It happens every year. Hordes of boys, 16, 17 or 18 fill the streets because this is the night that the October Boy makes his run for the church. He is a scarecrow with a pumpkin head come to life, a creature that grows in the cornfield. Tonight he runs through the streets with a machete and the boy that manages to kill him before he makes the church is a hero, his family rewarded with free food and electricity and a new car. But it is a deadly game. Each year, some of the boys will never go home as the October Boy takes his victims before he is, in turn, killed.

This year's October Boy is determined to break the cycle. One of the boys in the town is also determined to break out, to leave town with his sister and a girl he rescued tonight from the streets. Her parents were killed by the men who organize the October Boy run and she's willing to go anywhere to get away. But who will win this year, the boy who sees through the game or the October Boy?

This novel won a Bram Stoker award for horror writing. It has also been made into a movie. I listened to this book and the narrator did an excellent job. His deep voice and slow narration created tension and suspense and built them up to an exciting climax. Readers will be cheering for the October Boy when they learn the secrets behind the game and for Pete, the boy who is determined to leave the town forever. This book is recommended for horror readers.

I knew that this was one I would read the second I saw the title and cover. I am a really big fan of spooky books that take place during Halloween and this particular title did not disappoint me at all. This is a quick Halloween read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I think that the writing was a little choppy, but overall I think that just added to the atmosphere that made the book so enjoyable in the first place.

Ya know how sometimes a book gives you exactly what you want when you see the cover? Yes, Dark Harvest did that for me. Originally published in 2006, this book has been on my TBR for years because of how much the cover makes me think Evil Wizard of Oz Story. If you didn’t know, Jack Pumpkinhead shows up in the second book and the second movie of the Wizard Of Oz stories. His pumpkin head sits on top of his stick boy, and has magical life. When I see the cover for Dark Harvest my mind says Jack Pumpkinhead is burning and I have to know what is going on. This cover designer did an amazing job.

No on to the story. It’s Halloween night (sing if you must), and The RUN is about to commence. It’s 1963, and for decades Old Boy (sometimes called Ol’ Hacksaw, or Sawtooh Jack) arises from his cornfields, armed and ready for murder.

Pete McCormick has been held as a type of hostage for the last 5 days. While provided water, he was otherwise starved. Many of the kids in town suffered this same fate. On Halloween night they are released and the hunt or the run begins. One of these boys, aged 16-18, will be the winner. Defeat the October Boy and a life out of the small corn town is possible. Your family will be taken care of: given new cars, homes, money. What ever is needed. But the spoils only go to the victor. October Boy has some trick up his sleeve as well. Ol’ Hacksaw drops Bit O’Honey candy those starving boys love. But he is not just a rabbit to be chased. The October Boy is also a killer, after all it is a kill or be killed world.

This book is full of all the things that make a horror novel a frightful read. There is blood, there is gore, there is abuse and assault. It is all in there. I do not think it’s extremely graphic but to some it may be. But it is done in such a poetic way. Once started the reader needs to see the run to the finish line.

I toughly enjoyed this book. It could become a staple of Halloween, and the prospect of the movie that is out in September 2023, just adds to the anticipation. This story would work amazingly in film, and I can’t wait to see if the film is as compelling as the novel. The run has started, do you think you could beat the October Boy to the finish line. Do you have what it takes to survive a walking PumpkinHead?

I love horror with small towns and rituals so this was right up my alley.

I was pretty confused at the start but as the story moved on it became more clear and I really enjoyed how it unfolded. There were some parts that felt drawn out but the story is interesting enough to keep me hooked throughout.

The year is 1963. The October Boy, as is tradition, has risen from the cornfield on Halloween night. He is coming into town, armed and dangerous. The teenage boys of the town, as is also tradition, are ready to take this monster down.

But one boy is about to find out that the October Boy holds a terrifying secret that is worse than his nightmarish appearance.

I was a bit confused by this strange little story early on. I kept thinking I had missed something, but as the creepiness unfolded, I realized I was not meant to understand the town’s tradition immediately. It was patience, not better processing skills, that the story required!

Overall, Dark Harvest was captivating, especially after the 20% mark. The writing painted a fantastically eerie atmosphere. I loved the small town + weird ritual trope, as well as the “Who’s the monster here?” dilemma.

I do think that, despite this being a rather short novel, some parts were a bit too drawn out. The narration was extremely dramatic at times, as well, which didn’t necessarily add to the atmosphere. However, because I enjoyed the main themes so much and loved the unique direction that this took, I am not counting those aspects too heavily against the book as a whole.

This is definitely a creative story. If you’re looking for something that spins your average horror tropes into something unsettlingly unique, Dark Harvest is definitely one you’ll want to add to your stack.

I am immensely grateful to Macmillan Audio for my audio review copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge is a hauntingly beautiful coming of age story, and a reminder that you can’t always believe everything you are told…The narrator is undefined for this story and includes the reader in a variegated second person type of storytelling. I found this to be confusing at times but really enjoyed some aspects of it. The book is only centered on one night, the night of the “run” as it is referred to in the story. Throughout the evening we have POV from multiple characters and you start to feel like maybe you are missing something, surely that can’t be what's really happening. But as the story progresses you realize that yes, indeed, this is a very scary story. I felt whilst listening to this audiobook that it was written decades ago, penned in a lyrical style of writing that was true to the time period the story is set in. I felt the author did such an amazing job at making the reader feel immersed in the story and tragedy of what was taking place. I would recommend this story to anyone who appreciates American Literature, you will be in for a treat.

