Scowler

Equal parts haunting and horrifying, this literary horror novel gives readers insight into the mind of a controlling homicidal man and the son who must stop him. "Marvin Burke is one of the great monsters of literature, a figure of immense, credible terror and savagery."--Cory Doctorow, author of Little Children and coeditor of Boing Boing Imagine your father is a monster. Would that mean there are monsters inside you, too? Nineteen-year-old Ry Burke, his mother, and little sister eke out a living on their dying family farm. Ry wishes for anything to distract him from the grim memories of his father's physical and emotional abuse. Then a meteorite falls from the sky, bringing with it not only a fragment from another world but also the arrival of a ruthless man intent on destroying the entire family. Soon Ry is forced to defend himself by resurrecting a trio of imaginary childhood protectors: kindly Mr. Furrington, wise Jesus, and the bloodthirsty Scowler. From the Hardcover edition.

About the Author :
DANIEL KRAUS is a writer, an editor, and a filmmaker. He is currently working on an adult novel with Guillermo del Toro, scheduled for late 2013. Daniel lives with his wife in Chicago.

Review :
"Marvin [Burke] is one of the great monsters of literature, a figure of immense, credible terror and savagery." --Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother and coeditor of Boing Boing "The demon offspring of Stephen King's The Shining and Hitchcock's Psycho." --Michael Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Gone and BZRK "A memorable, brutal assault on the senses, not for the fainthearted or delicate." --Publishers Weekly "Daniel Kraus writes raw and deft and dangerous. Consider yourself warned." --Adele Griffin, two-time National Book Award finalist "A boldly visceral coming-of-age story that explores the darkest spaces in family life and the shocking resilience of the human psyche." --Booklist "This book has the pacing of a Stephen King movie, and it never lets up in its gruesomeness." --School Library Journal "Connoisseurs of the grotesque have come to the right place, as Kraus' impeccable sense of thriller timing spins out the terror." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "A Midwestern gothic family saga that will hook readers." --Kirkus Reviews "So unrelentingly bleak, it stretches the very definition of YA horror." --Bloody-Disgusting.com "Scowler is dark, poetic, and challenging." --Rue-Morgue.com "For lovers of dark thrillers and horror narratives, Scowler is one crazy roller-coaster ride." --Portland Book Review "Bound to scare up many jaw-dropping reactions." --Chicago Tribune A Tayshas Reading List Selection A Junior Library Guild Selection From the Hardcover edition. Marvin [Burke] is one of the great monsters of literature, a figure of immense, credible terror and savagery. Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother and coeditor of Boing Boing The demon offspring of Stephen King s The Shining and Hitchcock s Psycho. Michael Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Gone and BZRK A memorable, brutal assault on the senses, not for the fainthearted or delicate. Publishers Weekly Daniel Kraus writes raw and deft and dangerous. Consider yourself warned. Adele Griffin, two-time National Book Award finalist A boldly visceral coming-of-age story that explores the darkest spaces in family life and the shocking resilience of the human psyche. Booklist This book has the pacing of a Stephen King movie, and it never lets up in its gruesomeness. School Library Journal Connoisseurs of the grotesque have come to the right place, as Kraus impeccable sense of thriller timing spins out the terror. The Bulletin of the Center for Children s Books A Midwestern gothic family saga that will hook readers. Kirkus Reviews So unrelentingly bleak, it stretches the very definition of YA horror. Bloody-Disgusting.com Scowler is dark, poetic, and challenging. Rue-Morgue.com For lovers of dark thrillers and horror narratives, Scowler is one crazy roller-coaster ride. Portland Book Review Bound to scare up many jaw-dropping reactions. Chicago Tribune A Tayshas Reading List Selection A Junior Library Guild Selection From the Hardcover edition." Marvin [Burke] is one of the great monsters of literature, a figure of immense, credible terror and savagery. Cory Doctorow, author of "Little Brother" and coeditor of "Boing Boing " The demon offspring of Stephen King s "The Shining" and Hitchcock s "Psycho." Michael Grant, "New York Times" bestselling author of "Gone" and "BZRK " A memorable, brutal assault on the senses, not for