Book excerpt: It was a legend in Fear County…a hideous creature—part snake, part earthbound demon—that feasted on the blood of innocent children in the cold black heart of the Tennessee backwoods. But ten-year-old Jeb Sweeny knows the horrible stories are not simply tall-tales, but true. Several children in the town of Pikesville, as well as his girlfriend, Mandy, have been abducted in the dead of night and taken to the Snake-Critter's lair. Jeb knows that no one has ever had the courage to go after the monster and put an end to its raging, bestial hunger. That is, until now. But Evil is well guarded. And for young Jeb, who is about to cross over into the forbidden land of Fear County and unknown territory, passage through the gates of Hell comes with a terrible price. Unbearable and everlasting…FEAR! This special Author's Preferred Edition of Ronald Kelly's magnum opus, Fear, contains the original novel, an introduction by author Brian Keene, a Fear testimonial section, two bonus novellas, and an afterword by the author.