Billy Smith and Angel Johnson are on the run from their pasts. Billy killed a mother and her children in a drunken driving accident and was just released from prison; Angel was a heroin addict and prostitute until she met Billy. Driven on by their nightmares and a compelling urge to go to a certain location, almost as if they're drawn to it, they eventually find themselves in the little town of White Falls as the town readies itself for their annual May 1st celebration.
Jeboriah Taylor watched his drunken father beat his mother to death with a broomstick when he was little. No longer a child, but shunned and treated as an outcast growing up, Jeb is following in his father's footsteps and spending his nights at Johnny's, the local watering hole. Jeb just walked off his job and is too depressed to take care of his semi-senile grandmother, with whom he lives. Another case of like father, like son...unless there's something evil in the town that has plans for Jeb.
So when an unmarked grave gets disturbed and the town starts going mad, it's up to Billy and Angel, along with the town doctor and a crazy witch lady named Annie, to put together the real story of White Falls' twisted history and figure out what's causing the chaos, how Jeb figures into everything and how to stop things from getting worse. But the source of the chaos may not actually be after Jeb; he may actually be a tool to allow the evil to get close to the strangers in town.
Nate Kenyon makes his debut with Bloodstone and it's a solid read. Excellent pacing, great writing and a knack for dialog both between characters and internal keeps the book from getting boring or long-winded. Kenyon also generates a terrific sense of impending doom throughout the novel, but never pushes too hard; this adds a nice atmosphere to the novel. Bloodstone is the first step on what will undoubtedly be an excellent career for Kenyon, and this reviewer is pleased to see him alongside the likes of Jack Ketchum, Richard Laymon and Brian Keene. Welcome to the party, Nate, I'm looking forward to The Reach.
What I didn't dig about the book was the pre-determined destiny themes. It's old, it's trite and it was never a good idea from the very first time it was used. Watching characters go through motions to get to some mystery destination is not my idea of a good time. Instead of the characters being all like 'Why are we here, why are we doing this?' I would much rather see them, for example, more like 'We pulled into this town and suddenly zombies, hundreds of them! What do we do?" I can't enjoy a story when I know I'm just waiting for the Scooby Gang to put their clues together, I'd much rather have them faced with a situation and watch them cope. Just personal preference speaking, but that in no way should deter you from giving Bloodstone a read, even if you're just mildly curious. Nate Kenyon is going to have a lot of good things to offer the world of horror fiction. You can quote me on that.
--------------------
Publisher: Dorchester Publishing Company, Incorporated
Pub. Date: April 2008
ISBN-13: 9780843960204