Halcyon, an idyllic island retreat, a chance to get away from the rat race, to escape from the horrors of the real world.
Except the horrors of Halcyon are all too real
This book is a bit of a slow burner, that ultimately satisfies if you give it a chance

Published by St. Martin's Press on July 10, 2018

Martin and Laura Lovegrove have two daughters, Shirley (15) and Edith (10). Edith used to suffer from night terrors, but a therapist helped her put that in her past. Until now, when she has a vision — a premonition — that she somehow projects to her sister, of an explosion that kills hundreds of people. Three days later, a young man who has apparently been brainwashed drives a homemade bomb into a nightclub, causing the scene that Edith saw. A woman who suffers from the same affliction, psychic signals crossing over into the realm of perception, teaches Edith to cope.

Martin is recruited to join Halcyon, which Nolan, the recruiter, defines as a better and safer America, a self-sustaining community with no crime, no poverty, no discrimination, no tech, and no clocks. Its founder, Mother Moon, is its spiritual leader, but Nolan denies that the community is a religious group, a cult, or a hippy commune (although it sounds like a combination of all those). Halcyon is on an island and, for reasons I won’t reveal, what happens in Halcyon stays in Halcyon. It’s like Hotel California: you can check out, but you can never leave. Except for Mother Moon, who apparently spends some of her time at a mysterious place called Glam Moon, which may or may not be an imaginary world.

Mother Moon is Valerie Kemp, who sold her body for drugs in Manhattan until she found the Society of Pain. The Society teaches that pain is the path to enlightenment, although its members prefer to witness the pain of others than to experience their own.

Eventually this all ties together but I cannot say that the connections are seamless. The novel feels like it was compiled from three related stories, each of which are more interesting than the story they create when assembled. That’s partly because it just takes too long for Halcyon to get where it’s going. Halcyon’s The novel’s pace too often lags. Perhaps a less ambitious story would have been tighter and more compelling.

Halcyon benefits from moments of strong writing, particularly when Edith discovers that she can’t suppress or hide from a nightmare premonition. The story has supernatural elements, or at least psychic themes and the suggestion of a hellacious afterlife, but it isn’t sufficiently frightening to be classified as a horror novel. It’s just a little too strange to be scary, unless readers are frightened by malicious roosters.

Nor is Halcyon sufficiently thrilling to be classified as a thriller, although it does feature elements of crime and mystery. The story addresses terrorism in an abstract way that divorces terrorism from its political roots, which divorces the story from the realm of terrorism-based thrillers. I’m not so anal that I need to classify every novel — some of my favorite books defy classification — but it is difficult to know just what to make of Halcyon.

Notwithstanding its faults, Halcyon introduces the reader to sympathetic characters and occasionally builds tension by placing those characters at risk. School shootings and other acts of mass violence are an early theme of Halcyon, but they are not sensationalized. The story is not pro-gun or anti-gun; it is pro-empathy for families touched by violence. While Halcyon might be predominantly a horror story, the novel recognizes that there is plenty of horror in the earthbound world, and that horror must be balanced with compassion. The story struggles to follow a consistent theme as it moves from cults to sadists to mass killings to domestic drama to interdimensional portals, but it has something worthwhile to say about how victims can become monsters. That earns Halcyon a guarded recommendation.

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS

Youers has been a must read author for me since his incredible 2012 novel WESTLAKE SOUL, and here he continues his streak of page-turning chillers that are incredibly hard to put down.

HALCYON is the name of an island run by a new age guru (of sorts). Valerie (a.k.a. "Mother Moon") and her crew, tired of where the world is apparently headed, envision a world free of crime and the usual negativity that hinders us from nirvana on earth.

Martin Lovegrove and his wife are learning to deal with their young daughter Edith, who, after having visions of a terrorist bombing, consult a psychic who helps Edith control her premonitions. But when a death rocks the Lovegrove family, Martin and his two daughters move to Halcyon in hopes of starting over, but of course it doesn't take long for Martin to realize the island isn't all what it seems.

I'm a sucker for stories about cults, and here Youers delivers a fresh one, complete with a likeable, mysterious (and supernatural) leader. But what made HALCYON work for me (besides the constant tension) is the relationship between sisters Edith and Shirley: it's not often a mainstream thriller offers such a bizarre union, and here Youers lets his imagination fly, bringing us into their otherworldly connection.

This novel may be promoted as a "thriller," but Youers' use of the paranormal, along with a small-press level of brutal violence, makes HALCYON a solid horror novel with a lot to say about our society and how families cope with tragedy. I loved it.

