Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
New York : Leisure Books, 2010.
Description
One morning the residents of Walden, Virginia, woke to find themselves cut off from the rest of the world by an impenetrable wall of darkness.
User reviews
LibraryThing member NKSCF
Darkness on the Edge of Town is classic Brian Keene. A wonderful story that helps to solidify certain parts of his mythos, especially information concerning the Thirteen, of which about half have shown up in other works. Although never named (that I can recall), readers of Ghost Walk will be
Focusing on a former pizza-delivery guy (Robbie), his girlfriend, and two neighbors, the story revolves around their attempts to find a way out of their situation intact. However, in classic Brian Keene style, there may be a downer ending, depending on how it is interpreted. I will say no more, but let's just say it is definitely open to the reader on how the story should end.
Brian Keene excels in his portrayal of post-apocalyptic scenarios, and this particular one is one that doesn't involve the usual premise, allowing for an inability for the reader to know how everything ends up ahead of time. Some people may say that the general idea is a rehash of Stephen King's Under the Dome, but I say otherwise, having read both novels. While the degradation of society is still present, the way both authors choose to show it are almost polar opposites of one another and a testament to their amazing storytelling.
While not my favorite Brian Keene novel, Darkness on the Edge of Town is still a very good story with a wonderful attention to the continuity Keene tries to keep between stories. Expect to find subtle nods to Ghost Walk and Castaways, among others when you pick this up.
Overall a tremendous job and a wonderful read. Please go out and buy this book. You will enjoy it.
Show More
familiar with the otherworldly abomination that seeks the destruction of the world, and the reasons of why its true name shall never be spoken. Its inability to spread its influence into the town of Walden, Virginia forces it to seek other measures to corrupt those inside, despite the efforts of the one who sealed it away the first time it tried to take over. Focusing on a former pizza-delivery guy (Robbie), his girlfriend, and two neighbors, the story revolves around their attempts to find a way out of their situation intact. However, in classic Brian Keene style, there may be a downer ending, depending on how it is interpreted. I will say no more, but let's just say it is definitely open to the reader on how the story should end.
Brian Keene excels in his portrayal of post-apocalyptic scenarios, and this particular one is one that doesn't involve the usual premise, allowing for an inability for the reader to know how everything ends up ahead of time. Some people may say that the general idea is a rehash of Stephen King's Under the Dome, but I say otherwise, having read both novels. While the degradation of society is still present, the way both authors choose to show it are almost polar opposites of one another and a testament to their amazing storytelling.
While not my favorite Brian Keene novel, Darkness on the Edge of Town is still a very good story with a wonderful attention to the continuity Keene tries to keep between stories. Expect to find subtle nods to Ghost Walk and Castaways, among others when you pick this up.
Overall a tremendous job and a wonderful read. Please go out and buy this book. You will enjoy it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Reacherfan
**Could be some very very very very minor spoilers**
I've always loved Keene books, and I've always looked forward to his books. I'm sorry to report that Darkness on the Edge of Town is a rare miss or Keene.
The plot is pretty simple. There is a darkness that seems to be on just the edge of the a
I had several problems with this book. The biggest problem I had is that, well, nothing happens. Nothing to much, just one or two things, and that's it. The darkness can take the form of others that the people know. Could be a family member, or someone you know, just to lure you into the darkness. I really meant what I said, nothing happens. It was a dull read.
The characters are just okay. The main character is named Robbie and he's keeping a journal on what is happening. Most of the characters were so flat and had no depth to them. I just liked one, Dez, who was the local homeless crazy guy, but he knew what the "Darkness" was. What he said about the Darkness and where it came from was pretty interesting. Now, did he really know, or was it just the ramblings of a crazy man. Either way, he was the only character that had any depth.
The writing style left a lot to be desired. There was no plot twists, nothing to really keep the reader hooked. I just finished it to see what would happen, and nothing does. Not a thing. When I read Keene, I do expect horror, and we didn't even get a lot of that. I guess Keene wanted to show the "horror" of what man can do to man when darkness takes over your soul. I guess he did that, but that's not what I expected.
