From the Publisher
"In five years' time, your greatest fear will consume you. It will rob you of your last breath."
Five years ago six children who lived with their families in Jacob Crawley's Divine Path religious cult escaped by burning the compound to the ground. They are reunited at the funeral of Jacob's son, Harold. Harold died of drowning—his worst fear—even though his body was found miles from any water. And it seems that each of the teens is marked for murder—as Crawley had predicted years earlier. Can any of these teens save themselves?
Horror author Thomas Fahy now brings his unsettling talent to teen fiction with The Unspoken.
Publishers Weekly
Teeth-clenchingly suspenseful at times and deliciously creepy at others, Fahy (Night Visions) delivers a classic horror story with his YA debut, about a religious cult destroyed by a fire and the six teens who escape. He pulls out all the necessary stops as he constructs the terrifying story of what comes to pass five years later as the surviving teens are being murdered one by one, according to the cult leader's prophecy. The author gives readers gory visual descriptions of the crime scenes, tension-building cliffhangers and the type of unexpected surprises that if translated to film would make moviegoers scream, and he nails each device beautifully. An element of genre-specific camp attaches to some of the scenes; for example, the main character, Allison, has epileptic seizures during which she envisions each murder before it happens; and in a pivotal sequence, Allison assumes the killer is dead, but readers know otherwise. Executed with panache, these familiar elements only add to the overall thrill. A page-turner that just might keep readers up at night-especially given the loosely resolved ending. Ages 12-up. (Feb.)
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Children's Literature
The premise of the book is a curiosity-provoking one that many teens can identify with. Fahy writes: "I think there's at least one thing in everyone's life that's too painful, too hard for words…One thing that should stay…Unspoken…" Using a theme similar to that of the author's previously written adult horror novel, Night Visions, the 17-year-old protagonist of this book has visions—here associated with epilepsy—that seem to foretell the future. Allison's "unspokens" are numerous: the night she walked in on the murder of her younger sister, her torture at the hands of a cult leader, and her role in planning the death of that same man, Jacob. Her father had already been murdered or participated in a mass suicide before she and five other tortured children set the fire that destroyed the cult's compound. All of the children have been scattered to foster homes and had little contact over the last five years. Now, following the suspicious death of one of the six children, the remaining five have returned to the small town where it all happened. The dead youth died from drowning, even though he was found in a field miles from any water, and Allison fears this is just the start of a prophecy Jacob made near the end—that they would all die within five years from the thing they feared most. There are plenty of gruesome themes and scenes that might appeal to teens who like horror, and the writing not infrequently offers nice imagery and detail; however, the characters remain largely undeveloped, unengaging, and occasionally unbelievable in their reactions and dialog. Inconsistencies in the timing of story events (e.g., the disappearance of Allison's mother) and too manyloose ends strain credulity and leave the reader feeling dissatisfied rather than eager for a sequel. Reviewer: Paula McMillen, Ph.D.
VOYA
AGERANGE: Ages 12 to 18.
The people of Meridian, North Carolina, never thought that their town was special. They were quiet folk who kept to themselves. All of that changes when Jacob Crawley arrives. He promises the townspeople that Meridian is destined for greatness and that God has a plan for them. Allison's family willingly buys into Jacob's rhetoric and helps to further his cause. Then the torture begins; Jacob targets Allison and her five friends. They have no choice; Jacob must be stopped. The prophecy set out by the Divine Path is coming true. Allison and her friends must put a stop to it, but how does one fight a ghost? Literature professor Fahy has written several nonfiction works for adults. His second attempt at fiction feels a bit rushed, and there are several parts that need more attention to detail. Chapter transitions are weak, and some of the characters are not fully developed. Preteens and young adults who are fans of thriller fiction might want to give this novel a try, but there are better alternatives, including The Traitor's Gate by Avi (Atheneum/S & S, 2007/VOYA August 2007) and The Penalty by Mal Peet (Candlewick, 2006/VOYA December 2007). School and public librarians should not feel disappointed if they accidentally skip over this novel. Reviewer: Jonatha Masters
April 2008 (Vol. 31, No. 1)
KLIATT
When Allison learns of the death by drowning of Harold, though his body was found in a field far from any water, her past comes rushing back to haunt her. Long ago Allison's little sister was murdered, and then her mom left. Her distraught father joined a cult, the Divine Path, led by the charismatic Jacob, bringing Allison along. Jacob had prophesized that the cult would be destroyed by fire, and the six children involved, including Allison and Harold, had brought this about in order to kill Jacob, who had tortured each of them. But Jacob had also told each of the children that in five years' time, "your greatest fear will consume you"--and now that prophesy appears to be coming true, as the five reassemble for Harold's funeral and, one by one, start to die in gruesome ways, tormented by just what they most feared. Allison and David must find out who managed to survive that fire and who is out to get them before they are next to fall victim to a demented killer. This horror story is a quick read for fans of Stephen King and his ilk, and while the characters are more sketched than developed, the creepy details will keep YAs turning the pages. The door is left open for a possible sequel. Some profanity. Age Range: Ages 15 to 18. REVIEWER: Paula Rohrlick (Vol. 42, No. 1)
School Library Journal
Gr 8 Up- For the last five years, Allison, 17, has struggled to forget the town of Meridian where she lived with her family in a torturous and apocalyptic cult. But after receiving a mysterious email message about the death of Harold, another of the five children who survived the fire that ended the Divine Path, Allison sneaks out of her foster home to attend his funeral. The cult leader's last prophecy warned the children of their own deaths in five years' time. Allison's epileptic seizures, accompanied by visions of her friends' deaths, seem to confirm his prophecies. One by one, three of the five are murdered, leaving Allison and her love interest, David, to solve the mystery and end the killing. Fahy creates a page-turning horror story that will attract fans of mystery and suspense. However, the characters' reactions to their terrifying circumstances are too trite and illogical to be believed. The ending is neat and tidy, but will not pass the scrutiny of more sophisticated readers. Recommend to teens looking for a quick, gruesome read.-Lynn Rashid, Marriots Ridge High School, Marriotsville, MD
Kirkus Reviews
Allison, one of six children who survived the mass suicide of a cult five years before, returns home when one of the other survivors is found drowned on dry land. The teens haven't seen each other since the fire that claimed their families' lives, and the death of the cult leader's son doesn't provoke a heartwarming reunion. One by one, the teenagers die in horrific and unexplained ways: blinded, burnt alive, dismembered. Allison believes the deaths were predicted by their long-gone cult leader as the harbinger of world's end. As old mysteries are revealed, motivations make less and less sense-these flat characters clearly act only to further the horror. The cult story line is an acceptable vehicle for a stock magical thriller, but that's all it provides. For a richer story of teen survival among cultists, stick with Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville's Armageddon Summer (1999). (Fiction. 13-15)
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