A small Midwestern town gathers its sons once every year and pits them against a scarecrow with a pumpkin head. Winners get the chance to leave town and bring wealth to their families. What follows is a night of hunting, hide and seek, and dark secrets coming to light. 4 Pumpkinheads 🎃🎃🎃🎃 Man, I wish I’d read this back in October, in physical form, on a bed of crunchy leaves. This book is Halloween spirit in novella format. Need a movie immediately, please.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

I think the audiobook was well produced and I enjoyed the narration. I will say that this book was a little different than what I was expecting, and it was a little darker than what I was expecting for something that I assumed was a young adult book. I do wish that I had been able to read this on halloween or at least during the fall, I think having the proper atmosphere would have added to my enjoyment of it. But I think that it was a solid book overall and I would recommend.

I know it’s a little early for Halloween, but when your genre of choice is horror, every day is Halloween. So when I saw this audiobook offered, I had to go for it.

It takes place in a small town in 1963. There is an Urban legend about the October boy, except this legend is very, very real.

He rises from the cornfield every Halloween, butcher knife at the ready, as he tries to make his way to the center of town, to the safe area of the church, while every boy from 16 to 21 lies in wait to stop him. To kill the October boy is their ticket out of town. The chance for their family to get a better life and for them to get out.

A very creepy tale made ore so by the talent of the narrator, Vikas Adam. His voice was like sitting around a campfire, as someone tells the scariest story you have ever heard. It's scratchy and rough, like any narrator of a spooky story should be. His voice made this so much more than simply reading it could ever have done.

As for Norman Partridge, his writing is more than just sound. It’s poetic and lyrical, something rarely found in horror books. His metaphors are sometimes eye-rolling and sometimes pure genius, as you the reader/listener is made to see exactly what he wants you to see.
Reminded me of Ray Bradbury’s The Halloween Tree, but bloodier.

Highly recommended if you want a nice scare. It’s a short book, a short Audio; a little over 4 hours. The perfect length for a story like this.

Thanks to @netgalley, Macmillan Audio, Vikas Adam, and Norman Partridge for this audiobook in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion

Dark Harvest is a small but potent little book (the audiobook length is approximately four hours) in the tradition of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and R.L. Stine but for older readers. A good choice as a crossover teen/adult book for Halloween, young fans of Scary Stories who have graduated to reading Daniel Kraus, Stephen Graham-Jones, Stephen King, and Ray Bradbury will enjoy a dark sense of delight at this legend-based escape story set in the cornfields of nowhere, USA. Combining elements of Children of the Corn and The Lottery, and effectively read with an urgent, almost hoarse whisper, Dark Harvest conveys a sense of dismal desperation. On the night of Halloween, a supernatural pumpkin-headed monster invades the town, and it is up to the most brave and ruthless young men to try to take him down. Unknown to them, a more dreadful future awaits the boys.

I had heard great things about this book so even though it is nowhere near Halloween right now, when I saw that there was an audiobook coming out, I had to listen!

I think this book lent itself particularly well to audio because it has many asides in the second person where the narrator is speaking directly to "you." The narrator, Vikas Adam, is a wonderful talent for this tale keeping the tone creepy and aloof.

I also really liked that this is a short book. It will be great to listen to again come October!

I was provided an audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own. This book was originally published in October 2006, however the audiobook was released in January 2022. It might seem weird to read a book set on Halloween during the January, but I loved it anyway. It would be totally appropriate to wait and read this closer to Halloween. I know alot of readers save their spookier reads for the fall, but I read creepy stuff all year long. I absolutely loved this!

This is narrated by Vikas Adam, and he does a wonderful job narrating this! I'm not sure if he used his natural voice or if he was "acting" for the narration, but his voice acting in this gave the audiobook an ominous feel and added to the general creepy vibe of the story. It was such a great fit for the story. This is a novella so the audiobook is around 4.5 hours long.

This takes place all in one night, and you could likely read this in one sitting. Every year on Halloween, the Halloween Boy rises from a field and terrorizes the town while the teenage boys try to take him down. The boy who takes out the Halloween Boy wins a prize, gets to leave town and change the course of their life. There are lots of secrets in this town, which we never really get to understand. I think that was my biggest issue, we never really find out why this whole October Boys business has to keep happening and what the consequences are when and if it stops. I felt like that part needed a little more explanation.

This follows several different characters over the course of the night. It also switches perspective a couple of times. I didn't really mind or notice while listening to the book, but I do know that can be irritating to some readers. There isn't much character development here, but this is a novella about a killer pumpkin boy so I can give that a pass because there is decent action and description of what is happening to move the plot along.

Overall, I thought this was a really entertaining, creepy audiobook. It isn't overly gorey or graphic from a horror perspective, however there is some gore and violence. If you need a quick listen in the horror genre or around the Halloween timeframe, check this one out.

