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Hemlock Grove: A Novel Paperback – March 27, 2012
| Brian McGreevy (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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The body of a young girl is found mangled and murdered in the woods of Hemlock Grove, Pennsylvania, in the shadow of the abandoned Godfrey Steel mill. A manhunt ensues—though the authorities aren’t sure if it’s a man they should be looking for.
Some suspect an escapee from the White Tower, a foreboding biotech facility owned by the Godfrey family—their personal fortune and the local economy having moved on from Pittsburgh steel—where, if rumors are true, biological experiments of the most unethical kind take place. Others turn to Peter Rumancek, a Gypsy trailer-trash kid who has told impressionable high school classmates that he’s a werewolf. Or perhaps it’s Roman, the son of the late JR Godfrey, who rules the adolescent social scene with the casual arrogance of a cold-blooded aristocrat, his superior status unquestioned despite his decidedly freakish sister, Shelley, whose monstrous medical conditions belie a sweet intelligence, and his otherworldly control freak of a mother, Olivia. At once a riveting mystery and a fascinating revelation of the grotesque and the darkness in us all, Hemlock Grove has the architecture and energy to become a classic in its own right—and Brian McGreevy the talent and ambition to enthrall us for years to come.
- Print length336 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherFSG Originals
- Publication dateMarch 27, 2012
- Dimensions4.98 x 0.77 x 7.58 inches
- ISBN-100374532915
- ISBN-13978-0374532918
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“This is . . . horror with a respect for its literary antecedents.” —Yvonne Zipp, The Washington Post
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The lone wolf howls to rejoin the pack from which he is separated. But why does the pack howl when no wolf is lost?
Isn’t it obvious?
Because there is no other way to say it.
* * *
The night after the Harvest Moon, the body was discovered. It was nearing October and the sun was still hot, but the leaves were falling now with intention and every night was colder. Peter was walking home from the bus stop when he saw the flashing light of a fire truck up at Kilderry Park. He wondered if there had been an accident. Peter, who was seventeen at the time of which I’m writing, liked accidents: modern times were just so fucking structured. He saw in addition to the fire truck a few cop cars and an ambulance, but no signs of wreckage. He turned his head in passing, but there was nothing more to see beyond the norm. Two of the cops combing the area by the swings he knew; they’d hassled him a couple of times in that kind of obligatory cop way that, in Peter’s experience, every uniform was an SS uniform. Probably some junkie had OD’d or something. There was that bum who hung out around here, an old black guy with yellow and black teeth and one dead eye that looked like a dirty marble who might not have been old, really. Peter had given him a light once, but no change. Better that paid for his own drugs. His interest flagged. Old black junkie kicks it it’s no more news than chance of rain tomorrow. Then he heard it, one sentence. No sign of a weapon, Sheriff. Peter looked again but there was no more to see than a milling cluster of uniforms by the tree line and he put his hands in his pockets and went on.
He had a bad feeling.
Nicolae had always told him that he had been born with an unusually receptive Swadisthana chakra and that underneath the surfaces of things, the illusion of the illusion, there is a secret, sacred frequency of the universe and that the Swadisthana was the channel through which it would sing to you. And the Swadisthana being located of course just behind the balls, he should always always trust his balls. Peter did not know what it was, but something about the scene in Kilderry Park had his balls in a state of agitation.
When he got home he told his mother, “Something happened.”
“Hmm?” she said. She was smoking a joint and watching a quiz show. The trailer was warm and smelled sweet, pot and baked apple. “Hummingbird!” she yelled suddenly, in response to the question What is the only bird that can fly backwards.
He told her what he saw. He told her he had a bad feeling.
“Why?” she said.
“I don’t know, I just do,” he said.
She was thoughtful. “Well, there’s cobbler,” she said.
He went to the kitchen. She asked if he’d been in town.
“Yeah,” he said.
She emptied his backpack of items so small and modest it could hardly be considered stealing while Peter scraped the tar of sugar at the edge of the cobbler and tried to shake this feeling. The feeling that whatever had happened in Kilderry Park was no good. And not in some greater existential sense but no good with his number on it. There was a coffee mug on the counter with the comic strip character Cathy on it and a small chip the shape of a shark’s tooth that held loose change. He dipped his hand in the mug and went to the door and scattered a handful of coins on the stone path out front.
