Books: Empty Smiles By Katherine Arden (2022)

“It’s been three months since Ollie made a daring deal with the smiling man to save those she loved, and then vanished without a trace. The smiling man promised Coco, Brian and Phil, that they’d have a chance to save her, but as time goes by, they begin to worry that the smiling man has lied to them and Ollie is gone forever. But finally, a clue surfaces. A boy who went missing at a nearby traveling carnival appears at the town swimming hole, terrified and rambling. He tells anyone who'll listen about the mysterious man who took him. How the man agreed to let him go on one condition: that he deliver a message. Play if you dare. Game on! The smiling man has finally made his move. Now it’s Coco, Brian, and Phil’s turn to make theirs. And they know just where to start. The traveling carnival is coming to Evansburg. Meanwhile, Ollie is trapped in the world behind the mist, learning the horrifying secrets of the smiling man's carnival, trying everything to help her friends find her. Brian, Coco and Phil will risk everything to rescue Ollie—but they all soon realize this game is much more dangerous than the ones before. This time the smiling man is playing for keeps. The summer nights are short, and Ollie, Coco, Brian, and Phil have only until sunrise to beat him once and for all—or it’s game over for everyone.”

In what is touted to be the last book in the Small Spaces Quartet, Empty Smiles brings everything to the head, but it also feels somewhat lacking. I’ve enjoyed this series immensely, as author Katherine Arden is able to create an atmospheric world of scary things, with children battling an evil known only as the smiling man. And three quarters of Empty Smiles is great, setting up what I hoped was a satisfying conclusion and some answers to a lot of questions. Arden leaves so many things unexplained and the conclusion feels rushed and unsatisfying. There is no explanation of who or what the smiling man is, and there is no closure for the reader. We are left with our fists clenched and all for nothing.

There is some creepy stuff here, like the attack on the Egg, which often reminded me of the Gentlemen creatures from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode Hush. Arden’s talent is on great display here as the clowns (who are carnie people by day) attack Coco, Brian, and Phil’s family, turning them into dolls, which then reminded me of the Doctor Who episode Night Terrors. 

Ultimately, everything falls flat here. The stakes were high, yet the problem is so easily solved that even if I was a middle aged kid reading this book, I would be disappointed. So the book feels rushed, as if the author was trying to meet a pushed up deadline; too many questions left hanging, no real explanation of why the smiling man let everyone go, or why he was afraid of the Funhouse.

Perhaps this is not the end? Maybe she’ll continue the series or move the darker themes up to a more adult world? I mean, I could see her returning to these characters as teens or young adults. But maybe that’s wishful thinking?

Books: Dark Waters By Katherine Arden (2021)

“Until next time. That was chilling promise made to Ollie, Coco and Brian after they outsmarted the smiling man at Mount Hemlock Resort. And as the trio knows, the smiling man always keeps his promises. So when the lights flicker on and off at Brian's family's inn and a boom sounds at the door, there's just one visitor it could be. Only, there's no one there, just a cryptic note left outside signed simply as --S.

“The smiling man loves his games and it seems a new one is under way. But first, the three friends will have to survive a group trip to Lake Champlain where it's said Vermont's very own Loch Ness monster lives. Brian is thrilled. He hasn't sailed since visiting his family in Jamaica and even the looming threat of the smiling man can't put a damper on what is guaranteed to finally be a day of fun--even if it is awkward being stuck on a boat with both his old best friend, Phil and his new best friends, Coco and Ollie. But when a misstep from Phil causes a tragedy onboard and leaves them shipwrecked on an island haunted by a monster on both land and sea, Brian's survival instincts kick in and it's up to him to help everyone work together and find a way to escape.

“One thing is for sure, the smiling man is back and he wants a rematch. And this time Brian is ready to play.”

What I once thought as a trilogy now appears to be quadrilogy, based on simply on the idea that book one, Small Spaces took place in the fall, book two, Dead Voices took place in the winter, and this book taking place in the spring. So a fourth one should be set in the summer.

But Dark Waters continues author Katherine Arden’s wonderfully creepy, atmospheric, and spine-tingly universe where kids must battle the smiling man –an unknown evil that lurks in the Northeastern Vermont. This time a boat trip on Lake Champlain turns into a battle for survival when Coco, Ollie, and Brian, along with Ollie’s Dad and Coco’s mother, and another fellow student, Phil, who also experienced the menace of the smiling man, but chooses to pretend it didn’t happen, become stranded on a mysterious island on the lake that appears through the mist, or doorway, to the universe of the smiling man.

Here they must keep Ollie’s dad alive –Roger was bitten by a silver-snake like creature- and other things that make noise in the creepy forest. They do soon discover they are not alone on the island, that a axe wielding man who may be a ghost, is trying to protect his house and the bones of his shipmate from whatever the snake-like thing truly is.

But it’s Ollie –who basically takes a backseat in the third book- who decides the ultimate fate of the group. One that leads to a major cliffhanger.

Arden adds a lot of myths and history into Dark Waters, as Lake Champlain really does exist, as does the idea that it contains a Loch Ness monster-like creature called Champ: "The indigenous people that have long lived and hunted near Lake Champlain, the Abenaki and the Iroquois, have their own legends about a large creature inhabiting the lake, which looked like a large, horned serpent or giant snake. The Abenaki term for this creature is Gitaskog. Early in the 18th century, Abenakis warned French explorers about disturbing the waters of the lake, so as not to disturb the serpent. Samuel de Champlain, whom the lake is named after, is often erroneously credited with being the first European to sight Champ, but readings of his accounts show that he saw something near the St. Lawrence River. Nevertheless, his account of his sighting is of interest to anyone with an interest in lake monsters!” 

