Black River Orchard: A Novel

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars | 1,012 ratings

Price: 21.66

Last update: 11-02-2024


About this item

NATIONAL BESTSELLER A small town is transformed when seven strange trees begin bearing magical apples in this masterpiece of horror from the author of Wanderers and The Book of Accidents.

“This masterful outing should continue to earn Wendig comparisons to Stephen King.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

LOCUS AWARD FINALIST AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

It’s autumn in the town of Harrow, but something besides the season is changing there.

Because in that town there is an orchard, and in that orchard, seven most unusual trees. And from those trees grows a new sort of apple: strange, beautiful, with skin so red it’s nearly black.

Take a bite of one of these apples, and you will desire only to devour another. And another. You will become stronger. More vital. More yourself, you will believe. But then your appetite for the apples and their peculiar gifts will keep growing—and become darker.

This is what happens when the townsfolk discover the secret of the orchard. Soon it seems that everyone is consumed by an obsession with the magic of the apples . . . and what’s the harm, if it is making them all happier, more confident, more powerful?

Even if something else is buried in the orchard besides the seeds of these extraordinary trees: a bloody history whose roots reach back to the very origins of the town.

But now the leaves are falling. The days grow darker. It’s harvest time, and the town will soon reap what it has sown.


Top reviews from the United States

Berni
5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe You'd Prefer a Nice Banana
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2023
I wasn't sure what to make of this book at first. It's 621 pages and at the beginning, I didn't like any of the characters, finding them primarily whiny and shallow. I know I'm old, but I find it hard to take "influencer" seriously as a career path. Does Calla think she'll still be doing that (or that it will even be a thing) when she's 50? I can't imagine what kind of parent would go along with their smart daughter going on such a unlikely path. But I liked Joanie and Graham, the local bad girl made good and come home to rub everyone's face in it.

As the story went on, the characters I disliked at the beginning matured and seemed less lightweight than they had before so I ended up liking the survivors. (Hey, this is a horror novel. Surely it's not a spoiler to expect that some in the cast will die.)

Unfortunately, I couldn't help but think of John Goodman in his Dan Connor role (first on "Roseanne" then on "The Connors") as Dan. Both Dans seem to be of the same breed, a good, maybe weak, man down on his luck, I had a little trouble accepting Dan's transformation and what we learn later about him. This may be more due to my mental image of John Goodman in an apple mask rather than the writing.

Nonetheless, this is a good spooky story to read before Halloween and you will never look at apples the same way again.
DRB
4.0 out of 5 stars Well written, suspenseful, and entertaining horror novel.
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2024
Well written, suspenseful, and entertaining horror novel. Nice cult and body horror elements--as well as some well-made lore. Some generally pretty well-made characters too. Would recommend.
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Chuck W has ruined artisinal apples for me in his fabulous new book
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2024
Evil apples, a deal-making demon, an increasingly creepy cult, a bad cat, hungry trees, a whole county on the edge of ruin with an ever-growing body count... How are a few high-school seniors, a former sniper turned Quaker, an abused wife, a couple who run a BNB, and a dead-but-not-gone ally to fight the darkness before it becomes unbeatable or, worse, kills them? And if it kills them, who in the world will stop it?

Aside from dire stakes, an accelerating plot, and a devastating climax, this book has excellent pacing and wonderful writing. The author (whose last name my autocorrect won't let me type) is a master of slinging words to create worlds that suck you in, characters you love and loathe (not usually at the same time), and imagery that hijacks your imagination and infiltrates your nightmares.

And while Chuck himself denies that any idea is truly original, I can promise you that you will never look at a rare apple quite the same again after reading this book... And you may even hesitate to bite into it.
R. Maynes
5.0 out of 5 stars Diabolical and mesmerizing
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2024
Wow! One of those books I wasn’t sure I’d like, but once I started it, I was hooked. The characters are well written and interesting. The diversity of the characters when faced with a common threat moved the story along quickly and with plenty of unexpected twists. A little bit of everything - consumerism, supernatural forces, Native American lore, love, lust and Quakers coalesced to a wholly satisfying conclusion. Definitely recommend.
Alex Wolfard
3.0 out of 5 stars Apples and creative horror
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2024
Such a creative idea. I learned so much about apples. I had no idea their complexity. A little long a laborious at times. I found I wanted to love the characters, but didn’t. Somewhat heavy handed on gender and identity.
M. Bennett
4.0 out of 5 stars An apple a day keeps the doctor away...
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2024
In the case of this story, it is quite literal. Yet something so amazing tends to come with a price as the town of Harrow is about to find out.

This is my 2nd Wendig book and I am quickly becoming a fan. He has the type of writing that I can settle right in to. This story had a lot of wonderful characters. Sometimes it was hard to get them straight but it didn't take away from the story. The story itself was very interesting and creepy. I do feel that the book could've ended sooner. About 2/3 of the way through, it seems that it is just going around in circles and the people that should be doing something keep making excuses of why now is not the right time. Other than that, I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by this author.
Karen's Library
5.0 out of 5 stars Wendig has outdone himself!
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2023
I’m a huge fan of Chuck Wendig. His novel Wanderers is one of my top favorite books. His The Book of Accidents scared the bejeezes out of me. Invasive had me seeing killer ants everywhere.

But folks, Chuck surpassed himself with Black River Orchard. I will never be able to eat another red apple again. Maybe no other apples. Or if I do, it may not be for some time.

Chuck Wendig is completely demented! This book is bonkers!! He even explains in his author note that he knows he’s weird and that this book is weird.

And I couldn’t turn away. I admit I read most of this in the daylight. I knew going in that this book was Horror with a capital H. I didn’t realize how much. For the first third of the book, I thought, oh this isn’t so bad. I can handle this. The last third had me putting my kindle down to slow my heart down. I felt like I needed to hide my eyes behind my fingers like you would in a scary movie. (Doesn’t work that way in books, does it?!)

In a small town there is a new orchard with seven apple trees that produces the most luscious deep dark red apples that the townsfolk can’t get enough of. And then everything changes.

I don’t want to go into any other details without giving away spoilers, but suffice it to say…. If you read only one scary book for the Halloween season, it needs to be Black River Orchard.

*Thanks so much to Del Rey Books and to NetGalley for the gifted advance eGalley!*
Customer image
Karen's Library
5.0 out of 5 stars Wendig has outdone himself!
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2023
I’m a huge fan of Chuck Wendig. His novel Wanderers is one of my top favorite books. His The Book of Accidents scared the bejeezes out of me. Invasive had me seeing killer ants everywhere.

But folks, Chuck surpassed himself with Black River Orchard. I will never be able to eat another red apple again. Maybe no other apples. Or if I do, it may not be for some time.

Chuck Wendig is completely demented! This book is bonkers!! He even explains in his author note that he knows he’s weird and that this book is weird.

And I couldn’t turn away. I admit I read most of this in the daylight. I knew going in that this book was Horror with a capital H. I didn’t realize how much. For the first third of the book, I thought, oh this isn’t so bad. I can handle this. The last third had me putting my kindle down to slow my heart down. I felt like I needed to hide my eyes behind my fingers like you would in a scary movie. (Doesn’t work that way in books, does it?!)

In a small town there is a new orchard with seven apple trees that produces the most luscious deep dark red apples that the townsfolk can’t get enough of. And then everything changes.

I don’t want to go into any other details without giving away spoilers, but suffice it to say…. If you read only one scary book for the Halloween season, it needs to be Black River Orchard.

*Thanks so much to Del Rey Books and to NetGalley for the gifted advance eGalley!*
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