What do you think?
Rate this book
The Deer Kings
In 1989, Gary Sheldon and his friends created their own saint.
In 2018, they discover it’s become a god.
Gary thought he’d escaped Kingston, Oregon, the town where his parents died and where, one tragic summer, he and a group of outcast teens turned to the supernatural to protect themselves from a deranged drug dealer. But when his wife lands her dream job as a high school principal, he is forced to return to his hometown.
As Gary reconnects with old friends and his son thrives on the football team, the past feels like a distant memory. But unsettling encounters and mutilated animals in the woods reveal that the Deer Saint is still at work. Now Gary must look into his past to find answers: Who is making sacrifices to the Deer Saint? And what do they want with his family?
“Deer saints, darkness and the strangeness of family ties; Wagner effortlessly mixes football and folk horror in this terrifying new novel.” —Angela Slatter, award-winning author of The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings
“The Deer Kings is a grand, gorgeous, and—at times—gory wonder.” —Gordon B. White, author of As Summer’s Mask Slips and Other Disruptions and Rookfield
“A dark tapestry of occult mystery, small-town secrets, and mounting dread… This story will sink its claws in you from the first word.” —Tim Waggoner, Bram Stoker Award®-winning author
“This compulsively readable novel has solidified Wendy Wagner’s place as one of the most exciting writers in the genre.” —Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award®-winning author of Kin and Sour Candy
In 2018, they discover it’s become a god.
Gary thought he’d escaped Kingston, Oregon, the town where his parents died and where, one tragic summer, he and a group of outcast teens turned to the supernatural to protect themselves from a deranged drug dealer. But when his wife lands her dream job as a high school principal, he is forced to return to his hometown.
As Gary reconnects with old friends and his son thrives on the football team, the past feels like a distant memory. But unsettling encounters and mutilated animals in the woods reveal that the Deer Saint is still at work. Now Gary must look into his past to find answers: Who is making sacrifices to the Deer Saint? And what do they want with his family?
“Deer saints, darkness and the strangeness of family ties; Wagner effortlessly mixes football and folk horror in this terrifying new novel.” —Angela Slatter, award-winning author of The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings
“The Deer Kings is a grand, gorgeous, and—at times—gory wonder.” —Gordon B. White, author of As Summer’s Mask Slips and Other Disruptions and Rookfield
“A dark tapestry of occult mystery, small-town secrets, and mounting dread… This story will sink its claws in you from the first word.” —Tim Waggoner, Bram Stoker Award®-winning author
“This compulsively readable novel has solidified Wendy Wagner’s place as one of the most exciting writers in the genre.” —Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award®-winning author of Kin and Sour Candy
318 pages, Paperback
First published August 27, 2021
5 people are currently reading
722 people want to read
About the author
Wendy N. Wagner
121 books271 followersWendy N. Wagner grew up in a town so tiny it didn’t even have a post office. With no television reception, she became a rabid reader, waiting impatiently for the bookmobile’s fortnightly visit to her tiny hometown. Today, her family struggles to find room for her expanding book collection in their Portland, Oregon, home.
Wendy's work ranges from horror novels to poetry to environmental essays. Her books include THE SECRET SKIN (a gothic novella), THE DEER KINGS (a horror novel), AN OATH OF DOGS (science fantasy), and two tie-in novels for the Pathfinder role-playing game. A Hugo award-winning editor of short fiction, she currently serves as the editor of NIGHTMARE MAGAZINE and the managing/senior editor of LIGHTSPEED.
Wendy's work ranges from horror novels to poetry to environmental essays. Her books include THE SECRET SKIN (a gothic novella), THE DEER KINGS (a horror novel), AN OATH OF DOGS (science fantasy), and two tie-in novels for the Pathfinder role-playing game. A Hugo award-winning editor of short fiction, she currently serves as the editor of NIGHTMARE MAGAZINE and the managing/senior editor of LIGHTSPEED.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 5, 2022
A coming of age tale, a close knit group of unlikely friends, a villainous villain always lurking in the shadows and a boy who talks to ghosts. The story is told in two timelines and jumps back and forth between the 80’s and 2018. The core of this town is rotten and the adults are strangely addicted to football (which admittedly I’ll never understand but others might) and will do anything to win. It’s wild. Review to come later. I hate typing on this phone.
