| Title | : | Depraved |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0843962925 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780843962925 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 324 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2009 |
Depraved Reviews
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Yes, this was the sickest book I've ever read, but it was well worth it.
Smith did a brilliant job of alternating characters to keep you from becoming bored or immune to the shit they have to go through.
The pace is relentless, the violence is unforgiving and the story great. This is a vision of complete Hell on earth, the true stuff of nightmares.
I can recommend it to any horror fan who can stomach this much extreme sick, because a lesser author would not have been able to pull this off. -
Reading this again before I dig into
I want Rob Zombie and Quentin Tarantino to collaborate on a film adaptation of this batshit crazy town with endless potential for further storylines.
That should give a good indication of whether or not this would interest you.
Read 2009 & 2014 -
Sooooo Good!!
This was my first read from Bryan Smith, and boy, it sure was an awesome one. A thrill a minute from beginning to end, with blood, guts, gore, rape, cannibalism, and all the other ‘great’ extreme stuff worthy of splatterpunk. If you like movies such as ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’, ‘Wrong Turn’, and ‘The Hills Have Eyes’, then you’re gonna love this. The characters are pretty likeable, and the females kickass!! A strong 5/5!! Now where’s Depraved 2!!! -
Horror can take many forms, but what ultimately defines horror as a genre is its capacity to disturb the reader. Disturbance through fright and unease is one method - or a horror novel can just plain ol' DISTURB.
Bryan Smith's DEPRAVED succeeds spectacularly in the latter department, not so much in the former - and I imagine that is exactly what the author intended.
For readers with a strong sense of decency, this novel may be impossible to finish. For those without (I'm guessing I fall into this camp), this book reads like a XXX comedy howler with a backwoods horror-trope setting.
And I loved every screaming technicolor cartoon moment of it.
Imagine a hybrid of Richard Laymon/Edward Lee along with a strong helping of Rob Zombie (a la House of 1,000 Corpses/The Devil's Rejects) and you're in the ballpark, though I'd say Bryan Smith takes things further than any of them and does it with such an innocent wide-eyed narrative voice (rather than Zombie's jaded grunge-filter and hipster dialogue) that you don't even see it coming.
Smith has some of the smoothest page-turning writing I've read in a while, surpassing even Laymon in both sheer readability and his capacity to juggle multiple story lines with nary a stumble. In some Laymon novels, all the fun is tucked away into a single plot thread while the others plod along. Not so here. Smith makes sure time spent with each and every group of characters is equally delightful.
The only extremely minor complaint I might have (and not related to my enjoyment in the least) is that I failed to discern the author's unique voice in the proceedings. The book read like an amazing homage to other authors, their foundational work taken to the next level. If you had given me this book without a cover, I'd have sworn it was written by Richard Laymon or Edward Lee, high praise to be sure, but I also wanted to see what makes Bryan Smith unique as an author. I'm sure Bryan has a signature style all his own, but I failed to detect it in this book, so successful was the Laymon impersonation (no easy feat to be sure). In retrospect, I believe the student may have bested the master.
If you're looking for believable plots and nail-biting suspense, this might not be the book for you. But if you can handle a whole mess of backwoods redneck gross-out fun, buy your ticket today.
Is the whole thing ludicrous and unbelievable? Of course.
Is it frightening? Not in the least.
It is delightfully DEPRAVED?
You betcha.
***** 5 Stars
Thanks to my friend Kristopher Rufty for the excellent recommendation. -
This is my second book by Smith and another fast-paced blood bath to be sure. Welcome to Hopkins Bend, a small town in Tennessee somewhere, but this town has a dark side full of inbred cannibal rednecks. Another tale of crazed rednecks? Surely this trope has been done a zillion times; you know the typical story as exemplified in films like Wrong Turn or the Hills have Eyes. Some strangers come to a place way out in the country where there is no escape, hounded by blood thirsty inbred rednecks. With Depraved however, Smith starts with something similar but really puts some interesting twists on it.
