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Little Brothers
It has been five years since Kip Howard saw his mother killed horribly by a blur of "little brown things." Five years of nightmares and a terror of dark places. Five years of struggling to overcome what must have been just his imagination...
But the 'untcigahumk', the Indian word for ""little brothers"," are no one's imagination. hideous forest creatures who feed every five years on human flesh, the little brothers are about to emerge from underground once again. Only this time, there will be no escape for the young boy who witnessed their last feast.
Also contained in the book Untcigahunk: Stories and Myths of the Little Brothers.
But the 'untcigahumk', the Indian word for ""little brothers"," are no one's imagination. hideous forest creatures who feed every five years on human flesh, the little brothers are about to emerge from underground once again. Only this time, there will be no escape for the young boy who witnessed their last feast.
Also contained in the book Untcigahunk: Stories and Myths of the Little Brothers.
541 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
4 people are currently reading
373 people want to read
About the author
Rick Hautala
137 books125 followersAKA A.J. Matthews
Rick Hautala has more than thirty published books to his credit, including the million copy, international best-seller Nightstone, as well as Twilight Time, Little Brothers, Cold Whisper, Impulse, and The Wildman. He has also published four novels—The White Room, Looking Glass, Unbroken, and Follow—using the pseudonym A. J. Matthews. His more than sixty published short stories have appeared in national and international anthologies and magazines. His short story collection Bedbugs was selected as one of the best horror books of the year in 2003.
A novella titled Reunion was published by PS Publications in December, 2009; and Occasional Demons, a short story collection, is due in 2010 from CD Publications. He wrote the screenplays for several short films, including the multiple award-winning The Ugly Film, based on the short story by Ed Gorman, as well as Peekers, based on a short story by Kealan Patrick Burke, and Dead @ 17, based on the graphic novel by Josh Howard.
A graduate of the University of Maine in Orono with a Master of Art in English Literature (Renaissance and Medieval Literature), Hautala lives in southern Maine with author Holly Newstein. His three sons have all grown up and (mostly) moved out of the house. He served terms as Vice President and Trustee for the Horror Writers Association.
Sadly, Rick died on March 21, 2013.
Rick Hautala has more than thirty published books to his credit, including the million copy, international best-seller Nightstone, as well as Twilight Time, Little Brothers, Cold Whisper, Impulse, and The Wildman. He has also published four novels—The White Room, Looking Glass, Unbroken, and Follow—using the pseudonym A. J. Matthews. His more than sixty published short stories have appeared in national and international anthologies and magazines. His short story collection Bedbugs was selected as one of the best horror books of the year in 2003.
A novella titled Reunion was published by PS Publications in December, 2009; and Occasional Demons, a short story collection, is due in 2010 from CD Publications. He wrote the screenplays for several short films, including the multiple award-winning The Ugly Film, based on the short story by Ed Gorman, as well as Peekers, based on a short story by Kealan Patrick Burke, and Dead @ 17, based on the graphic novel by Josh Howard.
A graduate of the University of Maine in Orono with a Master of Art in English Literature (Renaissance and Medieval Literature), Hautala lives in southern Maine with author Holly Newstein. His three sons have all grown up and (mostly) moved out of the house. He served terms as Vice President and Trustee for the Horror Writers Association.
Sadly, Rick died on March 21, 2013.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
February 23, 2017
Strong narrative but sometimes too slow and too predictable. I still had fun with it, though.
January 24, 2011
I didn’t care for this story at all. I didn’t for one minute believe the characters could exist and a couple characters were created simply to be killed off later.
There were way too many holes in the tale, as well. There was one scene where the main character was filling a tin cup that “was so badly twisted it barely held a mouthful (of water), and some of that spilled out…” He tipped the cup of water to his friend’s mouth “whose throat made loud gulping noises.” Later, he used the same cup to wash his face.
Yep, that’s what I remember from the whole story. I kept trying to figure out how a mouthful of water could be chugged and used to wash a face. That’s some water!
