Summer of Night

by Dan Simmons · 1991

Set in the summer of 1960 in the small town of Elm Haven, Illinois, this horror novel follows a group of five twelve-year-old boys—Mike, Duane, Dale, Harlen, and Kevin—as they confront an ancient, malevolent supernatural force awakening in their soon-to-be-closed elementary school, Old Central. The narrative masterfully blends graphic supernatural horror with a poignant, detailed portrait of childhood friendship, small-town routines, and the transition from innocence to experience in mid-twentieth-century America.