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Dark Coming of Age #3
The Attraction
College students make a wrong turn into nightmare country in this all-out drive-in horror movie of a book from New York Times bestselling author Douglas Clegg.
For fans of Richard Matheson, Guillermo del Toro and Stephen King.
The Dark Coming of Age series books do not need to be read in any specific order -- they are stand-alones built around a theme of "dark coming of age."
For fans of Richard Matheson, Guillermo del Toro and Stephen King.
The Dark Coming of Age series books do not need to be read in any specific order -- they are stand-alones built around a theme of "dark coming of age."
324 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
January 9, 2022
Josh and his four friends are traveling cross-country to California. Along the way, they get a flat tire and end up at a gas station with a sideshow attraction. Inside a glass case is 4'4" mummified dried up thing inside a glass case called a creature of the night nicknamed Scratch. The signs say Scratch is from an ancient blood ritual. So because they are a bunch of dumb teenagers, one of the boys ends up stealing Scratch. Miles down the road, they run out of gas and are stuck in the desert. As the day descends into darkness, the sound of scratching is heard from the trunk of the car. A solid, classic horror story with some good chills.
March 15, 2025
He Is Out There...
the Abominable Scratch...
THE ATTRACTION
by Douglas Clegg
No spoilers. 3 1/2 stars. Keep an eye out when you drive through the deserts of southwest Arizona...
When it's dark and starless there...
You can hear strange things. Strange people and things live in the desert where no one in their right mind would choose to live...
The strangest thing of all is...
Something on display in a glass case at a gas station called the Brakedown Palace and Sundries...
The roadside attraction called the unspeakable abomination...
Or Scratch...
The year is 1977. There are no cellphones. Gerald Ford is president...
Josh and four of his college friends are on spring break and decide to jump into Josh's tank of a car he calls the pimpmobile...
And travel to the southwest corner of Arizona...
It should take them three days to get there and by 9:00 am they had already made it to the main highway...
Two days later...
They saw the first billboard. It advertised something called the unspeakable. An ancient wonder of the world...
50 miles further...
The next sign popped up and piqued their interest:
YOU'RE NEAR THE MYSTERY OF THE UNKNOWABLE, UNSPEAKABLE TERROR OF THE ANCIENT WORLD...
Down route 19 at the Brakedown
Palace and Sundries...
NAVAJO BLANKETS! TURQUOISE! ARROWHEADS! FIREWORKS!
Their driver fell asleep at the wheel...
The car ended up in a ditch. A passing tow truck towed the pimpmobile to the Brakedown Palace...
And while the group waited for it to be repaired...
They went inside the Sundries shop to see the attraction: a 4'4" mummified dried up thing inside a glass case called a creature of the night.
Nicknamed Scratch...
One of the boys steals Scratch for their college dorm, and eventually, the creature escapes into the desert, looking to feed on human blood and skin...
He's out there now...
The unspeakable abomination...
Called Scratch...
I liked the idea of this story. It reminded me of a Rob Zombie movie called HOUSE OF A 1000 CORPSES and a 70s made-for-TV movie called GARGOYLES starring Bernie Casey.
Where the author bored me was with all the graphic sexual exploits of the college kids... and he could have filled at least a chapter with every time one of the characters, Bronwyn, lit up a cigarette... Okay, already! We got the memo: Bronwyn chain-smokes!
The best novel I've read to date by this author is NEVERLAND. It is easily a 5 star story that I would recommend above all his other novels, but this one was only okay.
the Abominable Scratch...
THE ATTRACTION
by Douglas Clegg
No spoilers. 3 1/2 stars. Keep an eye out when you drive through the deserts of southwest Arizona...
When it's dark and starless there...
You can hear strange things. Strange people and things live in the desert where no one in their right mind would choose to live...
The strangest thing of all is...
Something on display in a glass case at a gas station called the Brakedown Palace and Sundries...
The roadside attraction called the unspeakable abomination...
Or Scratch...
The year is 1977. There are no cellphones. Gerald Ford is president...
Josh and four of his college friends are on spring break and decide to jump into Josh's tank of a car he calls the pimpmobile...
And travel to the southwest corner of Arizona...
It should take them three days to get there and by 9:00 am they had already made it to the main highway...
Two days later...
