Customer Reviews

King of Nod: Some Things Never Die

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

King of Nod is an epic tale told masterfully. It is one of the best Southern Gothic novels I've ever read. The location, Sweetpatch Island, came vividly to life and captured what makes Southern Gothic such a great subgenre. From decaying old plantations and creepy swamps to the modern town and an old shanty house, this is the quintessential Southern Gothic story. Spanning several decades King of Nod deals with the joys of childhood, to the burgeoning romance of adolescence, and finally to discovering the true nature of one's self. This book delivered many great reads with a pacing that kept one reading to further unravel the mystery at the heart of the book. Finally, I love the way in which this book presents both the light and dark sides of old southern magic (hoodoo, voodoo, whatever you want call it). This was a wonderful read from cover to cover and I recommend anyone who wants to read a compelling story with supernatural forces bound together within the mystery of one man's existence to pick it up and give it a read. Scott Fad has emerged as a top talent in the genre.

Extraordinary novel!! A unique mixture of romance, history, suspense, and witchcraft. I have read hundreds of books in my lifetime, and this is absolutely my favorite. Fad's masterful writing style pulls you into his characters' minds and emotions. You will stay up all night to find out how it ends, and yet are sad when it's over. This is one book worth buying -you'll want to read it more than once.

This book is a non-stop page turner, classic ghost story but so much more... Couldn't put it down, fortunately was travelling between NY and DE at the time, was great for the train ride. If you like Stephen King or Peter Straub or just an amazing book, this one is for you!!!

"The King of Nod" by Scott Fad, is an engrossing dark, adult, southern gothic horror story. In 1913, Joseph Tribbet, overseer of the Chaliboque plantation of Sweetpatch island was lynched. Sweetpatch was a barrier island off the coast of South Carolina. He was hung, burned and feed to animals. His wife, a Gullah witch/voodoo priestess, put a curse on them that followed them and their offspring for three generations.

This page turning book reminds me of Stephen King's work, only darker and a bit more supernatural. It has the classic elements, cryptic nursery rhymes, strange coincidences, images and narrative that send chills down your spine, and tragic childhood. Fad created very real and tragic characters with plenty of flaws. The plot has is so involved and the characters complicated that I cannot adequately describe it.

"The King of Nod" is a gripping read. This is one to take your time to get involved with, to feel and experience it. Scott Fad took 12 years to write this book and it shows in the detail and prose. While this might not appeal to everyone, for me, it was a great book.

(Review by my husband, Steve.)

EXCELLENT!! Below is a note (a firt for me) that I sent to the publisher

I purchased this book after reading about the author in Landenberg Today magazine. I too am from Landenberg, so I figured I would support a local. I had to write and tell you that this is one ofthe BEST books I have come across in a very long time. I cannot put it down and I think about the characters when I do. I stop in amazement at times, that a story like this can come from someone's imagination. It is truly a masterpiece.

Sweetpatch Island is a little bit of land just off the coast of South Carolina where at the turn of the 19th Century, a descendant of slaves by the name of Joker Tribbit was lynched. This lynching gave birth to a legend that held Tribbit's ghost, in the form of a ferocious Best, returns every subsequent generation to seek vengeance for his murder. In 1971 Boo Taylor is a 13-year-old boy, the adopted son of the only white physician on the island, who witness the brutal slaying of a another child that plunges him into the legend of Joker Tribbit and Tribbit's widow, the notorious Gullah witch named Bathsheba. Book teams up with Gussie Tutton, a wild young girl from the 'wrong side' of the salt marsh. The two of them seek to confront a terrifying legacy of hatred, bigotry, and murder. The at the turn of the 20th century, Sweetpatch island is now a place of golf courses, resort hotels, and tourist beaches. But when he is now a grown man, Boo returns to the island because of the strange death of his adopted father in order to confront both the friends and the enemies of his childhood and deal with the ancient forces that continue to haunt the island. Very highly recommended reading and a popular addition to community library fiction shelves, "King Of Nod" by Scott Fad is one of those deftly written and epic novels from which award-winning mini-series and lucrative Hollywood films are made.

A classic ghost story. This book is a must read for lovers of foke-lore. I could not put it down until I had finished the very last page.

I really enjoyed "King of Nod" because it's a great story, and the writing is fantastic - full of wonderful ways of looking at things. Reality, and things that may or may not be real, humor, suspense and dread are blended into a novel that ranks among the best I've ever read.

A beautiful, haunting tale of bravery, legend and mystery. 'King of Nod' is a robust Repast for the suspense lover's hungry imagination. No quick, literary snack with this gem. I fell in love with the characters immediately and was grateful for the nearly 600 pages. I will certainly re-read this intriguing story (not for the garage sale, it's going on my 'keeper' shelf).
In 1913 a regal-looking, broad shouldered black man named Joseph 'Joker' Tribbit is lynched by white men on Sweetpatch Island, S.C. for a trumped up crime. His Voodoo practicing wife, Bathsheba, unleashes a powerful curse that will stalk the descendants of the island for many generations. Boo Taylor returns to Sweetpatch Island after twenty years, due to the sudden and mysterious death of his father, to find the terrors from his childhood memories have only grown stronger. He realizes he must find out the truth about his past and heritage if he and his childhood sweetheart, Augusta, hope to ever find peace, but a ghostly image shadows his every move as Bathsheba's curse takes shape in every dark corner.

This is a twisted tale of history, cultures, drama, romance and dark mystery that will swallow you up emotionally. I ached for Boo Taylor, Gussie and his friends...always hoping love would overcome the ancient evil spawned from bigoted hatred. Scott Fad's writing is a mixture of the suspenseful works by Stephen King, the rich literary prose of Hemingway and the 'home-town' flavor of Pat Conroy. What a wonderful blend of talent!!!

It's very rare for me to find a story that completely hooks me by the tenth page, and that's just the beginning. Scott Fad does a fantastic job creating a world of fully developed primary and secondary characters that you'll fall in love with. This story will make you laugh, cry, and--at times--pee yourself in fright. I couldn't put it down, and by the time I finished it, I wanted to start the adventure all over again. I've passed it on to many friends, and so will you.