Darker Days

A Novel

De: Thomas Olde Heuvelt

Narrado por: Teri Schnaubelt

""Darker Days reinforces that Olde Heuvelt is one of the most vital and exciting voices in modern horror”— Mike Flanagan, director of The Haunting of Hill House, The Fall of the House of Usher, and Dr. Sleep

""Darker Days is a remarkable and disturbing morality tale about the true cost of lucky lives. It’s a tremendous achievement by Thomas Olde Heuvelt as well as a frightening gift for readers."" — Owen King, author of The Curator

From the author of the internationally acclaimed bestseller HEX comes a modern twist on the Faustian tale about a gilded street in a Pacific Northwest town where the charmed residents have made a frightening deal . . . resulting in devastating consequences.

Sometimes you think you can see things behind the fence. Bad things. So it’s better not to look . . .

In Lock Haven, a quiet little town in Washington State, Bird Street is a special place. The residents of this pretty cul-de-sac on the edge of the woods are all successful, healthy, and happy. Their children are prodigies; well-mannered and… unnaturally smart.

But come November, the “Darker Days” descend, bringing accidents, bad luck, conflict, and illness. Luana and Ralph Lewis-da Silva prepare for this, and so do their children Kaila and Django. It is in November when a stranger appears to collect on a longstanding debt. A price must be paid for the good fortune they enjoy the rest of the year. A sacrifice must be made.

So it has been for over a century. To assuage their guilt, the residents of Bird Street choose carefully who will be sent into the woods. Usually, it is an elderly or terminally ill individual who wishes to die with dignity and is content to be helped on their way.

But this year, things don’t go to plan, and events take a terrifying turn . . .

Darker Days is a propulsive, haunting novel that begs the questions: “How far will we go for our own happiness and what sacrifices are we willing to make?”

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Unique twist on an old trope

Without spoiling it, the main idea of this book is a well known and well used trope in horror - but this story has a unique twist on the idea that ramped up the creepy factor imo. Narrator was good overall.

surprisingly good

i quite liked this and was pleasantly surprised by the plot developments. i figured there was no way there could be a satisfying ending, but i was wrong! my only real complaint was that it was annoying that the narrator pronounced the korean name incorrectly and that the author associated manga with korea, when that’s japanese. other than those blips though, i really liked this.

Love this

A Faustian fable written for a modern era

While act one sets up the situation and gets you familiar with the characters and the stakes, you’ll really enjoy the twists and turns of act two.

Ending was great! This is my second favorite of this authors right after Hex.

Haunting

If you could have everything you ever wanted at the cost of a month of darkness, and a (human) sacrifice, would you do it? How would you choose the sacrifice?

These are a few of the questions this book will leave you with.

One neighborhood, one deadly secret. Everyone on Bird Street knows the drill. When November comes around, so do the Darker Days, a time of calamity until the price is paid.

Every character has their own reason for keeping the tradition going—sickness, family, desire—but all their wishes end in the same way.

The Accountant was an interesting villain, though I’m not sure if that’s the right term for him. He’s not quite the devil. He’s something else. Something darker. Something made of the worst of humanity.

This was a truly harrowing read. There were moments when I found myself in complete disbelief at the lengths the characters would go to just to survive another November. The tension is palpable, and the stakes couldn't be higher.

I kind of seen the ending coming, but I loved the foreshadowing leading up to it and thought it was the perfect way to wrap things up.

Thought-provoking and haunting, this is now firmly in my top five reads of 2025. A book that will stay with you long after the last page is turned.

Twisted, uncomfortable and incredibly!

This is a twisted tale that will make you so uncomfortable that you need to take breaks to collect yourself.