| Title | : | Bedfellow |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1250175291 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781250175298 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 224 |
| Publication | : | First published November 13, 2018 |
It broke into their home and set up residence in their minds.
When the . . . thing first insinuated itself into the Lund family household, they were bemused. Vaguely human-shaped, its constantly-changing cravings seemed disturbing, at first, but time and pressure have a way of normalizing the extreme. Wasn’t it always part of their lives?
As the family make more and greater sacrifices in service to the beast, the thrall that binds them begins to break down. Choices must be made. Prices must be paid. And the Lunds must pit their wits against a creature determined to never let them go.
It's psychological warfare. Sanity is optional.
Bedfellow Reviews
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The full review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found
@The Book Prescription
Thanks for the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review
so now I am reading horror?
Ha, the only horror I know is my ever-growing TBR 😌😌 -
Given how much I loved Jeremy Shipp’s last gothic novella,
The Atrocities, I was more than a little eager to pick up Bedfellow. An unsettling tale of a family home being invaded by a bizarre intruder who begins to wage psychological warfare on them by changing their memories? Talk about disturbing!Hendrick prides himself on always responding well to an emergency, but he freezes in place when a man in a Space Jam nightshirt crawls through their living room window.
Let me say this: if I thought The Atrocities was strange, it had nothing on Bedfellow. This story is so convoluted and bizarre that it’s actually a little difficult to follow at times, but I think that’s part of the appeal—it takes you on such a ride that I couldn’t have stopped myself from being immersed if I wanted to, and that only adds to the eerie vibe the entire situation gives off.She’s afraid of the man in her imagination who still might be out there, squatting in the dark, waiting to push open the living room window so that he can crawl inside.
Despite how unusual and fantastical the entire ordeal is, there’s something very “real world” unsettling about it. When I read a book about zombies or demonic possession, I’m not going, “What if this happened to me?” but I can’t deny that I thought, more than once, how terrifying it would be to have my very own ‘Uncle Marvin’ in my life—particularly because I wouldn’t even know anything was wrong, and that’s the scariest part of all to me.He probably shouldn’t open himself up to a monster like this. When all’s said and done, though, Hendrick doesn’t mind being a fool if it means he can finally live the life he’s always deserved.
As for the characters, the narrative switches between the father Hendrick, the mother Imani, and the kids, Kennedy and Tomas. Imani’s perspectives were my favorite because I related so much to her, between her fierce protective nature, her obsession with morbid podcasts, and her nonstop pun usage that had me quick to grin or groan alike. On the other hand, the father, Hendrick, is a monster in his own right: he’s a disgusting and unkind man whom I hated more as time progressed, but he offers an interesting parallel where we can see that even though Uncle Marvin is the terror of the story, sometimes humans are even worse.
My only complaint about Bedfellow, and the reason this is a 4.5 instead of a solid 5, is that I think it’s a little longer than it needs to be. The first 50 pages or so were a little tough to get into, and I can’t help but think that I wish they’d been trimmed down so we would have gotten into the action a little sooner. That said, it’s a minor complaint, and all in all, I genuinely enjoyed Bedfellow and can’t wait to see what Jeremy cooks up next. If you enjoy surreal, quiet horror, I absolutely recommend picking up a copy.
All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to TorDotCom for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review! -
This review originally appeared on Cemetery Dance/Extras Nov. 12th, 2018
Jeremy Shipp has a unique brand of psychological horror. I read his novella, The Atrocities, earlier this year and was taken aback by Shipp’s bold, almost reckless storytelling choices. It seems like anything can happen in his books which can be quite unexpected for the reader. I would say more often than not these strange, almost absurd plot details are successful in creating an enjoyable reading experience; but sometimes, they’re not.
Bedfellow was an example of how the unusual can cast too long of a shadow over the story, mudding the waters and creating confusion.
Bedfellow is the story of a family unexpectedly visited by a strange intruder that slides in through the living room window. The family members react to this event in such a calm, casual way — I was bothered by it immediately. Especially the father, Hendrick, who begins to converse with the odd man. As other members of the family investigate, the alarm over the intrusion fizzles out to plain old curiosity. Eventually the man is asked to stay the night in the guest room.
My reading experience at this point was so perplexed. There were no explanations as to why the family was so agreeable to this bizarre event. I wish I could say the story gets easier to digest from there but it doesn’t. It takes a good, long while to get a firm grasp on the slippery, insidious story wriggling and writhing beneath the surface. Even when I figured out what was happening, the newfound knowledge was no benefit in helping me navigate through the narrative.
