Valley of the Shadow (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: purple rash, pale man, rubbed his jaw, Howard Bristol, Conner Hayden, Walter Kent (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[An] exciting page-turner . . . as unique and creative as it is suspenseful.”

Product Description

Conner Hayden is certain he survived his near-death experience for a reason. He thinks it’s to save the life—and soul—of Mitch Kent. Mitch’s body remains on life support while his spirit is trapped with the old farmer Howard Bristol in the Interworld—a strange and dangerous dimension that Conner narrowly escaped during his brush with death in Pawlik’s award-winning debut novel, Vanish. Meanwhile, in the Interworld, Mitch receives a warning from a mysterious stranger: Howard is not who he appears to be, and Mitch must flee immediately. Pursued by Howard and a terrifying creature, Mitch soon learns the truth about what happened to him and that his only hope of survival lies at the very edge of the Interworld.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (May 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414326793
• ISBN-13: 978-1414326795
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #329,876 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tom Pawlik's "Valley of the Shadow": A Review, July 15, 2009

By	C. Moore "The Christian Manifesto (www.thechr... (Rochester Hills, MI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Vanish was terrifying. I remember reading through the night just to make sure there would be sunlight shining through the slats if I woke from a nightmare. There is nothing more frightening than waking up to a pitch black room that still manages to have shadows playing tricks on your mind.

And sometimes it's more about what you don't see than what you see. Because, as I sit here and consider Pawlik's latest offering, Valley of the Shadow, the sequel to Vanish, I don't recall blood, guts, or gore that would haunt my visions at night. That seems to be Pawlik's strength--allowing your imagination to run wild. He's a minimalist like that. Your mind does most of the work for you, while he tells the story.

Pawlik uses the same formula he used in Valley's predecessor, an ensemble cast of characters traversing a strange place between life and death called "Interworld." The first book's protagonist and hero Connor Hayden is back, as are Mitch and Devon. Only, this time around, Pawlik spends more time outside "Interworld" than he did in the first one.

But, this time around, there seems to be more a malevolent, pointed force trying to destroy our wandering souls. A mystery surrounds farmer Howard Bristol and that forces the reader to grapple with questions about our choices and the consequences of abusing the free will given to us. The interplay of the story and moral are not as easy to ascertain as the first book, but its there if you're looking for it. The characters, at times, come across as a little cookie cutter, but they're easily identifiable and believable enough that it's forgivable. Also, Pawlik does a good job of humanizing these cardboard cutout characters, making them infinitely relatable, despite the fact we've met them time and time again in novels, both Christian and secular.

My only difficulty with this story is that in one sense it panders to those kinds of readers who need tidy bows and resolution to make their faith-based reading make sense. Vanish left the story open-ended. You didn't exactly know what way it went for certain characters, but you got the sense that it continued and you didn't have to know what happened to them in order for the present story to feel complete. Actually, that gave the story a sense of beauty and mystery that I appreciated. Thus, creating a sequel messes with that beauty somewhat. Those readers got their nice tidy bow and we all got more story, but we lost a little of the beauty we were initially left with.

My personal concerns aside, Pawlik's Valley of the Shadow is still a strong offering that will leave the reader looking for things that go bump in the night. And, more than that, Pawlik treads theological minefields that make for really interesting dialogue between the characters. In many ways, the dialogue is so good, it feels as if you're watching a good movie on DVD. Though, if I'm honest, it didn't always feel as organic as it was in the first book. I wonder if this is a problem of all sequels? Did I so fall in love with Vanish that Valley of the Shadow could never live up to it? I hope that is not the case, but I freely admit that it could be.

If you haven't read Vanish, I'd suggest starting there. Valley of the Shadow will be a much richer experience if you do. In the end, Pawlik never preaches. He tells a story. A parable of sorts. And the lessons our characters learn of choice, temptation, sacrifice, risk, influence, and reward are all lesson we would do good to learn. An emotionally compelling thriller that will keep you up at night. Nice job, Tom. Keep `em coming.

All told, I'd recommend Valley of the Shadow to anyone. It is fast-paced, engaging and is a great continuation of what was started in Pawlik's debut, Vanish. A strong second offering, we look forward to reading more from this exciting author.

4.0 out of 5 stars Sequel not as good as the first, July 10, 2009

By	Janlynn (Sussex, WI United States) - See all my reviews

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I loved the first novel in this series "Vanish" and recomended it to friends and family. I am not quite as taken with this sequel. I felt there were characters who appear in the book for no good reason, and extra characters put in to fill a void. This is an exciting series, but the first one is the best. As with many series books, the sequel never is as good.

5.0 out of 5 stars Creepy suspence novel that will have yo leaving all the lights on, July 7, 2009

By	Jubilee (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This book is a creepy, eerie, masterful piece of work. I was completely fascinated by Pawlik's haunting narrative. He has an imagination that helped stretch mine. His descriptions of what he calls the Interworld and it's inhabitants had me leaving the lights on while I slept.

This is not a horror story though, not in the Friday the 13th kind of way. It's not a slasher kind of novel. Rather, the closest comparison that I can think of is a Frank Peretti novel because of the spiritual world aspects to the story.

I have yet to read the first novel in the series, Vanish, which I am sure would enhance the reading of this novel, but it's not necessary. You'll want to though, just as I do. I will be on a sharp lookout for other books by Tom Pawlik.