Evans Light's Blog - Posts Tagged "david-searls"

Yellow Moon by David Searls

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Wow.
Yes, that's pretty generic I know, but it's the only word that comes to mind when reflecting back on this book, which I finished reading only moments ago.
What an incredible novel, one of those rare finds that you hope for when selecting an 80s/90s horror paperback, but seldom actually get: a polished jewel hidden beneath a lurid cover.
Bursting at the seams with vigor, wit and creativity, David Searls' YELLOW MOON delivers the goods and then some. The prose moves with such sleek efficiency I actually had to read faster to keep up with the cadence. Once I found the rhythm, I was firmly hooked and pulled along for the rest of the ride.
Clocking in a a sleek 250 pages, this novel is all meat and no fat, just the way I like 'em. Searls gives a virtuoso display of how to juggle a large cast of characters and multiple narrative threads, not once did I feel a sense of confusion about who was who and what was what; everything simply flowed.
Like a lucid dream freshly transcribed upon waking, YELLOW MOON should hold immediate appeal to fans of Joe R. Lansdale for sure. For some reason, for me this book called to mind a bit King's DESPERATION and Joe Hill's N0S4A2, even though, impressively, it was published prior to both. Toss in a pinch of King's IT, and you're in the ballpark. This novel truly stands on its own beside any of these, including Lansdale's NIGHTRUNNERS.
Chock full of memorable imagery and out-of-the-park turns of the phrase, Searls has scored himself a new lifetime fan with this one. Had this been published a decade earlier, it would undoubtedly possess renown as a horror classic, which I fully contend it is.

***** Five BIG FAT Stars to add to the sky of the YELLOW MOON.



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