Darker Than Night

Rating:
Summary: Average ghost story at best
Review: "Darker Than Night", the second novel by Bram Stoker Award winner, Owl Goingback, has a pretty average plot and is just lukewarm in the area of chills and thrills. That being said, this is still a pretty good read.

The plot revolves around the boyhood home of horror writer Michael Anthony who leaves New York to reclaim the home when his grandmother passes away. The townfolk of the rural Missouri community refuse to open their arms to their newest resident because they fear his motives for reclaiming the property. Many of the residents ridiculed Anthony's grandmother as a lunatic who "saw things in the night". Most are suspicious of his motivation and don't want their community to be used as the site for one of his novels. All Anthony wants is to relocate his family away from the hustle and bustle of New York City.

It takes his children a while to warm up to the house and it's surroundings. And, it's not long until the strange sounds and shapes that Anthony's grandmother spoke of seeing begin to appear to the house's new residents. As Anthony and his family begin to question their sanity they soon find themselves in a fight for survival against Indian spirits from an underworld world who are using the old home as a portal into this world.

Goingback gives the reader great insight on Indian lore and superstitions. He obviously has done his research in this area and he writes from the heart. It's just that there's not enough action to really drive the plot and the spirits from the underworld ("boogers" - and isn't that an unfortunate name) don't have enough "character" to really put the reader into the plot.

Owl Goingback IS a promising young author who will write many good books during his career. Here's hoping that his later novels will have more suspense plus a deeper plot than he gives us in "Darker Than Night".

My list of Goingback novels in order of appeal are:
1) Crota
2) Evil Whispers
3) Breed
4) Darker Than Night

Rating:
Summary: Eerie!
Review: I enjoyed Darker Than Night, not a much as Crota, but still a fun read. It is so hard to find good horror books these days. Owl Goingback has a bright future before him. His plot and characters are well thought out and executed. Darker Than Night is a bit predictable, but still a fun read. I found a lot of this book spooky and unnerving. Old houses and things that go bump in the night type of scary. I had just a little bit of trouble with what the author called his monsters. Next time give them a really good Native American name. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Goingback in the future.

Rating:
Summary: Goingback Delivers - Period
Review: Michael Anthony inherits his childhood home from his eccentric grandmother. He decides to move his family from the unsafe New York streets to the farmhouse of his youth in a small Missouri town. Michael who cannot recall much of his childhood due to painful past memories is in for some real problems. Upon arrival they find hundreds of kachina dolls, lots of local hostility and an insane local man who knows more than they think and maybe isn't so crazy. As in any great horror novel things degenerate rapidly. The family cat is mutilated and shadows with claws start stalking Michael's kids and wife. Horrible faces appear on the floors and walls, faces of ancient evil spirits who are trying to come up from below to our world. This book is complete with Indian legends and edge of your seat suspense. Goingback, with his unique voice and tight writing did it again! He is also the author of the Bram Stoker winning Crota which is another find and well worth your time.

Rating:
Summary: Slow burning and well crafted horror yarn
Review: Michael Anthony is -like the author ,Owl Goingback-an award winning horror novelist .He relocates to a small town in Missouri from New York City with Holly ,his wife ,and their two children ,teenage Megan and young son Tommy.
He has been left a small and remote house in the woods by his grandmother ,Vivian Martin who had raised him on the death of his parents in a car accident.It is not long before he is compelled to question the wisdom of his decision --faces begin to thrust upward from the floor of his kitchen ,cracks appear in the walls and a fetid wind blows from between the cracks,Mysterious shadowy beings appear and threaten him and his family.
Add to this the hostility of the local minister to the very idea of a horror novelist in the midst of their community ,and an unwelcoming atmosphere in general ,based on his grandmothers reputation for being a crackpot ,and things are stacked up against the family being able to settle in their new home.

The secret of the house and its location are slowly revealed and tension built up deftly and without recourse to bucketfuls of gore ,but with instead a reliance on atmosphere and characterization .In short this is not an "in your face "horror tale a la Laymon or Hutson but one that reveals its depths slowly and subtly.

Good use of Native American lore and religion give an edge to the book which I recommend to lovers of the horror genre .I could have done with a little more about the community and the hostility of the residents to the newcomers ,a theme taken up but never really developed .This is a minor caveat however and the book abounds with good descriptive writing and biulds to a powerful climax .

Rating:
Summary: SPOOKY! Had Me Looking Under My Bed At Night!
Review: This book is by far my favorite from Goingback. Finally a book that delivers chills down your spine! Great for reading at night but beware don't read it alone!!!

Rating:
Summary: Creepy Shadows
Review: This is a long overdue review. In this novel, the author entered old superstitions. A man and his family move to a new area. The house they move into happens to be the center for a breed of demons that show themselves as shadows. Ever think you see something move from the corner of your eye and when you look, it's not there? Kinda' like that only these shadows sometimes alowed themsevles to be seen. This novel was a smooth read. Surely worth a read!

Rating:
Summary: Well-written horror with great descriptions
Review: This is the first book that I have read by Owl Goingback. I fully intend to read others. The novel is very well written and the prose very evokative at times. For example, the opening paragraph of the novel describes the darkness as moving "over the land like a hungry beast...scurrying up the driveway to press its cold black nose against the windows of an old farmhouse."
The novel is about a horror novelist who moves his family from New York to Missouri into the house that he grew up in after his grandmother dies. After they move into the house, they find ample evidence of what they believe to be her "eccentricities." But after a while, they discover that maybe she knew what she was doing after all.
The book had several creepy moments, but also had a lot of predictable ones. Overall though, it was an enjoyable read.

Rating:
Summary: Well-written horror with great descriptions
Review: This is the first book that I have read by Owl Goingback. I fully intend to read others. The novel is very well written and the prose very evokative at times. For example, the opening paragraph of the novel describes the darkness as moving "over the land like a hungry beast...scurrying up the driveway to press its cold black nose against the windows of an old farmhouse."
The novel is about a horror novelist who moves his family from New York to Missouri into the house that he grew up in after his grandmother dies. After they move into the house, they find ample evidence of what they believe to be her "eccentricities." But after a while, they discover that maybe she knew what she was doing after all.
The book had several creepy moments, but also had a lot of predictable ones. Overall though, it was an enjoyable read.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: This is the second book by Goingback I read and all I can say is WOW! Goingbacks a talented writer that knows how to tap into horror and scare the bejesus out of you.

Michael Anthony is a horror writer and he's going back to here he grew up. He likes it there, but not everyone wants him back. the townspeople think he's cursed. Why? His grandma was knows as the town loon. She was known to shoot holes in the walls and call the police b/c she sees shadows. But maybe she wasn't that crazy. Mike and his familty move into his Grandama's house...soon, Mike and his family will learn what true terror is...and try to find help in a town that doesn't want him.

I like how Goingback has a lot of Native American culture in his books. If you dont' know a lot about the Native American culture (like me) he bring it down to a basic level.

This book is well written, has wonderful plot twists, on the edge of your seat horror, and wodnderful characters that you want to know more aobut. I highly urge you to read this book. You won't be sorry.

Rating:
Summary: Goingback's Great !!
Review: This novel is as good as mr. Goingback's first horror novel Crota. A novelist, a haunted house and lots of Indian lore. Fun! Fun! Fun!