In 1917, author and renowned spiritualist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle of Sherlock Holmes fame became deeply involved in an otherworldly case that came to be known as the Cottingley Fairies. Two young girls took photos of what appeared to be actual fairies. Even though many refuted and debunked these pictures, they raised awareness of these possible ancient beings with which we shared the earth, and interest in them has never waned.

Fairies, or more precisely changelings, were at the heart of THE WATCHERS by A.M. Shine. This classic folk horror novel was so powerful that M. Night Shyamalan produced the film version that starred Dakota Fanning and was directed by his daughter, Ishana. The popularity of both made Shine rush back to the writing table and produce his latest effort, STAY IN THE LIGHT, a sequel to THE WATCHERS.

"STAY IN THE LIGHT is not just an ideal horror story for the Halloween season, but an amazing Gothic tale for any time of year. There is so much incredible Irish lore that delves into these beings with whom we shared the earth that it easily will produce chills to anyone who reads it."

“Was it not better to die in the dark than stand in the light again and let the world know the terrible truth of what he’d done?” It is this question that drives Sean Kilmartin. His father, David, was the professor who studied, obsessed over and ultimately kidnapped one of the Watchers in the first novel. Now, Sean and his archaeological crew are attempting to finish his late father’s work by digging beneath the area known as the Burren in County Clare, Ireland. It’s a massive pile of rock, which should have been the first warning sign that this location was far different from the woodlands that David explored.

At this point, we get reacquainted with the surviving characters from THE WATCHERS. Mina now lives a sheltered existence and rarely leaves the beachside cottage that she rents from a nice young couple who also live on the property. She has lost touch with her twin sister, Jenny, and reconnects with Ciara, with whom she shared a dreadful experience while being trapped in the woods by the Watchers. Each has had strange encounters with people who they feel might not be quite what they seem. They already know that these changelings study the human race so that they may copy and pass themselves off as them. They are aware of this because of the woman who also was trapped with them, Madeline, who ended up being a rare hybrid of human and changeling known as a daywalker because of her ability to walk in the daytime with the rest of the world.

It is inevitable that Mina and Madeline will meet up, especially as they both have a vested interest in preventing a disaster that is about to be caused by the Burren excavation. Monsters are real, and now they're everywhere. But nothing will prepare the human race for the horrors that may be physically unleashed from their stone prison. Madeline even knew to fear the Watchers, and they may be too late to stop what already has been set in motion.

The last third of the book sees Madeline, along with Jenny, breaking Mina from a small prison in order to get to the Burren to witness what is taking place. Mina had been imprisoned due to her claims of people not being human but instead changelings, which is not readily understood just yet by the uninitiated masses. That is all about to change, as the finale of this fiery novel sets us on the precipice of a whole new world, as well as the next book in the series.

STAY IN THE LIGHT is not just an ideal horror story for the Halloween season, but an amazing Gothic tale for any time of year. There is so much incredible Irish lore that delves into these beings with whom we shared the earth that it easily will produce chills to anyone who reads it. You also may find yourself looking at certain people you consider to be a little odd or different in an entirely new light.