Nightjack

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Tom Piccirilli's The Last Kind Words.This lyrical tale of evil, loss, and redemption is a stunning addition to the Southern gothic tradition of Flannery O'Connor and Harry Crews. A Choir of Ill Children is the startling story of Kingdom Come, a decaying, swamp backwater that draws the lost, ill-fated, and damned. Since his mother's disappearance and his father's suicide, Thomas has cared for his three brothers—conjoined triplets with separate bodies but one shared brain—and the town's only industry, the Mill. Because of his family's prominence, Thomas is feared and respected by the superstitious swamp folk. Granny witches cast hexes while Thomas's childhood sweetheart drifts through his life like a vengeful ghost and his best friend, a reverend suffering from the power of tongues, is overcome with this curse as he tries to warn of impending menace. All Thomas learns is that “the carnival is coming.” Torn by responsibility and rage, Thomas must face his tormented past as well as the mysterious forces surging toward the town he loves and despises.

A Choir of Ill Children tells the story Kingdom Come - a decaying, lust-filled swampy backwater of a southern town. Piccirilli's lyrical, atmospheric tale of murder and redemption is a startling, breakout novel in the southern gothic tradition pioneered by the likes of William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor

Since his mother's mysterious death, and his father's suicide, Thomas has been force to take care of his three brothers, Jonah, Cole, and Sebastian. conjoined triplets who have 3 bodies, but share a single brain. In addition to the care of his three brothers, Thomas has inherited Kingdom Come's only industry and source of jobs, The Mill.

Because of this position of wealth and power, he is at once feared and respected by the backwards, superstitious townsfolk. The walls that have grown up between Thomas and his fellow residents of Kingdom Come are high, and hide many strange, unexpected things.

The town's "Granny witches" cast their spells, and read their auguries, trying to win influence over Thomas, while his childhood sweetheart Maggie must decide what, if any kind of relationship they will have. When Thomas's best friend, Drabs Bibbler (a reverend who suffers from the power of tongues), tries to pass on a warning of impending danger to Thomas, he is overcome by his "gift". All Thomas learns is "The carnival is coming."

With the help of Maggie, The Granny Witches, and pieces of his past that he thought lost, Thomas must face the strange forces that are swirling towards the people and town that he loves.

Publishers Weekly

In this compelling Southern Gothic, Piccirilli (whose 2002 novel The Night Class has grabbed the Stoker for Best Novel) presents a searing portrait of twisted souls trapped in a wasteland. Thomas, the wealthiest inhabitant of the swamp-infested county of Kingdom Come, a bastion of superstition and ignorance where he's simultaneously reviled and revered, lives with his brothers, conjoined triplets sharing a single brain who act as a sort of Delphic oracle. Thomas also shares a platonic relationship with his wife Maggie: the two were married by his best friend Drub, a black preacher with a penchant for nudity and prophecy. Into this jambalaya intrudes a northern film student (who falls in love with one of the triplets), a sexually precocious young girl from the swamps and a "dog kicker" who terrorizes Kingdom Come. When the local granny witches become agitated and accuse Thomas of neglecting his duties to the land, you can just bet there's plenty of trouble ahead. Piccirilli masterfully increases the tension by playing with stereotypes and manipulating the flaws of his subjects' characters, creating a world where what happens on the outside is a pale reflection of what goes on inside. As such, the novel will appeal both to genre fans and to readers of Flannery O'Connor and even of William Faulkner. James Lee Burke and Harry Crews devotees should also take note. (July) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

An alternative cover for this ISBN can be found (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33397861-a-choir-of-ill-children) here This lyrical tale of evil, loss, and redemption is a stunning addition to the Southern gothic tradition of Flannery OConnor and Harry Crews. A Choir of Ill Children is the startling story of Kingdom Come, a decaying, swamp backwater that draws the lost, ill-fated, and damned. Since his mothers disappearance and his fathers suicide, Thomas has cared for his three brothersconjoined triplets with separate bodies but one shared brainand the towns only industry, the Mill. Because of his familys prominence, Thomas is feared and respected by the superstitious swamp folk. Granny witches cast hexes while Thomass childhood sweetheart drifts through his life like a vengeful ghost and his best friend, a reverend suffering from the power of tongues, is overcome with this curse as he tries to warn of impending menace. All Thomas learns is that the carnival is coming. Torn by responsibility and rage, Thomas must face his tormented past as well as the mysterious forces surging toward the town he loves and despises. This lyrical tale of evil, loss, and redemption is a stunning addition to the Southern gothic tradition of Flannery O'Connor and Harry Crews.A Choir of Ill Children is the startling story of Kingdom Come, a decaying, swamp backwater that draws the lost, ill-fated, and damned. Since his mother's disappearance and his father's suicide, Thomas has cared for his three brothers--conjoined triplets with separate bodies but one shared brain--and the town's only industry, the Mill.Because of his family's prominence, Thomas is feared and respected by the superstitious swamp folk. Granny witches cast hexes while Thomas's childhood sweetheart drifts through his life like a vengeful ghost and his best friend, a reverend suffering from the power of tongues, is overcome with this curse as he tries to warn of impending menace. All Thomas learns is that "the carnival is coming."Torn by responsibility and rage, Thomas must face his tormented past as well as the mysterious forces surging toward the town he loves and despises.From the Paperback edition. "The startling story of Kingdom Come, a decaying, swamp backwater that draws the lost, ill-fated, and damned. Since his mother's disappearance and his father's suicide, Thomas has cared for his three brothers--conjoined triplets with separate bodies but one shared brain--and the town's only industry, the Mill. Because of his family's prominence, Thomas is feared and respected by the superstitious swamp folk. Granny witches cast hexes while Thomas's childhood sweetheart drifts through his life like a vengeful ghost. His best friend, a reverend suffering from the power of tongues, is overcome with this curse as he tries to warn of impending menace. All Thomas learns is that "the carnival is coming". Torn by responsibility and rage, Thomas must face his tormented past as well as the mysterious forces surging toward the town he loves and despises."--Publisher's description Pace is released from a mental institution, only to be kidnapped by three other escapees, all suffering from multiple personality disorder. What ensues is a wild, surreal adventure leading finally to a Greek island, where everyone may wind up dead unless Pace willingly releases the darkest persona of all...Nightjack.