Reunion
Rick Hautala
P S Publishing, December 2009
Hardcover, $19.20
Limited Edition (100 Copies) Signed Jacketed Hardcover, $40.00
Review by Shannon Riley
Reunion is a gentle and nostalgic look back at life in small town America in 1960 and the story of thirteen-year-old Jackie Stone and the adventure that changes his life forever.
Jackie and his best friend, Chris Hooper, camp out for one last time before school begins. Giving in to Chris’s urging and against his better judgment, Jackie agrees to slip into town with his friend and spy on a fortieth high school reunion at the local country club, but the reunion is far more than it seems.
Fearful of being seen and reported to Jackie’s family or the police, they hide on the side of the road when cars go by. At the top of a rise is a bridge with no shoulder and a thirty-foot drop off onto granite boulders below. When a strange blue fog immerses the boys, the story takes on a science fiction and futuristic bent.
The author’s characterizations are flawless and he perfectly captures the mood and atmosphere of the period in this suspenseful and absorbing coming of age story. It is a story relevant to readers of any time, totally original, with a theme of childhood innocence, hopes and dreams.
Rick Hautala is author of the internationally best selling Nightstone and numerous other novels, short stories and screenplays. Reunion is one of his best and most memorable works.
With an afterward by F. Paul Wilson and a stunning cover by Tomislav Tikulin, this slim, beautiful volume is one no Hautala fan will want to miss.
Highly recommended.