I’ll try this author again because he has written over 50 books. I’m sure I can find one I like.
There were way too many holes in the tale, as well. There was one scene where the main character was filling a tin cup that “was so badly twisted it barely held a mouthful (of water), and some of that spilled out…” He tipped the cup of water to his friend’s mouth “whose throat made loud gulping noises.” Later, he used the same cup to wash his face.
Yep, that’s what I remember from the whole story. I kept trying to figure out how a mouthful of water could be chugged and used to wash a face. That’s some water!
I’ll try this author again because he has written over 50 books. I’m sure I can find one I like.
August 19, 2022
Well it's difficult to review this book. Some parts were quite good and others were just awfuly treated.
The main character is a 12-year-old boy called Kip who was the lone witness of his mother's death (even if he doesn't remember plainly) five years before of this story. Everyone else thinks she was killed by homeless guy. The only person who knows differently is a alcoholic indian called John Watson that the true culprits are The untcigahunk or "Little Brothers".
This book goes for about 500 pages giving some information about the daily life of the main character, is rebelious older brother, his father and a to-be-lover and a couple of other minor characters.
In my opinion this book could have been cut to 300 pages novel. One thing is for sure the development of Marty (his older brother) is the only one that I took notice. Every other character don't evolve. Even the love of Kip's father begins to blossom and at the middle of the book she just dissappears without any information and reason. Why was she in it at all?
My other problem is a the ending, or the killing of the beasts. It was too easy without any damage to the main chararacters and everyone involved.
My advice? A true horror fan.
The main character is a 12-year-old boy called Kip who was the lone witness of his mother's death (even if he doesn't remember plainly) five years before of this story. Everyone else thinks she was killed by homeless guy. The only person who knows differently is a alcoholic indian called John Watson that the true culprits are The untcigahunk or "Little Brothers".
This book goes for about 500 pages giving some information about the daily life of the main character, is rebelious older brother, his father and a to-be-lover and a couple of other minor characters.
In my opinion this book could have been cut to 300 pages novel. One thing is for sure the development of Marty (his older brother) is the only one that I took notice. Every other character don't evolve. Even the love of Kip's father begins to blossom and at the middle of the book she just dissappears without any information and reason. Why was she in it at all?
My other problem is a the ending, or the killing of the beasts. It was too easy without any damage to the main chararacters and everyone involved.
My advice? A true horror fan.
August 26, 2025
I could totally take an Indian forest deity in a fight.
June 28, 2011
Have I mentioned previously how much I love Amazon's Kindle? Well, if I haven't, let me state it now—I love Amazon's Kindle. Why? Because so many authors are releasing their long out-of-print books to the digital device. Rick Hautala is one of these authors.
I first read Little Brothers when it was published in 1988. I loved it then, and during the course of moves, my dog-eared, well-read copy had become so used and abused it was falling apart to the point where I was afraid to read it again. So when I heard it was going to be released on Kindle (and other digital platforms), I was ecstatic.
Five years ago, Kip Howard witnessed the traumatizing events of his young life: the brutal murder of his mother at the hands of. . . What? He couldn't remember. As a result of the murder, his father, who was present at the time but did not witness the attack but did see the aftermath, abandoned work on the new house. But now that his father is about to once again start work on the new house, all of Kip's fears are resurfacing. As if that wasn't bad enough, the memories are trying to break through the wall he built up to keep them hidden.
The attack on Kip's mother was so brutal, it was initially attributed to some animal, but John Watson, the town's resident drunk, knows the truth. A Native American who was brought up in the area, Watson knows the legends that surround the land the town has been built on, and what killed Kip's mother is one of those legends. The Untcigahunk, the Little Brothers, a dwarf-like humanoid race that lives in the caverns and tunnels that run beneath the land. They surface every five years with a hunger for flesh and a thirst for blood. And their time is coming around again.
Man and boy will be brought together by chance, and together they vow to put an end to the Little Brothers once and for all. But do this unlikely duo stand a chance against a race that his been around since the dawn of creation, or will they be like so many others that have disappeared without a trace from the town of Thornton, Maine?
