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Season of the Witch
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396 pages, Trade Paperback
First published August 15, 2002
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148 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Knight
6 books66 followersChristopher Wright is the author of dozens of horror fiction books for children and young adults. He writes under the pseudonyms Johnathan Rand and Christopher Knight. Almost all of Wright's books (save American Chillers) take place in his home state of Michigan.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 22, 2023
I read this book of stories over fifteen years ago and the stories and themes have still stuck with me. Literature and art does not have to reflect reality and stories don't have to have happy endings. If you love weird fiction and creepy Twilight Zone vibes as much as I do, read this book 💀
October 22, 2010
Re-reading because it's close to Halloween. Neat to read a book that takes place in Northern Michigan - the main story is on the Old Mission peninsula. The other stories reference areas I'm familiar with. Fairly standard horror, but a pretty good read.
June 9, 2022
I've done a lot of travelling the past few days trying to track down the fortune teller who foresaw Johnathan Rand/Christopher Knight/Christopher Wright/the Rat King's destruction of my life, and against my better judgement I bought the book to read during my travels. Felt appropriate, witches and all. I never read it.
Anyway though, I found my way to Mackinac Island following a travelling carnival, where I finally found her!
I found her reading a weird goth girl's fortune. "You will become manager at a hotel and have no idea what you are doing," she said cryptically. "That'll be $70!"
I burst into the tent in a frenzy. "You!" I screamed.
The fortune teller looked at me with sadness and acceptance. "I knew this day would come. I have foreseen it."
"Enough games, witch! I need you to read my future again. I have to know what happens next!"
"FOOL!" She shrieked. "Reading a fortune twice is dangerous! I could die!"
"That's a risk I'm willing to take!" I shoved the goth girl aside, who left in a frenzy muttering something about voodoo dolls.
She sighed and sat down, making sure to grab a bucket in case of emergency. I stuck my hand out and she took it, beginning to read.
"I see a branching path. You have two possible futures. Wait, another path. Three! Four! Oh, no..." She turned and began vomiting profusely, her body swelling up like a balloon. Then she blew up!
I screamed in fear. Big mistake. One of her eyeballs flew into my mouth! It felt like jello in my mouth so I instinctively swallowed.
What happened next was the strangest experience of my life. The world melted away, and instead of being in a tent I was now in a dark void.
The fortune teller appeared in front of me. "You swallowed my eye! You have the gift now!" She then disappeared.
"Wait, how do I get out of here?" I cried out, too late.
I began wandering around the void. Hours passed, then days, then weeks. Finally, after probably a month, I spotted a white light in the far distance.
I ran to the light, falling into it. It was there that I found myself in a hallway lined with doors on either side. Each door had a date on it.
The first one said November 14, 1980. The day I was born! I threw the door open and saw myself as a baby crawling out of my mom! Gross.
After that I appeared back in the hall. I wandered, looking at the dates on either side of me. Important dates from my whole life. The day I had my first kiss. The day I met my girlfriend. The day I went to the carnival in '96.
The doors began to get rotten after 2000. When I first started reading Rand's books. A shiver went down my spine and I started to fast walk down the hall further, the years passing as I did. I could hear some stray words from behind the doors. "Spoilers, you fucking asshole!" "Let's all shake our jello!" "It looks like I'm eating shit!"
Finally, I made it to a disgusting, fungus-covered door labelled June 8th, 2022. The day I reunited the fortune teller. From here, I saw that the paths split into two. One path was labelled St. Helene. That door was clean, no signs of rot on it at all. The other was labelled The World is Black and White. This one looked like a padded door in a mental hospital. I looked back and forth between the two, uncertain of which path to go down.
Suddenly a hole opened up. I heard the Rat King's voice shout from underneath me, "The choice is yours!" A fire started spreading through the hall, and my only way out was to jump into the hole, which had its own circle of flame surrounding it.
Faced with no other choice, I fell into that burning ring of fire.
Suddenly, I was back in the tent. I looked around in disbelief. It seemed as though no time had passed at all! I lept up, my head spinning with thoughts. What did it mean?
All I knew was I now had a choice. The most important choice of my life.
To be continued...
Anyway though, I found my way to Mackinac Island following a travelling carnival, where I finally found her!
I found her reading a weird goth girl's fortune. "You will become manager at a hotel and have no idea what you are doing," she said cryptically. "That'll be $70!"
I burst into the tent in a frenzy. "You!" I screamed.
The fortune teller looked at me with sadness and acceptance. "I knew this day would come. I have foreseen it."
"Enough games, witch! I need you to read my future again. I have to know what happens next!"
"FOOL!" She shrieked. "Reading a fortune twice is dangerous! I could die!"
"That's a risk I'm willing to take!" I shoved the goth girl aside, who left in a frenzy muttering something about voodoo dolls.
