Dark Rain [Mass Market Paperback]

Tony Richards (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2008

Raine's Landing, Massachusetts, can't be located on any map. On the surface it appears an ordinary New England small town, but anyone who stumbles in wants to leave immediately . . . and once gone, they forget they were ever there. Real magic pervades this village of shadows, practiced by powerful adepts descended from the original Salem witches. But a curse has made it impossible for any resident to step beyond the town line. Those born here must die here as well.

Ross Devries and Cassandra Mallory saw their worlds destroyed by magic run amok, and dedicated their lives to keeping supernatural catastrophe at bay. But now a being more terrible than anything they've ever encountered has just crossed over the border—a powerful entity no known magic can defeat; a fierce, ancient god who feeds on terror . . . and blood. A new nightmare is descending upon Raine's Landing—and for Ross, Cass, and the entire trapped population there can be no escape . . . not even in death.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A terrific story-teller.” (Graham Joyce )

“Once again Richards confirms his superb storytelling skill and refreshes the pleasure of savouring fine prose.” (SF Site )

“Man, can this guy write. (He) has the power to introduce you all over again to the pleasures of reading good prose.” (Ed Gorman )

About the Author

Tony Richards was born in Greenford, Middlesex, England. He is the author of five novels—the first was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award—plus many short stories and articles. His work has appeared in numerous venues, including The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Cemetery Dance, Asimov's, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, and Weird Tales. He is currently a full-time freelance writer and, when not traveling, lives in the north of London with his wife.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Harper Voyager (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061474665
• ISBN-13: 978-0061474668
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,582,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tony Richards has been writing supernatural, dark fantasy, and horror fiction - as well as SF and the occasional mystery and mainstream tale - for over three decades. His novels have been published by HarperCollins US, Tor, Pan Macmillan and Headline, with his Raine's Landing series of novels currently appearing from Dark Regions Press. His debut book - a supernatural thriller called 'The Harvest Bride' - made the shortlist for the HWA Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel, and in 2008 his collection 'Going Back' was nominated for the British Fantasy Award. Additionally, he has seen into print more than a hundred short stories, with his work appearing in most major genre outlets. Widely travelled, he often uses places he has visited as settings for his work. His fictional series include those books set in Raine's Landing, Massachusetts, a group of stories set in the imaginary town of Birchiam-on-Sea, on the south coast of England, and his Immortal Holmes series on Amazon Kindle. He currently lives in London, England, with his wife.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dark Rain, Insidious Horror, Great Story, October 22, 2008

By 

Toni V. Sweeney "writer" (Mission Viejo, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Rain (Mass Market Paperback)

During the Salem Witch Trials, the real witches chose to escape to Raine's Landing where they settled in and interbred with the locals, giving their descendants magical powers--all except one who got herself burned to death for the trouble she stirred up. Her dying curse condemned the inhabitants to be imprisoned forever with the town--anyone born in Raine's Landing can never leave and those from outside who enter will forget it exists as soon as they exit its boundaries. Only two people have ever come to Raine's Landing from outside; one opened a dimension which took away both himself and Ross Devries' family, the other is a college professor who came to study magic and killed a dozen people with his megalomania. This year, a third entity has come to the town, Saruak, an evil spirit dwelling in the shell of a mortal, one the Native Americans in the area had long ago recognized and avoided. He intends to take over Raine's Landing, using the magic the inhabitants possess against them. Only one person in town has no magical ability and has never tried to gain any and that's Ross himself, and when all the magic in Raine's Landing fails, it appears that he is their last chance for survival, though he may have to die to save them. Dark Rain is a tense, thrilling story. The story of Ross' meeting with Saruak, his recognition that the man is a danger, though at first he isn't certain why he know this, interspersed with flashbacks explaining the loss of Ross' family leads inexorably to the conclusion that he, the one unmagical person in a town of adepts, has been chosen to save them. His interaction with the congenitally magical inhabitants, as well as the delineation of their characters, is well thought out. None of them is a villain, for all their pride or shallowness or power. The ending practically says, "Sequel on the way!" and I certainly hope that's true because there would seem to be much more to the story of Ross Devries and the others, and I know readers are going to want to see it.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars exhilarating modern day gothic urban fantasy, October 6, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dark Rain (Mass Market Paperback)

There really were witches in Salem and they escaped the burning times by quietly moving into the village of Raine's Landing. They kept a low profile, but one of them Ragan Farrer was accused by the townsfolk of causing harm to others; she was burned at the stake. Before she died she cursed the town and its people; saying they and their descendents will never leave Raine's Landing.

In the present the town is hidden from view; anyone who enters leaves forgetting the place exists. Sarauk, a tree spirit inhabits a human body and comes to town and he intends to become ruler of Raine's Landing. He is not strong enough to take over the entire town yet but as he makes the inhabitants afraid of what he will do, he grows more powerful in a vicious circle. If the trend continues he will soon overpower the townsfolk making them bow to his wishes. Only Ross Devries might be able to neutralize Sarauk, but though he has received information to succeed from allies, his chances remain grim.

This is a modern day gothic urban fantasy that mesmerizes the audience into a one sitting read. The characters make the tale as the reluctant hero must battle overwhelming odds to defeat a 200 proof evil villain. With a strong alternate earth world-building (or at least village building) setting, Tony Roberts provides an exhilarating dark horror thriller.

Harriet Klausner

4.0 out of 5 stars Great character development, January 2, 2011

By 

Rachael Towle "Rachael the Jedi Mommy!" (Huntsville, AL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dark Rain (Kindle Edition)

I really enjoyed this book mostly because of the multi-dimensional characters. the story itself is action packed and is constantly keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. It is completely unpredictable and that makes the story even more enjoyable. I am now reading the second book tothis series and i sure hope there are more to come. the only thing i did not like was the lenghty ending... it just took to long to get there. but the story and characters made up for that flaw!