Summer's End

By Lisa Morton

When Lisa Morton, author of The Halloween Encyclopedia, is called in to consult on the recent discovery of a fifteen-hundred-year-old Celtic manuscript, she’s at first excited about the light this monumental find might shed on Samhain, the mysterious Celtic precursor to Halloween. Conor ó Cuinn, the Irish archaeologist who excavated the manuscript, thinks it reveals ancient magic. Lisa is skeptical…until people around her begin dying. Dr. Wilson Armitage, the university professor who was translating the manuscript, is found torn apart by wild animals…or was he actually attacked by vicious sidh, malicious Celtic spirits that wreak havoc every Samhain? As October 31st approaches, the border between our realm and one of murderous spirits begins to dissolve. Can Lisa survive Halloween night and use her knowledge to set the world right again?

• Language: English
• Publisher: JournalStone
• Release date: Oct 4, 2013
• ISBN: 9781940161044

Book preview

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Reviews for Summer's End

[sunset_x_cocktail · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I won a copy of this novella from the librarything.com Early Reviews project.

I didn't like it. Considering the subject, I really wanted to find it fascinating. It was about Druids, Samhain and Celtic history with something that brought it into the modern world including magic and the Celtic magic alone should have been enough to keep me interested. It wasn't.

It was rambling, and boring and felt like I was reading someone's homework with a bit of a story thrown in with some attempts at gruesome, scary stuff.

Thank you Librarything.com for the win, but this book wasn't one for me.

[jadavid-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this ARC and it is not my usual kind of book. All in all, I liked the book. It was powerfully written, but I felt it was little too short.

[papercrystals · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This novel is literally a self-insert fic. The author stars as herself, with scattered footnotes throughout the novella referencing her own other works. The pacing is bad, the characterization is lacking, the editing is appalling, and there is almost no plot to speak of. It's not intriguing or even remotely scary. It's basically just an advertisement for her other works disguised as a novella.

[jayblac21 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The story was interesting I liked the concept definitely wasn't boring but I found it a little lacking.

[lovenicole · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I also received a copy of Summer's End by Lisa Morton from LibraryThing Early Reviewers, and as always I appreciate that. But I had a tough time with this one unfortunately. Even though it's a novella and therefore a fairly quick read, I had a hard time getting through it. The beginning of the book dumps so much information on you at once that it feels more like a textbook read. But then about halfway through the book it goes from boring to downright silly. It reminded me of a scary story that some young girls might tell each other at a slumber party. And unfortunately by the time the story picked up I had already lost interest and found myself skimming to try and get to the end. I know it's a novella but some more character or plot development would have been nice. Overall this just wasn't the book for me.

[catya77 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an account of the origins of Samhain and the practices of the Druids. The author plays the staring role as herself, an author and Samhain expert who is called to consult on a recently unearthed Druid scroll. The scroll indicates magic is real and has incantations listed. What if the incantations work? What if this story isn't just a story?Fluid action fuels a lushly descriptive narrative.Characters are authentic and develop as the book progresses.There isn't much more I can say without giving away too much plot.Overall, a thrilling read!

[dtchantel-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a very unique little read that packed a lot of punch. A very atmospheric tale that immersed you in the story immediately and carried the action along at a good pace. For a fairly quick read, this book fleshed out the characters quite well and built a world that would make you want to return there again. I was also quite pleased that the author ended the story the way she did, as I was expecting something quite different that wouldn't have been as fitting a conclusion. All in all, this makes for a very entertaining and satisfying read.

