News & Blog

The Other by Thomas Tryon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I rented the movie adaptation of THE OTHER back in the 1990s and found it so powerful it stayed with me ever since, which made it interesting to read the novel already knowing its big secret. This allowed me to see the tricks Tryon uses to pull it off, while at the same time enjoying the story all over again.

The novel is spectacular. Tryon’s prose is exceptional, as is his ability to immerse the reader in the lives of young Niles, his twin Holland, their seemingly cursed family, which has been plagued by tragedy for years, and the nosy, suspicious, and dimwitted townspeople around them. The structure is truly extraordinary, its plentiful twists and surprises doled out with an expert’s hand. It’s hard to believe this is a first novel.

Modern readers used to today’s fast-paced thrillers might find the languid pace of THE OTHER off-putting, but the novel rewards your attention and perseverance. The ending is powerful and perfect. Those last four pages…holy moly!

I’d been meaning to read THE OTHER for ages and I’m so glad I finally did! I can see why it was such a blockbuster bestseller back in the day (“Six Months on The New York Times Best Seller List,” screams the cover of my Fawcett paperback) and such an influential work of horror that it, along with ROSEMARY’S BABY and THE EXORCIST, kickstarted the genre as we know it today.

If you haven’t read THE OTHER, I cannot recommend it highly enough. It has become one of my favorite novels.

View all my reviews

Hey, folks!

Come see me read from my new novel, The Stone Serpent, on March 21st at 7 PM at Barrow’s Intense Tasting Room in Industry City, Brooklyn!

It’s part of the Rooftop Readings series, hosted by author Randee Dawn!

Tickets are $10, but you get a free drink!

You can RSVP at the Facebook event page!

Book of Slaughter #1 by James Tynion IV
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This quick, interesting sidebar to the main plot line of SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN follows Maxine Slaughter as she is presented with the opportunity to switch from being a White Mask to a Black Mask. There’s not much action here; the story’s bigger purpose is to allow readers into the pages of the Book of Slaughter, the secret book of the House of Slaughter that explains all the rites, hierarchy, and iconography of the Order of St. George. I think much of it readers were already able to figure out on their own from context, but it’s still nice to see it all clearly laid out.

I heard this is a one-shot, rather than the start of a new spinoff series, but regardless, I suspect we haven’t seen the last of Maxine Slaughter in the KILLING universe.

P.S. I read this in paperback, but Goodreads only currently lists the Kindle edition, for some reason.

View all my reviews

Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 5 by James Tynion IV
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another great volume in this continually excellent series! Volume 5 starts an all-new story, with the additions of Gabi, Riqui, and Carter, all great characters, but Erica’s choices from the previous volumes are catching up with her. The new monster is terrifying, and so is Cutter, a psychopathic member of the Order of St. George who intends to punish Erica for abandoning the House of Slaughter. I can’t wait to see where the story goes next!

View all my reviews