I'm always excited when Chuck Wendig has a new book coming out, and BLACK RIVER ORCHARD was no exception. I always know a couple of things to expect when Wendig has a new novel. The first is that it is probably going to be long, and therefore a time commitment. The second is that while it will be a time commitment, it will be engaging enough that it will go fast. And the third is that it would no doubt be filled with both horror and heart. and BLACK RIVER ORCHARD met all my expectations, and then some, and has probably cemented itself as my favorite of his books so far. I loved the slow build of suspense as a small community starts to be completely entranced by some mysterious and sinister apples, their physical strength improving but their personalities changing for the worse. I loved getting into the heads of the people who haven't eaten the apples and are watching a strange and incomprehensible threat build up around them. I loved even getting into the heads of some of those who DO have bad intentions as the apples change their psyches (or perhaps they were ALWAYS a problem and the apple just exacerbated it more, in some cases). And I loved the gruesome moments of body horror as well as the real life horrors of group think and cult like behavior and what it means for those who don't wish to conform. There are lots of threads that Wendig creates but he pulls them all together effortlessly. I makes for a very enjoyable horror novel that also has characters that give you some hope.

BLACK RIVER ORCHARD is a must read for horror fans this Autumn. Maybe avoid the apple orchard. Or maybe don't. It's up to you.

There's something new at the farmer's market in the town of Harrow this season.
Dan Paxon, having reclaimed his father's land and his father's dream, has brought to market a most unusual apple. At first, there isn't much interest in it until Dan's daughter Calla, who aspires to be a social media influencer, tells Dan to hand out free samples. One taste is all it takes to have nearly everyone in town clamoring for more. Soon, the apples are selling out faster than Dan can harvest them. Those who've eaten them have begun to change. They're more focused, faster, stronger, healthier, and ...meaner. They're more aggressive, dangerous, and deadly.

I love small town horror. Black River Orchard delivers a diverse cast of characters that drive the story forward from multiple points of view, including the small group of people (and a cat! I loved the cat) who have refused to eat the apple and are aware that something evil is afoot. The first half of this book held me spellbound as the effects of the apple took hold of the town and its history was revealed. The middle seemed to stretch on more slowly and I was longing for those who knew the apple was dangerous to get on with whatever they were going to do about it. The final third of the book not only picked up the pace but was sheer unmitigated suspense and horror.
I would love to see this jump from my kindle screen to the big screen. It deserves to be a blockbuster movie. Horror fans are getting tired of stale sequels and reboots.

The nitty-gritty: Evil apples take on the residents of a small town in Chuck Wendig's latest, a tension-filled, bloody tale of survival. 

You say you’re looking for a story about evil apples? Well look no further. Black River Orchard is Chuck Wendig’s ode to apples, and not your garden variety, grocery store apples like Red Delicious or Honeycrisp. The apples in this tale come from a dark place, coaxed into existence by some very bad people. I had a great time with this book, which has so many elements that I love: a big cast of characters (both good and bad), an intriguing idea, lots of gross-out horror late in the story, danger, tension and even a thoroughly developed history surrounding the apples in question. In short, it’s a Wendig story from start to finish. My only complaint is that it felt a bit longer than it needed to be, but that might just be my impatient side talking.

We first meet Dan Paxton the night he brings home some branches from an apple tree. He tells his daughter Calla the branches are their “future.” At the time, we don’t know how Dan acquired the branches, but don’t worry, Wendig explains all later on. Five years later, Calla is seventeen and Dan’s small apple orchard has finally produced fruit. The apple, called the Ruby Slipper, is a huge hit when Dan sells them at the local farmer’s market, and before long people are clambering to eat Dan’s apples. Dan himself feels better than he’s ever felt before. With every apple he eats, he seems to grow younger and stronger. Heck, he doesn’t even need his glasses anymore. But when Calla tries an apple, it has the opposite effect on her. She swears she feels something squirming between her teeth, and when she spits it out, the apple is crawling with flies.

As Dan continues to change—and not in a good way—Calla knows something is up. The Ruby Slipper seems to be spreading, and Calla wonders if it can be stopped, before everyone in town is affected.

In addition to Dan and Calla, Wendig introduces the rest of his main cast, whose lives become intertwined. Meg and Emily are a married couple who have just bought a house by the river. Their marriage is already in danger, and it gets worse when Meg eats her first apple. Emily makes friends with an older man named John Compass after she falls in the river and inadvertently discovers a dead body. The body just happens to be John’s good friend Walt, who was hunting for a "forgotten" apple when he disappeared. I thought John was the driving force of the novel, a man who is trying to solve the murder of his friend, and at the same time, he discovers the mysteries behind the horrors of the Ruby Slipper and plays a big part in vanquishing that evil.

