Reviews

Off Season: The Unexpurgated Edition by Jack Ketchum

johnson5509's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

tpsebast92's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

magnoliasophia's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

ohyayitsapril's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

alexauf11's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

lotte_born13's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

jakey2314's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

theatretenor's review against another edition

5.0

Quite possibly one of the greatest horror novels I have had the pleasure of reading. This novel holds no punches and that’s exactly as it should be. It’s brutal. It’s nasty. It’s real, horrible horror from human monsters that could very well exist and that’s what makes it more terrifying. Jack Ketchum had to change so much about Off Season when it was first released and Ballantine screwed him in many ways. He got to release his original finally and that’s what I read today. And that’s exactly what he wanted and what I wanted. I’m really glad I didn’t come across this novel until it was able to be rereleased in its original, devastatingly raw form of horror. My god this thing was a thrill ride! It was everything I’ve ever wanted in a book. Some people will be turned off by how awful it is and all the awful things that happen to these people, but that’s what it’s supposed to be and that’s what I look for in a book. It shook me. And I want to read it again! 5 huge, bright shining stars from me!!

readwitray's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

4.5

This was a great book to read in September at a cabin… I was seriously spooked. Like jumping at every noise while sitting by a camp fire. 

It was graphic with the gore in all the good ways. The book does start out slightly slow. We are following the friends staying in a cabin and the sheriff but it was great to build up the scene. 

This book gave a little Hills Have Eyes / Wrong Turn vibes. This is a the perfect book to curl up with on a cold dark fall night but you might not sleep that night. 

Genre:  Horror 
APK: Physical
Pages: 324
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Series or Standalone:  Book 1 in the Dead River Series

madshuck's review against another edition

1.0

this book is so disgusting... I'm talking about the writing, not the cannibal scenes