In Rio Youers's Halcyon, this thriller has elements of the Lord of the Flies with a modern day twist. Think of "Hotel California" by the Eagles: "You can check out, but you can never leave..." That's what happened to Martin Lovegrove and his family in this chilling and disturbingly dark thriller. Martin Lovegrove is a well-respected architect in New York City and has a happy life with his two daughters, Edith and Shirley, and still in love with his wife Laura. But when Edith experiences some kind of "night terrors" in the night, it's enough to wake more than the death. She had witnessed the tragic devastation of the Buffalo car bombing in her mind right after it happened. With a bit of probing, they learned she had a special psychic ability at night and had learned to use positive energy. But later, she had "streamed" a high school shooting and her mother's death. For Valerie Kemp, she's a twisted soul who had been a victim of a sadistic fetish group and dealt with four years of abuse until she fought back in a violent way. Then she discovered Gray Peaks Island, which she had called Halcyon, right on Lake Ontario, a safe haven for disillusioned American who deal with loss and grief, while she profits from her own greed. She manipulates the people to self-destruct and destroy other people's lives. But when Martin decides to check it out for himself with his family, it's not what it seems when they meet Valerie and learn about her sordid life in the past. This paradise island is more than lost. And when Valerie learns about Edith's special "powers" from Shirley, she would have no choice to take matters into her own hands to get what she wants until the bitter end...

Based on the description of the plot, this sounded like a book I would like. Unfortunately, I didn't. There is a blend of paranormal. NewAge, Cult, Sadism and Terrorism and I think the last three made me uncomfortable. It was too violent, too terroristic, perhaps even too real for me. The book is well written, good narrative and character development. I felt sorry for Martin and Edith. I enjoyed reading the chapters that featured them. However, I didn't enjoy Valerie/Mother Moon and didn't fully understand the Glam Moon throughout most of the book. It is indeed a thriller, just be prepared for the adult content of the book and the mass violence.

3.5 The cover of Rio Youer's new book Halcyon appealed to me. And every so often I try to read outside of my usual genres. The premise of Halcyon? An island that's the answer for those who want to escape. "...but paradise isn't what it seems."

The opening prologue introduces us to Edith - a young girl who suffers from nightmares. But those nightmares seen to be more than bad dreams - could they be premonitions? After an unexpected tragedy, father Martin decides to move Edith and her sister Shirley to Halcyon - a seemingly idyllic island - where they can heal as a family.

But. Yes, there's always a but isn't there? The island is run by Mother Moon. She has for years been searching for what she calls Glam Moon - a utopia on a higher plane, a place of eternal beauty and peace. She sees Edith's affliction as a gift.......

I found Martin and his wife Laura's actions a bit off in the beginning chapters. They entrust their daughters' mental health to some somewhat sketchy 'therapists'. As a parent, I questioned these actions. But, I put those doubts aside and continued on. I found I really started to getting into the story once they arrived on Halcyon. (Who doesn't want to find an idyllic island?) But the pragmatic me still wondered at Martin's acceptance of this leader, her ideas and interactions - especially with his oldest daughter. I was seeing neon signs flashing, Don't Drink the Kool-aid! But of course, that just adds to the growing tension, doesn't it?

Good vs. Evil is the prevailing premise here. Billed as a thriller by the publisher, the island is where I found the thrills. And the kernels of good. The backstory of Mother Moon delves in the horror genre. And I found the evil here to be somewhat cliched. Two words. Animal masks.

And without revealing the details, Halcyon mirrors some recent, disturbing newspaper headlines.

Halcyon was a distinctly different read for me. It raised enough what ifs and what's next to keep me turning pages. And a little bit of me wonders if there's more in store for Edith.

A psychological thriller. It is a mixture of terrorist, esp, cult and other mind bending topics. A family has a young daughter with problems. But she isn't the only one with issues. There are other people that have problems too.
It was good book even though some of the subject matter was quite disturbing.

The blurb sounds exactly like a book for me. A creepy cult on a lonely island. A family decides to find their peace in this retreat after a tragic event, but soon realizes there is something unsettling behind it. That sounds promising. Unfortunately, the blurb does not mention that this story only begins after about half of the book. Before that there are two narrative levels around Valerie, the cult founder, and the family of Martin and how it came to the tragic event.

Valerie's story has bored me right from the start. Unfortunately I could not connect to the family storyline either. This slightly supernatural element did not work for me despite the fact that I usually like this kind of stuff.

Reading this book felt like forever because it just did not grip me. In fact, I needed exactly one week to read it, and that's really a long time for me. The internet is full of enthusiastic reviews, so I can barely understand why this book bored me so much. I still thought about stop at 70% into it. But then I decided I wanted to know how it ends.