September 4, 2021
This is a stellar horror novel that hits all of my sweet spots - coming of age horror, folk horror, multiple timelines, vivid descriptions and great characters.
I don’t want to give away any more than the novel’s blurb, you want to go into this fresh so you can really experience it.
“In 1989, Gary Sheldon and his friends created their own saint.
In 2018, they discover it's become a god.
Gary thought he'd escaped Kingston, Oregon, the town where his parents died and where, one tragic summer, he and a group of outcast teens turned to the supernatural to protect themselves from a deranged drug dealer. But when his wife lands her dream job as a high school principal, he is forced to return to his hometown.
As Gary reconnects with old friends and his son thrives on the football team, the past feels like a distant memory. But unsettling encounters and mutilated animals in the woods reveal that the Deer Saint is still at work. Now Gary must look into his past to find answers: Who is making sacrifices to the Deer Saint? And what do they want with his family?”
2021 has been another stellar year for horror, and The Deer Kings belongs up there on that bloody shelf with the best of them.
I don’t want to give away any more than the novel’s blurb, you want to go into this fresh so you can really experience it.
“In 1989, Gary Sheldon and his friends created their own saint.
In 2018, they discover it's become a god.
Gary thought he'd escaped Kingston, Oregon, the town where his parents died and where, one tragic summer, he and a group of outcast teens turned to the supernatural to protect themselves from a deranged drug dealer. But when his wife lands her dream job as a high school principal, he is forced to return to his hometown.
As Gary reconnects with old friends and his son thrives on the football team, the past feels like a distant memory. But unsettling encounters and mutilated animals in the woods reveal that the Deer Saint is still at work. Now Gary must look into his past to find answers: Who is making sacrifices to the Deer Saint? And what do they want with his family?”
2021 has been another stellar year for horror, and The Deer Kings belongs up there on that bloody shelf with the best of them.
October 11, 2021
Deer Kings is a very good coming of age horror book, certainly worthy of a spot on the shelf alongside IT, but with an even better sense of place. The most authentically Northwest horror I've read. As an Oregonian who grew up in a high school football town (with Bucks as our mascot) this was almost written for me. Wendy's work at Nightmare first turned me on to her writing, and I think this is her most impressive so far.
April 7, 2022
4.5 stars.
Growing up, one of my least favorite things in the world was football season. I never cared for sports, any sport. Being an autistic young child, the sensory overload of a football stadium always drove me insane. This doesn’t even mention what plastic stadium seats feel like during Miami’s humid and fiery year. But, even worse, I always noticed that my parents were not themselves during football games.
They drank more. They fought with each other all the time about the smallest things on the way to the football game, during the football game, and afterwards. Insults flew out easier from the both of them. They were smashed when it was time to drive home.
I also noticed that it wasn’t just them. It was everyone that went to a football game. I never saw so many fights, so many thrown beer bottles, or so many angry men as when I was forced to go to football games. All in all, every single time, it was a miserable experience for me. Something in football drove people insane, and I wanted no part of it.
Needless to say, Wendy N. Wagner creates a terrifying folk horror that centers around the cult that forms around football and small towns in The Deer Kings. It’s one of the most harrowing reading experiences I’ve ever had.
Read the rest of the review here.
Growing up, one of my least favorite things in the world was football season. I never cared for sports, any sport. Being an autistic young child, the sensory overload of a football stadium always drove me insane. This doesn’t even mention what plastic stadium seats feel like during Miami’s humid and fiery year. But, even worse, I always noticed that my parents were not themselves during football games.
They drank more. They fought with each other all the time about the smallest things on the way to the football game, during the football game, and afterwards. Insults flew out easier from the both of them. They were smashed when it was time to drive home.
I also noticed that it wasn’t just them. It was everyone that went to a football game. I never saw so many fights, so many thrown beer bottles, or so many angry men as when I was forced to go to football games. All in all, every single time, it was a miserable experience for me. Something in football drove people insane, and I wanted no part of it.
Needless to say, Wendy N. Wagner creates a terrifying folk horror that centers around the cult that forms around football and small towns in The Deer Kings. It’s one of the most harrowing reading experiences I’ve ever had.
Read the rest of the review here.
