A Dark Matter

By: Peter Straub

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

The incomparable master of horror and suspense returns with a powerful, brilliantly terrifying novel that redefines the genre in original and unexpected ways.

The charismatic and cunning Spenser Mallon is a campus guru in the 1960s, attracting the devotion and demanding sexual favors of his young acolytes. After he invites his most fervent followers to attend a secret ritual in a local meadow, the only thing that remains is a gruesomely dismembered body - and the shattered souls of all who were present.

Years later, one man attempts to understand what happened to his wife and to his friends by writing a book about this horrible night, and it’s through this process that they begin to examine the unspeakable events that have bound them in ways they cannot fathom, but that have haunted every one of them through their lives.

As each of the old friends tries to come to grips with the darkness of the past, they find themselves face-to-face with the evil triggered so many years earlier. Unfolding through the individual stories of the fated group’s members, A Dark Matter is an electric, chilling, and unpredictable novel that will satisfy Peter Straub's many ardent fans, and win him legions more.

©2010 Peter Straub (P)2010 Random House

Critic reviews

“Peter Straub's...novel is a terrifying story of innocents - high school students in the turbulent 60s - who stumble into horrors far beyond their understanding. A Dark Matter is populated with vivid, sympathetic characters, and driven by terrors both human and supernatural. It’s the kind of book that’s impossible to put down once it has been picked up. It kept me reading far into the night. Straub builds otherworldly terror without ever losing touch with his attractive cast of youngsters, who age beautifully. Put this one high on your list.” (Stephen King)

"Part Rashomon, part The Turn of the Screw. Peter Straub may well be the most important voice in suspense fiction today." (Lincoln Child)

"American master Peter Straub takes the sweep of our freaky history over the past forty years, subjects it to all the elegant gifts of madness and arts of haunting of which he is the wicked king, and finds himself in possession of a masterpiece." (Michael Chabon, author of The Yiddish Policemen’s Union and Manhood for Amateurs)

Amazing every time!!!

This is my 5th time reading this book and there is just so much its hard to just take in in one reading. But the truth is the small details. This experience shared between friends of a dark matter delves into this wild occult ritual that binds the friends through. its overwhelming how out this world it all seems but so realistic as if this were a true story. Its alot on the mind but i can nver get enough and every read answer mkre questions that i didnt think were there. its all in the small details.

Beautifully-written cosmic horror

Until “A Dark Matter,” the only Straub novels I had read were the ones co-written with Stephen King (they are excellent). I found out about this novel from the podcast “The Horror Show with Brian Keene.”

I read the negative reviews, but since I trust the opinions of the show’s hosts I gave it a shot — and I’m so glad I did!

The book is essentially about a man trying to solve a 40 year old mystery: what happened during an occult ritual where an acquaintance was killed. His wife was present, but for decades had refused to untie the knot of the past.

I think the negative reviews mostly come from people who prefer fairly linear stories. This book, in the tradition of cosmic horror, spends a lot of time in the past. The narrator is constantly looking back, piecing together his friends’ recollections. I think some readers weren’t into that; however, *I* loved it.

If you like mysteries, if you like a narrator who isn’t omniscient, if you like cosmic horror... if that small divine spark within us both awes and terrifies you... then this is a book you should definitely listen to!

Not as bad as you might think.

Seems like most people reviewing this book just hated it, but I'll give a lukewarm affirmative. While his flashbacks seem to wander and the plot limps along bit, I have no regrets on purchasing the audiobook. Narrator was good, plot interesting, just not transcendent.

fantastic with a final stumble

this book is a incredible experience. the story is a fantastic tale of Reconciliation and understanding. it's woven in a way to tell you what happened to the main characters friends at a ritual he was not at in thr 1960's. one that changed all of their lives. The story is a mixture of recollections and current (for the main characters) day Procedual investigation. the characters are extremely likeable in youth and old age and their experiences are harrowing. now the main stumble I have to say....20 minutes of the last chapter turns into a neil gaiman style story and its terrible. I could have really done without the potty humor and that awful Segway. otherwise this was sublime. I'd still recommend it.

OK, but poor narration

I thought the book itself wasn't all that bad, what ruined it for me was the narrator. There was not enough differentiation in his voice to easily follow which character was speaking at any given time. I had a very hard time picking up when one character stopped speaking and the next started. I think if the narration had been better, the book would have been much more enjoyable to listen to and the plot more easily followed.

Uneven

Interesting, but uneven attempt to make this into a horror story. Never was I even slightly worried that its characters were in harms way.

ok but....

I was turned off as soon as he said "boys attracted to men". Should have been men attracted to boys. That sounds like a pedophile thing to say.

Master of Horror

Through vivid detail & rich plot, yet again Straub proves himself to be The Master!

Should have quit after Ghost Story

I am finally giving up on Peter Straub. After reading "Ghost Story," I thought that he was the next best thing to Stephen King. Alas, nothing he has written since comes close to GS, and much of it, like "A Dark Matter" is almost unreadable. It did not take long before I did not care about the characters or how the story would end. One can suspend disbelief only so far, and the author takes us about a light year beyond that point in this book. It is amusing that the nickname of one of the book's charactor's is Dil and that at one point he and the main character try to remember the name of the author of "To Kill a Mockingbird." Mr. Straub should have taken Harper Lee's cue and quit after his first masterpiece.

Not very good

I didn’t like this book. There wasn’t really any continuity to the book. I read Ghost Stroy which was good but this book didn’t have Umph to it.