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ericgaryanderson's review against another edition
4.0
Scary! Great atmosphere. A bit less scary once you get a clearer sense of what's going on, but when is that not so in a horror novel?
verkisto's review against another edition
4.0
There's a lot about The Dead Path that's reminiscent of Stephen King's It: a man returns to his hometown to face an evil that terrorized him as a child; the evil returns every set number of years to prey on children; and this evil lives deep in a near-impenetrable maze. This isn't a clone of It, though, because Irwin tells a very different tale, not just in the specifics (the source of the evil, and the means by which the main character goes to defeat it, are different), but also in the themes. Here, the story isn't about childhood friendships, but about singular grief.
The tone of the books are also very different. Where King's book has the kind of folksy charm that all his books have, Irwin's is much, much darker, much more cynical. There are some truly horrifying scenes in the book, ones that will live with me for years, but beyond that, Irwin's language is much more introspective and claustrophobic. Even his choice of similes and metaphors are intended to evoke dread. It's a very different experience.
The book suffers from some repetition in the second act, and has some associations that border on misogyny (using spiders to represent aged female sexuality, though I'm not sure Irwin set out to make that parallel), but there's so much done well in the book that it's simply not a three-star book. Let's make it 3.5 stars, rounded up, because this is a debut that shows tremendous potential for future books.
The tone of the books are also very different. Where King's book has the kind of folksy charm that all his books have, Irwin's is much, much darker, much more cynical. There are some truly horrifying scenes in the book, ones that will live with me for years, but beyond that, Irwin's language is much more introspective and claustrophobic. Even his choice of similes and metaphors are intended to evoke dread. It's a very different experience.
The book suffers from some repetition in the second act, and has some associations that border on misogyny (using spiders to represent aged female sexuality, though I'm not sure Irwin set out to make that parallel), but there's so much done well in the book that it's simply not a three-star book. Let's make it 3.5 stars, rounded up, because this is a debut that shows tremendous potential for future books.
chelsea_court's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
2.0
faehearted's review against another edition
1.0
I wanted to like this and kept hoping it would get better but...it didn't. There was nothing new or startling here, just a tired rehashing of every simple, basic horror plot. The main characters were really, really dim. And if you don't suffer from the particular phobia the author keeps trying to play on, there is absolutely nothing here that's frightening. Except possibly the author's use of simile and metaphor.
mackle13's review against another edition
2.0
I felt like this book started strongly and had some decent promise - despite the abundance of purple prose, and strangled metaphors. It didn't tread any new ground or anything, but I like ghost stories, and the story of a man who sees ghosts repeating the loops of their deaths seemed like it could have some promise.
*** potential spoilerage ***
But then the protagonist moves from England to Australia - back to his childhood home - and the movie also veers from ghost story to weird sort of black magic/sacrifice/fairytale kind of thing with wicked witches who lure and murder children and their spider familiars.
As the story progressed, I just found myself less and less interested, to the point where I started skimming at the end.
Not that it didn't have its disturbing moments. It certainly did... magical rape and spiders galore, but even that wasn't enough to illicit more than a wince and a groan and a "is this really necessary" kind of reaction from me (an avowed arachnophobe). (The magical rape, in particular, was a bit ham-fisted and sort of glossed over. Ugh.)
Another review mentioned the misogyny of the story - the way that it kind of plays up the whole 'fear of female sexuality' thing. I'll definitely agree that there are elements of this, and it didn't help that it played up the whole paganism=black magic stereotype complete with a woman who essentially sells her soul to a male power in order to protect him and gain her own power...
The worst part about that, imo, is that there are times where it felt like that story was going to subvert this.
But then they get stopped and their storylines fizzle.
The mother/sister/friend plot, in particular. They gear themselves up to go to the woods to save the illogical male protagonist, and for a second I was like, "Yes, let's subvert this bitch!", but then they get stopped on their way into the woods by the police and their storyline literally evaporates and we don't hear another peep about them again until the very end.
Très décevant.
***
Ultimately, in the end, despite moments of disgust and even fewer moments of suspense and one moment at the end of "Really? That's where we're going with this?", the biggest feeling I was left with this kitchen sink* of a book was boredom. I was just glad for it to be over.
* As in "everything but the kitchen sink". If there exists a horror-story cliche, then it probably makes an appearance at some point in this book.
*** potential spoilerage ***
But then the protagonist moves from England to Australia - back to his childhood home - and the movie also veers from ghost story to weird sort of black magic/sacrifice/fairytale kind of thing with wicked witches who lure and murder children and their spider familiars.
As the story progressed, I just found myself less and less interested, to the point where I started skimming at the end.
Not that it didn't have its disturbing moments. It certainly did... magical rape and spiders galore, but even that wasn't enough to illicit more than a wince and a groan and a "is this really necessary" kind of reaction from me (an avowed arachnophobe). (The magical rape, in particular, was a bit ham-fisted and sort of glossed over. Ugh.)
Another review mentioned the misogyny of the story - the way that it kind of plays up the whole 'fear of female sexuality' thing. I'll definitely agree that there are elements of this, and it didn't help that it played up the whole paganism=black magic stereotype complete with a woman who essentially sells her soul to a male power in order to protect him and gain her own power...
The worst part about that, imo, is that there are times where it felt like that story was going to subvert this.