They saw the first billboard. It advertised something called the unspeakable. An ancient wonder of the world...
50 miles further...
The next sign popped up and piqued their interest:
YOU'RE NEAR THE MYSTERY OF THE UNKNOWABLE, UNSPEAKABLE TERROR OF THE ANCIENT WORLD...
Down route 19 at the Brakedown
Palace and Sundries...
NAVAJO BLANKETS! TURQUOISE! ARROWHEADS! FIREWORKS!
Their driver fell asleep at the wheel...
The car ended up in a ditch. A passing tow truck towed the pimpmobile to the Brakedown Palace...
And while the group waited for it to be repaired...
They went inside the Sundries shop to see the attraction: a 4'4" mummified dried up thing inside a glass case called a creature of the night.
Nicknamed Scratch...
One of the boys steals Scratch for their college dorm, and eventually, the creature escapes into the desert, looking to feed on human blood and skin...
He's out there now...
The unspeakable abomination...
Called Scratch...
I liked the idea of this story. It reminded me of a Rob Zombie movie called HOUSE OF A 1000 CORPSES and a 70s made-for-TV movie called GARGOYLES starring Bernie Casey.
Where the author bored me was with all the graphic sexual exploits of the college kids... and he could have filled at least a chapter with every time one of the characters, Bronwyn, lit up a cigarette... Okay, already! We got the memo: Bronwyn chain-smokes!
The best novel I've read to date by this author is NEVERLAND. It is easily a 5 star story that I would recommend above all his other novels, but this one was only okay.
December 27, 2011
The first time I became acquainted with Clegg's work was through this Harrow series with a novel called "Mischief" and let me tell you, the man can write! I still remember reading the book through the night and simply being unable to put it down. Just as with the other book, his writing is very smooth, easy to digest and simply impossible to put down. This book is really two short novels in one. The first being a 170 page story about an Aztec monster out for fresh blood in the desert and the second, an introduction to the Harrow series, about a man who was reborn as a monster with insatiable appetite for lust and sacrifices. Each one is so very different but it showcases Clegg's intense way of conjuring ideas and his ability to translate them into books that are easy to read. He's slowly becoming a staple on my bookshelf and I can always count on him for a fantastic mix of horror and fantasy that somehow feels real.
The first story is called "The Attraction" and its strength relies on the sharp and spot on character development. I adored the relationships he build between the five friends who went on a road trip though the dry, hot desert, somehow getting stranded in middle of nowhere, close to danger. I got to like some, dislike others and then I got to read about them coming across an ancient Aztec mummy, said to be the scraper of the bones who drank the blood and danced for rain in the ancient times on top of the pyramids. Its no secret that something happens and the monstrum comes to life, what happens next is the real beauty of the story. Be prepared for some gruesome devouring, the tale is good but ends a little tame for my tastes. Overall I love the characters and enjoyed the imaginative new nemesis that I have never read about before.
The second novel is about a very bad man who gets entangled in some very dark magic; it's a little intro to the wonderful Harrow series, about a haunted private school with many skeletons in its closet. It was a really dirty and intense story but really good at the same time, perhaps it's a good thing it was short because it was immensely dark and rich with truly horrific ideas.
I engulfed this book over the weekend and can't wait to get back to reading some more of Clegg, he's a real diamond in the rough and his stories entertain both the mind and the imagination.
The first story is called "The Attraction" and its strength relies on the sharp and spot on character development. I adored the relationships he build between the five friends who went on a road trip though the dry, hot desert, somehow getting stranded in middle of nowhere, close to danger. I got to like some, dislike others and then I got to read about them coming across an ancient Aztec mummy, said to be the scraper of the bones who drank the blood and danced for rain in the ancient times on top of the pyramids. Its no secret that something happens and the monstrum comes to life, what happens next is the real beauty of the story. Be prepared for some gruesome devouring, the tale is good but ends a little tame for my tastes. Overall I love the characters and enjoyed the imaginative new nemesis that I have never read about before.
The second novel is about a very bad man who gets entangled in some very dark magic; it's a little intro to the wonderful Harrow series, about a haunted private school with many skeletons in its closet. It was a really dirty and intense story but really good at the same time, perhaps it's a good thing it was short because it was immensely dark and rich with truly horrific ideas.
