Nothing in these woods could be more dreadful, more terrifying, than the selfish cruelty of ordinary people.
Summary:
With the 80’s nostalgia of Stranger Things, this horror drama from NYT bestselling author Christopher Golden follows neighborhood families and a mysterious, lurking evil on one Halloween day.
It’s Halloween night, 1984, in Coventry, Massachusetts, and two families are unraveling. Up and down the street, horrifying secrets are being revealed, and all the while, mixed in with the trick-or-treaters of all ages, four children who do not belong are walking door to door, merging with the kids of Parmenter Road. Children in vintage costumes with faded, eerie makeup. They seem terrified, and beg the neighborhood kids to hide them away, to keep them safe from The Cunning Man. There’s a small clearing in the woods now that was never there before, and a blackthorn tree that doesn’t belong at all. These odd children claim that The Cunning Man is coming for them…and they want the local kids to protect them. But with families falling apart and the neighborhood splintered by bitterness, who will save the children of Parmenter Road?
New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author Christopher Golden is best known for his supernatural thrillers set in deadly, distant locales…but in this suburban Halloween drama, Golden brings the horror home.
All Hallows. The one night when everything is a mask…
My Thoughts:
I didn’t love All Hallows, but this is the risk you run with horror. Some stories I like and others miss the mark. My only complaint with All Hallows is that I didn’t find it scary.
I enjoyed the storytelling and loved the feelings of nostalgia, but I wasn’t scared. I loved the creepy vibe, visualizing the kids in their costumes, and the neighborhood drama. I was so entertained by what was happening in the neighborhood I wasn’t spooked by The Cunning Man.
Overall, All Hallows is a thrilling book to be read during the spooky season. Towards the end, as in all horror books, the action kicks up, but not in a way that left me satisfied. I am 99% sure this is a personal preference, so if you are easily spooked you will be scared.
I will read more of Golden in the future but will go in with the assumption it will be more of a thriller, not a horror.
How simple things had been, once upon a time. In the era when children still played with Raggedy Ann, life had been so uncomplicated. Or at least it seemed that way. Though he knew, of course, that the past had its share of pain and ugliness.
Should you read All Hallows?
If you are looking for a thrilling book to keep the spooky vibes flowing, sure. If you are looking for horror, look elsewhere.
Lit Lemon Books 