Spoiler
Times when the male lead was captured and it seemed like the young girl was going to come to the rescue... or when we thought that the sister, mother and other woman - who sort of seemed like she was introduced as a weird kind of love interest, and, man, would that have been weird - seem to be coming to the rescue...But then they get stopped and their storylines fizzle.
The mother/sister/friend plot, in particular. They gear themselves up to go to the woods to save the illogical male protagonist, and for a second I was like, "Yes, let's subvert this bitch!", but then they get stopped on their way into the woods by the police and their storyline literally evaporates and we don't hear another peep about them again until the very end.
Très décevant.
***
Ultimately, in the end, despite moments of disgust and even fewer moments of suspense and one moment at the end of "Really? That's where we're going with this?", the biggest feeling I was left with this kitchen sink* of a book was boredom. I was just glad for it to be over.
* As in "everything but the kitchen sink". If there exists a horror-story cliche, then it probably makes an appearance at some point in this book.
cherrysoda9_9's review against another edition
2.0
This has been on my to-read list forever and I finally managed to pick it up. Unfortunately, it did nothing for me. The premise is intriguing, but I found it just fell flat in execution. I got about halfway through and realized I wasn't the least bit invested in the story, and I have way too many books waiting to be read to spend more time than I want to on something that doesn't interest me. My second DNF of the year. Whoops.
wandering_lass's review against another edition
5.0
I had no idea what to expect when I stumbled across this book in my local used bookshop. I am pleased to say this book didn't disappoint. I finished in one sitting during a thunderstorm (perfect reading conditions) and there were even times I found my hands shaking in anticipation with each turn of the page. Although I must give a WARNING to any who want to read this. It is a horror novel and it really delivers. There are some scenes that made my stomach knot up but my curiosity kept me going. If you have a strong stomach then this is the book for you. Defiantly a good read for a stormy night or for Halloween.
mfred's review against another edition
3.0
Stephen M. Irwin’s The Dead Path is truly frightening, with some of the most distinctly scary imagery I have read in awhile. Imagine: Ghosts. Missing children. Serial killers. Witches. Evil forests filled with spiders and other unimaginable horrors.
Nicholas Close looses his wife in a horrible accident, only to find himself suddenly able to see the dead. He returns to his childhood home, hoping to escape the hordes of dead in London. Only, he quickly finds himself replaying the terrors of his own childhood: a local child has gone missing, just like his friend so many years ago. The kid turns up brutally murdered, also like his friend. Except this time, as he walks by the woods, he can watch the deaths as they happen, over and over, in a never-ending loop.
I mean, is that not the scariest thing you’ve ever heard? And so the book goes- terrible, horrible, frightening things happen. But not always in the most compelling ways. The pacing wasn’t quite there. Things slows down when you want them to speed up. Some plot points are easy to see coming. The imagery is intense and vivid, but the story doesn’t always follow.
3 of 5 stars. It’s simply not enough to paint a scary picture. The story must be interesting, too.
Nicholas Close looses his wife in a horrible accident, only to find himself suddenly able to see the dead. He returns to his childhood home, hoping to escape the hordes of dead in London. Only, he quickly finds himself replaying the terrors of his own childhood: a local child has gone missing, just like his friend so many years ago. The kid turns up brutally murdered, also like his friend. Except this time, as he walks by the woods, he can watch the deaths as they happen, over and over, in a never-ending loop.
I mean, is that not the scariest thing you’ve ever heard? And so the book goes- terrible, horrible, frightening things happen. But not always in the most compelling ways. The pacing wasn’t quite there. Things slows down when you want them to speed up. Some plot points are easy to see coming. The imagery is intense and vivid, but the story doesn’t always follow.
3 of 5 stars. It’s simply not enough to paint a scary picture. The story must be interesting, too.
tien's review against another edition
3.0
I read this as part of #TBRtrim20 challenge (instagram) which requires me to read from my TBR (am focusing on physically owned books) 1 oldest and 1 newest books per month. Can you guess how long I've had this one for? 6.5 years - I'm such a hoarder that I just couldn't let go even if it's not a genre I normally read. This is a horror and I usually find horror to be just a tad too weird for me so not something I'd devour on a normal day.
Nicholas returned to his hometown in a small Aussie town which has one strip shopping lane and a forbidding forest where people can get easily get lost in. He has lost his beloved wife and thought this escape back home may help him. After one incident or two, he realised that children go missing in the forest and are found dead on a regular basis over the years. In fact, it could've been him 25 years ago! What exactly is going on in this nowhere town?
Did this scare me? No.
Was it creepy? A little.
Is this book weird? ooh yes, it definitely has its moments but I also find it rather typically supernatural creepy: small town, dark forest, and oooooh, a witchy old crone.
Did I like it at all? Meh. It was ok. But now that I've read it, I may forward it on to hopefully a loving home.
Nicholas returned to his hometown in a small Aussie town which has one strip shopping lane and a forbidding forest where people can get easily get lost in. He has lost his beloved wife and thought this escape back home may help him. After one incident or two, he realised that children go missing in the forest and are found dead on a regular basis over the years. In fact, it could've been him 25 years ago! What exactly is going on in this nowhere town?
Did this scare me? No.
Was it creepy? A little.
Is this book weird? ooh yes, it definitely has its moments but I also find it rather typically supernatural creepy: small town, dark forest, and oooooh, a witchy old crone.
Did I like it at all? Meh. It was ok. But now that I've read it, I may forward it on to hopefully a loving home.