Poor monkey, indeed
orphaned, robbed, left destitute
still quite the looker. ( )

Are you a horror fan? If so, read this book NOW!!

This tale reminds me of how and why I became a horror fan. I remember picking up horror paperbacks in the late 70s-early 80s and ripping through them at a breakneck pace. I experienced that feeling again this past weekend and I realized how much I missed and loved that experience!

In the very small town of New Egypt, New Jersey lives Philomela Drax with her mother, the local seamstress. They don't have much since Mr. Drax passed on and they certainly do not enjoy status of any kind. Mrs. Drax receives a letter from her estranged, crippled, father begging her or Philo to come to his aid. Apparently, the people that he hired to take care of his farm are now trying to kill him and steal everything that's not nailed down, including the farm itself. Philo, being of the highest character, immediately leaves to see if she can put a stop to these shenanigans. Shortly thereafter, Philo meets the family Slape and this story puts the gas pedal to the floor.

Michael McDowell creates characters that you love or hate with all your might. His observations of human nature are spot on, which only adds to the believability of his stories. His works are almost always unpredictable. Just when you think a story is going one way, he jerks your heartstrings and turns it in a totally different direction.

Mr. McDowell is currently near the top of my favorite authors list and he's been dead for 1.5 decades. I can't help but wonder how many more awesome stories he could have come up with had he lived longer. I can only say that I would have purchased and read every single one of them. As things stand now, his works are very difficult to find. If it weren't for Valancourt Books, I might never have been able to read this horror classic, or The Elementals either, for that matter. I know that they are working hard to bring back even more of his work and I, for one, can't wait to check them out.

My highest recommendation!

*I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is it!* ( )