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    Firefly Rain
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    Firefly Rain
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    Firefly Rain
    Ebook358 pages6 hours

    Firefly Rain

    By Richard Dansky

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    When Jacob left home for a new life, he pretty much forgot all about Maryfield, North Carolina. But Maryfield never forgot him. Or forgave him.

    After a failed business venture in Boston, Jacob Logan comes back to the small Southern town of his childhood and takes up residence in the isolated house he grew up in. Here, the air is still. The nights are black. And his parents are buried close by. It should feel like home—but something is terribly wrong.

    Jacob loses all his belongings in a highway accident. His car is stolen from his driveway, yet he never hears a sound. The townspeople seem guarded and suspicious. And Carl, the property caretaker with so many secrets, is unnervingly accommodating. Then there are the fireflies that light the night skies . . . and die as they come near Jacob’s home. If it weren’t for the creaking sounds after dark, or the feeling that he is being watched, Jacob would feel so alone. He shouldn’t worry. He’s not.

    And whatever’s with him isn’t going to let him leave home ever again.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPocket Books
    Release dateApr 6, 2010
    ISBN9781439163276
    Unavailable
    Firefly Rain
    Author

    Richard Dansky

    Richard Dansky is a twenty-plus-year veteran of the video game industry. He has written for acclaimed franchises such as The Division, Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six, and many more. He has published eight novels, most recently GHOST OF A MARRIAGE. In addition, he was a key contributor to White Wolf's original World of Darkness setting. Richard lives in North Carolina with his cats, his books, and his collection of single malt scotches.

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    Reviews for Firefly Rain

    3.5/5

    26 ratings21 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A light creepy and spooky read. I really enjoyed it!
    • 1/5
      The premise: ganked from BN.com: When Jacob left home for a new life, he pretty much forgot all about Maryfield, North Carolina. But Maryfield never forgot him. Or forgave him.After a failed business venture in Boston, Jacob Logan comes back to the small Southern town of his childhood and takes up residence in the isolated house he grew up in. Here, the air is still. The nights are black. And his parents are buried close by. It should feel like home—but something is terribly wrong.Jacob loses all his belongings in a highway accident. His car is stolen from his driveway, yet he never hears a sound. The townspeople seem guarded and suspicious. And Carl, the property caretaker with so many secrets, is unnervingly accommodating. Then there are the fireflies that light the night skies . . . and die as they come near Jacob’s home. If it weren’t for the creaking sounds after dark, or the feeling that he is being watched, Jacob would feel so alone. He shouldn’t worry. He’s not.And whatever’s with him isn’t going to let him leave home ever again.Review style: I didn't finish it, so there's going to be no spoilers, and I won't bother with a cut. I'm simply going to explain why I stopped reading. :) Forgive me, but I'd like to make an American Idol comparison to reading. I promise, it'll make sense, even if you don't watch and/or can't stand American Idol. When you watch American Idol, there are three kinds of performances: 1) the great, which are so amazing that you can't help but want to vote and/or download the single from iTunes immediately; 2) the bad, where the singer either had a horrible song choice or just had a really bad night and gets slammed for it, which galvanizes voters to REALLY vote for this person who's their favorite, because they're afraid the singer will get kicked off on account of one bad performance when previous performances has been awesome; 3) lastly, there's the average performance. It ranges anywhere from good to okay to not-so-hot, and usually the song choices are such that you forget all about the performance a second after it's over. It's the average performance, the middle-of-the-pack singers, that are in the most trouble, because if nothing happens that inspires the voters to remember them, short of that singers' devoted fans, people tend to forget to vote for them. Another side effect is that said performance is good, and the judges say so, and voters just assume that person will be fine and decide to vote for other favorites who seem to be in trouble that night.It's a long-winded analogy, and I apologize, but here's the point: sometimes, being in the middle of the pack can hurt you, even if you're talented. That's my experience with Firefly Rain.It wasn't bad. It wasn't great. I just kept reading prose that was completely serviceable about a character who wasn't likable or sympathetic but didn't inspire hate either in a story where the coolest thing I could suss out and not predict was the fact that fireflies were everywhere in the countryside except on the narrator's property. And any firefly that was forced to cross over either got the hell out of dodge or died on the spot.Short of that, I wasn't falling for the too-obvious ghost story or the all-too-familiar creepy small town that didn't feel nearly Southern enough for me, let alone distinct. Trust me, I live in a small, Southern town, and they all have their different flavors while tasting similar. But I didn't feel the South in this book, and if I'm going to read about the very setting I live in, I don't want it to feel generic. It's a shame, cause the author is familiar with his setting, but it just didn't translate on the page (not