Keith Rosson’s Coffin Moon: A Gripping Descent into Darkness

Coffin Moon marks Keith Rosson’s highly anticipated return to the horror genre following his critically acclaimed Fever House duology, this novel represents Rosson’s bold reimagining of vampire mythology within a gritty 1970s setting.

The novel arrives at a time when vampire fiction has largely moved away from the romanticised depictions that dominated popular culture in the early 2000s, instead returning to the more monstrous roots of the mythology. Coffin Moon sits comfortably alongside works like Let the Right One In and The Suicide Motor Club, while simultaneously carving out its own distinct space within the genre. What sets Rosson’s approach apart is his commitment to grounding the supernatural elements in realistic human emotion and historical context, creating a story that is as much about trauma and grief as it is about vengeance and bloodshed.

Set against the bleak backdrop of winter in 1975 Portland, Oregon, Coffin Moon follows Duane Minor, a Vietnam veteran struggling to rebuild his life after the horrors of war. Working as a bartender at his in-laws’ establishment, Duane fights daily battles with sobriety, nightmares from his combat experiences, and the challenges of connecting with his thirteen-year-old niece, Julia, who has recently come under his care following her own family tragedy. Together with his wife Heidi, Duane is slowly constructing a fragile sense of normalcy, until the night he makes the fatal mistake of crossing John Varley.

Varley is no ordinary criminal; he is a centuries-old vampire with a particular cruelty and a trail of bodies stretching back decades. When Duane disrupts Varley’s drug operation, running out of the bar, the vampire responds with brutal retaliation: he murders Heidi and Duane’s in-laws, shattering what remained of Duane’s precarious stability. What follows is a cross-country pursuit that transforms from a simple revenge mission into a dark exploration of how grief can curdle into obsession, and how violence begets more violence.

The narrative structure follows Duane and Julia as they track Varley across the Pacific Northwest and beyond, encountering along the way a cast of broken characters drawn to Varley’s ferocity, including immortal children and silver bullet casters. Their journey becomes increasingly complicated when Julia makes a fateful decision that alters their relationship and the nature of their quest irrevocably, leading to a climax that forces both characters to confront what remains of their humanity in the face of insurmountable loss.

Rosson’s approach to vampire lore is both traditional and innovative, drawing on classic elements while injecting fresh perspectives that serve the novel’s thematic concerns. John Varley possesses many of the attributes readers expect from vampire mythology; he sleeps during the day beneath loose earth, grows teeth in the moonlight, and possesses superhuman strength, but Rosson uses these traits to explore deeper questions about immortality, power, and the nature of evil.

Unlike many contemporary vampire narratives that romanticise immortality, Coffin Moon presents eternal life as a curse that amplifies existing pathological tendencies. Varley is not a brooding romantic figure but a genuinely terrifying predator whose longevity has only deepened his capacity for cruelty.

One of the most interesting aspects of Rosson’s mythology is the concept of “coffin moons”, implied to be celestial events or cycles that affect vampire abilities and behaviour. While the novel doesn’t overexplain these mechanisms (to its benefit), it creates a sense of ancient, natural forces operating just beyond human understanding. This approach to worldbuilding feels organic rather than expository, allowing the supernatural elements to emerge naturally from the narrative rather than feeling like imposed plot devices.

As the novel’s protagonist, Duane Minor represents Rosson’s continued interest in traumatised figures attempting to navigate impossible circumstances. A Vietnam veteran, Duane carries the psychological and physical scars of war, which manifest in his struggles with alcoholism, anger management, and PTSD. What makes Duane compelling is his fundamental decency despite these challenges; he genuinely tries to be a good husband and uncle, even when his own demons threaten to overwhelm him.

Julia serves as both Duane’s emotional anchor and the catalyst for much of the novel’s action. As a thirteen-year-old who has experienced significant trauma herself (having witnessed her mother murder her abusive stepfather), Julia possesses a volatile combination of vulnerability and rage. Her decision-making throughout the novel, particularly her choice to make a dangerous bargain with an undead child, drives much of the narrative tension. What makes Julia remarkable is how Rosson avoids reducing her to a mere victim or plot device; she possesses agency and complexity that make her feel authentically adolescent rather than a miniature adult.

The 1970s Pacific Northwest setting functions as more than mere backdrop in Coffin Moon; it becomes a character in its own right, shaping the narrative’s tone and themes. Rosson meticulously evokes the era through sensory details, the sleet and neon of Portland, the grimy alleyways, the desolate highways of the Northwest, and the snow-lashed plains of North Dakota. This attention to period detail never feels gratuitous; instead, it reinforces the novel’s exploration of a society in transition, still reeling from the Vietnam War and the cultural upheavals of the previous decade.

The atmospheric quality of the writing has drawn particular praise from early reviewers, with many noting how effectively Rosson creates a sense of pervasive dread and emotional desolation that mirrors his characters’ internal states. The novel shifts between various locales, ranging from urban bars to rural motels to supernatural spaces, each with its own distinct atmosphere and contribution to the overall narrative. This variety prevents the darkness from becoming monotonous while maintaining a consistent tone that keeps readers immersed in the story’s grim reality.

