Bound and Unbound: A paranormal novella duology
Ali Hazelwood
In the Valley of the Sun: A Novel
by Andy Davidson
About this book
Texas, 1980. Travis Stillwell is a man defined by his darkest impulses, a drifter who hunts women in the neon glow of desert honky-tonks to silence his inner demons. But after a fateful encounter with a mysterious, pale-skinned stranger, Travis wakes up bloodied and forever changed. He is no longer just a predator; he has become the prey of an insatiable, supernatural hunger that threatens to consume everything he touches.
While seeking refuge at a desolate motel, Travis attempts to build a fragile life with the owner, Annabelle, and her young son. Yet, as the sun dips below the horizon, the facade begins to crumble. This is a haunting, atmospheric take on the vampire genre that eschews traditional luster for something far grittier and more visceral. It is a slow-burn descent into the macabre where the line between monster and man blurs into the dust.
As a grizzled Texas Ranger closes in, hoping to settle scores for Travis’s past crimes, he unearths a nightmare far beyond the badge. This is not a typical paranormal romance; it is a bleak, poetic, and terrifying exploration of inherited evil. Prepare for a chilling journey where the blood is cold and the desert night never truly ends.
- Publication Date
- May 25, 2026
- ASIN
- 1510742840
Reader Reviews
August 10, 2021
Readers are likely to only read the Prologue of IN THE VALLEY OF THE SUN (2017) by Andy Davidson which takes place in Texas in 1980 before they start to wonder exactly what they have gotten themselves into. Travis Stillwell has a woman, Rue, “seventeen, maybe eighteen” alone with him in his camper anticipating an evening of what comes naturally to him—something most unnatural—but when he wakes up in the morning, he is unable to remember the night before. It is “a black hole punched through his...
May 7, 2018
A story that is compelling and keeps the interest high, wondering just what is going to happen. Although in the Vampire genre, it changes many of the expected Vampire scenarios, bringing the drinking of blood to a much more graphic and devastating level. No pointed fangs here, but copious amounts of blood. The interdiction of Texas Rangers, pursuing a strangler with a definitive MO places the story within the crime genre as well. The mixing of the two genre is marvelously interwoven. Nothing in...
December 6, 2019
\"In the Valley of the Sun\" is a purposely disjointed, haunting novel that sings its bleak, darkly poetic composition so quietly into your ear, you leave it unsure of its meaning... Here, author Andy Davidson creates a stark and bitter emotional landscape that burdens your consciousness with its endless, seemingly empty search for truth and meaning. His slow, laborious prose pressing harshly against your soul, leaving you feeling heavy and pained. You leave this book unsure of Travis's...
September 4, 2017
I had waited decades and completely given up hope of finding vampire novel that combined traditional lore with a splash of originality. The desert of the western United States was the perfect backdrop to this story-conveying life that's eked out in spite of the harsh environment. Not since I discovered Salem's Lot in the 70's have I been so transported and covered in gooseflesh as when I had the good fortune to pick up In The Valley of the Sun. I gobbled up the 384 pages in about a day and a...
June 23, 2024
I was not prepared to enjoy this book this much. Not a happy ending, BTW…but a deeply satisfying one. It’s modern day horror with a touch of a bleak western (Cormac, kinda). BUT NOT for the faint of heart. Whew. )
