His Father's Son [Mass Market Paperback]

Bentley Little (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009

Steve Nye?s quiet life takes an unexpected turn when he receives a call from his mother. His father attacked her and has been committed to an asylum. The doctor says he?s suffering from dementia. But Steve?s father seems so calm, clear-eyed, and lucid when he whispers, ?I killed her?. Is it simply symptom of his father?s delusion and madness?

If only Steve were so lucky?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bentley Little was born in Arizona a month after his mother attended the world premiere of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. He is the author of ten previous novels, including The Revelation, The Mailman, The Summoning, Death Instinct (published under the name Phillip Emmons), University, Dominion, The Ignored, The Store, The House and The Town. An acknowledged master of horror, he is currently at work on his next novel.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Signet (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451227778
• ISBN-13: 978-0451227775
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #217,293 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #93 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > United States

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Straight ahead horror from a Master!, September 18, 2009

By 

P. Legerski (Corona, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: His Father's Son (Mass Market Paperback)

Lots of people complaining that this isn't the Little they are used to...so what? When Bentley put out THE IGNORED, that was the same problem readers had...and now it is a classic.
This novel is more scarier than most Little books because it has happened before...no ghosties, no vampires, werewolves, evil stores, evial home associations, etc. Thi sis about a son picking up where he thinks his dad has left off...and the want of a father's approval...all real things. A brilliant novel by the best horror writer woring today.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Far From Little's Best, September 6, 2009

By 

P. Ramirez "Em18966" (Somewhere in Utah) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: His Father's Son (Mass Market Paperback)

I have been waiting for Bentley Little's latest - His Father's Son - for months. I love Bentley Little, I have a collection of some of his rarer works, including the infamous Murmurous Haunt (I was lucky enough to score a signed copy a while back), a couple of ARC's of his earlier books, a couple of signed hardcover copies of his books, and even an early promotional copy of The Store that is actually printed on standard 8 ½" x 11" copy paper, complete with a cover and promo letter from the publisher/publicist. So, to say that I am merely a fan is a bit of an understatement. I liked the guy before he was cool. I have issues of The Horror Show Magazine (and several others) from the 1980's, having trolled for them on Ebay because he contributed to them.

His Father's Son is the story of your middle aged everyman, Steve Nye. He is dealing with a situation that many of us have or will have to face during the course of our lives - the mental and physical deterioration of a parent. In Steve's case, his father just snaps one day, physically assaulting his mother. The attack is completely out of character, and Steve's father is diagnosed as suffering from a degenerative form of dementia and is committed to a psychiatric facility.

During one of Steve's visits, his father appears to be perfectly lucid. It is during this period of lucidity that he says the words "I killed her."

After hearing what he perceives as his father's confession, Steve begins an investigation into his father's past that makes him question everything he has ever know about his father, his family and himself.

The way this book is written, I really can't say much more about the plot without being a spoiler.

There are dozens of little reasons that I have become such an avid Little fan. However, there have always been three big ones that have never varied or wavered. 3) He is among the most prolific writers I have ever read. It is a delight to troll around for obscure magazines and anthologies that he has contributed unique short stories to. You always find something different, but it always has a distinct Bentley Little flavor. 2) His flair for the surreal. Regardless of the specific plot or subject matter in a given book or story, you can count on Little to warp the very fabric of reality. All of his work has a certain level of wrongness to it, which is what makes it such great horror. 1) The man is deals in real, unapologetic horror. Nothing is taboo or off limits.

With all of the above being said, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed with His Father's Son. Maybe I have read too much of his stuff, because I kept thinking of how this story line should have gone down as I read. Unfortunately, it was fairly predictable (in my opinion), and it lacked a lot of both the surrealism and the depth of the majority of Little's previous novels. His short stories even. I had a very hard time getting into the book, which is almost unheard of for me, although after the first few chapters it did hold my attention fairly consistently.

Unfortunately, I was left feeling shortchanged. I kept waiting for something to happen, and it never really did. There were instances of short stories being intertwined throughout the novel (Steve Nye happens to be a writer), and it was only throughout these several short chapters that I was able to really feel Little's true nature leech into the story. It was almost as if this book was thought up by a publisher or something, and the integrated short stories were Little's metaphorical middle finger.

All in all, the book was a big letdown for me. I have read a lot of criticism of Little's work, and it always contains suggestions that would make his writing more mainstream and less out of the box and controversial. Frankly, I am a Little fan because of the blatant sex and violence and carnage that his books are (unapologetically) crammed with. I feel as though this was a pandering release, put out there to placate the whiners. I hope that his next book is a return to his surreal and totally unique flavor of storytelling, written for his fans - not everybody else. Three stars.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bentley Drops The Supernatural For More Realism, October 31, 2009

By 

William M Miller (Bronxville, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: His Father's Son (Mass Market Paperback)

This latest chiller by Bentley Little is certainly in the top half of his better work, but nowhere near my favorite. It has a great premise and actually manages to pull off most of it very effectively. The steady build keeps you hooked for the entire story. It was a pleasant change to see him working completely in reality instead of his usual supernatural fare. However, I did predict the ending very early on - something I usually do not manage to do. And there were a few threads that were not quite sewn together. Regardless, this book was a lot of fun to read and certainly puts Little back on track to once again earn himself the reputation as one of the top 10 horror novelists working today.

For readers looking for more great work after reading this, may I suggest The Ignored, The Store, The Association, The Policy, and Dispatch - my five favorites from Bentley Little.