Little Brothers was Hautala's fourth novel, but it was my first exposure to this Master of Horror. The Untcigahunk are, in my opinion, one of the Horror genre's more memorable creatures, ranking right up there with that damned Zuni fetish doll from Trilogy of Terror. The readers seem to agree, as the Untcigahunk were to appear in several stories after Little Brothers was published.
This novel is not an edge-of-your-seat thriller, at least not at first. Hautala takes his time creating his characters, fleshing them out and making them real, giving you ample time to get to know and like (or dislike) them, so when something happens to them or they are placed in a position of danger, you do find yourself sweating it out right along with them, or cheering when the bad guy (yes, the Little Brothers aren't the only bad guys in the book) finally gets what he deserves. It isn't until the boy and Indian meet and start making their plans that the book (or Kindle in this case) becomes hard to put down. The details are rich, which makes it easier to lose yourself in the world of the characters.
If you haven't had the pleasure of reading the works of Rick Hautala, and many younger readers might not have because many, if not all, of his books are out of print, I can't encourage you enough to pick up one of them and give him a try, and Little Brothers would be an excellent book to start with. You won't be disappointed. And here's hoping Rick will bring us another novel feature these scary little guys.
I first read Little Brothers when it was published in 1988. I loved it then, and during the course of moves, my dog-eared, well-read copy had become so used and abused it was falling apart to the point where I was afraid to read it again. So when I heard it was going to be released on Kindle (and other digital platforms), I was ecstatic.
Five years ago, Kip Howard witnessed the traumatizing events of his young life: the brutal murder of his mother at the hands of. . . What? He couldn't remember. As a result of the murder, his father, who was present at the time but did not witness the attack but did see the aftermath, abandoned work on the new house. But now that his father is about to once again start work on the new house, all of Kip's fears are resurfacing. As if that wasn't bad enough, the memories are trying to break through the wall he built up to keep them hidden.
The attack on Kip's mother was so brutal, it was initially attributed to some animal, but John Watson, the town's resident drunk, knows the truth. A Native American who was brought up in the area, Watson knows the legends that surround the land the town has been built on, and what killed Kip's mother is one of those legends. The Untcigahunk, the Little Brothers, a dwarf-like humanoid race that lives in the caverns and tunnels that run beneath the land. They surface every five years with a hunger for flesh and a thirst for blood. And their time is coming around again.
Man and boy will be brought together by chance, and together they vow to put an end to the Little Brothers once and for all. But do this unlikely duo stand a chance against a race that his been around since the dawn of creation, or will they be like so many others that have disappeared without a trace from the town of Thornton, Maine?
Little Brothers was Hautala's fourth novel, but it was my first exposure to this Master of Horror. The Untcigahunk are, in my opinion, one of the Horror genre's more memorable creatures, ranking right up there with that damned Zuni fetish doll from Trilogy of Terror. The readers seem to agree, as the Untcigahunk were to appear in several stories after Little Brothers was published.
This novel is not an edge-of-your-seat thriller, at least not at first. Hautala takes his time creating his characters, fleshing them out and making them real, giving you ample time to get to know and like (or dislike) them, so when something happens to them or they are placed in a position of danger, you do find yourself sweating it out right along with them, or cheering when the bad guy (yes, the Little Brothers aren't the only bad guys in the book) finally gets what he deserves. It isn't until the boy and Indian meet and start making their plans that the book (or Kindle in this case) becomes hard to put down. The details are rich, which makes it easier to lose yourself in the world of the characters.
If you haven't had the pleasure of reading the works of Rick Hautala, and many younger readers might not have because many, if not all, of his books are out of print, I can't encourage you enough to pick up one of them and give him a try, and Little Brothers would be an excellent book to start with. You won't be disappointed. And here's hoping Rick will bring us another novel feature these scary little guys.
June 16, 2013
The woods of Maine hide a race of verocious small creatures in Little Brothers (1988), a novel by Rick Hautala. A promising idea ruined by its lacklustre execution, the novel's cheesiness is its only saving grace.
