Terror stalks the remote snowbound forests and communities of Minnesota

Brian Moreland published his first novel back in 2006 and is one of those authors who deserves much more coverage in the horror press than he probably gets. I have read the majority of his seven novels, with my favourite being the awesome Tomb of Gods, which was one of top tips of 2020. In his latest the author abandons dangerous islands (see another cool read Savage Island), spooky Egyptian tombs and instead takes his readers to the snowbound deepest, darkest Minnesota, close to the Canadian border. You are going to need your winter woollies for this one!

I really enjoyed They Stalk the Night, an immensely entertaining creature feature with an admirably high body count which begins to tick in the brutal prologue. Its detractors will undoubtedly say this novel does nothing new, which is absolutely true, being little more than a spin on the well-trodden Wendigo story. However, Moreland is too skilled a storyteller to simply reheat old plots and instead delivers a fast-paced horror, seen from multiple third person perspectives. It starts fast with a bloodthirsty kill and for the most part keeps than pace going whilst dipping in and out of the lives of multiple characters some which are more likable than others.

This is not a deep book (except for the snow) and if you like monster novels then this is a treat. Some of the advance notices compared it to Adam Nevill’s The Ritual, but that modern classic is much slower, descriptive and atmospheric than this, which is pacier and more of a lighter speed read. The comparison to 30 Days of Night is more accurate, with the local inhabitants of the two neighbouring towns being picked off by a vicious beast being not too dissimilar to the isolated town in 30 Days.

They Stalk the Night kicks off with an oil corporation building a pipeline through Minnesota looking to make new links into Canada. However, to construct the most productive route they must destroy an ancient burial ground and in doing so they awaken something very nasty. Interestingly, we find out that this awakening happened some years earlier and that a few characters had lived through it first time around, this was slightly odd and it felt like I was reading a sequel of some kind. The previous incident had been hushed up and beyond the town limits nobody else knew about the monster, which was treated as some sort of myth by the local kids. Rather than spinning the usual indigenous American story the plot has a Scandinavian feel which connects to Norse mythology and the early settlers from that region of Europe.

The action jumps between various residents of the two towns Deer Haven and Hellum who have reacted differently to the pipeline, some embracing the new job opportunities it brings, whilst others aware of the dangers blasting in the wrong place might bring. A fair part of the story revolves around Shelby, one of the most memorable characters, a young mother struggling with her distant husband, who poaches in the local forests with his best friend Kujak, who makes a clumsy and aggressive pass at her early in the story. Shelby’s father is the owner of the pipeline company and because these towns are very small everybody is connected to each other in one way or another.
The poaching story becomes a significant part of the narrative and interconnects with the local police who turn a blind eye and the retired chief who has to step up to face the creature for a second time. This is one of those stories where some of the humans were every bit as unpleasant as the monster and the scenes in which Shelby tried to protect her two tiny children crackled with tension and threat. As this is America, everybody has guns and a lot of them. I loved the location, with some of the forest scenes where very seasoned hunters (and ex-military) some up against the beast were really terrific as they were viciously picked off. Adding even more edge to proceedings was the fact that the monster did not devoir everybody he killed, but you will have to read it yourself to find out why.
If you are after snowbound terror then They Stalk the Night is a dread filled atmospheric treat which takes lots of familiar horror ingredients, gives them a good shake, and delivers a gleefully gory blood-filled monster novel. Set over the Christmas period, the cheer of Santa is very far away and survival the only gift the terrified inhabitants are after.

Oh! I love ancient evil done well and this was done extremely well!

The author gives us a monstrous evil that we haven't seen done to death. It's both horrific and heartbreaking. This story will stay with you.

I loved our characters - even the horrible characters were so well drawn.

But above all, I loved that the author took on a mythology rarely seen these days and brought it to ferocious, toothy life.

Five Fearsome Stars!

THEY STALk THE NIGHT, by Brian Moreland is a novel that involves the legend of an ancient spirit in the woods, with an unending appetite. The story starts out strong in terms of knowledge and action. I enjoyed many of the characters and how their roles related to this event.

Before the halfway point, however, I found myself growing bored as it began to turn into more of a gore fest than anything. I still liked a few of the main characters, but others just didn't make any sense in terms of what/why they did things. Until then, I had been invested, but when the scenes went to just carnage, I lost interest.

Overall, I do enjoy this author's work. His literary style and prose is normally very engaging. I think, perhaps, this story just went on for longer than it needed to to get the point across. As always, others may appreciate the length more than I did.

