didn't really hold any suprises and i felt like id already seen it all before in a million low budget horror flicks.
The villain was plenty nasty as were the deaths but if im honest it didn't really hold any suprises and i felt like id already seen it all before in a million low budget horror flicks.
August 21, 2013
This was a fun little cheese-fest. Remember how you'd rent a cheap horror film just because of the terrific art on the box? Same thing here. It's a lot of dumb people doing even dumber things. Logic and common sense are nowhere to be found. By no means is this novel blazing new trails, but if you are looking for mindless entertainment, this is it.
September 15, 2011
The dialog seemed forced and the characters were not well developed. The story did not pick up steam until about halfway through the book. I did enjoy the imagery and the overall story was unique. I do not recommend.
January 1, 2014
This is a great dark tale of the supernatural in Iowa, and though no one in the Midwest says "Bleedin'" any more than they say "Blimey," the brilliant subject matter allows you to overlook it. How can one lose with a horror story about a scarecrow?
January 8, 2014
It was like a really bad 80's slasher film. Things finally picked up with the evil Scarecrow finally shows up during the last 100 pages and then it got to be a lot of fun but mostly I felt disappointed with this.
July 10, 2015
I have never before read a book that tried so hard to be frightening, using every cliche and overused trope.
July 15, 2020
Had a high anticipation about this book. Expecting very high and thought it may be fulfil my need of best horror, but the book did nothing but giving meh filling so far...
There's a reverend guy who had been murdered very cruelly and there's nothing at the he could do to protect himself. It was many years ago and when Kelly, Dan, Rich, Kim, Pat and Lizzie all of them were on the mission to fins his legacy they had no idea that they were actually going get some hell of an experience which they will never forget...
That's actually the main plot of this book by not revealing any spoiler of it. So then while I was reading it from the beginning I thought well it gonna be a great read for me. But the characters development and many unnecessary description or say dialogue didn't match the hype I was looking for. It was all I could do just finished it as early as possible. In the middle of this story I just couldn't find the flow of it specifically about those characters. But in some point the book did provide something good with story itaelf. But overall it disappointed me. The last part I would say seem ok but should be more shorten, gore scenario, creepy environment well they were all there but even though somehow I didn't enjoy it very much. Anyway because of the ending part of this book I can give it 1 more extra star to it which is 3vin total 5 rating number...
Better luck for me? Well that would be next time...
There's a reverend guy who had been murdered very cruelly and there's nothing at the he could do to protect himself. It was many years ago and when Kelly, Dan, Rich, Kim, Pat and Lizzie all of them were on the mission to fins his legacy they had no idea that they were actually going get some hell of an experience which they will never forget...
That's actually the main plot of this book by not revealing any spoiler of it. So then while I was reading it from the beginning I thought well it gonna be a great read for me. But the characters development and many unnecessary description or say dialogue didn't match the hype I was looking for. It was all I could do just finished it as early as possible. In the middle of this story I just couldn't find the flow of it specifically about those characters. But in some point the book did provide something good with story itaelf. But overall it disappointed me. The last part I would say seem ok but should be more shorten, gore scenario, creepy environment well they were all there but even though somehow I didn't enjoy it very much. Anyway because of the ending part of this book I can give it 1 more extra star to it which is 3vin total 5 rating number...
Better luck for me? Well that would be next time...
May 2, 2023
This was a fun slasher novel overall, but that came with very over-managed expectations on my part. I typically don't mind poor dialogue or awful characters in stories that aren't meant to be literary, but dude, some of this was too much.
Kelly, the protagonist, was intolerable. Patronizing, whiny, and plain stupid. Especially towards her grandfather Malcolm. I get that Malcolm raving about white magic and the Man in Black sounds ridiculous, but Kelly's response to almost every word out of his mouth was unrealistically condescending.
Also, the dialogue issue. I get Gord is from Scotland. I read the author bio. This is a fact I am aware of. What I want to know is, how many young adults in 2010 Iowa are using the words "bugger" and "bloody" in every other sentence? I think most millennials have memories of that weird kid in school, usually the anime kid, who would talk in a bad British-adjacent accent for a semester because he wasn't being bullied hard enough. But these characters were all supposed to be intelligent, normal, well rounded young people. My eyes rolled out of my head and I'm blind now.
Good story though. Liked the ending.
Kelly, the protagonist, was intolerable. Patronizing, whiny, and plain stupid. Especially towards her grandfather Malcolm. I get that Malcolm raving about white magic and the Man in Black sounds ridiculous, but Kelly's response to almost every word out of his mouth was unrealistically condescending.
