Damn. Has it really been 35 years since I read this novel? I was in Grade 12 at the time. I'm old.

In my quest to go through all those McCammon books I never read back in the 70s and 80s because I was too hooked on King and Masterton, this is the third in fairly quick succession (the first was the out-of-order Usher's Passing, then back to his first, Baal and now his third-written-but-second-published, Bethany's Sin).

This was my very first exposure to McCammon, back in the day and I have absolutely no memory of the story, aside from women and horses. It obviously didn't leave an impression on me then, because I never picked up another McCammon until the excellent Boy's Life eleven years later.

I'm not sure why. Going through this novel now, the first thing I can say is, it is a much better story and much more well-written story than the two I read before it. The story held together much better. Yes, there were still holes (no one noticed the underwhelming male population? No one noticed all the missing males?) and the writing was still a touch green (count how many times McCammon emphasizes a point by repeating the verb three times: His lungs were burning burning burning.).

However, my biggest issue was with the explanation of the town's name. We're entering spoiler country here, so...

I felt McCammon wasted a fantastic opportunity to create a little less slavering, man-hating villains and more multi-dimensional, empathetic antagonists by simply delving into Drago's memories of her father and mother, and what she had to do to her father to save herself. I think, had he done that with a deft hand, it would have raised this novel from merely good, to great.

But overall, I thought this was an above-average horror novel. Well done, Mr. McCammon. Now I'm excited for Night Boat. ( )

I hoped to like this more than I actually did. Just a mediocre horror story. I felt sorry for the main character. His wife was not supportive at all. A town where all the women are in charge, all the men are victims and any men left alive are kept as sperm donors. ( )

I can't remember now how I ended up with it, but I've had this used copy of Bethany's Sin sitting unread (by me) on my shelves for over fifteen years, probably closer to twenty. When I finally plucked it from its comfortable perch last week to read it at last, thinking it might be a fun Halloween read, I checked McCammon's Wikipedia page and read that the author himself has taken it (along with three other early novels) out of print as it didn't measure up to the quality of his later work.

Well. I can't speak for the other three novels, nor can I speak with much authority on the quality of McCammon's other books (I've read only The Wolf's Hour; it was several years ago, and I remember enjoying it). As far as Bethany's Sin is concerned, though, I'd say he was right to order it buried. Absolutely dreadful. The characters were flat, the dialogue was wooden, the plot was ridiculous. I mean, I know it's a horror novel and a certain level of contrivance is to be expected, is probably even necessary, but this was just stupid throughout. I kept hoping it would get better until I was about halfway though; then I knew it wasn't going to happen, but plugged away to the end anyway because I hate to leave anything unfinished once I've started.

I still have one more McCammon novel sitting on my shelf - Boy's Life, which I've read good things about, even from others who hated Bethany's Sin. So I'll give him another chance with that one at some point. ( )

I usually love McCammon's books but I could not get into this one at all.

Back Cover Blurb:
When Evan Reid brought his wife and small daughter to Bethany's Sin it seemed the perfect setting. A small village, far from the noise and pollution of the city, it was quaint and very peaceful.
Too peaceful. There were no sounds at all.....almost as if the night had been frightened into silence.
Then Evan noticed there were very few men in the village, and that those he knew of were crippled. And sometimes he thought he heard the sound of horses galloping in the dead of night.
Soon he would know the superhuman secret that kept the village alive. And he would watch in horror as Kay and Laurie underwent a hideous transformation right before his eyes. He would know the terror that happened at night - and only to men....in Bethany's Sin.
The place where no man walks the streets after nightfall. ( )