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By: Christopher Rice
Published: Oct. 15, 2013
By: Gallery Books
Source: Publisher
GR's Summary:
New York Times bestselling author Christopher Rice brilliantly conjures the shadowed terrors of the Louisiana bayou—where three friends confront a deadly, ancient evil rising to the surface—in this intense and atmospheric new supernatural thriller.
It’s been a decade since the Delongpre family vanished near Bayou Rabineaux, and still no one can explain the events of that dark and sweltering night. No one except Niquette Delongpre, the survivor who ran away from the mangled stretch of guardrail on Highway 22 where the impossible occurred…and kept on running. Who left behind her best friends, Ben and Anthem, to save them from her newfound capacity for destruction…and who alone knows the source of her very bizarre—and very deadly—abilities: an isolated strip of swampland called Elysium.
An accomplished surgeon, Niquette’s father dreamed of transforming the dense acreage surrounded by murky waters into a palatial compound befitting the name his beloved wife gave to it, Elysium: “the final resting place for the heroic and virtuous.” Then, ten years ago, construction workers dug into a long-hidden well, one that snaked down into the deep, black waters of the Louisiana swamp and stirred something that had been there for centuries—a microscopic parasite that perverts the mind and corrupts the body.
Niquette is living proof that things done can’t be undone. Nothing will put her family back together again. And nothing can save her. But as Niquette, Ben, and Anthem uncover the truth of a devastating parasite that has the potential to alter the future of humankind, Niquette grasps the most chilling truths of all: someone else has been infected too. And unlike her, this man is not content to live in the shadows. He is intent to use his newfound powers for one reason only: revenge.
“A masterful coming-of-age novel…Rice’s characters are complex and real, his dialogue pitch-perfect, and his writing intelligent and strong.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review for THE HEAVENS RISE (Gallery Books; October 15, 2013; $26.00) by Christopher Rice
My Thoughts:
The Heavens Rise, by Christopher Rice, was a good paranormal horror story. The first thing that caught my eye was the way Mr. Rice described things. His prose were very detailed, and lent themselves to very graphic visualizations in my head. He has a very beautiful and prolific writing style. As for the story plot, it was very intricate, complex, and at times a bit confusing. There were a ton of characters, and view points. Also, the story jumped back and forth between the past and present.
The Heavens Rise had a very interesting premise. It was about a teenage girl, Niquette, as well as a her boyfriend, Anthem, their good friend Ben, and a scary and psychotic guy that is obsessed with Niquette, named Marshall. When Niquette and Anthem break up, she starts dating Marshall. One night, Niquette and Marshall go swimming in her new pool, (which has been filled from an old well,) and things get out of hand. Marshall tries to force himself on Niquette, and when she runs away from him, she sees these scary looking white creature things that are crawling all over her. Afterwards, a ton of bizarre events begin taking place. Niquette and her family disappear. At the same time animals and people start dying. Little by little, the mystery and horror of what's taking place starts to unravel, and it's not pretty.
The Heavens Rise was not what I would refer to as easy reading. When you read this book, you need to make sure that you have no distractions, and are able to really focus on the story. At times, I found that there was a little too much description, and I needed more action to take place. The pacing of the story was fairly slow, and I believe that was due to the complexity of the plot, as well as the amount of description, and multiple character view points.
Even though this story was not for me, I could still appreciate the creative and imaginative workings of Mr. Rice's mind, and the beauty of his writing. I believe fans of Stephen King will love Mr. Rice's story telling! As a matter of fact, I plan on giving this book to my cousin to read. She is a huge Stephen King fan, and I believe that she will love this story. I give The Heavens Rise, by Christopher Rice, 3 Imaginative, Intricate, Gory, and Disturbing Stars! This story is a good choice if you are looking for a book to get you in to the spirit of Halloween, or you are in the mood for a creepy horror story.
My Favorite Quote:
"Marshall crouched down next to him and Danny looked into his eyes for the first time in his life. He'd only seen them in photographs. At first, their large size made them oddly welcoming, but then he saw they were utterly expressionless; staring into them felt like being invited to dive headfirst into an empty swimming pool." (eARC, Loc.1542)
Book Trailer:
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About the Author:
Christoper Rice is the New York Times bestselling author of A Density of Souls, The Snow Garden, Light Before Day, Blind Fall, and The Moonlit Earth. The son of author Anne Rice and award-winning poet Stan Rice, he lives in Los Angeles, where he is the cohost of the internet radio show, The Dinner Party Show with Christopher Rice and Eric Shaw Quinn.
Giveaway:
Leave a Meaningful Comment on this Review, and I will use Random.Org to Choose a winner of a paperback ARC! (U.S. Only)
Sounds like it might be a good read :) The cover is awesome, by the way. When I saw it, I immediately thought Louisiana. Very cool that it triggered such a clear idea in my head of the book's setting :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting read. I have never read a book by him before.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, creepy quote! Great review. This is one my TBR I have never read any of his books but his mom is my absolute favorite author!! >.< She does paranormal so well I'm a little leery of how he could do it, but it sounds like I might like it. I'm a little worried about it being overly descriptive though, bc it can take away from the action or speed of the plot. Great review!
ReplyDeleteDee @ Dee's Reads
This books seems intense! I love Louisiana and the bayou but I do have to admit that it can be quite creepy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
I love supernatural thrillers. This one sounds like a must read.
ReplyDeleteThe bayou is a creepy place, beautiful but filled with questions and danger. Perfect for a tense story. I can think of several friends that will enjoy reading it.
ReplyDelete