Review: Straight on 'Til Morning by Christopher Golden

Kevin Murphy is like most teenagers, he is trying to grow up and hold onto his childhood at the same time. He has a girlfriend but finds himself consumed by the thought of his friend, Nicole Smith. Nikki, however, has eyes for an older boy, Pete Starling. Kevin works up the nerve to tell her how he feels, but is too late, Pete has made his move.

Pete Starling is not what he appears to be to Nikki. Kevin senses that something is off and attempts to warn Nikki. She dismisses it as nothing more than jealousy. Pete and his friends make life tough for Kevin. Once he decides to fight back, Nikki and Pete are gone.

This novel is a great coming of age story. The pain and love that Kevin experiences are real and touched me. The struggle to stay young and innocent when all you want to do is grow up is cleverly written. The first two thirds of the novel can almost stand alone with this storyline. But then the last third shakes up the storyline.

Kevin and his friends find themselves going into a strange land to rescue Nikki. This portion of the book is a creative and horrific play on J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. There are monsters in this version of Neverland and they want Nikki for some critical reasons of their own.

I enjoyed this fresh take on a classic story. I found the characters to be rich and believable, I cared what happened to them. This is one of my favorite novels I have read. It is often compared to Stephen King's The Body. I agree with that comparison. This is a great horror novel, not because of any blood and guts, but because it is scary to grow up.