Our first 'victim', Jessica, arrives outside of Hopkins Bend with her recent rapist in the trunk of a car. After the rape, she promptly went home, got her gun, and plans for some deadly payback out in the woods. Things get a little crazy when some crazed rednecks show up, but she shoots her way out and is then on the run, leaving a trail of bodies in her wake. There are various other 'victims', both male and female, who also manage to turn the tide in sometimes gruesome ways for sure. It is one long day in Hopkins Bend!
I liked the supernatural aspects of the story, and also the homage to Edward Lee (more than a few easter eggs tossed his way here), but Smith does not have the same dark humor of Lee, and that is a pity. You will need some hip waders to get through this blood bath; truly a sordid tale with an apt title. I was hoping for a little more, however, for even though Smith tries to spin some new life in this old horror trope, it did not really transcend it by any means. Lee's backwoods tales are creepier and possess a lot more dark humor; this was primarily a B rated, bloody romp. 3 depraved stars! -
Whew this book is one wild ride of blood, gore, and screams. We are in Hopkins Bend, the remote little Tennessee town where the backwoods inhabitants are cannibals and the local law operates a sex-trafficking ring. Also it is the home of the curse of the depraved and mutated Kincher clan. Warning this book is not for the faint of heart. It is one heart pounding chapter after chapter of brutal mayhem. I read this in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. Just when you thought you read the craziest thing you could think of Smith raises the bar. Excellent book for splatterpunk fans.
🐱🐱🐱🐱 -
it quite reminds me of laymon's the woods are dark, but this is definitely more twisted and brutal, twisted as a freak's brutal fuck
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What the actual FUCK did I just read?
4 ninja bunnehs bbq'ing -
Amazing book with all of the disgusting, pulpy, page-turning action that I love. The words flew off the page and whenever I wasnt reading the book I was looking forward to opening it back up. Im definitely going to be reading more Bryan Smith after this.
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You know what you’re going to get with a Brian Smith novel, a rip-roaring, blood soaked horror with loads of sex and it’s wickedly entertaining.
With Depraved we have a backwater redneck town called Hopkins Bend that really doesn’t like visitors, in fact they have a nasty habit of preying on people travelling through and cooking then up in a feast for the old families.
We join various characters as they strive to escape the clutches of the old families, get sold to a strip bar where they are put to work lap dancing, including various scrapes with the law, who are decidedly not on the side of anybody lucky enough to escape. All told it’s a decent read, my only complaint was the poor timing of a number of the sex scenes, I’m sure a girl whose been raped, killed lots of people and had a tough encounter with the locals is not going to be wanting to get off with someone, but she does. Tongue in cheek it may be, but it ruined it a little for me. -
Wow! I've read a few novels by Bryan Smith that really stood out, but this one was really took me by surprise. The action was constant--never letting up at any point. The chapters would alternate between some of the different characters, so you never had a chance of getting "tired" of one particular happening. The conclusion couldn't have been any better executed, in my opinion.
Highly recommended! -
Simply put, this is the best horror novel Bryan Smith has written to date. DEPRAVED follows a handful of characters who for one reason or another end up in Hopkins Bend, a podunk town in Tennessee, not far from Dandridge, the setting for previous novels, and become prey to a whole host of psycho-sexual, deformed and inbred hillbilly mutants. Full of his trademark humor, graphic sex and violence, Smith's smooth narrative makes this for a very fast-paced and easy read (and the two months it took me to read this novel had nothing to do with the book itself, just a busy eight weeks in my personal life). A nice twist ending (a few, actually) and an Epilogue that leaves the possibility of bringing back a few of the characters for future novels, perhaps, left this Bryan Smith fan wholly satisfied. Highly recommended this one, folks, and the perfect introduction to his work for new readers!
-
This hardcover copy of "Depraved" is number 29 of 100 copies printed and is signed by Bryan Smith.
As far as I have been able to determine this is a list of the Altar 13 books published:
"Kingdom of Shadows" by Greg F. Gifune.
"Depraved" by Bryan Smith.
"The Beloved" by J. F. Gonzalez.
"Snow" by Ronald Damien Malfi.
"The Killing Kind" by Bryan Smith.
"Carnival of Fear" by JG Faherty.
