The Night Hunter:
Story of a Community in Chaos
This novel by Russ Williams presents an
apocalyptic view of a small town turned upside-down by a natural
disaster. Action and human drama come together to force members of this
shaken community to live or die while facing horrific challenges,
natural and supernatural. There’s a doctor, a lawyer, a priest, a saloon
keeper, a sheriff, a mayor, lovers, young and old, as well as the rich
and the poor. All must band together to survive. Here's a preview:
The president's voice crackled over the battery-powered radio: "My
fellow Americans, I regret bearing such terrible news, but most of our
nation is buried beneath snow left by this monumental blizzard. I have
declared a state of emergency and martial law, and moved the Congress
and executive branch to a provisional government center in Jacksonville,
Florida. Much of the rest of our country is covered with fifty or more
feet of snow.
"I have ordered the U.S. armed services to begin digging
out our large cities, but I ask those of you in outlying areas to take
heart and have courage. We will try to rescue you as soon as we can and
return local and national services to normal, whenever possible. Until
then, I ask you, please remain calm and conserve your resources. Help is
on the way. I repeat, help is on the way."
"But what about us?" the girl screamed. "We're trapped here in the
middle of nowhere. How long will it take them to reach us this far up in
the mountains? Weeks? Months? Are we all going to die?"
A small band of
people gathered around the radio and tried to give her comfort, but they
had no answers. All they could do was wait — and hope.
So begins a time of terror in The Night Hunter — a mysterious
tale of adventure and romance in an isolated village haunted by the
unknown. To survive, these people have to struggle against the winter
forces of nature gone wild. Yet, the ones who live must fight the
ultimate battle, against their own weakness and desires, as they come face to face with
... the Night Hunter.
To purchase this book now through Amazon.com,
click here!
Darkest Night: For more information on Russ' horror film Darkest Night, click here.
For an Important Notice, Please See "Author's Blog" Below ...
Writer With a Vision
Welcome to the dark yet enlightening
literary worlds of Russ Williams. Every page of his novels (and other
works) springs vibrant with interesting characters, fascinating
storylines, and lots of action. Russ writes fiction to entertain.
Of course, other writers who fill America's
bookstore shelves can do the same thing. So what makes him different?
His work contains a depth of ideas underneath the surface story. This
foundation surpasses the "two-dimensionality" of most writers out there
today. Can any of you remember the best-selling novel of 1998, just ten
years ago, or for that matter, even last year? These stories get
"cranked out" at a tremendous pace, acclaimed by critics, selling
millions, made into movies, talked about by everyone, then in a few
years they're gone. The best-seller of 1998 (whatever it was!) is now in
the trash can and landfill, gone to make way for the next best-seller,
and the next and the next.
Russ' work will be remembered long after these best-sellers have
faded from sight. For example, The Night Hunter was first
published in 1990 and now is republished by popular demand. After almost
20 years, this story still speaks to American readers. This popularity
is because Russ crafts his writing with more than just a desire to
sell. Like his model and historical mentor, William Shakespeare, his
primary purpose is to please the public. However, his work also provides
real intellectual and emotional nourishment, a banquet for thought, not
just stuff to think about for a while.
His writing is layered, like careful architecture. The top layer is a
fun story, and you can take it at only that level and be well
entertained. The next strata expose live (and lively) characters who are
real, vivid, and three-dimensional, not the shallow stereotypes of most
bookstore fare. If you read even more, you discover a world of
ideas, shown in conflict and expressed passionately, as well as social
commentary and satire. Finally, at base, the stories speak to universal
themes of human existence, philosophical, moral, and spiritual.
Certainly, university presses will give you thousands of novels that
grapple with existential themes and "great ideas." English professors
love to write these kinds of novels. They also love to read them, even
if few others ever do. So what's the lesson here? American has split
into two streams, commercial and academic. For fun, read the
best-sellers. If you want to use your brain, read the professors, even if
they're often almost unreadable!
The strength in Russ' work is that he's able to combine both streams
into a single river of easy-to-read, exciting, and thoughtful stories.
You don't need two bookshelves, a popular one for cotton-candy words and
an academic one for bitter-pill verbiage. Neither a crowd-pleaser nor an
intellectual, Russ deals with true human emotion and passion. His
stories are writ large on the epic canvas of real and vibrant life.
Yes, his tales are often dark, Gothic, and tragic. Much of the time,
he terrifies, saddens, and even shocks. Even so, the reader who persists
will find uplifting affirmations of the human spirit as well. More often
than not, there is light at the end of his long, story-built tunnels. He
puts his characters through difficult straits because that's what life is
about: the worse the trial, the greater the triumph!
So let this website introduce you to the thrilling literary and
cinematic work of Russ
Williams:
- To find out more about his published novel The Night Hunter, as well as his other novels, click here.
- To find out more about his screenplays ready for production, as well as his film, Darkest Night (now released in the U.S. and Canada and available on DVD and VOD, click here.
- To buy a copy of The Night Hunter from Amazon.com, click here.
- To read an extended excerpt from The Night Hunter at the Author House website, click here.
- For information on his produced film The
Last Year, click here.
- To buy a DVD of his film The Last Year from Wolfe Video, click here.
- To buy the same DVD of The Last Year from Amazon.com,
click here.
Amazon.com will ship internationally.
- To read his poetry, news, meditations and essays in his Blog, click here. His Blog is updated on a regular basis.
- For his page on the LinkedIn website, click here.
- For his author page on Facebook,
click
here.
- To find out more about Russ, click here. To contact him directly, click here.
Author's Blog: Important Notice
Russ has changed his Blog, and it now has an exciting new look. Check it out when you can!
Unfortunately, those of you who commented, followed or otherwise linked to his previous Blog must do so all over again. Please feel free to visit the new Blog and give us your comments. Please follow the new blog, or "re-follow" if you want to. Thanks, and we apologize for any inconvenience.
Media & Awards
News and information about awards, upcoming film and book releases, as well as personal appearances by Russ are announced in the author's Blog. These announcements are updated on a regular basis. To access this Blog, including Russ' poetry and commentary, click here.