The Orchard

The Orchard

by Charles L. Grant

A master of mood and atmosphere, Grant was often called a master of “quiet horror.” The label is appropriate. If you are looking for a swift dose of gore, foolish teenagers aplenty being dispatched with bloody aplomb by a masked lunatic or hapless individuals strapped to a chair while the villain makes use of his collection of power tools, look elsewhere. That said, he is more than worth the effort of looking up. The edition I have is long out of print but The Orchard is still available on audiobook and the print editions of most of his books can be tracked down quite easily. The Orchard consists of four interconnected stories, each story driven by an evening four friends spend together in an orchard near the fictional town of Oxrun Station, New Jersey, a locus of supernatural tragedy in many of Grant’s stories. A great October read, dripping with atmosphere and quiet menace.