For some reason, this book was not the right one for me. I could not connect with the story and this thing with Glam Moon and the supernatural aspect did not work for me unfortunately. I just did not get it.

Youers has constructed a unique thriller that will keep you guessing throughout! Well developed characters and plot.

HALCYON by Rio Youers is the story of the Lovegrove family, Martin, Shirley, and Edith, who are yearning to put behind them the death of their wife and mother. Martin discovers an island that he believes will help his family escape, cope, and then recover from their recent tragedy. The problem is that the island he finds, Halcyon, is full of secret agendas and shady leaders.
The book starts off slow, introducing the characters and creating the first conflict. About the time I thought "when does the island come into the picture?", it appeared. Youers does a good job of parcelling just enough secrets along the way that keeps the reader excited like a gossipy teenager who revels in every new piece of dirty laundry. The suspense just keeps building and building momentum to the finale, which is just about as crazy as you can get for thrilling ending. Youers weighs heavy topics, like manipulation and abuse, carefully and while their are certainly evil and disturbed moments in the book, he intertwines a good bit of heart and soul as well.
Exciting, scary, and unsettling are a few of the works I use to describe HALCYON. Very entertaining and emotionally challenging, I think any horror, suspense, or thriller reader will want to dive right in.

First things first, I want to thank the publisher and author for an advanced reading copy of Halcyon in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this advanced reading copy in no way influences my opinions or thoughts on the novel.

Halcyon is Youers at his finest and is his best novel to date (and yes, that includes my raving over Westlake Soul). It is a slow burn that packs a wallop at every turn, mentally and emotionally. If you are looking for the perfect beach read or simply one to read before turning out the lights, I highly recommend you pick this one up.

Halcyon is paradise, at least to the individuals brave enough to give up everything in order to see its glory. But what lies beneath and behind the paradise is all-consuming.
It is run by Valerie Kemp, aka Mother Moon, a woman who has dedicated much of her life to the pursuit of Glam Moon (sorta like Heaven) and the riches it promises. The pathway to Glam Moon can only be found at the end of pleasure, which, as you guessed it, is pain. But in order to find that end, the pain that must be endured is unimaginable.

Martin Lovegrove knows that pain all too well. After a sudden and tragic accident, Martin decides to move his family to Halcyon in order to heal and push away the unnecessary evils of everyday life. But Martin soon suspects that Halcyon is not all that it seems, and Mother Moon may be the key to unlocking what is underneath the facade.

I have been a fan of Rio since reading ‘The Forgotten Girl’ last year and absolutely loving it. He is officially my go-to for psychological horror/suspense and Halcyon gave me just the dose I needed. He has a way of creating memorable and gripping characters, especially Martin Lovegrove (who I kept imagining as Martin Freeman for some reason). With everything that happens inside and outside Martin’s family unit, you as the reader continually pull for him and have to almost agree 100% with all of his decisions. He puts his family first, difficult as that is with a teenage daughter and a younger daughter with “powers” beyond comprehension. But what really kept me going was the backstory of Valerie Kemp, aka Mother Moon. Just the sheer pain and emotional toll she undertook to get to where she is almost made me cover my eyes while reading, but it was so fascinating to watch her grow from those experiences.

I can’t recommend Halcyon enough, not to mention all of Youers’ other works. I have to completely agree with this blurb from Benjamin Percy, author of The Dark Net, Thrill Me, and Red Moon:

“I’m warning you: stay away from Halcyon if you have a pressing deadline, children that must be fed, dogs that need to be walked. Because it will own you completely and gobble up all your time and focus with its spellbinding sentences, vividly realized characters, furious pacing, and skin-crawling chills. Rio Youers is a master.”

Rio Youer s has quickly become one of my favorite writers of all time. His " WESTLAKE SOUL" is one of the best books I have ever read. Halcyon is another in a growing list of his great novels.. Do yourself a favor and get this as soon as it is available.One

The book blurb for Halcyon by Rio Youers really seemed to skip the entire beginning of this horror/thriller read. The story begins following the Lovegrove family and also switching to the members of Halcyon’s activities.

Martin Lovegrove and his wife have two daughters the youngest of which is Edith who has begun to suffer from night terrors. The family does everything they can to help Edith get through this when they discover what Edith is seeing at night is really happening around the world.

During the time the Lovegrove’s are dealing with night terrors readers are also introduced to Halcyon, an island retreat that is ran by a woman named Valerie Kemp who refers to herself as Mother Moon. The members of Halcyon are those that want to escape from the horrors of the real world in this isolated society but Mother Moon has plans of her own that she hides from those coming to the island.

