The house beyond the hill: A novel [Unknown Binding]

Michael R Collings (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1997

THE EVIL THAT FEEDS ON FEAR! The quiet suburb seems peaceful enough, until loner Donney Mann succumbs to the irresistible urge to Drive the web of the Southern California freeways, armed with a stolen .38-and the unspeakable need to fire it. He finds his victims soon enough-an old, black Cadillac alone on a dark stretch of highway. Three people witness the shooting. Three people see the Caddy crash. Three people know that no one left the wreck. But when the police arrive, they find the car empty of anything save blood. . .and the horror locked in its trunk.
One after another, the citizens of Tamarind Valley fall prey to something, or some thing, that feeds on fear and grows exponentially in power with each victim. Donney's brother Richard gradually realizes that he stands at the center of an expanding circle of evil. If he and his friends do not prevail, the evil will!

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Tamarind Valley may seem like the quintessential Southern California suburb, filled with tree-lined streets and playing children and rolling acres of comfortable houses...but in reality, it is one scary, scary place to live.

First, there was THE HOUSE BEYOND THE HILL--an old, ramshackle place tucked far away on a secluded lane where no one can easily find it...but where Fear itself comes to visit, and stays to kill.

Then there was THE SLAB--where something went horribly wrong during the construction of an otherwise typical subdivision...and one house quietly consumes family after family that dares to live in it.

And now there is STATIC!--where two neighbors first experience friendship, then face fear, and finally spiral unknowingly and unwillingly into the ultimate in electronic identity theft...and replacement.

Feel free to visit Tamarind Valley. You may find thrills and chills, villains and victims, corruption, damnation...and, just perhaps, redemption.

Yes, do feel free any time to visit Tamarind Valley. Each time I visited, I met intriguing characters, explored unsettling landscapes, and spent long hours working through the darkness into the light. Emerging was a relief...but I did so enjoy visiting there.

However, I strongly recommend that you don't plan on living there. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Unknown Binding: 215 pages
• Publisher: BuckThorne; 1st edition (1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886405603
• ISBN-13: 978-1886405608
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 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 Good vs. Evil, March 6, 2011

By 

Valerie - See all my reviews

This review is from: The House Beyond the Hill (Paperback)

If you like a ruthless villain that seems unstoppable and can discern people's fears, twisting their perception of reality to use their inner demons against them, this novel is for you. If you're squeamish you might want to pick another story: There is at least one scene of carnage that paints vivid pictures in your mind that the faint of heart will not appreciate. This was a very unique horror story about the ongoing battle between good and evil. My favorite part about the novel is that it can be interpreted on multiple levels--it can be read for the pure entertainment of a good horror story with a truly evil villain, or it can be analyzed and interpreted as an allegorical examination of good vs. evil, especially in the context of the inner battles that everyone faces throughout their lifetime.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The House Beyond the Hill, May 30, 2007

By 

Gaye Goff "mamagoff" (Snoqualmie, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The House Beyond the Hill (Paperback)

Never one who read many horror stories but this one was very well written and the story carried you right along so you couldn't stay away from it for long. This story is very visual and you seem to see it instead of read it. I was very pleased with this book!

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They said the review needed a title, August 15, 2007

By 

California Velvet (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The House Beyond the Hill (Paperback)

The story depicts a terrifying evil that will make you afraid to keep reading and even more afraid to stop. You spend most of your time reading wondering how it can possibly be stopped. The end of the book is one of the greatest confrontations between good and evil that I have ever read or seen, and as you read it you'll see it as well.