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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
If Brian Keene is not exactly a household name, then he is at the very least quite well known within the horror community. Admittedly, I’ve not read many of his works (an error I hope to, as Keene would put it, “unfuck immediately”), but I consider myself a fan by way of his podcast, The Horror Show with Brian Keene, and social media presence. I respect and value him as an author, even if reader-me is still playing catch up. Frankly, the only prior works of his that I read were The Rising (which, frankly, I wasn’t completely crazy about) and his short story “The Last Supper” from the Seize the Night vampire anthology (which I absolutely was crazy for). While The Rising was his first book and didn’t quite do it for me, I saw immediately a huge growth in talent that the intervening years brought to bear in “The Last Supper.”
The Complex, then, is only the second book of Keene’s that I’ve read. Since starting it Sunday night and over the course of the last four days, I’ve bought a handful more of Keene’s other titles and hit him up on Twitter to find out where I can score more stories about The Exit (and if you come across this review, Brian, thank you again. I’ve secured the appropriate anthologies and then some!), a recurring character I’m discovering only now thanks to this book. So, does that answer the question on whether or not I liked this book?
Written with a tight, cinematic pacing, Keene introduces us to his characters – a handful of apartment dwellers – through various POV chapters, wasting no time getting right into the action and dumping us into a full-bore violent romper-room of chaos and bloodshed by the end of chapter two. Things go awry just as new tenants Terri, and her son, Caleb, are moving in and confronted by a pack of naked crazies bearing an assortment of weapons, and soon enough the entirety of Pine Village Apartment’s is under siege.
From there, it’s action, action, action. The violence is quick and no-nonsense, and Keene writes the various scenarios very well, in quick and dirty fashion, careful not to overly prolong any given sequence while keeping things punchy.
Right from the outset, I could tell this would be a book I’d appreciate as Keene name-dropped a few of my favorite writers, like Chuck Wendig and Kelly Sue DeConnick, and colored the cast and settings with personal touches that I recalled Keene talking about on his podcast. I always like these little bits of personal experiences and flashes of an author’s life bleeding onto the page (something that’s never really avoidable, mind you, but recognizing these instances from Keene’s discussions gave me a smile and a little bit of a welcome ‘oh, hey! I remember that!’ feeling).
Bottom line – this book is fun. Damn fun. I liked it a lot, from it’s wonderfully diverse cast right down to the obese and nasty Tick Tock man, and an ending that (fondly, actually) echoed The Rising in some ways. It also compelled me to buy more of Keene’s work, and that, perhaps more than anything, is the best mark of quality I can think of.
The Complex, then, is only the second book of Keene’s that I’ve read. Since starting it Sunday night and over the course of the last four days, I’ve bought a handful more of Keene’s other titles and hit him up on Twitter to find out where I can score more stories about The Exit (and if you come across this review, Brian, thank you again. I’ve secured the appropriate anthologies and then some!), a recurring character I’m discovering only now thanks to this book. So, does that answer the question on whether or not I liked this book?
Written with a tight, cinematic pacing, Keene introduces us to his characters – a handful of apartment dwellers – through various POV chapters, wasting no time getting right into the action and dumping us into a full-bore violent romper-room of chaos and bloodshed by the end of chapter two. Things go awry just as new tenants Terri, and her son, Caleb, are moving in and confronted by a pack of naked crazies bearing an assortment of weapons, and soon enough the entirety of Pine Village Apartment’s is under siege.
From there, it’s action, action, action. The violence is quick and no-nonsense, and Keene writes the various scenarios very well, in quick and dirty fashion, careful not to overly prolong any given sequence while keeping things punchy.
Right from the outset, I could tell this would be a book I’d appreciate as Keene name-dropped a few of my favorite writers, like Chuck Wendig and Kelly Sue DeConnick, and colored the cast and settings with personal touches that I recalled Keene talking about on his podcast. I always like these little bits of personal experiences and flashes of an author’s life bleeding onto the page (something that’s never really avoidable, mind you, but recognizing these instances from Keene’s discussions gave me a smile and a little bit of a welcome ‘oh, hey! I remember that!’ feeling).
Bottom line – this book is fun. Damn fun. I liked it a lot, from it’s wonderfully diverse cast right down to the obese and nasty Tick Tock man, and an ending that (fondly, actually) echoed The Rising in some ways. It also compelled me to buy more of Keene’s work, and that, perhaps more than anything, is the best mark of quality I can think of.
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A little too long for my tastes, and while the final twist was fun, there were too many unresolved plot threads. The characters made the story, especially the old cat lady and her transwoman neighbor.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I don't often read horror books, but I picked this one up at a local book event, and I must say I'm very impressed. I loved all the characters, and you hope they all make it, but come on, this is a horror book, and that's unrealistic. It was a pretty quick read, and I don't think I'll go to sleep with nightmares?
