Frog Tales

We’ve been fortunate to receive a number of outstanding reviews for KING OF NOD.  The items that follow are snippets from what we’ve heard to date.  Where we have links to the review website, we’ve provided them.  We’ll continue to add as new reviews come in.

From Curled Up with a Good Book:

“In his debut novel, Fad skillfully combines realism and fantasy in a novel that could stand to become a modern classic . . . One of the best Southern gothic novels.”              - Sarah Porter

www.curledup.com/kingonod.htm 

From Suspense Magazine:

“Gripping . . . exceptional . . . Readers will be compelled to continue through to the end of this disturbing, spellbinding journey.” -John Raab

www.suspensemagazine.com/scottfad.html

From Front Street Reviews:

“This book will keep you guessing.  It will move you to tears one moment, and double you over with laughter the next.  It will wax nostalgic of your bittersweet high school romances in one chapter, and wow you with believable magical feats a chapter later.  I couldn’t put this book down . . . Once very couple of years, along comes a writer for whose prose I am grateful.  Tom Robbins, for one.  Jeanette Winterson.  Chuck Palahniuk.  Dan Brown.  And now, Scott Fad.  Thanks for the thrilling read!”  -Araminta Matthews

  http://www.frontstreetreviews.com/King%20of%20Nod.html

From Round Table Reviews:

“This is an impressive debut novel.  Fad’s story quickly pulls in the reader and refuses to let go.  Each page rachets up the tension until the reader simultaneously wants to read further and dreads doing so.  The intricate relationships and racial balances that make up the storylines are skillfully bult.  Secrets are revealed in flashes, with the readers slowly putting together the motives that fuel the action.  Scott Fad should have a stellar career in the fantasy/horror genre.  This book is highly recommended.” - Sandie Kirkland

http://www.roundtablereviews.com/fadscott121208.htm

From Kirkus Reviews:

“An exceptional, superbly crafted epic novel about the specters—both figurative and real—that continue to torment the American South in the wake of slavery. . . Heartwrenching . . . In many respects, King of Nod compares favorably to Toni Morrison’s classic, Beloved. The author’s clear understanding of the epic nature of his story’s historical sweep is matched by his keen eye for descriptive detail.”

http://www.kirkusreviews.com/kirkusreviews/discoveries/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003546408

From ForeWord Clarion:

“King of Nod is absolutely masterful literary fiction . . . The prose is lyrical, intelligent, with textured characters and palpable tension. . . William Faulkner is never going to write another word, but this late-blooming author has thirty or so years ahead of him to create further wonders. Any large publishing house which passed on this missed the opportunity of the year. King of Nod is not predictable genre fare, it’s terrific literature of the first order. Readers will short themselves on sleep and weasel out of commitments to stick with this story. “    —Todd Mercer

http://forewordmagazine.com/clarion/viewreviews.aspx?reviewID=207

 From BookIdeas.com:                              

“Scott Fad has indeed written an epic ghost story. His plot is a wicked, twisted work of art that will have readers looking at it from every angle and seeing something different every time. . . His style is smooth and haunting, exuding southern grace and hidden truths. With every bit of the puzzle shared there is yet another hiding in plain site, like so many pictures tacked to a wall making it hard to pick out just one image. “King of Nod” is one of my all time favorites.”  —Heather Froeschel

http://www.bookideas.com/reviews/index.cfm?fuseaction=displayReview&id=3601

From Fresh Fiction:

“Gothic with a drawling sense of Southern style, this haunting and lyrical literary treasure lingers like an old moving memory long after the story is put down. Mr. Fad has created a masterpiece of epic proportions, one destined to become a classic for years to come. A vast array of colorful characters move the reader forward through pages filled with legends and lore. His characters live and breathe, love and hate, and are tortured by ghosts from within and without. Emotions and visual imagery move the plot forward, while the mystery itself is doled out in fragments here and there like bait to a hungry fish. . . The prose itself is a compelling enough reason to give this book a read. And yet, it is a story full of nuance, begging to be read again and again; sharing new treasures with each literary wave coming to shore. . . I couldn’t put it down from beginning to end.”—Anne Barringer

http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=22010

From Reader Views:

“Scott Fad has just proven himself a master at weaving all the elements together to capture a culture in a great work of fiction. “King of Nod” reads like a magical tale of mystery and history, hatred and love. When you put the book down you will be anxious to return to it and when you finish the final page.  The magic of the island and the ghost of Joker and Bathsheba Tribbit will have you loosing sleep for many, many nights.”—Danelle Drake (11/08)

http://www.readerviews.com/ReviewFadKingofNod.html

From Midwest Book Review:

“Very highly recommended reading and a popular addition to community library fiction shelves, “King of Nod” by Scott Fad is one of those deftly written and epic novels from which award-winning mini-series and lucrative Hollywood films are made.”

From BlogCritics:

“In Scott Fad’s critically acclaimed, award winning novel King of Nod, Sweetpatch Island, South Carolina is full of ghosts, witches, and ancient curses. . .  From the moment I picked up this book, I fell in love with Fad’s style. He is a brilliant Southern Gothic writer weaving a story of past and present in a masterful work of art that I couldn’t put down. . .With so many stories building one on top of the other, this epic tale is the best book I have ever read. It tantalizes every taste to the coming of age story, to the horror, to the mystery, and beyond. It captures, thrills, and sometimes pulls you down roads you don’t necessarily want to go. But you go anyway because Scott Fad leads you, beckons you with true-to-life characters, struggles, and even sometimes the fireside tales of childhood beasts.” —Janica Unruh

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/11/12/195716.php

 From ForeWord Magazine (November, 2008):

“An extraordinary book, King of Nod is part ghost story, part Southern Gothic, and part noir, cloaked in the language of lush imagery and fed on social consciousness. Its characters come alive in their quests to survive childhood, abuse, neglect, discrimination, and oppression, and to deal with the consequences of their choices.”—Marlene Y. Satter

http://www.forewordmagazine.com/reviews/viewreviews.aspx?reviewID=4359

 From Armchair Interviews:

“Author Scott Fad has created a rich tapestry of culture and characters in King of Nod. . . after a couple of chapters I could barely put the book down . . . a fascinating book filled with frightening twists and amazingly vivid imagery.”—Julina K. Mills

http://reviews.armchairinterviews.com/reviews/king-of-nod-some-things-never-die

 From Booksie’s Blog:

“WOW! If you’re a fantasy fan, this book will amaze you. It is a rollercoaster ride that grabs the reader immediately and refuses to let go until the end reveals all secrets. . . This book is highly recommended. It is easily one of the most memorable books I’ve read this year. The language is amazing, twisting and turning the tension, pulling the reader further and further into the secrets that make up Boo Taylor’s life and which, if undiscovered, will kill him. Scott Fad has pulled off a masterpiece.”  —Sandie Kirkland

http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/king-of-nod-by-scott-fad.html