"The Devil Next Door" by Tim Curran. -
If you're bored and you want something that will get your attention, get a hold of this book. All the characters were interesting, the flow of the story was quick and unapologetic and the bad guys were strangely amusing. The main character was not a damsel in distress, I can tell you that. She's smart and calculating, which I love so much. She didn't need anyone to save her because she could save herself. I just love her determination and spirit. If you get caught up in this crazy town, you need someone like Jessica Sloan by your side to survive.
I didn't hate anyone in this book. The main characters were written exactly as they should be and I was rooting for all of them to make it. The ending was perfect! Good job! -
I'm not such a big fan of "torture-porn." Granted, when it was fresh and new, films like House of 1000 Corpses and the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre raked in a lot of money. Wrong Turn did the whole "incest mutants" thing pretty well. But after a while, it just got old. When the actual story takes a back seat to rape, torture, and cannibalism, what the reader gets is a collection of sordid details without much to connect them.
Depraved certainly lives up to its name, in that every character (even the good guys) seems hellbent to have sex with, or kill (or both) everything that moves. The book opens with a woman, who has been raped, driving down the road with her rapist tied up in the trunk of her car. It's a good beginning, but one that quickly dissolves into a collection of disjointed plot lines and unbelievable coincidences, character choices, and clichés that leave most readers confused and unsatisfied. The story moves from there to a man and woman who stop in a tiny town to get a map when the man is raped, kidnapped, and his girlfriend is never noticed in the car outside. But then she gets raped too. Oh, and there's the rapist from the previous scene...He gets raped. And there's more raping to go around. With a minor dose of cannibalism, which takes a back seat to the joyous pursuit of rape.
The characters in this book start out likable, but then move into the realm of "WTF" when they all (yes, all) begin to screw and murder their way out of the town. It doesn't come across as desperation, nor does it come across as a choice they had to make to save their individual lives. It comes across as "well, things suck...Let's have sex and shoot people." It doesn't get any better in the end as (without giving anything away) the characters seem to forget about their lives interrupted and move in bizarrely unrealistic directions.
Which is not to say there's nothing likable about the book. Depraved gives vivid descriptions of every brutal moment. Smith is very good with descriptive detail and writes red-necks like no one else can. In fact, one of the most horrific scenes in the book (which is a rape scene, but of a sort I've never seen before) is told with such horrific brutality that one can't help but laugh to keep from being violently ill.
On the whole, Depraved is light on actual plot, light on realistic characters, and heavy on the gore, sex, and ass-rape. It doesn't shy away from the gruesome details, but it does seem to shy away on realistic character choices. While Smith is very talented in his ability to conjure images from written words, this book doesn't seem to conjure his best work. -
This is a great little pulpy horror story, with no shortage of gruesome violence and all manner of depraved sex. It's a quick read, not especially suspenseful or insightful, but nonstop entertaining nonetheless. If they still made horror movies like this book reads, I'd spend more time watching movies and less time reading. This book feels like a movie - it's very linear and visually direct, without barely any perspective written from inside any character's head.
The only reason this didn't get 5 stars was because as much as I enjoyed reading it, I don't think I'll read it again - I would rather spend my time on a new book that's every bit as bloody and sexy, but the plot wasn't unique or insightful enough to warrant revisiting it.
The plot does exactly as much as it's supposed to: create nonstop mass murder and sexual mayhem from cover to cover, and it delivers as promised.
This is the first Bryan Smith book I've read, and I'm looking forward to the rest of his canon. -
From the first page in this book. To the first line, This book draws you in like a moth to a flame. It's Extremely violent, deviant and exciting! i couldn't put this book down.
you follow the plot of a town in middle of southen usa. called Hopkins bend think "The hills have eye's" And you get the vibe.Without revealing the plot, the book revolves around a number of characters and flips between them.The way Bryan smith does this is awesome!