The cast of characters is led by Kip Howard, a 12-year-old who was the lone witness to his mother's death in the jaws of the creatures five years earlier. Kip alone knows the truth, everyone else including Kip's father Bill thinks she was killed by roaming vagrants. The surviving family is completed by Kip's older brother Marty, a teenager mostly interested in getting high. Added to the mix is a drunk Micmac indian with inherited knowledge about the untcigahunk , the "little brothers" of the title.
It should all work swimmingly. It doesn't. The novel is a 500-page mess, with seemingly no structure or plan to any of it. The plot twists and stalls constantly. The characters are either mercurial, like Kip, or static one-note wonders, such as the alcoholic indian, John Watson. Some characters are introduced only to be forgotten, like Bill's love interest, Gail. The creatures don't offer much fun either, their rampage amounts to a few scratches on a windowsill, one dead dog and a couple of teens.
It wouldn't be surprising if Hautala had made up the whole story on the go. He is a spirited writer though, and even when his ideas have clearly run dry, he still keeps on going with infectious energy. It does, however, get quite cheesy, with stock dialogue and an utterly preposterous finale, but excessive cheesiness does kind of have its own undeniable charm.
There are some grating mannerisms, such as the incessant use of exclamation marks! italics and... dramatic pauses! Both are overused so much that the novel feels more like a parody than a proper horror novel. The relationship between the brothers, Kip and Marty, may have been intended to supply gravitas to the story, but it only amounts to another wildly erratic subplot, coated in thick, greasy cheese.
Read all my reviews at mikareadshorrorfiction.wordpress.com
The cast of characters is led by Kip Howard, a 12-year-old who was the lone witness to his mother's death in the jaws of the creatures five years earlier. Kip alone knows the truth, everyone else including Kip's father Bill thinks she was killed by roaming vagrants. The surviving family is completed by Kip's older brother Marty, a teenager mostly interested in getting high. Added to the mix is a drunk Micmac indian with inherited knowledge about the untcigahunk , the "little brothers" of the title.
It should all work swimmingly. It doesn't. The novel is a 500-page mess, with seemingly no structure or plan to any of it. The plot twists and stalls constantly. The characters are either mercurial, like Kip, or static one-note wonders, such as the alcoholic indian, John Watson. Some characters are introduced only to be forgotten, like Bill's love interest, Gail. The creatures don't offer much fun either, their rampage amounts to a few scratches on a windowsill, one dead dog and a couple of teens.
It wouldn't be surprising if Hautala had made up the whole story on the go. He is a spirited writer though, and even when his ideas have clearly run dry, he still keeps on going with infectious energy. It does, however, get quite cheesy, with stock dialogue and an utterly preposterous finale, but excessive cheesiness does kind of have its own undeniable charm.
There are some grating mannerisms, such as the incessant use of exclamation marks! italics and... dramatic pauses! Both are overused so much that the novel feels more like a parody than a proper horror novel. The relationship between the brothers, Kip and Marty, may have been intended to supply gravitas to the story, but it only amounts to another wildly erratic subplot, coated in thick, greasy cheese.
Read all my reviews at mikareadshorrorfiction.wordpress.com
March 9, 2015
This book, like so many of Rick Hautala, was well written with great characters and reminiscent of many of our childhoods. The story of a twelve year olds hunt for his mother's killers, in the form of hideous creatures from Native American folklore. With the help of his new found friend in the local town drunk. Both learn lessons from each other, as they pursue the untcigahumk, (Indian for little brothers). Highly recommended read
July 23, 2014
A good, not great book by the late Rick Hautala. While the story is decent, it is massively bloated. Hautala seems like an overwriter, he took what could have been a very suspenseful, brisk 400 page novel and stretches it to nearly 600 pages. There are entire paragraphs about what people are having for lunch. Still, its entertaining and there are several excellent passages.