Just like with the Atrocities (which was pretty weird but I would say a little less experimental than this book) the reader is left to bumble about through the plot, not really certain of what exactly is going on. Shipp gives you just enough bread crumbs along the narrow dark trail so you’re not completely lost — not lost enough to abandon the story altogether. Frankly, the last half of the book is so sick and twisted, there was really no letting go at that point. With the ending and resolution in sight, one must go on to see how this inventive, disturbing tale is going to end.
I’ll say that if you can get through the first one hundred pages of the book and really hang in there with the story, the rewards will be paid in full at the end, leaving fans of subtle, slow-building horror feeling totally satisfied with this dark fantasy/horror hybrid…but only if they can forget working so hard to understand the author’s intentions in the beginning. -
dnf
I couldn't read this any longer. Not only was I bored out of my mind, the characters were totally unlikable cardboard cutouts. I don't care enough about this to see how it ends. -
"I'll gopher broke to keep you alive."
What on earth was this? I was strolling down my library shelves, hoping to spot a new Horror novel when I noticed this great cover. It's the perfect set of creepy and wonder that made me take the leap and borrow it.
I wish I'd loved the story as much as the cover. I was ready for....something more. I didn't like the confusion as Marvin's memories kept being expanded and expanded. It was hard to really catch when they'd slip and suddenly Marvin was Imani's twin brother?!
The ultimate reveal to the miracle was a huge letdown and wasn't one that either terrified or creeped me out. This just didn't seem to draw me in like I'd hoped and I was left disappointed and glad it was short. -
Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...
*I was sent a copy of this by the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
One night when the Lund family were enjoying a family night together, a creature crawled through their window. It began changing their memories and infiltrating their lives. This is their story.
I think this book was a case of the premise sounded very intriguing but it wasn't executed to its full potential. When I first received it in the mail I thought it sounded interesting but once I picked it up and began reading I became increasingly more confused as the story unfolded. The story is told from alternating perspectives between the two Lund children Kennedy and Tomas as well as their mother, Imani and father, Henrick. I enjoyed the two children's perspectives and was okay with Imani but Henrick just made me incredibly angry the entire time. He is not a good person and Imani and his kids deserved so much better! I found this book to be very slow and I couldn't get invested in the story or the family.
Overall, just not for me. -
TW/CW: Language, drinking, toxic family relationships, cheating, drinking, smoking, anxiety, depression, bullying
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
It broke into their home and set up residence in their minds.When the . . . thing first insinuated itself into the Lund family household, they were bemused. Vaguely human-shaped, its constantly-changing cravings seemed disturbing, at first, but time and pressure have a way of normalizing the extreme. Wasn’t it always part of their lives?As the family make more and greater sacrifices in service to the beast, the thrall that binds them begins to break down. Choices must be made. Prices must be paid. And the Lunds must pit their wits against a creature determined to never let them go.
Release Date: 2018
Genre: Horror
Pages: 224
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
What I Liked:
1. Cover is terrifying
2. Enjoyed the way the book was written
3. Love the brother sister relationship
4. Creepy vibes
What I Didn't Like:
1. Tons of spelling errors and missing words
2. Some parts were confusing
Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}
Book mentions one of the movies that scares/d me my whole life; Troll. Gross!
I love that now things are okay and this stranger has shifted from something scary such as a stranger crawling through their living room window to now he's this hero that just simply couldn't get in and he's the one that saved Tomas from choking.
It's so insane how everyone is completely brainwashed by Marvin into even thinking his shirt is theirs and it's okay he's there.
Tomas keeps mentioning how his Marvin and his mother's face were mushed and I wonder if it's because Marvin is messing with their memories. He can't remember correctly and Marvin is infusing his own face over the real hero.
Tomas now mentions when Marvin waves at him how much he liked him last summer, so their memories are changing so fast that they almost can't keep up.
Day two and now Hendrick believes that him and Marvin met at work. We now are reading about Marvin as "the actor" because Hendrick thinks Marvin was in a diarrhea commercial.
At this point Kennedy thinks Marvin is her uncle and they all went on a trip where she saw some mysterious things and ate crocodile jerky.
Marvin is the one to come to when a video game is difficult and you're stuck. He's now apparently not recovering from the flu but a surgery. Plus to Imani, Hendrick and Marvin met in college and not work. If we keep going at this pace than everyone will know everyone from when they were an egg and met in the womb.
