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Frank Errington
4.0 out of 5 stars Not quite great, but awfully good
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2012
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Glen R. Krisch is a new writer to me and I'm very glad I read this, his second novel.

The setting is the small mining town of Coal Hollow, along the Illinois River. It's July, 1934, the mine long abondoned. George Banyon and Jimmy Fowler are best of friends off on an adventure, in the middle of the night, to search for a two hundred pound albino catfish trolling a vast underground lake.

They never find the catfish, but what they do discover leaves them running for their very lives.

There are strange things going on in Coal Hollow. Why would men crawl out of a hole in Betty Mae's basement? Why would her father leave through that same hole willingly and why would his name appear on a tombstone, in the family plot, the next morning?

For me the story seemed a bit unwieldy. There's the story of lost innocence, a man running from his past, an alcoholic father, a ghost story, a tale of the Underground Railroad and so many others, all interwoven with a place where the dying go, but do not die and the lengths these "people" will go to to keep their secret.

Despite it's shortcomings, Where Darkness Dwells, does have a lot going for it. It's one of those stories where no-one is safe (love those). There's the originality of the tale, an underground society living in an environment where you never age and are magically healed. If you go above ground you face rapid deterioration. And having to kill to keep your secret.

There's also a potluck at Jane Fowler's place that was very well written, like a beutiful piece of Americana.

Overall a wonderful read that I highly recommend. Enjoy.

Available from Amazon.com for the Kindle and for free from the Kindle Owner's Lending Library for those with Amazon Prime. Where Darkness Dwells, a Great Depression horror novel
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Carole
5.0 out of 5 stars Rich, Complex, and Downright Scary
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2012
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So many times, horror writers, in their effort to scare people, end up leaving out that all important sense of humanity in a story that makes for horror that is deep down bone-chilling. But let's face it, in this day and age, a realistic head-lopping is not really good enough. Ten realistic head-loppings aren't good enough. What makes you afraid is the way you feel about the people who are in danger and the people who are causing the danger. When a book monkeys with my emotions, that's scary.

Where Darkness Dwells is a wonderful story, rich with imagination, adventure, and lots of heart and soul. And yes, it's scary! There is great complexity in the people and the town that Glen Krisch creates. He doesn't give us cardboard paper dolls to represent good and evil. These are living, breathing characters. Most everyone has their faults and even the more villainous characters are in possession of a soft spot. But yikes! The villainous characters do some seriously heinous things.

There is a negative energy hovering over this town that is so nasty bad, I never felt confident that any one person was safe from getting the axe. This left me all the more on edge and made the outcome of any given scene impossible to predict. There were no red uniforms to tip you off that someone was about to meet an ugly end. It's quite suspenseful.

But the book does more than tell a scary story. Set in the 1930s, it tackles issues like bigotry, alcoholism, illegitimacy, poverty, classism, and homelessness in such a natural way, you absorb it as magically as the mysterious healing powers that lurk below the town's surface. At the same time, it delivers a plot that's lousy with extremes. The horror is utterly horrific. Sacrifices are great, monumental things. Death is wretched as wretched can be and life is sometimes even more wretched. Love is uncommonly deep. Glen Krisch juggles many brightly colored balls and in the end, not a one of them gets dropped. It's a spellbinding show.

If you like historical tales, this book is for you. If you like a good, grizzly killing, you'll like this book. Fan of family drama? It's in there. Teenage angst? Yep. Ghost story? Yep again. Mystery? Yes. Mystical, supernatural, heroic, adventure? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Where Darkness Dwells doesn't leave anyone out.

I won this book in a giveaway and I'm awfully glad I did. I finished it a week ago and I'm still carrying its special little spell around inside of me.
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Ctgt
4.0 out of 5 stars First Krisch but not my last
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2014
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The story is a mix of types including ghost/haunted house and supernatural folklore with some mystery thrown in, but there is added depth when you take into account the time frame/setting in which the story takes place. 1930's America with all the racial and economic issues really elevated this book for me. There is a very interesting juxtapostition between the supernatural aspects of the "underground" in this story and the historical Underground Railroad.
The author takes a poke at just how far we humans may go to retain out vitality and youth. What would you give up to stay young? Your humanity? Your soul?

I was a bit concerned early on in the book as there seemed to be a multitude of disparate threads and characters. I distinctly remember thinking, there is no way this is going to come back together in any kind of cohesive fashion. But the author did a great job weaving everything back together and while not flawless it was very satisfying and increased my appreciation for the story.

The strength of any good supernatural/horror book still comes down to the human aspects that we can still relate to in the "real" world. There were two moments at the end of this book that were extremely powerful to me, the interaction between a father and daughter as they leave the underground and a heartbreaking scene with another father, mother and child.

A solid 4 star read for me.
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Top reviews from other countries

Confessions of a Reviewer
4.0 out of 5 stars Loved it.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 10, 2013
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I'm not normally a fan of books set in this era. This was beautifully written. Gave you a real feel for the characters and what they went through. Enjoyed it a lot.
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Jennifer90
5.0 out of 5 stars A really good read
Reviewed in Germany on June 2, 2012
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I have to admit that I love this book! I've read it during a night and it is really entertaining. The plot twists and turns are great. I love all the vivid and well-created characters, especially Ellie and Cooper. I can just imagine that this book would be a great movie. A must-read for all horror or Stephen King fans!
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trail
2.0 out of 5 stars Two Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 9, 2015
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not much to say about this one as I did not finish it ,not for me
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N
1.0 out of 5 stars Nearly gave up
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2013
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Not my cup of tea. Really rubbish. Difficult to follow what is happening where. Didn't ring true. Certainly not about the depression as said in description. Every day I kept saying will give up,but thought must get better, I was wrong!!!
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