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hollykl's review against another edition
5.0
Great story with a terrible title. Thoroughly enjoyable read!
entropia9's review against another edition
3.0
I picked up Pigeons From Hell, because title intrigued me and I needed something easy to read as respite from Bruno Schulz's [b:Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass|359559|Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass|Bruno Schulz|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1395149881s/359559.jpg|1452942], which is fascinating, but sometimes too taxing to read. Indeed writing style was quite accessible, however I'm disappointed by scarcity of pigeons (they don't really play any important part) and I really looked forward to see those flying rats as something genuinely creepy.
In it's core it's a haunted house story. It consists of 3 chapters. First one is my favorite, it introduces main characters and the dread looming in the Blassenvilles Manor. 2nd chapter is explaining roots of the situation, which wasn't very interesting to me, but that's maybe because I've never really found appealing and even though I'm always in for good revenge, they way motives for it were presented was bit repetitive (). 3rd chapter is about final resolution of the story. Frankly, I'm conflicted about it -
Overall, across all chapters the thing I liked the most is how well was panic of main character portrayed, it was very believable and organic. On the other hand character of sheriff Buckner felt at times inconsistent and not like real human being.
I noticed other reviews mentioned racism in the book. I think I should too - if you react allergically to n-word, it's not a story you should pick up. For me it was non-issue, it made the setting more authentic and added extra depth to Joan's motivations. I'd even say that white people were portrayed in much worse light that black people in this story.
verdict: not enough pigeons/5
In it's core it's a haunted house story. It consists of 3 chapters. First one is my favorite, it introduces main characters and the dread looming in the Blassenvilles Manor. 2nd chapter is explaining roots of the situation, which wasn't very interesting to me, but that's maybe because I've never really found
Spoiler
voodoo themesSpoiler
omg, I got the memo that Miss Ceila was a bitch the first time, ok?Spoiler
I like poetic justice in Miss Ceila's fate, but at the same time, I find it quite dumb that just drinking potion can turn a person into zuvembie, imho it's in contrast to other statements that make voodoo seem like difficult elaborate art.Overall, across all chapters the thing I liked the most is how well was panic of main character portrayed, it was very believable and organic. On the other hand character of sheriff Buckner felt at times inconsistent and not like real human being.
I noticed other reviews mentioned racism in the book. I think I should too - if you react allergically to n-word, it's not a story you should pick up. For me it was non-issue, it made the setting more authentic and added extra depth to Joan's motivations. I'd even say that white people were portrayed in much worse light that black people in this story.
Spoiler
Whole Blassenville clan is apparently spending eternity in hell and only coming back as pigeons, and our main characters needed to ask old black man for help (because quote: they were "up against something that takes more than white man's sense") and accidentally caused his demise by that.verdict: not enough pigeons/5
spaceteapot's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.0
thecrankyreader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was one of Howard's short horror stories. What a fun short read. I love some good deep south horror. If you have an hour to kill do yourself a favor and pick this one up!
tyrshand's review against another edition
4.0
A very creepy old tale. The imagery of helplessness and horror work very well, despite the story's age.
mynameisnemo's review against another edition
5.0
Awesomely written classic Southern Gothic horror short story. This was a fantastic and fun short little read. I love the tropes, love the execution, love the imagery. I really liked the two main characters in the book and also the peripherial characters. Everyone in this story is an archetype of a familiar character: the strong Sheriff who is afraid but proceeds in the face of danger, the wise old black man, the New Englander come down to the south only to find that it's not what he thought it was, etc. But despite the cliches, the story is still super fun and there are a few parts that had me shivering in anticipation of what something would jump out of the dark corners and reveal itself in its bloodthirsty glory.
I super recommend this to anyone, but especially anyone who is a fan of the classic horror stories.
I super recommend this to anyone, but especially anyone who is a fan of the classic horror stories.
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