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A review by millennial_dandy
Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge
3.0
3.5 rounded down to 3
I listened to the audiobook version, and the narrator had the perfect voice for this particular story, so if you're an audiobook-er, definitely give it a go.
Having won the Bram Stoker Award back in 2006, I did have rather high hopes for 'Dark Harvest' and for the most part, I wasn't disappointed. As many others have pointed out, Partridge definitely took inspiration from 'The Lottery' when constructing this story, though it was by no means derivative. I would add that something like 'Battle Royale' also comes to mind.
The central figure of the story, the 'October Boy' is a brilliant addition to the pantheon of Halloween monsters (with a twist!) and the descriptions of him were some of the best parts of the novel. The October Boy is this incredibly imaginative figure, part scarecrow with his limbs of vine and topped with a pumpkin head. The added touch of being stuffed with Halloween candy lends itself to the singular analogy of candy filling to blood that comes into play during the climax.
Lyrical in a way that sometimes verged on beatnik territory, this is a writing style that won't be for everyone, though fans of Ray Bradbury's style, especially in 'The Halloween Tree', would likely appreciate it as adding to rather than distracting from the tale itself.
Once we get to the 'twist' section (which, frankly, occurs relatively early on in the story) I started to somewhat lose steam. This comes down to taste, and I think I was looking more for a Halloween monster story rather than a parable, so just be aware that this is very like 'The Lottery' in that sense.
The characters are all serviceable if not particularly memorable, and again, I think the strengths of 'Dark Harvest' leaned heavily on its aesthetics (writing style, setting, season).
A good addition to 'Halloween' horror, and probably particularly good for readers who want something seasonal and spooky with a little bit of blood and guts, but without having to subject themselves to an all-out gore-fest typical of the slasher genre.
I listened to the audiobook version, and the narrator had the perfect voice for this particular story, so if you're an audiobook-er, definitely give it a go.
Having won the Bram Stoker Award back in 2006, I did have rather high hopes for 'Dark Harvest' and for the most part, I wasn't disappointed. As many others have pointed out, Partridge definitely took inspiration from 'The Lottery' when constructing this story, though it was by no means derivative. I would add that something like 'Battle Royale' also comes to mind.
The central figure of the story, the 'October Boy' is a brilliant addition to the pantheon of Halloween monsters (with a twist!) and the descriptions of him were some of the best parts of the novel. The October Boy is this incredibly imaginative figure, part scarecrow with his limbs of vine and topped with a pumpkin head. The added touch of being stuffed with Halloween candy lends itself to the singular analogy of candy filling to blood that comes into play during the climax.
Lyrical in a way that sometimes verged on beatnik territory, this is a writing style that won't be for everyone, though fans of Ray Bradbury's style, especially in 'The Halloween Tree', would likely appreciate it as adding to rather than distracting from the tale itself.
Once we get to the 'twist' section (which, frankly, occurs relatively early on in the story) I started to somewhat lose steam. This comes down to taste, and I think I was looking more for a Halloween monster story rather than a parable, so just be aware that this is very like 'The Lottery' in that sense.
The characters are all serviceable if not particularly memorable, and again, I think the strengths of 'Dark Harvest' leaned heavily on its aesthetics (writing style, setting, season).
A good addition to 'Halloween' horror, and probably particularly good for readers who want something seasonal and spooky with a little bit of blood and guts, but without having to subject themselves to an all-out gore-fest typical of the slasher genre.