Orangefield
by Al Sarrantonio
Cemetery Dance Publications

Walking into my room, I sat down on my bed and began reading the second half of Al Sarrantonio’s Orangefield. Coincidentally, the Rolling Stones’ “Waiting on a Friend” was the next song on my play list (followed by Scared of Chaka’s “All My Friends are Ghosts”). Rarely does one song encompass a book so well, I could not have planned a better soundtrack if I had tried. Sarrantonio’s novel is all about three characters waiting on a rather fiendish friend, the Celtic Lord of Death Samhain (affectionately referred to as Sam).

In Orangefield, three social outcasts are treated to visits in their head by a mysterious voice: Annabeth “Wizard” Turner, the gangly preteen daughter replete with a drunken mother who could care less about her and no friends to speak of, Jordie, a stoner raised by his mother and his “aunt” who may or may not be lesbian lovers, and Aaron “Pumpkin Tender” Peters, a war vet that came home in pieces unable to walk or communicate. Annabeth is lead down that dangerous path known as reading by her strange new companion. Jordie halfheartedly goes about killing the things on his list (this is the Lord of Death after all). The Pumpkin Tender tends his fields of pumpkins and randomly has conversations with misshapen fruit. Why are these three the targets of such a powerful beings manipulation? And what evil plan does he have in store? Well, remember that bit about waiting, that’s really what this book is about; the three people waiting to talk to their new “friend” and the reader waiting to find out what this is really all about.

While this was my first excursion into any work by Sarrantonio, it is likely that fans will be acquainted with both the town of Orangefield and its resident demon. There is a familiarity bred into the work that showed he had worked this territory before (the note about a forthcoming Orangefield novel didn’t hurt, either). Considering the novel seems targeted at the preteen to early teen market, rapid acclimation to the town may be expected. However, this technique can lead the casual reader (read: me) to see a lack of cohesion in the town. While younger readers may not even notice a story that continually jumps in and out of three different characters and their stories, other readers may find three different Orangefields with little to no overlap.

That’s not to say that the individual stories lack cohesion. If anything, setting is one of Sarrantonio’s strongest elements. More often than not, the scenes are so vivid they come alive off the page like the field of pumpkins becoming ablaze under the scrutiny of the sun or the unkempt house falling victim to a drunken keeper. Occasionally, the scenery dominates the rest of the scene or some of the settings become redundant, but Sarrantonio does a good job of keeping the story out of one place too long. It never really becomes an issue.

His characterization, on the other hand, is not quite as stunning. The targets of the dark lord’s manipulation are nothing outstanding. The three main characters each fit a stereotype. Not surprising then that the secondary characters are themselves a bit cliché, a spinster librarian who sees a bit of herself in the heroine, a drunkard mother who clings to her right to raise her child while not actually doing anything and a reclusive writer who holds a key to the mystery. Some leniency is allowed, as most of the target audience will likely not have been inundated with similar characters, but experienced readers will find the characters two-dimensional at best.

The problem with Sarrantonio’s characterization can be almost directly linked to the novel’s pacing. Orangefield is at its best when scenes are allowed to develop on their own. All too often, the action seems like it is forced. These characters would be perfect if this had been an action heavy novel, but as was previously noted, the core of this novel is built on waiting.

Still, it is refreshing to see a horror book aimed at the young adult market (especially with such a heavy focus on a young girl) that isn’t loaded with trite pseudo-romance. The writing is solid and the 180 pages are enthralling enough to keep a reader’s attention. The story never gets bogged down, and there is even a twist ending that, while not surprising at all, does manage to satisfy.