catbooking's review against another edition
2.0
Started as a really interesting premise, a childfree man burdened with a supernatural child, but never actually explored that aspect and instead moved fairly quickly to the banal Eldritch horror fare. Towards the end there was some hint for a fresh sort of horror with the whole , which I have never seen explored outside very niche genre and not from the horror angle, but that too was quickly jettisoned for a more mundane scare.
PS: the female officer policing everyone's language was very annoying. Is there something the author was trying to say with her character before he pawned her off to childcare duties?
Spoiler
male pregnancyPS: the female officer policing everyone's language was very annoying. Is there something the author was trying to say with her character before he pawned her off to childcare duties?
mituna's review against another edition
4.0
I would've liked a bit more creepy kid action but otherwise very good.
taylorhohulin's review against another edition
4.0
Don't read anything about this book. The less you know, the better. Just pick it up and start reading. If you like eerie/weird horror, you'll dig it. There is no wasted space in this story. The writing is solid, and the story barrels ahead and never lags. It's a very short read, too, so you won't have to sink a lot of time into it.
shrikekali's review against another edition
4.0
SOUR CANDY and Burke deserve all of the praise I have seen. What starts out as a tale anyone can relate to quickly turns into a hellish nightmare for the main character. I need to read more of KPB's books and stories because everything I have tried has been terrific!
zozoisgolden's review against another edition
3.0
Not sure what to say here.
Creepy and creative concept, decent execution and somewhat predictable ending (the whole fakeout part anyway)
This definitely scratched an itch for me.
Creepy and creative concept, decent execution and somewhat predictable ending (the whole fakeout part anyway)
This definitely scratched an itch for me.
darkelfky's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
lannisters's review against another edition
4.0
Well that was a very short very fucked up book, I heard about it on Tiktok and I was interested in seeing what it was about.
I kind of wish I didn’t pick it up. Not because it was a bad book, but because of how fucked up it was. I couldn’t even imagine thinking up something like this! The only real issue I have with it is the length, I wish it was longer! But I really enjoyed it otherwise.
I kind of wish I didn’t pick it up. Not because it was a bad book, but because of how fucked up it was. I couldn’t even imagine thinking up something like this! The only real issue I have with it is the length, I wish it was longer! But I really enjoyed it otherwise.
paulmoore's review
fast-paced
4.0
Another excellent novella by Kealan Patrick Burke who is one of the most prolific horror authors out there today.
Sour Candy is a truly creepy tale about Phil Pendleton's life that is instantly changed by a chance meeting with a small, Amish-looking child and his mother. After he witnesses a strange scene in a grocery store while out buying food for himself and his girlfriend, a car accident sees the mother crash into the back of Phil's car. This leads to his life being taken over by the strange child as everyone but Phil seems to think, and know, that he is the father of the boy.
For such a short story (clocking in around 75 pages) it's full to the brim of paranoia. It made me feel constantly uneasy as Phil knows he is not this boy's father but everyone around him seems to disagree. All his social media posts have the boy with him and even the pictures in his house are of him and his son. What KPB does best is make you feel this shift in reality and have you thinking what would you do? You also can't help but want to get to the bottom of things as to what the hell is going on!
Sour Candy achieved something I thought would never happen as it made me enjoy a cosmic horror story which I normally find to be a load of nonsense. This is without doubt cosmic horror but I found it to be subtle and with enough questions left unanswered for it to still be otherworldly with a sense of greater beings pulling the strings.
I'm yet to read a KPB story I haven't enjoyed and this one is no exception. If you're looking for a place to start then this is a great novella to pick up.
Sour Candy is a truly creepy tale about Phil Pendleton's life that is instantly changed by a chance meeting with a small, Amish-looking child and his mother. After he witnesses a strange scene in a grocery store while out buying food for himself and his girlfriend, a car accident sees the mother crash into the back of Phil's car. This leads to his life being taken over by the strange child as everyone but Phil seems to think, and know, that he is the father of the boy.
For such a short story (clocking in around 75 pages) it's full to the brim of paranoia. It made me feel constantly uneasy as Phil knows he is not this boy's father but everyone around him seems to disagree. All his social media posts have the boy with him and even the pictures in his house are of him and his son. What KPB does best is make you feel this shift in reality and have you thinking what would you do? You also can't help but want to get to the bottom of things as to what the hell is going on!
Sour Candy achieved something I thought would never happen as it made me enjoy a cosmic horror story which I normally find to be a load of nonsense. This is without doubt cosmic horror but I found it to be subtle and with enough questions left unanswered for it to still be otherworldly with a sense of greater beings pulling the strings.
I'm yet to read a KPB story I haven't enjoyed and this one is no exception. If you're looking for a place to start then this is a great novella to pick up.