She sighed and sat down, making sure to grab a bucket in case of emergency. I stuck my hand out and she took it, beginning to read.
"I see a branching path. You have two possible futures. Wait, another path. Three! Four! Oh, no..." She turned and began vomiting profusely, her body swelling up like a balloon. Then she blew up!
I screamed in fear. Big mistake. One of her eyeballs flew into my mouth! It felt like jello in my mouth so I instinctively swallowed.
What happened next was the strangest experience of my life. The world melted away, and instead of being in a tent I was now in a dark void.
The fortune teller appeared in front of me. "You swallowed my eye! You have the gift now!" She then disappeared.
"Wait, how do I get out of here?" I cried out, too late.
I began wandering around the void. Hours passed, then days, then weeks. Finally, after probably a month, I spotted a white light in the far distance.
I ran to the light, falling into it. It was there that I found myself in a hallway lined with doors on either side. Each door had a date on it.
The first one said November 14, 1980. The day I was born! I threw the door open and saw myself as a baby crawling out of my mom! Gross.
After that I appeared back in the hall. I wandered, looking at the dates on either side of me. Important dates from my whole life. The day I had my first kiss. The day I met my girlfriend. The day I went to the carnival in '96.
The doors began to get rotten after 2000. When I first started reading Rand's books. A shiver went down my spine and I started to fast walk down the hall further, the years passing as I did. I could hear some stray words from behind the doors. "Spoilers, you fucking asshole!" "Let's all shake our jello!" "It looks like I'm eating shit!"
Finally, I made it to a disgusting, fungus-covered door labelled June 8th, 2022. The day I reunited the fortune teller. From here, I saw that the paths split into two. One path was labelled St. Helene. That door was clean, no signs of rot on it at all. The other was labelled The World is Black and White. This one looked like a padded door in a mental hospital. I looked back and forth between the two, uncertain of which path to go down.
Suddenly a hole opened up. I heard the Rat King's voice shout from underneath me, "The choice is yours!" A fire started spreading through the hall, and my only way out was to jump into the hole, which had its own circle of flame surrounding it.
Faced with no other choice, I fell into that burning ring of fire.
Suddenly, I was back in the tent. I looked around in disbelief. It seemed as though no time had passed at all! I lept up, my head spinning with thoughts. What did it mean?
All I knew was I now had a choice. The most important choice of my life.
To be continued...
November 4, 2022
Season of the witch, The house at 2629 woodland street. A story of a divorced man who works for Paranormal Phenomenon Inc, who gets a call one day that would change his life… Written by Christopher Knight. This story takes place in Wickerton Michigan, where we are introduced to Trevor Harris, a ghost hunter. I found this book when I was in the Upper Peninsula. We had driven past a shop owned by the writer of Michigan Chillers, and this book. I was so interested we had to go in and get this book, mine is originally signed!
The story begins with a call Trevor Harris receives from a mysterious Arnold Dalton. Arnold tells Trevor that there's a ghost haunting his house. Trevor flies from Chicago to Wickerton Michigan where he will stay for a week. He goes to the house on 2629 Woodland street, which is abandoned and run down, no one lives there anymore, and hasn’t in a long time. Not just that, Arnold Dalton’s number isn’t even registered! Who is Arnold Dalton? And what is going on inside this long forgotten house?
Personally, this was my favorite story out of this book. The story ended with Trevor digging up a box from the basement of the abandoned house that contained Andrea Dalton's decayed body. Trevor then moved the remains outside and buried them next to her late husband, Arnold Dalton. When Trevor gets back to his hotel he checks the last photo he took of the outside of the house. In the photo there was a half-human half-beast staring back at him.. “ There are some things we are never meant to understand. Some answers remain elusive for years, some just refuse to surface. Quite often, the quest to understand the unknown-the realm beyond-is very dissatisfying.” This quote is very meaningful, and true. It is well said.
I personally loved this book, this story in particular. I loved how the stories were mature and well put together, I loved the twists at the end of each story. Honestly, if you are not good with rated R content, this book is purely not for you. But if you are a fan of R rated books, this is the one for you!
The story begins with a call Trevor Harris receives from a mysterious Arnold Dalton. Arnold tells Trevor that there's a ghost haunting his house. Trevor flies from Chicago to Wickerton Michigan where he will stay for a week. He goes to the house on 2629 Woodland street, which is abandoned and run down, no one lives there anymore, and hasn’t in a long time. Not just that, Arnold Dalton’s number isn’t even registered! Who is Arnold Dalton? And what is going on inside this long forgotten house?
