The Revelation [Hardcover]

Bentley Little (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 1991

Strange things are happening in the small town of Randall, Arizona. And as darkness falls, an itinerant preacher has arrived to spread a gospel of cataclysmic fury...And stranger things are yet to come...

Praise for The Revelation

"A nail-biting, throat-squeezing, nonstop plunge into darkness and evil. I guarantee, once you start reading this book, you'll be up until dawn." --Rick Hautala

"Grabs the reader and yanks him along through an ever-worsening landscape of horrors...a terifying ride with a shattering conclusion."

--Gary Brandner

"The Revelation isn't just a thriller, it's a shocker. A must for those who like horror with a bite."

--Richard LaymonSales Points

* Winner of the Bram Stoker Award, given by the Horror Writers of America
* "Unlike anything else in popular fiction."--Stephen King

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A tale of horror set in a small northern Arizona town, this first novel begins with the desecration of an Episcopal church and the disappearance of the priest and his family. Soon, other churches are defiled with obscenities written in goat's blood. Two goat farmers are killed and mutilated after their flocks are similarly destroyed. A young boy tells sheriff Jim Weldon of a dream in which he saw the death of the priest's family at the hands of demons. Meanwhile, struggling young writer Gordon Lewis and his pregnant wife, Marina, fear that she will succumb to the epidemic of miscarriages afflicting other women in the community. When the couple goes to Phoenix for prenatal tests, Gordon is warned about the coming of Satan by Brother Elias, an itinerant preacher. As evil events escalate, Brother Elias tells the sheriff, Gordon and the new Episcopal priest, psychic Father Donald Andrews, that only the four of them can save the town, but at considerable cost to themselves. Little convincingly depicts apocalyptic events.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In Randall, Arizona, portents signal a looming disaster of apocalyptic proportions: there are stillbirths, animal sacrifices, church desecrations, and mysterious disappearances. An ancient-eyed and omniscient preacher arrives and claims that Satan is collecting the souls of the stillborn infants and murdered townspeople, causing them to commit further grotesque crimes. He recruits the sheriff, the Episcopal priest, and expectant father Gordon Lewis, whose unborn daughter is, apparently, Satan's goal, but how this will cause the apocalypse is never explained. Also unclear are the characters themselves. Although likable, they are not given enough distinct personality or motivation to indicate why they in particular should be the chosen warriors; and during the final battle, none has any unique strength or talent to offer. Unfortunately, then, there are no "revelations" here--a flimsy plot, a forgettable book.
- A.M.B. Amantia, Population Crisis Committee Lib., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Random House Value Publishing (May 4, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517068990
• ISBN-13: 978-0517068991
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent debut, August 21, 2003

By 

Plaque "Plaque" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Revelation (Paperback)

Bentley Little's novels are widely available in paperback, and my curiosity got the better of me. I decided to pick up "The Revelation" after discovering that it won the Bram Stoker Award. I wasn't disappointed, but I wasn't completely sold on this novel either.

Randall, Arizona has become a target of vandals. One of the local churches has been desecrated, and there have been several cases of livestock mutilation. Sheriff Jim Weldon begins looking into the crimes, wondering whether they are crimes or fraud since the Reverend of the defiled church has disappeared. A young boy finds himself involved in Weldon's investigation, and seems to have information he could not possibly have regarding the Reverend.

Meanwhile, local man Gordon Lewis and his wife Marina are expecting a child. Complicating this is the disturbing fact that several women in the town have suffered miscarriages, and Marina suspects there's something in the water. Or worse.

A lone Preacher comes to town. Brother Elias is his name, and his mission is clear: The End is nigh, and the sinners shall suffer...

The story picks up from there, with no shortage of shocks and thrills. Little is adept at bringing together a wide variety of workable characters into a bizarre situation. There isn't too much here that would be unfamiliar to a veteran horror reader, but that's part of the novel's charm. As others have pointed out, this story follows along with a "B movie" quality about it. I couldn't agree more. I felt like I was reading a tale along the lines of the movie "Tremors", complete with desert settings and over the top action sequences. The gore is plentiful, yet never outrageous. The pacing is quick, and the shock factor kept me turning the pages. Little speaks with a quick wit and describes the goings-on with gusto. I liken his writing style to early Robert McCammon.

The book is not without its flaws. There are times where Little stumbles, and dishes out bits of unnecessary violence. The kitten incident is a prime example; check the other reviews for a synopsis. The ending is a lot of fun, but the horror seemed suspended in favor of a near-cartoonish bloodbath.

I found out later that this was awarded the Stoker for best FIRST novel, which explained everything. For a first novel, Bentley Little scores big time. I'm going to pick up a few more from him, as he can only get sharper with his writing. I'm going to give "The Revelation" 3 1/2 stars rounding up to 4 for sharp, entertaining horror, shocking shocks, and being a quality debut that has me craving more.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One great book!!!, October 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Revelation (Paperback)

Little's first book is more linear and less experimental than his later works. It's more of a straight-ahead Lovecraft pastiche than the cutting-edge social commentary of his more recent work, but the scares are here, as are the King-like syampathetic characters. And there's no skimping on the gore. One of the few first novels to win the Bram Stoker award that actually deserved it.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK ... except for the ending, March 15, 2000

By 

Daniel (PIEDRA, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Revelation (Paperback)

Maybe it's me but Bentley Little's endings seem too short. A bad ending, for me, ruins the entire book. Luckily, the ending to the Revelation wasn't that bad. Just too short, about 20 pages.

This is the second Bentley Little book I've read. The first one being the House. I enjoyed reading the House very much, but the ending was garbage. It wasn't exciting and it was too short. You got the feeling, while reading the book, that the ending would be huge and dramatic. Not so.

The same thing almost happened with Revelation. The first 300 pages were great. Scacy, suspenseful, gory... fantastic. But the final battle was finished before I could even start enjoying it. There's still enough there to be considered 'satisfactory'. I just expected more.

Maybe I'm used to Stephen King and Tom Clancy. Now those two guys know how to write a conclusion. Other then that, Little's a huge talent in the horror genre.