It’s not until probably halfway into the book that the two sides of the story collide when Martin meets a man from Halcyon after his family has suffered a horrible loss. At that time he’s invited to the island to get his family away from the violence but when getting there becomes suspicious of Mother Moon.

This one was a bit of a slow burner as the two sides of the story were being built and I have to say I was enjoying Edith and the rest of her family a bit more than the Halcyon side. The events happening are like those that we see in the news all too often which gave a realistic feel to the characters story as it went along.

As it all comes together it began to move at a faster pace and had me more on the edge waiting to see what would happen to the characters I’d become attached to. As much as the idea of a peaceful island community sounds appealing you just know the old saying “If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is” was going to play out well in this one and the story certainly went a lot further than I expected it to leaving me to rather enjoy the creativity even in it’s cringe worthy moments.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

How to characterize this? Who is Valerie aka Mother Moon and what is she really doing? Martin has moved his girls to Halycon in the wake of the death of their mother. One of them- Edith- has been tortured by premonitions and now by guilt. He thinks, based on a conversation with someone he met in a bar, that this island might be the healing place they need. Hah! What's actually going on here? It's definitely a cult but what will happen? This is a very topical novel in many ways but it's got elements of horror and fantasy and then there's some paranormal kind of stuff. All in all, it's an interesting and unusual read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Recommend this for stretching your mind.

Halcyon is my first novel-length exposure to Rio Youers, although I had previously read only a single short story from him in the anthology Seize the Night: New Tales of Vampiric Terror. In fact, it was that short story that made me eager to read more of Youers work, and Halcyon served as an excellent introduction to his long-form writing. I suspect, though, that a simple WOW! isn't quite satisfactory enough for a review, but it encapsulates my feelings perfectly.

For the first 30-50%, Halcyon is a bit of a dual narrative that ultimately meets in the middle. On one hand, you have a cult whose members are carrying out unrelated terror attacks in various American locales. On the other hand, you have Martin Lovegrove and his family, who are doing their best to cope with daughter Edith's night terrors. Her night terrors, in fact, are premonitions of violent incidents linked to Mother Moon's cult activities. As the story progresses, and without spoiling the nitty gritty of it all, Martin's family and Mother Moon's cult grow inextricably entwined.

Rio's writing is top-notch, and his storytelling prowess is honed to a knifepoint's edge, cutting bone deep at times. He lulls you in with a naturalistic style, and builds up his characters in ways subtle enough that even minor events carry the strength of a powder-keg's blast, but when he really goes for the heart and soul it's with unflinching brutality. Halcyon gave me two particular moments of tragedy in which I had to set the book down for a bit in order to regroup; it's been a while since a book has done that to me on an emotional-level, so huge kudos to Youers for that.

Beyond his excellent character work, I absolutely loved the concept of Mother Moon's cult, which felt perfectly real to me, as well wholly understandable, even a little bit sympathetic. Building off present-day American politics and disillusionment I could, perhaps too easily, believe why people would want to escape to Halcyon and Moon's promise of a simpler, back-to-basics lifestyle. It's more than tempting to leave behind our world of daily mass shootings and the instant-rage machine of social media to live off the grid on an idyllic island retreat, free of the daily grind, where you can reconnect with your family, know your neighbors, and enjoy the beauty of nature. Of course, there is that bit of fine print warning you to be careful what you wish for and if it sounds too good to be true, well then...

This is a book that's packed with suspense, tragedy, several moments guaranteed to ramp up your blood pressure, and plenty of horror from both the supernatural kind and the all too-real world around us. I really cannot recommend it enough, and I think this is a title that is just as deserving, if not more so, than some of this summer's much-hyped reads. Halcyon perfectly balances moments of soul-crushing despair with uplifting hope, reminding us that even in our darkest moments there's still some light to be found if only we look hard enough.

[Note: I received an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, St. Martin's Press, via NetGalley.]

Rio Youers has done it again with Halcyon.
Man, can Rio tell a damn good story. And tell it so beautifully, too.
From the moment the story kicked off with ten-year-old Edith Lovegrove's premonitions, I was hooked.
Everything unfolds at a perfect pace, and by the time you're three quarters in, you're thinking, how the hell does Rio manage to pull things together so well.
If you are looking for a bit of supernatural, a bit mystery, a bit thriller, horror, and a huge slice of drama, in fact, a bit of bloody everything really, this one hits all the right spots, bang centre.
Look, put it this way, if Joe Hill, Sarah Pinborough, Christopher Golden, Paul Tremblay, and Peter Straub ( to name but a few) sing Rio's praises, you know he's doing something right.
I've yet to read anything bad by him.
Another 5 stars from me.