[misses_london · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This work of fiction is told in the first person from the perspective of the author, who also serves as the story's protagonist. That's a different approach but one that I've encountered a handful of times with interesting effect. In the story a woman (Lisa), whose trade is authoring books about pagan rituals and Halloween, is contacted by an enigmatic man from Northern Ireland by way of a local university professor, both of whom Lisa has never met. It turns out an ancient scroll had been unearthed in N. Ireland, and its secret contents proved the supernatural powers of the Druids who were decimated as a result of early Christian settlement there. The Irishman believes he and Lisa are the chosen ones meant to use the scrolls to call forth ancient forces who'd been silenced since the demise of the Druids. I was never quite clear on why this Irishman placed such grandiose importance on himself nor why he felt an American writer on the west coast of the US was destined to be his partner, as if there are no other authors who write lots fictional books about Halloween.Never mind that, though, because sometimes it's necessary to dismiss practicalities in the pursuit of a good story, particularly one involving the supernatural. However, maybe it's because the story is rather short that I never fully engaged with it, but this book ultimately fell flat for me. When pumpkins began to appear in places that seemed strange even for Halloween, I was 100% along for the ride. And the events that followed, which I can't include without spoilers, were suspenseful, and at about 60% through the book began to feel like a page-turner. Disappointingly the plot quickly fizzled out, and the ending was -- even for a book on the supernatural -- difficult to believe and ultimately unsatisfactory. I'm unsure if the writer placing herself in the story as the protagonist was meant to have a particular effect, but by the time I'd finished the book, I'd forgotten Lisa and the author were the same.I feel like maybe the target audience for this book is adolescent because, if it were, I can well imagine myself reading it as a 12-year-old and having a much different and enthusiastic review to give. Although I wouldn't recommend this book to my peers, I would recommend it to teens and maybe very young adults who are interested in the Celtics and/or Druids.I received this book as an Early Reviewer, but that did not influence my review.

[katyas_26 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Book Info: Genre: Dark FictionReading Level: AdultRecommended for: Those who like something different, those interested in Celtic cultureTrigger Warnings: murder, ritual sacrifice, mass murderAnimals: Cat murder, goat murder, attempted cat murderMy Thoughts: Wow, what a powerful story. It will baffle all expectations, since it is written like a journal. Or did this truly happen? That is the question that is left floating in the reader's mind after reading this.I've been fascinated by Celtic culture for decades, and so I found this particularly interesting. I wonder how much of this the author has confirmed, or if it is something she made up completely? There is no way to know. I wish I could have read this a couple weeks ago, it would have been perfect for Halloween. If you've been looking for something shiver-inducing, but not too long, check out this awesome novella.Disclosure: I received an e-book ARC from the LibraryThing Early Reviewer's program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.Synopsis: When Lisa Morton, author of The Halloween Encyclopedia, is called in to consult on the recent discovery of a fifteen-hundred-year-old Celtic manuscript, she’s at first excited about the light this monumental find might shed on Samhain, the mysterious Celtic precursor to Halloween. Conor ó Cuinn, the Irish archaeologist who excavated the manuscript, thinks it reveals ancient magic. Lisa is skeptical… until people around her begin dying. Dr. Wilson Armitage, the university professor who was translating the manuscript, is found torn apart by wild animals… or was he actually attacked by vicious sidh, malicious Celtic spirits that wreak havoc every Samhain?As October 31st approaches, the border between our realm and one of murderous spirits begins to dissolve. Can Lisa survive Halloween night and use her knowledge to set the world right again?

[polypsodd · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Summer's End is a short, quick read.I found it most interesting from a historical point of view and describing the development of Halloween beliefs, traditions and practices.It sometimes felt like reading a mini dissertation, this is partly due to a great deal of information being squeezed in, leaving little room for plot and character development.

[bgknighton · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting little novella, Did Lisa make the right decision? Is a child's life too much to pay for a better world?

[mcsj-331079 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I have to confess that I had first thought I recognized the author's name; upon receiving the book, I quickly realized my mistake. Nevertheless, I read Summer's End and found it to be a fairly entertaining story. The history of today's Halloween as originating from druids is interesting, but the plot was rather sketchy and far-fetched. I kept thinking that this was a YA level book; it felt far too "young" for a mature reader. So, yes, I believe a teen reader might find this to be a good read.

[bookjunkie32 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this story, and the fact that the author(Lisa Morton) graced us with her presence as one of the characters in this amazing book!! Although this is a fairly short novel it is packed full of great themes and ideas. It does start off a little slow in the beginning because some of the terminology was unfamiliar to me, but it doesn't take away from the story at all, once you get past that the story really gets interesting. This book had just the right amount of scary to keep me reading and the ending wasn't at all what I had expected, overall it was a great read and I would recommend to anyone looking for a spooky Halloween based story. Great book and I will definitely be looking for more books from this author in the future.

