Customer Reviews

The Summoning

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just finished this book tonight and had to come on here to praise it. I found "The Summoning" to be a dark tale full of eerie twists and turns. Its the story of a small town who becomes the target of a particularly spooky kind of vampire that I found to be quite different from most others. This is a vampire who can change forms, who can manifest itself as your darkest fears and who has a uniquely different appearance than the aristocratic, gothic vampire of most novels. This isn't one of those romantic figures but something hellish.

I also liked the characters especially Sue Wing. She was a very smart, strong heroine. There's also pages of this that made me genuinely freaked out especially some of the forms this vampire took. The use of different cultures, the way this book unfolded to the explosive end made this one of the most chilling novels I've ever read. It was nice to see a horror book where the vampire was so unique. I've never heard of vampires being afraid of jade nor a vampire quite so ugly or so vicious as this one. I give this 5 stars for its unique and frightening story.

When I started THE SUMMONING I thought I was going to find myself reading the standard, western vampire story. You know, caves, bats, Indian legends, etc. But every time I almost got it pinned down the plot took a little twist. It still is basically one of the 'small group of people vs. the monster' genre. But it is more than that.

I have no idea if Cup-hu-girngsi's are a real Chinese legend, but they are a unique spin on the vampire persona. These days most vampires are heroes in TV series. Instead, the corpse-who drinks-blood is one of the genuinely horrific, subverting, personalities and human foibles to create some remarkable acts of evil.

The violence escalates nicely without being excessive and it's chilling nature adds a sense of tragedy to the story. Several of the character depictions (like the Chinese grandmother) stand out. The book stands out from others in this genre.

Vampires these days are either of the traditional
European gentleman variety, the young punk/rocker
variety, the misunderstood race of creatures variety
or some combination thereof. Bentley Little has
rejuvinated these tired cliches by infusing them
with some cross-cultural references. To my knowledge,
this is horror fiction's first CHINESE vampire, and
Little not only gets his folklore right but does a
pretty convincing job of portraying the prejudice
minorities face in a small American town. Little has
always included characters that are not the typical
middle-class WASPS of most contemporary horror (witness
his disabled character in UNIVERSITY), but here he
outdoes himself. An epic book that deals with big subjects
and is a hell of a thrill ride to boot. This guy is one of the best.

The only other book about vampires that frightened me was Salems Lot by Steven King. The Summoning reminded me\ of that story and it scared me almost as much. The author (Mr. Little) created a very believable tale in a familiar small town where regular folks managed to look ordinary while they became creatures or slipped into madness. Bentley Little kept the details of the killer just out of the readers view so we are peeking around corners along with the small group of heroes in Rio Verde. There are surprises throughout and Mr. Little provides page after page of very creative and very creepy events. The chapters flew by and at the end of the night after putting my book up for the evening - I found I was too terrified to take my dog outside for our routine walk. The Summoning made me afraid of the dark! I loved it!!

"The Summoning" orginally came out in 1993 and went out of print. Now, luckily for all us horror fans, Bentley re-published it! This novel takes place in Arizona, just like all of Bentley's other novels. Brad Woods, a local coroner, is noticing a change going on in his small town of Rio Verde, Arizona. People are acting strange and having their blood sucked out of them and left to die. Brad, Robert, (the town sheriff), Rich (the newspaper chief), must hunt down this "vampire" and kill it before another one of their friends are drank to death. They along with Sue Wing, a local twenty year old woman, whose grandma knows a lot about vampires join the task force. This book is quite long, 541 pages to be exact, but it is by far, the best vampire horror novel I have read in my life.

Brad Stonecipher

Something strange is happening in the Arizona town of Rio Verde. Chief of Police Robert Carter was called out to find the body of local citizen Manuel Torres, exsanguinated. His brother Rich, the newspaper editor, is having marriage problems subsequent to his wife Corrie's new job with Pastor Wheeler, who Jesus has just appeared to and told to build a huge black church in preparation for His second coming on October 31st. Meanwhile, the bank president is preparing "uniforms" for his employees by sewing together used underwear and every grave in the town cemetery is exhumed in under one hour.

What the hell is going on here? People are dying left and right, animals and trees are being completely drained of all their fluids, the word "vampire" is whispered throughout the town -- although few will admit to believing in them -- and the matriarch of the Wing family that owns the Chinese restaurant seems to be the only one who holds the secret to protection from the cup hu girngsi ("corpse-who-drinks-blood"). Luckily, their daughter Sue just got a job with the paper.

The Summoning was the first novel I ever read by Bentley Little (who won the Bram Stoker award for his first novel, The Revelation). After seeing his name lauding novels by the likes of Richard Laymon, I decided to try him out, as well. What a treat. Usually, I would first attempt a short story collection by a new author, but I found this cheap at a used book sale. I also don't usually read "vampire" books, but this one seemed to be approaching the popular myth from a different angle, at which it definitely succeeds. This is no ordinary movie vampire: it doesn't care what religion you are or how you flavor your food. Although he does have a strange disinclination towards jade ...

While The Summoning may not be as fast-paced as one might expect a horror novel to be, but the eerie atmosphere more than makes up for it, and I was constantly engrossed in its pages. Nothing is as it was in Rio Verde and the small town finds itself turned upside down by the conflicting natures as both the "bloodsuckers" and the "Christians" go on related killing sprees. The depth of character is phenomenal. These protagonists are as real as the people you find beside you every day and you can't help but root for them while fearing for their lives. Even Little's portrait of the life and trials of the Wing family (as assisted by his Chinese wife -- Wai Sau -- and the Chu family) are believably drawn (this coming from one who knows little-to-nothing about other cultures).

It never turns into a rollercoaster ride, even during the denouement, but The Summoning is nevertheless a fully satisfying read by one of the genre's top talents. Those searching for something a little more literary with their blood and gore need look no further.

Originally published in 1993, THE SUMMONING by Bentley Little went out of print. Now, luckily for horror fans, THE SUMMONING returns to print, providing an eerie glimpse into evil when Rio Verde, Arizona becomes the focal point of a depravity older than time.

A vision of Jesus Christ inspires Pastor Dan Wheeler to build the Church of the Living Christ. As hammering, sawing and nailing continues through the late night and early morning hours, volunteers build the church of Wheeler's dreams. A church like no other, its black walls towering in the desert landscape. Wheeler knows he lacks the charisma of television evangelists. Nevertheless, the influence of the being Wheeler calls Christ enriches his influence on these around him. Wheeler believes Jesus' favorite color is black. He gathers weapons in preparation of the Lord's work. The Christ figure tells him that he has forty days to prepare for the Second Coming.

Bodies of humans, animals, and insects, are found drained of all fluids. Brad Woods, a local coroner, has performed autopsies on a lot of bodies, and none has ever scared him until now. Never has he seen a body so completely drained of fluids. Worse, he finds bite marks on the neck. Now seven citizens of Rio Verde must hunt down the vampire before their town is decimated.

Little creates a vampire unlike any other. Rather than conforming to the characteristic vampire myths, he follows Chinese legend. For example, instead of fearing holy water and crosses, this vampire fears jade. Rather than the dapper European gentleman vampire, or the young punk/rocker vampire, or the sexy misunderstood vampire, Little boldly creates a creature of immense evil replacing attraction with stark terror. Combined with a rich cast of characters, each uniquely sketched and vividly realized, THE SUMMONING is a macabre tale that comes Highly recommended.

Little takes the vampire lore and takes it in a whole new direction. Vampire stories are so common place, much like serial killer novels, but Little changes the myth around here.

The story revolves around Sue Wing and the discovery of a chinese vampire that has invaded her small town in Arizona, hunting people at a local "dude ranch."

Little sets the pace well and fleshes out his characters. He finishes it off with a great and spooky climax to the book. Little fans need to search for and keep this new spin on vampires close to their hearts-uh, jugular.

An enjoyable read, filled with twists and turns to frighten even the most jaded horror fan. Two thumbs up, Mr Little.

The Summoning is the 5th novel from Bentley Little that I have read, and thus far, is my favorite. While reading his novels, I am constantly reminded of certain events from other horror writer's works, but strangely enough, in this case, it's a good thing. As for originality, his strength there lies in his ability to shock the reader. Mr. Little can shock the most jaded horror reader, myself included, and this is a most welcomed gift. Occasionally, he will get a little farfetched and a supposed shock is mostly silly and vastly unbelievable, but this is a seldom occurance and most of his intended shocks do just that, and when you least expect them. I personally believe The Summoning has the better character developement of the 5 novels I have read, as I truly responded to and cared for each of the main characters. The over-all story was intriguing, but like I said earlier, it reminded me of several novels I have read before, with all the best bits and pieces combined to create this story. The Oriental angle was a breath of fresh air. Regardless of a few minor drawbacks, Mr. Little's novels are certainly enjoyable to read and one gets their money's worth.

Something very strange is going on in a small Arizona town .Dead bodies are being found drained of blood and other bodily fluids. The authorities are at a loss to explain why this is happening. The book introduces the reader to Sue Wing , a Chinese teenager who is warned of the Legend of the Chinese vampire known as "The corpse who drinks blood" by her Grandmother. It is up to Sue and Journalist Rich Carter to stop the Vampire. In a genre where most vampires are considered to be "sexy and sensual" this vampire is portrayed as utterly Evil, repulsive and despicable which is a refreshing change of perspective for the reader.This is a rare gem from a truly talented writer.