Samuel Sattin
The Silent End
(Ragnarok Publications, September 2015)
(Also available on the Tapas App, March 2016)
A Kirkus September Speculative Fiction reading list pick
Selected as a “New Treasure” by Black Gate Magazine
On the HWA Bram Stoker Award 2015 Reading List
On the Preliminary Ballot for the 2015 Bram Stoker Award (Young Adult Novel category)
In a mist-covered town in the Pacific Northwest three teenagers find themselves pitted against an unearthly menace that dwells beneath the foundations of their high school…
Eberstark is an outcast and he’s tired of pretending everything is fine. His mother disappeared almost a year ago after a long battle with depression. His father is conducting experiments and running around town in the middle of night with a mysterious man known only as The Hat, ranting to Eberstark about beasts no one else can see.
Then on Halloween night, Eberstark, alongside his only friends Lexi and Gus, discovers something in the woods to challenge his father’s apparent insanity: a wounded monster. Rather than stir the town into a frenzy, the three friends hide the creature and are pulled into a web of conspiracy, dream-logic, and death. Faced down by living trucks, mirror-dwelling psychopaths, and hellish entities who lurk behind friendly faces, Eberstark, Lexi, and Gus find themselves battling to save not just themselves, but the soul of their quiet little town.
Praise for The Silent End
“The Silent End is the book I desperately needed when I was sixteen; hilarious, subversive, and deeply weird. Sam Sattin is Lovecraft for the Snapchat set, an author who understands that horror is nuance, friendship is technicolor, and there are few things more pleasurable than roaring down the highway in a living truck. Do not read this at night. Do not read this alone. But read it. Now.”
—Sean Beaudoin, author of Wise Young Fool and The Infects
“Imagine if Halloween had been written by The Kids in The Hall instead of John Carpenter and you start to understand the wild, mesmerizing mash up that is The Silent End. Monsters and monstrous fathers, missing mothers and young love—somehow all of this and much more fits wonderfully into this book. It manages to be scary and sweet and very, very fine. Sam Sattin is a talent and this novel is a joy.”
—Victor LaValle, author of The Devil in Silver and Big Machine
“I dreamed I climbed into a 1950s sci-fi rocket ship with Thomas Pynchon, Charles Dickens, H.P. Lovecraft, Jonathan Lethem, Rabelais, and the crew from Monty Python. The ship didn’t launch—we went nowhere—but by the time they let me out, my hair gone white and my face locked forever in a skeleton’s grin, I’d had so much fun and terror and tragedy and delight, I was ready for the booby hatch. You can’t dream my dream, but you can get everything it gave me. All you’ve got to do is read Samuel Sattin’s The Silent End.”
—D. Foy, author of Made to Break
“Even coming in knowing The Silent End is going to be a different kind of story didn’t prepare me for the incredible creativity I soon discovered. The writing adds artistic flair to what you could call a thrilling monster ride for teenage geeks who find the courage to confront their worst nightmares…I will anxiously await the next story by Mr. Sattin and loudly encourage others to enjoy this one of a kind journey into his imagination.”
—Timothy C. Ward
“The care with which Sattin establishes a sense of “place” is one of The Silent End‘s strongest suits, with Mossglow worthy of joining the ranks of iconically established locales such as Buffy Summers’ Sunnydale and LOST’s mysterious Island…the narrative is full of Lindelof-ian twists, and Lynch-ian menace, but what truly sets The Silent End apart is Sattin’s fully realized characters, and the care with which he explores and expands upon their relationships with one another: romantic, platonic, and parental. Characters are driven, first and foremost, by friendships and enmities which breathe life into a story about monsters, murder, and the indignities of high school…The Silent End offers a rare thrill in that glutted field of mediocre young adult fiction, horror, and fantasy: A story which transcends genre and narrative trappings, leaving you guessing until the very end, and wanting more, long after that.”
—HEEB Magazine
“A creeptacular novel written in the style of Stephen King and which reminds me strongly of The Tommyknockers….It’s a masterful combination of horror as well as Young Adult literature which is likely to leave readers scared of their own shadows for a week. After all, you never know what’s hiding in them.”
—Bookie Monster (5 out of 5 Bookies)
“Entertaining, provocative, and engaging…Whether you’re a child of the 1980s like me or just love a good coming-of-age adventure yarn, The Silent End is worth a look.”
—Jed W. Harris-Keith, Freak Sugar
“If you’re looking for a good horror novel, you’ll want to keep your eye out for this one.”
—Tony ‘G-Man’ Guerrero, Comic Vine
“Samuel Sattin has written a young adult novel that’s right over the plate for pop culture fans.”