for me). It's also a sleepy narrative. Literally. The hero, whose name is Jacob, keeps going to sleep, waking up, going to sleep, and waking up. Sure, we've got to pass the days somehow, but if sleeping and waking comprises the frame of your chapters, something's wrong with the story, and you need to kick it up a notch. And contrary to the plot summary, which implies that somebody (or somebodies) don't want Jacob to leave, they sure as hell aren't doing a GOOD job to make him stay. I won't get into details, but there's a scene, in a bathroom, involving falling, that made me question the motivations of the parties in question, because if you want a person to stick around, you don't do stuff like that.There's also the fact that Jacob's life in Boston is vague, vague, vague. So vague that I don't care that he lost it, and that distances me from the character. Look, he never wanted to come back to his hometown, so I need to see the appeal of what he's left behind in comparison to what he's stuck with, not just what he's stuck with. I need to see his motivations for steering clear rather than relying on the clichéd notion that small-town country life = bad and big city, sharp businessman = good. Relying on those things only weakens the book, creates generalizations where I want individuals, reasons to care about the story I'm reading.Truth be told, it's not a bad read. I was going along at a clipped pace when I stopped and asked myself why I was reading this. And once I asked that question, I couldn't bring myself to go forward, because I didn't care about what was happening on the page, and further research told me that a lot of readers absolutely hated the ending. So, instead of making myself finish, I found myself wishing I had another book on me (I didn't), so I played on the internet instead. If that's not a sign of boredom, I don't know what is.My RatingCouldn't Finish It: It just didn't grab me. The prose is servicable and the descriptions are clear, but nothing in the book stood out to make my hairs stand on end. Nothing grabbed my attention that had me turning the pages for answers. Once I realized I was bored and more excited to read other books in my TBR, I couldn't make myself pick it up again. That said, going back to my American Idol analogy, this isn't a bad book. It's just one of those that some people will like and others won't and it all depends on the reader. If the premise appeals to you (after all, it is a ghost story), then go for it. :) If not, or if you have your doubts, you may want to hold off for more reviews. :)
    • 4/5
      Our hero, Jacob Logan, returns to the old home place after many years in the big city only to find some creepy and curious things going on. He’s clueless, and the author makes sure that we are, too, until the very end when all is revealed.On the one hand, it’s fun to be able to go along for the ride without figuring out the ending well in advance. On the other hand, the author is so careful to leave us in the dark, some of the parts of the story are a little hard to figure out.One thing I can’t stand is a book that comes to The End — or a movie that starts rolling credits — without first providing answers. I watched a subtitled movie once that had me on the edge of my seat. And then, it was over. *None* of the questions were answered. And it was a fascinating movie, with lots of twists and turns and a big mystery that wasn’t solved at the end. I was so ticked, I looked up the movie to see if there was something I missed. Nope. The director/writer even had the audacity to state that he didn’t feel it was his responsibility to spoon feed the ending to the viewers, and liked to let us come up with our own ending(s).I beg to differ. I don’t want to work that hard. I want mindless escapism and resolution.This book reminded me of that movie, but not in such a drastic way. The main mystery *was* explained, so I have no quarrel with that. But I did still have a lot of questions that weren’t answered. Actually, I had questions about interactions throughout the book that Jacob seemed to understand the significance of, since he said so, but didn’t make sense to me.Jacob hired an old friend of his mother’s as a caretaker for the house. These guys aren’t friends, and that’s not really a spoiler because it’s obvious from the first mention. Anyway, at one point, he tells Jacob he has something important to tell him, but they have to trek out into the woods first. Okay, yeah, creepy factor here. But after the conversation, when Jacob heads back to the house, I’m thinking, “Okay, this was dramatic and scary and all of that — but he didn’t really tell him anything!” Apparently Jacob thought so — he heads to the attic to retrieve his father’s journal. Once again, the clues from this reading are vague to me, but Jacob is seems to be wiser for it.This book has sometimes been classified as a horror novel, but I didn’t get that impression. Perhaps the subtlety kept me from making that leap. It might also be the fact that I thought it was a little slow to get going. Strange things begin to happen almost immediately, but the really scary, hard to explain stuff takes awhile to show up.Quite a bit of the story revolves around Jacob’s own thoughts, with little interaction or dialog with other characters. Sometimes I found myself wishing some crazy old cat lady would visit to liven things up, but this was rare because I mostly enjoyed Richard Dansky’s writing style.I don’t know if I would read this book again, but I’m glad I read it the first time, and would recommend it to my friends who enjoy creepy stories. I think what I most enjoyed about it was that it was a new concept, not a re-run of other creepy stories just told a bit differently, but with the same reason for all the weirdness, like, for instance, revenge. I was pleasantly surprised that the finale didn’t involve any of the usual plot twist suspects.
