Face [Hardcover]

Tim Lebbon (Author), John Picacio (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 2001

A family picks up a hitchhiker in the worst blizzard in living memory. It's a mistake. Brand is not who he seems, to the mother, the father or the daughter. He is something more, something they fear in their own ways, and soon after the thaw they are all seeing him again. They begin to learn things about themselves, and each other, which perhaps would be best left unknown. And they begin to realise other, more painful truths ... love blinds . Fear distorts . Hate misleads.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his first U.S. novel, which deals with the common modern horror theme of the intrusion of the Other, British Fantasy Award winner Lebbon introduces an enigmatic and menacing stranger named Brand into a small British family that encounters him hitchhiking in the countryside during a blizzard and offers him a ride. "I only want a moment of your time," he informs them, yet in the brief interval before they expel him he manages to attack each of them at their weakest spots. They are all at moments of transition in their lives the mother, Megan, recovering from a mugging through a fervent embrace of religion; the father, Dan, feeling inadequate in his inability to protect his family; and Nikki, the teenage daughter, whose rebelliousness and sexual obsession with Brand fuel the anxieties of both of her parents. Brand expertly manipulates their weaknesses, appearing to each in the manner most likely to deceive and isolate them. The supernaturalism of the novel is subtle, making Brand's role as the satanic persecutor in this retelling of the Book of Job all the more unsettling: Megan's frantic query "But why us?" is answered, "If God won't tell you the truth, I will: because. Just because. Just because bad things happen to good people." The ultimate question is whether his deceptions and lies will prevail, or if the love that Dan, Megan and Nikki share despite all their anxieties and self-doubts will pull them through. Some may dislike the ambiguity of his approach, but Lebbon's novel will reward the careful reader with insights as well as gooseflesh. (Jan.)(Forecasts, Apr. 2).

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Returning from vacation in a blizzard, Dan and Megan Powell and their daughter, Nikki, spot a hitchhiker on the side of the road. They pick him up, but when he begins acting strangely and asking for a "moment of their time," Megan is frightened and insists that he leave the car. The family drives away but hasn't seen the last of the man, who calls himself Brand. Nikki, who was entranced by the stranger, sees him in the woods outside her window, at the hall where her band practices, and even at her school. Megan, still haunted by a brutal attack that occurred years ago, is certain Brand is stalking her, using supernatural means. Dan encounters him in a bar and, convinced that Brand is threatening his family, beats him up. Yet Brand continues to appear to each member of the family, bringing out their fears and desires. Lebbon gradually, deftly builds the tension until it explodes in an exciting climax. Chilling, exciting reading for horror buffs. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Night Shade Books (August 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892389193
• ISBN-13: 978-1892389190
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,220,267 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've been published for ten years now, and you can find out loads about me at my website www.timlebbon.net. I'm the author of over thirty books, including the Noreela series of fantasy books (Dusk, Dawn, Fallen and The Island), the NY Times Bestselling novelisation of the movie 30 Days of Night, and several books with Christopher Golden, including The Map of Moments and the forthcoming Secret Journeys of Jack London for Harper. I've also written several screenplays and some TV proposals. I've won several prestigious awards, and some of my work has been optioned for the big screen.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A supernatural Cape Fear!, January 17, 2002

By 

Henry W. Wagner (Rockaway, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Face (Hardcover)

Driving home through a fierce blizzard, Dan and Megan, accompanied by their teenage daughter Nikki, spot a man standing in the middle of a dark country road, seemingly having materialized out of nowhere. Offering him a ride, the family quickly comes to regret their act of generosity -- Brand, as the man calls himself, unnerves them all with his strange demeanor and stranger mutterings. When the high strung Megan can't stand it any longer, they literally eject him from their car. Shaken, they resume their trip, leaving Brand to fend for himself on the nearly deserted stretch of road.

