You can't help but admire Bentley Little. The guy has been publishing novels since 1989. A publishing history that is impressive by any standard. Sure, he has mostly dealt in paperback originals, and some may look down upon that, but I think that in many cases paperbacks can be more financially lucrative than hardcovers. Especially for mid-list writers.
The coolest thing about Bentley Little is how he has mostly stayed out of the limelight. The accepted maxim is that authors must self-promote themselves in order to survive. Little allows his work to stand on its own feet. Which is does quite well.
Bentley Little also avoids the social networks. You won't see him alienating potential readers by dragging his political views out for all to see. Very smart indeed.
The Haunted is the twenty-third novel that Little has published, and it's about as traditional as he gets. As the title suggests, The Haunted is a haunted house story. The setup is a familiar one to horror fans. A normal, reasonably well adjusted family moves into a new home and strange occurrences begin to happen. We all know that scenario by heart. Unsurprisingly, Bentley Little takes his readers into new territory with The Haunted.
Little's readers love his work for many reasons, but one of the big ones is the way he uses wild, often surreal images in it. The Haunted is no exception. The family in the story experience some really strange phenomena. I'm tempted to reveal a few here, but that would spoil the diabolical surprises that Bentley Little has in store in The Haunted.
Some readers say that the endings of Little's novels suffer. As if he used up all of his energy coming up with all of these deranged scenes and fumbles the conclusion. I hate to say it, but in a few cases, I agree. I'm happy to say that The Haunted has a nicely executed finale that shouldn't disappoint many readers.
You either are or are not a Bentley Little fan. Those who enjoy his work really enjoy it. I do not have to recommend this novel to them. They will buy The Haunted regardless of what people are saying about it. I urge those who have previously been disappointed in his work to give The Haunted a chance. It's one of his most accessible, satisfying novels.
Review by Mark Sieber
The coolest thing about Bentley Little is how he has mostly stayed out of the limelight. The accepted maxim is that authors must self-promote themselves in order to survive. Little allows his work to stand on its own feet. Which is does quite well.
Bentley Little also avoids the social networks. You won't see him alienating potential readers by dragging his political views out for all to see. Very smart indeed.The Haunted is the twenty-third novel that Little has published, and it's about as traditional as he gets. As the title suggests, The Haunted is a haunted house story. The setup is a familiar one to horror fans. A normal, reasonably well adjusted family moves into a new home and strange occurrences begin to happen. We all know that scenario by heart. Unsurprisingly, Bentley Little takes his readers into new territory with The Haunted.
Little's readers love his work for many reasons, but one of the big ones is the way he uses wild, often surreal images in it. The Haunted is no exception. The family in the story experience some really strange phenomena. I'm tempted to reveal a few here, but that would spoil the diabolical surprises that Bentley Little has in store in The Haunted.
Some readers say that the endings of Little's novels suffer. As if he used up all of his energy coming up with all of these deranged scenes and fumbles the conclusion. I hate to say it, but in a few cases, I agree. I'm happy to say that The Haunted has a nicely executed finale that shouldn't disappoint many readers.
You either are or are not a Bentley Little fan. Those who enjoy his work really enjoy it. I do not have to recommend this novel to them. They will buy The Haunted regardless of what people are saying about it. I urge those who have previously been disappointed in his work to give The Haunted a chance. It's one of his most accessible, satisfying novels.
Review by Mark Sieber
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