Normal Hills, Washington, is anything but. The Bogey Man is just a story to scare children, isn't he? Is Metallica life, or is it Anthrax? These questions, and others are answered in Brian Knight's fast-paced supernatural thriller, Feral.

This novel is not pretentious, or boring. From the first line the action is intense, and the pace carries you along toward the finish at an amazing clip. Parts of this novel are reminiscent of Peter Pan gone mad, and other parts remind me of China Miéville's fantastic underworld that ran beneath the surface of King Rat.

This debut novel has flaws, but they are easy to brush aside. In fact, they are brushed aside by the images themselves. There are several stories within these pages, not perfectly meshed, but each intriguing and thrill-packed in its own right.

The action runs rampage through Normal Hills, and the reactions of the police, the non-extant press, and the city itself would lead one to believe that they don't exist, with a few exceptions. If what happened in Normal Hills, and Feral Park really happened in any city over the number of years this novel suggests, then there would be more notice. There would be national notice. There would be paranormal weenies crawling over and around the park (and dying, no doubt, but there, all the same).

But Feral is a fast ride, and these details blur as they pass—or don't—and the ensuing vacuum draws you into the nightmares of children, a fantasy land created by a long-dead ghost-girl, and the childhood nightmares of parents not yet free of their own Bogey Men. It would almost be better if the veneer of normalcy attempted by the development of the real-world characters could be excised, because the darkness, and the magic in this book is all in the park and its inhabitants. Even the Bogey Man, who you come to see as the intended villain of this novel, is under-developed somewhat, leaving you longing for the park, much as the children do. Much as Charity, your main protagonist does.

Feral is a good debut effort from a fine up-and-coming young author. It delivers a clever tale filled with fast-paced action and surreal imagery. A great read for a weekend, or a late night alone in bed.

Three and a half tombstones. . . .