We also meet Joanie and Graham, a married couple who rent their McMansion out for sexual play. Joanie and Graham aren’t well loved in their conservative community, but tragedy forces Joanie to join forces with Calla, Emily and John, and the four soon realize they might be the only ones left who aren’t influenced by Dan’s evil apples. This is one of those stories where sides are drawn early on, and it’s up to the good guys to stop the bad guys before all hell breaks loose.

Wendig’s story is complex and multilayered. In addition to the story playing out in the present, he delves into the past and shows the origins of the apple–at one time called the Harrowblack—and how it originally had ties to the indigenous Lenape. Over the years, the apple was lost, but Dan Paxton was able to revive it, which turned out to be a terrible idea. I also loved Wendig’s passion for his subject matter and his vivid descriptions of apples and their taste, texture and smell. I’ve always loved his writing, and it really shines in Black River Orchard.

As for the horror aspects of the story, Wendig gets very creative and even gives his readers some hard core body horror. Imagine an orchard of tree people—people who have become one with the earth, with branches and roots piercing their bodies—and you’ll get a taste of what’s in store. Yes, the apple can cure illness and make you feel younger, but it also worms its way into your soul, changing you in other, terrible ways. Good thing I’m not a big fan of apples to begin with!

As usual, Wendig gives his readers a character driven story. I loved Calla, a young social media influencer who has her heart set on going to Princeton when she graduates high school. She and her father have always been close, so it was tough to watch Dan change into (literally) a different person. John is driven by his loyalty to Walt and is determined to uncover the mystery of his death. Of course, he finds something much worse while investigating. As for Emily, I have to admit I didn’t like her at first. She is expected to be the “housewife” in her relationship with Meg, and she doesn’t seem to think she can do any better than that. Plus Meg is simply awful to her and I couldn't stand her. I didn’t agree with some of the choices Emily made in the story, but I was pleased at the end when she finally does the right thing.

Black River Orchard is a well told tale of good versus evil, and bonus, I learned a lot about apples as well. This book is perfect for spooky season, and fans of Chuck Wendig won't be disappointed.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

I learned about Chuck Wendig through his blog Terribleminds. He's intelligent and very funny with a big heart. His blog makes me laugh while also cutting to the core of meaningful issues like artificial intelligence, the writing life, the perils of social media, and COVID-19. He's a smarty-pants and seems to be a genuinely good soul.

For such a nice person, he writes some very dark books, like his well-received apocalyptic novel 'Wanderers' and his supernatural family drama 'The Book of Accidents.' Like Stephen King, he creates characters you care about and then really messes with them. Hard. In addition to his horror novels, he's also written comics, games, and fantasy novels, and he wrote 'Star Wars: Aftermath' which was a NY Times bestseller.

His latest is 'Black River Orchard.' It's a book only he could have written because this dude is obsessed with apples. He explains in his author's note that he previously did not like apples. Which... fair. If you only get Red Delicious apples at the grocery store — blech. But then he discovered heirloom apples from small orchards. And that kicked off this story and his love affair with tasty apples.

This book is about apples that are so irresistibly delicious they ruin everyone's lives.

We meet the residents of a small town in Pennsylvania, and even before the whole apple situation, each of them is haunted by something in their history. It's a compelling ensemble cast anchored by a feisty teenage girl and her father. There's also a modern-day Johnny Appleseed with a Past, capital P, a lesbian couple from the city trying to make a fresh start, and a free-spirited woman named Joanie who has the town clutching at its proverbial pearls.

The deadly Ruby Slipper apples are at the dark heart of the story, but it's also about family secrets and the snobbiness you can find in small towns. There's a demon, a cult, and an apple orchard that feels like it's sentient. For all its creepiness and weirdness, this story is ultimately about love and family. I devoured it, and I loved it. It's gleefully sinister, delightfully disturbing, and so moving I got teary-eyed at a few parts. And not for nothing, it made me very hungry for apple cake and applesauce.