[melanieburger-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Summer’s End by Lisa Morton is a super short novella set around Halloween in which the author has written herself into the story in a kind of quirky and clever way. I have to say, as short as this novella was, it took me a while to get into it. I was about halfway through before I was sure that I wanted to keep going. Something about the beginning of the story was slow to get off the ground, and there were a lot of plot devices that just seemed a little too convenient. Had the book been longer some of those things could have been fleshed out better, but as it was the whole thing felt a little rushed. In fact, looking back on it, I’m pretty sure I didn’t really like this book while I was reading it.That said, I’m now a few weeks and several other books removed from the reading, and I look back upon it fondly. It was just the right amount of creepy going into the Halloween season, and the story was really original in a genre that tends to be rehashed ghosts and goblins (and zombies and vampires. For the love of god, no more zombies or vampires!) a lot of the time.Given the amount of time (next to none) that it takes to read this novella, I think it’s well worth it. I don’t generally do horror or scary stories, but when I do tend to lean toward short stories — Stephen King’s Different Seasons being my absolute favorite of the genre — so there is a chance I may seek out some more Lisa Morton when I want to get a case of the willies. She’s won several Bram Stoker awards for short fiction, long fiction, and non-fiction and seems to have quite a following.

[shellim_4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First I have to say that I was glad when I was done with this, even though it was a short book. I was so confused as to where the author was going I almost stopped reading after the first 20 or so pages. I am glad I finished it because towards the end I finally got into it a little. If the first half of the book wasn't so convoluted, the story idea would have been fantastic.

[sjthszn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although a bit confusing in the beginning, this novella finishes strong. It took some patience before I figured out the terms and rituals involved, but just keep going and it all makes sense soon enough. Unlike some other reviewers, I thought the novella length was good for this story and I was satisfied with a nice Halloween season tale.

[erikschreppel · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was a interesting premise that did not get fleshed out enough. The novella length did not allow the concept to be successful, as the plot was whisked along without any real detail to drive the characters. I got to the end and still had no idea what I thought about it. Would like to have seen this done with much more detail and novel length pacing.

[frankerrington · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Review copyWhat a great way to kick off the Halloween season. Can you think of anything better than a new novella from the writer who's become synonymous with the holiday?Lisa Morton is the author of Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween which was awarded the 2012 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Non-fiction, and also won the Grand Prize at the 2012 Halloween Book Festival causing her to become affectionately known as the Queen of Halloween.Summer's End is unique in that the writer is also the protagonist in the story which leads to this epic opening line. "My name is Lisa Morton. I'm one of the world's leading authorities on Halloween. And this year I discovered that everything I thought I knew, was wrong."The title explanation was was pretty good, too. "...the Celts had celebrated 'summer's end' (the literal translation of 'Samhain') with a three-day long party of drinking, feasting and horse racing."What follows is an entertaining blend of real-life Lisa and story Lisa as the author finds herself caught up in desperate attempt to set history back on it's proper track.Plenty of scarey moments and a few that can best be described as cringe-worthy. Summer's End by Lisa Morton is officially available on October 4th, 2013 from Journalstone Publishing. If you'd like something fresh to kick-start your Halloween spirit, this is the one.Strongly recommended.

[jimleask · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this novella from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.The main character of the book is the author and in a work of fiction I found this intriguing. I felt the characters required more depth, which was not forthcoming. I found the descriptions of Druidic history and especially the outline of Dagda and Morrigan defending Eire (a novella on that subject would be interesting) well written.The ending for me was unexpected, inspired and left the door open for another novella. I was expecting a more conventional ending and even though it left a number of unanswered questions I still preferred it as written.I think the author has talent and would recommend this book to any lovers of fantasy fiction.

