The Ravenous

In the Ravenous, author T. M. Gray brings together a number of relatively familiar icons of horror fiction - Druids, creepy forests, small towns on the edge of nowhere that the world has forgotten, and ancient, buried secrets, the shoots them off in unique and interesting directions. The novel is set in the fictional town of Gotham Creek, Maine, tucked in under the ancient branches of oaks too tall to be growing where they are and forgotten by everyone until a pilot passes on the location of the trees to an interested environmentalist, who makes it his duty to invade. With the National Forestry Service, the FBI, and at least one tree-hugging anarchist invading, and their secret society corroding from the inside, the residents of Gotham Creek have a world of trouble looming. The trees aren't happy - and these are big, hungry, unpleasant trees - the bad Ents from Tolkien fed by the lottery of Shirley Jackson. Virgins are a hot commodity, and the young people of the town are ready to break and run because they are starting to discover the secrets of their fathers the hard way. Gotham Creek is a Druid town. It has been for countless generations, and it's a comfortable place to live for nine of every ten years. This is the tenth, and things are going to hell -- fast. Murder. Secret rituals, and a cast of unforgettable characters involved in everything from loose sex to ritual sacrifice make this a fast-paced, entertaining read. While not tall on terror, you'll remember the characters and the trees for a long time to come. The Ravenous is a fine effort from a bright new talent. Recommended.

T.M. Gray is a gifted writer. She is an illusionist, a seductress, a black widow spider, drawing readers into her web of deceptions, and then devouring them wholly. The Ravenous successfully explores the territory of ancient lore, religion and custom without straying from the modern yet colorfully-locale settings that are her hallmarks. A fast and satisfying read. I loved it, just like I love all her books. In my house T.M. Gray's novels are a must read. Don't miss this one! Mark Edward Hall Author of The Lost Village and The Holocaust Opera