The Dead List by Stephen Williams

The underlying premise of the "novel of childhood" genre is to illustrate the "loss" or the "death" of childhood and the "birth" of the young adult. Often, this transition is fictionalised in a dramatic or a violent way. Here, the genre is reimagined as a thriller.

Be careful what you have wished for because it is about to come true.

Michael Morgan's sixteenth year was going to be a memorable time for them all. The problems of adolescence should have been enough of a battle for Michael but he is about to confront a new and vicious terror.

The only child of a professional couple who are locked in an adulterous marriage, Michael begins a relationship with a divorced neighbour to escape from horrific visions that have taken control of his mind and thrive on his fear... a fear bred by guilt. He is afraid now that his mind has somehow breathed life into the shadows and that the horror of his dreams is real after all.

The month of November is fast approaching and the parish priest has asked his congregation for written lists of deceased relatives and friends - the November List of the Dead - that they might pray for the release of souls from Purgatory. Michael has no one to add to the List and is consumed by guilt because he will not be able to take part in this annual religious ceremony. His innocence isseized upon by an evil Purgatorial soul that would never have been included in any November Dead List, one that would never have been released from torment on Judgement Day.

Returning to the world of the living on Michael's thread of innocent guilt, Jacob Robertson takes on a terrible form and embarks upon a wave of brutal assaults and murders. A city is plunged into terror from the horror of this unknown serial killer, a teenager believes he is going insane and all men fall under the net of suspicion. Michael sees his November List of the Dead growing at an alarming rate. Unknown to him, Jacob decided that as a reward for allowing him back into this world, Michael will have the names he needs for the List... and then proposes to take the boy as his own reward for services rendered.

What happens when Michael realises that his wishes are coming true? How can one boy defeat a paranormal horror? And will he be in time to save the rest of his friends? The language of The Dead List is brutal and coarse. Adolescence is a violent time that rapes the innocence of childhood and fear reigns supreme. The novel depicts this loss of innocence as the child enters the living purgatory of adulthood because Michael's fear is not simply a fear of death and what lies beyond the shadow, it is the fear of maturity, the fear of life itself.

Parental guidance is advised, this bookcontains adult material.

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• Publication Date: June 7, 2013
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 362 Pages
• File Size: 571 KB