Also, the dialogue issue. I get Gord is from Scotland. I read the author bio. This is a fact I am aware of. What I want to know is, how many young adults in 2010 Iowa are using the words "bugger" and "bloody" in every other sentence? I think most millennials have memories of that weird kid in school, usually the anime kid, who would talk in a bad British-adjacent accent for a semester because he wasn't being bullied hard enough. But these characters were all supposed to be intelligent, normal, well rounded young people. My eyes rolled out of my head and I'm blind now.
Good story though. Liked the ending.
January 10, 2021
Many years back, I read a nasty little novel called Jigsaw Man and loved it. It was incredibly original, maniacally brutal, and a blast to read. A few years after I picked up Crimson and...did not really enjoy it. When I learned about Valley of the Scarecrow, however, I knew this would be what put Gord Rollo back on my best of list.
I was wrong.
Valley of the Scarecrow SHOULD have been a fun romp into 80's horror movie homage. It wasn't. Somehow, a book about a murderous scarecrow reverend became boring. Seriously. I slogged through its 322 pages as if it were 600. By the end, I was just glad to be done. Should I have DNFed it? Maybe. Am I glad I didn't? Again, maybe. There were some cool scenes and the concept was good. For a much better B-horror homage find a copy of Camp McClane by Grant Fieldgrove.
I was wrong.
Valley of the Scarecrow SHOULD have been a fun romp into 80's horror movie homage. It wasn't. Somehow, a book about a murderous scarecrow reverend became boring. Seriously. I slogged through its 322 pages as if it were 600. By the end, I was just glad to be done. Should I have DNFed it? Maybe. Am I glad I didn't? Again, maybe. There were some cool scenes and the concept was good. For a much better B-horror homage find a copy of Camp McClane by Grant Fieldgrove.
October 10, 2024
I enjoyed this book. Characters were good, protagonist was very good. I’m a fan of 80’s slasher movies and this book fits the category perfectly. Just a good classic slasher, it was like reading a movie almost. Most books they try to make into movies they leave out parts and little stuff that really make the book much better. If they made this book a movie 10/10 would watch. Oh! Don’t care for overly super natural books. This one had just the right amount, which is a little. The scarecrow walks at midnight.
October 27, 2020
3.75 and I'm rounding up to 4.
3 for the book as a whole - there wasn't a whole lot of character development, and it the writing seemed a little stilted in places. Maybe it would have been better as a novella? Because I'm added .25 for the short story at the end that gave more context for the type of person the eventual scarecrow was - it was tighter.
And a whole half star for the monster itself. That was some fun-as-heck lore, and made a scarecrow truly spooky!
3 for the book as a whole - there wasn't a whole lot of character development, and it the writing seemed a little stilted in places. Maybe it would have been better as a novella? Because I'm added .25 for the short story at the end that gave more context for the type of person the eventual scarecrow was - it was tighter.
And a whole half star for the monster itself. That was some fun-as-heck lore, and made a scarecrow truly spooky!
March 16, 2018
I absolutely love Gord Rollo......real 'old fashioned' horror. This particular book made me a picture a real teen horror type movie.... What I loved was there wasn't a 'happy ever after' with certain characters surviving holiday style and the end was brill......
June 24, 2025
B movie in book form.
A town cursed and forgotten, an evil preacher, and a buried treasure. Deaths are as nasty as Rollo’s other books, the man doesn’t disappoint.
I want to see this as a movie. Even a found footage one like what Tim and Travis wanted to do.
A town cursed and forgotten, an evil preacher, and a buried treasure. Deaths are as nasty as Rollo’s other books, the man doesn’t disappoint.
I want to see this as a movie. Even a found footage one like what Tim and Travis wanted to do.
January 16, 2019
The literary equivalent of a bad 80s slasher, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Valley of the Scarecrow uses basic horror tropes to its advantage in this bloody, scare filled joy ride.
Valley of the Scarecrow uses basic horror tropes to its advantage in this bloody, scare filled joy ride.
Read
March 10, 2011A small Iowa town has a dark past tracing back to the 1930s. While other neighboring communities fell victim to drought and disease that plagued the Midwest, Miller’s Grove continued to thrive; crops swelled and their leader, Reverend Joshua Miller, believes all thanks belongs to him. Instead of sharing the bounty, he gouges the neighboring communities for every bit of cash and gold they own as payment for his endless supply of grain. When his followers witness the Reverend’s devilish dealings, they cut their ties to the devil by stringing the Reverend to a cross inside their church, boarding him up inside, and abandoning the town.