October 23, 2021
Wagner's first foray into novel-length horror hits nearly all the right notes in this highly engaging and fast-paced variation on the Stephen King IT-style 'return-to-the-small-town-of-my-suppressed-horrifying-youthful-trauma' story. Another, more current, comparable might in many ways be "The Children of Red Peak" by Craig DiLouie.
Gary Sheldon, who happens to have a knack for seeing shades of the dead, grew up in Kingston, OR, home of 'The Bucks', and left town years ago, after he, his sister, and his teenage friends accidentally (or perhaps not) tapped into some longstanding local supernatural forces in 1989 to defend themselves from a brutally destructive and nasty drug dealer that moves next door. Things get severely out of hand, after which Gary and every one of his friends, moved out of town. Now, it's 2018 and Gary's wife has been offered a position as High School Principal in Kingston and he has to move back and face the still lingering and long buried horrors of the past, including the truth behind the death of his parents and his own childhood brush with death.
Wagner delivers well-drawn characters and has them delivering natural and convincing dialogue, so you buy into them in a big way. The plot unfolds rapidly, but there's a richness to it and you get caught up in wanting to uncover more of the mythology/backstory driving it, which Wagner parcels-out in delectable and well-spaced bites. I had a hard time setting this down for even a short while as my curiosity was in overdrive. So, I loved this read. The 'nearly' in my opening comes down to some confusion about how, at least for me, what the kids conjure up relates to what has always existed in town, but it's a quibble that in no way kept me from enjoying this excellent ride.
This is well worth your time and money. I can't wait to see what Wendy Wagner does next.
Gary Sheldon, who happens to have a knack for seeing shades of the dead, grew up in Kingston, OR, home of 'The Bucks', and left town years ago, after he, his sister, and his teenage friends accidentally (or perhaps not) tapped into some longstanding local supernatural forces in 1989 to defend themselves from a brutally destructive and nasty drug dealer that moves next door. Things get severely out of hand, after which Gary and every one of his friends, moved out of town. Now, it's 2018 and Gary's wife has been offered a position as High School Principal in Kingston and he has to move back and face the still lingering and long buried horrors of the past, including the truth behind the death of his parents and his own childhood brush with death.
Wagner delivers well-drawn characters and has them delivering natural and convincing dialogue, so you buy into them in a big way. The plot unfolds rapidly, but there's a richness to it and you get caught up in wanting to uncover more of the mythology/backstory driving it, which Wagner parcels-out in delectable and well-spaced bites. I had a hard time setting this down for even a short while as my curiosity was in overdrive. So, I loved this read. The 'nearly' in my opening comes down to some confusion about how, at least for me, what the kids conjure up relates to what has always existed in town, but it's a quibble that in no way kept me from enjoying this excellent ride.
This is well worth your time and money. I can't wait to see what Wendy Wagner does next.
May 2, 2022
A very very good book
I read several books a week and rarely take the time to write a review. This is an exception.
This is an extraordinarily good book. It reminds me of Stephen King with a dash of Gaiman’s American Gods. I loved the plot, the characters, the setting, just everything. I cannot recommend it enough.
My first encounter with this book was an excerpt in a magazine to which I subscribe. Nightmare Magazine. Ms. Wagner is the editor. I have several different magazine subscriptions and so get to read a lot of excerpts. This one stayed with me. I wanted to buy the book right away, but it wasn’t on Kindle and so I waited because I’m drowning in physical books at my house.
I next stumbled across a short story in an anthology called The Deer God that was clearly an earlier version of this book. It made me recheck Amazon. Score! I immediately dowloaded it.
I ended up reading through the entire night. (Ms. Wagner, you owe me a good night’s sleep, but you’re forgiven.). I love this book on so many levels. It’s creepy, it’s relatable, it summarizes the often bizarre small-town sports rituals I remember from childhood, and it stays with you.
I will never look at a deer in the same way. Which is wonderful, because I live in WI and will now get a little shiver every time I see one: is that a lovely woodland creature, dinner, a road menace, or just maybe . . . A God?
I read several books a week and rarely take the time to write a review. This is an exception.
This is an extraordinarily good book. It reminds me of Stephen King with a dash of Gaiman’s American Gods. I loved the plot, the characters, the setting, just everything. I cannot recommend it enough.
My first encounter with this book was an excerpt in a magazine to which I subscribe. Nightmare Magazine. Ms. Wagner is the editor. I have several different magazine subscriptions and so get to read a lot of excerpts. This one stayed with me. I wanted to buy the book right away, but it wasn’t on Kindle and so I waited because I’m drowning in physical books at my house.
