Dark Hollow by Brian Keene

Aspiring author Adam Senft is trying to keep things together as he builds his writing career and tries to keep his marriage together, which has hit a serious strain as a result of his wife’s miscarriages and the emotional toll it has taken on her. Things take a dramatic turn for the worst in his Central Pennsylvania neighborhood when he comes across a neighbor of his performing oral sex on statue of a satyr that has come to life after these strange pipes play. He realizes he has not lost his mind when women in his neighborhood begin to go missing. The satyr is a threat to Adam and his male neighbors as they ban together to protect their wives and the other women from falling prey to the mystical power of the satyr. This leads to an old murder that occurred nearby and a confrontation against a powerful supernatural force.



I have read some other quality novels by Keene, but this has to be the best novel of his that I’ve read. For one thing, he does a remarkable job with character development. Adam Senft is a lifelike character that I can fully relate to. The side characters are similarly well-developed. The use of a satyr as a villain in this novel is pretty unique and cool. For a character that doesn’t have much dialogue, it’s also a well-developed character. The story unfolds at a logical and brisk pace. The horror elements are spot on. The only thing that I thought was kind of a downer was the ending, which although fitting wasn’t terribly uplifting. This is a top notch horror novel that you will want to read.