Now, in present day Cedar Rapids, Iowa, rumors of Miller’s Grove have resurfaced. Kelly Tucker learns that her grandfather bore witness to the events of 1936- and also learns of the gold and jewels reportedly stashed away. Against her grandfather’s vehement protests, Kelly decides to seek the treasure. Kelly and her friends set out to find Miller’s Grove and its hidden treasure, stumble upon the church, and discover a still-bountiful cornfield. Their search turns up far more than they bargained for when they awaken the Reverend Joshua Miller, still tied to the cross, and very, very angry with his lost flock of followers. Instead of finding the treasure, Kelly and her friends need to find a way out of the woods and to safety before the Reverend takes a sickle to their necks.
Valley of the Scarecrow reminds me of the perfect 80s horror flick; a sort of twisted combination of the Children of the Corn meets Michael Meyers in Halloween. It even reads just like an 80s horror flick, from the oversexed teenagers who always do exactly what they shouldn’t do and get killed for it, to the lone teenager survivor, to the “oh-my-God-no-way”! death and dismemberment scenes. The tale can be a bit predictable at times, but that’s what always made 80s horror flicks so great, too. You know exactly what’s going to happen and want to scream at the characters not to do it, but of course, they don’t listen. And just with any good 80s horror movie, in Valley of the Scarecrow, the tale ends with the Reverend angrier than ever and ready for more blood – leaving the plot wide open for a sequel. I thoroughly enjoyed Valley of the Scarecrow and look forward to more of Gord Rollo’s horrific tales in the future.
Recommended for adult horror fiction collections in public libraries.
Contains: sexual content, graphic language, gore, violence
Reviewed by: Kelly Fann
Now, in present day Cedar Rapids, Iowa, rumors of Miller’s Grove have resurfaced. Kelly Tucker learns that her grandfather bore witness to the events of 1936- and also learns of the gold and jewels reportedly stashed away. Against her grandfather’s vehement protests, Kelly decides to seek the treasure. Kelly and her friends set out to find Miller’s Grove and its hidden treasure, stumble upon the church, and discover a still-bountiful cornfield. Their search turns up far more than they bargained for when they awaken the Reverend Joshua Miller, still tied to the cross, and very, very angry with his lost flock of followers. Instead of finding the treasure, Kelly and her friends need to find a way out of the woods and to safety before the Reverend takes a sickle to their necks.
Valley of the Scarecrow reminds me of the perfect 80s horror flick; a sort of twisted combination of the Children of the Corn meets Michael Meyers in Halloween. It even reads just like an 80s horror flick, from the oversexed teenagers who always do exactly what they shouldn’t do and get killed for it, to the lone teenager survivor, to the “oh-my-God-no-way”! death and dismemberment scenes. The tale can be a bit predictable at times, but that’s what always made 80s horror flicks so great, too. You know exactly what’s going to happen and want to scream at the characters not to do it, but of course, they don’t listen. And just with any good 80s horror movie, in Valley of the Scarecrow, the tale ends with the Reverend angrier than ever and ready for more blood – leaving the plot wide open for a sequel. I thoroughly enjoyed Valley of the Scarecrow and look forward to more of Gord Rollo’s horrific tales in the future.
Recommended for adult horror fiction collections in public libraries.
Contains: sexual content, graphic language, gore, violence
Reviewed by: Kelly Fann
February 6, 2014
*SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT*
This book is like the summary depicts. It’s a slasher type of book that feels like a book version of Friday the 13th; teenagers camping out and they get killed one by one, etcetera. Since the concept of the book wasn't meant to be difficult, this book isn't rocket science, but Gord Rollo delivers in what he tried to do. It’s a fun slasher book that was a good read.
Now the story is not gruesome or anything (nothing like his book Jigsaw), as the story is really pulled along by the mythology Rollo sets up. The back story as to what is happening is at the forefront, whereas the slasher parts and character development are lesser parts. And I thought the mythology was pretty decent and fun to read.
The mythology is about an old farming village called Miller's Grove, named after the Reverend Miller, where a group of settlers were farming in the 1900's. But things started to get weird when the Great Depression hit and Miller's Grove started turning out great crops, and the village was rolling in money while all the surrounding farmers couldn't farm anything. Suspicion grew in the village as to why this was occurring and it came back to the reverend Miller, who was in league with The Dark Man or the Devil as some believed. So the settlers left and left Reverent Miller crucified inside his church. Now fast forward to the current day and one of the ancestors of the village is a girl named Kelly, and she goes back to Miller's Grove to find the gold that was supposedly left behind when the villagers left the grove. And she brings her young friends with her to search for the money, and as you can expect all hell breaks loose.
