You might be asking yourself, who is Bentley Little? That was my question, too, while picking out my last set of new novels to read (join these book clubs, folks, if you are gonna read or buy a book anyway - doesn't it make more sense to get a nice set of FREE novels, while you're at it?). If you are a fan of Stephen King and Dean R. Koontz, then you are in for a treat. The Master of the Macabre (as dubbed by the king of horror himself, Stephen King), Bentley Little is a Bram Stoker award winner (The Revelation) and IMHO, brilliant writer of horror fiction, and author of The Summoning. This is the first book of his I have read, and am next tackling The Walking, due to my thorough enjoyment of this novel - a twist of a vampire tale.

The story begins with the appearance of Jesus to a rather mentally disturbed preacher. But wait, is it really Jesus, or perhaps something else? ... something not good. From here, the story get rolling with a young Asian American heroine, her family and a small, desert town in Arizona. A body is found, completely drained of blood, and with the help of a pair of brothers - one a sheriff and the other the local newspaper editor ... the town attempts to make sense of it.

It gets pretty strange and creepy from there, and what follows is a roller coaster ride of horrifying proportions. Why would someone, in the course of under an hour, dig up the graves of the previous residents and suck out all the marrow from their bones? What is going on with the town's preacher, and his building a new, odd church ... and conversion of most of the town's population?? And how does all this tie together with the rumors of a vampire running rampant??? ... something no one wants to admit is a possibility. Well, if I said anymore I'd spoil the story, and this is one all horror fiction fans should not miss. Fiendishly tasty, The Summoning is a joy to read and Bentley a rather new horror writer that will rank among the best of them for years to come. HIGHly recommended.