The Calling: A Supernatural Thriller [Kindle Edition]

I actually got done reading this book yesterday, and had to think about it. I really liked the book, and will read it again, but for as few pages as it contains, Robert manages to get a lot of substance into a small space. Unlike some authors we all know, that use a lot of pages to say very little. Yes, the book is, technically, a horror, but the themes dealt with are not simplistic. They are (and this is just from the first time through, I'm sure I can find more with a second read)choices, consequences, growing up, loss and faith. He approaches these in an unusual, non-preachy way while definitely being thought provoking. If you are looking for a simple book with easy answers, go to the self help section. If you enjoy a book that reads like a good steak dinner and requires a little work on your part, you will enjoy this. I did.

Keeping the review short without rehashing the storyline. I enjoyed the novel and will recommend it to friends. I would classify it as a thriller with a style similar to Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas series. It was hard to put down as I needed to know how the story played out... and that's how you know when a book is good...lol I think I will try another novel from this author.

The biggest fires start as slow burns.

Okay, I made that phrase up, but it's true--at least regarding suspense novels. Robert Swartwood, in his thrilling and merciless debut THE CALLING, has proven himself a master of building suspense--feeding the fire until all the reader can do is watch as the flames grow until the blaze becomes blinding.

But this is a controlled burn, as Swartwood orchestrates his work with deftness and intelligence. The story, which is as dark as they come, avoids the pitfalls of becoming exploitative or shock-value, and reads rather as an unblinking exploration of tragedy and violence in the lives of good people.

The narrator, Christopher, is reeling from the gruesome murders of his parents. For safety's sake, he's shuffled out of his hometown in Pennsylvania to a trailer park in New York. It's here that menace and mystery grows until he finds himself embroiled in a malign supernatural plot, which holds the fate of many innocent (and not-so-innocent) lives in the balance.

Things get complicated fast. In the hands of a lesser writer, the multiple backstories and large cast of characters could have collapsed under its own weight. Yet Swartwood never overwhelms the reader, and the characters live and breathe, with most of them well-drawn enough for a novel of their own. Everyone (and everything) is connected, in compelling and often startling ways.

Tempering the book's darkness is real emotional depth. Each characters has lived and lost and paid for their mistakes, and this intense humanity spills out into the story. Especially noteworthy are an itinerant preacher, Moses, and his strange, precocious son Joey, who are both instrumental in bringing the book's paranormal themes to light.

Swartwood's prose burns bright and clear, strong without becoming intrusive. While some dialogue runs overlong, his ear for speech is an excellent one, especially in the interactions between younger characters.

All told, THE CALLING is a novel of dangerous intensity, growing in every word and chapter, hitting the reader with an emotional punch that lingers long after the last word. An outstanding and auspicious debut.

(P.S. While this is Swartwood's first full-length novel, he's published other shorter titles, all of them available on Amazon. Check out THE SILVER RING or THROUGH THE GUTS OF A BEGGAR.)