Homemade Haunting: A Novel [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Rob Stennett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2011

Charlie Walker doesn't believe in God or the supernatural. But Charlie's views change when he takes the biggest risk of his life---he quits his job to write the novel he's always wanted to write. The problem is that Charlie is a method writer. Since he's writing horror, he needs to experience horror. Charlie begins to dabble with the supernatural and experiences the paranormal around his house. Messages appear on mirrors, furniture moves, and his kids start seeing things. Charlie is so lost in his book that he can't see how it's affecting his family. He thinks if he just stops, it will all wash away. It doesn't. Friends convince Charlie that his only choice is to find God to save his family and home. Charlie becomes the unlikely hero in a supernatural battle. As he fights for his home and family, he meets his guardian angel and the demon assigned to him. Is Charlie going crazy? Is there really a supernatural war taking place around Charlie's home, the neighborhood mailbox, and local swimming pool? Homemade Haunting is a comedy, thriller, and allegory---just the type of story expected from Rob Stennett.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rob Stennett is the author of two novels: The Almost True Story of Ryan Fisher and The End Is Now. He's the creative director at New Life Church and an accomplished film and theater director. He lives in Colorado.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (March 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310321921
• ASIN: B005IUSQLC
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,588,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rob Stennett is an award-winning screenwriter, produced playwright, and film and theater director. He lives in Colorado with his wife, Sarah, and their daughter, Julianna. The Almost True Story Of Ryan Fisher is his first novel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Homemade Masterpiece, April 10, 2011

By 

Scandalous Sanity (Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Homemade Haunting: A Novel (Paperback)

A horror novel on the shelf of your local Christian bookstore? Not what you'd expect, unless you found Ted Dekker's section. Even less likely is a horror novel about a man writing a horror novel, but thanks to one of the most creative minds in fiction, that's what you'll find in Homemade Haunting.




Rob Stennett tells the story of Charlie, an English teacher who decides to take six months off from work to finish his dream--write a bestselling horror novel. But only a few weeks into the process, Charlie realizes that his draft isn't very scary. The problem? Charlie isn't scared and doesn't really believe in supernatural things. So to experience the eeriness that is necessary to write the suspense he needs, Charlie begins to sample occult practices.




First he tries a Ouija board, then a book of spells, and then finally ghost hunts. All of this is meant to be harmless fun in the name of research, but it soon turns serious as Charlie and his family are faced with evidence of another world within their home. It isn't long before Charlie realizes that his wife and kids' souls are at stake.




Homemade Haunting is a great novel. I was worried that it would essentially be a cautionary tale against dabbling in the occult, but it was far from preachy. There are Christians in the story that explain their abhorrence of the things Charlie is dabbling in, but they are realistic and never have words placed in their mouths. For the most part, Stennett just lets the characters react to situations that they create, and you can't ask for more from an author.




While this novel isn't as thick on the satire like his previous works, if you've enjoyed Stennett's past books, you'll love this engaging and sometimes creepy tale.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Audio Version, August 1, 2011

By 

Calvin W. Fergins "Maverick Historic Theologian" (Seminary (Outside Bethlehem, PA)) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Homemade Haunting: A Novel (Audible Audio Edition)

Not too bad. Definitely no Peretti but better and more believable than Dekkers' Adam which was just too over the top and like some action movie. This is what a real demonic haunting would be like. This is also a good warning against messing around with the occult. It convicted me a bit about some stuff.

1. The plot seems straight forward but there are some very interesting twists.

2. The pace is good and the writing is clever. I like the shout out to Peretti that the author gave by having the main character's English teacher named Mr. Peretti. Also, for those that don't know, they lived on Voorhees street. Jason Voorhees is the name of the hockey masked living dead killer in the Friday the 13th series.

3. I will say I was a little disappointed in the Blond hair and Blue eyed angel. I like how Peretti has his angels of all ethnic backgrounds and Randy Alcorn just has all of his angels look Middle Eastern.

4. The portrayal of Pentecostals in the story was interesting. Not too off the mark with some of the more overzealous demon hunters among us.

5. There was something very strange that I noticed. The main character kept mentioning the fact that his Christian neighbors wore designer jeans. This is a dead give away that this was writing by a Christian. I highly doubt an unbeliever would be so fixated on the fact that his Christian neighbors were trendy. Christians more than anyone else stereotype other Christians as being behind the times.

All in all, it's a pretty good book. The audio version had one major draw back, the voice actor, who is good, didn't set up the haunting and creepy atmosphere that he could have. He read this book as if it were any other fiction book. That was a let down. Still good though.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking, Unnerving and Fun!, March 20, 2011

By 

david sarton (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Homemade Haunting: A Novel (Paperback)

I won't summarize the story - that has already been done quite well by the other reviewers, but I
really enjoyed this book. It had the familiar Rob Stennett structure and idiosyncracies, i.e.
occasionally distracting, but always awesome footnotes. Mind you, they were only distracting because
I caught myself several times jumping ahead to the footnotes - which are often as entertaining as
the text.

While Homemade Haunting never had me gripped with fear, almost immediately I began to feel a sense of
unease as I read. Look how easy it is too dabble in seemingly harmless things for the advancement of
some goal - entertainment, career, etc. - and suddenly find circumstances beyond our control. We can
so easily invite things into our lives and our homes, that really ought never be there.

This was a very thought-provoking, entertaining book (only one careless Ricky Schroeder reference from 5 Stars), and I eagerly await his next project.