Vengeance Child

Starred review from February 1, 2009
The first reaction of some readers upon finishing the first several pages of this novel might be: Hey, didnt The Twilight Zone already do this story? Its true, there are similarities between Clarks story of a little boy with a terrifying mental power and Its a Good Life, the famous Twilight Zone episode based on a Jerome Bixby short story about a little boy with a terrifying mental power. But the similarities between the two are only thematic. In execution, the two tales are very different. Clark, author of such stellar horror thrillers as London under Midnight (2006) and Lucifers Ark (2008), proves again that he has a real knack for working unique variations on time-tested themes. His little boy is the sole survivor of a shipwreck, now living in an orphan asylum, and hes the sweetest boy you could ever want to meetuntil his eyes glaze over, and he begins to repeat your name. Then its time to take cover. But is the boy evil himself, or is he merely the innocent vessel of a much greater, darker evil? Clark will tell you, but in his own good time, and only after the knot in the pit of your stomach is the size of a boulder. Another clever, original, and beguiling thriller from this very talented storyteller.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)