Strange Seed

by
T.M. Wright

Tor, December 1987, 309 pp.
ISBN: 0-812-52762-3

Genre: Horror
Subgenre: Supernatural
Reviewed: 11/17/2003

Reviewed by: Conan Tigard

Book Cover

Excerpt

"Leave him be!"

In the next second Lumas' huge hands encircled the child's throat. For an instant, Paul and Rachel watched a trembling tableau--blue veins bulging on the back of the old man's hands, and the firm muscles and blue arteries of the child's neck bulging above them.

Then Paul threw his left arm around the man's throat and pulled. Before Rachel could act, Paul broke the man's grip on the child and the two of them--Paul and Lumas--fell to the floor.

Lumas quickly regained his feet. He stood, pointing stiffly at the child on the couch. The child's perfect, dark face was waxy, expressionless. There were no marks on the child's neck.

"You go back!" Lumas shouted. "You go back!"

Lumas turned and fled out the back door.

Synopsis

Twenty years ago, Paul Griffin lived with his father in the swampy forest when his father died mysteriously. Now, after growing up in New York City, Paul has returned to his old house with his new wife, Rachel. Right from the beginning, they knew something was wrong. The walls of the house were covered with both urine and feces and the windows were all broken out. Animals are found slaughtered all over the county and it is assumed that it is the work of a wolf.

The only problem is that there hasn't been a wolf in the county for 40 years. The previous residents of the house had thrown themselves out the top window after burying their two children. No one knew where the children came from, as the couple had never had a baby. Paul and Rachel find a young boy and bring him into the house. Lumas, the old man who lives close by, tries to kill the boy, knowing him for what he truly is.

Paul and Rachel are slowly changing as they continue to live in the house. Who knows what will finally become of them when they finally decided that it is time to leave? 

Strange Seed is a horror novel written by T.M. Wright. It is the story about a new couple moving back to a mysterious forest where young kids run around causing havoc. The main question is, are they really children?

Review

I waited patiently for something scary to happen in Strange Seed. Unfortunately, I never felt my pours open up and the sweat start flowing. The fact of the matter is that for a Horror book, not much occurred in this tale.

I waited and waited, and nothing really happened. Another thing that really bothered me in this story was the dialog between Paul and Rachel Griffin. They talk to each other, but they never really say anything. There was never any resolution to anything they talked about. For example, "Paul, what are you thinking?" "Oh, you know." "Yeah, I know, but what should we do now?" "I think you know." This kind of dialog happens throughout the story leaving me lost as to what the heck they were ever thinking or talking about.

And the kids, who were they? Nothing is ever explained leaving the reader both bewildered and bemused. I just wish something would have been resolved in Strange Seed. The coolest thing about the book was the cover, which is a scene that never happens in the book anyway.

Overall, I would not recommend Strange Seed if you are looking for a good scare.

I rated this book a 5 out of 10.