I engulfed this book over the weekend and can't wait to get back to reading some more of Clegg, he's a real diamond in the rough and his stories entertain both the mind and the imagination.
Want to read
October 21, 2016This is copy 129 of 500 hardcover copies signed and numbered by Douglas Clegg.
January 31, 2022
Very much enjoyed this book. Had some typical character stupidity as a plot, but the main plot of this thing coming alive is a bloody good time. First time I read a book from this author, but I really liked his style of writing and conveying a sense of terror. Loved the ending!
January 23, 2014
Douglas Clegg was one of the first horror authors I've read of quality (unlike say Koontz) and therefore always has a special place in my heart. Attraction was the first book I've read by him in a long while and it's nice to see that the quality is still there. The book is comprised of two novellas, which are very different and should be reviewed individually. The titular piece, The Attraction, is a fun semi contemporary read. Creature feature set in the Arizona desert, elevated by Clegg's writing from bland entertainment to something considerably more impressive. The Necromancer is a novella set in Clegg's Harrow series (some of which I remember not particularly caring for years ago) and this one was sort of in the same vein. It's well written, but in that gothic overdone style. It has some great imagery, but it just wasn't as much fun as the first novella. Also the latter features extensive sexual scenes including homoerotic ones for those who are easily offended. Both stories could in the way be considered coming of age stories, since ultimately they deal with two young men, albeit very different and set in the very different worlds. This might not be the best book to judge Clegg's substantial talent by, but it does offer variety and is an entertaining and quick read.
February 15, 2008
This book is an old fashioned horror novel with a scary and unique creature.
A mummy is put on exhibit in a roadside gas station. When 5 college kids take a road trip and steal it they think they're cool and funny, until the thing begins to feed.
If you're looking for a fun fright this is the way to go!
A mummy is put on exhibit in a roadside gas station. When 5 college kids take a road trip and steal it they think they're cool and funny, until the thing begins to feed.
If you're looking for a fun fright this is the way to go!
January 9, 2022
Read this one a couple of years ago. Liked the first story a lot. Barely remember the second.
September 28, 2009
More two novellas in one.
The Attraction had a good little story, some great characters (imagine the first 20 minutes of 1000 corpses...but the characters had MORE character!) and there's some suitably violent deaths. My niggles were that some felt a bit rushed or glossed over, and the ending was a little weak. But this was still a good, fast paced read.
The Necromancer is the other novella and I loved it. It was like reading the old Clive Barker but more to the point. It rocketed along and packed in loads of history in a short book. This is the prequel (if you will) to the Harrow novels. Did it make me want more? Check out my to be read list!
The Attraction had a good little story, some great characters (imagine the first 20 minutes of 1000 corpses...but the characters had MORE character!) and there's some suitably violent deaths. My niggles were that some felt a bit rushed or glossed over, and the ending was a little weak. But this was still a good, fast paced read.
The Necromancer is the other novella and I loved it. It was like reading the old Clive Barker but more to the point. It rocketed along and packed in loads of history in a short book. This is the prequel (if you will) to the Harrow novels. Did it make me want more? Check out my to be read list!
January 5, 2015
Great spooky story!
March 19, 2010
Set in 1977, this short novel features 5 college friends on a road-trip across the US, who - through one contrivance after another - find themselves at the titular garage in the middle of the desert. Acting up, they break the case of "the attraction" and all hell breaks loose. This is an odd story, it's short but seems to take forever to get going and then, after an admittedly good set-piece with the monster decimating the cast, it seems to take forever to wrap up. The characters are little more than stereotypes (and mostly unlikeable), a lot of the dialogue feels repetitive (and occasionally too writerly, as if Clegg had points he wanted to make but his characters didn't) and, once you stop and think about it, the coincidences are very jarring. Not badly written, but poorly paced and plotted, it'd be hard to recommend this book (and certainly put me off reading the second story, a novella, contained herein).
February 12, 2017
I'm one of those weirdos who read authors' dedications. I couldn't help but notice that Clegg dedicated this one to Edward Lee. After finishing THE ATTRACTION, I can see why. Lee's good at creating wonderfully offensive stories and letting it play out in kind of a slasher-ish way. That's how this book works. This isn't the kind of thing Clegg regularly does, and it's fun to watch him play with new toys. But I prefer the novella that is added to the end, "The Necromancer." The Harrow stories fascinate me, but Justin Gravesend interests me the most. It's great to see how he started down the path that led him to becoming what he did.