Thank you to Flame Tree Press for the e-ARC of this title. All opinions are my own.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview They Stalk at Night This book should be made into a movie. Horror, mayhem and supernatural forces become alive in this scary novel about two small communities in the heart of America. One wants a pipeline built while the other cherishes their sacred land.
An evil force that is ancient and evil is awakened and will not rest till vengeance is found. And those who have awakened this force have no idea of what they have done. And those who know are not prepared for what is to come. No one is safe and no one can survive unless the evil is put to rest. Ancient and evil forces have been in this area for a long time and now awakened will not leave until the hunger is satisfied.
Very good and very scary.
4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for the copy of this book! This snowy thriller was action-packed, layered with intense characters and plot-lines that were both infuriating and horrifying.
I really appreciate the small-town Minnesota culture throughout the book that is familiar and endearing to me personally.
This book never quit as chapter by chapter you’re shifting perspectives as the story unfolded.
I enjoyed this read and am excited to read more from Moreland in the future!
3.5 ⭐️ out of 5

Full Transparency: I was awarded the book by the publisher Flame Tree press and the author (via NetGalley) but that has not affected my review of the book - my opinion in my own.

They Stalk the Night established itself early on as something that felt like folk horror to me, and grabbed me in that moment as something that felt very much like it would be a werewolf novel - something not unwelcome to me. I dearly love werewolf tales. Other cryptids, not near as much, but this story had me. The author paid the tale out in steady fashion and kept my attention throughout the story. As more of the locale's history got shared and the reader is given more information about the Minnesotan town's Viking heritage, I thought I might be put off by that. It seemed like this might just end up being a fairly large lift of a Wendigo or skinwalker story with the mythology simply transposed to be that of Norwegian emigres rather than that of the indigenous or Native American peoples in the typical tale. To top that off, we're told some of the main characters already have history with the creature from almost a decade prior. I thought that would be a sure indicator that the tension would be gone. I prepared myself for a slog to the end.

But in Moreland's deft hands we get a unique story where the tension grows consistently throughout and we're given a small town with secrets both well-known and tight-lipped, interesting characters and a ratcheting escalation as the various players get roped in to the endgame of those marked as targets of the creature. Books like these don't typically get me drawn in well enough to be drawn short and hold my breath when a character falls, or becomes vulnerable to the big bad. Several times in the race up to the ending there were instances where I caught myself in just such a state as the beast closed in (blasted drywall!). There were a few instances of convenience that peeked through here or there, but nothing to detract overall from what ended as quite a good tale!

Sam Larsen is the recently retired sheriff of the small Nordic village of Helm in northern Minnesota, yet he is always on call when the small policing force need any specialized help since Sam trained had all his successors himself and he is the only man who carries a bow and arrow instead of a gun but on certain hunts his arrows have specialized tips when his expertise is needed in the great forest where all of his people should never enter but on occasion unfortunately, some have dared to break the sacred covenant set in place many generations ago by their Nordic forefathers and medicine women who had magical potions and rituals to heal and also keep the village safe because there is an ancient, evil entity that lives in a part of the great forest on the mountain that hungers for flesh and is never satiated and it will kill, consume and spread it's disease to anyone who trespasses into it's territory. Most of the younger generation believe these stories are only legend and folklore passed down through the ages and occasionally a rebellious youth or unbeliever will try to hunt in the land that has always been off limits and they were never seen again.

Sam carries a heavy burden in his heart for the past ten years when he had to enter the forest in search of two missing persons from the village and he glimpsed the ancient demon and will never forget the horror and fear that was burned into his mind and soul when he confronted evil personified. Sadly for his village, a Minnesota pipeline company is building through part of their land where the Helm people prayed and held their ritual, religious practices which were sacred to their culture and when the company illegally destroys the revered area, they will have have unwittingly unleashed the "Winter Demon" that has lived on the mountain for centuries and it will now be coming down to unleash it's terror and hunger on every living thing it comes across and since this is an evil spirit that has always existed it cannot be killed or destroyed by man.


I just loved this winter horror novel and found it such a page turner that was so hard to put aside for any length of time. There were several main characters who will all eventually interconnect but they all had their own storylines which were intriguing, exciting and finally terrifying! The creativity of the plot and characters was outstanding and having the supernatural "Winter Demon" was such an unusual and refreshing creature feature to center the story around. The atmospheric writing was so darn good and captivated my attention from beginning to a uniquely satisfying end.

