His Father's Son

I'm always a little excited when Little gets away from his "institutional" horror books (University, The Policy, etc.) and writes something different, because frequently those turn out to be his best books (The Ignored, Dispatch (Signet Novel), The House). And for most of its length, His Father's Son is an absolutely compelling read. In telling the story of a young man who hears a confession of murder from his dying father, Little creates a fascinating character who finds struggling to make peace with his past and his relationship with his parents. The story spirals, as you would expect from Little, into madness and bloodshed, but Little eschews his usual supernatural horror and instead keeps His Father's Son deeply into the realm of the real. It all builds up to a couple of major revelations at the end that manage to seem both shocking and entirely expected, and cast the events of the book in a massively different light. And then...the book just sort of ends. It's not that there was more story to tell - Little wraps up his threads and leaves the reader subtly unnerved by what's happened. And yet, the book feels like it's lacking a major conclusion or ending, with the reveals of the end just giving way to a "Here's what happened" epilogue. It's the one weak point of the book, which otherwise manages to be a fascinating and horrific study of a deeply confused and flawed man struggling to figure it all out.

I've not read all of Bentley's books but find this the most realistic, cynical, and in some ways brutal of those I have read. While some have noted this as a departure, I think it fits squarely in the Bentley worldview and has a bit more of a mystery element as well. Scott Nicholson, author The Red Church They Hunger

I really enjoyed this book. It's up there with my other Bentley Little favorites like "Dispatch", "The Store" and "The Ignored". I love Mr. Little's dark sense of humor.

Lots of people complaining that this isn't the Little they are used to...so what? When Bentley put out THE IGNORED, that was the same problem readers had...and now it is a classic. This novel is more scarier than most Little books because it has happened before...no ghosties, no vampires, werewolves, evil stores, evial home associations, etc. Thi sis about a son picking up where he thinks his dad has left off...and the want of a father's approval...all real things. A brilliant novel by the best horror writer woring today.

Steve has just received the shock of his life. His mother phones him at work, which never happens, to tell him that his father tried to kill her. Steve feels as if he's falling down a black hole. How could this happen? His parents aren't the lovey-dovey type but they don't even argue. When Steve realizes that this incident took place the day before, his conflicting emotions begin their disagreement. He can't decide if he is more angry or hurt that his mother didn't think he should have known about this altercation the day it happened. When Steve takes a trip to the hospital where his father is being kept for observation, he soon finds out that everything is not as it seems. A wonderful thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.