Chuck is doing a book tour around the US, and there will be apples from local orchards — get out there and meet him: https://terribleminds.com/ramble/2023/08/31/announcing-the-evil-apples-tour-black-river-orchard-and-me-coming-to-your-bookstore-maybe/

This book will be featured in my podcast 'The Library of Lost Time' on 29 September. Listen here: http://strongsenseofplace.com/lolts/lolt-2023-09-29/

This is my second book by Chuck Wendig and once again, I was not disappointed. The main storyline is about a single dad, Dan, who comes across an unusual type of apple and starts an orchard. He takes them to the farmers market and his daughter Calla Lily (who names it the Ruby Slipper) suggests they give some out as free samples. Unexpectedly, they're a huge hit! People are constantly craving and wanting more. The apple it seems, has mystical effects on people who consume it.

The things I like about this book are the premise, using apples as the catalyst for horror, how well we get to know the characters, their back stories, and just Wendig's writing style in general. There are multiple points of view, but it's not confusing at all, and all the different story lines mesh well together. This book is thick, but it's definitely worth the time you'll spend reading it!

My thanks to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, Del Rey, author Chuck Wendig, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

I’ll read anything @chuck_wendig writes and BLACK RIVER ORCHARD is no exception. It’s disturbing, it’s weird in the best way, it’s just really good. It releases on Tuesday and you need to read it (and let me know so we can discuss!)

At its core (see what I did there? 🍎) this book is about a man clinging to his family property. But Dan Paxson is no John Dutton on the Yellowstone Ranch, he's a humble single-dad farmer of apples and hopes the one he's discovered will enable him to forever keep his childhood home. However, there is something tainted about this particular apple. Something insidious lurks behind every sweet bite. Something dark is sparked with every crunch...

I liked the concept of this one but felt it was too long. If it had been streamlined I think I would have enjoyed it more. Wendig likes to wax poetic about apples, at times it felt redundant and there are a lot of characters and storylines intersecting. Despite these aspects, I did enjoy Wendig's witty writing, overall. He has some excellent descriptions and prose tucked along with the apple chatter.

I also did not love the stylistic writing choices (so many parentheses) that intrude into sentences. It worked the first few times but every chapter seemed to hold multiple cases of this flawed way of writing and it made me a bit (crazy) annoyed. For this, I took the rating a half star down. It's not fun to read sentences like that over and over and removed me from the story.

On a positive note, the creepiness of the whole thing was well done and the back half of the book really takes off and I enjoyed the pace. It's like the first portion is laying down roots, the middle is painfully slow as the growth of the story begins like a seedling pushing through dirt, and then the final portion is the juicy, tasty part. I wish the entire book had been like the last bit.

I think if you're ok with wordiness about apples for the pay off of some well written gore and interesting characters, you should give this one a go. You may love it.

P.S. I found TONS of typos. Hopefully those get caught before it's officially published. There were more than I can count on both hands, which was surprising even for an ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine as well as the author for this ARC. I’m happy to provide my honest and unbiased opinion.
#NetGalley #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantine #BlackRiverOrchard #ChuckWendig #Bookstagram
Author: Chuck Wendig
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine
Publication Date: September 26, 2023
Trigger Warnings: Graphic violence, cult mentality
This book is about an evil apple variety. Enough said. Honestly, I feel like saying too much more will damage the nuances that are so delicious in this book. This is the second book by this author that I’ve read and I was, once again, blown away. Chuck Wendig is a unique voice in horror. He’s a master of pacing so, even though this book is thick, it won’t feel like it’s long. This is one of my favorite things about reading Wendig’s books. I’ve seen a few comparisons of Chuck Wendig’s work to Stephen King’s work. I can see how some readers can make this comparison as Wendig and King both have a tendency to write hefty tomes that deal with a wide variety of themes presented in unique ways. I think their writing styles have some similarities but very different voices. They’re both on my autobuy list from this point on. Would I call Wendig the new King? No. That would be unfair to both. This particular book, however, did call up King more than the other book I read, which was ‘The Book of Accidents”. It evokes the small town and coming of age horror that many of us love so much in King’s work.
Wendig has created a cast of characters that we love and hate. He has given us several different subplots to latch onto when we need them. Each storyline is cathartic and feeds the beast. This book is suffused with religious overtones and cult horror. Even though the idea of an apple can sound a bit silly at first glance, Wendig plants a tale ripe with a cult mentality as well as mob mentality.
Go into this book knowing as little as possible. It would be very easy to spoil this by reading early reviews. Don’t. This book is amazing and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Who knew 500+ pages of evil apples in a small town could be so disturbing, disgusting and downright ass-kicking? 😂 This was a blast!

