Summer of Night

It appears that many aficionados agree that three coming-of-age horror novels stand above the rest of the pack. The first is Stephen King's It. The second is Robert R. McCammon's Boy's Life. And last but not least is Dan Simmons' Summer of Night. Having read the first two and since I've owned the third for years, I finally decided to give it a go. Little did I know that Simmons would pass away while I was reading the book.

Like It and Boy's Life, I was hoping that Summer of Night would be another magical coming-of-age journey that truly made an impression on me. I'm glad to report that it did just that, even though King and McCammon's works were superior novels. Still, it's obvious that Dan Simmons deserves his place alongside the other two authors and that this trio of books are special in so many ways.

Here's the blurb:

This masterfully crafted horror classic, featuring a brand-new introduction by Dan Simmons, will bring you to the edge of your seat, hair standing on end and blood freezing in your veins.

It's the summer of 1960 and in the small town of Elm Haven, Illinois, five twelve-year-old boys are forging the powerful bonds that a lifetime of change will not break. From sunset bike rides to shaded hiding places in the woods, the boys' days are marked by all of the secrets and silences of an idyllic middle-childhood. But amid the sundrenched cornfields their loyalty will be pitilessly tested. When a long-silent bell peals in the middle of the night, the townsfolk know it marks the end of their carefree days. From the depths of the Old Central School, a hulking fortress tinged with the mahogany scent of coffins, an invisible evil is rising. Strange and horrifying events begin to overtake everyday life, spreading terror through the once idyllic town. Determined to exorcize this ancient plague, Mike, Duane, Dale, Harlen, and Kevin must wage a war of blood—against an arcane abomination who owns the night...

The novel was released thirty-five years ago, but it doesn't show any signs of age. Given that it's set in the 60s, like It and Boy's Life, Summer of Night is another timeless tale that sparks up nostalgia. Not only for that time and place, though I felt that it perfectly captured the political and social vibes of the Midwest. Like the other two aforementioned works, there is something inherently magical about this book. Though I'm a child of the 80s, it spoke to the little boy in me in myriad ways that made me shake my head in wonder. There are a lot of themes explored in this novel, all of them experienced by all kids going through childhood, on their way to adolescence and then adulthood. Love, hope, fear, anger, ignorance, grief, forgiveness, and loss are just a few of what you can expect as you follow Mike, Duane, Dale, Larry, Harlen, and Kevin's tale. Even if their story is completely different, you'll find plenty of things echoing back to those of the Losers' Club and Cory Mackenson. There are very few things in this life that can help me recapture the essence of my childhood. The first couple of seasons of Stranger Things managed to do just that. Like King and McCammon before him, with Summer of Night Dan Simmons did the same.

How an ancient evil from the Old World ended up in Elm Haven, Illinois, and how it now seeks to be reborn in their time are mysteries that the bunch of kids that form the Bike Patrol will have to discover and hopefully make sense of before it's too late. But when one of their classmates disappears on the last day of school and when one of their friends dies in what is called a horrendous accident, these kids realize that something is definitely wrong in their town. And the closer they seem to get to the truth, the more it becomes evident that something is trying to kill them all. If they are to survive, they need to band together and puzzle out why a dead WWI soldier, the rendering truck, and various other oddities are after them and what they can do about it.

Of course, no coming-of-age story would work without a number of endearing characters and in that regard Summer of Night really shines. Not only did Simmons create a great bunch of kids you can really root for, but he also gave them all their own perspectives. Though they are friends, they are all quite different from one another. Mike, Duane, Dale, Larry, Harlen, and Kevin must deal with different realities at home and in their lives and through their POVs each is allowed to take center stage at various times. I'm aware that there are three more installments in the Seasons of Horror series, with the sequels featuring some of the protagonists and other side characters as adults. But I'm not sure that these books can hit the spot quite like this one did. Like King and McCammon, Simmons managed to bring the inner child out of me time and time again, mostly during sequences that had little or nothing to do with the plot (baseball games, bike rides, adventures in the woods, or just the kids hanging out and bickering and shooting the breeze) and for that I'll be eternally grateful. The horror story is quite good, don't get me wrong. And yet, for the most part, the book is more about the various experiences, good or bad or downright horrific, that characterize one's childhood and the lessons that must be learned in order to move on.

Although Summer of Night cannot be considered a fast-moving affair, nor does it suffer from any pacing issues. It takes a while for the author to lay the groundwork for the plot and to introduce each protagonist and establish who they are and how they fit in the greater scheme of things. Like Boy's Life, this is another atmospheric novel following the day-to-day lives of a group of young boys. It's about the awakening of an ancient evil, true. But it's also about the trials and tribulations of a bunch of kids during their summer vacation. À la Robert R. McCammon, Simmons' prose creates an evocative imagery that makes you live every moment as if you were there. This is where the real magic lies. This is what struck a chord with me. When they do come, the endgame and the finale move quite rapidly, at a much faster rhythm than the rest of the novel. But they deliver the sort of ending such a compelling tale deserves.

Like Stephen King and Robert R. McCammon, let Dan Simmons' tale take you down memory lane. Let the story of the Bike Patrol bring forth your inner child. For that alone, it's worth every penny.

The final verdict: 8.5/10

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