This was a very interesting book, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The only thing I can compare it to is... maybe Joe Hill meets Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery."

It had an excellent premise, and it didn't reveal the twist too soon. I'm usually one to pick up on "plot twists" long before they're revealed, but this one blindsided me. And that's all I will say about that for fear of spoiling the surprise for someone else.

As for the audiobook, it was excellently done. I loved the narrator, and the pacing was perfect. I didn't find myself getting bored and zoning out or having to rewind because it was moving so fast that I missed something important. Everything about the book was great, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves horror/suspense/thriller/etc.

It could have been scarier but it was creepy and good. Vikas Adam does a great job of upping the creepy factor with his narration. Since this is such a short novel the characters aren't very well fleshed out but it still grabs your attention and keeps you on the edge of your seat for the entire ride. I was expecting it to be a lot darker but it is going to be a great little Halloween read for those who aren't into horror normally.

This atmospheric story takes place in a small town. The October boy comes out every Halloween and is part of a strange ritual that the male youth of the town participate in. It is disturbing and terrifying that the adults of the town keep the tradition going from generation to generation. The reader begins to question who the true monster is, the monster with a jack o lantern head or the residents of the town keeping the ritual alive.

This is a great Halloween read and full of spooky visuals. Definitely got some purge vibes when Halloween night arrives. I wish the story had been a little longer and more details flushed out. It is a great concept but I would have loved more substance to the story.I enjoyed the audio version of the story very much. The narrator did a great job. Thank you to NetGalley for the audio version in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley. #DarkHarvest

I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest reviews.
I don't typically go for horror-like books but I took a gamble on this one and I really enjoyed myself. I enjoyed the narrator immensely and his narration immersed me into the story. There were times when I felt that the plot dragged on a bit and it was a little hard to follow but it was overall a fantastic experience and I would recommend it to anyone new to horror or dark fiction in general.

I LOVED this book. This was the most original book I've "read" (it was an audiobook) in a really long time. Horror books can be very "formula", but this one was WAY off-formula. Not just in the material of the story, which was great and interesting in itself, but in the"voice"of the story. The way the author spoke to the reader. I loved it.

And speaking of voice...Vikas Adam. The voice behind the story. His gritty, almost gravelly voice lent a certain sinisterness to the story (which was plenty sinister enough, thank you Mr. Norman Partridge.

The only thing I didn't like was (sorry Vikas) the narrator trying on a girl's voice. Dude, I get you were alone in this, but no... just no.

I got this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I have given it. This was a great book.

Thank you Netgalley, Norman Partridge, Vikas Adam and MacMillan Publishing for the opportunity to listen to this book. All opinions are my own.

Triggers: Violence involving teens, gun violence, swearing

This was a spooky October story. I'm not so sure I'd label it "general fiction". Creepy more like horror, maybe we'll call it dark general fiction?

It's a wonderful tale of the darkest corruption in the human condition and a small town decrepitude. Anyone who grew up in a small town remembers that time they told themselves "I'll be the one to escape this nowhere place". This is that place and then some. Unlike the small town so many of us felt trapped by here you kill or die to leave.....or do you?

Vikas Adam narrates all the angst, anger, hope and hatred brilliantly. His voice is perfect for this dark story.

I loved the brave souls that fought against the norm and didn't except the hand they were dealt.

This was on my TBR list ages ago. I didn't realize it was the same book until I finished it. So if you have already read it this audiobook will be a great spooky way to give it another go.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC all thoughts and opinions are my own.

TW: Gore, complex family relationships, murder

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Halloween, 1963. They call him the October Boy, or Ol' Hacksaw Face, or Sawtooth Jack. Whatever the name, everybody in this small Midwestern town knows who he is. How he rises from the cornfields every Halloween, a butcher knife in his hand, and makes his way toward town, where gangs of teenage boys eagerly await their chance to confront the legendary nightmare. Both the hunter and the hunted, the October Boy is the prize in an annual rite of life and death.Pete McCormick knows that killing the October Boy is his one chance to escape a dead-end future in this one-horse town. He's willing to risk everything, including his life, to be a winner for once. But before the night is over, Pete will look into the saw-toothed face of horror - and discover the terrifying true secret of the October Boy...
Release Date: Oktober 11th, 2006
Genre: Horror
Pages: 169
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
• Pretty clever Halloween story
• Short read
• The writing style

What I Didn't Like:
• Parts of it seemed to drag on
• Thought it would be a bit more creeper

Overall Thoughts: This was a good quick read with an unique story. I just wish that it could have been more creeper. It felt like some of the tones were things I had already read before. Some of the characters kind of bled into others.

Final Thoughts: Pretty good story to listen to around Halloween.

This is a unique, short horror novel that is perfect to read during the Halloween, autumnal season. The narrative is very strange and off kilter, but I kind of liked it.

I reread this one via the audiobook and I highly recommend that experience because the narrator did a fantastic job of bringing the narrative to life.

I would recommend this one to people look for a less traditional horror story.

Disclaimer I received a copy of the audiobook from the publisher.