Chuck is always an instant buy for me, regardless if I'm lucky enough to get an early copy of one of his books. This one is definitely no exception. Such a great premise and execution. Wendig is really making a name for himself in the horror world and I am absolutely here for it.

This was not for me. I tried multiple time to pick this book up and I just found myself bored wanting to pick up something else.

In Black River Orchard we follow a small town Pennsylvania community as they become obsessed and addicted to a new apple developed by a townsperson. From there we begin to see that all may not be well with this specific species of apples—it seems to heal and strengthen those that eat it, but at what cost?

I really don’t want to say anything else because it’s best to go in blind and just enjoy the ride. This book was horrifying, interesting, refreshing and oh so satisfying. It explores human natures in such an interesting way and manages to land a plane that is, frankly, often hard to land. If you like cults, layered narratives, dark magic, and investigating moral complexity, this book is for you.

Well, this one was incredibly easy to enjoy! After 500+ pages of this book, I'm definitely suspecting there is something sinister behind the delicious looking apple on the counter.

I started reading this knowing only that it was horror and apples were involved, which is why I will keep this review really spoiler free. Even though it seems long, between the short chapters and alternating perspectives, the book was a breeze to get through. I very much loved the insidiousness at the root of the horror. I was incredibly invested in the characters and the storyline and thought this book delivered in every way. There was definitely something very reminiscent of early Stephen King, not just with how the story was set and the horror elements but also with the unique way King manages to make you hate some characters.

Thank you so much to DelRey/Ballantine for the ARC

This book fits spooky season perfectly! When a man finds an old apple tree and is able to graft it into seven trees on his farm, very strange things happen. As people eat the apples, they start to become more idealized versions of themselves, but their personalities start to change as well. The "apple cult" aspects were really well done and several of the scenes are completely creepy. In the ultimate showdown, family lines are drawn and no one comes out unscathed, which is often what you expect for a horror book. My only personal drawbacks from enjoyment were some of the politics and that it felt like the story took a while to get going. (And I may never look at apples the same way again.)

I was absolutely captivated by BLACK RIVER ORCHARD! Wendig's prose gave such a great eerie fairytale/American folk story vibe. I devoured this ebook and then went out and bought a hardcover for keeps!

Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig is a one-of-a-kind horror that involves possessed apples and the people who eat them. The story is a happy medium of both weird and scary. It takes a great storyteller to make a horror about possessed apples work, but man does Chuck Wendig make it work. The story takes every trope about apples and applies it, the bad apple, the forbidden fruit, the golden apple, the bad seed, and the poisoned apples. The horror is greedy, cultish, cannibalistic, gory, and body modification. Wendig taps into descriptions of apple eating that will turn your stomach, and he's just getting started. I don't know how this novel has not given me bad dreams but all so I'm okay with it. I think of creepy movie scenes with trees that must have been tapped into like the tree that is possessed and attacks in both Poltergeist and The Evil Dead, the horrible apple trees from The Wizard of Oz, and Wishmaster when someone becomes a tree, which are all aspects which are brought together to cause true horror. The beginning of the novel is all set up it is a little slow but I was fascinated by the history of apples and orchards in America, as well as the characters being set up. The story has a mystery aspect that takes us through the middle which is interesting and a little surprising and leads to the finale. The finale is pure chaos and super tense, you feel that no character is safe and that anything can happen. The pace is consistent throughout and I found myself very entertained. Chuck Wendig has slowly become one of my favorite writers of horror. This is my third book by him and I have not been disappointed yet and rated them all 5 stars. Black River Orchard is my second favorite novel under Wanders which I feel is Chuck Wendig's Epic novel and put it on the same pedestal as Stephen King's The Stand. Black River Orchard will be on my top ten novels of the year list. Fortunately, I received an early copy of the book from Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey in exchange for a review. Black River Orchard was published on September 26, 2023.

