From the description I was expecting a horror story, but that is not what I got.

Daniel Powell is a young boy who has recently lost his mom. He has watched her getting sicker and weaker but held on to hope as only a child can, that she may someday get well. Sadly that is not the case and she does not recover. Grief stricken Daniel is now left alone with his dad, who struggles to cope with the loss of his wife. He spends most times drinking and can offer very little comfort to poor Daniel who is lost without his mom. Enter mysterious coffin shaped box hiding under dad's bed and a creepy story about an old man who kept a girl in a box.. that Daniels mom had promised to tell him about when he was old enough.

This was a quick read at under 100 pages. It is more a story of grief than of horror, but was well written and held my interest. 4 out of 5 stars from me.

I received a complimentary copy for review ( )

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 heart-wrenching stars.

10-year old Daniel is forced to deal with the death of his mother, as well as his father's inability to deal with it. This is probably the best I've read from Tim Lebbon, and is nothing like he's ever written before.

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Review copy

This brilliantly written novella was originally published as a signed, limited edition, hardcover in 2008. The publisher subsequently went out of business and it is now available from Venture Press for the Kindle. Yay!

I love it when great works that would cost a small fortune on the secondary market find a new home where everyone can enjoy them.

The story begins with the death of Daniel's mother. "Dan, I'm sorry son, but she's gone." "Mummy?" Daniel said. And he turned to his father, and they hugged each other as the world grew cruel around them.

There is an element of horror to the story, but mostly The Reach of Children is about grief and the ways both Daniel and his father deal with their loss.

The reveal for the reason behind the title is touching and struck a cord with me. You'll know it when you read it.

This a a story I highly recommend.

Published by Venture Press, The Reach of Children is now available for the Kindle. If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited you may read it at no additional charge and if you're an Amazon Prime member you can read The Reach of Children for FREE through the Kindle Owners Lending Library.

From the author's bio - Tim Lebbon is a New York Times-bestselling writer from South Wales. He’s had over thirty novels published to date, as well as hundreds of novellas and short stories. He has won four British Fantasy Awards (including one for this very novella), a Bram Stoker Award, and a Scribe Award, and has been a finalist for World Fantasy, International Horror Guild and Shirley Jackson Awards. ( )