do you like long books? Both SK and DS are often accused of having poor editors, but I like these types of narratives that draw you into another world set in another time Also, there is one boy in the group who sets out to fight the evil in their town that has never actually witnessed a supernatural event. All the other characters have seen stuff and experienced stuff that scares

I would listen to Will Patton or Campbell Scott read road signs for 24 hours straight. But if I see Dan John Miller's name on another book, I will avoid it no matter how great the story. The kids themselves were impeccably developed, each with their own personality and unique traits, as well as different family set-ups. I felt a connection to each one, particularly Duane, but I want to keep this review spoiler-free so I won't go into how much I loved Duane and how I felt about his story arc. The kids riding around on bikes is heavily reminiscent of Stephen King's IT. In fact, quite a number of different themes within this book remind me of IT, but this is its own unique story, believe me. Other similarities include the themes of childhood friendship, friends coming together to combat a bigger evil in their town and the story being set in the 60s, of course. It's terrifying on so many levels, what these young boys are enduring. Then, Tubby Cooke, a blue-collar social outcast whose family lives by the dump at the edge of town, wanders down to the basement of the school to use the bathroom and disappears from the idyllic Illinois countryside for good, an event that will hang dark over the summer to come. I liked this a lot more. Yeah, it gets a little ridiculous, naturally, but darn it, it was intense. And it features my favourite secondary character of all time, the inimitable Cordie Cooke. I rarely identify with characters, but in this case, how could I not? A fat, slovenly, friendless weirdo, but criminally underestimated. Story of my childhood, haha.

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This book is a story about five 12-year old boys who live in Elm Haven in 1960. It follows them through their summer holidays as they encounter a number of strange happenings within their town and as they come to realize evil is lurking in their town, and they must stop it. Even though I was 2 years old in 1960 (the year in which Summer of Night is set), I found Simmons evocation of the summer vacations we baby-boomers enjoyed markedly similar to those we experienced in Texas during the 1960's. I think that, as children, we were able to enjoy the simplicity of those years in a way that people of other generations could not. We hung between the past and the future: we still played the games our parents did as children but the Space Age and the Beatles promised us futures filled with amazing, undreamed of lives to come. Me parece un libro infravalorado en el género. Supe de su existencia por suerte y eso que me gusta mucho el autor en CF. And just a reminder: this IS the same author who got his chops with horrors before he wrote the utterly classic Hyperion. Just saying. Skilled writer par excellence Dan Simmons takes a subject straight from Stephen King land and runs with it... Simmons keeps the tension high." --"Locus"

The Subterranean Press 25th Anniversary Edition of Summer of Night will be printed on 80# Finch, and feature ten full-color original illustrations by David Palumbo. It stands with the best of King and Straub in the traditional modern horror genre. Seattle Post Intelligencer Simmons writes like a hot-rodding angel, loading his American nightmare with scares, suspense, and a sweet, surprising nostalgia. One of those rare must-read books, I am in awe of Dan Simmons.” — Stephen King Además de una trama que atrapa sin requerir demasiadas páginas. Es un libro largo que no se pudo sentir más ligero y eso lo dice todo.Summer of Night falls somwhere between "It" and "Stand By Me" in the dewey decimal system of your mind, which are both by Stehen King. I loved this novel, and think the writing vividly depicts a coming- of- age story involving several teen boys. They cus, they drink, they go on adventures. They have good parents, they have awful parents, and they rely on each other. Blood-freezing scenarios the true source of Simmons' terrifying vision lies in his uncanny ability to tap into that primal dread that every child knows and every adult denies; the monster under the bed, the darkness in the closet, the not-quite-human face at the window If you are easily frightened, don't buy this book. Los Angeles Daily News Summer of Night was one of the most incredible books I have ever read and mind you it's not because I'd rather read a book on a Friday night than party, much to my boyfriends dismay as I so often do. Deliberate Values Dissonance: The book notes several times how different things were in the 1960s. Duane also doesn't bat an eye at the fact that his father, an alcoholic, drives drunk.

The only novel, I´ve read so far, I would compare to Stephen King´s It, it´s one of the most amazing and underrated of Simmons´ works, just as Carrion comfort. And I don´t get why. Old Central School still stood upright, holding its secrets and silences firmly within. Eighty-four years of chalkdust floated in the rare shafts of sunlight inside while the memories of more than eight decades of varnishings rose from the dark stairs and floors to tinge the trapped air with the mahogany scent of coffins." Simmons takes certain situations, which might be considered cliche, such as things hiding under your bed, a presence at your window, walking through a cemetery, and yet somehow seems to reinvent them in a way which makes you think twice about glancing out through your window in the dead of night. So far, one of my favorite books I've re-read this year has been King's IT, which I consider one of his true masterpieces. After finishing Summer of Night, I can't help but think that Dan Simmons also shared my enthusiasm and sat down to write his own IT. Ultimately, though, he failed to recapture the magic which King did so effortlessly. Time moved slowly at Old Central, if at all. Footsteps echoed along corridors and up stairwells, but the sound seemed muted and out of synch with any motion amidst the shadows.

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Dan's first published story appeared on Feb. 15, 1982, the day his daughter, Jane Kathryn, was born. He's always attributed that coincidence to "helping in keeping things in perspective when it comes to the relative importance of writing and life."

Dan Simmons’s Summer of Night tells the story of a group of children in the fictional small town of Elm Haven, Illinois who confront an ancient evil at the heart of their community. The novel is a coming-of-age saga, boomer nostalgia trip, and occult horror story rolled into one, treading on and digging deep in familiar, fertile ground. Set against these horrific incursions is a wonderfully characterized band of adolescent boys – along with one unforgettable young girl – who alone understand the nature of the menace that threatens their hometown. Turning away from the standard pursuits of summer – baseball, treasure hunts, overnight camping trips – the youthful members of the Bike Patrol find themselves serving as the last line of defense against an apparently unbeatable enemy. The account of their struggle against impossible odds is one of the major accomplishments of modern horror fiction.For those of us to whom good writing is everything, the name Dan Simmons bears great weight.” — Harlan Ellison Skilled writer par excellence Dan Simmons takes a subject straight from Stephen King land and runs with it... Simmons keeps the tension high." -- Locus Summers are frequently associated with a carefree and optimistic approach to life and the development of self-identity. Nights are a time of fear, mystery, and possibly terror. However, what is to be said when the terror of the night jeopardizes the serenity of summer? Dan received his Masters in Education from Washington University in St. Louis in 1971. He then worked in elementary education for 18 years—2 years in Missouri, 2 years in Buffalo, New York—one year as a specially trained BOCES "resource teacher" and another as a sixth-grade teacher—and 14 years in Colorado.