Voices in the Dark

Twilight: Where Darkness Begins #6

by James Haynes

Is it waiting for her in the dark? Christie feels a presence in the barn, a presence she is drawn to night after night. There is a strange sense of peace, but beyond the calm, there is fear which Christie cannot escape. Each morning Christie remembers nothing of her visits, only dreams of riding her horse, Prince, through the black shadows. But there are whispers calling her away from her home, waiting for her in the darkness.

Can Christie save herself from the grip of a power beyond her control?

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Paranormal

153 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 1982

Reviews

[Mir]

Oh gosh! I think this may be the "haunted horses brasses" book I had as a kid, that I couldn't remember the title of. The cover looks right, and it was definitely one of these horror "series" that aren't actually connected. I had two, from a garage sale, and the other one featured a girl who wished to be smarter and prettier, then was sorry because it turned out the qualities were stolen from classmates.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are fun little reads, but they're also a reflection of what YA fiction was "back in the day". Now, we get some complex plots with deep character examination, and stories told over (at least) three books; then, they were just basic stories with basic characters, told in about 150 pages, with the subtlety of the Kool Aid man. I mean, I guess there were books that WEREN'T like that, but these Twilight books sure were.

The premise here is a little silly (instead of a fairy godmother granting wishes, we get a fairy horse), but Haynes actually takes it beyond that to give a little bit of depth. We're not talking literary levels of depth, but he at least gives the story a bit more meat than just teens in peril. Plus, it feels like these books were geared toward YA women, since they're mostly love stories, buried beneath the horror (such as it is).

I mostly started reading these for the nostalgia, and was admittedly not expecting much, but I've been surprised at how readable they are. Normally, I can knock them out in a day, but I had a lot going on this week....

[Gabi Porcz · Rating 4 out of 5]

For starters, an absolutely classic cover which screams, "Read me!!" from any bookshelf.

The story was quite atmospheric and spooky.
It has a splash of romance in it, also, which is always embraced by me.
I would definitely recommend it to any YA horror fan.

Definitely one of the better ones in the Twilight - Where Darkness Begins series.

[Paul Lê · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird dreams, Gaelic wish granting, and a Harlequin teen romance make this Twilight entry a quick but enjoyable read.

[Shana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun blast from the past read. I loved these books as a kid and enjoyed the re-read. Recommend to any 80's kid that loved their school book fares and these young people horror fiction.

[Ray Riddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Voices in the Dark" is Dell Publishing's sixth book in their Twilight series, and I must say, they made a good choice. James Haynes is a good author. I like his writing. Quick and easy, but keeps you wanting to know more, wondering if what you think is going on is really what is going on.

The book starts not long after the school year begins, after Christie has moved to rural Iowa from Chicago with her parents. There are horses, strange voices no one else seems to hear, weird dreams and some Celtic family history. I especially like this story because there's some wish granting involved, which is more genies and such than Celtic, bringing a different feel to the whole thing. I won't go into any more for fear of giving anything away. I'll just say that though it was a quick read, there wasn't anything missing and I didn't feel more could really be added. I quite liked it. Worth the read.

[C]

I devoured the Twilight books when I could get my hands on them. I'll have to see if I can turn any up from some dark corner, but of course, some things might be better left in nostalgia.