Dan Simmons’ Summer of Night, published in 1991 by Bantam Books — I elected to review this first because it made a strong impression me, as a writer. Yet it’s one of those books that seems to incur either admiration or abject dismissal. If you haven’t read it or the sequels, when determining which camp you fall into, spare yourself the comparison of this with other horror novels that feature a group of boys in the sixties battling a great evil (King, McCammon, etc.), for there is probably where any similarity ends. The actual inspiration for that plot and character configuration probably had more to do with the fact that Simmons taught in the gifted and talented for Illinois 6th graders (ages 11-12) for years before settling into writing full-time. Also regarding pre-conceived notions: those with a bias against prologues, obviously, have yet to read this book. The prologue introduction to the interior of Old Central School in Elm Haven is one of the most effective examples of scene and tone-setting in the horror genre that I have encountered. In the “cons” category, Simmons’ style of horror is not for an impatient reader. If you’re the sort to skip to the action, you’ll miss most of the book and probably the point. Setting-as-character is where Simmons excels, to the point where it might warrant a sub-genre of horror unto itself. Although Simmons’ first horror novel, Song of Kali, won a World Fantasy Award for creepiness, I found this one to be less of an irritant. It resonates with the simple truths in human experience — moreso than Song of Kali’s comparatively xenophobic foray into a foreign culture that was virtually a character assassination of Calcutta. Some would call a semi-autobiographical novel with child protagonists a touch sentimental or even cliché. Personally, I didn’t have a problem with that, since it’s intelligently written for adults. I’ve read that Simmons was inspired by his own childhood in Wakefield, Illinois — a formerly thriving town on an obsolete railway corridor that suffered subsequent flight and depreciation. I didn’t find the tone or child characters unduly sentimental and thought they were well-written and believable. Their “bike patrol” is a good, pre-existing motive for why they’d take on a conspiracy among adults they already detested. The construction of an us vs. them real world problem in these children’s minds makes perfect sense. It just so happens that they’re also correct. And the more they find out to prove their hunch was correct, the more the tension builds and the nearer the danger and evil comes to find them. I won’t spoil it, but I will tell you, I love this story. It sucks you in and won’t let go.The major theme I detected was a fear of urban decay and obsolescence. And as that’s a fear that’s of perpetual concern to Americans, in light of a major job shift from America to Asia, the message still plays in 2015. I’d add that on his home turf, while expressing a real source of anxiety from his home community, Simmons treats his subject fairly and eloquently. The result is a solid addition to the genre of Gothic American Horror.I’ve had this book in my library for about a decade. I’m happy to report that the delight I felt the first time I read it has not been diluted by a subsequent reading. In fact, perhaps as I’ve gotten older, I can enjoy it more, as I have more tolerance for children and nostalgia. But, before you get to the children, you’ll see the place that’s been in a dormant state for so many years. On line one, Simmons has already established a major antagonist of the book: "Old Central School still stood upright, holding its secrets and silences firmly within." The second paragraph weaves in the presence of an Other, indicated by footsteps at odds with the shadows — that Other would be the teachers and school children who are introduced in a vague manner, as if they were the unnatural element. By the third paragraph, we’re still seeing the world from the perspective of the school. It's not until the start of chapter one that actual people are introduced into the story, and from a dispassionate distance — the many generations of children's' lives that come and go through its doors are summarized in one brutal paragraph that evokes the impression of not only Old Central as hostile ground, but that it resides within a hostile universe. A recursive finality is implied when Old Central’s introduction leitmotifs on the line the prologue began with. Simmons’ careful assemblage of menacing clues of Old Central’s creeping malevolence clearly establishes the boundary of an evil territory and a teetering imbalance that’s about to spill over and disrupt the private world of a group of 12-year-olds who should be happily enjoying the sanctity of their summer vacation. At this point, without any overt antagonism, and before any particular individuals are brought to the fore, humans and life itself already seem the discordant note. By the end of