Plot Summary: Dan has been working on a product for years, the perfect apple. His daughter Calla wants to be an influencer. She has quite a TikTok following named her father's apple the Ruby Slipper, because of its blood-red coloring and the easy tagline "There's no place like home". Calla dates Marco a high schooler that Dan likes and helps him with the orchard, in exchange for his delicious apples. Calla is not a fan of apples but supports her dad, but there's been something off with him for some time she's haunted by a dream where he came home with apple twigs and bloodied severed fingers. Emily a city girl has just moved to the country with her wife Meg who lives next to the water. Emily is deathly afraid of drowning but wants to get over the fear in a kayak down the river gone wrong she is stopped by the skull of a dead man Walt, an apple hunter. John Compass an apple hunter who looks for long-forgotten apples and a former friend of Walt, who went missing years ago, owes it to his friend to find out what killed him. John finds from Walt that he is onto something big and attempting to reach out. John meets with Emily to show him where she found the body and they form a friendship and help him look for clues about Walt's death. The apple-eating turns into a cult Calla's boyfriend wants to spend all his time with her dad and the only time they talk is about trying the apple. Calla does try it in secret while she finds it delicious at first she starts tasting rot and spits it out to find apple seeds that start moving and turning into flies. The town starts to want and need these apples and will do whatever it takes to get a new harvest even if it means killing.

What I Liked: The descriptions of the gluttonous eating of apples. Every crisp juicy bit is felt and will give you goosebumps as you learn more. The horror scenes are some of my favorites and if I close my eyes can still picture the horror. The body modification reminded me of the movie The Fly ( 1986) and how the change sent shivers down my spine. I love the character of John Compass the sniper now pacifist Quaker. He felt straight out of a myth. I liked the history of apples and apple hunters. I found the information about the real Johnny Appleseed fascinating. I liked how compelling such a weird story was. The masks were well-described and very creepy.

What I Disliked: I really enjoyed this story but it could have been shorter. The story is 640 pages which was a reason I put the novel off for a month, so I knew I would have time to read it. There's a Calla at-school scene that was kind of long and not needed. I could have seen Black River Orchard easily dropping 40 pages and becoming a near-perfect read. I read an early release copy of this book so it could have been changed a little here and there.

Recommendations: Black River Orchard is a weird, gory, and horrific story that I loved so much. I recommend this book to my readers and all the Chuck Wendig books I have read as well as Wanders and The Book of Accidents. Black River Orchard will not be for everyone but if you like horror books written really well then this is a great book to add to your collection for this Halloween.

Rating: I rated Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig 5 out of 5 stars.

Ranking: This is my ranking of the 3 Chuck Wendig books I have read so far in order from best to worst (I have rated all the books 5 stars, and are all great): Wanders, Black River Orchard, and The Book of Accidents.

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: Black River Orchard goes between medium and fast-paced. It is medium-paced until Dan loses his ever-loving mind (around the middle of the book). Then, it starts amping up the pace until the pacing is almost frantic. Then it slowed down again.

Trigger/Content Warning: Black River Orchard does have content and trigger warnings. If any of these trigger you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Violence (on page): This is a violent book right from the beginning. At first, it is subtle violence, but the violence is in your face by the middle of the book. It is graphic.
Blood (on page): This is also a bloody book. It is graphic and goes hand in hand with the violence.
Murder (on and off page): A murder sets the tone for the book, and the murders continue throughout the book. Some are described, and some are graphic.
Animal Death (on and off page): There are scenes towards the middle of the book where an initiation takes place, including murdering baby animals. I am not going to say much more because it is a spoiler. But it is graphic and almost fever-dreamish when described.
Homophobia (on and off page): There is homophobia directed at Emily throughout the book. There are blatant words spoken, and there are things done/threatened. There are other instances of homophobia throughout the book.
Grief (on and off page): Grief is one of the prominent undercurrents in this book. Dan is grieving the death of his father (years earlier), Calla is mourning the unexpected loss of a loving father, Emily is grieving her loss of self, John is mourning the deaths he caused during the first Gulf War, and Joanie (later on in the book) is grieving about something (I know it is vague but it is a spoiler).
Addiction (on page): The entire main storyline centers on the Harrowsblack apple addiction.
Suicide (on and off page): There are scenes where Dan remembers finding his father’s body after his suicide. Also, there is a scene where a police officer takes his service revolver and kills himself in front of Calla.
Abusive Relationship (on page): Emily’s wife changes after eating the apple and becomes abusive towards her (mentally, verbally, and physically). Dan becomes verbally and physically abusive to Calla.
Attempted Murder (on page): Joanie is almost killed by Prentiss in her house. Dan almost kills Calla.
Cheating (off-page): Emily cheated on Meg, so they moved to Harrow. Emily remembers it in a flashback, and Meg brings it up several times during the book.
Cults (on page): The book shows two different cults formed around the Harrowsblack apples. Since this will be a spoiler, I won’t say anything more.
Gun Violence (on and off page): Guns are used throughout the book to subdue and kill people.
Sexual Content: There is nongraphic sexual content in Black River Orchard. The author only gives bare minimum details about orgies. There is the remembrance of a sex scene between Emily and Meg, but it isn’t graphic.