We learn that Hendrik stole money from his work and is hiding it in the basement. He will go down there at night to count it and put money in his wallet. I'm also not sure if he cheated on his wife but it's kind of implied that there's a woman he likes to talk to and see. Guess we'll have to see as we progress what happens with his character. As he's going up the stairs though he sees Marvin drawing on the photos with a marker. When he approaches him he gets a migraine and has to lie down just as it sounds like Marvin might be going down to the basement with a backpack on. Perhaps he knows the money is in the basement.
Love that there's a reference to Tommy from the room.
Marvin manages to manifest little Marvin's in which he gives them all to the family. Tomas takes his to school with him and he's being picked on by a bully. Little Marv makes the bully, Everest pee himself but then in the next scene he's just sitting in class like nothing even happened. I just can't imagine that that was never mentioned or he wasn't picked on for that.
Hendrik isn't actually cheating just listening to a I don't know a sound clip of some kind from a woman telling him to do things. It's difficult to know if this person is really saying the things that he's thinking she's saying. But we do get a point where he ends up calling a bunch of sex workers to come over and his little Marvin is able to glamor the sex worker to looking like how he would imagine the woman from the voice would look like. So in the end he ends up cheating on his wife.
So Kennedy's Little Marvin was able to send out a message to Tomas and not the mother that they would have to kill all the little Marvin's. Feel like this part was a little on the confusing side.
In the end though the family gets away minus Hendrik who is killed at the house with Marvin. So they drive away. It's a pretty ambiguous ending.
Final Thoughts:
Book goes between each character and what they are doing at thst time. I really enjoyed the continous flow of the characters throughout the book. I know some people love chapters, but I'm a huge fan of having no/longer chapters provided.
For some reason the family is so wacky feeling and written in a zany way that all I could picture for them were Bob's Burgers characters. The mom likes to come up with puns for everything. The kids are off drawing weird monster creations and chatrooms that end with fart.
At the end of the day I really enjoyed this book. It had creepy elements and questionable actions, which kept me intrigued and wanting to find out what was going to happen.
I liked the writing style the author gave us.
IG|
Blog -
A slow burn with no real payoff. For 150 of the 200+ pages, Bedfellow hints at something sinister without really delivering. If this were a movie, you'd be looking at your watch wondering when or if anything was going to happen. There's no more disheartening a feeling than knowing you're near the end of the book and nothing of any real consequence has taken place.
Shipp draws reasonably well-constructed characters. Too bad you're way past caring what happens to them.
Would have been a better story had you not been promised a scary one. -
This was just 2 episodes of Rick and Morty mashed together as a horror novel, and jam-packed with pop culture references and overly specific brand names. If that sounds like a good idea to you, keep in mind that it’s not funny, not clever, and not scary, ever.
Specificity is good, but not when it’s distracting. I don’t need to know which name brands the family prefers. I don’t need to hear references to all the movies they like.
Also, when it hit us (we read this aloud before bed) that this was 2 episodes of Rick and Morty fused together, it changed the way I did the voices because I knew exactly how the THINGS in the book would sound.
There were so many eye-rolling moments in this. So many references. But in the end, light on horror and not very engaging given the ever-present feeling that I was reading a fanfic mashup. -
Having recently read Jeremy’s creepy ‘The Atrocities,’ I was excited to check out ‘Bedfellow’ when I saw him post about it on Twitter.
I know, going into a Shipp read, that my reading brain will be tested. He likes to write in an unconventional or non-straightforward manner (at least for how I read), so I expected the unexpected, and sure enough – I found it!
What I liked: The story opens up with a home invasion. A man has entered the family home and we have a mild standoff. This invader not only enters the home, but also whittles their way into the minds of each family member.
The story escalates fairly quickly and will make you question what you just read. Told through alternating perspectives between the members of the family, you’ll read a section, and immediately have to go back and reread what happened, when you get to the next section, the next family member.
It is psychologically unnerving, both for the reader and for the members in the story. You’ll feel like you’re actively engaged as part of the plot, trying to connect the dots, especially in the second half when things really take a bonkers turn.
Shipp writes incredibly complex ideas with a very simple, straight forward prose. Accessible writing with border-line inaccessible concepts. It really is fascinating and something that is both frustrating and phenomenal. This is a book that’ll make you contemplate DNFing a million times!
What I didn’t like: No surprise, from what I just said, but at first the various POV’s as well as subtle detail differences will drive you mad. This will test you. You will have to decide if this is a book you’re willing to persevere through or not.