In the small town of Harrow there is a tiny orchard, the owner of which is down on his luck. One day he discovers a different type of apple and takes a bit from this different tree. It's grafted, planted and before you know it, there is an orchard full of of....strange apples. Apples that make people feel great. Apples that reverse aging, improve eyesight and put arthritis in its place. The town cannot get enough of these apples and BLACK RIVER ORCHARD goes on to tell us why. Don't YOU want to know? You'll have to read this to find out.

Filled with characters I both loved and hated, for me this book had a distinct early Stephen King vibe. It reminded me a lot of Salem's Lot-not plot-wise, but in the way that SL focused on the lot and its history over the years. In this way, a relationship with the town is built and it becomes a character in its own right.

The characters here-wow. The disgust billowing off the townfolk when they get a whiff of the new lesbian couple in town. The horror represented by having a type of sexual B & B within town limits. God forbid! (I have seen other reviews talk about this book being over-inclusive, and I just can't even with that. They almost sound like a resident of Harrow.)

Even though this book is about Harrow, its residents, and its apples, it's also about a lot of other things, buried just underneath the rich soil. Racism. Casteism. Sexism. Rising hatred of anything deemed "other." There are other things in that soil, too. Hateful things, and Wendig drags them all out into the open air. It's ugly to look at and also a painful reminder of what the real world is like these days.

Yes, this book was long, but I was never bored. Each scene is important and builds upon the next until everything is woven into the dark tapestry that is BLACK RIVER ORCHARD. With a mix of folk horror, body horror and psychological horror, this book delivers the goods just in time for the Halloween reading season. As such, I highly recommend it!

*Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*

Wendig simply can't miss. He churns out thick books pretty frequently, which gives me pause, but the writing stays strong, the characters stay unforgettable, and the plot continues to make you turn the pages. Black River Orchard is no exception. This is probably the weirdest and most out there of his books, but it works.

Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig is a fantastic small New England town horror story. Wendig creates a haunting tale that kept me up at night. We discover that a new apple that tastes like heaven leaves people feeling more confident and healthy. However, things start to sour as the apple takes root in the community. This engaging story looks at community, power, and the very human side of evil, but with a touch of paranormal thrown in.

Black River Orchard was an unsettling book in the best way possible and perfect to kick off the spooky season. Wendig uses multiple POVs and jump cuts to keep the suspense high, while the overall book has a slow-burn feel as you discover more about the history and future of the apple. The cast of characters is diverse and interesting. It is a book you can sink into and enjoy. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a superb autumnal horror story, especially those who like plant horror.

Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig will be available on September 26, 2023.

Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

What a dark, twisted read!

This was so much more than I expected! From the first page I was pulled into this story and with every flip from one character’s point of view to the next I found myself anxious over what was going to happen. And then as events unfolded, I was transfixed and utterly captivated by the tale this author was laying out. Even when my suspicions were correct, I was still unable to stop reading, such is the storytelling here. I felt the pull of this book when life demanded I get busy. I found myself turning the story over and around in my mind and trying to figure it all out and then diving back in each time I found a moment to open it back up.

I highly recommend this to those that enjoy a story with flawed characters, a dark, horrific storyline, and twists that you might see coming but still amazingly will spin you in circles.

Well done horror about....apples? What is it about the Ruby Slippers apple that's making people in the town of Harrow go, well, off the wall? Dan grows them, his daughter Calla doesn't eat them and everyone is impacted by them. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good worldbuilding and character development (although this could have been trimmed a bit_ as well as nice storytelling make it a good read.

The premise of this novel sounded excellent, but the execution fell flat for me. The writing felt a bit clunky.

Everyone has been talking about Chuck Wendig as the new Stephen King and as someone who has only read a couple King I can see how this is true. King has a different approach to writing style but I got the same vibe that King gives.

This book is thick but the movement and intrigue makes the read something that I wanted to devour. The idea surrounded by apples was unique in changing a symbol that is biblical for the moment of wickedness in the Bible. This usage was brilliant and created an intriguing premise to read about. Not going to lie as someone who is absolutely picky about the fruit I eat and apples being one of the only ones this book had my stomach turning.

I do however think that the beginning and end moved quickly but the middle suffered from the length a little bit. But not enough to rate it any lower. I personally enjoyed this book a whole lot. Just keep in mind if you are like me it could get your stomach rolling.

Wendig is always a good choice. I've been reading Chuck Wendig for a while now and each and every book has been entertaining and enjoyable. I think Chuck really shines with creating voices for characters big and small alike. When I read his books, this one is no exception, I feel like I'm a voice actor working for audible and I can clearly hear and see each character I'm reading about. The story itself is engaging and fleshed out like always.

