NOW AVAILABLE
Tor Nightfire (US) / Orbit (UK)
Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook (Paperback in UK)
BOYS IN THE VALLEY
A Novel.
“Old-school horror.” - STEPHEN KING
“The most frighting book of the year.” - ESQUIRE
SYNOPSIS:
St. Vincent's Orphanage for Boys.
Turn of the century, in a remote valley in Pennsylvania.
Here, under the watchful eyes of several priests, 30 boys work and learn and worship. They live their lives in a methodical way and get along despite different personalities and pasts. Peter Barlow, orphaned by a nighttime murder at his childhood home, 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, his body covered with occult symbols carved into his flesh. Upon his death, an ancient evil is released that infests 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.
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Praise:
An Esquire Best Horror Book of 2023
"Fracassi almost cheerfully paints this gloomy tale with painfully beautiful and detailed prose that is not afraid to shy away from gore and terror." - LIBRARY JOURNAL (Starred Review)
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”As poignant as it is chilling, with a fast-paced, unflinching ending.” - ALMA KATSU, author of The Fervor and The Hunger
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"The prose is precise, the terror’s exquisite, and Philip Fracassi’s got his hand on the chisel going into your chest." - STEPHEN GRAHAM JONES, author of The Only Good Indians
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“A riveting, and horrifying, tale of survival set against a punishing and vivid backdrop. Think William Peter Blatty and William Golding blended together.” —VICTOR LAVALLE, author of The Ballad of Black Tom
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“This is not only a smart and deftly-written tale instilled with the kind of creeping, claustrophobic horror that I enjoy.” —NICK CUTTER, bestselling author of The Troop
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“A gothic, gory Lord of the Flies…Horror readers will be hooked.” – PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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“Harrowing and claustrophobic…an outstanding horror novel.” - CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN, author of Road of Bones
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"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, author of Hex and Echo
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“The most unsettling novel I have read all year.” - RONALD MALFI, author of Black Mouth
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“A beautiful novel that should be — will likely be — remembered as one of the best of the young decade." - CEMETERY DANCE ONLINE
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"gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, and terrifying." — ANDY DAVIDSON, author of The Boatman’s Daughter
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“Fast-paced, relentless, and chilling…this is pure horror that should satisfy any fan of the genre.” - JEFFREY THOMAS, author of The American
For media, interview, and event requests for Boys in the Valley, please contact: saraciea.fennell@tor.com
For review copy requests email: nightfirepublicity@tor.com
BOYS IN THE VALLEY was originally published in a limited edition of 500 copies by Earthling Publications.