2006: #112 – Under the Overtree (James A. Moore)

Book #112 was Under the Overtree by James A. Moore. The back of the book reads:

Can you hear it? The whispered laughter carried by the wind?

Can you see Them? The faint shadowy forms that move through the woods near Lake Overtree. The ones whose very presence is silencing the wild life?

Can you feel the changes in the air? The changes taking place in one young man whose entire world is shifting, changing to accommodate his desires. The girl of his dreams is his for the taking, the kids who bullied him are going away one by one, and even his worst enemies are seeing him in a different light. His body, once soft and flabby, has grown strong and lean, something he never expected would happen. His stepfather, Joe, has finally stopped looking at him like garbage and started treating him like a real son. Every hope, every wish that Mark Howell has known in his lonely life is coming true.

Can you hear it? The mournful wails of families torn apart by the loss of their loved ones? The faint screams of the damned, of those foolish enough to cross his path?

Listen carefully.
It’s happening.
Mark’s world is changing, regardless of the cost.
It’s happening.

It’s been a while since I read a true horror novel, so it took me a bit to talk myself into suspending belief. However, once I got into the book, it was pretty good. The story felt original to me, and the way things wove together in the end was interesting. There’s one detail that I don’t quite understand, but I’m not sure it’s truly important to the story. For a horror, this wasn’t particularly scary, but I think it does qualify as creepy.

Book count: 112 | Page count: 490 | Word count: 179,340