 First edition cover of 2012 hardback | |
| Author | Scott Sigler |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Crown Publishing |
Publication date | April 3, 2012 (print), 2007 (podcast) |
| Media type | Print (2012 Hardback and e-book), Podcast |
| Pages | 576 |
| ISBN | 0307406342 |
Nocturnal is a novel and podcast by author Scott Sigler. The novel was originally released in 2007 in podcast format, with a print format releasing in 2012 by Crown Publishing with some elements from the original version altered.
The book is set in San Francisco and is narrated from multiple perspectives, largely that of Bryan Clauser, a homicide detective known for his calm, cold demeanor. This is in stark contrast to the personality of his partner Lawrence "Pookie" Chang, who spends much of his time making wise-cracks and writing the series bible for a TV series he's developing. The two come across a series of ritualistic murders that appear to be initially unconnected but eventually prove to be related to a teenager by the name of Rex Deprovdechuk. During all of the murders Bryan and Rex both have a series of dreams where they see bizarre, monstrous people murdering the victims in the name of an as yet unknown king. Unbeknownst to the others, the monsters have kidnapped multiple individuals including the homeless junkie Aggie James.
Rex is extremely unpopular at his school and was frequently the subject of physical abuse by his mother and by a gang of bullies called "BoyCo". He's initially unaware that he is the reason for the murders but finds himself genuinely enjoying the murder dreams, not only because he's witnessing his bullies' suffering but also because he finds the violence sexually appealing. Meanwhile, Bryan and Pookie investigate the crimes with the help of Pookie's former partner John "Black Mr. Burns" Smith and find that the murders are being committed by a group called "Marie's Children". The group is steeped in mystery as any records of the group- and their opponents "The Saviors"- have been expunged from multiple places. Rex is eventually approached by Sly and a few members of Marie's Children, who tell him that he is their king and is destined to lead them to a glorious new future. Sly and the others help Rex murder his abusive mother and then take him to a series of hiding places before taking him to "Home". During this Bryan finds that Marie's Children are a humanoid species separate from humanity and that he is one of them. He also reconnects with his ex-girlfriend Robin, a medical examiner for San Francisco.
Bryan and Pookie's investigations lead them to Jebidiah Erickson, but the two are fired by police Chief Amy Zou because they wouldn't leave the investigation alone. Despite this, they break into Erickson's house and find multiple stuffed monsters. They are also caught by Erickson and Bryan ends up stabbing the other man as his Marie's Children DNA, paired with the dreams he'd been having, cause him to see Erickson as a threat. Heavily wounded, Erickson is taken to the hospital and Bryan finds that rather than the older man being the reason for the murders, he was actually hunting Marie's Children and was the reason why there were not more deaths in the city. Meanwhile, Rex returns home and is told that all of Marie's Children are born from the same woman: Marie, who serves as a queen bee and is also Rex's birth mother. He is also told that he must have sex with her in order to create a new queen so the colony can spread to other areas. During this Aggie is told that his life is going to be spared so he can smuggle an infant king out of "Home", as some of the Children do not want the colony to spread and will kill any kings that Marie produces. Knowing that the alternative is death, Aggie readily agrees and later absconds with the infant.
The book culminates with Bryan teaming up with Erickson to invade "Home" and kill off Marie's Children. They ultimately succeed in killing Marie and most of the Children, but the attempt comes at the price of multiple lives, including Erickson's. Robin is also murdered in the process, which leaves him grief-stricken. He decides that he will take on Erickson's role as a Savior (as there are still Children in San Francisco) and assumes his identity, as he feels that he has nothing tying him to his old life. The book ends with the revelation that Hillary, a female leader of the Children, has become a new queen after Marie's death and is being cared for by some of the remaining Children.
