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Tower Hill

by Sarah Pinborough (Goodreads Author)

3.31 of 5 stars 3.31 · rating details · 89 ratings · 18 reviews

When ancient artifacts are unearthed in a remote Maine town, the residents become possessed, one by one, by souls of the damned.

Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages

Published July 1st 2008 by Leisure Books

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Jul 28, 2008 Kristen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, dorchester-book-club

It is rare that I give a horror novel 5 stars, but then again it is rare that a horror novel evokes a sense of disturbed creepiness in me. I won’t say that it “scared me” but it did keep me engaged from beginning to end, and for some reason this book came across as more plausible than many of the other supernatural horrors that I have read. It could be that it is a Christian based horror; I don’t know that an atheist would find this as creepy as I did.

Short Summary – Tower Hill is a tiny town t...more It is rare that I give a horror novel 5 stars, but then again it is rare that a horror novel evokes a sense of disturbed creepiness in me. I won’t say that it “scared me” but it did keep me engaged from beginning to end, and for some reason this book came across as more plausible than many of the other supernatural horrors that I have read. It could be that it is a Christian based horror; I don’t know that an atheist would find this as creepy as I did.

Short Summary – Tower Hill is a tiny town that hasn’t change for decades, housing a large church, a small university and a very small town population. Two not so nice individuals (one is a depraved serial killer) have followed a series of riddles and clues to find their way to Tower Hill where they discover two religious artifacts hidden… and the rituals required giving them the power of God, but it requires the help of the townspeople. Two college students and a police deputy find themselves in a bizarre situation as suddenly the sleepy little town becomes host to a series of murders and mutilations, and the townspeople suddenly aren’t acting the way they should.

Pinborough’s characters are very real and conflicted. Almost equal time is spent between our four “good guys” and our two “bad guys” and as the reader you get a bit of a sense as to how this can play out, however nothing is spoon-fed to you. I appreciate the intelligence of her horror, the concept of biblical power in the wrong hands is believable to me (I mean Hitler was hunting for religious artifacts from all religions) and although at first it seems a bit strange that religious items of this magnitude would be hidden in “the new world” Pinborough does an excellent job of connecting all of the dots for us without breaking down into pages of exposition. Though there is one element of the story that didn’t make a whole lot of sense and was never truly explained I’ll forgive her for that because I enjoyed the rest of the book so much (for those of you who have read the book – the item in the town drunk’s pocket really has no explanation at all, it is to that which I am referring).

This book takes on a very creepy vibe right from the beginning and you can feel your mind thinking “no, don’t do that!” as you read what the characters are doing, because they are so real, you genuinely want them to make it out of this okay. As with any good horror, not all of them do (I hate the ride off into the sunset endings of many horror novels). The resolution is what is expected, and the story maintains its level of creepiness throughout. This is only the second of Pinborough’s novels that I have read, and I have to admit that I like her sense of mood, and her ability to maintain it from beginning to end. There is some gore in this book, and a bit of sex, but what keeps this book moving is the characters and the overall sense of panic that the reader develops. If this were a movie, you wouldn’t be able to keep yourself from yelling at the screen “NO, don’t eat that!” “Don’t go in there!” or “Dear god, don’t trust HIM!!!” the fact that this book made me feel that way is what bumped this up to a 5 star book, even though it had some flaws.

This will probably not be for everyone, and may be scarier to Christians than non-Christians who may find this to be a load of garbage. This doesn’t require a lot of Biblical knowledge to enjoy; most of us are at least familiar enough with the beginning of Genesis to comprehend what is going on. I really enjoyed this book and hope that you do too!
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Jan 03, 2009 Ray rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 28, 2010 Vince Liaguno rated it 4 of 5 stars

By this time in our adult lives, we know of at least one certainty when it comes to traveling: Stay away from small Maine towns. We’ve been there, and we know that bad things happen in these seemingly idyllic places. For some inexplicable reason, evil – in all its forms – seems to gravitate to the Pine Tree State like white on rice. Yet despite our familiarity with the inevitable unpleasantness that ensues within moments of crossing over the New Hampshire border, horror writers insist on taking...more

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Sep 28, 2009 Louis rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this book last spring for part of my Back to the Beach presentation. It was a thoroughly enjoyable tale. It involved an elaborate Biblical mythology that involved an explanation of why the people in Genesis had such long lifespans. There also is an interesting take on the nature of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and what manifestation it takes. Even the Serpent is included.

