Dark Hollow

A great and welcomed addition to "the monster in the woods" tales. Keene knows the tradition he is working in and makes nods to the greats that came before him, especially Arthur Machen's work.

Most people that have read a Brian Keene novel probably associate him with zombies and for good reason. His novels The Rising, City of the Dead, and Dead Sea are among the top novels in the zombie sub-genre. Don't let these three fool you into thinking that Keene is just another guy writing a zombie novel. Dark Hollow one of his three non-zombie horror novel and his best writing to date. The story of Dark Hollow follows the fledgling writer Adam Senft who accidentally becomes central to a plot steeped in ancient myth and magic. Adam lives in the prototypical all-American neighborhood complete with neighbors who are not just neighbors but good friends. These neighbors join Adam in defending their wives and neighbors against the terror who lives within the dark and shadows of LeHorn's Hollow, while people disappear and suspicion is cast upon them. First I have to say that if blatant and in your face (no pun intended, OK maybe it was intended) sexual scenes turn you off, you might be done with this book after the first line. That is not to say that this book is all about sex, it most certainly is not, but it most definitely is a part of the story. Since Dark Hollow is centered around an evil Satyr (they are known for their uncontrollable sex drive) it only stands to reason that sex should have a role in the novel. I only mention this so that kids or people who may be offended by sexual content don't mistakenly buy this book. For the rest of the people like me that have no problem with sexual content, if done well, the Dark Hollow is highly original and entertaining. Keene plays on both mythology and pagan like magic. I found it very interesting that Keene included Pow-wow magic (a folk religion & magic system of the Pennsylvania Dutch) in the story. I have always been interested in folk magic , as I call it, but had yet to read anything on this system. Pow-wow magic added another layer of mystery and something deeper, darker to the story. However, for others it will simply strain their suspension of disbelief even further than finding out that a Satyr is the one responsible for the evil of LeHorn's Hollow. What Keene really managed to get right is a sense of knowing each and every character involved in the book ,in appropriate depth, given their importance to the plot. You know Adam near as well as yourself by the end of the book, broken down marriage, cowardly dog, insecurities and all. At the other end of the spectrum we don't have characters that are built up and then don't play an important role in the story. Dark Hollow also points a big red arrow at male insecurity. Something tells me that if you are a man reading this book certain things will ring true with you and others will make you squirm in your seat. In the end Dark Hollow is great read if you like horror. I started out thinking it might be silly reading a horror book about darn satyr. How could a fictional beast be scary? Well, I was proven wrong. Not only is Dark Hollow

I won't say much about this book, other than it was a phenomenal story written by a phenomenal author. You've read the synopsis. You know what it's about. I will say this. I loved the realness of the story, you know, passages like knowing about Big Steve getting his nails cut, the length of time it took the guys to get back home on foot, etc. There was so much of this in this book, nothing was skimmed over or pushed to the side. No unanswered questions. There was thought put into this story. There was so much emotion. And yes, I'm being cliche here, it tugged at the heartstrings. Just be surprised for who the real hero is in this story....or not.

I think it's a safe bet that in the horror section of any bookstore, there are more books under "K" than any other author. It's almost certain given since Stephen King and Dean Koontz are a couple of the biggest selling authors, each with an extensive list of titles that remain in print. According to the back of Dark Hollow, the Horror Review calls Brian Keene the next Stephen King. That may be a bit of hyperbole; more likely, he will be the author next to Stephen King in the bookstore. Actually, Dark Hollow is a pretty good book and there is a certain King-like quality to it. After all, the main character is a writer (very common to King protagonists) and he likes to throw in rock `n roll references here and there (another King trait). The hero in Dark Hollow is Adam Senft, a writer who is just beginning to be successful enough to be a full-time novelist. He and his wife Tara live in a small Pennsylvania town that abuts a large, old forest. One morning while walking his dog, Adam goes into the forest and stumbles upon a female neighbor indulging in rather kinky acts with what turns out to be a satyr. Of course, Adam doesn't realize this at first, but soon enough, he realizes that there is a supernatural being living in the forest, one that can play its pipes and hypnotically seduce any woman. As women begin to disappear, and even Tara hears the call of the satyr, Adam recruits his nearby friends to take action. This will involve looking into a decades-old murder case as well as more excursions into the forest, where it will turn out the satyr is not the only strange creature. Keene may not stylistically be the most original author, but he works well in the horror genre. Dark Hollow is an effective thriller which keeps the pages turning and leads to a satisfying concluding twist. He may not be Stephen King, but Keene is still worth reading.

As others have already noted here, any fan of contemporary horror fiction needs to put this one on their reading list for '08. Keene's ability to create nuanced, utterly believable characters and place than in surreal, deeply frightening situations has never been so powerfully employed. The atmosphere in these pages is so thick you can almost feel yourself getting sucked in as the story moves along. Highly recommended, and I'd urge anyone who enjoys Keene's work to also check out Crimson Orgy by Austin Williams, another superb new horror thriller that kept me up late at night.

A lot of times we read a lot of hype on book covers telling us that the author is the future of horror or "the next Stephen King" etc. In the case of Brian Keene, it really is the truth. He is an amazing novelist. Although this is not my personal favorite of his novels, it is a very enjoyable, disturbing, ORIGINAL read. I've read hundred of horror novels but this is truly one of the more unique ones. A great book.