July 23, 2014
The summer of Hautala continues with his fourth novel Little Brothers. A nice blend of horror and growing up tale, this story is about a boy who witnessed the murder of his mom 5 years ago by dangerous wood creatures. Now the creatures are back and he is forced to confront his fear and them. I liked this story quite a bit, it's reminded me a lot of the 80s films dealing with creatures and young kids from back then. While not nearly as scary as his previous novels there is a nice bit of characterization and relationship between the main character Kip and his family. Interestingly Hautala called the creatures untcigahunk or little brothers and there is a very tumultuous relationship between the young brother Kip and his older brother Marty. The death count is fairly low in this book and there is a lot of passages near the end where they go underground to confront the critters that does drag a little bit. Sadly, some relationships were left hanging in this one like the father and his new love interest and it does open up to a sequel. There's also the bully from a lot of similar stories from this time that you want to get his. Overall it's a strong story that I enjoyed but it's certainly not my favorite from Hautala. Definitely recommended though for fans of films like Gremlins and maybe a little spice of E.T. thrown in with the horror genre.
December 19, 2010
I loved this book. I first read it the summer I joined the Navy. I was right out of high school and staying at my grandmother's house in Alabama. She lived out in the country and I remember staying up late each night in the dead of silence reading the most scary book to date. I loved the little brothers and would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to be scared.
January 30, 2010
This book was very creepy. I read this book while spending the night in my mother's trailer home up in the back woods of Maine. This book along with the creaky sounds of that trailer definitely kept me on edge. I highly recommend this book.
October 16, 2023
Pretty typical horror novel from the late 80s with a Stephen King-y feel. Mostly basic horror tropes and plot devices, but not terrible. Some parts very dated (like an ER doctor warning a character not to use Tylenol in capsule form - without explanation, I guess assuming that all readers would understand the reference). Fast read. Very low 3 stars.
May 14, 2013
A boy faces his worst fears and comes out on the other side much stronger for it. 5 years ago Kip saw something so horrible that his mind could not comprehend what he was seeing. 5 years of therapy and he is no closer to understanding what he saw. His older brother works hard to make life harder for him and his father is working so hard to keep the family together that he isn't really a part of the family. The Little Brothers or Untcigahunk are back and pets and people are going missing. With the knowledge and help of the town drunken Indian Kip may face his fears yet. Hautala tells a taught tale that keeps moving forward toward greater terror with each page turned. I don't recommend reading this one at night...or alone... Those bumps in the night, if Hautala has his way, they CAN get you!
December 26, 2020
It's all right, nothing to write home about. My only complaint was all the useless filler to the story, which just seemed like an excuse to beef up the page count. Yes, it drags. Yes, it's one of Hautala's immature books, considering most of the main characters are right around the age fifteen, makes kind of an awkward read, but OKAY! The final scenes to the book make up for it all in forgiveness, however, I can't help but to think of what other ideas Rick could have put into play instead of this offering. Worth a reread? No, not for me. Some of the characters I didn't see a need for, for example, this weird guy named Wallace is the book...he just wasn't right. All in all, give it a fair shake, don't set your expectations too high, and you should be fine with this title.
October 16, 2018
Please keep in mind when reading this, I read this book when I was 14 and 14-year-old me loved it. In fact, it was the first book that I read multiple times; including one time on a camping trip. NOTE: I do not recommend reading about vicious creatures who stand along the tree line at night staring at you while you are on a camping trip. While I can't guarantee that adult me would still love it as much as 14-year-old me did, it did give 14-year-old me more than one nightmare.
October 17, 2011
This was published circa 1988 while obviously the cheesy Hollywood made movies with great character plots much like this one, Rick Hautala only does better in this story. Having followed a kind of Indian myth of the little brothers I look forward to reading other titles of Rick Hautala stories.
June 29, 2019
I almost gave up on this book. It started off well and had me intrigued but then it just seemed to drag out for more than half of the book...and eventually when something did happen, it was underwhelming. I couldn't wait for it to end. My least favorite of Hautala's.