Why you should buy this: As I mentioned, Shipp writes stories that challenge the reader. If you’re wanting a story that won’t make you think or be engaged, carry on. But if you’re wanting to read a physically unnerving story that wraps itself around your brain and pulls you into the story – and feel like you’re in the story – ‘Bedfellow’ is perfect for you.
Shipp is a fantastic writer, one whom seems to be writing on a different plain than most, and the dark fiction community should celebrate how much of the normal boundaries he pushes. -
Hmmmm, I didn't hate it, but I definitely wasn't as taken in by this story as I was by
The Atrocities and
Vacation by Shipp. Definitely an...interesting and imaginative story, just not as fun and engaging. -
This is a deeply weird book, and as such I can understand the viewpoints of those who gave it negative reviews, but for me it hit right in that sweet spot of strange and unsettling, without turning into utter nonsense. I loved the way it starts with Hendrick (the father) seeing a man in a nightshirt crawling into his living room through the window, with the added touch of green ooze spilling from a bag. his response makes it clear that he would normally respond sensibly, but something causes him instead act against his instinct. Right from the start, the his mind (and hopefully that of the reader) is being twisted, manipulated. The book just keeps progressing in an inevitable spiral of characters retro-fitting anomalies into some kind of cohesive but warped narrative of why this all makes sense. I also appreciate that it is a short book, which means that the writing is kept tight, something that is important for effective horror (though not always of course). Good choice by the Nightmare Factory book club.
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It's an almost disturbing, convoluted mess of surreal nature, the quality of a fever dream. Dnfd!
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What the hell did I just read?! This was so weird and disturbing!
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I absolutely loved the concept of this creepy covered book and Shipp did a great job of building tension and anxiety. That being said it didn't exceed in a way I think it totally could of. The story could have really used a bit more fleshing out, especially the Marvin concept. I loved the creepiness of him but wish we knew more of who this entity was. What was his purpose? his end goal? where did he come from? I'm ok with things being somewhat vague but I think in this case it really would have benefitted the story. I think this novel is very effective if you can read it in one sitting. Shipp has a unique way of writing and I did find it difficult to get back into it after I left it for a bit. The ending was also a bit underwhelming for me, it wrapped up but I just felt like I needed to know more Marvin's motivations.
3.5 Stars -
«Хендрик гордился тем, что всегда хорошо реагирует на чрезвычайные ситуации, но застыл на месте, когда человек в пижаме Space Jam вполз в окно его гостиной. В руках нарушителя был потрепанный продуктовый пакет, из которого на дубовый пол протекала яркая зеленая слизь. Хендрик хотел заговорить с человеком, но, разумеется, не смог.
Вместо этого он произнес. «Поднимись наверх».
Человек в пижаме наклонил голову, словно задумавшись, зачем ему уходить наверх прямо сейчас, но Хендрик явно обращался к своей жене, которая сидела на кожаном диване позади него. Он спиной ощущал исходящий от неё страх….»
Повесть Джереми Шиппа с первых строк прикипает и принуждает себя цитировать. Казалось бы, в тексте совсем нет звонкой полироли и красивых броских словечек, но тягучий сюр под вывеской «тёмного фэнтези» не раз заставит подняться с кресла и посмотреть уже в пятый раз, не забыл ли ты закрыть собственную балконную дверь.
«…Хендрик вырос в Сан-Диего, который научил, что бомжи почти всегда безобидны. Он вспомнил своего приятеля, который бросил однажды пустую банку от «Доктора Пеппера» в старика в яркой розовой робе, а тот что-то пробормотал и сразу ушёл. «Послушай, приятель», — сказал Хендрик и это было слегка по-отечески, — «я не хочу вызывать полицию, если у меня не будет для этого повода». На самом деле, он уже представлял себя в вечерних новостях стоящим возле своего дома, слегка растерянным, с огнями красно-синих сирен на лице. Розалина Литтл подойдет к нему с большим микрофоном и спросит: что вдохновило вас, мистер Лунд, на то, чтобы остановить злоумышленника.
Человек в пижаме в ответ на угрозу слегка улыбнулся.
«У тебя есть на блю-рее «Говард-селезень?» — спросил он, мягко покачивая пакетом. У него был мелодичный пронзительный голос, — «Я слышал, в этом фильме есть голая женщина-утка с сиськами. У тебя есть этот фильм?»
«Я вызываю полицию», — ответил Хендрик, — Это твой последний шанс убраться нахер отсюда.