I next stumbled across a short story in an anthology called The Deer God that was clearly an earlier version of this book. It made me recheck Amazon. Score! I immediately dowloaded it.
I ended up reading through the entire night. (Ms. Wagner, you owe me a good night’s sleep, but you’re forgiven.). I love this book on so many levels. It’s creepy, it’s relatable, it summarizes the often bizarre small-town sports rituals I remember from childhood, and it stays with you.
I will never look at a deer in the same way. Which is wonderful, because I live in WI and will now get a little shiver every time I see one: is that a lovely woodland creature, dinner, a road menace, or just maybe . . . A God?
September 2, 2021
I read The Deer Kings in a creaky old country house that stands beside a forest which I am fairly convinced is haunted and which is most certainly overrun with deer who frequently come quite close to the house. Thanks to the particular ways in which this novel is terrifying, I too am now haunted, and I will never look at a deer the same way again.
The Deer Kings is a pitch-perfect take on the innate horror of run-down towns and the run-down people who infest them. It reads like both an homage to classic small-town horror stories and an update that transforms the tired old misogynistic and queerphobic tropes common to such classic works into something new, fresh, and rather more sympathetic to the mores of 21st-century readers. Wagner’s subtle prose is fluid and unobtrusive in a way ideally suited to the novel, supporting and displaying the vivid characters and fast-moving plot without distracting through the over-the-top language one sometimes finds in books of this type. Using just the right amount of description to reveal without ever dumping, Wagner builds an ever-more-tangible atmosphere of dread from the book’s first pages through its inevitably horrific conclusion.
I would say that The Deer Kings is not a book for the faint of heart—it is very, very scary—but then again I am a total coward when it comes to horror and I absolutely loved it. Perhaps the easily frightened might best enjoy this one with the lights on, a hot drink near at hand, and a trustworthy person or animal close enough for comfort.
I received a free digital advance copy of this novel from the author in exchange for my review.
The Deer Kings is a pitch-perfect take on the innate horror of run-down towns and the run-down people who infest them. It reads like both an homage to classic small-town horror stories and an update that transforms the tired old misogynistic and queerphobic tropes common to such classic works into something new, fresh, and rather more sympathetic to the mores of 21st-century readers. Wagner’s subtle prose is fluid and unobtrusive in a way ideally suited to the novel, supporting and displaying the vivid characters and fast-moving plot without distracting through the over-the-top language one sometimes finds in books of this type. Using just the right amount of description to reveal without ever dumping, Wagner builds an ever-more-tangible atmosphere of dread from the book’s first pages through its inevitably horrific conclusion.
I would say that The Deer Kings is not a book for the faint of heart—it is very, very scary—but then again I am a total coward when it comes to horror and I absolutely loved it. Perhaps the easily frightened might best enjoy this one with the lights on, a hot drink near at hand, and a trustworthy person or animal close enough for comfort.
I received a free digital advance copy of this novel from the author in exchange for my review.
May 28, 2022
very good! i love spooky happenings, small town, kid gangs, spooky deer, creating your own religion, inherit spirituality of returning to a place you once knew.
the ending was a little... odd? rushed, like the final act of a so-so horror movie. not bad, just odd. there was a lot of meandering in the book, slow trips through the kids lives. the kids werent bad characters, they had their little oddities that made them enjoyable to read about, but not enough to stand out. i frequently mixed the boys up and struggled to remember their defining traits.
its very... the souls of the people for the life of the town, inner circle vs outsiders, cult-like worship of sports. hard to put into words but its a v specific genre that ive always liked, but yet to find a book that engages with it the way i wanted it too.
my favourite part of the whole thing is the line 'they discover its become a god'.
the ending was a little... odd? rushed, like the final act of a so-so horror movie. not bad, just odd. there was a lot of meandering in the book, slow trips through the kids lives. the kids werent bad characters, they had their little oddities that made them enjoyable to read about, but not enough to stand out. i frequently mixed the boys up and struggled to remember their defining traits.
its very... the souls of the people for the life of the town, inner circle vs outsiders, cult-like worship of sports. hard to put into words but its a v specific genre that ive always liked, but yet to find a book that engages with it the way i wanted it too.
my favourite part of the whole thing is the line 'they discover its become a god'.
