Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Off Season by Jack Ketchum

40 reviews

johanh's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

Pretty intense.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

mystericliterature's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

1.5

I wasn't sure if I'd like this book because I'm not a big fan of the "cannibalistic hillbilly" trope (despite loving the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre), and it seems as though I was correct. Off Season is the first novel I have read from Jack Ketchum, and I am underwhelmed. 

Despite being left with them for Parts I and II, the characters are uninteresting and one-dimensional. We spend so much of the novel with them, yet I did not feel attached to any of them. It is almost like the "Final Destination" franchise, where you are just waiting for the characters to meet a gruesome end. But when you have no attachment to the characters, their eventual end means nothing to you.

I must also say that Ketchum is terrible at writing women. If I were to take a shot every time a woman's breasts were mentioned for no reason, I would not have written this. There is a peculiar sexualization to the women of Off Season; I suppose I should not be surprised given the sexualization of women is often prevalent in horror media, yet it still made me sigh. We will be here all day if I get into that, however, so I will not. 

Overall, Ketchum's Off Season was disappointing for me. If you are someone who just wants to see cannibals kill and eat, you may have a good time. But if you're searching for more substance, you will not find it here. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

darkacademialover's review against another edition

Go to review page

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
Disgusting. Awful. Why is a woman’s body being sexualised even while she is being murdered? I won’t touch another Ketchum book.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

pwnguin's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

3.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

runnybabbit's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

cheziknowles's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kkalicky94's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

emelli05's review against another edition

Go to review page

tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

readerofdafuk's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This book definitely has the horror movie vibe to it. Like classic slasher movie with victims settings etc. I really like how the chapters are divided into time so you actually see the real time of how within 4-5 hours everything changed

I was scared/creeped out by the ferel children at the beginning, but the more I read about these fucked up people it was like the more it clocked that this can't be real people, even with some knowledge of technology like tape they somehow don't have empathy even for their own people? Or mourning their own dead? Didn't take away from how their creepy little family horrors work, just made me a bit more aware of "Oh this is just fiction" 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

ohyayitsapril's review against another edition

Go to review page

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


Expand filter menu Content Warnings