Read an excerpt from this BEA-buzzed book, NIGHTFALL
According to EW.com, and with Book Expo America being the place to be for books this weekend, BEA has begun their recommended “Buzz Books” with this YA novel by authors Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski, titled Nightfall.
This is not the first book by the writing duo. Their previous work together was the YA fantasy Dormia trilogy, and now they’re taking on a more apocalyptic-type thriller. Here’s the summary:
A story where edge-of-your-seat horror meets post-apocalyptic thriller, perfect for fans of Lois Lowry and The Mazerunner
Night is coming.
On Marin’s island, sunrise doesn’t come every twenty-four hours–it comes every twenty-eight years. Each sunset, the townspeople sail to the south, where they wait out the long Night. None of the adults will tell Marin, Kana, or their friend Line exactly what happens when they leave the island, but when the three are accidentally left behind in the gathering dusk, they learn the truth: at Night, their town belongs to others, and those others want them gone.
Fleeing through the now-alien landscape that used to be their home, the three confront shocking transformations and uncomfortable truths about themselves. They are challenged to trust one another or perish. Marin, Kana, and Line must find their way off the island . . . before the Night finds them.
For me, this sounds promising, and I’m not one to shy away from apocalyptic settings. They’ve also released an excerpt to whet our appetites for Nightfall.
Sometime much later, Marin woke to a piercing sound. She thought then of the knives below, and of the sharpeners. Marin cursed. The knives. We should have taken all of them out of the mantel.
Slow, heavy footsteps came up the stairs. They sounded much louder than last time.
“It’s back!” she shouted. She didn’t dare voice her other thought—it sounded like there were more than just one.
In a heartbeat, Marin, Line, and Kana were on their feet. Together they braced themselves against the armoire and dressers that barricaded the entranceway. Then the pounding began—huge, powerful blows. WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! There was no doubt about it. There were several bodies trying to force their way in. If it weren’t for the barricade, the door would have blown open. Still, the furniture shuddered ominously. The ferocity of the blows was unmistakable—the things on the other side of the door were determined to get in this time.
“Hold!” screamed Line, who was pushing madly against the armoire. “HOLD!”
They all focused their efforts on the massive armoire. If it slid away, the dressers behind it wouldn’t be strong enough to keep the door closed. They lined up against the armoire, dug their heels into the ground, and pushed with all the ferocity of those whose lives hung in the balance. The armoire slid forward an inch, and then backward an inch, again and again.
The hinge that fastened the top of the door to the wall started coming loose. The screws were being yanked out—it wouldn’t be long before the top of the door separated from the wall entirely. But there was nothing they could do about it.
The battering at the door continued for several minutes until, suddenly, Kana slipped at the same time that the door bulged inward from a series of ferocious blows. The force of this new attack jettisoned Kana backward. He sprawled across the floor and the armoire slid forward several inches. The door creaked open. Marin screamed. Grunting erupted from the hallway, and the door was under such pressure that it seemed to bend. Kana threw himself against the armoire with tremendous force. His effort seemed almost superhuman and, amazingly, the armoire slid forward by a half a foot and—once again—the door to the room closed.
Shortly after this, the battering stopped. One of the creatures bellowed and they heard a splintering, cracking sound. Marin’s heart sank. It was over. The door was breaking.
“It’s just a knife—the door is holding,” gasped Kana, seemingly reading her thoughts. Then came the sound of squeaking floorboards as the things made their way back down the stairs. Then silence. A long, eerie silence. A minute passed. Then another. Kana, Line, and Marin slumped to the floor, out of breath. More time passed. Finally, they rose to their feet and began to clear the barricade. When the furniture was moved away, they stood at the door and listened.
Silence.
Line tensed and put his hand on the doorknob. “Ready?” he whispered.
“Do it,” replied Marin.
Line opened the door in a fluid motion. Kana, out first, confirmed that the hallway was empty. He looked at the door. It was cracked in several places. Directly above each of the three hash marks was a knife stuck into the wood. Line reached up and tried to extract one of the daggers. It wouldn’t budge.
Marin stood at the top of the stairs and listened. Kana joined her.
“They’re gone,” Kana said. “Or at least they’re not in the house anymore.”
“They’ll be back,” said Marin. She looked around, taking in the pervasive gloom, polished banisters, walls, floors, and ceiling. A feeling of clarity descended upon her. “Don’t you see? They built this house.” Then she extended both arms and gestured all around. “They built all of this.”
“She’s right,” said Kana softly.
“Do you think the mayor knew?” asked Line, eyes trained on the floor.
“Doesn’t matter at this point,” said Marin. She reached down and began to tighten the laces on her boots. “What matters is, this town istheirs—and they want it back.”
Nightfall is scheduled for publication on September 22, 2015.
Source: EW.com