[gabbyhayze · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this as an ebook from Library Thing's Early Reader Program. I had the impression from the description that it was intended to be a Halloween story that would scare me, have me on the edge of my seat, and make me afraid of the dark. It did not do any of those things for me. What it did do was educate me about Druids, a subject about which I know very little. Now that I've read this Novella, the Druids are still not a subject about which I feel I want to know more. That is not to say that what Lisa Norton has written isn't good insofar as her writing goes. I would certainly read something of hers again, but Summer's End just wasn't a compelling enough story for me to want to read a follow up. I am curious about what kind of novel she writes, because I think her skills as a writer are there. It's just the subject matter for me that didn't deliver enough. I do appreciate Early Reader's for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this Novella.

[antares1_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summer's End by Lisa Morton was an interesting read. I enjoyed the historical information about Halloween, and I liked that it had a nod to academia. I didn't care for the author using herself as a character in the novella. It makes all the historical information suspect. Is it true or was it manipulated for the story. For the author apparently playing herself there was really little characterization to her or the other characters. The accounts of L.A. traffic were spot on. I know from living there a number of years. She didn't take into account that October tends to be "Fire" season, and there was no mention of brush fires. Also choosing Thousand Oaks as a location of her ritual just because of the name. There are more remote places with riparian habitat. I did enjoy the story, although the ending was very abrupt and felt unfinished.

[ellejennison · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lisa Morton is the main character in her own novella Summer's End blurring the lines between fact and fiction. She is called in to examine a 1500 year old druidic manuscript by Dr. Wilson Armitage and Dr. Conor o' Cuinn. It appears to be selections of history, recipes for herbal concoctions for healing and the like, and spells. Lisa is very skeptical especially about the spells until Dr. Armitage is found torn apart. The police report says by wild animals, but she suspects it was by the mischievous and malicious sidh that o' Cuinn summoned using the book. The novella continues with more spell casting, poultice making, and wand seeking adventures. In the end it comes down to one thing. Will o' Cuinn and Lisa be willing and able to perform sacrifices on Halloween, one of them human, to restore balance to the world?The book has an interesting premise and presentation putting the author as the main character. There is maybe a little more tell than show in places perhaps because of the shorter format. The bit about the sidh was so well written, I was reluctant to look outside after dark for a few days. I did feel that that the ending was a little bit of a let down, but I can't go into details here because it would involve spoilers. It just seemed a little anticlimactic. Good, but anticlimactic. Overall I liked the book and found that it stayed with me after I finished reading it.I give it 3 out of 5 stars.Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in order to provide my unbiased opinion.

[longdogmom · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this ebook novella from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. I found it to be a fast read, well written and informative. The information on ancient Druids and the history of Halloween/Samhaim was interesting and the book read as if it had really happened. It felt plausible and therefore, somewhat frightening and creepy.It built well in suspense and the author took the reader along with her from a place of logic and skepticism to the possibility that things might not have happened the way we think as new information is discovered, that things like Faerie may even exist as well as Gods and Goddesses, spells and magic. Things started to bother me when the death of animals came into it, especially the one near the end. I'm glad that Lisa, the main character (and author) made the choices she did at the end, but I didn't like that she had let it go a far as it did, and that the book ended so abruptly with her knowledge that the Irish archaeologist would look for another partner to join him in his beliefs that would carry things through to an ending that she refused to cooperate in. Where is her responsibility for the actions she did take along the way, or the knowledge that this other person may hurt another innocent in the future? Does she walk away and just ignore all that and go on with her life? It fell flat for me after all the buildup.

[pratchettfan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lisa Morton is an expert on Halloween and early Celtic culture and in the days before Halloween she is always fully booked with interviews and other events. So when she receives an e-mail asking her advice on a recently discovered Celtic scroll containing information about the Druids culture, she almost puts it down to a hoax, but then decides to meet the Celtic archaeologist to learn more.In the manuscript she detects both a detailed account of the last Druid as well as detailed descriptions of spells. When people start dying and she starts seeing sprites and other otherworldly figures, she finds that she is in deeper trouble than she expected...Summer's End is an interesting novella which reads more like an account of fact, rather than fiction (with footnotes and other references thrown in for good measure) and it managed to captivate me from the start. The end seems a bit rushed, on the other hand I liked the surprise ending and that it left many questions open.I can recommend this book to anyone who is interested in possible ancient Celtic customs.

