Eternal City [Paperback]

Nancy Kilpatrick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2003

In the heart of the Canadian woods, the environment is deteriorating. People have moved away and some have disappeared. When Claire Mowatt inherits her aunt's land, she arrives to find that the air, land and water have become polluted since the environmentally correct gated community Eternal City bought the island on Skeleton Lake. Claire knows she should just sell, but something compels her to hesitate. The longer she remains, the more she comes to believe that all is not as it seems with the town or with the residents of the wondrous Eternal City. (20021201)

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Despite its reliance on genre clich‚s, this traditional horror novel from Arthur Ellis Award-winner Nancy Kilpatrick and her lesser known co-author offers its fair share of chills. To a remote location (northern Ontario), a lone woman (Claire Mowatt) comes to settle the inheritance of a mysteriously dead relative (her psychic Aunt Lillian). A virtuous romantic interest warns her of Dark Things, while a sinister would-be lover, the CEO of the Nirvana Corporation, builders of the gated community of Eternal City, wants to buy her land. The plot proceeds much as seasoned horror fans would expect. While the stupidity of villainous vampires in allowing sewage to flow untreated into the local lake undermines credibility, some strong secondary characters, like the corrupt but ultimately valiant cop Jack Williams and the abused boy Earl, give the story a lift. Few readers will achieve Nirvana and the book's fame may not be Eternal, but the audience for accessible and not overly long horror novels may turn out for this one.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"From a darkly humorous tale of the power of words (Death and the Librarian) to a never-before-published response to events of September 11 (Ilion), Friesner's 12 stories illustrate the author's acutely sensitive vision of wonder in the everyday world... Known primarily for his 'Star Wars' novels... Zahn's short stories also deliver strong plots and memorable characters... Zebrowski's many novels (e.g. Macrolife) mark him as a visionary as well as a master of hard sf. The ten short stories collected in In the Distance provide a benchmark of his creativity... the author expands his concept of the human condition to embrace the stars. Part of Five Star's continuing commitment to showcasing the short fiction of the genre's most prominent author's, these three volumes belong in most libraries where short sf is popular."
-- Library Journal (December 2002) (Library Journal 20020615)

"...Part of Five Star's continuing commitment to showcasing the short fiction of the genre's most prominent authors, these three volumes (Death and the Librarian and Other Stories/ Star Song and Other Stories/ In the Distance, and Ahead in Time) belong in most libraries where short sf is popular."
-- Library Journal (December 2002) (Library Journal )

"Four more titles in Five Star's new series (God Is an Iron and Other Stories/ Generation Gap and Other Stories/ The Lady Vanishes and Other Oddities of Nature/ Suppose They Gave a Peace and Other Stories) of short fiction by noteworthy sf authors offer a variety of tales that illustrate the depth and staying power of the genre...Most of the stories in these volumes have only appeared in periodicals. Libraries wishing to augment their sf or short fiction collections should consider any of them."
-- Library Journal (June 2002) (Library Journal )

". . . enthralling . . . what horror is all about."
-- Harriet Klausner --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 303 pages
• Publisher: Five Star Trade (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410401537
• ISBN-13: 978-1410401533
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,791,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars enthralling horror novel, February 4, 2003

By 

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

This review is from: Five Star Science Fiction/Fantasy - Eternal City (Hardcover)

It's been a rough two years for Claire Mowatt with her husband dying in a freak accident and then two years later her Aunt Lillian is declared dead in a drowning accident. Claire is driving up to Chesborough, four hours away from Toronto, with her twelve-year-old son to inspect the lake front cottage she inherited from Aunt Lillian. The owners of Nirvana, The ETERNAL CITY, a self contained gated and domed community on Skeleton lakes already made Claire an offer on the place.

When they arrive at the cottage, they meet the next door neighbor Gord Roberts and his son Jeremy. Gord implores her not to sell the property and to join him in his fight against Nirvana. Ever since the complex was built, the animals and fish are dying off and people who oppose the ETERNAL CITY wind up dead or missing. Varik, the CEO of Nirvana, wants Claire just like he wants what the unholy creatures he made a pact with promised him.

Nancy and Michael Kilpatrick have written an enthralling horror novel about creatures that tap into humanity's basic desires by promising to fulfill them in return for services rendered. The actions of the hero and the heroine are believable and the creatures act according to their biological imperative so it's inevitable that when they meet the results are catastrophic. ETERNAL CITY is what horror is all about.

Harriet Klausner

5.0 out of 5 stars Eternal City: Suspensful Horror, May 13, 2004

By 

"charleenhinton" (Pedricktown, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eternal City (Paperback)

I found the Eternal City to be very well told! Claire and David Mowatt, Gord and Jerry were all very well thought out characters. Life inside the dome and the pollution and destitution outside of the dome were well compared and contrasted. The description and story of Varik, the CEO of Nirvana was well told, as were the stories of the other characters inside the Eternal City and in the town. I could not put the book down! There were several side stories that added a lot of suspense and horror to the tale. This is my first Nancy Kilpatrick book, but I guarantee it will not be my last. I can't wait to start reading other books she wrote!!

4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguingly Different Vampire Fiction, January 28, 2004

By 

CreepyT "CreepyTendencies" (Colorado, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Eternal City (Paperback)

Claire Mowatt and her son David have recently inherited a house in a small Canadian woodland town. Claire's aunt has supposedly drowned in the nearby Skeleton Lake. Claire and David travel to aunt Lillian's house expecting to pack up important belongings and sell the property for a handsome sum to a large company known as the Nirvana Corporation. However, when the two arrive on the property things aren't exactly as simple as they had hoped.

Claire immediately notices that the lake has been extremely polluted since her last visit to the former woodland paradise, and a large green dome in the center of the lake known as the Eternal City, owned by Nirvana, is the suspected culprit. Various wildlife are found dead all over the surrounding area. In addition, Lillians neighbor, Gord Roberts, points out to Claire suspicions regarding her aunts death. There are very few locals left who have yet to sell their property to Nirvana, and those who are holding out seem to be dying off in rather bizarre accidents. Furthermore, it appears as though a strange new species that everyone hears flying overhead at night, but does not see, has made its home near the dome. Claire decides not to jump into the sale but to investigate further, and what she discovers turns out to be far more than anyone bargained for.

The Kilpatricks have done an excellent job with creating a modern vampire novel. The vampires in this story are nothing like the vampires of Anne Rice, but rather mythical creatures that can tap into ones innermost desires and make promises they don't intend to keep in order to obtain their prey. The book kept me entertained throughout its entirety and I was intrigued by the different take on vampire fiction. However, I didn't find the book particularly scary or exceptional. In other words, I enjoyed the book but didn't love the book. Don't buy this book if you are looking for a profound and thought-provoking piece of literature or a particularly scary work of horror. I would recommend this to people looking for an interesting new take on vampire fiction and an easy, fun, short read.