‘The Reach’ – Nate Kenyon

Having an excerpt from the author’s ‘next book’ after the ‘main feature’ can be a cool yet frustrating experience. I very much enjoyed Nate Kenyon’s ‘Bloodstone’ and reading the excerpt from ‘The Reach’ really whetted my appetite for more of the same. However, the thing with excerpts is that’s all you get until the book itself is published. Talk about being left hanging...
Well, I’m hanging no longer having finished off ‘The Reach’ over a days commute to and from work (it’s only two hundred and seventy six pages round). Maybe I psyched myself up for this a little too much, as it’s no ‘Bloodstone’, but it’s still worth a read...

The Wasserman facility is home to children who either have developmental disabilities or are mentally ill. It’s also home to ten year old Sarah who is locked away in the basement for her own safety and that of others. Sarah has been diagnosed as schizophrenic but psychology graduate Jess Chambers is about to find out that the truth is different... and far more dangerous.
A lot of money stands to be made from Sarah’s abilities and Jess realises that she must get Sarah to safety, for Sarah’s protection and to stop her letting loose her powers in the most destructive ways imaginable...

I found ‘The Reach’ to be a very quick read, not only because of its length but also because it’s a gripping read that really had me turning the pages to see what happened next and if my questions were answered. As it happened, all my questions were answered and Kenyon still found time to spring a couple of surprises on me (including one that I never saw coming). The big plot twist did seem a little shaky though; it was plausible enough but didn’t seem to have much behind it which made it look like it was there for spectacle rather than anything to do with the story itself...

The plot itself moved quickly and smoothly with lots happening and plenty of hooks that kept me interested. ‘The Reach’ has a definite supernatural element but, unlike ‘Bloodstone’, concentrates more on the horror that people can inflict all by themselves. Grounding horror in reality, in this manner, works well for me because as well as having that empathy with the characters the reader is also forced to face up to the possibility that they have that same darkness lurking within them. I found myself asking the question of what I would stoop to for stacks of cash or if I had no choice in the matter... You just can’t get that same level of involvement in a novel about monstrous creatures!
Kenyon also has a real flair for writing scenes of out and out destruction. After you’ve read the final few pages you won’t want to get on the wrong side of Sarah!

Where ‘The Reach’ falls down slightly is the parallels that it has with other, more established, works. Does the notion of a girl with psychic powers wreaking havoc, on her tormentors, sound familiar to you? If it doesn’t then read Stephen King’s ‘Firestarter’ or ‘Carrie’ and it soon will. While ‘Bloodstone’ was set in the same locale as King’s book, ‘The Reach’ employs a similar theme to the books already mentioned and lives in their shadow as a result. I’ll be interested to see what would happen if Kenyon took his next book out from under this influence.

Despite all this, ‘The Reach’ is a worthy follow up to ‘Bloodstone’ and promises good things if you’re a fan of horror fiction. I’ll be following Nate Kenyon’s work for sure!

Eight out of Ten.