Some have said that he ripped off Stephen King's The Mist, okay maybe. I feel he also ripped off Harry Potter. The Darkness was called, "He who shall not be named" and the Darkness fed of the misery of others. If that's not talking about Voldermort and the Dementors, then I don't know what is.
For me, this book was a major let down. This was a very rare miss for Keene. I hope his next book is up to his usual standards.
I've always loved Keene books, and I've always looked forward to his books. I'm sorry to report that Darkness on the Edge of Town is a rare miss or Keene.
The plot is pretty simple. There is a darkness that seems to be on just the edge of the a
Show More
town, hence the name. The people in the town, can't cross it, and they heard the screams of the people that have tried. However, something is in the darkness that's watching the town, watching and waiting for the right moment to strike. I had several problems with this book. The biggest problem I had is that, well, nothing happens. Nothing to much, just one or two things, and that's it. The darkness can take the form of others that the people know. Could be a family member, or someone you know, just to lure you into the darkness. I really meant what I said, nothing happens. It was a dull read.
The characters are just okay. The main character is named Robbie and he's keeping a journal on what is happening. Most of the characters were so flat and had no depth to them. I just liked one, Dez, who was the local homeless crazy guy, but he knew what the "Darkness" was. What he said about the Darkness and where it came from was pretty interesting. Now, did he really know, or was it just the ramblings of a crazy man. Either way, he was the only character that had any depth.
The writing style left a lot to be desired. There was no plot twists, nothing to really keep the reader hooked. I just finished it to see what would happen, and nothing does. Not a thing. When I read Keene, I do expect horror, and we didn't even get a lot of that. I guess Keene wanted to show the "horror" of what man can do to man when darkness takes over your soul. I guess he did that, but that's not what I expected.
Some have said that he ripped off Stephen King's The Mist, okay maybe. I feel he also ripped off Harry Potter. The Darkness was called, "He who shall not be named" and the Darkness fed of the misery of others. If that's not talking about Voldermort and the Dementors, then I don't know what is.
For me, this book was a major let down. This was a very rare miss for Keene. I hope his next book is up to his usual standards.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ark76
Brian Keene came up with a great idea, a twist on the Dome stories prevalent right now (Under the Dome by Stephen King and the Gone series by Grant). However, he didn't have enough follow through to satisfy the reader. I was completely captured initially and my interest was held until halfway
Show More
through the book, while his main character wrote in a journal about the horrific events in the small town of Walden after the residents were trapped within by a mysterious,evil darkness. After he established the horrors of entrapment and the debasement of humanity with no controls and a fight for survival, he didn't know where to take the story. It became repetitive and the ending was ultimately very dissatisfying. Even after the story became boring, I continued to read, because I really did want to know how it turned out. To my dismay, I never did find out. Setting up for a sequel or didn't know how to end? Show Less
LibraryThing member harpua
I have mixed feelings about this one. I agree with some of the other reviewers in that this was just not a great novel. Nothing really ever happened. After finishing one chapter, I figured the next would give us a twist or lead us to a resolution, well that never really happened. So in that sense I
However, something kept me reading. It was that feeling that something was going to happen, which while it never did, is a skill in a novelist that I always look for. i want to be kept guessing, I like the feeling of wanting to read one more chapter, that feeling of "I'll just read a few more pages" then realizing you've read thirty. Brian Keene is a really good author and I'll be reading more of him...I just think this was not one of his best.
Show More
really didn't enjoy this much. However, something kept me reading. It was that feeling that something was going to happen, which while it never did, is a skill in a novelist that I always look for. i want to be kept guessing, I like the feeling of wanting to read one more chapter, that feeling of "I'll just read a few more pages" then realizing you've read thirty. Brian Keene is a really good author and I'll be reading more of him...I just think this was not one of his best.
Show Less
LibraryThing member AmieG
Tries too hard to be a Stephen King book. Glad it was free on my Kindle, otherwise I would feel ripped off. No character development, choppy story line, repetitive and unnecessarily vulgar.