—Hannah Means Shannon, Bleeding Cool
“Deeply melancholy, a little frightening…Samuel Sattin has written The Silent End for teenagers who are actually teenagers.”
—J. Wilbanks, Galleywampus
“A creepy, bizarre, nightmare-logic story which put me in the mind of the Alan Wake game or Stephen King’s work…The Silent End is an exceptionally well-written horror novel.”
—C.T. Phipps, The United Federation of Charles (9.5 out of 10 stars)
“The Silent End is a tale perfect for Halloween and geeks…an outstandingly fun read.”
—James Floyd Kelly, GeekDad
“Samuel Sattin’s The Silent End is smart yet accessible, creepy and hilarious, a vividly told novel both teens and adults will enjoy.”
—David Gutowski, Largehearted Boy
“Entertaining…A very imaginative horror story for all ages.”
—Frank Michaels Errington, Cemetery Dance Online
”A remarkably well-crafted book young adult novel, perfect for dark and stormy Halloween season ahead. It’s both unique and splendid.”
—David Gallaher, author of The Only Living Boy and High Moon
“Have you ever woken up in the middle of night and wondered if there really are creatures out there that go “bump” in the night? Well, this book won’t help with that. Actually, it’ll probably just encourage the feeling even more. The Silent End is…ready to scare your pants off as it takes you on a journey with three high school kids who discover an unexpected creature in the woods, and it not only unravels their world but shows them that things aren’t always what they seem.”
—Stacie Sells, The Mary Sue
“This novel is amazing – horror writing at its finest…The Silent End feels like a modern day Lovecraft novel, with sarcasm and wit added in for good measure.”
—Kelly Gerlach, Dread Central (5 Stars)
“Sattin is a talented author who brings a particular blend of sci-fi/adventure/horror to the table that deserves to be read. Get a copy and get ready to disappear into a land of monsters, a young girl who puts Fury Road’s Furiosa to shame, a sentient car, toys coming to life, severed corpses, and underground/underwater adventures. You won’t want to return.”
—Gabino Iglesias, Horror Talk
”[The Silent End] builds outward from its base of teen angst to create a crisply written, fantastical coming of age story filled with wry comedy and the honest pathos of a teenager reeling from his mother’s disappearance and semi-abandonment by his father…With exceptional pacing, speedy dialogue, and sharp descriptions, Sattin reveals himself as a major talent.”
—Kurt Baumeister, Atticus Review
See the cover reveal on SF Signal
See The Silent End on the Kirkus Speculative Fiction Reading List
Read the Dwarf + Giant interview with Samuel Sattin
Read Samuel Sattin’s essay in GeekMom on the imaginary game he created for The Silent End
Read the Galleywampus review of The Silent End
Read the Rising Shadow interview with Samuel Sattin
Read the United Federation of Charles review of The Silent End
Read Samuel Sattin’s essay in Buffalo Almanack on genre and reading
See the 13 Horror Covers Samuel Sattin chose for 13th Dimension
Read Samuel Sattin’s essay in Fantasy Book Critic on paring down his writing
Read the Bookie Monster review of The Silent End
Read the Timothy C Ward review of The Silent End
Read Samuel Sattin’s essay in SF Signal on monsters and fear
Read the GeekDad review of The Silent End
Listen to the Playlist inspired by The Silent End on Largehearted Boy
Read the Cemetery Dance review of The Silent End
Read The Mary Sue review of The Silent End
Read the Freak Sugar review of The Silent End
Read Samuel Sattin’s essay about contemporary society and horror at Black Gate Magazine
Read the discussion on The Silent End in HEEB Magazine
Read Samuel Sattin’s essay in Fiction Advocate on loss and writing
Read the 5-Star Dread Central review of The Silent End
Read the Tropes Wiki entry for The Silent End
Read the Horror Talk review of The Silent End
Read the Tapas interview with Samuel Sattin
Read the Atticus Review of The Silent End
Read excerpts from The Silent End:
Bleeding Cool
Freak Sugar
Crave
Comic Vine
Horror News Network
Geek-o-Rama
Comics Crusader
Tripwire Magazine
Fanboy Comics
Backwards Compatible
Fangirl Nation
The Good Men Project
Samuel Sattin is a novelist and essayist. He is the author of League of Somebodies, described by Pop Matters as “One of the most important novels of 2013.” His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Salon, io9, Kotaku, San Francisco Magazine, Publishing Perspectives, LitReactor, The Weeklings, The Good Men Project and elsewhere. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College and an MFA in Comics from CCA. He’s the recipient of NYS and SLS Fellowships and lives in Oakland, California.