One man murders and poses as the town priest and another gets a job as a professor at the local universi...more

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Nov 09, 2008 Dylan rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: horror fans

Recommended to Dylan by: found on own

Shelves: my-bookshelf

This was a great book! It's basically about these 2 men that come into this town to become gods. It has a nice spin on history at the end. The story of adam and eve in the bible is the background of this story. The two men are trying to gain eternal life by ressurecting the descendents of adam and eve. I highly recomend this book!

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Apr 28, 2011 Stephen Osborne rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was really looking forward to this one, as I really liked Pinborough's Torchwood novel. Somehow, thought, this one didn't soar for me. The ending reminded me a little of the Doctor Who episode "The Parting of the Ways." I did like that Ms. Pinborough didn't rely on blood and gore for her chills, but some of the characters were too undefined for me. Steve, in particular. He didn't really have much of a personality. And if you're writing a horror novel set in Maine DON'T mention Castle Rock (Ste...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Grey Liliy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

I was fairly neutral on the book, all considered. It wasn't bad, but I wasn't in love with it either.

It wasn't scary, and it was hard to get engaged with the story. The story has a really slow build-up, and while I can see how that was necessary to really smack the reader in the face when the story got moving, it doesn't quite work as well when you care very little about the main two characters.

Liz & Steve don't have much going on, and their personalities and motives could be summed up nice...more

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May 29, 2011 Kasia S. rated it 4 of 5 stars

What better place to open a chasm of destruction and chaos while gaining supernatural powers than a small, quiet New England town of Tower Hill. Where nothing changes dramatically, where the residents are sweet and students who come to the University are charming and peaceful and best of all, totally unsuspecting of something evil creeping their way. Well, say goodbye to sanity and student life, sinister forces in disguise of good have taken claim of the sleepy town and after they are done wring...more What better place to open a chasm of destruction and chaos while gaining supernatural powers than a small, quiet New England town of Tower Hill. Where nothing changes dramatically, where the residents are sweet and students who come to the University are charming and peaceful and best of all, totally unsuspecting of something evil creeping their way. Well, say goodbye to sanity and student life, sinister forces in disguise of good have taken claim of the sleepy town and after they are done wringing every little last drop of blood they will feed in more ways than one.

This creepy horror is delicious and impossibly hard to put down, yet easy to read and digest. Sarah Pinborough has done am impressive job with connecting the reader to the inner most feelings of the main character - Liz, while giving some great insight to the bad guys, switching between the two polar opposites until the final clash in the end. Right of the bat, we know that something fishy is going on, it's pretty obvious to us- the silent watchers behind the page as two men pretend to be something else. One comes as a priest and the other as a teacher, both with dark plans in mind and sick ideas motivating their seemingly innocent behavior in the small town. The reader is aware than the wolf in sheep's clothing is sowing the seeds in the hearts and minds of the residents and the students, but we sit helpless unable to leap through the pages and help, watching something dark unfold. I think this direction made the book even more exciting, knowing that evil is brewing, watching Liz and her friends plow through the challenges and seeing who falls and who survives was half the fun. When the weirdness of the new church makes Liz question her own faith, she realizes that it's not her that is wrong but the church and the new priest. She also notices that her friend Angela starts changing after attending a weekend club set up by the new teacher. The town and its inhabitants are changing form both sides and pretty soon there is barely anyone left who is even aware of the danger or of the changes taking place in their minds, souls and bodies.

This was total candy for my brain; eerie, creepy, full of ominous atmosphere that cloyed each page, making it thick with anticipation and eagerness for the truth to come out. The ending was a bit startling, I would never have expected for the events that perspired to occur but it was good, albeit a bit fast. The uphill trip (reading the story) was probably the best part since the suspense was very entertaining, just as a good book should be.
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Nov 11, 2009 Robert rated it 3 of 5 stars

Tower Hill by Sarah Pinborough is about a New England town called, yep, Tower Hill. A new year of college has started and new students Liz, a Maine island girl with a religious history, and Steve, a ruffian from Detroit looking to start a new life elsewhere are in for a treat as well as the whole town. Aside from the students there is also an new teacher and a new priest that has arrived. There is no secret who the antagonists are, but what they are trying to accomplish sends the whole town into...more Tower Hill by Sarah Pinborough is about a New England town called, yep, Tower Hill. A new year of college has started and new students Liz, a Maine island girl with a religious history, and Steve, a ruffian from Detroit looking to start a new life elsewhere are in for a treat as well as the whole town. Aside from the students there is also an new teacher and a new priest that has arrived. There is no secret who the antagonists are, but what they are trying to accomplish sends the whole town into a religious nightmare.

