Comments on: Review: SUMMER OF NIGHT (Novel)

By: Chris Braz

Chris Braz — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 08:41:25 +0000

I was in my local bookstore and picked this book up at random. I just wanted something fresh. And man, am I glad I did. By far one of the best novels I’ve ever read. It blew me away. Finished it in less than a week. Needless to say, I am now a die-hard fan of Dan Simmons and will try to read everything he will and has put his name on.

By: Joem

Joem — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 23:17:42 +0000

Thank you thank you. I read Summer of Night a long time ago and I forgot the name/author as the years went by. I searched the web for books involving kids and a rendering engine/evil school and finally found this thread after many searches. I’ve loaded it on my iPad and I can’t wait to read it again.

By: Flemming

Flemming — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:50:19 +0000

Bought my edition of “Summer of Night” (danish title Sommer nattens rædsel) along with some other books in a small 2nd hand bookstore. Judging by the danish cover i mistook it for beeing a kind of childrens book that could provide some laughs and som half hearted scares. I haven´t been more wrong in my life, this book is so darn creepy. It starts out slow and semi dull, but it manages to keep you reading and almost wihtout notice evil seeps into it and it just get worse and worse for every page.
I have read a lot of books including the complete works of Stephen King, and only one book has scared the shit out of me and that is “Summer of Night”. It is by far the most evil and twisted story ever laid down on paper, it has no happy ending, it is so utterly unpleasant in every way and if i ever was to read something even scarier my heart would stop.
I have read it several times now and it does the same to me every time. Duane and the other guys stays in the back of my mind for month after i am done reading and every time my thoughts crosses their path it fills me up with sorrow and despair.

I cant remeber the names of the other books i picked up at bookstore that day, but “Summer of night” i can never forget.

Go on read it, but you have been warned, i for one has not been the same person since i first started reading it.

By: Jodessa

Jodessa — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:22:36 +0000

Well said! I have been looking for the author and title of this book for YEARS, and after a quick google on “scariest books involving a rendering truck” came across your blog. I read this book about 15 years ago in my early teens, and it was the only book I’ve ever had to stop reading and put it away for about a year because it scared the bee-geezes out of me! And then, when I finally worked up the nerve to finish it a year later, I sold it in a garage sale because it’s mere presence in my room made me uneasy. CREEPY ASS STORY. But I must say, I’ve been searching libraries and flee markets all over the world for it every since-that impressivly scary. So I’ll be making my amazon purchase tonight so I can share the scariest book ever written with my fellow horror book lovers, after I’ve revisited once again. THANK YOU, for your well written review and kudos, I’m there with you ;)
p.s. the funniest part of all is that I dated a guy who’s dad’s name was Dan Simmons for years – so close…and no idea…always searching…

By: Sean

Sean — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 05:07:14 +0000

I’ve actually never really been scared by any books I’ve read, except for two.

And it’s not really a horror, it’s more like…science/fantasy/horror.

http://books.google.com/books?id=6VgKAAAACAAJ&dq=inauthor:CS+inauthor:Friedman

There was a part about a guy who walked in on his mother doing drugs and having little demon things eating her brain while she was still alive that totally freaked me out.

And 1408, the novel, absolutely terrified me. Don’t ask me why, it just did. And then, when I heard him read it, it scared me even more!

By: bluerosekiller

bluerosekiller — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:28:47 +0000

SUMMER OF NIGHT is, indeed, one of THE very best genre novels ever. EVER.

Infact, in my long experience with horror fiction, only King’s ‘SALEM’S LOT & the under-rated, sadly NON-prolific T.E.D. Klein’s THE CEREMONIES equal it. And of those three all time favs of mine, Simmon’s epic is, by far, the scariest of the three.

It has my personal vote as the scariest book of all time, hands down.

If SUMMER OF NIGHT fails to illicite chills from you, then I figure you’re simply impossible to get a scare out of with the printed word. Which, if that’s the case, why are you even on this site?!!

By: B-Sol

B-Sol — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:11:32 +0000

Dan Simmons is terrific. I wrote a biographical article about him ten years while I was working for a reference book company, and that got me interested in him. I’ve read his sci-fi novels Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion, and both were excellent. As for horror, you can’t go wrong with Carrion Comfort, which won the Bram Stoker Award.

By: Sean

Sean — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 13:52:14 +0000

I don’t know. That’d be a great movie, wouldnt it?

End it in rehab with the guy dying of an overdose.

OH NOBODY WOULD HAVE SEEN THAT COMING, stupid psychological thrillers.