Perhaps I was expecting a different kind of book...something a little more apocalyptic.The characters are well written, however some are a little one dimensional. To be fair, the one dimensional characters are supporting characters. However, I felt that the Enid Walker character could have been fleshed out a little better.The creatures central to the story, The Huldufolk, are intriguing and definitely the only truly original aspect of the book.The non-linear story telling was handled well but it seemed to be abandoned quickly in the second half of the book.Basically, the book starts out promising. I thought it would be similar to "Salem's Lot" or "They Thirst" (two better books than this one). However, it quickly turns into a "Slasher flick" kind of story only you have the Huldufolk instead of Jason or Freddy...as well as a much lower body count.If you want a "TRUE" synopsis, it's this: A bunch of teenagers go exploring caves in a state park and get attacked by Huldufolk, who are kind of like vampires, only they steal skin instead of blood. The predictable stuff happens and the book ends. It's not bad for a quick read but don't expect to be blown away.
When a teenage girl and her sister accept a quiet, mentally disturbed man into their home for a weekend visit as part of his rehabilitation, they become involved in the resurrection of Icelandic demons that had been brought from overseas years before.This story is mostly set in the 70s but has several extended flashbacks to the early 1900s. These flashbacks are really the highlight of the book; John Farris’s writing is quite elegant, even poetic. The more contemporary sections are written more crudely, but the story is involving. Farris doesn’t rush into the horror. He takes his time developing characters, and it pays off as we follow them on the individual journeys they take on the night of horror that concludes this fine novel.
What do You think about Fiends (1990)?
When a teenage girl and her sister accept a quiet, mentally disturbed man into their home for a weekend visit as part of his rehabilitation, they become involved in the resurrection of Icelandic demons that had been brought from overseas years before.This story is mostly set in the 70s but has several extended flashbacks to the early 1900s. These flashbacks are really the highlight of the book; John Farris's writing is quite elegant, even poetic. The more contemporary sections are written more crudely, but the story is involving. Farris doesn't rush into the horror. He takes his time developing characters, and it pays off as we follow them on the individual journeys they take on the night of horror that concludes this fine novel.
—David B