Thank you Random House (del rey/ballantine imprint) for Black River Orchard via NetGalley. Apples. Always a theme of temptation and the darker side of humanity. Crunch in readers (dive in) and enjoy. This story will grab you right away and take you into a dark story that will sneak up on you and hold on.

I am such a fan of Wendig's work, he brings the scares but also the humanity and with a richness of writing and storytelling that just works for me. I loved the main characters, Dan and his obsessions, Calla and just wanting her to get out, and Emily with her complex messiness (I really connected with her story) and how even challenging themes on violence and John's character were filled with depth and purpose to the plot. There is a lot of reflect on with this book and I like that in a horror story, I love that darker plots can still be literary and discussion starters.

Black River Orchard, by Chuck Wendig

Short Take: Horror with heart, but also, mythology set in the age of social media.

(*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*)

Hello my beloved nerdlings, and welcome to early autumn! I’m definitely more of a summer fan, but there is something about pulling out the cozy sweaters and warmer blankets that’s oddly comforting. And of course, it’s also apple-picking season, and I do love me a big old Red Delicious (yes I know they are controversial I said what I said).

Ok, that was kind of a terrible segue into my most recent read, but look, I have just read over 500 pages with the word apple on each and every one of them, sometimes appearing several times, and now I have apples on the brain. But believe me when I say that I am not complaining.

Once upon a time, there was a struggling orchard owner named Dan Paxson, who had a beautiful, brilliant daughter, and not much else. Until the day Dan began growing the Ruby Slipper apple - a variety with skin as dark and velvety as night, a magical taste and even more magical effects.

Soon, all of Dan’s dreams are coming true - especially his darkest ones. And everyone else who eats the Ruby Slipper also begins changing - and not for the better.

If you’re getting a fairy-tale vibe from the description, you aren’t far off. In fairness to the author, apples have played the part of “temptation” in a lot of our major literary works. From Eve to Snow White, everybody loves a crunchy, juicy one, right?

But this particular fairy tale is of the “dark and demented” variety, and Duckies, I am sooooo here for it. I don’t say this lightly, but having read a few of his works now, I believe that Mr. Wendig is one of the best authors writing horror today. Black River Orchard is a perfect example of his skill. Although he is brilliant at setting the story in a very specific time and place and making it come alive, the characters are where this author goes from “pretty darn good” to “I am not the same after reading this book.”

Even when they are messy (Emily), or conflicted (John), or just teenager-brained(Calla), I love them for the richness of their humanity and interior lives. Particularly John, and I’m doing my darnedest to not get into spoiler territory with his story, so you’ll just have to trust me on this. His meditations on violence, when it is wrong vs. necessary, will stay with me for some time to come. And my orange house cat will henceforth be known as Orange Lump.

But if you think that Black River Orchard is some highfalutin, pretentious, trying-too-hard-to-be-intellectual book, you would be way way WAY off-base. Because the scares run deep and wide, hammering on multiple levels of my psyche and even my gag reflex. (As a multi-decade horror reader, I thought that I couldn’t be shocked by gore anymore. I was wrong.)

Trust your Aunty Nerdy, this is the book you want to ring in spooky season.

The Nerd’s Rating: FIVE HAPPY NEURONS (and a big old Red Delicious with a dollop of peanut butter. Or some friend Halloumi cheese. I will not be trying any exotic apples anytime soon.)

overall I was really enthralled with this totally unique and original story from Wendig, who is easily becoming an author to watch. definitely Stephen King-esque horror following lots of characters - but that’s also its biggest detriment. like King, Wendig’s books would benefit (at least for me) from being edited down a bit. although I appreciate all the character building here it just takes WAY too long to get to the point, and there are even several side stories that really could’ve been completely cut without impacting the plot of the book. it was definitely an enjoyable read, perfect for the fall season, but be prepared to skim a bit.

This one wasn’t quite for me. It was a solid novel with lots of diverse characters trying to live together in a small town.

I think lots of people would enjoy this as it has high elements of folk horror. I just couldn’t connect with any of the characters. One of the many main characters, Dan, was a prime example. This is a novel about insidious possession. Specifically, an evil apple. I get that the people eating the apple would change. But I found myself not liking anyone. With the exception of Calla, Dan’s daughter. I wanted her to just run away to Princeton.

Again, it has all the great horror elements I’ve come to love from the authors work. Just couldn’t quite love any of the characters.