Something Is Killing the Children: Hope Is a Knife
by James Tynion IV and Kiersten White
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Erica Slaughter is a black mask for the Order of St. George an organization that destroys the unseen monsters in the world. Erica is on another mission to a small nothing town called Bedwater. A town with very few members, a single doctor and a extremist Preacher. She is there to see if the local killings of children is a monster or something else entirely. Erica wants to do her best to save all of the children of the town before they too are devoured. But the Preacher of the town is calling people together against horrors he has determined to be real. Erica tries to skirt around this Preacher and do the job she came there for but ends up in the middle of everything.
An original story set in the same universe and with the same characters as SIKTC. This was a great horror read! This is perfect as a standalone and seems to take place before the events of the graphic novel. I loved seeing the expanded emotions and feelings of Erica. In the graphic novel she sometimes comes off as cold and unfeeling, but we don't have access to any of her inner thoughts. Something we get plenty of in this novel. I do wish it was a little more established where in the timeline it takes place, but considering Erica was a well established black mask before we met her in the graphic novels it makes sense to have just one of the stories written. I also adore Kiersten White as an author and loved her interpretation on Erica. I am looking forward to see if we get anymore novelizations set in this universe.