Most of Christopher Pike's teen horror books are good in their own way, easily some of the best in the genre. But this is something else. This isn't really a horror story. It's more spiritual and supernatural.
The story focuses on a group of teenagers in a youth hospice. All of them are dying. They start meeting in the club room every night at midnight and telling each other stories.
The stories within the stories are good in their own right. Having read some of Christopher Pike's short stories, it's obvious that he hasn't skimped on these, despite them being merely stories within a story.
The most important part of the plot, however, is the 'real' story if you will, the way all the characters tie together. Christopher Pike's normal views on spirituality are shown in this book, as in many of his others, and, as always, it's effective. Despite this being aimed at teenagers there's a depth and a sense of serious tragedy to it that isn't found in many books. Unfortunately, due to the audience the book is aimed at, the brevity and lack of depth given to some of the more interesting issues and ideas can be a little frustrating. This book is deeper than a normal teen book, but it's not as in depth as it would be had it been written for an older audience.
Although this book is technically classed as a horror, it's not all that scary. The main story is more supernatural than horrible. As I mentioned, every single character is dying. How each character got their illness, the way in which this is revealed and their subsequent endings (sometimes death) is dealt with with a delicacy and sweetness that is capable of reducing a person to tears.
This book is one of those that will leave you thinking. It's not really big, or important. It's not all that long, and I doubt it will ever be as famous as some others. It's just a simple little story. But maybe that's why it's so effective.
The story focuses on a group of teenagers in a youth hospice. All of them are dying. They start meeting in the club room every night at midnight and telling each other stories.
The stories within the stories are good in their own right. Having read some of Christopher Pike's short stories, it's obvious that he hasn't skimped on these, despite them being merely stories within a story.
The most important part of the plot, however, is the 'real' story if you will, the way all the characters tie together. Christopher Pike's normal views on spirituality are shown in this book, as in many of his others, and, as always, it's effective. Despite this being aimed at teenagers there's a depth and a sense of serious tragedy to it that isn't found in many books. Unfortunately, due to the audience the book is aimed at, the brevity and lack of depth given to some of the more interesting issues and ideas can be a little frustrating. This book is deeper than a normal teen book, but it's not as in depth as it would be had it been written for an older audience.
Although this book is technically classed as a horror, it's not all that scary. The main story is more supernatural than horrible. As I mentioned, every single character is dying. How each character got their illness, the way in which this is revealed and their subsequent endings (sometimes death) is dealt with with a delicacy and sweetness that is capable of reducing a person to tears.
This book is one of those that will leave you thinking. It's not really big, or important. It's not all that long, and I doubt it will ever be as famous as some others. It's just a simple little story. But maybe that's why it's so effective.
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