Special Place: The Heart of a Dark Matter | Peter Straub
A Special Place, Peter Straub s first published novella, will come to stand as one of the author s most deeply unsettling works of fiction. A rumination on the nature of evil, the story centers on a boy, Keith Hayward, who is drawn by his nature to an irresistible fascination with death and the taking of life. His father s brother, the good-looking, suave Uncle Till the infamous ladykiller, who has led a shadowy career as a local celebrity recognizes his nephew s innermost nature and gleefully tutors him in art of doing ill without getting caught. Even a cold-blooded sociopath must learn some lessons in survival, in seems, and Uncle Till is only happy to provide a tutorial, in the latest imaginative and disturbing work from one of America's most celebrated horror writers. "