Critical reception for the 2012 release of Nocturnal has been mostly positive, [1] with Kirkus Reviews saying the hardback release was "red meat for readers who wish Harry Potter had swapped his YA credentials for a badge and gun." [2] The Huntington News praised the 2012 release, calling it "a treat". [3] The Nerdist also positively reviewed the book, praising the characters and Sigler's research for the novel. [4]
The Daily Texan praised Sigler's use of science as "believable" but stated that "Sigler could use a bit more work is his characterizations". [5]
Aggie may refer to:
Al Capone Does My Shirts is a historical fiction novel for young adults by the author Gennifer Choldenko. In the book, Moose Flanagan and his family move from Santa Monica to Alcatraz Island when his father takes a new job as an electrician and a guard in the well-known Alcatraz prison. The book was named a Newbery Honor selection and in 2007 it received the California Young Reader Medal. It has three sequels: Al Capone Shines My Shoes, Al Capone Does My Homework, and Al Capone Throws Me a Curve.
Scott Carl Sigler is an American author of science fiction and horror and a podcaster. Scott is the New York Times #1 bestselling author of sixteen novels, six novellas, and dozens of short stories. He is the co-founder of Empty Set Entertainment, which publishes his young adult Galactic Football League series. He lives in San Diego.
The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate is a historical novel by American writer L. Sprague de Camp, first published in hardcover by Doubleday in 1961, and in paperback by Lancer Books in 1968. The first trade paperback edition was issued by The Donning Company in 1982. The book was reissued with a new introduction by Harry Turtledove as a trade paperback and ebook by Phoenix Pick in September 2013. It is the third of de Camp's historical novels in order of writing, and earliest chronologically. It is set in 466-465 BCE, the last years of the reign of King Xerxes I of Persia.
Roderick Earl Bernstine is a former professional American football player who was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the 1st round of the 1987 NFL Draft. A 6'3", 235-lb. running back/tight end from Texas A&M, Bernstine played in 9 NFL seasons from 1987 to 1995. His best season as a pro came during the 1993 season as a member of the Denver Broncos when he rushed for 816 yards and caught 44 receptions. Due to a loophole in official NFL rules he was the only active running back allowed to wear the number 82 while playing for the San Diego Chargers, a number reserved for wide receivers and tight ends. Upon being traded to the Denver Broncos in 1993 he changed his number to 33, an official running back number.
Gene Luen Yang is an American cartoonist. He is a frequent lecturer on the subjects of graphic novels and comics, at comic book conventions and universities, schools, and libraries. In addition, he was the Director of Information Services and taught computer science at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, California. In 2012, Yang joined the faculty at Hamline University, as a part of the Low-Residency Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults (MFAC) program. In 2016, the U.S. Library of Congress named him Ambassador for Young People's Literature. That year he became the third graphic novelist, alongside Lauren Redniss, to receive a MacArthur Fellowship.
Batman: The Ultimate Evil is a novel written by Andrew Vachss and published in 1995 by the Warner Aspect imprint of Warner Books. Vachss was an attorney specializing in child abuse cases, as well as a crime novelist best known for his series of books featuring the character Burke, a private investigator who also takes on child abuse cases. A representative from DC Comics approached Vachss about the possibility of writing a novel featuring Batman. Viewing this as an opportunity to reach a completely different audience, Vachss agreed and wrote a draft. He continued with his themes concerning child sexual abuse and explored the topic of child sex tourism. The publisher required Vachss to follow certain rules, like making a clear distinction between fiction and reality and prohibiting the Batman character from killing, cursing, or having sex.
Little Brother is a novel by Cory Doctorow, published by Tor Books. It was released on April 29, 2008. The novel is about four teenagers in San Francisco who, in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge and BART system, defend themselves against the Department of Homeland Security's attacks on the Bill of Rights. The novel is available for free on the author's website under a Creative Commons license, keeping it accessible and remixable to all.