As I said I liked the story, but I'll give it 3 out of 5 stars because it’s a lightweight story and focuses more on scares. But I still recommend reading it if you like Rollo, as I enjoyed it. It also comes with a bonus short story that shows the village when it is starting to turn evil. It’s a great accompaniment to the novel.
This book is like the summary depicts. It’s a slasher type of book that feels like a book version of Friday the 13th; teenagers camping out and they get killed one by one, etcetera. Since the concept of the book wasn't meant to be difficult, this book isn't rocket science, but Gord Rollo delivers in what he tried to do. It’s a fun slasher book that was a good read.
Now the story is not gruesome or anything (nothing like his book Jigsaw), as the story is really pulled along by the mythology Rollo sets up. The back story as to what is happening is at the forefront, whereas the slasher parts and character development are lesser parts. And I thought the mythology was pretty decent and fun to read.
The mythology is about an old farming village called Miller's Grove, named after the Reverend Miller, where a group of settlers were farming in the 1900's. But things started to get weird when the Great Depression hit and Miller's Grove started turning out great crops, and the village was rolling in money while all the surrounding farmers couldn't farm anything. Suspicion grew in the village as to why this was occurring and it came back to the reverend Miller, who was in league with The Dark Man or the Devil as some believed. So the settlers left and left Reverent Miller crucified inside his church. Now fast forward to the current day and one of the ancestors of the village is a girl named Kelly, and she goes back to Miller's Grove to find the gold that was supposedly left behind when the villagers left the grove. And she brings her young friends with her to search for the money, and as you can expect all hell breaks loose.
As I said I liked the story, but I'll give it 3 out of 5 stars because it’s a lightweight story and focuses more on scares. But I still recommend reading it if you like Rollo, as I enjoyed it. It also comes with a bonus short story that shows the village when it is starting to turn evil. It’s a great accompaniment to the novel.
August 27, 2014
This is a difficult rating to select. Depending on where you are coming from as a horror fan will make all the difference in what you think of Valley of the Scarecrow.
In this effort Gord Rollo pays homage to the slasher movie era. Admittedly that era is not for everyone, and a great many people dislike it. I happen to enjoy them, both for the popcorn munching fun factor and the nostalgia.
Rollo hits the nail on the head in recapturing the slasher era feel. Not the sheer brilliance of Carpenter's Halloween, but the over-the-top fun of the early Friday the 13th efforts, The Final Terror, and more. The characters are stereotypical, and that seems to be intentional to stay "in character" with the era.
I like the pacing, and the prose is fine. Valley is a horror novel which doesn't aspire to break new ground. It just wants you to have fun.
If you are a fan of the cheese which the slasher era epitomized, then this is a 4 star selection. If you don't like those movies, then this is 2 star selection. I took the average...yeah probably not the best decision. But there you have it.
In this effort Gord Rollo pays homage to the slasher movie era. Admittedly that era is not for everyone, and a great many people dislike it. I happen to enjoy them, both for the popcorn munching fun factor and the nostalgia.
Rollo hits the nail on the head in recapturing the slasher era feel. Not the sheer brilliance of Carpenter's Halloween, but the over-the-top fun of the early Friday the 13th efforts, The Final Terror, and more. The characters are stereotypical, and that seems to be intentional to stay "in character" with the era.
I like the pacing, and the prose is fine. Valley is a horror novel which doesn't aspire to break new ground. It just wants you to have fun.
If you are a fan of the cheese which the slasher era epitomized, then this is a 4 star selection. If you don't like those movies, then this is 2 star selection. I took the average...yeah probably not the best decision. But there you have it.
December 13, 2014
I was disappointing in this book. I was looking forward to it and drove right in, especially reading this in October. I ended up disappointed and it took a very long time to actually get into the action and death. There was a lot of buildup and nothing really happened until the last quarter of the book. This isn't what I expected for a book about a deadly killer Scarecrow.
It reminded me of one of those cheesy slasher 80's movies but this wasn't going for a lot of gore so you missed out on a lot.
It reminded me of one of those cheesy slasher 80's movies but this wasn't going for a lot of gore so you missed out on a lot.
August 30, 2013
This was a very well written scary scarecrow story. Maybe one of the best Halloween stories yet. If not made into a movie already would make for a great slasher film (I know they would ruin though - they wouldn't get the scarecrow right and they would blow the religion part out of proportion and over-sex the young couples for the movie). The back story is what did it though. It was the best part. It is what brought everything to life and made the story so scary and fun to read. I know they left it that there could be a sequel to this book and that would be fine. The writer is very imaginitive and seems to know how to make the story flow just right.
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