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4.0 out of 5 stars
An entertaining b-grade horror book!, Jan 13 2004
Conora is a small, quiet town in the semi desert of New Mexico. It's habitants are diverse in culture and creed...
Anthony Cavella has just moved into town with his young daughter, Dierdre. They are making a fresh start and a new life for themselves, thanks to the small house and town newspaper left to Anthony by his Uncle. Tony is a newspaper man and soon finds things to investigate even in this little town...
Marty Haven's is a 15 year old boy living with his aunt, who is his guardian. Despite his aunts objections, he enjoys watching the new construction crew just outside of town, hoping for a little adventure...
Lori Danek is new to town as well, having just opened her own little shop. She is loving the transition from busy New York to serene Conora. Meeting wonderful Tony and his precocious daughter is icing on the cake.
Sheriff Miguel Lopez is a honest, hardworking man who carefully watches over his town. He has a wife, two children and a good heart.
Charles Longhand is an elderly native american working at the local gas station. He is fit and trim, having a physique worthy of a man 30 years his junior. He has lived his life struggling and alternating between the white man's world and the world of his people. For a long time he has lived in the world of the white man, though he still remembers the teachings of his grandfather, the shaman...
The rest of the town is full of normal everyday people, and a few odd ones who are just as much a fixture of the town as the desert land.
When Wally Grier unearths a Native American burial ground with his backhoe, none of them are safe. First one, then another, and then another fall victim. No one is safe from the Night Things...
I love stories like this. Not the premise, per se, but the many great characters that make up the story. Sheriff Lopez was not constructed to be one of those good-ol-boys stuck on taking care of everything themselves. He is willing and eager to accept help when he knows he needs it. He is a honest, friendly and open man, whose character is easy to figure out and like. He is by far my favorite character in the book, though others have larger parts.
An odd mixture of people join forces in this book: a newspaperman, a sheriff, a deputy, a professor of anthropology and old Charlie who has the knowledge of a shaman. Its amazing to me how the author was able to combine the many different personalities and actions in this story and make them work. Each chapter is covers the actions of a different person, going back and forth between the major and minor characters. The writing is very good, enabling me to comfortably swing from one character to another without losing the flow of the story.
With all the makings of a great B-horror movie, but many great characters to achieve even greater status, Night Thins is a wonderful read, sure to thrill all those horror fans.
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