chapter one, there evolves a clear sense in the reader that although the children traipsing through its corridors may have been tolerated until now, after the doors are closed for good on this obsolete icon of Victorian era education, the “spinster” as Simmons calls Old Central — she will not go gently unto to her goodnight.In Chapter Two, we're introduced to one of the gang of heroic children: Dale Stewart, a 6th-grader, bored out of his mind, waiting to get his report card and for the last day of school to finally end and summer vacation to officially commence. Just before he escapes the clutches of Old Central and its doors are closed eternally, a scream arises from the basement. His teacher and principle try to play it off as someone fixing something in the basement. But one of the kids never came out of the school that day, and his sister, Cordie, is convinced the adults are all in cahoots, trying to cover something up. This event starts the Bike Patrol into motion, digging into mysteries they’d be better off avoiding. In fact, now might be a good time to leave the country or planet Earth… But of course they won’t. They can’t. This is their home and since no adults will believe them that something’s terribly wrong, it’s up to them to fix. But beyond that, there’s a worse problem. The evil in Old Central knows who they are and what they’re up to. And she’s coming for them.As school’s out for the year, and many people are adjusting to their children being home for the summer, this seemed like the perfect summer vacation read. If you can’t remember what it was like to be a child and feel extremes of joy or terror, this book will draw you in and remind you like no other.
All Dan Simmons fans know that he can write successfully in any genre he chooses and that he likes to mix horror into various other genres. Here is his YA/horror novel. It's a bit too horrific, profane, violent, sexy and grim to actually appear in the YA section of any bookstore, though, what with all the guns, swearing, incipient sexuality amongst eleven year-olds, kiddie-crime and gruesome, well, horror. Which is, of course, why it's great and worth any eleven-year-old's time (or that of any older person, for that matter). Of course nightmares might be expected because it's so scary but those might not be confined to the 11-year-olds, either.All the protagonists are 11 except for one who is younger and they are up against something ill-defined, sinister and extremely dangerous - but they don't know that when they decide to investigate the disappearance of a class-mate on the last day of school before the summer of 1960. Of course, being a YA novel, the kids need to solve the problems without the help of adults, a perennial plot-constraint/difficulty of the genre that Simmons deals with superbly. First of all, his choice of setting in small-town Illinois, 1960, is great because it solves most of the problem on its own; kids then ran rampant without supervision for entire days, went camping without adult accompaniment and went wherever they wanted that was within range of their bikes and energy. In our disappearance-investigating kids' small town of Elm Haven, this includes a wide range of locales, such as farmland, woodland, the town dump and the railroad/way. Private gun security in the USA back then seems to be similar to that of today i.e. non-existent and all the kids seem to have been taken shooting by their fathers...The characterisation is excellent, which is good because there is a mob of kids who get more and more involved in an increasingly dangerous and malicious series of supernatural encounters and they need to be well differentiated from each other. There is, however a slight flaw, which is the writing itself. Generally speaking it is the evocative, atmospheric prose one expects from Simmons, but just occassionally, scattered through-out the book are individual sentences that stand out glaringly as bad - and easily corrected. A minor annoyance in a novel that manages to capture the nostalgia for childhood summer vacations/holidays from school, the fears, concerns and bonds of school-children and the spookiness and dread inspired by the inexplicable events occurring exceedingly well.Which leads me to say which genre I think this book belongs to: yes, I already claimed it is Simmons' YA novel but I also believe it is his Ray Bradbury novel. Its resemblances to both Dandelion Wine and Something Wicked This Way Comes are striking: small-town Illinois setting, nostalgic look back at childhood summers, unexpected tragedy and evil, nostalgia for old horror films and stories, wannabe writers...This book perhaps starts slowly but it ramps up to a gripping and terrifying experience and is never dull. It foreshadows later Simmons works such as Drood and The Terror in narrative and thematic approach. It also doesn't suffer from the bane of Simmons' books; mood-destroying/tedium inducing lit.crit. essays.Great stuff.
