Dark Harvest
2007 edition, published by Tor Books
AuthorNorman Partridge
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreFiction
Published2006
PublisherCemetery Dance Publications
Pages176

Dark Harvest is a 2006 horror novel by Norman Partridge. The book is set in a hamlet where its young men must confront a creature each year in the hopes that they will win a desirable prize.[1]

A film adaptation of the novel was released in 2023.

Synopsis

Plot

The novel is set in an unnamed Midwestern hamlet, where each year, all of the young men take part in a yearly ritual in which they hunt a giant pumpkin-headed creature that arises from the corn, known as both "Sawtooth Jack" and the "October Boy". They are tasked with catching the creature before it makes it to the hamlet's church, which it must do before midnight, in order to win the ordeal. Girls are forbidden from participating or being outside during the hunt. The winner of the hunt receives the ability to leave the hamlet – something not otherwise possible – and his family is given a new home, car, and a year free from bills. Winners are frequently idolized, and last year's winner, Jim Shepard, is no exception.

Unbeknownst to the participants, the truth behind the ritual is far darker than what they would expect. While the winner's family does receive their prizes, the winning boy is killed, so he may become the new creature, the following year, when he is resurrected, as a gnarled monster with a pumpkin head. His father, this year Jim's father Dan, is forced to carve a face for the creature and then later, persuade the creature to let itself be caught, if it does happen to make it to the church by midnight. Many of the town's fathers are aware of the truth of the ritual but still allow their sons to take part. This year, the October Boy is determined that it will be the last year for the ritual.

Ultimately, the October Boy manages to make it to the church, with the help of some of the local teens, where he finds that his father has committed suicide. He also comes face-to-face with the hamlet's lawman, Jerry Ricks, who is determined that the ritual continue. Ricks's attempts are for naught, as he is shot and killed. The church and surrounding buildings are then set ablaze by the October Boy as the townspeople flee, now able to freely leave the hamlet.

Release

Dark Harvest was first released in a limited edition, signed hardback in October 2006.[2][3] The following year Tor Books issued the novel in e-book and paperback format.[4][5]

Reception

Publishers Weekly named it one of the 100 best books of the year.[6] A reviewer for Dread Central was critical, writing that "the author forgot to tie up a lot of loose ends, for example why the entire town is in lock-down in the first place and dependent on the massacre of its perennial monster."[7] The reviewer for the Austin Chronicle was more favorable, as they felt that "The only weakness is Partridge's insistence at times to intentionally use a distracting second-person narrative. That is but a small complaint."[8]

Awards

Film adaptation

New Regency optioned the film rights, with Matt Tolmach to produce but was sold to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in April 2020 after New Regency dropped the film into turnaround. The film stars newcomers Casey Likes and E’myri Crutchfield in the lead roles, and was released by MGM in 2023, with a screenplay by Michael Gilio.[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.darkscribemagazine.com/reviews/dark-harvest-norman-partridge.html Dark Scribe
  2. ↑ Partridge, Norman (2006). Dark harvest. Forest Hill, MD: Cemetery Dance Publications. ISBN 1-58767-147-6. OCLC 75628667.
  3. ↑ "Dark Harvest". Cemetery Dance Publications. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  4. ↑ Partridge, Norman (2006). Dark harvest. New York: Tor. ISBN 978-0-7653-1911-1. OCLC 124539095.
  5. ↑ Partridge, Norman (2006). Dark harvest. New York. ISBN 978-1-4299-8447-8. OCLC 893483252.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ↑ https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-58767-147-0 PW
  7. ↑ "Dark Harvest (Book)". Dread Central. 2006-11-19. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  8. ↑ Klaw, Rick (November 10, 2006). "Book Review: Readings". Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2015-05-04. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  9. ↑ "Past Award Nominees and Winners". Horror Writers Association Blog. 2000-06-15. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  10. ↑ "New Regency Sets 'Dark Harvest' With Matt Tolmach Producing; Michael Gilio Adapting Norman Partridge Horror Novel". Deadline Hollywood. 2018-10-25. Archived from the original on 2023-02-05.
  11. ↑ "'Dark Harvest': Casey Likes & E'myri Crutchfield Tapped to Star in MGM Horror Film". June 2021.
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