The biggest news in the
small northern town of Jackson was the reopening of the local hydropower
plant. Until the deaths. First a farmer was found horribly mutilated in
his field. Then a little girl disappeared from her home. Deep in the
woods a deputy came upon a chamber of horrors straight from a nightmare.
And through it all, one child is haunted by visions of the mysterious
"blue man," a madman who brings with him blood and pain and terror, a
terror spawned by forces no one can understand.
|
One of those horror books that takes a page from a mystery book by starting out seeming complex, mysterious and widespread, but towards the end you realize it's a basic and simple premise. The beginning holds that allure of supernatural tension, but by the end I was a little let down by the explanation. I won't ruin the story by telling the plot outline since the blurb doesn't either - it's better to be left in the dark with this one before you read it.
Writing style works great, even if the plot is familiar. There are a few genuinely creepy pages throughout, especially toward the beginning in the woods. It's not drawn-out gory but there are some chilling images, but nothing that would bother those who read horror frequently.
Pacing is a little slow after the intriguing set-up takes place because there's just not as many places to go from there. The first half of the book is the strongest, David and his family being well written if not a little stereotypical.
It's multiple point of view, and Kenyon changes the viewpoint by starting new chapters. He mainly keeps to the same family, but sometimes a random character pops up for a short chapter. It comes together later why their viewpoint was shown, but it's a little distracting. Since the chapters are short it's not bad though, and he doesn't switch viewpoints too much to where it's annoying.
Overall it's a good book but nothing that will stand out as more than a standard, run-of-the-mill thriller that offers some minor creepiness. Kenyon's writing style is talented, though, so I will definitely be checking out more of his horror novels to see if his imagination catches up to his writing talent.
Similar Reviews:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
