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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
This was a little bland. It was like humoring your spouse by watching a tv show he wants to watch. I give it 3 stars bc I like the ending well enough.
I have mulled this over a bit more and I actually really enjoy the story. The piece of the story that I thought didn’t really add all that much was Rot. It was only okay. I thought it was given just too much story time. By the end I just really wanted Rot to go away.
I have mulled this over a bit more and I actually really enjoy the story. The piece of the story that I thought didn’t really add all that much was Rot. It was only okay. I thought it was given just too much story time. By the end I just really wanted Rot to go away.
What a strange book! The concept is pretty cool. Carol is a wealthy, well-loved woman, esteemed by the townsfolk of Harrows, but her husband fakes affection while yearning for her money. Dwight knows her deepest secret -- that every once in a while, with no predictable pattern or symptoms, Carol falls into a coma indistinguishable from death. When Carol's closest friend dies, she realizes she should take someone else into her confidence, in case she should have an episode while Dwight is away or too ill to intercede, but before she can share her secret, she goes under again, and Dwight launches his dastardly plan.
But all is not lost. Carol's faithful maid alerts the man Carol once loved, the outlaw James Moxie. Moxie sets out on the dreaded, dangerous Trail to rescue Carol before she can be buried alive. But Moxie doesn't ride alone -- he's pursued by a deranged, deadly assassin known as Smoke, who seems unstoppable and completely devoid of humanity. It's a race against time, as James tries to reach Carol, Dwight tries to get Carol buried before she wakes, and Smoke keeps on coming and coming and coming.
There are some horrific moments, especially the scenes with Smoke. I won't tell you why he has the name that he has, but trust me, it's well-deserved and awful. As James rides to Carol's rescue, we learn more about their sad history together, and meanwhile, we accompany Carol as she lies helpless in what she refers to as Howltown, the coma world she inhabits in which she's aware of what's going on around her, but unable to speak, move, or save herself from the terrible fate Dwight has planned for her.
The writing gives a classic Western twang to everything -- gritty and profane and swaggering, with hints of violence and danger all at the same time. I liked the swear-words and cusses and exclamations the characters all use, such as "hell's heaven" and "heaven's hell", and once (my favorite), "Lord of all hogs and pink piglets..."!
I'm not usually much of a fan of the Western genre, but this odd book ended up appealing to me in an unusual sort of way. I liked the grimness and the feel of listening to an old-timey story about legendary figures of a by-gone time. I haven't read anything else by this author, but I understand that Unbury Carol is quite a different feel from his other books (and yes, I know I need to read Bird Box!).
Overall, I found Unbury Carol really weird and off-beat, but in a good, creepy way.
Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.
But all is not lost. Carol's faithful maid alerts the man Carol once loved, the outlaw James Moxie. Moxie sets out on the dreaded, dangerous Trail to rescue Carol before she can be buried alive. But Moxie doesn't ride alone -- he's pursued by a deranged, deadly assassin known as Smoke, who seems unstoppable and completely devoid of humanity. It's a race against time, as James tries to reach Carol, Dwight tries to get Carol buried before she wakes, and Smoke keeps on coming and coming and coming.
There are some horrific moments, especially the scenes with Smoke. I won't tell you why he has the name that he has, but trust me, it's well-deserved and awful. As James rides to Carol's rescue, we learn more about their sad history together, and meanwhile, we accompany Carol as she lies helpless in what she refers to as Howltown, the coma world she inhabits in which she's aware of what's going on around her, but unable to speak, move, or save herself from the terrible fate Dwight has planned for her.
The writing gives a classic Western twang to everything -- gritty and profane and swaggering, with hints of violence and danger all at the same time. I liked the swear-words and cusses and exclamations the characters all use, such as "hell's heaven" and "heaven's hell", and once (my favorite), "Lord of all hogs and pink piglets..."!
I'm not usually much of a fan of the Western genre, but this odd book ended up appealing to me in an unusual sort of way. I liked the grimness and the feel of listening to an old-timey story about legendary figures of a by-gone time. I haven't read anything else by this author, but I understand that Unbury Carol is quite a different feel from his other books (and yes, I know I need to read Bird Box!).
Overall, I found Unbury Carol really weird and off-beat, but in a good, creepy way.
Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.
slow-paced
Thank you to the publisher for an Advanced Reader's Copy for all seven of the Night Worms review group in exchange for honest reviews. This book is out on April 10th.
Of course, after reading Bird Box, I put Josh Malerman in the group of "authors that write books I want to read." Malerman's female protagonist in Bird Box exists in an apocalyptic state of events with a major physical handicap. In this book, Unbury Carol, our protagonist Carol is in a "wild, wild west" setting and also suffers from a major, physical handicap.
But the emphasis really isn't on Carol--it's on the cast of male characters introduced to us through their involvement with her and her strange condition.
I feel like the first 25% of this book was a very slow burn. I figured early on that this wasn't going to be a scary story--this is not horror. So my push here is to make sure horror fans and Bird Box fans, know that.
In the beginning, there is lots of build-up and stage setting, traveling, planning, character building but very little actually happening. There were some phrases or words planted so many times that I actually wondered if there was a hidden treasure map or message of some sort tugging for attention (I don't need to highlight those words, you'll see for yourself).
But hang in there!
The last 75% of the book makes it all worth while.
The tension begins to build, you start becoming very invested in the villains of the story rather than our damsel in distress. The beauty of this tale is that it is so unique and strange it almost feels like it could have come from the mind of Neil Gaiman--like a dark, whimsical fantasy and I kept reminding myself that this came from the same author of Bird Box, so I was pretty impressed with Malerman's versatility. Not to mention, he treats this plot with an attention to detail and a seriousness that makes the book stand by itself, outside any genre-normative stereotypes. This isn't horror, it's not a fantasy, it's not a Western, it's just it's own style and it deserves to be read by fans of just about anything. I also want to say that during the dialog I had with fellow Night Worms and also having read some early reviews (I didn't want to read them but I kind of had to-long story) I kept seeing people talk about how Carol's situation is just another misogynistic plot trope but my argument to that is: Carol's housekeeper, Farrah, evens out the scales and the two women, Farrah and Carol can almost be considered as one--Carol's mind and Farrah's physical execution-to which, she (the two characters) make one, complete and pretty bad ass character. (without getting too spoilery)
My final thoughts: If you are a fan of Malerman, this is one for the collection. It shows his range and his knack for out of the box, imaginative stories. He's writes great characters and brilliant dialog. I'm looking forward to reading Black Mad Wheel and Goblin next. I want a full Malerman collection at the end of the day.
Of course, after reading Bird Box, I put Josh Malerman in the group of "authors that write books I want to read." Malerman's female protagonist in Bird Box exists in an apocalyptic state of events with a major physical handicap. In this book, Unbury Carol, our protagonist Carol is in a "wild, wild west" setting and also suffers from a major, physical handicap.
But the emphasis really isn't on Carol--it's on the cast of male characters introduced to us through their involvement with her and her strange condition.
I feel like the first 25% of this book was a very slow burn. I figured early on that this wasn't going to be a scary story--this is not horror. So my push here is to make sure horror fans and Bird Box fans, know that.
In the beginning, there is lots of build-up and stage setting, traveling, planning, character building but very little actually happening. There were some phrases or words planted so many times that I actually wondered if there was a hidden treasure map or message of some sort tugging for attention (I don't need to highlight those words, you'll see for yourself).
But hang in there!
The last 75% of the book makes it all worth while.
The tension begins to build, you start becoming very invested in the villains of the story rather than our damsel in distress. The beauty of this tale is that it is so unique and strange it almost feels like it could have come from the mind of Neil Gaiman--like a dark, whimsical fantasy and I kept reminding myself that this came from the same author of Bird Box, so I was pretty impressed with Malerman's versatility. Not to mention, he treats this plot with an attention to detail and a seriousness that makes the book stand by itself, outside any genre-normative stereotypes. This isn't horror, it's not a fantasy, it's not a Western, it's just it's own style and it deserves to be read by fans of just about anything. I also want to say that during the dialog I had with fellow Night Worms and also having read some early reviews (I didn't want to read them but I kind of had to-long story) I kept seeing people talk about how Carol's situation is just another misogynistic plot trope but my argument to that is: Carol's housekeeper, Farrah, evens out the scales and the two women, Farrah and Carol can almost be considered as one--Carol's mind and Farrah's physical execution-to which, she (the two characters) make one, complete and pretty bad ass character. (without getting too spoilery)
My final thoughts: If you are a fan of Malerman, this is one for the collection. It shows his range and his knack for out of the box, imaginative stories. He's writes great characters and brilliant dialog. I'm looking forward to reading Black Mad Wheel and Goblin next. I want a full Malerman collection at the end of the day.