September 20, 2011
Fun! But atypical Clegg, at least from what I've read. The Attraction has the feel of a summer horror flick--road trips, teenagers, stereotypes, crazy rednecks, and sex--as opposed to Clegg's more fantastic, atmospheric tales. It's a quick read and highly entertaining. The monster is memorable, and the book somehow reminded me of King's short story "Chattering Teeth." (If I'm recalling the name correctly. You know, the one with the salesman and his wind-up chompers.) Just expect popcorn, not a fine steak.
December 8, 2021
This is two short novellas in one. The first story is about a monster of Aztec lore that is a little happy with his razor claws. It chronicles the stupid kids that happen to release it.
The second story deals with dark magic relating to the occult. It is part of the "Harrow" series and is very heavily sexually laden. I guess I would have to put an age limit on it.
Both stories were very interesting and kept me turning pages.
The second story deals with dark magic relating to the occult. It is part of the "Harrow" series and is very heavily sexually laden. I guess I would have to put an age limit on it.
Both stories were very interesting and kept me turning pages.
December 27, 2007
This is a two story book. I loved the first story couldn't put the book down. It was horrific and strange. It really scared me. I will never stop at a road side, run down shack of a place in Arizona again.
The second story, very weird and didn't fit with the first. Came out of left field. Like a diary of a true madman.
The second story, very weird and didn't fit with the first. Came out of left field. Like a diary of a true madman.
June 29, 2016
This book was a thrill. I never want to encounter Scratch or any other mummy for that matter. I may never stop at any roadside attractions again either. A fun, gory thrill ride. If you're a fan of Clegg you won't be disappointed. Read this if your on a road trip this summer and enjoy.
January 20, 2008
Definitely not his best. Flat characters, poorly developed and stereotypical. Skimmed lots of it.
May 5, 2021
The great unspeakable mystery! The dark wonder of the ancient world! The small, mummified corpse of an unknown creature with long sharp nails in the back of a rundown gas station is the Attraction of the title, a roadside display meant to draw hapless tourists and separate them from their nickels. In 1977 a bunch of students on a road trip to California stumble across the venue and in a moment of lunacy steal the withered remains, pop them in the trunk and soon run out of gas in the middle of a desolate stretch of a desert. And then the creature wakes up and begins scraping their flesh off, one by one.
The Leisure edition also includes another novella, The Necromancer, to bulk up the book closer to Leisure's usual format, but The Attraction is the main attraction here. It's a short, sharp piece the length of a novella and it's a good one. Sure, the characters are stock horror figures, familiar from any horror movie, but Clegg infuses them with life, for want of a better word. None of them feel extraneous, everyone plays a part and there are minute details which elevate them from their sordid genre brethren. Their inevitable deaths feel like they count.
Josh the narrator is a lovelorn everyman, destined to become something more, while Tammy the campus floozy just wants to have a little fun before turning into her own mother. Griff the ladies' man and Bronwyn the cynical smart girl round out the lot with Ziggy the stoner, whose laconic declarations become almost prophetic as the true nature of the unstoppable monster is revealed.
And Scratch, as the little bugger is known, is a marvel, a creature made of layers of skin, the skin of ancient human sacrifices. It's an enjoyable little fellow with long sharp obsidian nails, doing little rain dances and whispering sweet nothings with the voices of its victims.
Clegg's writing has some lovely punch and muscle to it, elevating what's ultimately a basic storyline of survival into a small epic. The story has some nice heft to it and seems to weigh more than it does. It's very easy to imagine the same characters and the same story as told by someone like Richard Laymon, lacking all wit and skill and basic understanding of human behaviour. With Clegg, one is in much better hands.
The Leisure edition also includes another novella, The Necromancer, to bulk up the book closer to Leisure's usual format, but The Attraction is the main attraction here. It's a short, sharp piece the length of a novella and it's a good one. Sure, the characters are stock horror figures, familiar from any horror movie, but Clegg infuses them with life, for want of a better word. None of them feel extraneous, everyone plays a part and there are minute details which elevate them from their sordid genre brethren. Their inevitable deaths feel like they count.
