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cryptidsteacup's review
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I found this book by chance in a Barnes and noble, and picked it up purely because I was and am a really big fan of Marble Hornets, one of the most well known slender man ARG’s to date.
Sadly, with every slender man take I’ve read or watched or generaly interacted with, there’s always some draw backs. Either the characters are dull and boring and the plot is lack luster at best, or the story relies far too heavily on the presence of mr. tall dark and faceless, and in some cases all of the above. (I’m sure any fan remembers the movies that were produced not too long ago.)
So to say I was surprised with this book’s handling of the myth would be an understatement.
The general problem I and many fans have with most slender man takes is that they use the creature as a crutch, and often forget to build characters or any plot outside of the being. This story is Not like that.
The story is very fast, and I did finish it in one day, but as I’m writing this review I’m replaying the story over and over, looking for any clues to figure out what the fuck I just read.
The story focuses on a highschool student who’s trying to find his missing friend but ends up stumbling into something more sinister, and I know you might be thinking, yeah, basic slender man or creepy pasta premise, right? Wrong.
I started the book thinking I would set it down within a few pages due to lacking plot or boring characters, but instead I found myself enthralled by the way Matt was written, drawn in by how startlingly blunt and familiar his experiences are as a main character, and how with only a few pages I was Invested in the story of Laura, and how all of it connected with Slender-man.
At the end, I found myself flipping the pages thinking to myself, is that really it? That’s all?
For any fan of slenderman mythos, I would definitely recommend reading this short book if you get a chance- it feels like watching an ARG take place right in front of you, but it’s ink on paper, and you’re left wondering if the author plans to publish anything else anytime soon.
There is a bit of a draw back for anyone who needs aids to read or has a hard time with structure changes.
This book initially caught my attention because of the structure of the pages- I thought to myself, oh this will be a nightmare to read. But I was surprised that with its text messages, emails, word docs, and news articles, it was all spliced together well and created a spinning web of details I could barely put down.
One thing I will note is that at times this changing of format and text font can making it a bit confusing or hard to focus on who’s perspective it is or where one part takes places in the whole timeline. Luckily it wasn’t anything looking away and blinking a bit didn’t help, personally.
In fact, I genuinely loved how some parts of the story were structured, and how it all fit together at the end- like one part of the timeline reared back and slammed into another to make an explosive ending that left me feeling unsettled and desperate for more answers.
10/10 take on slenderman, 11/10 on the unsettling dreams and otherworldly sequences, 100000/10 on making me mad that there wasn’t more to read lol.
Sadly, with every slender man take I’ve read or watched or generaly interacted with, there’s always some draw backs. Either the characters are dull and boring and the plot is lack luster at best, or the story relies far too heavily on the presence of mr. tall dark and faceless, and in some cases all of the above. (I’m sure any fan remembers the movies that were produced not too long ago.)
So to say I was surprised with this book’s handling of the myth would be an understatement.
The general problem I and many fans have with most slender man takes is that they use the creature as a crutch, and often forget to build characters or any plot outside of the being. This story is Not like that.
The story is very fast, and I did finish it in one day, but as I’m writing this review I’m replaying the story over and over, looking for any clues to figure out what the fuck I just read.
The story focuses on a highschool student who’s trying to find his missing friend but ends up stumbling into something more sinister, and I know you might be thinking, yeah, basic slender man or creepy pasta premise, right? Wrong.
I started the book thinking I would set it down within a few pages due to lacking plot or boring characters, but instead I found myself enthralled by the way Matt was written, drawn in by how startlingly blunt and familiar his experiences are as a main character, and how with only a few pages I was Invested in the story of Laura, and how all of it connected with Slender-man.
At the end, I found myself flipping the pages thinking to myself, is that really it? That’s all?
For any fan of slenderman mythos, I would definitely recommend reading this short book if you get a chance- it feels like watching an ARG take place right in front of you, but it’s ink on paper, and you’re left wondering if the author plans to publish anything else anytime soon.
There is a bit of a draw back for anyone who needs aids to read or has a hard time with structure changes.
This book initially caught my attention because of the structure of the pages- I thought to myself, oh this will be a nightmare to read. But I was surprised that with its text messages, emails, word docs, and news articles, it was all spliced together well and created a spinning web of details I could barely put down.
One thing I will note is that at times this changing of format and text font can making it a bit confusing or hard to focus on who’s perspective it is or where one part takes places in the whole timeline. Luckily it wasn’t anything looking away and blinking a bit didn’t help, personally.
In fact, I genuinely loved how some parts of the story were structured, and how it all fit together at the end- like one part of the timeline reared back and slammed into another to make an explosive ending that left me feeling unsettled and desperate for more answers.
10/10 take on slenderman, 11/10 on the unsettling dreams and otherworldly sequences, 100000/10 on making me mad that there wasn’t more to read lol.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, and Grief
Minor: Blood and Vomit
Overall, the whole book deals with a missing person’s case, and the author touches on the “culture” that pops up, specifically in terms of gossip, bullying or harassment of victims / families, etc. There’s a scene later in the book with drowning, after
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