It took me an inordinate amount of time to finish this book, like way too long. Why did I continue? Because the premise was interesting and I was hoping the ending would pay off. Sadly, it did not.
For most of the book I felt like we were kind of spinning our wheels. We weren't getting anywhere fast. There were too many sections that didn't add anything to the plot or the atmosphere, all they added to was the page count. Even with all these extra pages, I know I read some details more thanonce twice three times because Malerman kept repeating himself. There was no real character development, very little "action", and a sudden stop at the end. Very confusing.
For most of the book I felt like we were kind of spinning our wheels. We weren't getting anywhere fast. There were too many sections that didn't add anything to the plot or the atmosphere, all they added to was the page count. Even with all these extra pages, I know I read some details more than
Ugghh, I wanted to like this book, I really did but... I could not get into it. I read the first 10 or so chapters and gave up. It was just too wordy! I love the premise, and maybe I'll go back one day and finish it...
3-3.5 stars. Take Sleeping Beauty, transplant it to a Wild West setting, add some outlaws and you should have a interesting story. This story isn’t quite so good, though I did enjoy much of it.
Carol of the title has a condition, where she falls into comas that look a lot like death. She has little warning of their onset, and they can last a few days. She is also aware of sounds while in her comas. There are very few people who know of her condition: her late mother, her recently dead friend John, her former boyfriend, legendary outlaw James Moxie, and her current husband, Dwight Evers.
Dwight wants Carol dead, and when she falls into a coma almost immediately after attending John’s funeral, Dwight takes advantage of the opportunity to take control of Carol’s money. James is notified by Carol’s maid Farrah that Carol is dead, and knows he has to get to Carol before she’s buried.
What follows is essentially the story of James’ journey to Carol, with a view into what Carol is experiencing. Though James has a very limited time to return to the town Carol lives in, the author takes us on what feels like a relatively slow trip back along the trail that connects James’ town to Carol’s. Meanwhile, Dwight has had an outlaw sent to murder James before he can return. The author also has us spend a lot of time with this assassin, who comes off as unhinged and dangerous.
I would not have minded if we had spent less time with the assassin, as I did not want to spend as much time in his head as we did. Unlike traditional Sleeping Beauty, where the woman is utterly passive and well, useless other than to make the Prince look heroic, I did like spending time with Carol in her coma as she struggled to get herself up to save herself. So, an interesting take on the Sleeping Beauty story, with a not totally helpless woman in the story.
Carol of the title has a condition, where she falls into comas that look a lot like death. She has little warning of their onset, and they can last a few days. She is also aware of sounds while in her comas. There are very few people who know of her condition: her late mother, her recently dead friend John, her former boyfriend, legendary outlaw James Moxie, and her current husband, Dwight Evers.
Dwight wants Carol dead, and when she falls into a coma almost immediately after attending John’s funeral, Dwight takes advantage of the opportunity to take control of Carol’s money. James is notified by Carol’s maid Farrah that Carol is dead, and knows he has to get to Carol before she’s buried.
What follows is essentially the story of James’ journey to Carol, with a view into what Carol is experiencing. Though James has a very limited time to return to the town Carol lives in, the author takes us on what feels like a relatively slow trip back along the trail that connects James’ town to Carol’s. Meanwhile, Dwight has had an outlaw sent to murder James before he can return. The author also has us spend a lot of time with this assassin, who comes off as unhinged and dangerous.
I would not have minded if we had spent less time with the assassin, as I did not want to spend as much time in his head as we did. Unlike traditional Sleeping Beauty, where the woman is utterly passive and well, useless other than to make the Prince look heroic, I did like spending time with Carol in her coma as she struggled to get herself up to save herself. So, an interesting take on the Sleeping Beauty story, with a not totally helpless woman in the story.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Solid plot, great writing, bland characters.
I’m a character reader so if I don’t believe in your characters I can’t love the book. Still enjoyed it for the most part.
I’m a character reader so if I don’t believe in your characters I can’t love the book. Still enjoyed it for the most part.