Josh the narrator is a lovelorn everyman, destined to become something more, while Tammy the campus floozy just wants to have a little fun before turning into her own mother. Griff the ladies' man and Bronwyn the cynical smart girl round out the lot with Ziggy the stoner, whose laconic declarations become almost prophetic as the true nature of the unstoppable monster is revealed.
And Scratch, as the little bugger is known, is a marvel, a creature made of layers of skin, the skin of ancient human sacrifices. It's an enjoyable little fellow with long sharp obsidian nails, doing little rain dances and whispering sweet nothings with the voices of its victims.
Clegg's writing has some lovely punch and muscle to it, elevating what's ultimately a basic storyline of survival into a small epic. The story has some nice heft to it and seems to weigh more than it does. It's very easy to imagine the same characters and the same story as told by someone like Richard Laymon, lacking all wit and skill and basic understanding of human behaviour. With Clegg, one is in much better hands.
May 9, 2020
As a fan of Scary, this story, which I expected to be so, wasn't really, at least not for me.
The characters were fleshed out satisfactorily for the narrative, and the build up has been seen numerous times to similar results.
The writing was routine and easily read at a leisurely pace - slowly drawing you into the tale being developed. It just felt repetitive. College frat setting, stereotypical cast that frequents the setting, and ultimately, a semi-formed monster from the history books of another country.
I felt like I was reading the precursor to "Cabin in the Woods", which held a far superior premise and execution. Wasn't bad but if Josh or Scratch shows up elsewhere, I probably wouldn't bother to read it.
Bonus Material:
This book also included "The Necromancer", a back story type prequel to the author's "Harrow" haunted house series. Again, easily engaging storyline, and yet predictable execution with little occult deviation that "shocks" the reader, which it truly bored me rather than shocked.
I guess if one would write down how an early Victorian mystic bad guy became so, nearly everyone would describe it similarly. And he/she would probably have to be Victorian for it to have a chance at success. In relation, apparently, Clegg is very into his "Harrow" N.Y. based location of various haunted outings. Every writer needs there niche or special place.
Afterwards, I am not "jazzed" to read more or visit "Harrow" any time soon in the form of the other four stories. Sad really.
Thanks for reading.
The characters were fleshed out satisfactorily for the narrative, and the build up has been seen numerous times to similar results.
The writing was routine and easily read at a leisurely pace - slowly drawing you into the tale being developed. It just felt repetitive. College frat setting, stereotypical cast that frequents the setting, and ultimately, a semi-formed monster from the history books of another country.
I felt like I was reading the precursor to "Cabin in the Woods", which held a far superior premise and execution. Wasn't bad but if Josh or Scratch shows up elsewhere, I probably wouldn't bother to read it.
Bonus Material:
This book also included "The Necromancer", a back story type prequel to the author's "Harrow" haunted house series. Again, easily engaging storyline, and yet predictable execution with little occult deviation that "shocks" the reader, which it truly bored me rather than shocked.
I guess if one would write down how an early Victorian mystic bad guy became so, nearly everyone would describe it similarly. And he/she would probably have to be Victorian for it to have a chance at success. In relation, apparently, Clegg is very into his "Harrow" N.Y. based location of various haunted outings. Every writer needs there niche or special place.
Afterwards, I am not "jazzed" to read more or visit "Harrow" any time soon in the form of the other four stories. Sad really.
Thanks for reading.
July 11, 2017
The Attraction is not a novel-rather it consists of two unconnected novellas, The Attraction and The Necromancer. In terms of pure creepy The Necromancer wins hands down. It is best described as the fictionalized early life of Aleister Crowley with more perversion thrown in. This tale is part of Clegg's Harrow Cycle of stories/novels which I have not cared for and have mostly read by accident rather than design. Ironic then that this is the high part of the book, as I bought it for the title story, which was a let down. I have seen too many horror movies not to know immediately that five college students on a roadtrip are going to get in a fix. I was even able to correctly predict the order in which each character met (or didn't meet) their final fate. And thus the three star rating given here. The Attraction was hackneyed shopworn story.
November 27, 2017
When I purchased The Attraction, I had no idea that it was the third part in a trilogy. There was literally no indicator anywhere on the book. Luckily, it appeared to be a stand alone novel. Still, I wondered, if, by entering this world in this fashion, there wasn't something I was missing?