The only thing i didn't like about this book was the ending. It sucked honestly. It almost felt like the author had a time frame or was bored or whatever, but it did go with one of the other chars in the book!
if you like a fast paced gore book with chars that make you laugh i highly recommend this book. Can't wait to get tucked in to Depraved 2! -
Bryan Smith's books just keep getting better and better. And while the story of inbred cannibalistic backwoods psychos is not entirely original, Smith makes it worth the read with compelling characters, excellent pacing, nonstop violence blood gore guts and of course, depravity. Also, I thought I'd mention that I'm impressed with Smith's consistently strong female characters, particularly in the genre so often populated by brainless bimbos. Depraved was a fun read and I definitely recommend it.
-
Bryan Smith's latest novel, DEPRAVED, takes place in the backwoods town known as Hopkins Bend. Anyone passing through tends to not make it back out and most don't even survive. The town is full of inbred cannibalistic rednecks who tend to rape, torture, and/or eat their victims... not necessarily in that order. Those "lucky" enough to survive and not get killed are put to work in a special strip club that is also within the town of Hopkins Bend. And what is it with the Kincher family? They appear to not be quite human. It looks like they are half-man/half-monster. Have they been undergone some kind of mutation? Will any of the outsiders to Hopkins Bend be able to escape or find a way to stop the townsfolk or will these vicious acts continue to go on forever?
DEPRAVED is graphic, foul, smutty, trashy, and probably everything your mama told you never to read as a kid, but that's what makes it so great! Backwoods towns have always been depicted as creepy and if you add in rednecks, well... that just makes them even scarier! Just Kidding! Well, unless they're cannibalistic as Smith portrays them! That's the key. Smith adds in the twist of cannibalism and mutations to make these inbred rednecks be extremely scary, not to mention that they are so depraved. There is also one particular chapter in the book where Smith touches on the "bizarro". I won't spoil anything for you, but it's probably one of the most intense sex scenes I've ever read in a horror book. It's horrifically foul, but I loved every minute of it despite the voices in my head screaming "Oh my god! That did not just happen!!!". As far as I'm concerned, Smith has out done himself with DEPRAVED and I hope that he continues along this line of writing in the future. This is a must for fans of extreme horror. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Contains: Adult Language, Adult Situations, Violence, Torture, Gore, Rape, Graphic Sex, Cannibalism
Review also posted at
MonsterLibrarian.com
Also available at
MonsterLibrarian.com is an interview I did with Bryan Smith. -
4.5*
The book follows several characters as they try desperately to get out of Hopkins Bend. From the first chapter it's pretty much just non stop action all the way and doesn't let up for one minute.
The cannibal themes may be slightly clichéd but the execution is masterful and makes this a book well worth picking up.
Another plus is the that there are some great female characters that can certainly hold their own when the going gets tough (and it does on multiple occasions). Laymon did this really well and from what I've read of Bryan Smith he also has a knack for creating fantastic characters.
My only gripe is with the end, one part of it was fantastic but another storyline end didn't really make sense. Still, a fantastic read and one that I would highly recommend horror fans picking up. -
Depraved!
Ive had this book on my kindle for so long, I really wish Id gotten to it sooner. Absolutely brilliant,, gory, shocking, horrific! I cannot wait to start the next in the series and I loved the "in-between-quel" too, I wasnt ready for the book to end and this topped it off nicely. -
Oh what to say about this book. It is a mix between "Hills Have Eyes" meets "Wrong Turn" with a splash of supernaturnal mixed in. It is a wild ride from beginning to end. Throughout the story you meet many different "victims" of Hopkins Bend. Some fight their way out of the horrific woods and some never leave. Overall, it was a good read but the last quarter of the book lost me. The supernatural elements seemed disjointed from the rest of the story. It didn't seem to flow as nicely as the first three quartes of the book. I will say it lives up to it's name "Depraved."
-
This book started off like it would be an okay horror read and then spiraled down into stupidity and chaos with porn thrown in. I skimmed most of it and read the ending. Wished I hadn't even done that, what's read can't be unread.
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I'm a late arrival to the Bryan Smith Fan Club but I'm quickly embracing him. This book and the previous one I read by him have both been intense, graphic and very violent. At times, so casually factual with the violence that I would stop and have to re-read the last paragraph just to make sure I read what I did and to let it sink in. I've already added seven of his books to my "to read" list and I'm sure I'll be adding more. Like the two sequels to this book.
