Uncanny

by David Macinnis Gill

Overview

A chilling stand-alone novel by the acclaimed David Macinnis Gill. This original and sinister spin on gothic tradition will appeal to fans of Asylum, American Horror Story: Coven, and The Walking Dead.

When a bolt of lightning causes a Boston-wide blackout on her sixteenth birthday, Willow Jane doesn’t think anything of it—until she begins stopping time, until she comes face-to-face with her menacing familiar, until her sister disappears.

But these aren’t the only strange and horrifying things to come out of the storm. An ancient witch named the Shadowless has awoken and escaped from her crypt, and she’s looking for revenge on Willow Jane’s family.

From the critically acclaimed author of Black Hole Sun and Soul Enchilada, this eerie horror story lingers long after its bloody end, and is perfect for fans of Madeleine Roux, The Ghost Files, and anyone who likes things that go bump in the night.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062290168
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/05/2017
Pages:	544
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.80(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

David Macinnis Gill is the award-winning author of Soul Enchilada, Black Hole Sun, Invisible Sun, Shadow on the Sun, Rising Sun, Uncanny, and Zombie Train. His books have been named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a Kirkus Best Book, a Bank Street College Best Books of the Year, and an NYPL Stuff for the Teen Age as well as nominated for a variety of state and regional lists and awards. His short stories have appeared in several magazines and anthologies. He holds a doctorate in education from the University of Tennessee and was the president of ALAN (the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents) and an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. David Macinnis Gill lives in North Carolina.

Editorial Reviews

Those who enjoy horror will appreciate...The plethora of curses, curse blocks, and other elements inspired by Scottish folklore will enthrall fans of the supernatural, as will scenes in which Willow Jane manipulates time in order to achieve different outcomes.” — School Library Journal

“Nonstop action...awaits with every turn of the page, making this a quick read. ...Fans of Daniel Kraus’ Rotters and Scowler will dive into Uncanny and demand more.”  — New York Journal of Books

From the Publisher

Nonstop action...awaits with every turn of the page, making this a quick read. ...Fans of Daniel Kraus’ Rotters and Scowler will dive into Uncanny and demand more.” 

New York Journal of Books

09/01/2017
Gr 9 Up—Willow Jane's 16th birthday is marked by a citywide blackout in her hometown of Boston and a series of inexplicable events that range from eerie to downright horrifying. A 400-year-old witch, the Shadowless, who has a penchant for tearing people's thumbs off, emerges from her crypt seeking revenge for deeds done to her by Willow Jane's family centuries ago. In the ensuing hours, Willow Jane learns of the witch's vendetta and her own burgeoning supernatural power. Now the protagonist has to remove the witch's curse from her family and all of Boston before it is too late. The brevity of the chapters keeps the story moving at a rapid clip. Those who enjoy horror will appreciate vivid descriptions of the smell of seared skin, the appearance of a face with lips recently ripped off, and the feel of ravenous crows eating human flesh. The plethora of curses, curse blocks, and other elements inspired by Scottish folklore will enthrall fans of the supernatural, as will scenes in which Willow Jane manipulates time in order to achieve different outcomes. Willow Jane's tough-talking BFF, Siobhan, provides drams of comic relief and comforting realism. Harken, the witch's familiar who mesmerizes people with his good looks, has his own compelling backstory and he provides a romantic foil for Willow Jane. VERDICT Consider buying where demand for horror novels is high.—Jennifer Prince, Buncombe County Public Libraries, NC

School Library Journal

2017-07-17
Willow Jane's power awakens—as does an ancient enemy.In predominantly white and Irish South Boston, an odd lightning storm on Willow Conning's 16th birthday awakens supernatural beings from their slumber. While a handsome, cookie-cutter paranormal-romance hero named Harken animates the corpse of an unfortunate white homeless man, a trio of teens (including one of Willow's best friends and her ex-boyfriend) disturbs a grave containing a newly disturbed evil in search of treasure—which, unsurprisingly, doesn't end well. Meanwhile Willow struggles to pay her family's rent, dealing with a grasping landlord who's after a Meissen egg that Willow secretly pawned and is desperate to get back. Soon Willow is manipulating time, people are turning up dead, powerful beings are after the egg, and a poem warning about the Shadowless haunts Willow. Refrains—the poem and a creepy singsong rhyme—occur frequently enough to lose impact, and the disdain that the text shows toward the killed characters before their deaths (and the mild reactions displayed by other characters) doesn't inspire readers to care either. Hundreds of pages after receiving a letter written years ago by her dead father, Willow reads it and learns about the family magic—only after her younger sister is threatened. She and Harken make their way through predictable misunderstandings, using the egg to fight the Shadowless. A bloated, sloppy mess. (Paranormal romance. 12-adult)

Kirkus Reviews