In the Valley of the Sun

In spare, beautiful prose, this folk horror debut set in the small-town Texan desert heralds the arrival of a major new literary talent. “By turns spare and solemn – but also vast and treacherous – as the Southwest.” Davidson''s rich prose plunges the reader into a hell all the more terrifying for its banality—behind a dusty, middle of nowhere motel (swampy pool and all) an unspeakable evil is slowly approaching the boiling point. Equal parts psychological horror, procedural thriller, and good old-fashioned western In the Valley of the Sun is a beautiful nightmare. A book that haunts, teases, and compels. Rarely does a debut grab and jerk you in, leaving you wanting to finish every page as if it''s the last thing you''ll ever read. Davidson''s love and mastery of the language enhance the beauty of the plot, and add to the terror that can''t be avoided once you start reading. This, plus the perfectly written characters that force us to care for them, make this novel a must-read for any brave horror fan. In the Valley of the Sun is a flint-hard, gorgeously written nightmare. In the Valley of the Sun is a riveting blend of vampire horror, a serial killer''s tale, and police procedural.…Here is first-rate storytelling that grabs your attention and keeps you guessing. In the Valley of the Sun is, like some knives, a work of art—sharp, frightening, and elegant. I marveled at Davidson''s prose even as he scared the living hell out of me. What a wild ride. I loved it. In the Valley of the Sun moves to a slapback echo and does not disappoint. Andy Davidson writes his gritty debut novel the way experienced drivers command the road. And Travis Stillwell''s story is by turns spare and solemn—but also vast and treacherous—as the Southwest he drives. In this bold, confident debut, Davidson takes the vampire myth to 1980s West Texas, perfectly capturing the feel of the era and place . . . Davidson successfully makes the lines between genre and literary fiction bleed together in a complex novel of horror, human nature, and the American South. On the surface, In the Valley of the Sun is a perfectly paced thriller that''s chillingly fun to read, but Davidson''s prose transcends genre like a fresh Cormac McCarthy. …We are overcome with equal parts terror and compassion. A must read! This is not your typical vampire novel, rather it is actually a lyrical modern western, with a large dose of suspense. …The story drips with atmosphere, and the plot and the characters will play with readers’ minds. Hand this hauntingly dark, yet oddly beautiful debut to fans of literary psychological suspense who don’t mind a touch of the supernatural, and especially target fans of …Cormac McCarthy. This is one that readers won’t easily forget after turning the final page.” With lyrical prose and creeping dread, Davidson deftly turns the screws . . . Sure to haunt a new generation of readers. “An original synthesis of horror and Western with a dollop of police procedural. Intricately plotted, fast-paced, packing serpentine twists… Relentless momentum … a powerful, audacious debut.” Turns out there''s a middle space between Tender Mercies and Preacher and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. It''s called In the Valley of the Sun. And if I didn''t know Andy Davidson had written it, I''d swear this was some long lost William Gay. I burned through this. It''s got teeth on every page." One night in 1980, a man becomes a monster. Travis Stillwell spends his nights searching out women in honky-tonk bars on the back roads of Texas. What he does with them doesn’t make him proud – it just quiets the demons for a little while. But when he crosses paths with one particular mysterious pale-skinned girl, he wakes up weak and bloodied, with no memory of the night before. Finding refuge at a small motel, Travis develops feelings for the owner, Annabelle, but at night he fights a horrible transformation and his need to feed. Half a state away, a grizzled Texas Ranger is hunting Travis for his past misdeeds, but what he finds will lead him to a revelation far more monstrous. A man of the law, he’ll have to decide how far into the darkness he’ll go for the sake of justice.

• | Author: Andy Davidson
• | Publisher: Saraband
• | Publication Date: Oct 31, 2017
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Paperback / softback
• | ISBN-13: 9781910192979
• | ISBN-10: 191019297X