The story focuses on the town of Hopkins Bend and a large cast of characters. I'm not even going to try to detail all of them. Basically multiple individuals and couples end up being abducted and held by the citizens of Hopkins Bend. Reasons for the abduction include as prisoners for the town's annual Holiday Feast, as sex slaves, as goods to be sold in order to make money, and as a vessel. While the bulk of the horrors perpetrated are based upon human debauchery and survival, there is also a supernatural element to the happenings. In all, there is a lot happening and the journey is fun.
One of the things that was kind of amazing was how well Smith weaved the different plot lines together. Normally in a novel like this, the characters all start together and then separate as disasters occur. Or the reverse as different characters all come together in the final act to help defeat the Big Bad. This time though, there are at least five distinct plot lines that only have a minimal amount of overlap. Everything happens in the same twenty-four hour period and in the same town, so it's not as disconnected as it seems. The only negative for me was that I ended up reading the book in short batches. Thirty pages here. Twenty pages a week later. Another twenty a week later. I lost some of the impact by doing this, especially since I had to keep remembering who was in which plot line. "Oh yeah, Megan is Pete's girlfriend who was captured by the deputy. Michelle is the one trapped in Abby's basement." It would have been better if I could have binge read the book in one or two sessions instead. I will be grabbing a Bryan Smith novel the next time I have a ten hour International flight to take. -
This is a nasty little tale of backwoods terror. I would only recommend this to seasoned horror fans with strong stomachs. It isn't the most original concept, but Smith's writing is great and he throws enough little twists into it to make his version of the backwoods inbred redneck horror sub-genre an interesting read, if that's your bag. Its kind of "Wrong Turn" by way of Tarantino. Smith doesn't get the fanfare of other authors that are in his league, Brian Keene comes to mind, but he definitely has the goods and delivers with this book. This is his 6th mass market release, and I'm surprised that more horror fans aren't gushing over his stuff. This is the first book I've read by Smith and I definitely plan to track down his other stuff. Recommended for those who like their horror with extra pulp.
-
I really wanted to give this 4 stars but a couple things in the book made me hold back. That said I plan on reading more of this author. He can write!
Spoilers:
Some of the things that made me take back the fourth star:
*The supernatural aspect seemed like an afterthought. It wasn't developed and it was distracting.
*Jessie. Let me see - she gets raped and a couple hours later she's so damn horny she picks up a stranger, in a town where no one can be trusted, and goes home with him. WTF?
*Pete and Justine in the dog cage. Nope, I just don't buy it.
Things I loved:
*Hoke - the human dildo.
*Pete and Justine flipping out at the end. Now that's entertainment.
I would recommend this book to...people with a very strong stomach. -
Hopkins Bend. A great place to avoid at all costs. Looks normal, but once the unwary set foot in it, like quicksand, they must fight for their lives to get out of it. They may end up tortured and eaten by the inbred founding families. Reminiscent of Herschel Gordon Lewis' movie 2000 Maniacs or Tobe Hooper's Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I could easily picture Michael Berryman from Wes Craven's The hills Have Eyes or Sid Haig from Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses terrorizing Eliza Dushku from Wrong Turn. Highly recommended.
-
Kurzbeschreibung:
Jessica möchte einen günstigen Gebrauchtwagen kaufen. Als sie mit dem Besitzer alleine in dessen Wohnung ist, fällt er über sie her und vergewaltigt sie. Jessica will nur noch eines: Rache. Deshalb entführt sie den Mistkerl in die einsame Wildnis. Sie will ihn erschießen, er soll sterben …
Aber die beiden befinden sich an einem bösen Ort. Die inzüchtigen Einwohner des Städtchens Hopkins Bend hüten seit Generationen ein grauenvolles Geheimnis – und Jessica kommt ihnen für ihre perversen Spiele gerade recht …
Dieser Roman ist ein Albtraum in einem Albtraum in einem Albtraum.
