The Night Parade
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3.9 • 14 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
One man’s gifted daughter may be the cure to a mysterious illness causing hallucinations and death in this horror novel by the author of Little Girls.
First the birds disappeared.
Then the insects took over.
And the madness began . . .
They call it Wanderer’s Folly—a disease of delusions, of daydreams and nightmares. A plague threatening to wipe out humanity.
After two years of creeping decay, David Arlen woke up one morning thinking that the worst was over. By midnight, he’s bleeding and terrified, his wife is dead, and he’s on the run in a stolen car with his eight-year-old daughter, who may be the key to a cure.
Ellie is a special girl. Deep. Insightful. And she knows David is lying to her. Lying about her mother. Lying about what they’re running from. And lying about what he sees when he takes his eyes off the road . . .
Praise for the writing of Ronald Malfi
“Best horror novel of the year.” —Hunter Shea
“Slowly but surely creeps under your skin.” —The Horror Bookshelf
“An emotionally compelling and interesting read.” —Booklist
“A beautiful and ultimately terrifying story.” —Shotgun Logic
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In a dreary story that never finds its footing, David Arlen watches as present-day America falls prey to Wanderer's Folly, a disease that addles the mind shortly before a gruesome death. His daughter, Ellie, might have the cure, but he'll risk everything and everyone to keep her safe from those who want to control her. Malfi (Little Girls) slows the pace with constant flashbacks that fill in mostly needless backstory, only occasionally vividly describing the horror caused by the Folly. The maturity of David's young daughter, an eight-year-old with what may be supernatural powers, is supposed to be creepy, but she mostly comes across as precocious, especially when she drives the moral message home. Readers will struggle to believe in David's unlikely ability to avoid the U.S. government despite his extensive use of cell phones and public places. The journey from set to set of predictable characters (corrupt hotel owner, scary members of the National Guard, cultists, survivalists) isn't worth the payoff in a poor mixture of philosophy and horror that doesn't engage.