The plot is straight forward and there really is not much guessing at all as to what is going on in the town. The book begins well enough and shows promise right from the start. As the story progresses, it really doesn't seem to move very fast. Sure the changes in the town are spread out at good intervals, but I never really get the feeling of suspense or dread. There are some great visuals of Tower Hill and the surrounding countryside. AS for the characters, I really wanted to care about them more and root for them, but as the story progressed, I became a bit bored. Later, the town drunk becomes a central figure and other reviewers have questions about one part of something that is with him. My answer to this would be to believe in miracles. Guidance can come from anywhere, even a higher power. The pacing is rather stagnant. I pretty much had to push myself a little to finish this one.

Some Criticisms

1. The book started out nice enough, but eventually lost is edge. I guess I was expecting a little more from the story.

2. There wasn't much mystery as to the happenings of Tower Hill and what was going on. Sure, there are some things that needed explaining to keep the plot gong and give some history as to where things are coming from, but aside from that, the story came across one dimensional and a bit flat.

3. There is a part where one of the characters parents show up towards the end that didn't add as much as I thought it would. I was hoping for them to play a more integral part in the climax and yet did not.

Some Positives

1. The visuals were great. Ms. Pinborough has a definite talent for using words to paint pictures in her book. She doesn't over burden with details yet you feel like you are right there experiencing the environment.

2. When there is excitement, the story is very engaging. The reader is grabbed and forced to turn the pages to get through the scene. It was these parts that got me through to the end.

3. The twist at the end was awesome. I was not expecting the climax to take the turn that it did. Not only was it a twist in the story, but it made sense and was plausible as far as supernatural horror goes.

Overall, it was an average horror story. There was much room for improvement. This might seem like a negative review for a 3 star rating, however, the writing and the positives make up where the rest lacks. If I find another book by Ms. Pinborough that grabs my attention, I will try her again. To those who love supernatural, religious, horror, then you may like this one. If you are running out of horror stories to read, you may also want to give this one a chance. Now, if you are looking to get into reading horror, or supernatural horror with a religious base, then you may want to try something else.

Dimndbangr
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Sep 02, 2009 C.S. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

I needed this. I have spent so much time in my own world writing my books. I haven't read a book that wasn't my own in just a few days in forever.

Very good horror story. Like most good stories the bad guys were worth the price of admission. Great ending that I won't talk about for fear of getting into a lot of trouble.

If you like horror, run out and buy it.

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Feb 26, 2012 Scott Bibliophile rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

Somewhat slow. It's holding my interest, but probably from wondering where it's going. Curious to see what the antagonists are going to become (through pg 207).

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Oct 06, 2011 Bandit rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sarah Pinborough really needs to write more horror. She's so good. This was a very excellent example of her horror, small town trapped in an ancient battle of good and evil, great backstory and enough gore and action to keep a horror fan happy, but not so much that it takes over or distracts from the story. Very quick read as well, great pacing as always. This was a 4.5 star read for me, but I accept the site's limitations :)

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Jan 20, 2009 A. R. rated it 3 of 5 stars

I just started reading it but a priest gets killed right away so I'm saying thumbs up.

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Jul 29, 2008 I.E. Lester rated it 4 of 5 stars

Despite some initial misgivings (not another author settings books in Stephen King's backyard and writing in a similar vein) I was quickly absorbed.

There is a definite feeling of us vs the world in the book, an evil that is seemingly undefeatable and just a tiny few who even realise there is a problem.

Great

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Oct 16, 2008 KimberlyDawn rated it 1 of 5 stars

I guess I shouldn't say I read it. I TRIED to read it but simply never became interested in the story. It felt more like a teen horror novel than one for adults.

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Nov 25, 2011 Nora aka Diva rated it 1 of 5 stars

I don't know what to say other than I read it but now a week later I can't remember a single thing about it. Well, I guess that says alot in itself, doesn't it?

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Apr 07, 2009 Jason rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the first half of the book but somewhere in the middle the story seemed to fall apart for me.

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May 28, 2011 Benjamin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great book but why do they always have to pick on the Catholics.

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Shelves: owned-books

Feb 13, 2013 Rebekah Tufano rated it 5 of 5 stars

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About Sarah Pinborough

Sarah Pinborough is the British author of five horror novels and her sixth, Feeding Ground, is due out from Leisure books in October 2009. Her short stories have appeared in several anthologies and she has also written aTorchwood novel Into the Silence for BBC Books (May 09). She is currently working on A Matter of Blood, the first of a supernatural thriller trilogy for Gollancz, which will be in...more

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