Meine Meinung:
Richard Laymon, Jack Ketchum, Wrath James White... alles für mich sehr bekannte und unheimlich gern gelesene Autoren, wenn ich in der Stimmung auf "extreme Lesekunst" bin.
Man darf bei den genannten Autoren nicht zimperlich sein, da es stets brutal und blutig zugeht. Allerdings müsste man das vorab wissen, wenn man sich über die Autoren oder die Klappentexte informiert. Und der Verlag "Festa" oder "Heyne Hardcore", sprechen auch für sich...
Bryan Smith, war für mich noch Neuland in diesem Genre.
Umso neugieriger war ich auf seine Art zu schreiben und die meist brutalen Dinge zu beschreiben.
Im nach hinein kann ich sagen, das mich auch dieser Autor absolut überzeugt hat.
Die Story beginnt sehr rasant und verliert in den gesamten 377 Seiten kein bisschen an Tempo.
Man wird als Leser sofort in den Höllentrip zu den "Hinterwäldlern" geschickt.
Man erlebt, wie eigentlich unschuldige Leute, wie z.b. Jessica, die sich auf gemacht hat, in den einsamen Wäldern an ihrem Vergewaltiger zu rächen, den sie im Kofferraum eingesperrt hat. Doch dazu kommt sie gar nicht, den plötzlich wird sie von seltsamen Kreaturen überrascht. Sie sehen irgendwie schon aus wie Menschen, doch sie sind unheimlich groß und im Gesicht entstellt und Jessica bemerkt sofort, das sie am besten die Flucht ergreifen sollte...
Dann gibt es z.b. noch Pete und Megan, ein junges Pärchen, das unterwegs zu einem Musikfestival ist. Sie machen Halt an einer Haltestelle, ausgerechnet in Hopkins Red und der Alptraum beginnt...
Es gibt noch weitere Protagonisten.
Z.b. Abby, deren Sicht, ich auch recht interessant fand. Denn sie gehört zur "anderen Seite", zu den alteingesessenen Bewohnern, deren Kultur und Rituale für "normale" Menschen sehr grausam und einfach nur ekelerregend ist. Denn sie haben ihre Opfer zum fressen gern...Doch Abby spürt innerlich einen Prozess, bei ihr beginnt das umdenken, das erkennen, das die Rituale vollkommen falsch und extrem schmerzhaft sind. Sie spürt plötzlich Mitleid und ihre Wut macht eine Umkehr. Sie möchte selbst kein willkommenes Opfer ihrer Sippschaft mehr sein, ist die Hänseleien und Demütigungen satt und möchte ihren eigenen Frust nicht mehr an den Fremden, den Opfern auslassen, sondern sie möchte ausbrechen, sich befreien...sie freundet sich mit einem Opfer an und sie planen eine gemeinsame Flucht.
Diese Abschnitte gefielen mir besonders gut, da die Eindrücke der "Bösen" sehr interessant waren.
Ansonsten gefiel mir der Extrem- Thriller sehr gut.
Man muss diese Art von Storys allerdings mögen und keine Angst vor Brutalität, Blut, Gewalt und Sex haben.
Die Spannung wurde hier sehr groß geschrieben, man fieberte mit den Figuren mit und erlebte, wie sie von einer Hölle in die nächste wanderten.
An manchen Stellen, war mir allerdings einiges zu sehr überzogen oder vorhersehbar, deshalb ziehe ich einen Stern ab. Klar gehört das zu den Büchern dieses Genres eigentlich so gut wie dazu, aber an einigen Stellen, war es mir zu überdreht oder "dämonisch". Wer das Buch kennt, wird wissen, was ich meine. Auch hätte es für mich persönlich gerne noch eine Spur "härter" sein können, obwohl das Buch wirklich nicht gerade ohne war, ich jedoch schon so einiges gewöhnt bin. Aber das sind klitzekleine, minimale Kritikpunkte, die niemanden vom lesen abhalten sollten.
Fazit:
Für Leser und Freunde der "extremen Lesekunst", ist dieses Buch absolut empfehlenswert! Das Lesevergnügen war sehr groß und dies wird mit Sicherheit nicht mein letzter Smith bleiben!