«Если нет блю-рея — DVD тоже сгодится…”
Буквально через несколько страниц странный незнакомец поселится в доме Лундов, и они будут абсолютно уверены, что ночной гость по имени Марвин — их хороший приятель, родственник, спаситель, самое мудрое и важное существо на свете. Незнакомец будет играть с их памятью, переписывать, стирать, менять сознание. Смотреть фильмы на кожаном диване, пить упаковками спортивный напиток Gatorade и… постепенно терять человеческий облик.
Номинант Bram Stoker Award Джереми Шипп пишет хорроры уже десять лет. В основном — в малой форме и для профильных инди-издательств типа Raw Dog Screaming и Attic Clown Press. В прошлом году его наконец заметили и подписали мейджоры из Tor.сom, поэтому на новых книгах появились сочные блёрбы от великанов типа Джека Кетчума и Джеффа Вандермеера. «Я убежден, что Джереми Шипп немного сумасшедший», — пишет Вандермеер, — «в лучшем из возможных смыслов. Резкий, сюрреалистичный, оригинальный, меняющий мозг как Филипп К. Дик». После подобного отзыва и опыта с «Bedfellow» придётся прочитать всю его библиографию.
(c)
https://redrumers.com/2019/05/30/jere... -
Mon avis en Français
My English review
This is a very intriguing novel and I was really curious to discover the story.
The Lund family saw a man appear in their house one day. They don’t know him. Yet this thing is far from ordinary. He takes root in your life and makes you believe that he has always been part of it. It creeps in gently, from family acquaintances to family and you do everything for him. The thing has a strong grip!
I had a really good time with that novel. The idea is quite original and it was very interesting to discover this thing called Marvin. He is a very special character and at the same time very intelligent. I was curious to see how this little family would manage.
As I said, I had a good time, it’s a very interesting subject. -
The thing I loved about Bedfellow was how the main horror is built around a constant sense of “wrongness” that is established at the very beginning and builds throughout. This is a device too seldom used, and in its novelty, it hits harder than the more typical tropes. So, when a stranger insinuates himself into a family, and the family accepts the strange's presence as normal, the reader’s alarm bells ring loud and continuously. There were a few elements that kept this from being a total success, however. The character of the father felt a bit flat—a stereotypical selfish man-boy that gets overused in horror fiction (although the rest of the characters did not have this issue and were better fleshed out). Also, everyone seemed oddly obsessed with 1980’s pop culture, even the children were more interested in media that was produced long before their births than the stuff they would have grown up with, and this was a frequent offkey note. But my biggest issue was that the story didn’t go as far as the setup suggested it would. At the end, it felt as though the author pulled back and didn’t allow the mysterious foe to be as dangerous or as evil as he appeared to be. But despite this, I did enjoy the book and found it an addictive read. This would be a great book to pick up if you’re looking for some light-bizzaro horror.
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Jeremy Shipp is trying to do FAR too much with this novel. A strange man breaks into a house, minutes later the unhappily married husband is drinking with the intruder. Moments later he is an uncle...then he is a dear friend.
The family in the book are not even close to likeable, so I found myself not even caring what happened to them. Character development wasnt lacking, it was absent. I almost felt this was the 3rd or 4th installment in a series and the author just assumed we all knew the family so well already that we didnt require any further development.
The intruder messes with the memories of the family. Thus him being something different to each person. At 100 pages in I Google searched this book just to make sure I wasnt an idiot and missing something. I found scores of readers who were left as lost as I was. This novel would translate well as a movie, because on film implications can be shown. In THIS book they are lost.
Boring, confusing, frustrating and slow. To add insult to injury the constant failed attempts at humor were almost insulting.
Save your time and money, and take a HARD PASS on this one. -
This psychological horror story was great starting out. Really creepy and the story was well done, easy to read and understand. A page turner I literally could not put down. I just wish the ending could have been better.
What if a person comes into you life and can get inside your head and manipulate your memories? He then can become anything or anyone he wants.
This is my first book by Jeremy C. Shipp. I’m going to have to read another one. -
When the thing broke into the Lund family's home, a quiet sort of panic crept in. Shortly after, they remembered it had always been a part of their lives and being scared of it seemed almost comical and unfounded.
But as the hours blend into days and their memories start to change, the Lunds have no idea about the magnitude of the danger they are in - they have been lulled into complacency by a hungry beast, one that never plans to set them free.
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The truth is, I have no recollection of how I came to know about this book. All I knew was that the synopsis sounded mysterious yet intriguing enough and the cover is, in my opinion, fashioned from a strange sort of nightmare.
