Enter, Night
by Michael Rowe
Welcome to Parr's Landing, Population 1,528 . . . and shrinking.
The year is 1972. Widowed Christina Parr, her daughter Morgan, and her brother-in-law Jeremy have returned to the remote northern Ontario mining town of Parr’s Landing, the place from which Christina fled before Morgan was born, seeking refuge. Dr. Billy Lightning has also returned in search of answers to the mystery of his father’s brutal murder. All will find some part of what they seek—and more.
Built on the site of a decimated 17th-century Jesuit mission to the Ojibwa, Parr’s Landing is a town with secrets of its own buried in the caves around Bradley Lake. A three-hundred-year-old horror slumbers there, calling out to the insane and the murderous for centuries, begging for release—an invitation that has finally been answered.
One man is following that voice, cutting a swath of violence across the country, bent on a terrible resurrection of the ancient evil, plunging the town and all its people into an endless night.
Reviews - What's Being Said About Michael Rowe & Enter, Night
"Enter, Night is so rich and assured it's hard to believe it's Michael Rowe's first novel. In its propulsive depictions of deeply sympathetic characters converging on a small town in the grip of gathering horrors, it skillfully brings to mind the classic works of Stephen King and Robert McCammon. But the novel's breathtaking, wholly unexpected and surprisingly moving conclusion heralds the arrival of a major new talent. Michael Rowe is now on my must-read list."
–Christopher Rice, New York Times bestselling author of A Density of Souls and The Moonlit Earth
Rowe's years as a matter-of-fact genre journo and social commentator have served him well here, as there's not an ounce of flab in Enter, Night. It buzzes with the energy of pure, brisk storytelling, which is not to say it's a base or dumbed-down affair. In fact its finely detailed character detours (including a richly told vignette about the various cycles of abuse that is stunning drama in and of itself) are concise and profound, poetic but never pretentious. Like every great writer toiling within terror, Rowe pays attention to people first, making sure we care about them, known them inside and out and understand their pasts and motivations. The horror of Enter, Night may be familiar and far from groundbreaking (think Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot with a dash of Steve Niles' 30 Days of Night) , but Rowe is a master teller of tales, and his strength lies in the practical beauty of his words. Hugely recommended.
–Fangoria
It’s an intricately structured, unconventional vampire story . . . There is a solid tension throughout the story that compels page turning . . . Overall, Enter, Night is an absorbing, edgy thriller that horror fans are sure to enjoy.
–Spinetingler
“With Enter, Night, Michael Rowe does the near impossible and rescues the modern vampire novel from its current state of mediocrity with his dead-on portrayal of the gothic small town, rich characters and deeply frightening story. This is a novel by a writer to watch, starting now. Read Enter, Night. With the lights on.”
–Susie Moloney, bestselling author of A Dry Spell, The Dwelling, and The Thirteen
The bottom line is this: Enter, Night will seduce you with its dark lyricism and richly tapestried storyline and then it will gut you with its unrelenting horror. Michael Rowe has written a vampire novel for the ages, one that readers will not soon forget. Remember when you first read Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot? Prepare for a similar experience.There are still a few months left to 2011, but I’ll say it right now – Enter, Night is the vampire fiction release of the year.
–Paul Goat Allen, bn.com
Enter, Night isn't just a great vampire tale, it's a compelling exploration of family, religion . . . and history written with beauty and intelligence. I can't recommend it enough.
–Brain Tremors
Like Let the Right One In before it, I truly believe that horror writer and fellow Canuck Michael Rowe’s debut novel has provided another much-needed breath of fresh air in the overcrowded vampire genre that stands out above the rest. The author has restored my faith in the belief that it is possible to present vampires uniquely and at times, the book feels like a love letter to fans of the bloodsuckers who miss the days when vampires used to eat their prey instead of braiding its hair and going vegan.
–Geeks of Doom, from their Top 10 Fantasy and Horror Books Of 2011
Widow Christina Parr, her daughter and queer brother-in-law return to the Northern Ontario mining town of Parr's Landing in 1972, where an old, toothy evil awaits them. Deliciously old-school, Michael Rowe's debut pays tribute to Marv Wolfman's 'Tomb of Dracula' comics. Tightly-paced and full of lovable, terribly imperiled characters and gloomy, Gothic atmosphere, the story builds to a crescendo, before letting loose a kick-to-the-heart finale.
–Rue Morgue
A dark masterpiece that virtually burns the pages with a bloody incandescence.
–Paul Goat Allen, Barnes & Noble Community Blog, and Best Vampire Releases of 2011.
Enter, Night is a welcome shot in the arm for the vampire genre—because, apparently, it is a genre unto itself these days. Considering the glut of limp-wristed horror titles that want to address vampirism through forbidden love or unfortunate farce (see: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and all zombie, werewolf, and android related titles), Enter, Night has the potential to capitalize on aspects of the genre that have been forgotten as of late.
–Backlisted
Rowe’s outstanding first novel—after editing horror anthologies and penning well-crafted essays – is hard to categorize. There’s a vampire, but it’s not just a classic vampire novel (though blood is sucked and holy water splashes). There’s the mystery of a murder to be solved, but it’s not a traditional detective story. Both gay pride and gay shame figure in the plot, but it’s way more than a gay read . . . . And the vampire? He’s the embodiment of a 17th-century Catholic priest whose evil spirit, trapped in an archeological site near town, bathes the streets of Parr’s Landing with horrific blood in this terrific story.
–South Florida Gay News