    • 4/5
      The first thing I noticed about this book is the cover. I think it is gorgeous, and a bit misleading for a Gothic novel, it looks more like a fantasy with this cover, in my opinion. Well, you know what they say about covers and books. The author calls this book genre Snowbird Gothic, I have to admit I don't understand the term but Gothic it definitely is. I enjoyed this book, I haven't read a good scary story in awhile and the author did scare me in this one. There are some twists and turns and some unexpected points, which is always good in a ghost story. Take a look and tell me what you think!
    • 4/5
      Firefly Rain was the creepiest book I've read in a while, and I mean that in a good way!A quote on the back cover refers to this book as horror, but this isn't what I think of when I see that label.The novel has a very gothic feel, with mysterious happenings, a spooky house, a young protagonist at a crossroads in his life (although I tend to think of gothic novels as featuring women), and even a little romance (key to the plot, although not to the storytelling).The book examines what it mean to be from someplace and what it means to belong somewhere. The small town seems like a character at times, and you wonder if the residents are driving the towns atmosphere, or if the town is influencing the actions of the people.I found Jacob to be flawed but sympathetic, and even more importantly, I found him interesting. He's worked hard on his business all of his adult life, and has retreated to his childhood home to decide what comes next.The secondary characters were flat, but deliberately so, I think. They were catalysts in a story that really was about Jacob, his parent's house and the town he was raised it.I'm looking forward to reading more by Richard Dansky.
    • 4/5
      This book moved very fast! I enjoyed following Jacob as he tries to figure out why strange things are happening in and around his childhood home. The fact that no fireflies would come onto his property was creepy and then to find out that when they were forced by Jacob to come into his yard, they immediately died. What did it mean? Was there a connection to his dead parents, whose graves are in a field behind the house? And what about Carl....a cranky old codger that never wants to be bothered, yet he is always showing up at Jacob's door?I liked Mr. Danksy's writing style. I am also a sucker for Southern Fiction, especially North Carolina, since this is where I live. This is the first novel of his that I have read, and it won't be the last. My attention was held throughout the book, and the ending was something not to be believed. I highly recommend it!If you enjoy scary books, then this is a must- read for you. Southern Gothic Horror at it's best!
    • 4/5
      This is a good book to curl up with under the covers on a dark and stormy evening. A haunted house, a small-town setting that is both charming and creepy at turns, and a prodigal son returning from the big city years after his parents' death, who gets sucked into it all. Jacob Logan, the main character, has a dry, sardonic wit as he narrates that had me laughing out loud, and was good comic relief in between the spooky bits. He's a believable character particularly in his response to the odd events that unfold around him.My one complaint with the novel is the ending-- it felt a bit too rushed, and something of a letdown. But the novel as a whole was excellent-- slow, delicious buildup to a series of disturbing events, fun characters, witty dialogue, spooky setting and page-turning suspense that will keep you up late turning the pages-- and hiding under the covers.