Some reviews had stated they didn't consider this a horror book but a thriller and I can't figure out how they came to that conclusion if they actually read the entire book because this had all the elements of what books of horror should include yet it had a lot of heart as well so the reader can be enmeshed with the thoughts and emotions of likeable as well as the despicable characters. This novel contained plenty of nasty gore, cannibalism, blood, violence, the supernatural, death, slaughter, profanity and Evil with a capital E plus a uniquely different creature to fear, so what more can one ask for in a horror story? The folklore and rituals were fun and interesting (reminded me of some Native American practices).

I also loved the preservation of a historic culture still being followed and maintained and handed down when the world is constantly changing and young people want to rebel from their secluded society and it was just so enjoyable and entertaining reading about this small village and their historic backstory. Back to the creature, I thought it was everything that could be made to imagine horrific, frightening, terror inducing, monstrous, blood hungry and can't be killed yet some of the characters were such genuinely good people that it warmed my heart and the baddies were bad to the bone!

I highly recommend this wondrous, horror story to anyone who wants a great scary story intertwined with a most horrifying, evil creature and More!


I want to thank the author "Brian Moreland", the publisher " Flame Tree Press" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given a rating of 5 TERRIFYINGLY EVIL 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

This novel begins with the tale of a pipeline being constructed through a formerly holy land in the spooky woods. A division exists in this small town between the descendants of Norwegian settlers and the town itself. Amidst this setting, there are accounts of monstrous beings dwelling in the woods, maintaining an uneasy peace with the villagers. However, once the pipeline devastates this area, anything can happen.

These creatures exhibit an unrelenting terror as they break through with a never-ending display of viciousness and bloodshed. Some characters in this tale are oblivious, while others go to great lengths to halt the carnage. Intertwined in between are a couple of intriguing side stories about different characters, which only amplify the tension created by this book.

This story had me captivated and on the edge of my seat. The pages are brimming with excellent writing, characters, and vivid descriptions. For horror enthusiasts, this is a chilling read. I'll definitely be exploring more works by this author in the future.

They stalk the night by Brain Moreland tells the tale of a long history in a small Minnesota town, where a demon who craves the flesh of humans appears when the scared area is disturbed.

The cast and characters are full and plentiful, but not so much that it becomes overwhelming. Initially I did get some names confused but as the story went on I managed to keep up with who was who and how they were connected.

From the get go you know something grizzly is going down as within the first couple of pages, you get introduced to what seems like a nice decent character, for him to be killed minutes later. It starts a rather long list of victims too, Brian sure doesn't hold back on the brutal kill factor. In fact I got a bit apprehensive to start to like anyone as it seemed they were all going to end up either ripped to shreds of a form of demon.

However having said that I loved the Norwegian mythology aspect and the rituals and spirit guides, brought a little atmosphere and depth to the story. I do like his story telling and it flowed well. I admit it didn't make me feel particularly scared, giving off more of a narration than in the moment, which is where I feel horrors in particular grab you and pull you in. The story line was excellent, well planned out and pulled together which overall made it a really Spooky read.

Thanks to Random things for my copy and chance to review.

Xx

#booktours #bookstsgram #halloweenbooks #spookyreads #bookstagrammer #bookshelf

I really enjoy Brian Moreland's books as they are always creepy but in a different way each and every time. He doesn't stick to one formula like many horror writers do and that is why I am always first in line to want to grab anything new that he publishes. They Stalk the Night is just another great addition in his catalog and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a jump scare or two and a whole heaping of suspense and fright. A more complete review will be coming up on the blog soon!

This novel begins with the tale of a pipeline being constructed through a formerly holy land in the spooky woods. A division exists in this small town between the descendants of Norwegian settlers and the town itself. Amidst this setting, there are accounts of monstrous beings dwelling in the woods, maintaining an uneasy peace with the villagers. However, once the pipeline devastates this area, anything can happen.

These creatures exhibit an unrelenting terror as they break through with a never-ending display of viciousness and bloodshed. Some characters in this tale are oblivious, while others go to great lengths to halt the carnage. Intertwined in between are a couple of intriguing side stories about different characters, which only amplify the tension created by this book.

This story had me captivated and on the edge of my seat. The pages are brimming with excellent writing, characters, and vivid descriptions. For horror enthusiasts, this is a chilling read. I'll definitely be exploring more works by this author in the future.

