The Return
By Bentley Little
2002 Signet
Paperback, 354 pages
In horror circles, Bentley
Little is a name that pops up a lot. Lots of people like his stuff. I’d never
read him. While browsing at Savers, I found this one and, while it’s way
longer than I usually tuck into, I threw caution to the wind and laid out my 3
bucks. What could possibly go wrong?
Strange things are found at an
archeological dig in Arizona, including a large, humanoid skull. Could it be
the fabled Mogollon Monster or was that just a story to scare kids? And what
really wiped out the Anasazi Indian tribe? Weird shit starts going down in the
area, in fact all around the state things are getting spooky. Museum artifacts
move by themselves, the main characters see themselves in ancient pottery,
faces get ripped of… lots of weirdness ensues. In fact, too much weirdness
ensues. It all becomes a bit of a mishmash.
Little is a very good writer,
and the characters are relatable, but there’s just so much supernatural
phenomenon going on that it gets very dense and confusing. Is it about inanimate
objects coming to life, a monster tearing off faces, the townsfolk’s
possession, or what? It’s about all of that and more but getting to the point
where it all ties together was a chore. I almost gave up a third of the way
through, but then a character found a dead 4-year-old kid and took him home and
barbequed him and I decided to stick with it.
For the length of the novel and
with how much weird shit was happening throughout, the end was kind of a
fizzle. At 354 pages, you’d think it would have a slam-bang, solid ending, but
I didn’t feel that it did. Still, I don’t regret reading it but when I was
about halfway through, I kept glancing at my “to be read” pile and wishing I
was done. Not a bad book, but I’m not keeping it. I’m open to trying other
Bentley Little books in the future, though.
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