chicks50's review
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
ruthypoo2's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Though this is a pretty short book, the first 50% is focused on character development. I don’t mind character development, but I didn’t like the four primary characters and didn’t particularly enjoy spending that much time with them - essentially a study in a hedonist young lifestyle with little concern about consequence. And at least one of them seemed to be particularly careless and almost sinister in their disregard for the others.
Once the story transitioned to the characters playing a risky game of hide and seek in an abandoned and notorious local old house, the story became more interesting for me. And there were a few pages of creepy atmosphere, but the eventual direction the story took caught me a little off guard. The second half was fine, and compelling. The story was written really well, I simply didn’t care about the characters.
Once the story transitioned to the characters playing a risky game of hide and seek in an abandoned and notorious local old house, the story became more interesting for me. And there were a few pages of creepy atmosphere, but the eventual direction the story took caught me a little off guard. The second half was fine, and compelling. The story was written really well, I simply didn’t care about the characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Blood, Animal cruelty, Death, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Minor: Gore, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, and Incest
shrikekali's review
4.0
Ready or not...
This is only my second book by Jack Ketchum after THE GIRL NEXT DOOR and it was very good. I would probably give this a rating of 3 1/2 stars instead of the 4 stars Goodreads allows.
I love his fast pace style and brutal depictions of horror.
This is only my second book by Jack Ketchum after THE GIRL NEXT DOOR and it was very good. I would probably give this a rating of 3 1/2 stars instead of the 4 stars Goodreads allows.
I love his fast pace style and brutal depictions of horror.
lucasm12333's review
4.0
A Different Ketchum
This story has bits of Offseason in it, but it is basically a tragic love story. I felt so attached to the characters and their actions. The book has a somewhat dreamy quality to it, as the main character becomes infatuated with a new girl in town. His entire life becomes about her and this leads to the horrible climax. I was a bit disappointed with the ending, feeling almost like Ketchum fell back on an easy antagonist, but the love story and characters are what made this book so enjoyable. This is definitely not standard Ketchum and new readers should begin elsewhere. For dedicated Ketchum fans, this is pretty darn good and shows his strength as a writer. Recommended.
This story has bits of Offseason in it, but it is basically a tragic love story. I felt so attached to the characters and their actions. The book has a somewhat dreamy quality to it, as the main character becomes infatuated with a new girl in town. His entire life becomes about her and this leads to the horrible climax. I was a bit disappointed with the ending, feeling almost like Ketchum fell back on an easy antagonist, but the love story and characters are what made this book so enjoyable. This is definitely not standard Ketchum and new readers should begin elsewhere. For dedicated Ketchum fans, this is pretty darn good and shows his strength as a writer. Recommended.
trudilibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
Waaaaay back in the early 80's, Stephen King pronounced: "Who's the scariest guy in America? Probably Jack Ketchum." It was, to say the very least, a generous compliment that drew attention to a relatively unknown entity in horror publishing. Even to this day, Ketchum remains on the margins of an already ghettoized genre. He doesn't publish lots, and what he does produce tends to be graphic, propulsive stories filled with violence, sex, and grim outcomes.
He is most notoriously known amongst horror fans for his [b:The Girl Next Door|179735|The Girl Next Door|Jack Ketchum|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298460378s/179735.jpg|1109091] and [b:Off Season|179734|Off Season|Jack Ketchum|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1321733068s/179734.jpg|584847]. Neither are fit for the faint of heart, but it was the latter -- Ketchum's debut -- which a panicked, censorious publisher cut to pieces in 1980. It would be almost 20 years before an unexpurgated version was made available.
When Ketchum is writing at his absolute best, I would be hard pressed to think of anyone scarier. His prose is sharp and tight; he doesn't waste words and he will use them to haunt you and hurt you. His book of short stories [b:Peaceable Kingdom|179739|Peaceable Kingdom|Jack Ketchum|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172472729s/179739.jpg|173656] contains some of the best writing I have read by anybody (and received the 2003 Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection).
This early novel (1984) is not Ketchum writing at his best but there is still a lot to recommend it. It's a coming-of-age horror story, set in a small town. It features an abandoned house with a gruesome history and a beautiful fucked up girl with a gruesome history of her own. Ketchum sets up the tension and the dread perfectly. You know something bad is going to happen, really bad, but with no idea exactly what (and the not knowing is always the best part). The climax is graphically realized and electric (if a little derivative).
As an audiobook, the novel excels. The reader has a deep baritone voice that whispers at the exact right moments to provide the desired shivery effect.
goody_reads's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
3.0
Jack Ketchum loves caves. Every book I’ve read of his has caves or cave people in it.
This is about 3 wild college kids coming to this small town for summer, meeting a local, and doing wild stuff all together.
Ending with a game of hide and seek in an abandoned house.
There is a lot of extraneous detail in here for such a short book and there is animal abuse. Not my favorite by far.
This is about 3 wild college kids coming to this small town for summer, meeting a local, and doing wild stuff all together.
Ending with a game of hide and seek in an abandoned house.
There is a lot of extraneous detail in here for such a short book and there is animal abuse. Not my favorite by far.
perfectlymisaligned's review
Nope.
I'm striking out with audiobooks lately.
This was just rambling all over the place and dull.
I'm striking out with audiobooks lately.
This was just rambling all over the place and dull.
rojo25's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
amoralynn's review
4.0
Not what I expected.
Possible spoilers.
When I started this book I expected there to be some kind of supernatural force that was the bad guy. However it's just young people being stupid and being the unfortunate victims of human cruelty. It was very good though.
Possible spoilers.
When I started this book I expected there to be some kind of supernatural force that was the bad guy. However it's just young people being stupid and being the unfortunate victims of human cruelty. It was very good though.