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Summer of Night cover

Elm Haven · Book 1 of 1

Summer of Night

Dan Simmons

2011 · St. Martin's Press · 528 pages

Horrorcoming of age.Haunted placesFictionFiction, horror

About this book

It's the summer of 1960 in Elm Haven, Illinois, and five 12-year old boys are forming the bonds that a lifetime of changes will never erase. But then a dark cloud threatens the bright promise of summer vacation: on the last day of school, their classmate Tubby Cooke vanishes. Soon, the group discovers stories of other children who once disappeared from Elm Haven. And there are other strange things happening in town: unexplained holes in the ground, a stranger dressed as a World War I soldier, and a rendering-pl…

Who this is for

AI · Sample

A patient, character-first epic that asks you to sit with worldbuilding before any payoff arrives. Readers who love long arcs and slow-burn relationships tend to finish it twice; readers chasing momentum often DNF in the first hundred pages. Plan for unhurried evenings.

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vs. Your library

80%Plot60%Character60%Prose40%Ideas60%World40%Structure

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  • This book

A plot-driven with strong character, unsettling and immersive read.

The series

1 books · ongoing

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