Nightscape by Stephen R. George

A single mother with a young child being pursued by a cult like group who finds help in a resourceful male stranger who will suddenly do everything within his power to protect the newfound vulnerable pair. If this storyline seems familiar it is probably because it was used over and over again in various forms throughout the eighties and nineties, both in horror and non-horror genres. In fact, chances are it was used in the 70s as well; however, I have not been exposed to enough horror novels from that era to say this with certainty. The reasons for this popular plot line could be many, therefore I won’t speculate too much on why it took hold. One thing that does come to mind thought and is hard for me to dismiss is the overblown fear of cults that spread through the population during the 80s, especially satanic cults and the idea that they preyed upon children. Add in the growing divorce rate and frequency with which children were put under the care of a single parent -- often the mother -- and the slowly fading, but still powerful image of women being weaker than men and needing their protection, and it becomes easier and easier to see why such a theme in fiction could have became so popular. Or maybe none of that played a part and the reason so many books with this theme were printed was because one novel did really well and the publishers decided to milk it for all that it was worth. Whatever the reason there were many books with this theme printed back in the 80s and 90s. Some were pretty cliché and hard to separate from the rest. Others used the theme as nothing more than a springboard to tell an interesting tale, one that might seem cliché at first before taking off into a direction one never expected and completely twisting everything around.

Nightscape by Stephen R. George falls into this second category. Published in the early nineties it begins with the story of a young woman named Bonnie Laine who learns one night that her ex-husband Harris Laws and eight year old son Evan were in a bad car accident, one which Harris has mysterious vanished. Aside from losing a finger, Evan is okay and eventually taken home by Bonnie, much to the dismay of her ex in-laws who were of the opinion that they would be better suited to care for him while their son Harris is away. Speaking of Harris, no one knows where he went, but the theory of the police is that he suffered a head injury and wandered away. At first this theory is accepted by everyone, but then Bonnie starts to sense that she is being followed. Her concern grows when Evan starts telling her about some odd people his father had hooked up with, people he had nightmares about, people that Harris said he was going to give Evan too. It isn’t until Harris actually shows up with these people and tries to take Evan that Bonnie realizes her ex-husband may have fallen under the control of a dangerous cult, one that probably has horrifying plans for Evan. Thankfully a man named Shep Thomas, who has been hunting down the cult members due to them killing his younger brother six years earlier, steps in and helps Bonnie and Evan escape the ex-husband and cult members. The question is will his skills as a former police officer help keep Evan safe from the cult members, or will he fail in his newfound quest. Furthermore will his own desires of revenge for his murdered brother cause him to risk Evan and his mother in order to locate the main players within the cult? Also, why is Evan starting to shed his skin?

Lately my journey through the world of out-of-print horror novels from the 70s, 80s and 90s has been one of continued disappointment, my mind often thinking that even at fifty to sixty cents the book wasn’t worth the price I paid. Because of this I didn’t really dive into Nightscape with any enthusiasm, my mind hesitant to build up hope that this one would be any better that the previous books -- the fact that it was printed by the same publisher as the others added to this fear. Thankfully my disappointment was at an end and the story contained within these tattered pages was the type I have been looking for when buying these old horror novels. Even better it actually had a twist I didn’t see coming followed by an ending that seemed to fit perfectly without feeling forced. Now this isn’t to say the book wasn’t without flaws, but those flaws weren’t enough to take away from the enjoyment I felt while reading; enjoyment that kept me from reaching over for the TV clicker every couple of pages because I was too focused on learning what would happen next -- especially once the skin started peeling off of Evan. At that point I was hooked and pretty much sat on the couch until the book was finished, my only distraction being those that a human just can’t ignore for long without making a mess or dying. All in all this is one that I will recommend, a book that is perfect for a quiet weekend inside the house.