December 27, 2019
4.0 stars!
Quick fun read. Started off with a bang and lots of promise. Delivered half-and-half on expectations. That said, Rick Hautala was definitely a horror force. RIP Rick! You entertained me.
Make sure you read "Ghost Light" and "Night Stone"...Classics!
Quick fun read. Started off with a bang and lots of promise. Delivered half-and-half on expectations. That said, Rick Hautala was definitely a horror force. RIP Rick! You entertained me.
Make sure you read "Ghost Light" and "Night Stone"...Classics!
September 24, 2022
They were here first and you are not welcome. This one stood the test of time and plays out like a good pulpy horror should. Sure it’s predictable but that doesn’t make it any less fun to watch some idiots get ripped up
September 26, 2013
Always LOVED this. Must have been a decade ago when I found it, but it's a classic.
May 28, 2022
Little Brothers is my first Rick Hautala read and he writes a good horror novel, even if it is a bit cliched and trope driven.
Kip Howard witnessed his mother murdered in a violent attack by a swarm of inhuman creatures, but he was only seven and his mind refuses to cope, all he can remember of the attack is a black cloud that obscures his memories. Now five years later he still sees a counselor over the incident. There are a few, maybe more than a few inconsistencies that aren't explored. Such as his mother being slashed to death and the police just claiming it's a mysterious vagrant and then sweeping it under the rug.
As the story progresses Kip is thrown together with John Watson, a Native American with a drinking problem to seek a bit of revenge on the untcigahunk, the Indian word for Little Brothers.
The action is good and most of the writing is fast-paced and a good read. There were some glaring tropes and cliches and unexplained happenings that do not get investigated. But all in all a fun read.
Kip Howard witnessed his mother murdered in a violent attack by a swarm of inhuman creatures, but he was only seven and his mind refuses to cope, all he can remember of the attack is a black cloud that obscures his memories. Now five years later he still sees a counselor over the incident. There are a few, maybe more than a few inconsistencies that aren't explored. Such as his mother being slashed to death and the police just claiming it's a mysterious vagrant and then sweeping it under the rug.
As the story progresses Kip is thrown together with John Watson, a Native American with a drinking problem to seek a bit of revenge on the untcigahunk, the Indian word for Little Brothers.
The action is good and most of the writing is fast-paced and a good read. There were some glaring tropes and cliches and unexplained happenings that do not get investigated. But all in all a fun read.
May 19, 2024
It held my interest but I had to stick it out to actually build that interest. It’s a fun concept that could use tweaking to make a great story. Good book for young adult readers trying to branch into lengthier stories but unfortunately the length could be trimmed down or at least filled with more action. There is a character that disappears and there is no explanation as to why she disappeared from the narrative which kept making me feel like I missed something. Turns out nothing happened to her only that the author forgot she was in the story. In the end there is no true resolve to the plot. It’s revealed you read the whole book and cheered on these characters for absolutely nothing because nothing they did truly mattered to the situation.
May 30, 2019
I loved this book! I have always been a fan of Rick Hautala and this was a story that did not disappoint. Life is very busy at the moment and I am about to do a big transition so this was a perfect book for me to read during this time. Very well structured story and I loved the Stephen King influence on this one - where this is a demonic presence and an awful human - both of whom are causing major issues. Also a protagonist that is a 12 year old boy always warms my heart. Fun Maine horror for sure!
November 25, 2017
good, bit the ending just kind of stopped. kind of seams like there would be a second one.
August 5, 2019
Nije loše, ali predvidivo, posebno kraj.
Read
November 21, 2022Full review: https://monsterbookclub.com/2022/11/2...
June 12, 2025
really boring monsters. and boring story.
April 10, 2012
I read this in my early twenties, if even, and it scared the crap out of me. Maybe that isn't saying much, I don't know. but the book is definitely worth the read.
January 25, 2014
Loved it.
March 18, 2024
I feel awful but I didn't actually finish this. The writing was redundant and the characters started to piss me off. I got halfway through but couldn't finish it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews