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Questions from Readers for Scott Nicholson
Hi Nancy, yes, I remember! Back in the old days of mailing books. Thanks for the kind words about The Red Church--I think it holds up pretty well over time. Congratulations on writing and teaching--two of the world's best occupations! And I hope your students achieved some insight from The Home.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good debut horror novel,
By
This review is from: The Red Church (Paperback)
Scott Nicholson's first widely published work, "The Red Church", is a good first novel. It's better than most "first" novels I've read in the horror genre. It's entertaining, but does have its faults.The book centers around an old church that until recently had been used as a barn. A relative of the church's original preacher offers a large sum of money and re-opens the church. However, this church worships the Second Son of God. The church is haunted by a bell tower creature and ghosts of those who died on church grounds are seen. Eventually, the ultimate battle of good versus evil occurs in the great climax of the book. The main problem, although not a major one, with the book is the author's over-description of past events, inhabitants of the area, etc. While a little description is necessary, at times the author seemed to delve too deep in the history and it did little to enhance the story. However, overall the book is entertaining, complete with a few eerie moments (the communion scene being one of them) -- a good novel, especially for an author's first foray into the world of fictional horror.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Rusty Red,
By Bruce Rux (Aurora, CO) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Red Church (Paperback)
Mad Southern preacher Wendell McFall painted the town church red back during the Civil War, in anticipation of the birth of the Second Son of Christ, who he believed would bring death to the world as a gift. To get the Second Son's ball rolling, old Wendell sacrificed a parishioner's child at the altar, and got himself lynched by the townsfolk as a result. The red church has been haunted ever since, both by McFall's ghost and some demonic shadow in the bell tower.Now, Archer McFall, Wendell's descendant, has come home to roost. He, too, is a preacher, with a television following and a lot of money behind him, back from California to restore the church to its former infamous glory. Archer has numerous acolytes still living in town, and even a former mistress or two - women willing to give up their own sons, as Wendell did almost a hundred and fifty years ago. And the local constabulary is concerned, because Archer's return to town has brought with it a series of mutilation murders - caused, apparently, by something neither animal nor human. This book sounds better than it is, but it still isn't bad. It's a first novel, and suffers from typical first novel flaws. Character actions and transitions are sometimes abrupt and not always clearly understood. The plot needs more development than it is given. The nature of the red church's supernatural menace is inconsistent and confusing. Too much time is spent debating the nature of Christian beliefs, at the expense of plot and story development, and there is unnecessary padding. However, overall it's a pretty good read, if lightweight. It reads a great deal less like Lovecraft (which it has inappropriately been compared to) than a cross between Peter Straub's Ghost Story and the movie The Howling, though it is not as good as either of those pieces. It manages a few chills, even if its surprises are sprung too early. For a first novel, pretty good. A pleasant way to pass the time, if you're looking for a simple, straightforward little horror story with a rural setting. But I expect the author's next book will probably be better.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Bad, Not Bad at All...,
By
This review is from: The Red Church (Paperback)
I picked up this book at DragonCon when it came out so that I would have a little something to keep me occupied in my hotel room. I just wanted a light read by an author whom I had never heard of. This seemed like a perfect little book for the occasion.
I was not disapointed. It took me 2 or 3 days to read and it held my interest. Religion is a spooky subject in my opinion anyway. I will have to admit that I found the ending a little anti-climatic, but the trip there is charming (in a horror type way). It isn't a literary masterpiece by any means, you can tell it is a first timer's effort. I think that Scott Nicholson has a lot of potential though, and The Red Church was good enough that I am interested in reading more novels by this author.
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