“Why did you do that?” said Lynda.
Peter shrugged. He had done it because he wanted to hear something dissonant and beautiful.
“You are one strange customer, you know that?” said Lynda.
“Yeah,” said Peter.
Copyright © 2012 by Brian McGreevy
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Product details
- Publisher : FSG Originals; Original edition (March 27, 2012)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 336 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0374532915
- ISBN-13 : 978-0374532918
- Item Weight : 8 ounces
- Dimensions : 4.98 x 0.77 x 7.58 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #3,592,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #7,886 in Gothic Fiction
- #26,936 in Supernatural Thrillers (Books)
- #41,061 in Romantic Fantasy (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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OK, the story was good. But I felt like I was watching a movie at a drive-in theatre (for those who know what those are) on a foggy night. The story was there but I had to strain to see it through the obscuring fog. That's why I'm only giving Hemlock Grove 3 stars. Maybe I've gotten lazy. I read for recreation not as an exercise in interpretation.
The book moves at a good pace, not dragging out any needless descriptions and Brian McGreevy has a surprisingly broad vocabulary (which I personally loved), so have your dictionaries near by!
There were some differences between the book and the show, as there usually are. I would recommend both.
Also, the word "Upir" is used in the book and never defined, although it is a very important word for the story.
Definition: "Upir" 1. "A type of dragon that feeds off humans but must die by its own hands to awaken its true powers.
(i.e. The upir are the most feared of the supernatural because of their blood thirsty fangs and their ability to hypnotize.)"
2. "Russian vampire that function during daylight hours. Eats children then their parents. Said to be the most vicious vampire."
(Definitions found on UrbanDictionary.com)
There is a third definition, but it's quite inappropriate and irrelevant.
I would definitely recommend this book! I enjoyed it quite a bit!
Hemlock Grove, Pennsylvania, was a town in transition. Godfrey Steel Mill, founded in 1873, built the town manufacturing steel. But toward the end of the 20th century, manufacturing was falling out of favor in the United States. The Godfrey family transitioned from steel to health care and biotechnology. This also brought about a new type of worker - moving from braun to brain.
So the story starts amid this back drop in October, right after the harvest moon. A mutilated girl was found in Kilderry Park. The police suspect a wild animal, maybe a bear. But Christina Wendell believes it was Peter Rumancek, 17 year old gypsy who had recently moved to Hemlock Grove with his mother. You see, Peter had told Christina he was a werewolf. But is this possible? Werewolves don't really exist. They are creatures of legend, just like vampires. Clearly this was simply a case of a young man boasting to a girl. The rumor spreads through the High Schoolat any rate, casting doubt over Peter.
Enter Roman Godfrey, heir to the Godfrey fortune and class mate of Peter. He approaches Peter, asks if he is the killer, and after receiving a negative response forms an alliance to capture or kill the culprit. This is the essence of the mystery. Mcgreevy also introduces several other compelling characters that also play their part in the story and mystery: Olivia Godfrey, Roman's mother; Shelley Godfrey, Roman's 7 1/2 foot tall sister wearing crates on her feet full of potting soil; Norman Godfrey, Roman's uncle and Olivia's secret lover; Destiny Rumancek, Peter's cousin who is skilled in the ways of gypsy lore and witchcraft; Dr. Pryce, brilliant researcher working for the Godfreys and specializing in regeneration; and the federal agent sent to investigate the murders who was smarter than anyone gave her credit for.
All in all, I thought the book told a very interesting tale. The mystery, the characters, and the paranormal element made this a very interesting read.
Top reviews from other countries
Don't listen to the bad reviews on this book as yes, it is written very differently to many other books, but that is NOT a bad thing, in fact , complete opposite. I love the original writing style, intelligent use of words and language - it's very refreshing, trust me.
To conclude, highly reccomend to lovers of gothic literature and people who are open to a new style of writing.
Oh and don't expect to have all the answers served to you on a silver platter because it leaves a lot of the guessing to the reader and after finishing it, it was on my mind for days. Has it's own unique genre. Very original. Powerful reading - there really is no other book like this.
They are trying to jump on the Vampire Diaries/True Blood - insert any supernatural style teen series here - with this. Which is a shame, because there are some good actors wasted on a bad story.
The problem with the book is that it's all just bad, because it doesn't have the actors to carry it.
Just not a great read at all.




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