The Shell Collector (Cemetery Dance Novella Series #18) [Deluxe Edition] [Hardcover]

Christopher Golden (Author), Glenn Chadbourne (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gloucester, Mass., lobsterman Richie Feehan has an unsettling experience at the start of this uneven horror novella from Golden (Wildwood Road). When Richie pulls up one of his traps, he feels unexpected resistance, then he catches a glimpse of two green eyes peering at him from the water. More bizarre occurrences follow. Someone steals corpses from the Gloucester cemetery and defiles them. Soon the perpetrator adds living people to his list of victims. The old locals, of course, know what force is behind the atrocities—a being called the Shell Collector. If Golden gives his creature minimal backstory, he at least supplies plenty of convincing local color. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Golden's chilling novella is set in the fishing town of Gloucester, Massachusetts, where Richie Feehan divides his time between painting houses and trolling for lobsters, as the men in his family before him have done. One day, out on the sea collecting traps, Richie encounters a terrifying sight: a group of shells with glowing orbs that appear to be eyes resting in one of his traps. Richie throws it back into the ocean, but the memory of it haunts him. But when he spots his brother, Jim, who runs the other family business, Feehan & Sons Funeral Home, talking with police about a body disappearing from the graveyard, Richie never imagines the two things would be connected. A horrifying graveyard encounter with the entity known as the Shell Collector proves they are, however, and Richie realizes he must take action or risk losing someone close to him. Despite the tale's brevity, Golden vividly evokes life in a small fishing town and builds the suspense to a terrifyingly vivid conclusion. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 116 pages
• Publisher: Cemetery Dance Publications; 1st edition (March 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158767114X
• ISBN-13: 978-1587671142
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,622,543 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the award-winning, bestselling author of such novels as The Myth Hunters, Wildwood Road, The Boys Are Back in Town, The Ferryman, Strangewood, Of Saints and Shadows, and (with Tim Lebbon) The Map of Moments. He has also written books for teens and young adults, including Poison Ink, Soulless, and the thriller series Body of Evidence, honored by the New York Public Library and chosen as one of YALSA's Best Books for Young Readers. Upcoming teen novels include a new series of hardcover YA fantasy novels co-authored with Tim Lebbon and entitled The Secret Journeys of Jack London.

A lifelong fan of the "team-up," Golden frequently collaborates with other writers on books, comics, and scripts. In addition to his recent work with Tim Lebbon, he co-wrote the lavishly illustrated novel Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire with Mike Mignola. With Thomas E. Sniegoski, he is the co-author of the book series OutCast and The Menagerie, as well as comic book miniseries such as Talent, currently in development as a feature film. With Amber Benson, Golden co-created the online animated series Ghosts of Albion and co-wrote the book series of the same name.
As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies The New Dead and British Invasion, among others, and has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, the online animated series Ghosts of Albion (with Amber Benson) and a network television pilot.

The author is also known for his many media tie-in works, including novels, comics, and video games, in the worlds of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hellboy, Angel, and X-Men, among others.

Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His original novels have been published in more than fourteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Every Red Tide, Beware the Shell Collector, March 30, 2010

By 

brownie "dogs AND dinosaurs rule!!!!!" (ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Shell Collector (Cemetery Dance Novella Series #18) (Hardcover)

The Shell Collector: Book Review

By Christopher Golden (Wildwood Road, The Ferryman, editor of The New Dead)

Cemetery Dance Novella Series #18

Grade: B

A thoughorly entertaining and original novella from Cemetery Dance,(part of the ongoing Novella Series, which includes books like 411, Cold River (Novella Series Number 13), and Blue November Storms (Novella)) my first Golden book captures the atmosphere of a small fishing town perfectly. Although the characters never really come alive (the novella format, while making for a short experience, doesn't leave much room for characterization here) Golden manages to keep the reader hooked. The book is small, 128 pages, and you can easily finish it in one sitting. The creature--the Shell Collector--a being that appears every red tide, doesn't get an origin tale, something I would have liked to see.

The stand-out point about the book isn't the actual story though--it's everything that's included. We get a nice signature sheet that's hand-numbered and signed, and Glenn Chadbourne illustrates. The book is limited to 750 copies--out of print now--and if you can get a copy, get it. Chances are, you won't remember it years later, but it's a fun way to pass the time.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Novella, The Shell Collector, March 7, 2010

By 

Sherri L. Mcgee "bookworm" (MARTINSVILLE, IN, US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Shell Collector (Cemetery Dance Novella Series, No. 18) (Hardcover)

The novella "The Shell Collector" is another book in the Cemetery Dance Novella Series. If you enjoy stories that are short but very creepy then read The Shell Collector, it will keep you up and leave you wanting more!