Malorie

ONE

Tom is getting water from the well. It s something he s done every other day for the better part of a decade, the three of them having called Camp Yadin home for that long. Olympia believes the camp was once an outpost in the American frontier days. She s read almost every book in the camp library (more than a thousand), including books on the history of Michigan. She says the camp lodge was most likely once a saloon. Cabin One was the jail. Tom doesn t know if she s right, though he has no reason not to believe her. It was a Jewish summer camp when the creatures came, that much is for sure. And now, it s home.

Hand over hand, he says, taking the rope that connects Cabin Three to the stone lip of the well. He says it because, despite the ropes that tie every building to one another (and even link Cabin Ten to the H dock on the lake), he s trying to come up with a better way to move about.

Tom loathes the blindfolds. Sometimes, when he s feeling particularly lazy, he doesn t use one at all. He keeps his eyes closed. But his mother s never-ending rules remain firm in his mind.

Closing your eyes isn t enough. You could be startled into opening them. Or something could open them for you.

Sure. Yes. In theory Malorie is right. In theory she usually is. But who wants to live in theory? Tom is sixteen years old now. He was born into this world. And nothing s tried to open his eyes yet.

Hand over hand.

He s almost there. Malorie insists that he check the water before bringing it up. She s told him the story of two men named Felix and Jules many times. How his namesake, Tom the man, tested the water the two brought back, the water everybody was worried could be contaminated by a creature. Tom the teen likes that part of the story. He relates to the test. He even relates to the idea of new information about the creatures. Anything would be more to work with than what they have. But he s not worried about something swimming in their drinking

Josh Malerman is a New York Times bestselling author and one of two singer/ songwriters for the rock band The High Strung. His debut novel, Bird Box, is the inspiration for the hit Netflix film of the same name. His other novels include Unbury Carol and Inspection. Malerman lives in Michigan with his fiancée, the artist/musician Allison Laakko.

Utterly compelling . . . Malerman balances the novel s various elements family drama, road novel, supernatural thriller with skill and genuine compassion for his characters and their blighted lives. The Washington Post
 
[An] epic journey Entertainment Weekly
 
Scarily prescient . . . Malorie amplifies the fears of Bird Box tenfold. SyFy Wire
 
Malerman s narrative matches the twists and tension of the first novel, and readers are likely to leave this book sufficiently shaken. The popularity of Bird Box and the ubiquity of the 2018 Netflix adaptation all but guarantee high demand for this outstanding second foray into monsters and madness. Booklist (Starred Review)
 
Essential worldbuilding is seamlessly interwoven in a narrative paired with enlightening flashbacks into Malorie s childhood, making this a solid stand-alone. Malerman will no doubt add to his legions of fans with this title ripe for readers of any genre seeking an intensely thrilling ride. Library Journal

You know how you sometimes begin a series on Netflix and you tell yourself I m just going to watch one episode but ten hours later you ve binged the entire series because the story is so relentlessly compelling? This is the book version of that experience. Not only did I read this book in one sitting, it still haunts me, swirling in my imagination even as I write this. Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Malerman is one of the most intelligent writers of horror fiction working today. His books approach literary fiction, and each feels like an instant classic. Bookreporter
 
Once Malerman hits the gas you better hang on tight, because he doesn t let up until the stunning finish. Philip Fracassi, author of Behold the Void
 
Malerman masterfully evokes apocalyptic horrors via understatement and suggestion while facilitating suspension