I’m unsure if Captain William Sheehan and the Wreck of the Goblin is made up, or just a composite of people and wrecks on Lake Champlain that took place back in the 19^th Century. It be fun though to know if any of that is based in fact.

Much like the previous books, the situations are just enough scary, and just enough fun to keep the adults happy. I’ve really enjoyed these books, and find Arden a very good at creating believable kids and adults (though Coco’s Mom sometimes comes off as oafish in thinking these kids are just making up stories. It’s a trope that could’ve been left behind). While this book was more action than the last, I was still entranced with prose. I do highly recommend this series!

Books: Dead Voices by Katherine Arden (2019)

“Having survived sinister scarecrows and the malevolent smiling man in Small Spaces, newly minted best friends Ollie, Coco, and Brian are ready to spend a relaxing winter break skiing together with their parents at Mount Hemlock Resort. But when a snowstorm sets in, causing the power to flicker out and the cold to creep closer and closer, the three are forced to settle for hot chocolate and board games by the fire. Ollie, Coco, and Brian are determined to make the best of being snowed in, but odd things keep happening. Coco is convinced she has seen a ghost, and Ollie is having nightmares about frostbitten girls pleading for help. Then Mr. Voland, a mysterious ghost hunter, arrives in the midst of the storm to investigate the hauntings at Hemlock Lodge. Ollie, Coco, and Brian want to trust him, but Ollie's watch, which once saved them from the smiling man, has a new cautionary message: BEWARE. With Mr. Voland's help, Ollie, Coco, and Brian reach out to the dead voices at Mount Hemlock. Maybe the ghosts need their help--or maybe not all ghosts can or should be trusted.”

In the second book in Katherine Arden’s series, Dead Voices is just a bit creepier than Small Spaces but it’s still a wonderful middle grade horror story. Arden is able to capture the innocence of childhood friendships that have a troubled and shared history and mash that up with the spooky supernatural world that exists in the haunted ski lodge (perhaps a cousin to the Overlook). The book borrows a lot of themes from other haunted house stories, along with the Upsidedown from Stranger Things, but what Arden is able to do here is pretty neat. It’s still an atmospheric tome, filled with cold, dread, and deception, but at its core is the friendship between our three main characters that is the warming heart of the book.

It’s also clear we’ll get at least one more book with our charming cast of youngsters, but I don’t feel this is the “filler”, it works as a continuation, really. Still, the smiling man is not done with our triumvirate kids and I fear that the real battle for Ollie, Coco, and Brian is about to begin.

Books: Small Spaces By Katherine Arden (2018)

“After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie only finds solace in books. So when she happens upon a crazed woman at the river threatening to throw a book into the water, Ollie doesn't think--she just acts, stealing the book and running away. As she begins to read the slender volume, Ollie discovers a chilling story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who both loved her, and a peculiar deal made with ‘the smiling man,’ a sinister specter who grants your most tightly held wish, but only for the ultimate price.

“Ollie is captivated by the tale until her school trip the next day to Smoke Hollow, a local farm with a haunting history all its own. There she stumbles upon the graves of the very people she's been reading about. Could it be the story about the smiling man is true? Ollie doesn't have too long to think about the answer to that. On the way home, the school bus breaks down, sending their teacher back to the farm for help. But the strange bus driver has some advice for the kids left behind in his care: ‘Best get moving. At nightfall they'll come for the rest of you.’ Nightfall is, indeed, fast descending when Ollie's previously broken digital wristwatch, a keepsake reminder of better times, begins a startling countdown and delivers a terrifying message: RUN.

“Only Ollie and two of her classmates heed the bus driver's warning. As the trio head out into the woods--bordered by a field of scarecrows that seem to be watching them--the bus driver has just one final piece of advice for Ollie and her friends: ‘Avoid large places. Keep to small.’”

I don’t think I’ve read a middle-aged horror book since I was kid. But even what I remember of those tomes, most were just urban legends come to life. Some were lame, while others just slightly creepy. I was an adult by the time R L Stine started his Goosebumps series but I found no interest in reading them. But I’ve never been truly scared when reading horror novels, even my nearly four decade affair with Stephen King novels.

Even though it’s been a long 7 years since the demise of Borders Books, I do keep up with the publishing industry via Twitter, and I think it was on that social media app –maybe six plus months ago- that I first heard about Katherine Arden’s Small Spaces. The early praise the book was getting made me interested in reading it, so I put it on my wish list and waited.

When I finally began this book yesterday, I discovered the praise was worth it. It’s a wonderful creepy, fast-paced and very atmospheric thriller that shines with great characters and some spooky monsters. Olivia “Ollie” Adler is very smart and at times adult-ish, but not because the story requires it, but because she’s facing life after a terrible loss and sometimes that requires a child to grow up. Anyone who’s lost a parent at a young age can understand this.

I also felt that Katherine Arden is influenced by Stephen King (and Ray Bradbury), with her creepy scarecrow monsters (that also reminded me of two episodes of modern Doctor Who). She takes us to the edge and then pulls back, but I felt she did a great job in creating the weirdness needed to keep readers enthralled. The book could’ve used a bit more development and felt the ending was a bit too convenient, but overall, I highly recommend this book for both kids and adults.