Oh, and the cheeky wee nod to another novel was a real nice touch.
I'm not saying which. Go buy them all.
Absolutely perfect, Rio.

The Lovegrove family is desperate to find answers. On the surface, they are a typical American family: Laura is an English teacher at the local public high school. Martin is an architect working on the plans for a new shopping mall. Sheila is your average teenager, more interested in her social media accounts than listening to her parents. Ten-year-old Edith is a sweet girl who is afflicted with unnerving night terrors. But when one of her episodes corresponds with a deadly IED attack in upstate New York, the family discovers that the visions might originate somewhere deeper than her subconscious. The answer to that question leads the family in many different directions looking for help. Ultimately, they choose to drop out, to simplify, to move to a supposed nirvana: Halcyon.

Halycyon is an island oasis in the middle of Lake Ontario. Absent of all the ills of modern life. A place where people can go after they have been injured by the tragedies of Americanism. The leader of the colony Valerie Kemp or Mother Moon (as she is called) is a woman who has been through her own pain, but there are secrets that she keeps deeply hidden away from her followers. Those secrets will reveal an ultimate purpose that has nothing to do with peace nor love.

Until I truly accepted and understood Youers’s set up, I was reluctant to like this book. I really enjoyed all of the characters, even the ones I disliked! Their backstories are well developed and are linked perfectly to their current motivations. The plot is addictive and connects directly to several front-page themes. But it took me about two-thirds of the way through the book to take that leap and accept the supernatural… (I really don’t know why it took so long, but probably because I read mostly fantasy (wizards and dragons) or thrillers (spies and crime) and not many books in this genre.) After I embraced the fantastic, the pages flew. And the ending was simply incredible. I will warn you that there is a good amount of graphic violence and sexuality in this one.

Youers’s Halcyon is gut-punch of a thriller, one that had me thinking about our American rat-race, our own visions and dreams, and some people’s perverted paradises. My advice: Don’t be like me. Let yourself go and enjoy this book right from the start.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Rio Youers for an advanced copy for review.

Epic, on a grand scale, this is the story of the search for Nirvana. As always, everything intended for good becomes corrupted by evil people hungry for power. Such an explosive story, and I believe his best so far, Rio Youers has topped himself with Halcyon, proving, that he belongs in the big leagues now! Just exceptional!

This story begins with a "normal" family at home. The 10 year old daughter, Edith, has deep night terrors that even spill over to her 15 year old sister, Shirley. Clues are written by Edith on her bedroom wall. These clues, found out later on, match up to a terrorist event that kills 228 people. It seems that the person responsible for this bombing was considered quite malleable and a follower. Perfect target for brainwashing. Since Edith needs direction, her parents are careful as to whom they entrust. After hoaxes, cameras in Edith's wall, and those looking for a reality show out of Edith, her parents are out of ideas. They use psychic ability to find Calm - a "proven" psychic. Then, tragedy occurs when a terrorist attacks the school at which Edith's mom works and she is gunned down. Edith catches a glimpse of this, but it is too late to stop.

Halcyon is a secluded place that promises a self-sustaining community with "no clocks or chains".
Aside from Halcyon, is a secretive group that calls themselves The Society. They wear animal masks and green rings. It also seems as if Pace (who rescued Valerie from a rotten life on the streets), has a lot to do with this Society. (As does a drug known as Rhapsody - a way to see the Skyway a paradise known as Glam Moon.

Martin (Edith's father) meets Noah from Halcyon (by chance?) at a bar. Noah sings the praises of Halcyon and Martin and his two daughters go there for a probationary period. Here they meet Mother Moon and sing her praises. Martin has a small doubt in his mind that Halcyon and Mother Moon are on the up and up. He leaves Halcyon to check things out - they think its to arrange for a money donation. Martin's girls, however, must stay.
What Martin discovers about Halcyon and Valerie (Mother Moon) is enough to empower him to get himself and his daughters out of there! What follows is unputdownable chaos and a mind-blowing conclusion. There is some paranormal and even a bit of horror. However, do NOT let this stop you from reading this book! A truly fantastic read!!! My thanks to both St. Martin's Press and Netgallery for a rollercoaster ride!

A family, torn apart by tragedy, seeks solace at Halcyon, an island commune isolated from the horrors of the outside world....only to discover that other horrors await.

Rio Youers never fails to deliver powerful page turners, and Halcyon is no exception, wielding the raw edge of the real world terror, and making the supernatural just as real, and just as frightening, while offering up characters that you can't help feeling empathy for, because you know them, good, bad and completely twisted.

Highest possible recommendation.