In the Valley of the Sun

Reviews / Votes

"By turns spare and solemn - but also vast and treacherous - as the Southwest." -- Jeffrey Stayton 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 -- E.Z. Rinsky, author of Palindrome 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. -- Erik Storey, author of Nothing Short of Dying In the Valley of the Sun is a flint-hard, gorgeously written nightmare. -- Laird Barron, author of The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All 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. -- Dana Cameron, author of Hellbender 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. -- Nicholas Mainieri, author of The Infinite 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. -- Jeffrey Stayton, author of This Side of the River 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! -- Dana Chamblee Carpenter, author of The Devil's Bible 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. -- Kelly J. Ford, author of Cottonmouths "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." -- Stephen Graham Jones, author of Mongrels