By the Light of Dead Stars

Beyond the Lost Coast, Book 1

De: Andrew Van Wey

Narrado por: Tom Jordan

On the Lost Coast, some things should never be found....

When tragedy shatters 13-year-old Zelda Ruiz’s adolescence, she retreats with her uncle Mark to the bucolic town of Greywood Bay. It’s a chance to heal and build a new life together.

But nothing can prepare them for the malignant terror that has long coveted these lands.

It looms over redwood groves and lurks in the foundations of homes. It festers in the dark hearts of the wounded. And now, this cosmic horror has found a new weapon: a means to worm its way into our world.

To save their community—and each other—Zelda and Mark will need to confront their darkest demons, both inside and out. For what stalks Greywood Bay hungers for suffering above all else.

And soon, it will feast…By the Light of Dead Stars.

©2022 Andrew Van Wey (P)2023 Andrew Van Wey

Coming of age cosmic horror

Fantastic writing by Van Wey and excellent narration by Tom Jordan!

I love love loved these characters - Mark’s uncertainty as he moved his life for his niece (not to mention he’s a teacher trying to do well by his kids), Maura, who’s an amazing badass, and how she keeps her friends in line, Ali’s nerdy wordy jokey self, and of course, Zelda, finding her way through adolescence and her grief for her parents.

Van Wey draws in his readers quickly and dazzles them with the light of these dark stars; this is a tale of cosmic danger and how we often misread those on the fringes of society.

As I understand it, there are more titles coming; I’m not one for reading series, but damn, I’m definitely ready for more here. Please release book two soon!!

Definitely check this one out if you love cosmic horror and coming-of-age tales!

Outstanding realism in a fantasy horror novel

This book had me on the edge of my seat multiple times with scary, monstrous scenes and situations. What set it apart from a standard genre book for me, however, was the very realistic writing of the humans, their choices, and the consequences they faced for each of their decisions. Really looking forward to the next installment.

An Okay Story with Awful Narration

The story itself is nothing special. Serviceable weird scifi story. Sadly the narration is terrible. The different voices and accents are poorly performed and inconsistent. The narrator mispronounces many common names/words to the point of distraction.

Awesome book!!!

I’ve been looking for a book like this for a very long time!! Please keep it up

Troubled town torn apart by its secrets

Received as an ARC, this is an honest review. By the Light of Dead Stars is an intricate dance of childhood moving into the awkward embrace of becoming a teenager with all the pitfalls and celebrations; it is also for the adults in this story facing not just their problems but a darkness that will tear the vibrant town of Greywood Bay apart... its secrets no one was suppose speak of. Another wickedly smart and poignant masterpiece by Andrew Van Wey... highly recommended.

The audiobook absolutely shines as narrator Tom Jordan continues to demonstrate why he's the best choice to give life to these eloquent, harrowing stories.

Such a fun book, a modern version of HP Lovecraft

Andrew Van Wey is becoming one of my favorite new authors very quickly.
His style of writing is so unique, the way he describes things and when it gets to the heart it dark parts of the story he’s so good at making a picture that you can see in your head.
This book definitely didn’t drag like Head Like a Hole sometimes did. It was pretty exciting throughout, and I loved how at the end it came full circle, it surprised me! I didn’t expect what was going to happen in the slightest. Highly, highly recommend checking this book out, it’s one of two, and the second isn’t on audio but I’ve already got a copy on the way from Amazon.

Great book

I really enjoyed this story and highly recommend. It is easy to follow and keeps your attention especially if you’re a multitasker like me.

Juicy cosmic horror in a backyard setting.

A great tale with believable characters. That is key to a good fantastical horror story.

One of the freshest reads in a long time…

This is one of very few books that kept me intrigued from start to finish.
This is only the second review I’ve ever written, and the first positive review.
For anyone interested in a fairly new author, whose style has a way of hooking you right off the bat, and the ability to keep your interest throughout, I’d seriously consider this book.
The performance was done with just the right nuance as well.
I think this is well worth a credit!

A great performance by Tom Jordan

There is so much about this book that I enjoyed. At its heart, it is truly a horror novel with all of the scary bumps in the night, weird shadow creatures, and a weird history! All great horror stories have to have a ‘history’. In this quiet planned neighborhood, the newest residents are an odd pair of outsiders thrown together by a fatal automobile accident that killed the parents of a young teen named Zelda. The nearest relative, an uncle was named as the benefactor of the estate and guardian to Zelda.
Uncle Mark and Zelda decide to make a fresh start in this new community. I’ll leave it here to prevent giving away too much of the story.
Apart from being a great story, the real art of author Andrew Van Wey's writings is the wonderful character development and possibly the best dialogue I’ve read. It's one thing to create verbal interaction between adults, but it's a whole other level of talent that can dredge up early/pre-teen nonsensical conversations. I couldn’t help but laugh as the young 'stars' Zelda, Ali, and Maura meet for the first time. Ali is riding his bike with Maura, a member of the football and wrestling team riding on the back, her leg in a cast. They approach the ‘new girl’, Zelda. From this point on, the adventure never lets up.
There are several storylines occurring concurrently that will keep you on your toes and looking over your shoulder at any unexpected sound or breeze.
I already mentioned that I really enjoyed reading this first book of a new series. I also highly recommend the Audible book performed by the very talented Tom Jordan. I will patiently wait for the next book in this series.