Five college students who live many miles apart but who share a terrifying childhood secret each receive a mysterious message: "Dear survivor, please return." It"s a request they have been dreading, but knew must one day come. Seven years earlier a dark force of powerful evil had preyed on the seventh-grade class of Seven Oaks middle school. Now someone has summoned the survivors, someone who needs their special help, their knowledge and skills, in order to defeat the evil again. But are they being lured into a trap? Well...duh!! This tongue-in-cheek horror novel, which manages to both parody and celebrate elements of modern horror is the latest book by Richard Sala, author of such delightfully macabre books as Peculia, The Chuckling Whatsit, Maniac Killer Strikes Again! and the Evil Eye comic book series. Sala has gained a devoted following over the years as a master of a unique brand of quirky horror and dark humor. His work appeared in the critically-acclaimed McSweeney"s Vol. 13 collection and has been animated on MTV, and he has collaborated with Lemony Snicket, among others. This book features several characters from his "Peculia" tales—stories which revolve around a mysterious waif-like girl, her very strange acquaintances, and her tendency, through no fault of her own, to find herself facing a variety of awful creatures and ghastly goings-on. For years, Sala has promised his readers a full-length "Peculia" novel that would shed some light on the background of the intrepid young wanderer, and they won"t be disappointed. No previous exposure to any of Sala"s stories is necessary, however. In fact, anyone who likes a little chuckle with their chills, anyone who enjoys curling up with tales of vampires and other things that go bump in the night, will want to get their claws on this before the next full moon.