[kimberlynwm · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I won this book as a part of Librarything’s Early Review program. Summer’s End has a great premise—the author setting herself in a fictional account of supernatural doings around Halloween. Her prose is quite witty at points and the ‘historical’ information is as authentic as possible, given the dearth of factual accounts. The shifting scenes are fast-paced, with a great deal of underlying urgency. All told, the story is entertaining.There were several thrilling moments, one saved by a literal Deus ex machina, and a couple by the protagonist’s own sheer stubbornness. However, the devil is in the details, and I felt as if there was a build-up to a grand denouement which never happened. I think the ending (which I won’t share here) was a surprising twist, but raised even more questions, none of which were addressed.

[goode2shews · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summer's End by Lisa Morton is a thrill ride. The author herself is the main character of the story, which I thought was very clever. She is an expert on Halloween and is called upon to consult on an ancient Druid manuscript circa 350 C.E. The manuscript sheds light on the true nature of Samhain, which our holiday of Halloween is largely based on, and Lisa's belief system is challenged, as it reveals that all the myths surrounding communion with the gods during Samhain are real. She tries one of the spells and finds that it really works and thus is swept up into a real life Halloween adventure to try and appease the dark god "Bal-Sab" and restore peace and balance our present day world.This is a very enjoyable, horrific story that kept me on the edge of my seat until the end. The ending makes the reader think about the horrors of the world we live in and wonder, what if…

[lostinalibrary · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Setting this story in the halls of academia seemed like a good idea. Where else for a better understanding of the history of Celtic myths and legends. Unfortunately, it didn't work as well as it could have. For one, writing it as if it's an academic treatise took away much of the creepy and left it feeling dry and, well, academic. Not that this hasn't been done before to better results eg Lovecraft but it just didn't seem to work here. For another, the academic quality got derailed somewhere around the middle but it wasn't replaced by a sense of horror, more like a sense of 'meh'. There was something flat about Ms Morton's reaction to everything going on around her (the author was the protagonist in her story); it was more like a mildly brisk stroll in the park rather than a frenzied dash through the graveyard and, If the protagonist isn't at least a little freaked by the action around her, it's hard for the reader to feel anything other than mild interest.The thing is there was a lot of potential here. The story had the framework for a good creepy Halloween tale.Perhaps the problem was in the length of the story. Perhaps a novella was just too short to do everything that Ms Morton wanted to do and a novel would have been better. At any rate, it was an okay story but, as a horror tale, it really just kind of fizzled.

[dichotomy_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Summer's End was a cool story. The writing could have used a bit more polish, but otherwise the horror scenes were tense and the characters were interesting. I wish it had been longer - I would have liked to read more! I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. It was certainly unexpected, and maybe that's why it was also kind of unsatisfying. Again, more detail and a continuation of the story would be great.

[mithalogica-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was all set to love this tale: a university, All Hallow's, a touch (or a bunch) of the supernatural... but somehow it didn't come together for me. Morton's novella spends too much time 'lecturing' about the history at the beginning (and not always accurately, I"m afraid), and then the action seems a little stilted. The core idea is interesting: a couple of academics decide to try out the ancient spells they discover in a long-lost parchment. But the assumptions underlying much of the novella are too wild and not fully supported in the context of the story (or history as I mentioned. I know its fiction, but come on!). The finale seems rushed, and the villain utterly unconvincing. I think with some more polish Morton could put out some good fiction. She's got lots of imagination, but I think she needs more practice; this piece read like an unfinished draft.

[sogamonk · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Summer's end reads like a short story or novella. A different take on what we know about Halloween. The author writes in a way that is easy to read, the research background is impressive.The story itself was a long yawn for me. Human sacrifice to appease the Celtic Gods, ok i get it, but it has been done, oh so many times.Still entertaining and as i said before, a fast read.