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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | YA Fic Nance, A. 2007 | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Is winning a writing contest worth risking your life?
Nothing exciting ever happens in the town of Maplewood--that is, until famous thriller writer Ian Tremblin holds a short-story writing contest with a prize that seems to be the opportunity of a lifetime: five finalists will get to spend the evening with Tremblin himself in the haunted mansion Daemon Hall, and the winner of the best short story will see publication.
Wade Reilly and the other finalists could never have imagined what they find lurking in the shadows of this demonic mansion. During a suspenseful night of tale-telling, strange incidents mix the realms of the real and the supernatural. What is Tremblin really up to, and can he be trusted? What about Daemon Hall--is it alive? And, more to the point, will any of the contestants make it out of this hall of horrors to tell their story?
In the tradition of Stephen King, this chilling novel will have teen readers on edge in anticipation of what's to come with the next extinguished candle.
Author Notes
Andrew Nance is retired from a twenty-five-year career as a morning radio DJ. He uses his storytelling skills to give ghost tours throughout historic St. Augustine, Florida, where he lives. This is his first novel for young adults.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-Maplewood is a quiet place until the legendary horror writer R. U. Tremblin comes to town. He is holding a short-story contest in which five finalists will read their entries during an overnight stay with him at Daemon Hall. The winning story will be nationally published, but only if its creator can survive a stint in the haunted house. So begins a night of tale-telling terror for teenagers Wade, Demarius, Chris, Chelsea, and Kara. Chapters include the events in the house and the finalists' bone-chilling tales of horror and suspense. People go missing or seem possessed. The contestants wonder whether the house might be truly alive, like the one in the story Tremblin tells to open the evening. They are also puzzled by their host, and don't know if he is trustworthy or not. The stories in this gripping page-turner, as well as the drama of the frightened teens dropping out one by one, will keep readers on the edge of their seats, but Nance's characters never become fully developed. Tremblin is a disappointment and is almost reckless in his responsibilities toward the finalists. There are some loose ends and Nance seems to be setting up a sequel.-Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
A budding horror writer prone to panic attacks enters his favorite author's writing contest, which requires him and four other teen finalists to spend a night telling stories in the titular haunted house. Each story is revealing of the person relating it, while the stories-within-a-story plot structure is mined for maximum tension and, as finalists start disappearing, plenty of chills. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Famous author Ian Tremblin has chosen five teenagers to spend the night in his haunted mansion. The young aspiring writers and Tremblin will tell each other horror stories all night, and Tremblin will select the best storyteller, who will have a horror novel published. The motley crew of young writers is a veritable Breakfast Club lineup: Chris, the unexpectedly sensitive jock; Chelsea, the freaky Goth girl; Kara, the shy girl who doesn't like horror; Demarius, the black adolescent whose main personality trait is being less dysfunctional than the others; and Wade, the panic-attack-plagued narrator. As the night progresses, the teens learn that spending the night in a haunted house is not as easy as they might have suspected. The short stories Tremblin and his protgs tell are of indifferent quality, appropriate as campfire tales more than short stories. The framing narrative, however, builds predictable but enjoyable tension as the characters' fear and danger grow. An unexpectedly optimistic ending concludes this gentle horror tale. (Fiction. 12-14) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
"Ian Tremblin, the King of Teen Scream, holds a short-story contest in which the five finalists spend the evening with him in a haunted mansion, Daemon Hall. The aspiring teenage authors, three boys and two girls, have to tell Tremblin their horror stories by candlelight. Any finalist who cannot make it through the night is automatically disqualified from the contest. The best of the stories is one involving ravenous human-spider hybrids. Another is a version of the familiar babysitter urban legends, updated to involve a chat room rather than the traditional telephone. Predictably, not everything is as it seems and suspense ensues when contestants begin disappearing. Whether the spooky goings-on are optical illusion or genuine supernatural malevolence is open to question, but one contestant does die tragically. Readers looking for creepy chills and thrills will find plenty of satisfaction in this fast-paced book."--"Sullivan, Ed" Copyright 2007 Booklist