Dark Harvest
Ratings43
Average rating3.6
The way this story is structured, combined with a depth, nuance, and snappiness to the prose make for a well-above average seasonal tale. There is also a cinematic nature and fervor to it, especially after the character and dynamics are quickly establish and as it builds towards a satisfying (if not intesne) climax. The reader should also enjoy a bit of good old-fashioned Halloween mystery and intrigue, with a couple of big twists/reveals thrown in to boot.
I dug this. Short, creepy, and to the point. I could see this becoming part of the regular October rotation.
Merged review:
I dug this. Short, creepy, and to the point. I could see this becoming part of the regular October rotation.
What a cool story, it's was the perfect length which made it exciting but to the point no scenes felt empty or unneeded, felt like every scene added to the story. The characters were all great and the setting was spooky and mysterious. The only part I didn't love was that it felt overly wordy and flowery in some parts though once I got into its rhythm it wasn't to bad but could have been toned down for sure. Giving it a 4.5 but rounding up for Goodreads.
read for summerween 2023: a book set in the fall
fun for spooky season but not super memorable
Fantastic cover; passable book. If the Goodreads Gods allowed for it this would be the definition of a 2.5 rating. Still, the concept is pretty cool and I'll probably check out the film adaptation if it ever actually comes out.
Rating: 4.44 leaves out of 5Characters: 4/5 Cover: 5/5Story: 3.75/5Writing: 5/5Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Paranormal/Supernatural/ThrillerType: AudiobookWorth?: YeahHated Disliked It Was Okay Liked Loved FavoritedWhat a way to start the Halloween season (yes it is about mid August and no I do not care. I love the season so much. Lol) It was a super short and good read. Horror wise it wasn't really horrific but I really enjoyed the creepiness of it. To have a TEEN boy think they are winning something great just to be shot, killed, and made into a monster a year later is crazy. It is also so so sad as well. The only thing I didn't like about the book was how they didn't explain WHY they started doing this ritual of killing kids and what would happen when October Boy won. Other than that set back the story and book was a good and worthwhile read! Can't wait for the movie to come out!
This is a quick, perfect for Spooktober, audiobook. The lengths one town will go to, in order to stay prosperous was terrifying. I remember back in high school, we read a short story called The Lottery. Dark Harvest reminds me a lot of that but with a twist. Loved it.
The experience of reading this story can be summarized as, “Wait, what?”
I have to give Partridge points for sheer ridiculous audacity. He takes an unexpected point of view and unapologetically plunges ahead with it. The story is distinctive and intriguing in many ways.
However, it's also highly variable in quality. I guess this has the merit of being the least-horrible use of second-person narration I've encountered? The writing throughout had me similarly ambivalent: just as I was musing on an inventive plot point, a howlingly bad simile would yank me out of the story. Just as I was getting interested in a character, a cardboard cutout would caper into frame and ruin the mood. Worst of all, just as I was getting invested in the lore behind the tale, it petered out. Horror benefits when an author avoids overexplaining, but this suffers from a clear case of underexplaining. For me, this needed an eventual reveal that would give us a picture (however fuzzy) of how this cycle got started and what was at stake.
This is short and economical, so if it sounds intriguing, definitely give it a shot. It was imperfect but entertaining.
Dark Harvest is a hot rod-fueled ride into horror. Set in 1963 in some nameless, isolated mid-western town surrounded by corn fields, this story is about the annual Run of the October Boy. Pete McCormick, a teenager tired of this town thinks that if he's the one to bag the October Boy, it'll be his ticket out. The October Boy, or Ol' Hacksaw Face, or Sawtooth Jack, is a pumpkin-headed nightmare who needs to make it to the church before midnight. Many of the town's teenage boys are out to get him. Not all will survive. This twisted little tale moves fast as if pumped with adrenaline. It's the perfect thing for an October read.