Little Heaven by Nick Cutter Published by Simon and Schuster on January 10th 2017
Genres: Fiction, General, Horror, Suspense, Thrillers
Pages: 496
An unlikely trio of mercenaries is hired for a seemingly easy job: to check on a young boy, held by his father in a remote settlement in New Mexico called Little Heaven. When they arrive, they discover a sickly group of individuals, led by a single religious leader. Children have gone missing in the surrounding woods, a dark and chilling setting, all in the shadow of the foreboding Black Rock. Something has drawn the leader of Little Heaven to this land...and that something has now invaded Little Heaven.
Egads, this book is spooky. Having ready Cutter’s previous works, I thought I was prepared for this one. Clearly, that wasn’t the case. This is the type of horror that chills you from the core, an evil that reminds me of Clive Barker’s work…yet still more terrifying.
Told in two time periods, fifteen years apart. Cutter builds up the main characters (Minerva, Eb, and Micah) slowly and deliberately, providing a pretty good foundation for readers to embrace. My only issue is that I feel this really could have been split up into two novels. The first time period covers the trio’s first visit to Little Heaven, the second is fifteen years later when they are forced to return. I felt that more time was spent on the earlier time period, leaving the latter to feel rushed and not as developed. I felt invested enough in each of the characters that this leap to the “present” feels me wanting to know more about what has happened in the time in between.
All in all, though, a terrifyingly good read. Certainly not for the weak of heart and mind…