LibraryThing member coachtim30
I've read a few of Brian Keene's books (The Rising, City of the Dead, Ghoul, & Castaways) so I knew what to expect from the author and had enjoyed what I'd already read from him. Of the 5 books that I've just mentioned, "Darkness on the Edge of Town" is the weakest. The plot is thin, the characters
The book follows a plot line similar to Stephen King's "Under the Dome" and "The Mist". In this story, Robbie Higgins, his girlfriend Christy, best buddy Russ, and the good folks of Walden, VA find themselves completely devoid of light one day. The sun just doesn't come up one day and the town and it's surroundings are in complete darkness. No one can put a finger on the problem, but they all soon find out that if anyone tries to leave town, there lives are quickly snuffed out by the darkness.
The book becomes a story about coping with the problem and trying to find a way to survive the anarchy once everyone realizes that food, water, and other essentials are priceless commodities. The worst of human nature soon comes out in every citizen who find that they're in competition with everyone in the town for survival.
Attempts are made to identify the problem and how to deal with it, but honestly, the action is few and far between in this novel. It's more of a study on the human condition and how people react to traumatic situations involving life and death. There's not enough here to keep this reviewer interested. Thankfully, it was a short book.
I found it depressing and only worth my time because I kept wondering what had caused the darkness. Unfortunately, Keene never clearly determined that to my liking. Maybe some Keene fans will enjoy the book, but for this reviewer, it left me in the dark.
Show More
underdeveloped, and the action is sparse. The book follows a plot line similar to Stephen King's "Under the Dome" and "The Mist". In this story, Robbie Higgins, his girlfriend Christy, best buddy Russ, and the good folks of Walden, VA find themselves completely devoid of light one day. The sun just doesn't come up one day and the town and it's surroundings are in complete darkness. No one can put a finger on the problem, but they all soon find out that if anyone tries to leave town, there lives are quickly snuffed out by the darkness.
The book becomes a story about coping with the problem and trying to find a way to survive the anarchy once everyone realizes that food, water, and other essentials are priceless commodities. The worst of human nature soon comes out in every citizen who find that they're in competition with everyone in the town for survival.
Attempts are made to identify the problem and how to deal with it, but honestly, the action is few and far between in this novel. It's more of a study on the human condition and how people react to traumatic situations involving life and death. There's not enough here to keep this reviewer interested. Thankfully, it was a short book.
I found it depressing and only worth my time because I kept wondering what had caused the darkness. Unfortunately, Keene never clearly determined that to my liking. Maybe some Keene fans will enjoy the book, but for this reviewer, it left me in the dark.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jesssika
This book is...well, I don't know. If you've seen the movie the mist..it's sort of like that. Except instead of weird huge bugs eating people it's just darkness. So, it's a combination of witty humor, cursing like crazy, and slow as snail progress.
LibraryThing member Heather_Brock
This book didn't make me want to vomit, so there's a plus. It was more psychological which is a bit of a change from Keene's other books but I still really enjoyed it.
LibraryThing member ericreeves3
What would happen if you woke up one day and you was surrounded by an impenetrable darkness? Keene answers what could happen in a very pessimistic way. Eventually everyone turns on one another, very poignant in this social media society where 'we' turn on one another. This is not as brutal as many
Show More
other of Keene's works but it is a definite maddening book. If you read Keene's Ghost Walk definitely pick this up (as this is an alternate version). Show Less
LibraryThing member ennuiprayer
Keene once again proves the awesome powers he has a horror writer, incorporating his take of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos.
Following the lives of Robbie Higgins - the narrator - his girlfriend Christy and neighbors Russ and Cranston during an supernatural occurrence, the book details the horror that
Following the lives of Robbie Higgins - the narrator - his girlfriend Christy and neighbors Russ and Cranston during an supernatural occurrence, the book details the horror that
Show More
lurks in the unknown - a popular Lovecraft theme, I may add - and the inner darkness that plagues our most primal instincts and depraved desires. Show Less
Language
Original publication date
2008-10 (novella)
2010-01 (novel)
Physical description
265 p.; 17 inches
ISBN
0843960914 / 9780843960914