    • 4/5
      What a creepy little book and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It is full of ghosts, strange townsfolk, eerie house, mysterious fireflies and things that go bump in the night. Half the time I didn't know which end was up while reading the book and I think it was what the author intended. It was a quick read, I finished it within just a couple of days, which was great for me since I started it a little later than I would have liked to. The story is very reminiscence of a Stephen King, Dean Koontz, or a John Saul kind of book, entertaining and chock full of creepiness perfect for a dark and stormy night sitting by a fireplace.(publisher for blog tour)
    • 4/5
      Jacob Logan is at a crossroads with his life in Boston. Hoping to find a sense of direction, he returns to his small, rural hometown in North Carolina to take up residence in his childhood home years after his parents deaths. He is alone in an isolated house but this is exactly what he needs...You know this cannot turn out well. There is the odd discovery that fireflies avoid the property - landing on the Logan land is equal to death. Jacob's car is stolen and the strange Officer Hanratty is one minute concerned and the next minute angry at Jacob. Carl, the hired caretaker, is creepy, sneaky, and plain mean and others in the town are acting very strange. And of course, there are the bumps and crashes in the night. Carl knew his parents, especially his mother, was hurt by his infrequent visits but he cannot imagine they are behind these chilling events.Richard Dansky has created an entertaining, old-fashioned haunted house/ghost story in Firefly Rain. The story is suspenseful and I was intrigued after just a few pages. There are moments of overt scares but the book is at it's best when there is the slow build to what seems like a small outcome. Jacob's character evolves from trying to find earthbound explanations for all of his odd experiences to accepting there may be supernatural forces at work. The other characters are also interesting - are they really that accommodating and pleasant? The house and the land have a large role in the story and Mr. Dansky's descriptions of the rooms, yard and family grave add to the eerie feeling.I would like to thank Sarah from Pocket books for a copy of this book.
    • 5/5
      Right off the bat I will tell you that I read FIREFLY RAIN by Richard Dansky in one sitting. I never meant to, but once I turned the first page, the rest followed rather quickly. Not only was the writing style easy to follow and pleasant, the story was compelling; always developing new twists and turns to keep the reader hooked. Jacob Logan is a failed businessman, having lost heart in the business that kept him away from home. Having first left for college, Jacob felt drawn away from home and stayed on in Boston moving up in the business world. As we learn in the beginning of the story, his decision to separate himself from his family was not one that his parents agreed with. Try as they might to convince him to come home, Jacob rarely did. Returning for his father’s funeral and then a few select times before his mother’s funeral, Jacob neglected his promise to spend more time with his parents. Now, returning to his empty family home and the town he left, Jacob will discover that promises are meant to be kept.We all know I get creeped out by scary stories. For me, however, a creepy story is rarely one that involves vampires, werewolves, zombies or other monsters. Scary stories are ghost stories, stories where things go bump in the night where the reader can fully expect something terrifying to be lurking in every dark corner and hover right behind them. That’s a scary story to me.FIREFLY RAIN somehow managed to hover between the line of scary story and not so scary story. I would call this an intriguing horror that I would definitely read again. The real part of this story that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up is the suspense. Mr. Dansky develops the story in such a way that the reader never knows what’s going to happen next, and right when you start to form a guess as to what is going on, he throws a wrench into the mix that keeps you guessing. It was really easy to become involved with this story, losing myself within the pages. The character development and progression of the plot never slowed down or got stuck in the mud. It’s easy to see that the author put a lot of energy into moving the story forward, hooking us and keeping us hooked.Would I normally read a bump in the night story that’s pretty much guaranteed to give me nightmares? Probably not (although now I am seriously reevaluating that). Would I read FIREFLY RAIN again? Oh yes! Not only did I get a decent adrenaline rush from the suspense and action in the book, but different parts, especially the end, left me with fodder for my brain to munch on for a while. From the time I woke up this morning to now as I write this review, I have probably thought back to the ending of the story six or seven times, revisiting different aspects and pondering what it means for the future. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good read and doesn’t mind a bit of fright. More than a simple scary story, there is a deeper plot in FIREFLY RAIN as Jacob has to come to terms with his life, his views of the town he group up with, and his treatment of his family. Creating a well rounded story that gave enough terror to keep the lights on in my house while providing enough drama to keep me in a chair reading for 4.5 hours, this is a book that is sure to grab the attention of readers everywhere.