Content Warning: There 6 descriptive scenes with dismemberment of male genitalia, death of crazed insane children, and unfortunately animals.
Content Warning: There 6 descriptive scenes with dismemberment of male genitalia, death of crazed insane children, and unfortunately animals.
Enjoyed this book a lot. Pulpy and a lot of characters to root for. The dumpster scene was harsh.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Non-stop gory fun! Loved the characters and their POV chapters. There are some fantastic death scenes in this one.
"Der Komplex" war mein erstes Buch von Brian Keene, und sowohl das Cover als auch der Klappentext haben mich direkt angesprochen. Die Geschichte spielt in einem Wohnkomplex, in dem sich die meisten Nachbarn nur vom Sehen kennen. Einige haben sich auch schon ausgetauscht, aber so richtig kennt niemand den anderen. Was als scheinbar gewöhnlicher Schauplatz beginnt, entwickelt sich schnell zu einem Labyrinth des Schreckens, als plötzlich nackte Menschen mit Waffen auftauchen, die offensichtlich nicht mit den besten Absichten kommen.
Zu Beginn lernen wir viele Charaktere kennen, die alle im Wohnkomplex leben. Überraschenderweise war es nicht schwierig, sie alle zu behalten, da sie sehr bildhaft beschrieben waren und jeder seine eigenen Macken und Eigenschaften hatte. Allerdings zog sich dieser Teil der Geschichte etwas und die Spannung wurde nur langsam gesteigert.
Nach dem Lesen des Klappentextes hatte ich eine andere Erwartung an die Geschichte. Mein erster Gedanke war: "Sind die nackten Irren die neuen Zombies?" Denn so kam es mir in der gesamten Story vor, und ich glaube, wenn es wirklich Zombies gewesen wären, hätte mir das Buch um einiges mehr Spaß bereitet. So war ich stellenweise einfach nur verwirrt. Fragen wie "Was hat es mit den nackten Irren auf sich? Wie kam es dazu? Warum tragen sie Waffen bei sich und töten wahllos Menschen?" schwirrten durch meinen Kopf.
Obwohl "Der Komplex" nicht das war, was ich erwartet hatte, hat mir die Geschichte dennoch Spaß bereitet. Leider kam das Ende zu abrupt und einige Fragen blieben unbeantwortet.
Brian Keene hat mit diesem Buch dennoch einen verstörenden und packenden Horrorroman geschaffen, der mich noch lange nach dem Zuklappen des Buches verfolgen wird.
Zu Beginn lernen wir viele Charaktere kennen, die alle im Wohnkomplex leben. Überraschenderweise war es nicht schwierig, sie alle zu behalten, da sie sehr bildhaft beschrieben waren und jeder seine eigenen Macken und Eigenschaften hatte. Allerdings zog sich dieser Teil der Geschichte etwas und die Spannung wurde nur langsam gesteigert.
Nach dem Lesen des Klappentextes hatte ich eine andere Erwartung an die Geschichte. Mein erster Gedanke war: "Sind die nackten Irren die neuen Zombies?" Denn so kam es mir in der gesamten Story vor, und ich glaube, wenn es wirklich Zombies gewesen wären, hätte mir das Buch um einiges mehr Spaß bereitet. So war ich stellenweise einfach nur verwirrt. Fragen wie "Was hat es mit den nackten Irren auf sich? Wie kam es dazu? Warum tragen sie Waffen bei sich und töten wahllos Menschen?" schwirrten durch meinen Kopf.
Obwohl "Der Komplex" nicht das war, was ich erwartet hatte, hat mir die Geschichte dennoch Spaß bereitet. Leider kam das Ende zu abrupt und einige Fragen blieben unbeantwortet.
Brian Keene hat mit diesem Buch dennoch einen verstörenden und packenden Horrorroman geschaffen, der mich noch lange nach dem Zuklappen des Buches verfolgen wird.
4 solid stars
Let it be known: Not once does Brian Keene pump the breaks in this one. THE COMPLEX is pedal to the metal style horror, starting on page one and ending with adrenaline still coursing through your veins.
I'm often in awe of how Keene manages to develop such memorable characters amidst all the frenetic scenes of graphic violence. But he does! And it's amazing. Full review to come.
Let it be known: Not once does Brian Keene pump the breaks in this one. THE COMPLEX is pedal to the metal style horror, starting on page one and ending with adrenaline still coursing through your veins.
I'm often in awe of how Keene manages to develop such memorable characters amidst all the frenetic scenes of graphic violence. But he does! And it's amazing. Full review to come.