Black River Orchard

Books | Fiction / Horror

4.5

Chuck Wendig

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A small town is transformed when seven strange trees begin bearing magical apples in this masterpiece of horror from the author of Wanderers and The Book of Accidents.“This masterful outing should continue to earn Wendig comparisons to Stephen King.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)LOCUS AWARD FINALIST • AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEARIt’s autumn in the town of Harrow, but something besides the season is changing there. Because in that town there is an orchard, and in that orchard, seven most unusual trees. And from those trees grows a new sort of apple: strange, beautiful, with skin so red it’s nearly black. Take a bite of one of these apples, and you will desire only to devour another. And another. You will become stronger. More vital. More yourself, you will believe. But then your appetite for the apples and their peculiar gifts will keep growing—and become darker. This is what happens when the townsfolk discover the secret of the orchard. Soon it seems that everyone is consumed by an obsession with the magic of the apples . . . and what’s the harm, if it is making them all happier, more confident, more powerful? Even if something else is buried in the orchard besides the seeds of these extraordinary trees: a bloody history whose roots reach back to the very origins of the town. But now the leaves are falling. The days grow darker. It’s harvest time, and the town will soon reap what it has sown.

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More Details:

Author

Chuck Wendig

Pages

640

Publisher

Random House Worlds

Published Date

2023-09-26

ISBN

059315875X 9780593158753

Community ReviewsSee all

"Fruit turning people into addicts/monsters"

jim sharpnack

"It takes a lot of talent to take something seen so innocently such as an apple and turn it into something you would never want to eat again. It is long, yes, but the story just keeps developing in all that time to make it worthwhile. So many common tropes were used but it was never cliche in fact it produced the exact feelings that it set out to"

Taylor Dudley

"Understanding that the top level plot is "evil apples that come from an evil tree" I loved his writing, the book just got a little ridiculous for me. Some of the relationships also seemed forced."

Wesley Spence

"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.<br/><br/>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 storylines mesh well together. This book is thick, but it's definitely worth the time you'll spend reading it!<br/><br/>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."

C H

Chris Hicks

"Very Odd and Strange book...... Apples???? I never thought I could see Apples in a dark light..... This book surely accomplished that..... "