    • 4/5
      From my blog...Jacob Logan's business has failed and he decides to pack up and take a break back at his childhood home in North Carolina, a place he has not been in many years, a place he has tried to forget. Thus begins Firefly Rain by Richard Dansky, a novel were things do more than go bump in the night. One fond memory Jacob holds is of catching fireflies, yet none appear to cross onto his property line. His car refuses to start, then is stolen without a trace while he sleeps, a set of toy soldiers mysteriously appear on his front door step, and most disturbing is his crabby caretaker Carl. Firefly Rain begins at a slower pace, transferring the reader from the fast-paced life of the main character's Boston, back to his small hometown in North Carolina and from there, Dansky picks up speed and the novel becomes a fast paced thriller leaving the reader a series of clues to follow. Dansky makes certain there is just enough information about his characters, especially Jacob Logan, Carl and Officer Hanratty and a few others (no spoilers from me) to keep the reader on their toes as well as giving the reader a detailed look into life in this strange small town. Firefly Rain is similar to a cozy mystery insofar as all the information is given upfront, then all similarities end and the reader is in for a delightfully faced-paced thriller which will keep the reader engaged into the wee hours of the morning.
    • 4/5
      I very much enjoyed this book. The main character, Jacob Logan, returns to the small town in which he grew up to think about his future. Upon his return strange things being to happen and some of the towns people treat him like an outsider. The ending was a little flat but I will continue to recommend this book to people.
    • 4/5
      Richard Dansky’s first original novel, Firefly Rain, is a wonderful tale that follows the tradition of the southern gothic ghost story. And yet it’s not just about ghosts. It’s about relationships, memory, and family. The plot, in brief, is fairly straight forward: A young man, Jacob Logan, has returned to the small town he grew up to collect his thoughts after living and thriving in business. Both his parents have died, but he still has the old family house to stay in. The trouble starts almost the moment he moves back into the house he grew up in. Elements of the supernatural, local legends and myths, and his own repressed memories all combine to weave a mystery that slowly becomes a life-or-death struggle for Logan to solve.Though the plot is straightforward enough, what stands out most in Firefly Rain is Dansky’s absolutely magnificent pacing. The build he structures from the very first page is simply masterful, and it infects every element of his story. Even the dual love stories are constructed and entwined in such a way that, when they finally intersect, they build off each other rather than play against each other. As Dansky continues to weave his story elements together, the relationships between these elements is what creates the mounting feeling of fear. So while Firefly Rain isn’t really a horror novel, it is a thrilling and often times chilling read.Another of Dansky’s strengths is his creation of setting and place. True to the southern gothic tradition, the various places that Firefly Rain is set in are as much a character Logan or Carl (the caretaker hired on to manage the family homestead in Logan’s absence). Logan’s house has a life all it’s own, as do various parts of his property and the little town of Maryfield itself. Through the relationships Logan develops with these places, they become an increasingly active and important part of the primary storyline, and the secondary storylines are totally dependent upon the various locations.There are a few shortcomings to Firefly Rain however. Most importantly, it starts out amazingly slow. The first dozen pages creep along as introductions are made and all the basic elements are put into place. Though Dansky’s pacing is evident even this early, there was just barely enough going on to keep me interested. For the most part it’s all establishing information that Dansky builds upon and refers back to throughout the book. And yet there is a distinct lack of information about the immediate past of Logan. There is precious little backstory given, and the reader is left to build a character from scratch through his actions from the start of the novel on. Normally, this would be a wonderful choice, but without a solid foundation of the big city nature Logan has developed since he left his small hometown, it is difficult to see how much he changes, if at all, as the story progresses. This is particularly important when we get to the final scenes and the eventual obligatory confrontation between the townsfolk and Logan.Which is one reason the ending fell terribly flat for me. It wasn’t just that I saw it coming a mile a way, which I did, or the loose ends Dansky left dangling, which he does. The primary storyline is, of course, completely resolved. But the secondary storylines are left dangling and feeling incomplete. Specifically, the final outcome of the major relationships, which Dansky crafted so wonderfully throughout the story, are left with no solid resolution because the reader was never really given a firm starting point for Logan’s character. Without that foundation, it’s difficult to see exactly how much Logan has changed over the course of the book. It’s almost as if Dansky were trying to leave himself an out for a possible sequel or prequel, building his own version of Castle Rock or Yoknapatawpha County.Though it has its problems, Firefly Rain is a solid introductory novel, and, due to the pacing and structure, a really enjoyable read. It’s wonderfully crafted, and the characterizations, for the most part, are explored through charming and believable relationships. I’ll be keeping an eye out for more original Dansky titles in the future.
