The Bone Factory Leisure Fiction Horror Book Review

As with all good authors, Nate Kenyon improves with each book.  His first novel, Bloodstone, was merely okay; its successor, The Reach, was good.  The Bone Factory continues to show Kenyon’s growth as a writer:  it may not be perfect, but it is still a good horror novel.


At first glance, The Bone Factory is reminiscent of Stephen King’s The Shining.  Both involve an unemployed father bringing his wife and child to a isolated area for a new job.  In addition, the child has some sort of psychic ability that clues her in to possible danger.  The similarities end there however.  David Pierce is actually a nice guy and is not in danger of becoming another Jack Torrance.


That’s not to say that all will go well when David, wife Helen and daughter Jessie move to a tiny community on the U.S./Canadian border.  David is going to work for a hydroelectric company to help set up a new plant; it seems like a dream job, especially since David lost his last job under unpleasant circumstances.  Not all is going well at the job, however, as it is undergoing investigation for possible pollution.


This, however, may be a secondary concern for David.  The family that once occupied his new house left after their daughter disappeared in the local woods, an event that is particularly frightening to a protective father like David.  In addition, Jessie is being plagued by more visions of monsters, especially a “blue man”.  And, as the reader knows, even if the Pierces don’t, there is definitely something malevolent in the woods.


I read a lot of horror fiction, so it’s hard for me to be really wowed over by any but the really outstanding books.  The Bone Factory doesn’t fit in that category, but it is well-written horror that should impress the more casual fan of the genre.  Even if you’re more of a die-hard fan, you should not be disappointed.