Feb 21 - Feb 26, 2012
The Devil Next Door
Tim Curran
Horror
Published 2009
333 pages
5.5/10
During an average normal day, people go about their business just as they always do. But suddenly, and without warning, bloodlust enrages nearly every man, woman, and child, and civilization falls in a matter of hours. For the few lone folks who have kept their wits about them, danger is everywhere; but when night falls, things take a turn for the worse...
Senseless is the best word I can think of to describe this book. Without rhyme or reason, people go absolutely ballistic; every other page is an orgy of blood, rape, violence, and/or cannibalism. Generally, that kind of thing appeals to me. I adore the nasty stuff. But a couple of aspects made it somewhat difficult for me to really properly enjoy this book.
First off (and most definitely the biggest offender) I found it VERY repetitive. Not only did the same basic scenes play themselves out over and over again (person discovers neighbor/loved one/friend has gone crazy; person goes crazy and eviscerates family member/beloved pet/stranger; etc.) but the author also used a lot of the same metaphors, phrasing, and words with jarring regularity. The word 'altruistic' came up so many times that I could almost anticipate when I would see it again. And the comparisons of the crazy people to dogs or animals were just kind of smashed into your psyche at every turn. I get it. People have regressed.
The Devil Next Door
Tim Curran
Horror
Published 2009
333 pages
5.5/10
During an average normal day, people go about their business just as they always do. But suddenly, and without warning, bloodlust enrages nearly every man, woman, and child, and civilization falls in a matter of hours. For the few lone folks who have kept their wits about them, danger is everywhere; but when night falls, things take a turn for the worse...
Senseless is the best word I can think of to describe this book. Without rhyme or reason, people go absolutely ballistic; every other page is an orgy of blood, rape, violence, and/or cannibalism. Generally, that kind of thing appeals to me. I adore the nasty stuff. But a couple of aspects made it somewhat difficult for me to really properly enjoy this book.
First off (and most definitely the biggest offender) I found it VERY repetitive. Not only did the same basic scenes play themselves out over and over again (person discovers neighbor/loved one/friend has gone crazy; person goes crazy and eviscerates family member/beloved pet/stranger; etc.) but the author also used a lot of the same metaphors, phrasing, and words with jarring regularity. The word 'altruistic' came up so many times that I could almost anticipate when I would see it again. And the comparisons of the crazy people to dogs or animals were just kind of smashed into your psyche at every turn. I get it. People have regressed.
You don't have to keep telling me. I haven't regressed. In fact, I have a fully functioning frontal lobe. Yeesh.
I wasn't super keen on the writing (editing errors here and there, no commas where I would have put commas, unnecessary italics) but it was still generally understandable.
Another serious offender was that it took almost 200 pages before the plot really went anywhere. Hey, don't get me wrong, I love mayhem as much as the next guy... probably ever more than the next guy, if he's normal. But seriously man, GET TO THE FUCKIN' POINT.
Once it picked up though, it went rolling well enough that I read the last third in a third of the time it took me to read the first two thirds (while traveling twice the speed it takes me to get to Nap City on the Comfy Couch Express). There were also scenery changes and even some character development. And I'll freely admit it: I liked the gore. The ending was a pretty good culmination of the book as a whole, and I probably enjoyed the final scene most out of the entire story.
If you're a skimmer with a twisted mind, you'll really like this book. Definitely more than I did, but then again, I can't skim.
I wasn't super keen on the writing (editing errors here and there, no commas where I would have put commas, unnecessary italics) but it was still generally understandable.
Another serious offender was that it took almost 200 pages before the plot really went anywhere. Hey, don't get me wrong, I love mayhem as much as the next guy... probably ever more than the next guy, if he's normal. But seriously man, GET TO THE FUCKIN' POINT.
Once it picked up though, it went rolling well enough that I read the last third in a third of the time it took me to read the first two thirds (while traveling twice the speed it takes me to get to Nap City on the Comfy Couch Express). There were also scenery changes and even some character development. And I'll freely admit it: I liked the gore. The ending was a pretty good culmination of the book as a whole, and I probably enjoyed the final scene most out of the entire story.
If you're a skimmer with a twisted mind, you'll really like this book. Definitely more than I did, but then again, I can't skim.
Either.
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