Bedfellow is the most recent modern horror novel I have read and it truly did not disappoint; the writing is methodical and the storyline is told in four different perspectives - pertaining to the four family members. It's narrated in third person and I truly believe the author made each of the character's personalities shine through the page, which is a wonder all on its own given how short the story is.
The beginning of the book was a little confusing because even though I wanted to know more, the purpose of it seemed to be a little blurred, but once the narrative got going it was tremendously enjoyable and creepy - the original description says the characters are under a psychological warfare, but I wholeheartedly believe psychological invasion is more like it.
This book is dark, it has magical aspects and made my skin crawl - in the best way possible!
I honestly loved this so much I cannot wait to read more from Jeremy C. Shipp; everything about Bedfellow was carefully structured and ended in the most satisfying culmination. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves horror or is looking for a unique piece of literature.
I'm giving this 5/5 stars. -
Bedfellow was a delightfully macabre mindfuck of a novel. I tore through the 200 plus pages in two nights. No lie. I traveled down this weird demon influenced inception style labyrinth with Shipp and never looked back.
The story begins with what looks like the home invasion of a family but quickly turns into an oddly cryptic case of misunderstood identity. You could say it is a possession of sorts, but it also is the occupation of an entire family’s minds. The narrative unfolds through the various characters Dad, Mom, Brother, and Sister. With this family’s psyches infected, emotions like fear and sadness are exploited as are the bounds of family love. You will find yourself in some seriously creepy and bizarro territory as you make your way deeper and deeper into their innermost thoughts. Shipp has some serious talent for blending humor and grotesqueness in a way that kept me simultaneously uneasy, amused, and captivated.
I definitely recommend this book to readers who do not like their narratives spoon fed to them. It is not complicated beyond comprehension or anything, but it works so much better if you stick with it and pace yourself, I think you will see what I mean when you read it. When I finished it I felt satisfied yet unsettled. I read the authors previous Tor release, a gothic ghost story called The Atrocities, which I loved, and then knew I was going to give a second crack at Shipp. With Bedfellow Shipp has made it all but certain I will be taking a third crack at his work. I have one of his old books in my library I may check out at some point. I do hope he continues to drop these gems as he has with Tor in the future. Great work. -
This was a great concept but I never really got into it. The beginning felt really passive, all these confusing things happening and I guess it was supposed to be unsettling, but the characters are so calm about it, there's never any tension. (And I wonder how well it would have worked, if I hadn't read the synopsis and known what was happening from that, would that unsettling vibe have been fully established, or would it have just been confusing in a frustrating way.)
Also, there were pop culture references everywhere and I didn't know enough about half the things to really know what they were referring to and it was distracting. Would awareness have added anything to the experience of reading it? Or were they just *cool* markers? -
When I heard about this book, I was excited to read it. It was short and the cover looked creepy. The beginning was interesting and it definitely got me hooked but then it got weird.
I was curious about where this book was headed. The longer that I read, I realized that I didn’t care about the family. I was more interested in the stranger that had arrived on the scene. What was he doing inside their house and what was his plans?
The husband welcomes a man into their home, for the first time, without proper introductions. When the wife sees this man, she can’t place him although she thought he looked familiar. What is he doing inside her home and why did her husband allow him in?
When she finally recognizes him, the story of how they had met is revealed and I couldn’t believe she didn’t remember him. How could she forget him? The wife changes her tune about the man and the stranger begins to make himself comfortable in their home. This is where the book got weird. This stranger makes his way amongst all the family members in the house, affecting each one of the them. -
actual rating: 3.5
The premise for this book is absolutely terrifying and it started out very creepy but I felt like it really lost me in the middle and then seemed to end very abruptly. I think I would have liked it more if it had been more just straight-up horror because a lot of the times it felt more like sci-fi or fantasy to me depending on whether you read the creature as an alien or some kind of cryptid. Really about the point where he . Definitely liked the setup but just personally wish it had gone a different direction. -
A feverish look at a psychic vampire as it worms its way through the minds of an entire family. There were too many pop-culture references that served no purpose other than the author talking about movies he liked, but that was my only quibble. Other than that, I really enjoyed it from start to finish.
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Did not finish this. Got to 21% and just knew I could not slog through any more of it.
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Review to come soon (awesome, mind-bending strangeness!)
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The concept was really cool but I genuinely have no clue about what was happening the whole time which SUCKS