Paula Gosling is a United States-born crime writer. She has lived in the United Kingdom since the 1960s. In 1957, Gosling graduated from Mackenzie High School in Detroit, Michigan. Following her high school career, she obtained her English degree at Wayne State University, graduating in 1962. Gosling began her writing career as a copy-writer. In 1974, she published her first novel, A Running Duck, which won the John Creasey Award for the best first novel of the year. In 1985, Gosling received the Gold Dagger for her subsequent book, Monkey Puzzle. She is a past Chairman of the Crime Writers' Association.
Superstitious is a 1995 horror novel by author R.L. Stine. This was the first adult novel by Stine, most famous for writing children's fiction such as the Goosebumps series. This book deals with Sara Morgan, who falls in love with Liam O’Connor. It was published on September 14, 1995 by Grand Central Publishing in the United States.
South of Broad is a 2009 novel by Pat Conroy. The novel follows the life of Leopold Bloom King in Charleston, South Carolina. It ranges from his troubled childhood to his adult life with his close group of friends.
Vesper is a young adult paranormal novel by Jeff Sampson, published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Children's Books, in January 2011. It is the first book in the Deviants series.
Infected is a science fiction novel by author Scott Sigler. The novel was initially released in 2006 in podcast format with a print release in 2008 by Crown Publishing, with Sigler continuing to offer the podcast version online. The book was initially titled Infested, with the name changing in order to distance itself from a movie releasing with a similar title.
Ancestor is a science fiction thriller novel by American writer Scott Sigler. The novel was released in podcast format in 2006, with it also being released in print via Dragon Moon Press in 2007. Ancestor was later re-released by Crown Publishing in 2010.
Mr. Monk Gets Even is the fifteenth novel written by Lee Goldberg to be based on the television series Monk. It was published on December 31, 2012. Like the other novels, the story is narrated by Natalie Teeger, Monk's assistant. It is the final novel of the series to be written by Lee Goldberg.
Malice is a two-book young adult series that was written by British author Chris Wooding and illustrated by Dan Chernett. The first book, Malice, was released on October 1, 2009 and the second work, Havoc, was released in October of the following year.
All the Light We Cannot See is a 2014 war novel written by American author Anthony Doerr. Set in World War II, the novel centers on two characters: Marie-Laure Leblanc, a blind French girl who takes refuge in her uncle's house in Saint-Malo after Paris is stormed by Nazi Germany, and Werner Pfennig, a bright German boy who gets accepted into a military school because of his skills in radio technology before being sent to the military. The novel is written in a poetic style and switches between Marie-Laure's story and Werner's story almost every chapter, both of which parallel each other. The narrative has a nonlinear structure, flashing between the Battle of Saint-Malo and the events leading up to it. The story has themes of morality such as the dangers of possession and the nature of sacrifice. It also portrays fascination with science and nature.
The Institute is a 2019 American science fiction-horror thriller novel by Stephen King, published by Scribner. The book follows twelve-year-old genius Luke Ellis. When his parents are murdered, he is kidnapped by intruders and awakens in the Institute, a facility that houses other abducted children who have telepathy or telekinesis.
Witch & Wizard is a series of dystopian fantasy novels written by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet. The first novel in the series, Witch & Wizard, was released in 2009. It was followed by a new book in the series each following year, with the exception of 2012, until the release of the last book in the series, The Lost, in 2014. Two graphic novels set in the series' world were released in 2010 and 2011 through IDW Press.
Over Your Dead Body is a 2016 horror novel by Dan Wells published by Tor Books. It is the fifth book of six in Wells's John Cleaver series. Set a year after the conclusion of The Devil's Only Friend, the book continues the story of sociopathic teenage protagonist John Wayne Cleaver and his best friend Brooke as they drift around the Midwestern U.S. in search of a network of supernatural killers called "the Withered." Brooke suffers from dissociative identity disorder after surviving demonic possession, and her alternate personalities are key to discovering the other demons. The majority of critics approved of this fifth addition to the series, and the book won the 2016 AML Award for Best Novel. It is followed by the sixth and final novel in the John Cleaver series, Nothing Left to Lose.