Many thanks to @Netgalley @BrianMoreland @flametreepress & @RandomTTours for a spot on the tour.

They Stalk the Night took me by surprise! I was not expecting this dark thriller, but I really loved this latest release by Flame Tree Press.

This story follows a remote town on the cusp of a terrifying discovery. Corruption abounds in this sleepy town dealing with a pipeline construction company. Throw in some terrifying poachers and a family trying to learn how to move forward with their life and the stage is set for the encroaching terror. When a sacred site is disturbed and an evil spirit is unleashed nothing will ever be the same and not everybody is going to make it out alive.

Readers are going to love getting caught in the small-town life built by the words of Brian Moreland. His writing is enthralling and I was caught very early on and couldn't put this down. When things started to take a turn for the gory, I still was unable to put this novel down. His action sequences are just excellently woven and I loved getting to explore the mythology of the creature he built as well. There are so many great things that readers can attach themselves to in this story and it is quickly-paced so it unfolds fast and deadly!

Check this great addition to the Flame Tree Press catalog out now!

I always enjoy Brian Moreland's work, particularly so his Winter Horror, and THEY STALK THE NIGHT, his newest, is a fine blending of Winter Horror, Folk Horror, Historical Horror, with contemporary issues common to current culture [domestic abuse, drug epidemic, violence, sexism, psychopathy, etc. ] Arrayed against these pervasive negatives of the human condition are strong moral characters, integrity, familial devotion (mothers, father, grandparents), and generational shamanic lineage. Mr. Moreland's choice of creature to inhabit this Land of Horror will particularly resonate with fans of Graham Masterton and Algernon Blackwood. Although it's not specifically named, the resemblance is clear and welcome, as the author giftedly delineates the nature and capabilities and weaknesses of this predator.

Kudos also for the STRONG female characters ! and the foil theme of the "bodyguard professional" and his ulterior motives for seeking the position of "security guard" on the Minnesota pipeline construction.

The plot is sound and well-knitted, and characters are linked up in a realistic and satisfying fashion. This author knows Plot and Character, and both are strongly delineated here.

Caution: gore, violence, sexual assault, sexism, psychopathy, obscenity, hunting, black-market, willingness to sacrifice others, fatalities [aninal, human], otherworldly Horror.

Mason Thornhill is the owner of the Thornhill oil company and for years he has been fighting with the village of helm to let him drive a pipeline right through there ancient Nordic sacred ground they also asked the neighboring company of Dearborn in with a lofty donation to the town from the oil company they readily agreed. And with the title to property and helm they went to head with their plans despite the town people protesting now people are going missing they have torn down the sacred shed and the sacred rock pile on Mount peek in the ancient demon that for centuries the Nordic people of Helm have kept at bay is now going to re-Kavic. The local retired sheriff of the town of Helm is the son of the storyteller and win the major religious rights need to be done the storyteller tells the story of their people in the rights are given but with the horror that the oil company has unleashed all of the towns people will reconvene at the local meeting place to once again pay us on tradition and try and stop the ancient beast which is a mortal from attacking the town. Over in Deerborn Charlevoix has a son named Q Jack who is a jack ass and his best friend Josh Who is married to Shelby and has two kids with her and she is the daughter of the man who owns the oil company cute Jack and Josh and the other friend or poultures and have a complete business set up and an isolated place because they are not members of Helm go to Deerborn which is the English settlement they are not privy to the knowledge of the ancient beast so in their poaching they pretty much take the feast away from the ancient entity. Something that will not go unpunished. There are so much more to this awesome awesome horror story it is books like They Stalk The Night by Brian Moreland makes me wish I had a blog or a radio show or a podcast or something so I can tell others if you love horror you need to read this book but this review is all I have so if you’re reading this and Love hora do yourself a favor and read this book!!!! Despite coming back from vacation and being worn out from the long trip I still stayed up until the early hours of the morning because I did not want to go to bed without finishing this book and OMG was it worth it! Shelby is a bad ass not to mention sheriff sale and his dad I just love them all this was such an awesome book except those I didn’t love lol! I want to thank Flametree publishing and net galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Some interesting concepts and themes, especially about the conflicts over pipelines with indigenous peoples. Sadly when the monster stuff happened it didn’t really grab me. What should have been a tense location and isolated setting didn’t really work and the final third of the book was a bit of a slog to get through. Overall not bad, just not for me.

