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Bentley Little
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The Influence Kindle Edition

by Bentley Little (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 557 ratings
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Everything is about to change...

When Ross Lowry moves into his cousin's guest house in the small community of Magdalena, Arizona, he expects nothing more than breathing room and a brief respite from his economic woes.
But something is not right in the desert.

After a raucous party on New Year's Eve, the luck of the attendees undergoes an immediate U-turn. The rich and successful suddenly find themselves facing catastrophic failure while the less well-off are unexpectedly flush with good fortune.

This is only the beginning...

Soon the citizens of Magdalena are experiencing unnatural desires.

Next their children begin to disappear and freakish creatures emerge from the surrounding wilderness.

The community is unraveling at a frightening pace.

But these are merely the early warning signs of a showdown with a powerful force of darkness that could obliterate the world forever, and only Ross Lowry sees the danger that lurks ahead...
Previous page
  1. Print length
    416 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    December 2, 2013
  5. File size
    852 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Laid off from his engineering job, down-on-his-luck Ross accepts an invitation to live in his cousin Lita’s guest shack in the microscopic desert burg of Magdalena, Arizona. There he finds a simpler life that appeals to him, a girl he’s crazy about, and some hideous miniature kangaroos with rat faces. Okay, let’s back up. It was during local bigwig Cameron Holt’s New Year’s Eve party that the entire assemblage celebrated at midnight by shooting their guns into the air. The problem? Their bullets hit something. Something god-awful. Right now it’s stored inside Holt’s smokehouse. And its influence is bringing some people fantastically good luck and others bad—very bad. It’s also turning Magdalena into a jungle of mutated creatures that would make Dr. Moreau proud: gigantic chickens, zombie dogs, living cookies, animate scarecrows, whistling flowers, and oh-so-much more. Yes, the criminally overlooked Little might go a little too crazy here, but his small-town-loses-its-shit recalls his masterful The Mailman (1991), and that should be all the recommendation fans need. --Daniel Kraus

Review

''Yes, the criminally overlooked Little might go a little too crazy here, but his small-town-loses-its-shitt recalls his masterful The Mailman, and that should be all the recommendation fans need.'' --Booklist

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00H3OUU4C
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cemetery Dance Publications (December 2, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 2, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 852 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 557 ratings

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Bentley Little

Bentley Little

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
557 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Fred Rayworth
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Icky Bug
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2015
Verified Purchase
I’ve been wanting to read The Influence for a long time. The problem is that the book isn’t available in regular bookstores. I don’t buy a lot of stuff on-line, but when the opportunity finally came, I added this Bentley Little story to the package. I’m glad I did.

I’ve been a fan of Bentley’s work for decades and though some of his stuff can be hit or miss, this one was a definite hit. It was full of his trademark shock and awe moments but this time, it had a nice story that crept up on me.

Things started a bit slow and built to the inevitable climax. Along the way, I didn’t have a clue as to what the incident was that precipitated all the bad and good things that were happening until well over halfway through. That was an aha moment.

To me, there were plenty of ironic bits which included the resolution at the end.

I was able to close the book with a smile on my face. That’s the whole point of it all and I get really upset when I read, especially an icky bug novel, and the ending stinks. This story was fun, had plenty of icky bugs, likable characters, fast-paced and easy to read prose and ended on a high note. Can’t ask for better than that. Highly recommended.
10 people found this helpful
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TheBehrg
4.0 out of 5 stars Not his best but a fun read nonetheless
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2015
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This book was a trip into a psychedelic Wonderland where almost anything is possible. Anything, that is, but a satisfying ending.

Your average Joe protagonist, Ross, is hit by a bout of bad luck, losing his job, amongst other things, and ends up in the ho-dunk town of Magdalena, AZ, staying in his cousin's back house. As always, Little is a master at weaving a tale and his easy prose and relatable characters are instantly accessible and likable.

Yet you know all is not as it seems. (This is a Bentley Little novel after all).

Without diving into spoilers, something happens in town which causes strange occurrences to radiate outward to the citizens of this little town. This is where the book really excelled, exploring diverse characters in some of the oddest exchanges you will ever read.

