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Dark Harvest cover art

Dark Harvest

Written by: Norman Partridge
Narrated by: Vikas Adam
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Publisher's Summary

"This is contemporary American writing at its finest." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

Winner of the Stoker Award and named one of the 100 Best Novels of 2006 by Publishers Weekly, Dark Harvest is a powerhouse thrill-ride with all the resonance of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery".

Halloween, 1963. They call him the October Boy, or Ol' Hacksaw Face, or Sawtooth Jack. Whatever the name, everybody in this small Midwestern town knows who he is. How he rises from the cornfields every Halloween, a butcher knife in his hand, and makes his way toward town, where gangs of teenage boys eagerly await their chance to confront the legendary nightmare. Both the hunter and the hunted, the October Boy is the prize in an annual rite of life and death.

Pete McCormick knows that killing the October Boy is his one chance to escape a dead-end future in this one-horse town. He's willing to risk everything, including his life, to be a winner for once. But before the night is over, Pete will look into the saw-toothed face of horror - and discover the terrifying true secret of the October Boy....

©2007 Norman Partridge (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

What the critics say

2007 World Fantasy Award-Finalist

2007 Short-listed Bram Stoker Awards-Winner

“Probably the most exciting and original voice in horror literature to have appeared in the last decade.” (Peter Straub)

“A major new talent.” (Stephen King)

“This is contemporary American writing at its finest.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

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What listeners say about Dark Harvest

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Overhyped

The story was fine, notuing special really. The narrator was easy to listen to but i found he was a little over the top. I did not find the story as a whole scary at all. It was intresting but i dont believe i will ever revist or recomend.
i hooe you enjiy it more than I did.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Dark

Well written dark tale of every small town in middle America. a story we all know and participated in.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Perfect Halloween Read

A beautifully written, dark short story that is perfect for Halloween, DARK HARVEST tells the story of a small town with a brutal curse that sees young men chasing after a creature known as the October Boy in hopes of winning freedom from their city.

The story follows a large cast of characters who each have their moment and add to the town's bloody legacy. I found them all fairly interesting, particularly Pete and October Boy himself. Given the length of the story, there isn't a ton of time for development, but I still enjoyed what I got.

The prose is absolutely gorgeous, not a word wasted, and perfectly adapts what's being described to the reader's imagination. Having said that, the plot was a little hard to follow if you're not paying attention. There are bounces between characters and time, though the ending does prove to be quite satisfying.

This is a dark story, but I enjoyed it enormously as it ticked basically every box for Halloween. Highly recommended with low lighting and a warm drink!

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