    • 4/5
      I loved the descriptive style of Dansky's writing. There were some really creepy scenes, and the pacing was fantastic.The mystery and horror elements could have blended better. The characters felt a little flat, and the portrayal of the main character's mother felt really off to me.The ending was a let-down, but mostly because some of the earlier parts of the book were so good. I'll definitely try another book by this author.
    • 3/5
      Firefly Rain. The title has a certain beauty to it that promised a good story. I feel like the book may have fallen just short of the mark, however. The basic premise is a guy going back to his hometown after his folks have been dead several years. There is clearly some king of haunting going on, but not of the truly scary variety. Unfortunately, after a slow start, I felt like the ending was a bit rushed and he tried too hard to get the resolution the reader would wantDespite the plots downfalls, the prose was beautiful and some of the descriptive passages quite lovely. Granted this is Mr. Dansky's first full length novel, and it was worth spending the time on to check out something new, but it just seemed to lack the real spook factor I think he was going for. If you're looking for the creepy haunted house stuff, I'd opt for a different one than this. If you're ok with a fair mystery with ghosts involved this may be the one for you.
    • 3/5
      I had high hopes for this novel, particularly as it started out well and demonstrated that Richard Dansky has some writing talent. In the end, my less than enthusiastic review comes down to two main factors, one of which is entirely my fault: namely that the "paranoia" theme - particularly in a small town where everyone seems to be in on "the secret" and is vaguely hostile to the newcomer - is one of my least favorite plot types.Leaving my own preferences aside however, I can see that Richard Dansky has some orginal ideas and has a real talent for writing descriptive passages. After reading the book I could not only imagine what his parents' home looked like, but almost smell it as well. The only real fault I had with his writing was a "cardboard-y" feel to his characters that never let them move beyond one dimensional place holders. Even the narrator is described unevenly and his decisions and actions lack a coherent motivation.That being said, I would definitely pick up another book by Mr. Dansky as he has all the potential to be a very fine writer after he gains a little more experience.
    • 3/5
      Firefly Rain is a first novel written by Richard Dansky. In this book, Jacob Logan returns to his childhood home in Mayfield, North Carolina, after his business in Boston fails. His plan is to take stock of his situation, regain his confidence, and just chill out for a few weeks. But once he arrives, he finds more than just memories in the old house. And someone, or something, just doesn't want him to leave. Being a first novel, this story has a few problems. It starts off at a very slow pace, before finally finding its momentum; but Dansky's writing is concise and his characters are likable. I enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. It's plot is original and it has a creepy underlying theme. Some promises are just not meant to be broken. Firefly Rain is a subtle ghost story, which will haunt your thoughts; you will never look at fireflies the same way again.
    • 1/5
      Firefly Rain tells the story of Jacob Logan. After going away to college in Boston, and subsequently failing with his own business, Jacob returns to his hometown of Maryfield, North Carolina. Since the death of his parents the mysterious Carl has been caretaker of the Logan family home. Jacob assumes control of the household from Carl only to find out that he's not alone. This is the debut novel from Richard Dansky, a video game writer and designer living in North Carolina. The book is published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. I received this book as an advance reading copy as a result of my participation in the Early Reviewers Group on Library Thing. I found myself disappointed with this book. The plot moved along at a snail's pace early and never gathered much momentum. I found the main character, Jacob, very dull. It was hard for me to care what happened to him. There were at least two holes in the story. I admit they were minor, but I had a hard time getting past that. The ending of the story was the biggest disappointment. After trudging along through the whole book, I was expecting a fantastic ending. I didn't get it. I was hoping for an ending that would make the experience of reading this book worth it. But instead the ending was clumsy and somewhat “kooky”.While I can't recommend this book to anyone, I think future books from Dansky could be better. He has a tight grasp on the mechanics of writing and I found his style very easy to read. I will give this author a second chance should he write another book.
