The Kind Folk
A Novel
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
In Ramsey Campbell's The Kind Folk, fairies are real . . . and they're coming for you.
Luke Arnold is a successful stage comedian who, with his partner Sophie Drew, is about to have their first child. Their life seems ideal and Luke feels that true happiness is finally within his grasp.
This wasn't always the case. Growing up in a loving but dysfunctional family, Luke was a lonely little boy who never felt that he belonged. While his parents adored him, the whole family knew that due to a mix-up at the hospital, Luke wasn't their biological child. His parents did the best they could to make the lad feel special. But it was his beloved uncle Terence who Luke felt most close to, a man who enchanted (and frightened) the lad with tales of the "Other"--eldritch beings, hedge folks, and other fables of Celtic myth.
When Terence dies in a freak accident, Luke suddenly begins to learn how little he really knew his uncle. How serious was Terence about the magic in his tales? Why did he travel so widely by himself after Luke was born, and what was he looking for? Soon Luke will have to confront forces that may be older than the world in order to save his unborn child.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Revered horror maven Campbell (Ghosts Know) combines suspense, fantasy, and mystery in this short novel, which never quite hangs together. When Luke Arnold's family appears on a daytime talk show to allay his father's suspicions that Luke was actually fathered by his overly involved uncle, they reveal instead that Luke isn't related to any of the Arnolds. Luke, a successful stage comedian specializing in mimicry, then begins a meandering quest throughout England to discover the truth of his origins. Spurred by a series of tragedies striking those who might tell him what he hopes to know, including the uncle responsible for littering Luke's childhood with stories of fairies and their ilk, Luke arranges his stage gigs to take him to the magical places of England and pursue his growing suspicion that he is, in fact, a changeling. Despite the urgency introduced with his partner's pregnancy and the impending birth of their son, Luke's sudden and unconvincing awkwardness around his family undermines much of the emotional arc of the story. The prose is sparse and compelling, but the tale is ultimately unsatisfying.
