Fiction Addict

Genre: Horror

Publication Date: May 2010

Publisher: Realms

Jake Chism’s Review:

Rob Shields is lost. After the tragic death of his wife and son, he seemingly has no direction and no desire to move forward. Reluctantly, he travels to a small town in Maryland to see the house that was left to him by his great aunt. While there Rob begins to find strange connections to his son, Jimmy, and becomes more and more convinced that he is alive. With far and trepidation in his heart, Rob travels to Darlington Woods, a mysterious place shrouded in secret and darkness that might just hold the answers he is seeking.

Mike Dellosso has become one of my favorite writers over the last couple of years with his terror filled stories that are bursting at the seams with spiritual light. In Darlington Woods, we find these same elements on full display, but couched in a whirlwind cat and mouse game between man and freaky beast. Dellosso’s “darklings” are a fun and creepy creation that give this particular story even more of a freak out factor than his previous works. Add to the mix an ever increasing sense of dread and madness, and you’ve got a gripping tale that demands to be devoured.

It should come as no surprise to Dellosso fans that this is a very theme driven novel, and specifically we get some great illustrations of light overcoming darkness. That’s not to say that character development and plot are lacking, but Dellosso sticks to what he does best: exploring spiritual themes in the midst of human tragedy. Readers who purely want to escape in their fiction might be turned off by such an approach, but for those who love to be challenged and stretched while being entertained, Dellosso is right up your alley.

With each installment Mike Dellosso seems to only get better, and I can easily see how Darlington Woods could become a fan favorite.  With the recent news of a multi-book contract extension, we can be sure that Dellosso will continue to scare the light into us in fun and unique ways.

Tim George’s Review:

What do Joe Saunders, Mark Stone, Rob Shields and Mike Dellosso all have in common? They are nice guys who have encountered monsters the rest of us hope to never have to face. And the first three would not exist were it not for the tangible monsters author Mike Dellosso has battled in the real world. Dellosso’s newest thriller, Darlington Woods, returns to some of the themes the author explored in his debut novel, The Hunted. Once again we have an isolated little town with dark secrets and an everyman hero desperately searching for a family member. And, as in Scream, we are given a villain to be remembered.  But Darlington Woods takes things up a notch with its sheer fear factor and for lack of better words – sanctified creepiness.

When Rob Shields shows up to claim a house left to him by an aunt he never met he finds her home town of Mayfield a bit odd. But when he begins to have dreams that his supposedly dead son is still alive and a local waitress tells him about a place in the woods called Darlington, Rob’s journey escalates from strange to bizarre. The single narrow road that leads to the dead end village of Darlington should be clue enough; this is not the kind of place one picks for a Sunday afternoon ride. To reveal any more would only spoil the fun and the impact of one fine thriller.

Everyone has monsters of the soul: things they fear, people they cannot face, situations beyond their control. And like the people of Darlington many spend their life just trying to keep those “Darklings” at bay. But in this story, one man learns the power of light over fear and what it means to face his monsters in spite of the terror they bring to the soul. Over the last couple of years, Dellosso has helped to shape what to some seems a contradiction – Christian horror. As with his other novels, Darlington Woods is powered by its strong themes of light and darkness, hope and fear, good and evil. All explored by an increasingly powerful voice.

Once again Mike Dellosso has managed to shine the light of God’s grace into the darkest crevices of the human condition with amazing clarity.

Check out our interview with Mike Dellosso here.

Review copy provided by Realms.