If I had to sum up Jack Kilborn’s Afraid in one word, that word would be brutal.
It’s been a while since I’ve read horror, though I devoured it in my younger years, and now I don’t remember why I gave up on it. A market glutted by crappy King-wannabes, I think. I’ve had Joe Hill’s Heart-Shaped Box on the iTouch for a while, but hadn’t read it. I’m reading it now, thanks to being brought back to the genre by Kilborn.
It took me a little while to get into Afraid, not because it wasn’t engaging, but because it was so intense I had to read it in short segments. Then I reached a point where I couldn’t put it down.
It was relentless. And gory. There were places I was literally turning my face away from the page, cringing, while still reading with my peripheral vision because I couldn’t stop.
Deliciously terrifying. Stomach-turning. Disturbing.
Afraid was brutal on so many levels, and I highly recommend it. Wicked awesome book.
ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? YOU WILL BE . . .
Welcome to Safe Haven, Wisconsin. Miles from everything, with one road in and out, this peaceful town has never needed a full-time police force. Until now . . .
A helicopter has crashed near Safe Haven and unleashed something horrifying. Now this merciless force is about to do what it does best. Isolate. Terrorize. Annihilate. As residents begin dying in a storm of gory violence, Safe Haven’s only chance for survival will rest with an aging county sheriff, a firefighter, and a single mom. And each will have this harrowing thought: Maybe death hasn’t come to their town by accident . . .
Comment
Now here’s an example of a wonderful review that has me saying, “Um, no thanks.” :hide: I do read the occasional King (like one every 2 years or so), but this sounds like King on steroids.
Can’t. Handle. The Brutals.
Comment
I wonder if hubby would like it. I may as well but its been a while since I’ve read something like that. :gaah:
Comment
Oh, it’s brutal. Very brutal.
Loved it! I just might read it again, and I very rarely reread genre fiction.
Brandy, I’ll be buying my husband a paper copy ASAP (I bought the Kindle version). I recommended it to my librarian this morning, but I don’t want him to wait until it comes in. Plus I just want a paper copy for my shelf.
Comment
Joe Konrath’s Jack Daniel Mysteries are/can be pretty brutal, so I”m not surprise his HorrorThiller written as Jack Killborn is an all bets off gore-fest.
Comment
True. I’d forgotten the JD series was a little on the brutal side. I think what I take from that series is the voice and the slightly twisted humor. But, yes, a little dark, too, I guess.