    • 5/5
      Glory be to the literary Gods! The novel is still alive and well in America!This is a first novel by Richard Dansky, a professional video game engineer and teacher, who lives in North Carolina.It is also the first book released by a new imprint titled: "Wizards of the Coast -- Discoveries." both of the above have a 100 percent track record.Dansky's prose follows the literary paths of Flannery O'Connor and James Dickey, while providing a fresh look at the real difference between "home" and "a place you pay rent or a mortage on."Dansky's characterzations are marvelous. Using Papa's adage that "less in more," he paints a pointillistic picture of the preacher, the drug store owner, the black female cop, and Adrianne and Jenna, both of whom I liked.That's the whole point, I think. There wasn't anyone in the book I didn't like, not even Carl. I think it's an efficient and sharp usage of such characterization to make all those in such a love story as we have here likeable, if not loveable.It is a love story, you know. Much more than it's a ghost story. If one hails from either the rural South or the mountainous Northeast of these United States, you know what Dansky's doing here. But if you are city born and bred, youi'll probably say "this isn't real," "it screws up at the end," or" he lost me back in the library basement," (or wherever).Chestertown, New York, about 30 miles into the Adirondack Mouintains, has 500 population. Growing up there and then moving to southern towns, I knew the completeness of the life cycle with our belief in ghosts as departed souls who hadn't finished their tasks in life, and who must wander amongst us until they or one of the living completed that task.For the city person, this may seem "unreal," and "Promises" for city people seem to be just words, while in the country Promises are kept.Dansky's language is delicious! Try this opening from the first page of the book:"I remember a night when I was six years old the way most folks remember their first kiss. Six years old and full of fire, wandering around the house with an empty glass jar in my hand." Instantly, I am six years old again, wandering in my back fields with a glass jar, holes punched in the top, trying to catch worms, a frog or two, maybe even a snake. I have rarely been transported into an author's world with such ease.I usually read three or four books at once, but from the first line of "Firefly Rain" the only thing that got between me and the end of the book was a night's sleep. I think the last time I did that was with John Irving's "Garp" novel.I do hope this new bright (young?) voice celebrating our language and our heritage will continue to write and be published. I have been trying to write such a novel for five decades now, and possibly this summer's effort will be such. But I am 65 with four books under my belt, and this young whipper-snapper has written a beautiful story, a classic piece, his first time around!I do hate him so, but I love his book!
    • 4/5
      Firefly Rain is about Jacob Logan's return to his North Carolina country home after a business failure in Boston. His plan is to only stay for a few weeks to recoup and then return to the city living, but right off the bat it's apparent that someone, or something, wants to keep him on the Logan land. This is a story about promises made, then broken or kept, and the power they have over a life, and about how far some will go to keep a promise.As this is the first novel for Richard Dansky, somethings with this book are forgiveable. His overuse of words and phrases begin to grate the nerves and become laughable. There is a lack of dimension to the characters in this book, and I had a hard time feeling any sympathy for Logan. Some things in the story are presented, then nothing ever comes of it (I'm still trying to figure out what connection the toy soldiers and the mudroom had.) Some of the scenes that are meant to scare fall a little flat.But, having said all that, I do think that, overall, this is a good book. I was personally touched by the connection and pull of the land on Logan. I'm first generation off the farm, and would go back to the family farm if I could. I was impressed by the way Dansky portrayed this with depth. While, I don't think this book will be on a bestseller list, I could see this as a made-for-tv movie, maybe on the Sci-Fi channel. For those who enjoy their mystery with a side of the supernatural, this is a solid read.
    • 4/5
      Returning home to gather his thoughts, this guy gets more than he bargained for. Ghosts of the past harrass the daylights out him. While it turns a bit cheesy, I thought is was a good, enjoyable read.