The year is 1963 in a small Midwestern town setting. Everyone in that town knew about the October Boy (otherwise known as Ol' Hacksaw Face, or Sawtooth Jack). Every year towards Halloween, he will rise from the cornfields and make his way towards town with his tattered jacket full of candies.

How this ritual comes about will be explained in the story, but I am not going to spoil it for you. So every Halloween, the October Boy will resurrect and with a butcher knife in hand, he will make his way to town and towards the church before a boy gets him. That is the rule and this is how it always played.

Dark Harvest is the winner of the Bram Stoker Award in 2006 and also listed as Publishers Weekly’s 100 Best Books of 2006. I have to say these honours are well-deserved as Dark Harvest is one of the most extraordinary horror stories I have ever read. The Halloween theme may sound old to some, but the bonus is the author delivered it with a different premise with a twist as one would have to figure out who is the real evil behind this story. The writing is beautiful with a lyrical and poetic prose to it; I know this may sound a little strange but I think it works very well through Norman Partridge's skillful writing. One would also think of the humanity issue on top of all the dark elements, which I think entitles another point for this well-written horror tale. The only down side is I wish this story is a bit longer.

I am glad I picked up this book right after reading Carl's lovely review some time back. What's more, it is hard to turn down a book like this with that attractive, eye-catching cover.

Other blog review:
Stainless Steel Droppings
(Let me know if I have missed yours.)