the fainthearted or delicate. " " "Publishers Weekly " Daniel Kraus writes raw and deft and dangerous. Consider yourself warned. Adele Griffin, two-time National Book Award finalist A boldly visceral coming-of-age story that explores the darkest spaces in family life and the shocking resilience of the human psyche. "Booklist " This book has the pacing of a Stephen King movie, and it never lets up in its gruesomeness. "School Library Journal " Connoisseurs of the grotesque have come to the right place, as Kraus impeccable sense of thriller timing spins out the terror. "The Bulletin of the Center for Children s Books " A Midwestern gothic family saga that will hook readers. "Kirkus Reviews " So unrelentingly bleak, it stretches the very definition of YA horror. Bloody-Disgusting.com Scowler is dark, poetic, and challenging. Rue-Morgue.com For lovers of dark thrillers and horror narratives, Scowler is one crazy roller-coaster ride. "Portland Book Review " Bound to scare up many jaw-dropping reactions. "Chicago Tribune "A Tayshas Reading List Selection A Junior Library Guild Selection "From the Hardcover edition."" "Marvin [Burke] is one of the great monsters of literature, a figure of immense, credible terror and savagery." --Cory Doctorow, author of "Little Brother" and coeditor of "Boing Boing ""The demon offspring of Stephen King's "The Shining" and Hitchcock's "Psycho."" --Michael Grant, "New York Times" bestselling author of "Gone" and "BZRK " "A memorable, brutal assault on the senses, not for the fainthearted or delicate."""--"Publishers Weekly " "Daniel Kraus writes raw and deft and dangerous. Consider yourself warned." --Adele Griffin, two-time National Book Award finalist "A boldly visceral coming-of-age story that explores the darkest spaces in family life and the shocking resilience of the human psyche." --"Booklist " "This book has the pacing of a Stephen King movie, and it never lets up in its gruesomeness." --"School Library Journal ""Connoisseurs of the grotesque have come to the right place, as Kraus' impeccable sense of thriller timing spins out the terror." --"The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books ""A Midwestern gothic family saga that will hook readers." --"Kirkus Reviews ""So unrelentingly bleak, it stretches the very definition of YA horror." --Bloody-Disgusting.com "Scowler is dark, poetic, and challenging." --Rue-Morgue.com "For lovers of dark thrillers and horror narratives, Scowler is one crazy roller-coaster ride." --"Portland Book Review ""Bound to scare up many jaw-dropping reactions." --"Chicago Tribune "A Tayshas Reading List Selection A Junior Library Guild Selection "From the Hardcover edition." "Daniel Kraus writes raw and deft and dangerous. Consider yourself warned." --Adele Griffin, two-time National Book Award Finalist and author of "All You Never Wanted" "Marvin Burke is one of the great monsters of literature, a figure of immense, credible terror and savagery." --Cory Doctorow BoingBoing.net, March 12, 2013: "This isn't gross-out horror: the terror comes as much from piano-wire taut tension and spectacular characters as from viscera...Kraus's masterful raising-of-stakes makes this into the sort of disaster you can't possibly look away from." School Library Journal, May 2013: "This book has the pacing of a Stephen King movie...The metaphor of the meteorite countdown enhances the tense, dark, and creepy chill factor of this gritty, well-written thriller. It's a perfect choice for mature horror readers who are looking to bridge the gap between YA and adult selections." Publishers Weekly, January 21, 2013: "Ry's desperate journey into manhood is gripping, with Kraus skillfully amplifying a sense of tension and claustrophobia." Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2013: "A Midwestern gothic family saga that will hook readers." The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, April 2013: "Fans of Kraus's "Rotters "have come to expect that beneath his darkest literary impulses flow thought-provoking undercurrents, and this is no exception. At the edge of the horror is a gripping story of a family paralyzed by its own fear, and an examination of the strange places of emotional refuge a tortured mind will find." Bloody-Disgusting.com, March 6, 2013: "Kraus's story also functions as a look at how intense trauma can fracture and eventually break the human psyche, as seen through the eyes of the fragile, tormented Ry and his three imaginary friends. But above all, "Scowler" is a hard-edged tale of teenage survival, told with a grim-faced respect for the real life horrors that lurk behind closed