Although Douglas Clegg was recommended to me by a splatterpunk web site, he is pretty tame compared to the likes of Richard Laymon or Bentley Little. The Attraction is my second novel by this author. The Afterlife was my first. His books, it seems to me, are pleasurable, but forgettable; dark fantasy fluff for a winter's night. I lost interest in The Attraction around page 50, but didn't put it down until page 146. I held out hope that it would get better, but it didn't.
Although Douglas Clegg was recommended to me by a splatterpunk web site, he is pretty tame compared to the likes of Richard Laymon or Bentley Little. The Attraction is my second novel by this author. The Afterlife was my first. His books, it seems to me, are pleasurable, but forgettable; dark fantasy fluff for a winter's night. I lost interest in The Attraction around page 50, but didn't put it down until page 146. I held out hope that it would get better, but it didn't.
October 11, 2020
Two novellas in the one volume. The Attraction is the first of the two. It's basically a college road-trip slasher horror, fairly standard stuff. It was neither fantastic nor terrible, so I'd give it three stars. If the story were fleshed out a little, maybe paying more attention to characterisation and building up to the tense, and horrific, moments then it could have been brilliant.
The second novella, The Necromancer, was a little better than the first. Though the characters were more well written in this novella, there is still something of the college-kid horror element that didn't rate highly with me. I enjoy horror, but this didn't make a great impact on me.
I'd probably give Clegg another read, just to see if there is something great in his catalogue.
The second novella, The Necromancer, was a little better than the first. Though the characters were more well written in this novella, there is still something of the college-kid horror element that didn't rate highly with me. I enjoy horror, but this didn't make a great impact on me.
I'd probably give Clegg another read, just to see if there is something great in his catalogue.
April 19, 2024
The actual story was good, the characters were very unlikable.
College kids where the guys just think about s*x constantly and quite a few times thought of the women in their company as wh*res. The women seemed too be the stereotypical save me types.
Friends dying and what's top of the list? Let's have s*x.
This isn't typical Clegg of what I've read before abs if it wasn't for the horror part of the story I think I would have given up on it.
College kids where the guys just think about s*x constantly and quite a few times thought of the women in their company as wh*res. The women seemed too be the stereotypical save me types.
Friends dying and what's top of the list? Let's have s*x.
This isn't typical Clegg of what I've read before abs if it wasn't for the horror part of the story I think I would have given up on it.
September 10, 2020
College kids take a road trip. See billboards promoting a roadside attraction. Stop off at a waywayyanda gas station to view the roadside attraction -an Aztec mummy. Accidentally return the creature to life and are hunted by it in the Arizona desert. Very enjoyable. Would have made a good 1980s Creature Feature movie like The Funhouse.
July 7, 2017
Eh
Not that great. Could have been written better. The characters were 2-dimensional and at times, the writer seemed confused about what he wanted to say, so he just said anything that popped into his head. Could have ended better also.
Not that great. Could have been written better. The characters were 2-dimensional and at times, the writer seemed confused about what he wanted to say, so he just said anything that popped into his head. Could have ended better also.
September 10, 2020
Not up to the level of most of Clegg's horror books. Not much horror, more like a D grade horror flick. The writing seemed stilted and the characters without much substance, even for young people of college age. I was relieved when I got to the end, never quite felt satisfied.
December 28, 2023
This is the first book I have read from Clegg. I enjoyed the Attraction, story was engaging and a quick read. The Necromancer I enjoyed less, but I believe it is a prequel to some if Clegg's other worms, explaining my lack of engagement with it. Overall worth a read!
June 29, 2018
This book is alright. There are two stories that have some spooky elements, but both feel like something is missing. There could have been a bit more depth or substance.
January 5, 2021
Meh
When your characters are college kids, I guess the temptation to make them unlikable is always there. Gratuitous sex and awful characters, but an interesting story otherwise.
When your characters are college kids, I guess the temptation to make them unlikable is always there. Gratuitous sex and awful characters, but an interesting story otherwise.
December 19, 2025
Didn’t really like the writing style, I found it rather immature. The characters were annoying, definitely one of those horror books when you are just waiting for them to die.
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