Bonechiller [Hardcover]

Graham McNamee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 9, 2008

WELCOME TO NOWHERE.

Danny’s dad takes a job as caretaker at a marina on the shore of a vast, frozen lake in Harvest Cove, a tiny town tucked away in Canada’s Big Empty. If you’re looking for somewhere to hide, this is it.

It’s the worst winter in years. One night, running in the dark, Danny is attacked by a creature so strange and terrifying he tries to convince himself he was hallucinating. Then he learns about Native American legends of a monster that’s haunted the lake for a thousand years. And that every generation, in the coldest winters, kids have disappeared into the night. People think they ran away.

Danny knows better. Because now the beast is after him.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—In this supernatural thriller set in a remote Canadian town in the dead of winter, four friends encounter a cannibalistic creature that is hunting and killing teens. Out late at night, Danny, the narrator, is stung by the terrible monster and it begins to stalk his nightmares. As he becomes increasingly and mysteriously ill, he realizes that his life is in danger. The foursome, after a failed attempt to involve law enforcement, decide to take on the behemoth with stolen dynamite and guns "borrowed" from their fathers. In addition to the main story line, the novel has Danny coming to terms with his mother's recent death and reconnecting with his father. Each of the friends comes across as an individual. Danny's love interest, Ash, a girl boxer who is half Ojibwa, is a particularly dynamic character (Danny's physical reaction to riding with her on her motorbike will ring true with hormonal teens). It is from Ash that Danny first hears stories about Windigos, "big, ugly things…with a chunk of ice for a heart." The unrelenting pace, short chapters, and the idea of teenagers taking on a monster with a large amount of weaponry will certainly appeal to fans of horror novels.—Caroline Tesauro, Radford Public Library, VA
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From Booklist

Something is out there, in the cold nothing of the Canadian winter, making teenagers disappear. McNamee’s follow-up to Acceleration (2003) is another page-turning thriller, this time with an eerie supernatural edge that will appeal to fans of psychological horror. Newcomer Danny and his brainy friend Howie have been chased down and stung by a Windigo, a massive cannibalistic beast. Now they are infected, racing against time before being compelled to give in to the beast in the frozen tundra. Ash, whose boxing wows Danny before her kisses do, and Pike, Howie’s pyromaniac brother, also join the hunt. The book starts out with a bang as Pike sets fire to a convenience store, followed by a night race through the icy wilderness. The cold atmosphere pervades the book, and readers will shudder as Danny grows colder himself. Enough backstory is presented to give the characters dimension, but most of the focus is on the danger at hand. The book climaxes in an ammo-laden action sequence that will keep readers perched on the edges of their seats. Grades 7-10. --Heather Booth

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books (September 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038574658X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385746588
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,011,795 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Chiller of a Thriller, October 7, 2008

By 

Sora Hikaru "Michelle" (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bonechiller (Hardcover)

Danny and his father have spent a lot of time moving from town to town after the death of his mother. This time, they are in an icy, barren town in Canada known as Harvest Cove. There may not be much here in the dead of winter, but Danny has managed to find a few friends he feels close with. There is Pike, the troublemaker, Howie, Pike's shy younger brother and then there is Ash, the girl that literally knocked him out when they first met. This may be the first time he feels like he might want to stick around. His father is even reluctantly making friends.

One freezing cold night in the misty darkness, Danny is making his way home when he is attacked by a horrifying creature. As he fights for survival he is knocked into a ditch and he is sure this will be the end of him. Except that the creature only stings him in the hand and lets him go. This mark is the only thing that assures him that what happened was real and not a terrifying nightmare. Danny begins to feel strange and disconnected after his ordeal, leading him to research the creature in the darkness. He finds out that he is not the only one this has happened to and it goes back much further than he could ever imagine. It appears that something is hunting the teens of Harvest Cove, and so far nobody has been able to stop it. Danny is running out of time for himself and he will have to decide if he is willing to risk his life to break this cycle of evil that is plaguing the town. Danny will have his friends to help him, but he may be too late. How can you kill the unkillable, or hunt what should not exist?

Bonchiller is just that. A spooky, scary, pulse-pounding supernatural thriller that will chill you to the bone. The monster in this story is based on the Native American Windigo legends, but Mcnamee leaves enough to the imagination so that readers can create a truly nightmarish creature on their own. The characters are relatable and you will be cheering them on as they do their best to fight the beast and survive another day. You will hope for the best so that Danny and Ash will perhaps find happiness together. This book will make you think twice about walking home alone in the dark.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Thriller, January 11, 2009

By 

MC "Vampire with a soul" (Minneapolis, Minnesota) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bonechiller (Hardcover)

After Acceleration, I'll read anything that Graham McNamee writes. The premise behind Bonechiller with an actual, honest-to-goodness monster was intriguing to me from the start, and on top of that, I had high expectations from this author.

McNamee delivers. His unique use of characters allows him to tell a monster tale from Danny's interesting perspective with support characters, like brothers Pike and Howie, to help him along. The brothers add depth in totally different ways (Pike with his weapons knowledge and Howie with his analytical mind). Danny's love interest Ali adds a dimension of complexity with her Native American roots, boxing prowess, and strangely alluring personality.

Everything McNamee sets up in his story ends up coming together to make this a tidy tale of something that seems uncontrollable: a windigo-like monster who preys on the youth of Northern Canada.

McNamee is the Stephen King for the Young Adult scene. I hope he has a few more like this up his sleeve.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bonechiller, January 15, 2009

By 

L. DesJardins "YAL reader" (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bonechiller (Hardcover)

This book was a quick read because it was so good, I didn't want to put it down. The descriptions are great and there is suspense building from page one.