What do You think about Summer Of Night (1992)?
I'm not sure I would go as far as to say that Dan Simmons' Summer Of Night is a "must read" for all horror fiction fans. I made it forty years before ever hearing about it.What I will say is that I find it almost criminal that this coming of age horror tale is so obscure. I am thankful for the freinds I have on Goodreads for cluing me in on Simmons.The first one of his books I read was the astonishingly complex and brilliant Carrion Comfort, which is a "must read." This one should be read by anyone who enjoyed It, Boy's Life, Something Wicked This Way Comes and their ilk. I have to say that this is a slow-paced novel, more atmospheric than action-packed, but the pacing felt perfect for me, and there is plenty of creepiness throughout. The last 100 pages were relentlessly exciting.I loved ot.
—Adam Light
Once in a while there comes a book that completely lives up to all its hype and great reviews, a book that transcends genres by not just being a great horror story, but a great novel, a great work of fiction. Summer of Night is one of those books. Epic in scope, massive and thoroughly awesome in every way. The author perfectly captures the freedom and excitement of being a kid during the summer. It's well written and genuinely scary in parts. The pages and characters come to life with cinematic vividness. SPOILER ALERT It was very upsetting to see the author kill off my favorite character midway through the book SPOILER END. It's pretty obvious that the author leans toward verbosity(good thing that he is in fact so good with words) evident not only from this giant book but also from its very lengthy intro, which by all means should be an afterword as it contains spoilers. I was very glad that I chose to skip it and read it after the completion of the book. Mostly the subject of the intro is decrying of the loss of children's personal freedom nowadays comparing to 1960. Some fine points are made supported by legitimate research, but it comes across as a bit of a personal quest lecture, something there is happily no trace of throughout the actual book. There are some interesting and informative things in the introduction, such as autobiographical notes and guide to the other books featuring the characters from Summer of Night. Very impressive terrific book, highly recommended.
—Bandit
3.5Summer of Night could be shorter and it wouldn't lose anything. I see readers comparing it to It or Boy's Life. Fortunately for this book, I still have to read Boy's Life, so that leaves It. I don't think it could stand the comparison to both. The similarities with It are obvious - a group of pre-teens fighting something evil. However, while I liked the children from It, it took me a while to see anything remotely good in this group.Certain things are a bit repetitive. Yes, we got that Kevin has pronounced Adam's apple, we got it the first time that Dale is afraid of basement and Lawrence is afraid of the dark. I never got to like Jim Harlen though. I think the boy is one of the selfish kids I've read so far. How could I like a kid who thinks that if his mother had been 'a better wife, then his father wouldn't have had to start dating that secretary he's run away with.' And yet I find him really sad. His mother wouldn't be winning any rewards for parenting. The kid is a great material for a serial killer. I still find it hard to place him in that little group of generally decent boys. Still, I have to admit that he is one of the strongest of the bunch. Considering his life I even feel sorry for him.One of the most annoying things is that none of the blurbs I've read mentions a girl with them. There is one and she is hardly unimportant even if she doesn't appear as much as the boys. There were quite a few moments in the book when her presence turned the tide.However, the book sneaks up to you. I started hating these kids, then being annoyed by them only to end up feeling sorry for some and love others. I liked Duane the most. As much as they are annoying there is always something they do to make me like them a bit more each time: Mike standing guard over his sick grandmother, Dale's relationship with his younger brother, Lawrence and his bravery and so on.As for the plot, the book is really slow. All the encounters with evil are individual until after more than half of the book. Only then the boys make somewhat coherent fighting force. The book managed to surprise me and make me angry. I honestly didn't expect certain things to happen. Even though I didn't like it as I did It, it is still a good story that could have been a bit shorter.
—⊱ Irena ⊰
