Summer of Night

By: Dan Simmons

Narrated by: Dan John Miller

Length: 22 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

It’s the summer of 1960 and in the small town of Elm Haven, Illinois, five twelve-year-old boys are forging the powerful bonds that a lifetime of change will not break. From sunset bike rides to shaded hiding places in the woods, the boys’ days are marked by all of the secrets and silences of an idyllic childhood. But amid the sun-drenched cornfields, their loyalty will be pitilessly tested. When a long-silent bell peals in the middle of the night, the townsfolk know it marks the end of their carefree days. From the depths of the Old Central School, a hulking fortress tinged with the mahogany scent of coffins, an invisible evil is rising. Strange and horrifying events begin to overtake everyday life, spreading terror through the once-peaceful town. Determined to exorcize this ancient plague, Mike, Duane, Dale, Harlen, and Kevin must wage a war of blood against an arcane abomination who owns the night....

©2011 Dan Simmons (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Impressive...combines beautiful writing and suspense into a book for which Dan Simmons deserves the bestseller status of King and Koontz.” ( The Denver Post)

“One can only wonder what Simmons will do next, now that he’s shown us he can do everything the best writers in horror and science fiction can do.” ( The Philadelphia Inquirer)

“It stands with the best of King and Straub in the traditional modern horror genre.” ( Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Horribly boring!

I'm not sure how this book was compared to Stephen king, but it doesn't come close. ssllooww and boring. wanted to like it, but there just wasn't much to hold my interest. I kept having to skip back because I'd catch myself not paying attention.

not Dan's best...but relatively entertaining

this feels like an homage to Stephen king...
a group of small town preteens get caught up in an adventure involving an evil entity.

it's decent bit not great.

carrion comfort, the terror and abominable are all much more engaging.

OVER LONG

Normally I love extra long books, but this one really didn't need to be in my opinion. Lots of drawn out smaller stories that really didn't add anything to the story.
I also never really connected with any of the characters and didn't have much concern for their welfare.

Excellent atmosphere and well written!

Dan John Miller made this book come to life for me. It is well written and well read. Has hints of Stephen King's Stand by Me and Robert McCammon's Boy's Life with plenty of suspense and horror thrown in. I would highly recommend this book!

GREAT read!

This book had a slow start as the author developed the characters. After that the story unfolded quickly and built to an exciting crescendo. A great read!

Great story and character development

I really enjoyed this book, there is a lot of time spent on character development so when something happens to the character you are invested in that person. I think of this story like stand by me with sci-fi/ horror. It is not very fast paced, but that is due to the character development in the story which adds the richness to the book. An interesting story, a great narrator and a good ending combine to make this book very credit worthy!

Another one by Dan Simmons.

I enjoyed the story. I thought the narration was done well too. This wasn’t my favorite book by Simmons, but it’s still worth a credit.

Takes some time getting into but it’s worth it!

Like others have said, Stephen Kings handprints are all over this story. From the kids , summer time and trying to discover a mystery. It’s all there but luckily Simmons makes it his own and has a unique kind of monster.
While not particularly scary, I found myself glued to my headphones the last 10 hours, the first 10 however, they can drag. It’s a lot of setup involved while trying to follow 4 or 5 different storylines. It can get confusing but each one having their own unique traits.

When it comes to the narrator, it’s interesting. Basically, if it’s any non child dialogue, he does a good job and has great voices for each, especially for those who are drunk. Unfortanately his kid voices, while not annoying, all sound the same. And there are LOTS of child characters in this book. So in the beginning when I’m trying to get to know all characters, I found it difficult since all sounded so similar. Luckily over time,I got used to it and the names became easier to remember. I wonder now if I’ll have an easier time listening

In the end, I found this to be an enjoyable read, will probably listen again, and already have the sequel downloaded. Just get through those first half and you shall be fine

A most enjoyable and chilling supernatural fright-fest!

I have read this multiple times and it is better every single time! TW: There is some language in here that didn’t age well. Slurs that were casually used in 1960 where this book takes place… but if you can get past that (this book was written in 1991)…

This is a truly terrifying stories surrounding a group of middle school kids through the summer of 1960 in small town Illinois. What is supposed to be the best days of their childhood is filled with horrendous evil and a nail biting adventure.

The evil is otherworldly and ancient, killing adults and kids alike, using and possessing them in its malevolence. And this group of kids are smack dab in the center of it all, in a race against time to fight off this malicious force. And it’s a fight for their lives.

Secrets of the past in their sleepy town of Elm Haven will be unearthed and crimes against innocent souls are discovered. All of this hate and fear are a delectable treat to the evil lurking there. And watching this story unfold was as riveting as it was terrifying.

Great book to READ

A book that’s better read and not listened to. I’ve read the book multiple times over the years and love it. Listening to it on Audible just doesn’t evoke the same joy. Narrator isn’t bad but it’s just something about the way he voices the kids. Fantastic book by Dan Simmons nonetheless.