Singing flowers? Check.
A pet sematary dog that walks on its hind legs? Check.
Chicken eggs that hatch into monsters? Check.
Gingerbread cookies that scream as they cook? Check.

(And these are the semi-normal ones)

This half of the novel read almost like a collection of short stories, some horror, some humorous, some ... just out there. I will say the ScareCrow bit was fantastic. But once the weird started becoming commonplace the shock value lessoned and it was difficult to fully appreciate all that was going on.

Unfortunately, as is often the case with Little novels, the last 20% of this book felt like the author got tired of his own story and just raced along to the first conclusion he could come up with. For a novel that had so many oddities, the ending was lackluster and it's unpredictability was relegated only to how predictable it was compared with the rest of the book. I definitely felt a little cheated; a similar reaction to King's "Revival" where I was hoping for a little more oomph.

Despite the flawed ending this was a fun read and one I'm glad I picked up, though it's definitely not making my "to-read-again" list.
A generous 3.5 / 5 stars.
3 people found this helpful
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Mylene
3.0 out of 5 stars What happened to the Great Bentley Little?
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2014
Verified Purchase
Hard to reconcile this book with other Bentley Little novels. This is not to say that fans of Little would not be able to recognize the usual irony that pervade his tales. However, this novel, in particular, was very slow and lacking the excitement that I felt reading gems like The Store, The Policy, The Mailman, The Walking, and the more recent, The Disappearance. There was also a moodiness, to the point of depression, in the tale. The main character, Ross, was equally hard to like and hard to respect, even when at the end of the novel he finally takes the bull by the horns, as he just seems so boring and stilted. Although I made it through the book, this is easily my least favorite of Little's tales. I would not recommend it to first time Bentley Little readers, and would only suggest that true diehards (like myself), give it a quick read.
One person found this helpful
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Josh Wiles
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Horror Story
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2013
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Bentley Little is a genius. He can take the most mundane of situations and turn it into a nightmare from Hell. He's one of my favorite horror authors and has never disappointed me.

We meet the main protagonist Ross who is suffering the ill effects of the Great Recession and moves to a small town/village in Arizona called Magdalena at the behest of his cousin, Lita. At first everything is seemingly normal until New Year's Eve when a party leads to unimagined horrors. Soon, Ross realizes Magdalena isn't as nice a place to live as he thought. But when Ross realizes there's no escaping the horror can he find a way to stop it once and for all?

The Influence is another home run for Little. His ability to take something so normal and twist it into something horrific is unparalleled. Strange things that on there own are not so terrifying (a cat whistling, a dog calling out its owners name, a little girl singing obscene things, etc.) take on a new level of terror when put in the context of the story and with the other strange goings on. To list anymore than the above examples would spoil the story. But they are just the tip of the iceberg.

Typically the weakest part of a Little book is the climax. Things tend to come to a head quickly and then the threat is over too fast. His last book, The Haunted, and this one don't have that problem. The climax and it's aftermath feel organic and happen in a way that doesn't feel rushed.

If you like horror or you want an atypical horror story this book and Little's other books are for you.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

BJL
5.0 out of 5 stars another great thriller
Reviewed in Canada on October 26, 2017
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If you are a King fan you will love this writer. Uncle Stevie recommended and does not disappoint.
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Angie
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping and Entertaining, light read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 2, 2017
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Never read Bentley Little before but when writing a review for another author someone suggested him so thought I would give it a go. Absolutely loved his style of writing, so easy and fluid I had it finished in no time. Was the book scary - no not particularly but the storyline was gripping and entertaining. Satan trying to get a foothold on earth, good versus bad, nothing we haven't read before but saying that I enjoyed it enough to purchase another of his stories and can't wait to get stuck in.
One person found this helpful
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Lily Columbo
3.0 out of 5 stars Okay read
Reviewed in Germany on April 27, 2014
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Well' it's an okay read, but in my humble opinion it's nowhere near The Store, The Association or the Acadamy. Starts off creepy, but then gets a bit lengthy.
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LiseG
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on November 26, 2015
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great book
One person found this helpful
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Happy customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Another good book by Bentley Little
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 19, 2014
Verified Purchase
Typical Bentley Little, straight forward monster horror story. What else can I say? If you are looking for an easy to read entertaining horror story try this out
One person found this helpful
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