Dweller [Mass Market Paperback]

Jeff Strand (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2010

Toby was just a boy the first time he saw the creature in the woods.  His parents convinced the terrified child it was only his imagination.  The next time Toby saw the creature he was a lonely, unhappy teenager without friends. But the creature would be his friend.  It would be there when Toby needed someone to talk to.  And it would take care of the bullies who wouldn't leave Toby alone. After all, the creature needed to eat.  And during their macabre, decades-long friendship, there will be other meals...

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Hands down my favorite book of the year." --Fear Zone

About the Author

Jeff Strand lives in Tampa, Florida, with his wife and two cats (one deaf, one insane). He's the author of a bunch of other novels, and he loves to hear from his readers; in fact, it excites him more than is probably healthy.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books; Original edition (April 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843963581
• ISBN-13: 978-0843963588
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,327 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #50 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > United States

More About the Author

Jeff Strand was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but moved to Fairbanks, Alaska when he was six months old, so his memories of Baltimore are hazy. He grew up in the cold, where he desperately wanted to be a cartoonist. Then he wanted to make video games. Then he wanted to write movies. Actually, he still wants to do all of those things, but for now he's quite happy writing lots of demented novels.

He was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in 2006, 2008, and 2010. His novel PRESSURE has been optioned for film; he's hoping the movie will be made soon so he can scream "My baby! What have you done to my precious baby?!?"

His novels are usually classified as horror, but they're really all over the place, from comedies to thrillers to drama to, yes, even a fairy tale (FANGBOY).

Because he doesn't do cold weather anymore, he lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife and two cats,

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Short of Amazing, March 23, 2010

By 

Elizabeth A. White (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dweller (Mass Market Paperback)

Primarily known for his deft touch in combining horror and comedy, Dweller is Jeff Strand's second 'serious' novel, following the Bram Stoker Award nominated Pressure, and with his newest offering Strand may well see another Stoker nomination headed his way.

Dweller introduces us to Toby, an 8 year old with an active imagination and difficulty making friends. Though he's been told by his parents not to, Toby enjoys playing in the woods that border the backyard of his house. Lost in fantasy while playing one summer day, Toby comes to find himself deep in the woods... much deeper, in fact, than he's ever been. Scared of the trouble he'll be in when he gets home late, Toby desperately tries to find his way out of the woods, but what he finds instead will change his life forever.

Toby, you see, finds a monster. An honest-to-goodness, hairy, yellow-eyed, razor-clawed, fanged beast. Of course Toby does what any 8 year old would do under the circumstances... runs away! Once safely back at home he's chastised by his parents for his misadventure, and as the summer passes Toby convinces himself he didn't really see a monster in the woods. He couldn't have, right? Monsters don't exist.

Flash forward seven years to a Toby who has made the woods his place of refuge from the bullies at school and tedious evenings with his family. While exploring one day after school Toby discovers a cave, which he proceeds to investigate with the notion that it may be his ticket to getting some friends, maybe even a girlfriend, if he has a cool cave-fort he can bring them to. Instead, Toby comes face to face with the same monster that he had convinced himself years ago didn't exist. The now older, (slightly) bolder Toby doesn't run away this time, but instead offers the monster food, tries to communicate with it and, ultimately, becomes friends with and names it Owen. What unfolds from there over the course of the story is a wonderful exploration of the strange, but genuine friendship that develops between Toby and Owen, one that lasts for over fifty years.

Strand does a magnificent job using brief 'glimpses' chapters to jump the story ahead over blocks of time, stopping for a more in-depth look at various milestone moments along the way in Toby's life - college, first job, marriage, children, divorce, addiction, retirement - and how each affects his friendship with Owen. On the surface just a 'monster story', Dweller also operates on a much deeper level. Strand has, in deceptively simple fashion, written a beautiful story which explores the complicated nature of relationships, loyalties, and how one decides who the most important person in their life is. The implications of the final, heart-breaking scene will stay with you long after you've finished. What Strand has accomplished with Dweller is nothing short of amazing, and you owe it to yourself to experience it.

Jeff Strand is the author of over a dozen books, including The Sinister Mr. Corpse, Benjamin's Parasite, The Severed Nose, and the Andrew Mayhem series. If you've not previously read anything by Strand you're excused for being late to the party, but it's time for you to come in and get acquainted.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why can't I meet someone this fun to hang out with?, March 23, 2010

By 

Nick Cato "nickyak" (Staten Island, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dweller (Mass Market Paperback)

Who among us horror fans--during our childhood--didn't daydream about being friends with Kong, Godzilla, Freddy, Jason, or some kind of monster who'd be our friend and watch our backs? You didn't? Liar! I have many, many times.

In Strand's second "serious" novel, a young boy named Toby wanders into the woods, led away by his active imagination. He runs out with everything he has after an encounter with a bigfoot-type creature and eventually wonders if he's losing his mind. His parents help him to see that he hasn't. Flash forward to Toby as a teenager; tired of being bullied by kids in his high school, he takes a walk into the woods and discovers a cave he'd never seen before.

Guess who he meets up with?

Toby eventually names the creature Owen, and goes to the woods to feed it. With his new, secret, clawed-buddy, Toby manages to build a confidence he didn't know he had . . . and when he manages to kill two bullies in the woods, he decides the best way to get rid of the evidence is to feed them to his new friend, who quickly develops a taste for flesh and blood.

As with his previous serious-themed novel, PRESSURE, Strand again puts younger characters into some dark circumstances and does so to believable effect (and when there's a monster involved, that's no easy feat). The focus on this unusual "friendship" goes in a few nifty directions, and in the heart-breaking finale, the author leaves it to the reader to decide who the real monster of the story is.

DWELLER is another fun to read, fast-paced thriller from Strand, and is a best bet for any monster-enthusiast. While there's small bits of Jeff's dark humor thrown here and there and plenty of grue, it's the scenes of Toby and Owen's bonding (especially their final time together) that will stick with you long after you finish the novel. Don't miss this one.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great story if not looking to be scared anytime soon!, July 23, 2010

By 

Lionel W. Gibbons - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dweller (Mass Market Paperback)

Well, my title pretty much gives the gist of the book. I like the way this Author writes. Good storyline and execution was flawless. However, when you say "Monster", I am looking for a good horror novel. What I got was a story about a boy and his friend/pet/monster. Even when the so called "monster" did something bad it failed to register as horror. I was disappointed but Strand can write and that kept me reading until the end. Do not, I repeat, do not pick this up thinking you are going to get some hard core horror. If you purchase it, it will be because you want a good read.