The House on the Brink

by John Gordon

Book Overview

Returning home through a bog late one night, sixteen-year-old Dick Dodds passes a trail that for some reason sends a chill up his spine. He feels the same inexplicable terror the next day when he explores the trail further and meets a girl, Helen Johnson, who saw something that looked like a man with no arms or legs moving and gliding across the landscape. The mystery deepens when a local widow, Mrs Knowles, becomes convinced that something evil has emerged from the river near her house. What is the secret of the strange and terrifying mystery of the bog? And what does it have to do with a local legend of a man who died there in the reign of King John while guarding a fabulous treasure? Dick and Helen are determined to find out, but they may soon find themselves in greater danger than they ever imagined.

Originally published for teenage readers, The House on the Brink (1970) has earned a reputation over the years as a classic of ghostly fiction in the M. R. James mode that will appeal to readers old and young alike. Long out of print and scarce on the secondhand market, John Gordon's chilling novel returns at last to haunt a new generation of readers.

'The two best novels in the M. R. James tradition are Fritz Leiber's Our Lady of Darkness and John Gordon's The House on the Brink.' - Rosemary Pardoe

'Evok[es] a world of mysterious menace . . . extremely exciting.' - Robert Nye, The Times (London)

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1954321813
• ISBN13: 9781954321816
• Release Date: October 2023
• Publisher: Valancourt Books
• Length: 162 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Mystery on the Fens

Another spine-chiller from the author of The Giant Under the Snow, this novel for older teenagers (its tone is dark and scary) has convincing characters and a strong storyline. Threads of ancient history and the supernatural are interwoven with the lives of the main characters to create a thrilling tale.I enjoyed the way the author suggests that echoes of the past can influence the present and the way the landscape is used to create atmosphere and mystery. I also like the spare but evocative style in which the story is written.