Language: There is foul language used in Black River Orchard.

Setting: Black River Orchard is set almost entirely in Harrow, Pennsylvania. John Compass has a few side trips to New Jersey towards the middle of the book.

Representation: There is Native American representation (folktales, language) and queer representation (bisexual, genderfluid, lesbian, homosexual, and asexual) in Black River Orchard.

Tropes: Humans Can Be Evil, Monsters, Cults and Religious Extremists, Traumatic Past, Defeated Monster Comes Back to Life.

Age Range to read Black River Orchard: 21 and over

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

John Compass is searching for two things. One is a rare apple, the Harrowsblack, and the other is his best friend, who disappeared five years earlier. Careful tracking leads John to the small town of Harrow, Pennsylvania. It also is revealed that his friend had found the Harrowsblack before he disappeared. Meanwhile, in Harrow, a new apple has appeared. So red that it appears black, it is an instant hit at the farmers market. People who eat this apple cannot stop eating it, and they notice that when they eat the apple, they become stronger and heal faster. As John continues his search, the town slowly starts changing. In the middle of everything is Dan Paxson, the orchard owner. What is with the apples? How did Dan get them? What happens when John discovers the truth?

Main Characters

Dan Paxson: I felt for the guy at the beginning. He was determined to clear his father’s name and make something of the orchard that was his father’s. He was a loving father to Calla (almost too permissive, if I am going to be honest) and was somewhat of a pushover. But, the more he ate the apples, the more he changed. I almost hated to see him turn into what he became at the end of the book. It was nothing like he was initially written.

Calla Paxson: Calla is Dan’s seventeen-year-old daughter who wants to get into Princeton and is a wanna-be social influencer. I didn’t exactly like her at the beginning of the book. She came across as selfish and whiny. But she noticed something wasn’t right with the apples immediately. Calla started knowing that the more people ate them, the weirder they got. I liked her character’s development throughout the book.

John Compass: John is a Gulf War veteran haunted by what he did in the Middle East. He is so haunted that he becomes a Quaker (but will use violence to protect himself). John also becomes a hunter of rare apples. He becomes aware of the Harrowsblack apple when his best and probably only friend went missing five years earlier. I liked seeing John’s character progression in the book. But, what I liked the most was reading about the Native American legends attached to the Harrowsblack and seeing John piece everything together.

Emily Price: Emily is new to Harrow. Meg Price’s wife is feeling out of her element in a small town and in her marriage. Emily did something that strained her marriage and caused Meg to move them to Harrow. Their strained relationship becomes abusive after Meg starts eating the apple. So, I thought Emily was whiny, and she wallowed in self-pity until she met John. Then, I saw a side of Emily that I liked. At first, it was just a tiny glimpse, but by the end of the book, the true Emily was shown, and I loved her.

Joanie Moreau: Joanie showed up almost in the middle of the book. She was a character, and I liked her. She had an open marriage, rented her house out for sex parties (indoor only), and enjoyed teasing her neighbor, Prentiss. But things started to change when the Harrowsblack began making its rounds. It was after a specific event that Joanie showed how strong she was. It was also during the events at the end of the book that showed her character.

Secondary characters: The secondary characters in Black River Orchard made the book. They added so much to this book. The plotline was more flushed out, and the storyline had extra depth.

My review:

Black River Orchard was a well-written horror story that has made me never want to eat apples again. I was engrossed (and horrified) by how the storyline progressed. I couldn’t put my Kindle down. I needed to know how this book ended.

The main storyline in Black River Orchard centers around the five main characters and how those apples changed and affected their lives. It was a scary and often disgusting storyline that repulsed me and made me want to continue with the book.

The storyline with John and his search for the Harrowsblack and his friend was interesting. I didn’t know that there were people who went looking for rare strains of apples (so I learned something new). I liked that John wasn’t afraid to stand his ground when looking for his friend. By the middle of the book, John was central to figuring out how the Harrowsblack ended up in Harrow and who was behind it. He also was prominent in the events at the end of the book.

The storyline with Dan and Calla was sad. I hated seeing their relationship suffer the way it did because of the apples. But Calla was right about everything. When things started to change (and Dan started becoming abusive), Calla was right to begin to think things were wrong. I don’t think she realizes how bad it is until almost the end of the book.

The storyline with Emily and Meg was sad. But I did get annoyed with Emily at various points in the book. She was wallowing in remorse and self-pity until the middle of the book. Yes, she cheated, and her wife did something out of character (moving back to Harrow). But in no way did Emily expect what was going to happen. Her friendship with John was a lifeline.

The storyline with Joanie disturbed me. The amount of hate that she faced was unreal. It was that encounter that snowballed into the tragedy at her house. And the hatred by the cops when they came gave me shivers. But Joanie became a haven for Calla and her friends after everything. Even more so at the end of the book.

The horror angle was written perfectly. The gradual morphing into what happened at the end of the book was fantastic. I can’t get the images of those trees out of my head.

The end of Black River Orchard couldn’t have been written any better. The author ended all the storylines in one swoop. It was honestly shocking how he did it. I also liked the epilogue. But it was the very ending that made me go, hmmmm.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey, NetGalley, and Chuck Wendig for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Black River Orchard. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

I do not scare easily. I love reading horror novels for either the supernatural elements that are typically found or for the forensic/detective work. That being said, I am always in search of the elusive horror novel, like John Compass and Walt were in search of elusive apples, that will absolutely scare the crap out of me. Truly, only a handful of these novels exist. Black River Orchard is one of them.

Just as Children of the Corn gave me a lifelong fear of cornfields (seriously, I have planned road trips in order to avoid driving past miles and miles of corn fields in the summer and that is not an easy task when you live in the Midwest), Black River Orchard has now given me a fear of apple orchards right at the height of apple picking season, so thanks Chuck! I will also probably have a strong hesitation purchasing any new apple varietals, which up until I read this book, had been a thing in our apple loving house.

That being said, this novel is an absolute masterpiece. Everything from the plotline to the characters, each of whom was so realistic that I could completely envision them as I was reading, was pure perfection. I had been a huge fan of Wendig's Wanderers duology and was unsure if he could keep up the same page turning thrills for another 600+ page novel. My problem was that I found myself having to slow down reading to make the book last longer because I loved it so much.

This is a book that I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who loves old school horror in the vein of early Stephen King. I absolutely cannot wait to read what Wendig comes up with next.

Huge thank you to NetGalley, Chuck Wending, and Del Rey for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Like the apples that are so central to this blazing new work, Wendig captures you with the first bite and draws you in. Characters are realistic and well-drawn, so much so that, when horror strikes, it feels all the more immediate and gruesome. The plot is exceedingly original and has twist and turns that will draw in any horror fan. Don't let this book's length scare you away - the pages and time fly right by. Perfect autumnal read (heck, perfect any-time-of-the-year read). This was my first Wendig novel, but it certainly won't be my last!

Everyone says Black River Orchard is insane, and it is. Probably one of the most insane books I’ve read. I went in blind, and I’m so glad I did.

A book seemingly about evil apples, but really about the allure of power and acceptance. This was a bit of a slow-burn for me, though it really picked up the pace around the two-thirds mark.

I've been reading Chuck Wendig's novels for about seven years now and his latest may be his best.

Black River Orchard is about a Pennsylvania farmer who grows an orchard with a rare apple called the Ruby Slipper. It's dark red — almost black – and it's perfectly delicious. The apple has the entire town of Harrow obsessed with it. But the apple changes people. It makes them healthier, stronger, more confident, and violently aggressive. Needless to say, bad stuff happens.

Shocking scenes of body horror, creepy rituals, an S&M Airbnb, crazed townspeople, and more information on apples than anyone could ever need to know combine to make Black River Orchard one of the most entertaining horror novels I've read in quite a long while.

Yes, the middle of the book has some lag time but power through it and you'll reach a very satisfying conclusion. It's a terrific read.

A friend asked if it's the best horror novel I've read all year. Yes, definitely — so far. But I still have two big horror novels on top of my pile before making that proclamation: The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias and Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi.

This book reminded me a little of early Stephen King with its focus on a place and the characters that inhabit it, but Wendig does it in his own unique way. I loved learning about the town of Harrow and its citizens. The characters are all flawed and many you will hate, but they will all feel real. Harrow, becomes a sinister character itself and I was fascinated by it’s history. And who knew that apples could become such a source of terror. Once again there is a lot going on, but this time there is focus and it all coalesces into into a terrifying tale that is a combination of folk, body and psychological horror. I highly recommend and it would make a great read leading up to All Hallow’s Eve. Thank you to @netgalley @delreybooks for an e-arc of this book.

I don’t always want to compare this author to Stephen King, because I don’t really feel like it’s fair, but Wendig’s books remind me of King in the best possible ways. Sweeping epics, characters that stand out, and books that leave you feeling like how the hell does an author come up with that idea? That encompasses this book. Who knew apples could be so scary?

I feel like I need more time to digest this book. The changes the apples brought on the people - chilling, haunting and feral. I loved the back story told at the beginning of each new section. Very intriguing look at human nature.
Very creepy, very long and quite well written.
Dan finally achieves the orchard his father dreamt of. His daughter, starting her senior year, names the new apple The Ruby Slipper.
As the popularity grows, people start to change. Their health improves while their anger and rage cannot be held back.
The writing - imagery and language are just fantastic. It was just a long book with my attention occasionally diverted.

This was a perfect read for Halloween season! It's darkly funny, the chapters are short, lots of good characters, and it's set in Bucks County by the Delaware River, one of my fave places. I loved the historic apple-hunting element and really want to go apple-picking now.

I am a scaredy-cat and this book had me on the edge of my seat. It was very long and more brutal than what I usually read but once I got into it I couldn't put it down. So creepy and clever and beautifully written. Every character had a distinct voice and I was invested in them all (and stressed for many of them). The speculative elements were just right for me, and not I'm obsessed with the history of apple hunters.

Did parts of it stress me out when I read them at 1:00 in the morning? Absolutely. Did I side-eye the apple on my counter when I finished? Yes. Did I ALSO immediately go to a local apple farm the day after I finished the book?

.....Yes.

This one is gonna stay with me for a while.

I honestly didn't think I was going to get through this one. I pushed myself just to hit 40%, and that was with the help of listening to the audiobook at top speed. At somewhere around 640 pages, this is a big boi that should have been edited down to half that size.

It is never my intention to be mean or rude about book reviews. I try to be honest while still being respectful of the author, their work, and their talent. They have accomplished something that so many dream about. So, that being said, I respectfully continue.

I found myself bored and frustrated, waiting for something horror related to happen. I understood the plot, and I figured out the significance and pretty much all that would happen surrounding the apples early on. While some bits of horror were mixed in along the way, it was one long week, month, (year?) in 6 or so character's lives (including back stories). It was tedious, neverending with few enjoyable bits for me to chew on.

Now, here is where my book rating jumped up a star. The end. I was happy that I pushed myself to finish this one because the ending was horrific, page turning, and even a little shocking! I really enjoyed it.

If this book was edited down to the more important parts of each character and the story and had that ending? It would be 4 or 5 stars,easily. But, for me, it was much too long with too many mundane details and boring daily life descriptions. And it took way too long to hit that real horror and excitement. So I gave this 3⭐️ for that ending.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an advanced ebook copy of this book. As always, it is greatly appreciated.

I enjoyed the overall story of this book. My only complaint would be that it was a little too wordy. Needed an edit or two to condense some parts that repeat the same thing over and over.