"Very Lovecraftian in tone"
A man who lives in the seaport city of Crow's-end has
inherited land in the mountain town of Hoole. He knows
that he has to go to Hoole as soon as possible so he gets
his affairs in order and boards the carriage that will take
him to the isolated mountain town. There is a passenger in
the carriage, a taciturn reticent person, who doesn't allow
his fellow passenger to draw him into conversation until
the carriage reaches an unexpected town. The man who is traveling to Hoole sees a destitute and
deserted village with no traces of life, either human or
animal. The quiet passenger tells him that he was in
Shilston Upcot eleven years ago when the isolated village
was populated with people until the horrible events
happened that turned a happy little village into a ghost
town. Later that night, at a regular stop at an inn he
tells his acquaintance the terrifying and dark events that
destroyed a thriving community. The growing feelings of foreboding and the supernatural
events that happened to the villagers are reminiscent of
the works of Lovecraft. THE HOUSE IN THE WOODS is a gothic
like, slow moving work that allows the audience to fully
comprehend events and the growing horror that absorbed the
villagers. Jeffrey E Barlough has not written an action
packed thriller but an atmospheric novel that digs deep
inside the guts of the reader. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted July 2, 2001
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