This is a novella but a good little terrifying, short story. What begins as a character study of a man who is in the last throes of screwing up his life, slowly turns serious as the man, his wife, and young son are lost in the woods while camping. Kealan builds the tension using small details. You can feel the man's discomfort, both physical and emotional, as events spiral downward. Then, just as you're starting to think that this story is all about internal conflict, the man stumbles across something in the woods...and from here the situation turns ugly... fast. Just when you think things are perhaps going to turn out okay... think again. This actually reminded me a great deal of early Stephen King...back when he was writing more short stories than full length novels. This is one very weird, creepy tale the outcome, of which, I would have never seen coming when I started reading about a family camping trip. ( )

At one level this novella is a sci-fi/monster tale. And a well above average one at that. Taking the ordinary and creating something sinister and menacing is very unsettling. Like the children singing off key nursery rhymes with evil twisted smiles, the unnatural juxtaposition gives a cold chill.

But The Tent is more than a sci-fi/monster story. Partly because it is written by Kealan Patrick Burke, whose writing is smooth and literary---as it sticks in the blade that you never saw coming.

Add to that characters that have realistic and often tragic flaws and strained relationships. This book, at its core, is about a man trying to reconcile with his wife and son, to rebuilt his marriage, and to show to them that he really isn't the screw up that he has appeared to be for the last few years. This story is so good it would be a great story with no supernatural element whatsoever, just the damaged people trying to find their way (both literally and figuratively) through a blinding storm of ice, snow, failure and regret to recover their lost son.

However, the story reaches another level when we realize that something else is out there in those woods---something that preys on their need for shelter---something that changes the order of supremacy on the food chain forever. ( )

Camping out is a blast, right? Except for when the tent blows away. And except for when the campers are lost.

This story interrupted a domestic argument to bring you one heck of a good creature feature. No holds barred horror delivered via the beautiful, descriptive prose Mr. Burke is known for. For example:

"Up on his tortured feet again and he’s alongside the thing, almost within grabbing distance of his wife, close enough now to see that the soft light inside the tent-that-is-not-a-tent is glowing like a sun, close enough to see the network of thin, dark blue veins threading like worms through its vellum-like skin, close enough to hear his wife draw in a breath to scream."

This is the perfect read for a summer night, though I recommend you read it while you're safe at home. ( )

I'm never going camping again. ( )

Stories like this are, quite honestly, what five star ratings are for. The depth of this novella goes far beyond anything else I've read of its length. Every paragraph has a quote-worthy line. Or two. Some paragraphs could even be quoted in their entirety. Kealan Patrick Burke never ceases to amaze me. We're given a new monster, which is strikingly believable, to lay awake at night worrying about. I wasn't much of an outdoorsy type before reading this and am even less inclined to become one now.

Best thing I've read of Burke's since I finished KIN. Not to say his other outings aren't good. This one just shines a bit brighter, or, perhaps, bleeds a bit darker.

Bravo. ( )