In the days that follow, Brand infiltrates their minds and
lives, seeming to shadow their every move. Megan becomes convinced that Brand is spying on her through the eyes of insects and animals, Dan has an altercation with him in a local tavern, and Nikki spots him haunting a music studio where she and her band are making a recording. At first a minor irritation, Brand slowly ups the ante, sadistically torturing the unfortunate trio.

A supernatural take on John D. MacDonald's The Executioners, the well-executed Face chronicles the disintegration of a family under attack from within and without. Dan, Megan and Nikki have lots of emotional baggage, most of it originating in a rape Megan suffered six years before. Megan is paranoid, and has retreated into religion, Dan has been unmanned by his perceived inability to protect his wife. Estranged from each other, they are also losing touch with their daughter, who is dealing with her emerging sexuality. Seemingly peering into their souls, Brand exploits these weaknesses to wreak his revenge.

At first, it's hard to tell whether Brand actually exists,or is
something that the family has conjured out of its misery. In fact, until he acts against their friends and acquaintances, one might easily assume that he exists only in their imaginations. Regardless of his origins or corporeality, it's disquieting to watch his escalating attacks. It's also disquieting that Lebbon offers no easy explanations or outs. Asked "Why?" by Dan, Brand replies, "Sometimes bad things happen to good people." Even as Brand is seemingly dispatched, one senses he's merely stepped offstage, waiting for another opportunity to wreak havoc.

Intense and affecting, Face will seize and hold your attention from the opening paragraph to the end. A writer blessed with extraordinary gifts, Lebbon's chief talents lie in exploring the darker moments of everyday life, and in making readers feel his character's pain and despair. A true disciple of the dark, Lebbon's imagery wrings true fear from his audience.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No good deed goes unpunished...(mellion108 from Michigan), June 3, 2003

By 

mellion108 (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Face (Mass Market Paperback)

Dan, Megan, and Nikki Powell are returning home from holiday in a horrible blizzard when they spot a lone figure in the blinding snow. Dan stops to pick up the stranger in hopes of lending a helping hand. However, as soon as Brand--a name that becomes more symbolic as the novel progresses--enters the car, all three Powells feel his power in different ways, especially once Brand starts asking them for "a moment of your time." Dan soon stops the car and forces the man out.

Of course, this is the world of horror, so Brand doesn't simply go away. He begins to haunt each family member, preying on his or her darkest fears and self doubts. Megan begins to lose her mind. Dan sees Brand as symbolizing the very thing that threatens his abilities as family protector and as a man. Nikki? Well, teenage Nikki gets in touch with her inner nymph.

This was my first Lebbon novel, and I've already purchased a few more. His writing is wonderful, and he manages to present some very descriptive images. My major complaint with this mass market paperback is that Leisure did not take enough time to edit it well. There are numerous (stress on numerous) typographical and grammatical errors. While I can overlook the occasional error, the number of errors in this book was very distracting. I found myself being pulled right out of the story. I don't know if the hardcover edition is better. Regardless, this is a good story by a very promising writer.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When bad things happen to good people, March 27, 2003

By 

bonsai chicken (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Face (Hardcover)

During a blinding snowstorm, a family of three stops to pick up a hitchhiker called Brand. Then he asks them for another favor, one which they can't deliver. Discomfited by his conversation, they eject him from the car. But they haven't seen the last of Brand, nor will he leave their minds. Each becomes obsessed with him in his or her own way. Dan becomes preoccupied with thoughts of protecting his family, haunted by an attack on his wife years ago, and is driven to acts of violence of which he never thought himself capable. Megan, a religious woman, thinks of Brand as a devil who watches her through the eyes of wild creatures. And daughter Nikki finds herself attracted to him even as he terrifies her.

Lebbon's masterful handling of family dynamics and his understanding of the things which threaten them puts him in league with Steve and Melanie Tem, the premier writers of familial horror. The story relies more on psychological terror and suspense, and when it does escalate into violence, it isn't gratuitous - which isn't to say it's not intense. My one small disappointment came from the unanswered questions at the end, where we're only given hints of the larger picture. I think I would have liked to know just a little bit more. Still, better to err on the side of mystery.