Falter Kingdom
A Novel
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- €16.99
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- €16.99
Publisher Description
Hunter Warden just wants some peace and quiet. He wants to watch unboxing videos and be lulled to sleep by the monotone voices and smooth talking YouTube hosts. He wants his parents that are always working to either totally leave him alone or be around for once. After a few beers, Hunter decides to get away from it all and go for a run in Falter Kingdom.
When you run the gauntlet at Falter Kingdom, a tunnel next to a park on the outskirts of suburbia where local high school kids go to drink and smoke, one of two things can happen — nothing or you catch a demon.
The cold spots, locked doors, scratches on the wall, and disappearing laptop immediately alert Hunter to the fact that a demon is haunting him. He knows the signs, he's seen the videos of people that are possessed, and everyone knows someone that has had to get an exorcism. Hunter knows that he should get rid of it, but he can't help but enjoy the company of "H," despite this demon's sinister intentions.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A stream-of-consciousness narrative fuels this confusing tale of a teenager who becomes possessed by a demon after undergoing a local rite of passage. When high school senior Hunter Warden "runs the gauntlet" by venturing into the abandoned tunnel called Falter Kingdom, something takes up residence in his body, causing a variety of weird phenomena to occur in his presence. While Hunter waits for an exorcism, he becomes something of a celebrity among his friends, alternately loved and feared for his swiftly deteriorating condition. But as Hunter gets to know the demon, which calls itself "H," he questions his purpose in life and whether he wants to be cured. The premise of Seidlinger's (The Laughter of Strangers) first book for teens has potential, but the story suffers from a lack of focus and an increasingly unclear internal monologue, which is studded with lines rendered in bold type for little discernable reason. Hunter is hard to connect with as a character, and when his thoughts and viewpoints become interchangeable with those of H, it muddies the waters further and robs the tale of emotional strength. Ages 14 up.
