Anonymous

wow...BRUTAL!

Reviewed: 08-01-24

I read a lot of horror and I have not been scared by any thing in a very long time... incidents around the house changed that.
dark as f**k. it goes places that very few novels about children would go too.
I read Goblin a few months ago and this has me wanting to read The Birdbox now too.
malerman does beat you over the head with the metaphor too much...maybe a little near the end. for the most part he let's the story speak for itself.
BTW I did not anticipate the end at all.
this is a brutally dark story that might leave you devastated.

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short and creepy

Reviewed: 07-17-24

I enjoyed the atmosphere.
nothing earth shattering but genuinely creepy experience.
I wanted a bit more. it ended abruptly.

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essentially one log lecture abortion

Reviewed: 06-05-24

as with all Stephen King novels, the characters are fantastic.

spoiler alert...
I wanted to read it because of the character Patrick Danville from the Dark Tower but he's barely in this. he's just sort of a mcguffin.

there are long and preachy diatribes about abortion and feminism. he portrays anyone who is pro-life as some kind of terrorist. this is mishandled. it's all very hamfisted. there is a way to put characters in these kinds of backdrops with out insulting your audience. get us to think without telling us what to think Stephen.

Eli Wallach does a great job reading but there are these weird and distracting bursts of music and sound design that completely take you out of the experience. often they are so loud that you have to strain hear what's being said.

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Clive Barker-esque

Reviewed: 05-02-24

this is a pretty original idea and that really sets this apart

I was entertained but it felt like it needed more development.

there are many unanswered questions.

It needed a proper denouement

also one of the most brutal horror novels that I have ever read and I have read a lot.

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1 person found this helpful

literary horror

Reviewed: 04-13-24

what I liked:
-very atmospheric
-little to no cliché horror monsters /ghosts/demons etc... yet very much a horror novel.
-excellent world building reminiscent of Michael McDowell's "Blackwater" saga
-slow burn yet engaging

what I wish was different:

-its a little light on suspense; not the "page turner" that some one like Stephen King would write
- I wanted more; would love this to be expanded into a series. I feel like it wetted my appetite for the world of Goblin but didn't quite satisfy.
-I was looking for the "novellas" to intertwine a bit more than they did.

Conclusion;
-we need a follow and/or expand version.
- I really enjoyed this book.

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heavily borrowed from Stephen King

Reviewed: 03-26-24

has a generally interesting story.

relatively entertaining

elements of salem's lot, the talisman, the stand, needful things, and even the dark tower.

needed to be a little longer to flesh out some of the characters.

major plot hole in the third act

the ending is abrupt. it could really use a denouement. .

switching between narrators was distracting and added nothing to the experience

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there are more things in heaven and earth Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy

Reviewed: 02-17-24

fascinating.
thought provoking.
connection making.
a quick peek behind the veil.
the narration is excellent.
I especially enjoyed the fresh perspective on A.I. which totally surprised me and made me reconsider my current point of view.
I respect the author's restraint from making any definite conclusions about the various phenomenon the she investigates.

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wow wow wow!

Reviewed: 07-29-23

wildly entertaining.

in today's world where so many novels, movies etc... are cynical this is a breath of fresh air.

it turns out that people do find redemption and can set aside their prejudices.

this novel has it all... excitement, suspense, relatable characters, warmth, lot's of humor and body horror too. it even dabbles in a bit of "high concept" science fiction.

the narrator handles the characters pretty well too. personally, I'm not a big fan of narration with voices but he does a good job without it becoming distracting.

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1 person found this helpful

good...just don't think about it too much

Reviewed: 07-08-23

Thomas Harris is a sick em effer.

if you're familiar with the movie you will be pleasantly surprised that there several key differences between the book and the film...especially the end.

overall its much more twisted than the movie

the narrator is pretty good but some of his choices are a bit odd. I was completely baffled by the voice he used for barney.... very similar to the purple dinosaur lol.

and yes... his interpretation of Mason verger can be a little difficult to understand but not impossible.

I'm not sure painting lecture as a sort of antihero works. it feels a little contradictory. while it's not perfect it is good !

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absolutely lives up to the hype!

Reviewed: 06-30-23

I held off reading this for years as I am a huge fan of the film and thought that I might find that the book would not have much to offer. I was completely wrong.

while the film is very faithful to the book, the book offers a more insight into all of the main characters and actually clarifies some character motivations.

frank Mueller does an amazing job. he does subtle voice changes for the characters and never sounds like he's over doing it. it's just enough to understand who is "talking".

if you're on the fence...just download it. you won't be disappointed

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