August 7, 2021
Sometimes you get wrapped up in a book and can't put it down, this is one of those books. When a group of childhood friends being a 'deer saint' into being, they can never imagine the consequences of their actions. Split between past and present, the friends confront their actions against a backdrop of violence and almost a 'cult' fanaticism for the local football team in their old hometown. This is a terrific supernatural thriller with elements of folk horror and hauntings, which, mixed with the examination of childhood and adult relationships provided the perfect antidote to a very rainy day in Wales!
June 3, 2022
This book did many things very well. It's heavy with atmospheric, northwestern horror. I've never been to the PNW, but the descriptions in this book were so vivid I could smell it and feel it on my skin. Solid coming of age story too, and a good exploration of small town horror.
I do also appreciate that Wagner didn't get bogged down in the mechanics of her story, but rather allowed our understanding to evolve alongside that of the characters - the characters experiencing things for the first time in 1989 and then sharing them or remembering them in 2018. There are some unanswered questions, but I think that's fine. And I love the ending!
I do also appreciate that Wagner didn't get bogged down in the mechanics of her story, but rather allowed our understanding to evolve alongside that of the characters - the characters experiencing things for the first time in 1989 and then sharing them or remembering them in 2018. There are some unanswered questions, but I think that's fine. And I love the ending!
September 10, 2021
THE DEER KINGS reminds me of many Stephen King books: a coming of age with a strong character driven narrative; a small town with old, dark secrets and details that make you feel like you've lived there all your life; and folklore that grows more interesting the further you read. All of this and more keeps your head buried within its pages until the very end.
I hope Wagner returns to THE DEER KINGS world in the future.
I hope Wagner returns to THE DEER KINGS world in the future.
February 3, 2022
The story of a group of friends encountering the horrors of life and the discovery of magic is told in two time periods of their teenage years and adult lives. The unsettling secrets of a small isolated town and the surrounding forest rise and rise again with masterfully paced dread. Whether you've spent time in a place like Kingston or the Pacific Northwest, you will feel yourself among these friends, the deer staring at you, the shadows in the trees, longing for escape.
August 17, 2022
This was so well done - multiple POVs and past and present storylines that so very carefully showed the character's development, flaws and reasoning. The supernatural element was so present throughout the most ordinary scenes. I got the feeling I was reading Stephen King, but enough unique flavour to make me want more from Wagner in her own right.
November 10, 2022
Holy shit. The first half of this book, the tension built so steadily it was almost unbearable. I had to put it down every few pages, only to compulsively pick it up again.
Then the last half was absolutely compelling and I inhaled it. So creepy and terrifying and bloody. Holy shit y'all. This book was great!
Then the last half was absolutely compelling and I inhaled it. So creepy and terrifying and bloody. Holy shit y'all. This book was great!
December 13, 2022
A mix of folk horror and ‘childhood friends reuniting in the town they all thought they’d escaped’, there’s a perfect slow building of tension as the story unfolds through alternating scenes from the past and present. The weirdness accelerates hard in the last act and ends with a bang. Perfect for anyone who grew up in a small town.
September 16, 2021
I don’t read a lot of horror, but this book was fantastic. Think Steven King but set in Oregon! Great characters, spooky and intense and weird. Just a great story told superbly.
October 9, 2021
This is excellent horror but it’s a bit of a slow burn at first. Really picks up steam near the middle and I didn’t want to put it down!
February 7, 2022
Simply put, I will read anything Wendy Wagner writes from now on.
October 17, 2024
I really loved this book!! I feel like there could have been a lot more to the ending though, it seemed a little rushed and I was left thinking, what it’s over?! But over all, a great book!!
March 4, 2022
Pra uma história tão bem desenvolvida, um final tão corrido pareceu tão... Bleh. Mas mesmo assim achei incrível. Mais um livro na série de leituras que daria uma ótima série/filme.
June 28, 2024
There were so many typos 💀
January 23, 2022
With The Deer Kings, Wagner dove into so many of my favorite sub genres - coming-of-age, kids on bikes, and small towns. Highly recommended. I'll be looking for more of her books.
October 8, 2022
Such a slow build up, but when you least expect it this book will have its teeth in you and drag you into the story kicking and screaming. It’s all worth it for that kind of an ending. GO BUCKS.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews