Summer of Night by Dan Simmons

Simmons writes science fiction, horror, and mysteries

After an intriguing opening, this 600-page tome felt like slow going for a long time; but the action and suspense definitely pick up in the second half.

Review

Summer of Night (1991) reminded me in many ways of Stephen King's It (1986), which I suspect provided Simmons with a great deal inspiration for the later novel. In both books a group of kids come together to fight an ancient evil that has been lying fairly dormant in their small town for a while. The flashbacks in It are set in 1957-1958, while the action in Summer of Night takes place in 1960. The 30-year "Nostalgia Pendulum" was in full swing for both authors.

Summer of Night also reminded me of Robert McCammon's Boy's Life, which was published in 1991 and set in the early 1960s as well. It and Summer of Night feature ensemble casts of kids who work together to fight the evil that is out to get all of them. But, while his friends play their roles, Boy's Life is really Cory's show. Coming-of-age horror novels are fairly common. (Stephen King has written a slew of them, from Carrie to The Institute), but I don’t believe there are a lot where a group of kids work together and are all more-or-less equally important to the narrative.

It's a long, slow read but ultimately worth the time investment. Simmons uses those 600 pages to craft believable characters and interesting relationships between them. The novel ends with a pyrotechnic blow-out as the kids finally confront, on its own turf, the evil entity that has lurked in the placid town of Elm Haven all these years. 

Originally posted to Goodreads February 10, 2021