This is a formal review of Brian Moreland’s We Stalk the Night. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a five star read for me. This novel will be released Tuesday, October 10th. The author’s ability to create an engaging and well paced horror fiction novel with well developed characters and a carefully developed plot, provided an edge of my seat experience. The suspense increased throughout the novel and I had a few jaw dropping moments as I read and I did not want to put it down! This creature centered novel was unlike any other creature book I’ve read. It’s not your typical wolf or monster book which was refreshing to read something so creative with imagery that is truly frightening! I’m still thinking about this book. Some things that may be triggering for some are; a sexual assault, a significant amount of gore, and animal death. Thank you NetGalley and Flame Tree Press providing me with an Arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so creepy! I had to put it down and come back to it twice before i could finish it! Its a gory scary but also mystical and otherworldly scary. I reccomend this book and i am very thankful to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read it!

2.3 "vegetarian inducing, hollywood heroics, tons of potential" stars !!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Flame Tree Press for an ecopy. This will be released in a few days (Oct 10, 2023). I am providing an honest review.

Ummm well...this was a very mixed experience for this reader. I chose this as my Halloween read of 2023 and as it had 31 chapters planned to read one per day. In the end though, I just wanted to finish this as quickly as possible...

I want to start of by saying that I feel that the author has some good popular fiction writing chops and carefully constructs his plot arc. The prose is a solid three stars and although I did not like his plot decisions they were well planned out.

The story starts off with being quite original and he carefully introduces us to many characters in the neighboring small town and village in Northern Minnesota. There is a pipeline being built along with animosity between various groups of people, many with Norwegian ancestry. There is ancient Viking magic, rituals, corrupt officials and everyday people living their lives. Up on a hill lives an ancient Winter Demon that periodically gets unleashed and well......

The set up is done so well that I thought the rest of the story would be frightening and intriguing but instead the story turns incredibly fast paced with tons of carnage and cannibalism and gore...ummm just no.....the story went from a solid three star enjoyment to one star eye rolling and frustration. Incredibly macho with some pandering to female characters and in the end well....just no....

I was not scared but just really frustrated and in the end...I was glad that it was the end....

This will appeal to many but for me was a hugely wasted opportunity.

At best this was a poor to fair reading experience that I am awarding 2.3 stars but will go on my 2.5 star bookshelf.

I am glad that I gave this a try but I do not think I will be

Although billed as a horror this I feel is more of a thriller read. Set in a small town which is at odds with a company who is building a pipeline, it features alot of characters which sort of gets in the way of the action. I think my disappointment with this read was down to the fact I was expecting more of a horror.

Brian Moreland's new book is AWESOME! An incredible read, a real page-turner, I had to finish it as soon as possible to reach the end. And what an ending! Action-packed and cinematic to the core.

This is a creature feature with many original, fascinating complications, steeped in folklore and small town horror. It's not exactly character-driven, though the characters are quite relatable; what stands out, however, is the plot, which is brilliantly thought-out, masterfully paced, and dark in all the right places. Center-stage is Shelby, a young mother of a baby girl and a four-year-old boy: her family issues push the tale forward, slowly taking over the whole story. Her father owns an oil company building a new pipeline through an isolated area, having to deal both with local protesters and the fact that he has to blast through sacred land. He makes the fatal mistake of ignoring the warnings and unleashes a demonic threat hungry for whatever has a beating heart. At the same time, Shelby's husband and father of her children is involved in illegal poaching, working for his best friend, who has his eye on Shelby and does not hesitate to make his intentions known by attacking her. These two plotlines progressively blend into each other: there follows a realistic portrayal of small town horror and family politics, held together by themes of violence and desire,

Keeping all this in place is the son of the town elder, who has faced the demon in the past and lost his own son to the monster. And what a monster it is! The definition of folk horror creatures: plenty of horns on its head, bone-white, impossibly tall and ematiated, with rows of teeth, claws, and inhuman strength. I could picture it in my mind perfectly (Moreland has a knack for visual descriptions), even when the carnage got gory and people were mercilessly hunted down to become fodder for this hungry beast. If you like this kind of suspense, slowly escalating into pure cinematic action, then you're in for a treat: Moreland is an absolute master of this sort of scenes, thrilling you without grossing you out, preferring to dazzle you with the story.

I enjoyed this immensely! A solid five-star from me!

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Flame Tree Press for the ARC of this one!