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2024 British Fantasy Award for Best Horror Novel (nominee)
“Old-school horror.” ―STEPHEN KING
The Exorcist meets Lord of the Flies in Boys in the Valley, a brilliant coming-of-age tale from award-winning author Philip Fracassi.
An Esquire Best Horror Book of 2023! • A British Fantasy Award finalist for Best Horror Novel!
“A sublimely chilling story.” —Library Journal, STARRED review
St. Vincent's Orphanage for Boys.
Early twentieth century, in a remote valley in Pennsylvania.
Here, under the watchful eyes of several priests, thirty boys work, learn, and worship. Peter Barlow, orphaned as a child by a gruesome murder, has made a new life here. As he approaches adulthood, he has friends, a future...a family.
Then, late one stormy night, a group of men arrive at their door, one of whom is badly wounded, occult symbols carved into his flesh. His death releases an ancient evil that spreads like sickness, infecting St. Vincent's and the children within. Soon, boys begin acting differently, forming groups. Taking sides.
Others turn up dead.
Now Peter and those dear to him must choose sides of their own, each of them knowing their lives — and perhaps their eternal souls — are at risk.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Genre: Horror
The Exorcist meets Lord of the Flies in Boys in the Valley, a brilliant coming-of-age tale from award-winning author Philip Fracassi.
An Esquire Best Horror Book of 2023! • A British Fantasy Award finalist for Best Horror Novel!
“A sublimely chilling story.” —Library Journal, STARRED review
St. Vincent's Orphanage for Boys.
Early twentieth century, in a remote valley in Pennsylvania.
Here, under the watchful eyes of several priests, thirty boys work, learn, and worship. Peter Barlow, orphaned as a child by a gruesome murder, has made a new life here. As he approaches adulthood, he has friends, a future...a family.
Then, late one stormy night, a group of men arrive at their door, one of whom is badly wounded, occult symbols carved into his flesh. His death releases an ancient evil that spreads like sickness, infecting St. Vincent's and the children within. Soon, boys begin acting differently, forming groups. Taking sides.
Others turn up dead.
Now Peter and those dear to him must choose sides of their own, each of them knowing their lives — and perhaps their eternal souls — are at risk.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Genre: Horror
Praise for this book
"This is not only a smart and deftly-written tale instilled with the kind of creeping, claustrophobic horror that I enjoy-Fracassi's got real love for his characters: you truly care about his motley band of boys, and their fates." - Nick Cutter
"Gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, and terrifying." - Andy Davidson
"Perfectly paced, elevated horror. Fracassi is required reading for the genre and beyond. A bellwether of what's to come." - Jonathan Edward Durham
"Philip Fracassi amazes and inspires me. Full stop." - Gemma Files
"Harrowing and claustrophobic, Boys in the Valley is an outstanding horror novel, filled with dread. You can feel the evil in this story, soaked into every page. One hell of a read from Philip Fracassi!" - Christopher Golden
"Boys in the Valley is cruel, creepy, and keeps the pedal to the metal. An unrelenting and highly entertaining show of horrors." - Thomas Olde Heuvelt
"The prose is precise, the terror's exquisite, and Fracassi's got his hand on the chisel going into your chest." - Stephen Graham Jones
"As poignant as it is chilling, with a fast-paced, unflinching ending, it's the richly drawn characters that make Boys in the Valley a standout." - Alma Katsu
"A riveting, and horrifying, tale of survival set against a punishing and vivid backdrop. Think William Peter Blatty and William Golding blended together - but still the insights and angles are all Philip Fracassi." - Victor LaValle
"The most unsettling novel I have read all year. Cold dread clings to every page." - Ronald Malfi
"Fracassi's tale casts a black spell...exploring the limits of faith, the bonds of brotherhood, the loss of childhood, and the extremes of evil." - J Todd Scott
"Fast-paced, relentless, and chilling without ever neglecting the human side of the proceedings. This is pure horror that should satisfy any fan of the genre." - Jeffrey Thomas
"Gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, and terrifying." - Andy Davidson
"Perfectly paced, elevated horror. Fracassi is required reading for the genre and beyond. A bellwether of what's to come." - Jonathan Edward Durham
"Philip Fracassi amazes and inspires me. Full stop." - Gemma Files
"Harrowing and claustrophobic, Boys in the Valley is an outstanding horror novel, filled with dread. You can feel the evil in this story, soaked into every page. One hell of a read from Philip Fracassi!" - Christopher Golden
"Boys in the Valley is cruel, creepy, and keeps the pedal to the metal. An unrelenting and highly entertaining show of horrors." - Thomas Olde Heuvelt
"The prose is precise, the terror's exquisite, and Fracassi's got his hand on the chisel going into your chest." - Stephen Graham Jones
"As poignant as it is chilling, with a fast-paced, unflinching ending, it's the richly drawn characters that make Boys in the Valley a standout." - Alma Katsu
"A riveting, and horrifying, tale of survival set against a punishing and vivid backdrop. Think William Peter Blatty and William Golding blended together - but still the insights and angles are all Philip Fracassi." - Victor LaValle
"The most unsettling novel I have read all year. Cold dread clings to every page." - Ronald Malfi
"Fracassi's tale casts a black spell...exploring the limits of faith, the bonds of brotherhood, the loss of childhood, and the extremes of evil." - J Todd Scott
"Fast-paced, relentless, and chilling without ever neglecting the human side of the proceedings. This is pure horror that should satisfy any fan of the genre." - Jeffrey Thomas
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