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Content snapshot
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Violence
Very heavy
Extreme graphic violence; children are killed in disturbing ways and the horror is visceral throughout
Language
A lot
Strong language; adult characters and some early teen characters use it freely
Sexual Content
Some
Some adult sexual content among secondary characters
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
Very heavy
The childhood friendship at the novel's core makes the horror more effective — something good and innocent is under genuine threat — creating intense psychological engagement
What this book is about
Dan Simmons's 1991 horror novel follows a group of twelve-year-old friends in 1960 Elm Haven, Illinois, who discover that something deeply evil has awakened beneath their town — connected to the old school building slated for demolition. Simmons channels Stephen King's Stand by Me sensibility into genuinely extreme horror: the violence is graphic and the children face real danger. One of the great horror novels of the 1990s, with an exceptional sense of place and childhood friendship under threat.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Children killed in graphic horror sequences
Extreme supernatural violence
Reader Verification
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