Blue November Storms (Novella) [Hardcover]

Brian Freeman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Novella | Publication Date: August 2004

It's been twenty years since the friends known as the Lightning Five visited the Summer Place together. Twenty years spent living in the shadow of something they did in high school, an event that defined them forever in the minds of everyone in their small town. Now they're returning for what should be a relaxing weekend of hunting and fishing, a chance to reminisce about old times and forget their troubles... but mother nature has other plans in mind.

There's a storm brewing. A meteor shower is in the forecast, but it's going to be unlike any event in recorded history. This meteor shower is bringing change to the world, it's awakening the creatures of the forest from their quiet slumber... and before long, the Lightning Five are going to find themselves trapped on the roof of their cabin, with their numbers dwindling and supplies running low...

Trapped with no means of escape, the men will have to make some hard choices... like who gets to live and who has to die.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brian James Freeman is the author of The Painted Darkness, Black Fire, Blue November Storms, and The Illustrated Stephen King Trivia Book (with Bev Vincent).  His short fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies including From the Borderlands (Warner Books), Borderlands 5 (Borderlands Press), Corpse Blossoms (Creeping Hemlock Press), and all six volumes of the acclaimed Shivers anthology series (Cemetery Dance Publications).  His essays, columns, and interviews have been published in The Stephen King Library Desk Calendar 2009, 2010, and 2011 (Book of the Month Club), Jobs in Hell, Hellnotes, and Cemetery Dance.

Freeman is also the Managing Editor of Cemetery Dance magazine and the publisher of Lonely Road Books where he has worked with Stephen King, William Peter Blatty, Peter Straub, Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan, Frank Darabont, Justin Cronin, Joe R. Lansdale, Mick Garris, Stewart O'Nan, and many other New York Times bestselling authors.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 97 pages
• Publisher: Cemetery Dance Publications; Sgd Ltd edition (August 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587671107
• ISBN-13: 978-1587671104
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,632,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brian James Freeman sold his first short story when he was fourteen years old and his first novel when he was twenty-four. His short stories, essays, novellas, and novels have been published by Warner Books, Leisure, Cemetery Dance, Borderlands Press, Book-of-the-Month Club, and many others.

His newest book-length work of fiction is The Painted Darkness, which took the Internet by storm during the summer of 2010 and will be published in hardcover in December 2010 by Cemetery Dance Publications. The Painted Darkness was also offered as the "Free eBook of the Month" by WOWIO.com in October 2010, and within two weeks it became the most downloaded title in the program's history.

Brian's short fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies since 1994 including From the Borderlands (Warner Books), Borderlands 5 (Borderlands Press), Corpse Blossoms (Creeping Hemlock Press), and all six volumes of the acclaimed Shivers anthology series (Cemetery Dance Publications).

Brian is currently the managing editor of Cemetery Dance magazine, where his column "The Final Question" appears. His essays, columns, and interviews have been published in The Stephen King Library Desk Calendar 2009 (Book of the Month Club), The Stephen King Library Desk Calendar 2010 (Book of the Month Club), Jobs in Hell, Hellnotes, and Cemetery Dance.

Brian is also the publisher of Lonely Road Books where he has worked with Stephen King, Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan, Mick Garris, Stewart O'Nan, and other acclaimed authors. You can learn more on the official Lonely Road Books website at LonelyRoadBooks.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In a world gone mad, five friends are trapped with little hope to escape, October 6, 2005

By 

Ronald Smith "Ron" (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue November Storms (Novella) (Hardcover)

I loved that the characters are given real histories with each other and they're not just cardboard cut outs used to hold a place so the story can be told. I also loved the slow build, the way Freeman takes his time introducing the key plays before the storm comes. There's an underlying mystery to this horror story, and I liked how it that was built, too. All in all, I highly recommend this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blue November Storms, November 3, 2005

By 

D. Hensley (jamestown, nc United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blue November Storms (Novella) (Hardcover)

How many times have you read a book and thought: "This book could have been a lot better if it were shorter and the writer had picked up the pace". Well, Blue November Storms is a very quick read (97 pages) and the pace is excellent. This book could have been a lot longer. The writer gives us a quick glance at these characters and then leaves us asking for more...
Anyway this is a great plot and a great little story.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic horror, December 23, 2005

By 

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

This review is from: Blue November Storms (Novella) (Hardcover)

Blue November Storms
Brian Freeman
Cemetery Dance, 2005, $30.00
ISBN: 1587671107

In Beacon Point, Pennsylvania, the townsfolk named the high school football stars the "The Lightning Five" for their athletic exploits. Steven, Harry, Joe, Matt, and Adam were best friends and even built the Summer Place in the woods overlooking the nearby lake together. However, a girl died there, but instead of investigating what happened, the fearsome fivesome were treated like heroes.

Two decades later, Adam, who the others thought was dead as he seemingly vanished, calls his friends to ask them to meet him at Summer Place. Adam never truly overcame the tragedy that haunts him still, much more so than his buddies. Excited over the prospect of seeing him for the first time in years, Steven, Harry, Joe, and Matt agree to a twenty year reunion at The Summer Place.

The five meet filled with nostalgia and excitement, but also lingering is the one dark episode., However, a meteor shower suddenly attacks from the sky with unnatural blue stones hitting near where the quintet reunite. Not long afterwards the woodland animals go berserker trying to kill the trapped humans forced to retreat onto the roof of The Summer Place, an eerie reminder of the tragic pivotal moment in their lives with each remembering while wondering if they like the critters could turn into sociopath killers.

BLUE NOVEMBER STORMS starts off as a deep psychological thriller in which the audience wonders what happened twenty years ago and why suddenly Adam reappears; however Brian Freeman sets the reader up as the tale digs inside the psyche and soul of the lead five, it twists into an old fashion B-movie horror tale (cross between King's Maximum Overdrive and the Ninja Turtles) yet retains that soul deep look at the ensemble as each wonders if the others will turn lethal. Brian Freeman provides a solid tale that fans will enjoy.

Harriet Klausner