A Child Alone with Strangers cover art

A Child Alone with Strangers

A Novel

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

A Child Alone with Strangers

By: Philip Fracassi
Narrated by: Sterling Boyns
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

Season's Savings | £0.99/mo for 3 months

£5.99/mo after 3 months - terms apply. Cancel monthly
When young Henry Thorne is kidnapped and held prisoner in a remote farmhouse surrounded by miles of forest, he finds himself connecting with a strange force living in the woods—using that bond to wreak havoc against his captors. Unknown to the boy, however, is that this ancient being has its own reasons for wanting the interlopers gone—there is something hidden beneath the house, tucked away in the dark, damp root cellar . . . waiting for its return. Adventure Horror Science Fiction Supernatural Thriller & Suspense Scary Paranormal Fiction Suspense
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

“Fracassi’s novel hits me like a cross between McCammon and '80s King. Might be one of them summer blockbusters readers love.” —Laird Barron, author of Worse Angels
"A Child Alone with Strangers starts out as a slow burn procedural with supernatural elements and inexorably cranks itself into a pulse-pounding symphony of eldritch horrors and all-too-human violence. Philip Fracassi is the best sort of horror writer--one who is unafraid to hunt for light in even the darkest places." —Shaun Hamill, author of A Cosmology of Monsters
"A Child Alone with Strangers is one most affecting horror novels I've read this year."
—Esquire
"... a perfectly pitched horror novel, visceral and terrifying, delving deep into an eldritch world that sits alongside our own. It reminds me of early Stephen King—It; Firestarter; The Shining—but Fracassi also brings a depth of understanding to his monsters, human and otherwise, that makes A Child Alone with Strangers deeply moving. . . . I am now forcing it on everyone I know. Highly recommended.
—Alison Flood, The Guardian
"This book is huge but completely worth it. I haven’t read anything that terrifying in a while. . . . If you love horror, I highly recommend this story."
—Christina Boswell, San Francisco Book Review (5 Stars)
"Philip Fracassi's range, prolific output, and fast-paced prose are all set to put him on the shelf next to names such as King, Straub, and Thomas Harris . . . . one of the best books of the year."
—Logan England, Signal Horizon
"This novel is at once terrifying and engrossing, so exquisitely composed by an artist who has found that terra firma of fear and sarcasm and compassion that makes this story soar. Successful on every level, this book is a must read—for so many reasons! Very highly recommended.
A Child Alone with Strangers is one most affecting horror novels I've read this year."
—Grady Harp, Readers Entertainment magazine
"...a sheer barrage of non-stop visceral horror and some truly breath-taking sequences which were vicious throwbacks to seventies and eighties era horror."
—Tony Jones, Ginger Nuts of Horror

“An instant horror classic and my favorite read of the year. Every character is humanized with compelling depth. Every chapter is a study in tension and craft. Fracassi seamlessly weaves together so many horror sub-genres while organically rooting them all in a propulsive character-driven narrative that puts heart above all else. I really can't say enough good things about this one. A towering achievement.”
—Brian McAuley, author of Curse of the Reaper

“This book is a horror masterpiece.”
—Scribble's Worth

“It’s so much more than a supernatural horror thriller because at the heart of it is loss and living through the fog of grief.”
—Book Stalker Blog
All stars
Most relevant
loved the descriptions throughout the story which really draws the reader /listener in and allows for an empathy with the characters

fantastic piece of writing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
“At this point, panic has taken off its coat, kicked off its shoes, pulled up a seat, smiled that maniacal smile, the one showing too many bright white teeth, to let you know it really likes it here, and it’s decided to stay a while.”

My second Phillip Fracassi read, A Child Alone With Strangers is far less pulpy and immediate than the brilliant Gothic, but no less thrilling for it. It can be a little tangential at times, that being said, Fracassi successfully channels Stephen King again and eventually weaves together many disparate threads and genres (with plenty of violence and gore) into something that packs such an unexpected emotional punch, that it was the heart that stopped me in my tracks rather than the horror. Excellent.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

NB: I recommend reading rather than listening, the narrators “Australian” accent might lead you to distraction!

It was the heart that stopped me in my tracks rather than the horror

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Not as great as Boys in the Valley but this is a multi genre story with great characters

Great 4.5 stars

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.