Ah, in good hands, let's see what you got, Strickland.

So while I knew nothing about him, it was obvious early on that Strickland's manner of imitation was skillful and not slavish. Now the name of author Brad Strickland didn't mean anything to me till I looked him up for this review, and it turns out he has written lots of fantasy and YA novels, genres I do not follow. The latter is the case for ShadowShow (Onyx Books, Dec 1988, cover artist unknown), a novel set in small-town 1950s Georgia. Striking out into new territory doesn't always guarantee success, while going back over covered ground can yield pleasant, if familiar, surprises. © 2014 Open Road Media (E-bok): 9781480496217If, before I picked up this book, you'd have asked me, 'Hey Will, do you wanna read another horror novel about a middle-aged man in the '80s looking back on his '50s childhood in a small town and the immortal evil he confronted, and thus grew up and has not been able to escape its influence over his life?' I would have answered with a resounding ' Fuck no.' How tired I am of that structure, of reading about boys riding bikes in the soft summer evenings, oh god how syrupy and saccharine, spare me. No, really: spare me.īut I believe originality can be overrated.

Ī chilling tale of darkness lurking in a small Southern town, ShadowShow is a horror novel perfect for fans of Stephen King, Bentley Little, and Robert R. But the good folks of Gaither can’t imagine what’s coming next. Now, night after night, when the lights go down, graphic images of murder and gore, human debasement, and violent sex cast a flickering glow on the faces of the audience. It really is the ideal place for the ShadowShow Theater.īadon promises the townspeople family entertainment that mirrors their own lives, fulfills their dreams and fantasies, and reflects what really lies in their hearts. Gaither is the epitome of postwar America with its community Christmas pageants, white picket fences, genial dispositions, and evangelical good will toward friends, family, and neighbors. Īthanial Badon arrives in Gaither, Georgia, to reopen a shuttered cinema. In 1957, a stranger in a small Georgia town opens a movie theater-where the midnight shows bring the locals’ most horrific fantasies to life.

Shadowshow by Brad Strickland