Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed on 5/27/2013 + 1223 more book reviews

This was a great horror novel reminiscent of some of Stephen King's best. It is about a group of 8-11-year-old boys during the summer of 1960 being terrorized by some unknown entities. I thought some of the best parts of this book were the nostalgic look at life in a small town during this time period. I was 10 in 1960 and many of the activities of the boys I could really relate to such as all-day baseball games, biking to secret hideouts, avoiding the local bullies, etc. The characters were well-developed overall and you could really empathize with the boys situations. The horror in the novel revolved around the old Central School and a bell that was installed in the school when it was built in the late 1800s. The bell called the Borgia Bell, was bought by a wealthy family in the small Illinois town and was a relic from the Borgia family of 15th century Europe. I especially liked this aspect of the story because I have recently been watching the fascinating Showtime TV series about the Borgias. I was a little disappointed that the novel didn't provide more detail on how the Borgia family used the bell and how it affected their powers. Overall, I really enjoyed this one even though I thought the actions of the young boys against the evil was quite unbelievable. I think when I was that age, I would have stayed hidden under my bed to try to avoid all contact with the monstrous entities on the loose!

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details