In BOYS IN THE VALLEY by Philip Fracassi, demonic possession spreads among the boys in a remote orphanage, resulting in nightmarish horror. The publisher ambitiously billed it as THE EXORCIST meets LORD OF THE FLIES, and the read pays off on its promise.
At St. Vincent’s Orphanage for Boys in the early 1900s, thirty boys live a hard life under the watchful eyes of a handful of priests. One boy, Peter, cares for the younger children as best he can and faces a difficult decision–whether to follow his heart to Grace, the young woman living at a neighboring farm, or into the priesthood under the guidance of Father Andrew.
One night, a posse led by the local sheriff arrives with a prisoner accused of unspeakable acts. When the man dies, his death releases an evil that spreads like disease, infecting the boys and splitting them into sides. Then the violence begins.
The novel rings with solid and straightforward old-school horror. Fracassi strikes a nice balance between character and pacing, keeping the story moving and steadily raising the stakes, especially at around the midpoint, when all hell breaks loose, and then the pages fly by. The characters are all likeable or at least sympathetic, kids you can root for and a few people you can enjoy loathing. The demonic kids are straight-up evil and offer chilling antagonists.
On a personal note, I had the opportunity to hang out with Fracassi at KingCon, and we had a blast talking shop for hours. I’ll be watching his career with interest, and I’m happy to recommend checking out his stuff.