Particularly effective is how Rosson uses the setting to highlight the contrast between the mundane and the supernatural. Vampires and silver bullet casters coexist alongside everyday concerns, such as running a bar or parenting a teenager, creating a sense of the uncanny that feels more impactful because it emerges from such a grounded reality. This approach recalls the best of Stephen King’s work, where supernatural horror gains power from its intersection with ordinary life.

Coffin Moon employs a propulsive narrative structure that balances breakneck action with quieter character moments. The novel is divided into three distinct sections: the establishment of Duane’s fragile domestic life, the brutal inciting incident and its immediate aftermath, and the extended pursuit across the country. This three-act structure provides a solid foundation for Rosson’s exploration of theme and character, while maintaining narrative momentum that multiple reviewers have described as “relentless” and “addictive”.

The novel’s pacing deserves particular praise for how it handles exposition. Rather than pausing for extensive information dumps about vampire mythology or backstory, Rosson reveals information organically through action and dialogue. This approach maintains tension while gradually building a complex understanding of the world and its rules. The interspersing of flashbacks to Duane’s experiences in Vietnam, Julia’s traumatic past, and even Varley’s human life provides necessary context without disrupting the forward momentum of the main narrative.

Rosson’s prose in Coffin Moon represents a refinement of the style showcased in his previous works—lyrical without being florid, gritty without being gratuitous. Descriptions of violence are particularly effective because they focus on sensory details rather than generic gore, making each violent act feel specific and impactful.

One of the most praised aspects of Rosson’s writing is his ability to balance brutal realism with emotional tenderness. Scenes depicting Duane’s love for his wife or his growing bond with Julia are rendered with genuine warmth and vulnerability, making the subsequent violence more devastating because readers have become invested in these relationships. This emotional authenticity prevents the novel from descending into mere shock value; instead, it grounds the horror in real human experience.

Dialogue is another strength, with each character possessing a distinct voice that reflects their background and psychology. Duane’s speech is terse and often hesitant, reflecting his internal struggles, while Julia’s dialogue captures the volatility of adolescence without veering into caricature. Even Varley’s speech patterns feel appropriately anachronistic and unsettling, hinting at his long history without resorting to Gothic clichés.

Coffin Moon explores several weighty themes with surprising nuance, using its vampire mythology as a lens to examine deeper human concerns. Trauma and Recovery: The novel positions vampirism as a metaphor for how trauma transforms people, often trapping them in cycles of behaviour they can’t escape. Duane, Julia, and Varley all represent different responses to profound psychological wounds, raising questions about whether healing is possible or whether some damage is permanent.

The Nature of Family: The exploration of “chosen family” versus biological ties forms a central concern, particularly through the relationship between Duane and Julia. Their bond, forged through shared loss rather than blood, proves to be more genuine and resilient than many of the biological relationships depicted in the novel.

Duane’s struggle with alcoholism serves as both a literal character trait and a metaphor for the broader human tendency toward self-destructive coping mechanisms. The novel draws interesting parallels between literal addiction and other compulsive behaviours, including violence.

Coffin Moon sits comfortably within several literary traditions while maintaining its own distinct identity. The most obvious comparisons are to Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, both in its small-town horror elements and its exploration of how supernatural evil exposes existing community fractures. However, Rosson’s novel distinguishes itself through its more intimate focus on family dynamics and its 1970s West Coast setting rather than King’s New England gothic.

In terms of Rosson’s own bibliography, Coffin Moon continues his exploration of traumatised characters navigating supernatural circumstances, a theme present in both Fever House and The Devil by Name. However, the novel represents a maturation of his style, with more nuanced character work and more confident blending of genre elements.

Coffin Moon confirms Keith Rosson’s place among the most interesting voices in contemporary dark fiction. By grounding its supernatural elements in emotionally authentic characters and historical specificity, the novel moves past genre conventions to offer something genuinely powerful and memorable/

This is horror with heart and brains behind its fangs, confirming that the genre remains as vital as ever when placed in the hands of a skilled storyteller.

Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson 

From the author of the “exciting, suspenseful, horrifying” (Stephen King) Fever House, a Vietnam veteran and his adopted niece hunt—and are hunted by—the vampire that slaughtered their family.

“Grabs you by the throat and doesn’t relent.”—Cassandra Khaw, author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth

It’s the winter of 1975, and Duane Minor, back home in Portland, Oregon after a tour in Vietnam, is struggling to quell his anger and keep his drinking in check, keep his young marriage intact, and keep the nightmares away. Things get even more complicated when his thirteen-year-old niece, Julia, is sent across the country to live with her Aunt Heidi and Uncle Duane after a tragedy. But slowly, carefully, guided by Heidi’s love and pa-tience, the three of them are building a family.

Then Minor crosses the wrong man: John Varley, a criminal with a bloody history and a trail of bodies behind him. Varley, who sleeps during the day beneath loose drifts of earth and grows teeth in the light of the moon. In an act of brutal retaliation, Varley kills Heidi, leaving Minor broken with guilt and Julia shot through with rage. The two of them are left united by only one thing: the desire for vengeance.

As their quest brings them into the dark orbit of immortal, undead children, silver bullet casters, and the bevy of broken men drawn to Varley’s ferocity, Minor and Julia follow his path of destruction from the gritty al-leyways of 1970s Portland to the desolate highways of the Northwest and the snow-lashed plains of North Dakota – only to have him turn his vicious power back on them. Who will prevail, who will survive, and what remains of our humanity when our thirst for revenge trumps everything else?

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