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mar_2001's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
baybooks's review against another edition
5.0
This book rocked me so badly that I stopped reading it for two months and finally was able to return to it. The scenes are described in a way that allows the reader to imagine taking each step with Louis and Rachel. It is immersive and terrifying.
obliviously's review
- stephen king is stephen king
- the ending is a ride but was it worth the rest? no
tashpointsue's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
leonora's review
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
4.75
I was originally going to stat my review of this book by making a joke about how men will literally upset the holy balance of death and life instead of going to therapy. I would then segue into talking about how I'm not easily scared, so it's okay that this book wasn't spooking me, that I was still having a good time, that we can't blame Stephen King for the fact that I'm built different and am just tougher than all the little pussies who get scared by a book about some people having a hard time making that "dead" thing stick.
This was my plan for about two thirds of the book. The last third changed my plans. Also, for completely unrelated reasons, I would like everyone to keep all cats, children, people from Maine and dead things of any kind very far away from me. In addition, I would like to state that it's actually very normal and natural for adults to sleep with highlights. In case anyone had thoughts on that.
What makes us afraid? To be clear, I'm not asking you whatyou're afraid of. I'm asking why you're afraid of. (Give me all the writing awards please.) Are we afraid of ghosts? Or are we afraid that our sins will come back to haunt us? And horribly kill us? Like any good fiction, horror is a mirror. Stephen King knows this. Stephen King is counting on this to keep me up at night. The mirror is framed by ghoulies and goblins, but it's the reflection that's frightening.
The premise of Pet Sematary is simple. There's an old graveyard in the forest. The things you bury there don't stay dead. But they don't come back right, either.
This is a book about a malevolent force that lives in the woods and gives me the heebie-jeebies. It's also a meditation on grief. How it festers. How it turns you bad. How it also gives me the heebie-jeebies. Louis, our main character, is not abnormally flawed. He's human, of course, and far from perfect, but at the end of the day, he's a good person. He loves his wife and kids and wants to do his best by them.
But loss turns you into a different person. And, at risk of sounding like a nerd, the scariest thing about Pet Sematary is that Louis could be me. No matter how many spooky ghost warning or weird zombie cats you threw at me, if by brother died, you could bet your lobster rolls that I would be dragging all 6 ft 1 of him through the woods to bring him back wrong. What else could I do? As easy as it is to say that sometimes dead is better, I legitimately don't know how I would cope if it came for me.
Don't get me wrong. Stephen King is still a master of all the usual horror tricks. The first half of the book is pretty slow, but it drips with dread. From the moment the first Orinco big rig barrelled past the Creed family house, I knew where this was going. There was never any other way. And then shit gets real. You ever felt the urge to yell at a grown man who's also fictional to stop? Just stop. Call his wife. Call his daughter. Call his friend. Someone. Anyone. But something greater than him has a hold and, deep down, you know that if you were in his shoes, you'd welcome it. That's kind of freaky, I guess.
So what did I get from reading Pet Seminary? Firstly, I learned I am not nearly as brave as I think I am and will be sleeping wrapped in my blankets like a burrito tonight so nothing touches my limbs. Secondly, I think I am now afraid of my cat. And finally, if any of you know about a weird patch of land that brings things back from the dead, don't tell me about it. I can't promise I won't use it. Keep that shit to yourself. If you can, of course.
This was my plan for about two thirds of the book. The last third changed my plans. Also, for completely unrelated reasons, I would like everyone to keep all cats, children, people from Maine and dead things of any kind very far away from me. In addition, I would like to state that it's actually very normal and natural for adults to sleep with highlights. In case anyone had thoughts on that.
What makes us afraid? To be clear, I'm not asking you whatyou're afraid of. I'm asking why you're afraid of. (Give me all the writing awards please.) Are we afraid of ghosts? Or are we afraid that our sins will come back to haunt us? And horribly kill us? Like any good fiction, horror is a mirror. Stephen King knows this. Stephen King is counting on this to keep me up at night. The mirror is framed by ghoulies and goblins, but it's the reflection that's frightening.
The premise of Pet Sematary is simple. There's an old graveyard in the forest. The things you bury there don't stay dead. But they don't come back right, either.
This is a book about a malevolent force that lives in the woods and gives me the heebie-jeebies. It's also a meditation on grief. How it festers. How it turns you bad. How it also gives me the heebie-jeebies. Louis, our main character, is not abnormally flawed. He's human, of course, and far from perfect, but at the end of the day, he's a good person. He loves his wife and kids and wants to do his best by them.
But loss turns you into a different person. And, at risk of sounding like a nerd, the scariest thing about Pet Sematary is that Louis could be me. No matter how many spooky ghost warning or weird zombie cats you threw at me, if by brother died, you could bet your lobster rolls that I would be dragging all 6 ft 1 of him through the woods to bring him back wrong. What else could I do? As easy as it is to say that sometimes dead is better, I legitimately don't know how I would cope if it came for me.
Don't get me wrong. Stephen King is still a master of all the usual horror tricks. The first half of the book is pretty slow, but it drips with dread. From the moment the first Orinco big rig barrelled past the Creed family house, I knew where this was going. There was never any other way. And then shit gets real. You ever felt the urge to yell at a grown man who's also fictional to stop? Just stop. Call his wife. Call his daughter. Call his friend. Someone. Anyone. But something greater than him has a hold and, deep down, you know that if you were in his shoes, you'd welcome it. That's kind of freaky, I guess.
So what did I get from reading Pet Seminary? Firstly, I learned I am not nearly as brave as I think I am and will be sleeping wrapped in my blankets like a burrito tonight so nothing touches my limbs. Secondly, I think I am now afraid of my cat. And finally, if any of you know about a weird patch of land that brings things back from the dead, don't tell me about it. I can't promise I won't use it. Keep that shit to yourself. If you can, of course.
samranson's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
louie's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I’d sadly seen (both) movie adaptations for this and I desperately wish i hadnt. Even though I already knew the fate of the Creed family it didnt make it any less heart wrenching.
Builds slowly and then packs a heavy punch in the last 100 pages, right to the gut.
Builds slowly and then packs a heavy punch in the last 100 pages, right to the gut.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
depechele's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
the_glendon's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
killeskopf's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75