Personally, this was my favorite story out of this book. The story ended with Trevor digging up a box from the basement of the abandoned house that contained Andrea Dalton's decayed body. Trevor then moved the remains outside and buried them next to her late husband, Arnold Dalton. When Trevor gets back to his hotel he checks the last photo he took of the outside of the house. In the photo there was a half-human half-beast staring back at him.. “ There are some things we are never meant to understand. Some answers remain elusive for years, some just refuse to surface. Quite often, the quest to understand the unknown-the realm beyond-is very dissatisfying.” This quote is very meaningful, and true. It is well said.
I personally loved this book, this story in particular. I loved how the stories were mature and well put together, I loved the twists at the end of each story. Honestly, if you are not good with rated R content, this book is purely not for you. But if you are a fan of R rated books, this is the one for you!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2021
If your travels take you to Indian River, Michigan, you won't want to miss Chillermania: Christopher Wright's (aka: Christopher Knight, aka: Jonathan Rand) roadside property and bookstore. My son loved his children's thrillers when he was in middle school so we visited the establishment on our way north one summer. Mr. Wright, Knight, Rand was even there which provided a bigger thrill. And I might add that Mr. Wright was delightful. We couldn't leave without buying several books including "Season of the Witch" which is written for adults.
The book includes six short stories. One of the tales is titled Season of the Witch and is the only one that has a witch. The others offer supplemental creepy characters and situations. Each was entertaining and kept my attention. I did feel as if these stories were written on a more young adult level but became an adult classification only due to certain themes and swear words that were thrown in from time-to-time. I could easily see the removal of each creating an enticing book for middle and high schoolers. Still, these were fun stories to read -- especially around All Hallows Eve.
66 out of 100.
The book includes six short stories. One of the tales is titled Season of the Witch and is the only one that has a witch. The others offer supplemental creepy characters and situations. Each was entertaining and kept my attention. I did feel as if these stories were written on a more young adult level but became an adult classification only due to certain themes and swear words that were thrown in from time-to-time. I could easily see the removal of each creating an enticing book for middle and high schoolers. Still, these were fun stories to read -- especially around All Hallows Eve.
66 out of 100.
May 29, 2021
Ok. Some of the stories better than others, but overall we enjoyed the book. I read it aloud to my husband while we traveled cross country. The fact that it included little towns in Northern Michigan where we live was an added bonus.
June 4, 2022
I recommend this author, but not this particular book. Descriptions of female characters in the title story were way too focused on physical descriptions and beauty norms. Character interactions were focused on physical attraction rather than conveying emotions or emotional connection.
September 3, 2018
I loved this book. Short stories I can completely ready before bed. Plus, I’m a Northern Michigan girl. It has a special place in my heart. I hope he makes another.
October 8, 2020
I absolutely loved this.
August 17, 2021
Season of the Witch was my absolute favorite of the stories in this book, love that they are based out of Michigan so I recognize the roads and some places/ towns etc...
September 12, 2023
I love this Michigan author. He writes very well and his characters are well developed. I went through this book very quickly which had a bunch of short stories.
November 5, 2018
Short stories! Sometimes those are nice. I enjoyed the stories and there were a few twists I did not expect. I would recommend!
December 31, 2014
This review is overdue! I finished this book in November 2014
I was given a copy of this book by my mother who picked it up at a small book store in Michigan. I found it interesting to read a book that takes place in Northern Michigan where I spent so many of my childhood summers. This book is a series of short stories, Missed Appointment, Spinster, Season of the Witch, Call for Help, The House at 2629 Woodland Street, and The Execution of Steven Minard. All of the stories are interesting in their own way, but I have to say that Missed Appointment was by far my favorite. I loved the authors take on 'Death' and the idea that 'Death' visits you, prior to your actual death, in order to prepare you for what is inevitably going to happen. I believe that there is more to that story, and that the author could develop it and build it into a full length novel if he wanted to.
I was given a copy of this book by my mother who picked it up at a small book store in Michigan. I found it interesting to read a book that takes place in Northern Michigan where I spent so many of my childhood summers. This book is a series of short stories, Missed Appointment, Spinster, Season of the Witch, Call for Help, The House at 2629 Woodland Street, and The Execution of Steven Minard. All of the stories are interesting in their own way, but I have to say that Missed Appointment was by far my favorite. I loved the authors take on 'Death' and the idea that 'Death' visits you, prior to your actual death, in order to prepare you for what is inevitably going to happen. I believe that there is more to that story, and that the author could develop it and build it into a full length novel if he wanted to.
January 5, 2013
A history of San Francisco from the 1920s through the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the early 80s. It was very interesting and gave many events that I remember context with the benefit of hindsight. I wish he had continued to present day; the ending was a bit abrupt but it was a great read.
November 1, 2015
An enjoyable collection of connected stories that take place around the Halloween season. The title novella is the highlight; some of the others are a little hokey but overall this is a worthwhile read.
July 16, 2012
I have read lots and lots of "scary" books, thrillers, etc. This was a great one. Really good.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews