Cover of Summer of Night
Ghost StoriesHorror

Summer of Night

by

  • 1991 first published
  • 576 pages
  • ★ 3.5 (4 ratings)
  • 14 editions
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Published in 1991, Summer of Night is a ghost story and horror novel by Dan Simmons. It takes readers to Elm Haven and Illinois in 1960. It deals with coming of age and haunted places.

Open Library readers give it an average of 3.5 out of 5 from 4 ratings, and 56 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 14 editions.

At about 576 pages, most readers finish it in 10–11 hours.

About Summer of Night

It's the summer of 1960 in Elm Haven, Illinois, and five 12-year old boys are forming the bonds that a lifetime of changes will never erase. But then a dark cloud threatens the bright promise of summer vacation: on the last day of school, their classmate Tubby Cooke vanishes. Soon, the group discovers stories of other children who once disappeared from Elm Haven. And there are other strange things happening in town: unexplained holes in the ground, a stranger dressed as a World War I soldier, and a rendering-plant truck that seems to be following the five boys. The friends realize that there is a terrible evil lurking in Elm Haven...and they must be the ones to stop it.
Description from Open Library

Awards & lists

Themes, setting & tropes

Genres

Setting

Era

Subjects

  • Horror
  • Coming of age
  • Haunted places
  • Illinois
  • Horror tales

Quick answers

Who wrote Summer of Night?

Summer of Night was written by Dan Simmons and first published in 1991.

What genre is Summer of Night?

It is usually shelved as Ghost Stories and Horror.

How long is Summer of Night?

The median edition has 576 pages, about 10–11 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.

What books are similar to Summer of Night?

Readers who like it often enjoy It, Something Wicked This Way Comes and The Shining.

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