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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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:
Yes
WOW this book was tremendous. it was an exceptional world to get lost in. i came to love the main character a lot and i wanted to cry when her story wrapped up. what a beautiful piece of fiction.
i wanted to rate it 4.5 because of the grooming plotline, but it deserves 5. i think that was handled about as well as it could be, but it really didn’t sit well with me. but again, american elsewhere deserves the five stars for being genuinely frightening, beautiful, rich, mystical, and touching.
i wanted to rate it 4.5 because of the grooming plotline, but it deserves 5. i think that was handled about as well as it could be, but it really didn’t sit well with me. but again, american elsewhere deserves the five stars for being genuinely frightening, beautiful, rich, mystical, and touching.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicide, Death of parent
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Pedophilia
I could hardly wait to give this book a review. I devoured it happily and thought about it when I wasn't able to read it.
Yes, I could see Stephen King writing it. Yes, it was kind of neil Gaiman, I see American Gods in here, too. I see more Phillip Pullman, though.
Bennett takes a humdrum story of an ex-policewoman-drifter, turns her on her ear, gives her an unhappy remembrance of childhood, a Stepford town (Shirley Jackson is in here, too!), a dash of the alien, some Donnie Darko.
Ah, I'm babbling.
Get this. let me know what you think.
Yes, I could see Stephen King writing it. Yes, it was kind of neil Gaiman, I see American Gods in here, too. I see more Phillip Pullman, though.
Bennett takes a humdrum story of an ex-policewoman-drifter, turns her on her ear, gives her an unhappy remembrance of childhood, a Stepford town (Shirley Jackson is in here, too!), a dash of the alien, some Donnie Darko.
Ah, I'm babbling.
Get this. let me know what you think.
Vecais labais stāsts par cilvēku milzīgajām ambīcijām veicot līdz galam neizprotamus eksperimentus un to baisajām sekām. Par zinātnisku lūrēšanu durvju actiņā, nepadomājot, ka kāds var skatīties pretī.
Īsts starpžanru kišmiš. Ir gan fantastika, gan fantāzija, gan šausmas, gan ģimenes drāma. Ņemot vērā, ka jau aptuveni pēc pirmās trešdaļas lielos vilcienos viss ir skaidrs, tad grāmata varēja būt par kādām 150-200 lpp īsāka un no tā tikai iegūtu, jo vietām sižets šķita pārāk izstiepts. Un izšķirošā cīņa bija pārāk episka manai gaumei.
Domāju, ka patiks Kinga, Geimena un Lovkrafta faniem.
Objektīvi vērtējot starp 3 un 4 zvaigznēm, bet likšu 4, jo autoram vēl zem 30 un nākotnē viss izskatās rožaini.
Īsts starpžanru kišmiš. Ir gan fantastika, gan fantāzija, gan šausmas, gan ģimenes drāma. Ņemot vērā, ka jau aptuveni pēc pirmās trešdaļas lielos vilcienos viss ir skaidrs, tad grāmata varēja būt par kādām 150-200 lpp īsāka un no tā tikai iegūtu, jo vietām sižets šķita pārāk izstiepts. Un izšķirošā cīņa bija pārāk episka manai gaumei.
Domāju, ka patiks Kinga, Geimena un Lovkrafta faniem.
Objektīvi vērtējot starp 3 un 4 zvaigznēm, bet likšu 4, jo autoram vēl zem 30 un nākotnē viss izskatās rožaini.
3.5 stars. Much more readable than Mr. Shivers was. Well paced.
Gothic horror isn’t a genre I would have expected to associate with RJB, but American Elsewhere stands as a shining testament to the genre-breaking talents of this author. Whether it is high fantasy, general fiction, or thriller/horror, Robert Jackson Bennett has an unquestionable talent with larger-than-life storytelling. The undercurrents of this particular story are part Stephen King, part HP Lovecraft, part Sylvain Neuvel with a tone and style that is his unique contribution in modern fantasy writing. Needless to say, American Elsewhere defied all of my expectations.
“The wind runs through the pines, and the sound of thousands of whispering needles makes him shiver. Otherwise, it is quiet. But it is always quiet near homes like this, and it is always ill-advised to venture out at night in Wink. Everyone knows that. Things could happen.”
My only real complaint is the amount of time it took me to connect with the main character. Eventually, this is explained sufficiently as it becomes clear the author intended for the lack of depth into Mona’s history to later service the hidden supernatural element of the story in a more significant manner. Once I figured out what direction the story was taking, the lack of development made sense with the story the author was telling and this revelation was not only satisfactory, but satisfying. It gave Mona more relevance in terms of the conflict. Her character became essential to the story. Instead of just wandering into a story to merely serve as an outsider perspective for the readers, Mona is critical in shaping the events happening despite how insignificant her part seems to be. By the end of the story, Mona was fully realized and infinitely more complex than she initially appeared.
“The wind runs through the pines, and the sound of thousands of whispering needles makes him shiver. Otherwise, it is quiet. But it is always quiet near homes like this, and it is always ill-advised to venture out at night in Wink. Everyone knows that. Things could happen.”
My only real complaint is the amount of time it took me to connect with the main character. Eventually, this is explained sufficiently as it becomes clear the author intended for the lack of depth into Mona’s history to later service the hidden supernatural element of the story in a more significant manner. Once I figured out what direction the story was taking, the lack of development made sense with the story the author was telling and this revelation was not only satisfactory, but satisfying. It gave Mona more relevance in terms of the conflict. Her character became essential to the story. Instead of just wandering into a story to merely serve as an outsider perspective for the readers, Mona is critical in shaping the events happening despite how insignificant her part seems to be. By the end of the story, Mona was fully realized and infinitely more complex than she initially appeared.
Cool idea but far too eager to explain itself. I felt like I was 10 steps ahead of protag. Also so boring when aliens are basically just humans. Like really, would they have mommy issues. We have enough of those .
My first foray into horror in a while. It wasn't scary at all...
Enjoyed the Founders trilogy so much that I wanted to check out some of Bennett’s earlier work.
Very much enjoyed this- my biggest criticism is that it’s a bit long and as a result hits the same narrative beats a few too many times. Still, I found the combination of tropes unique and compelling, enjoyed the horror aspects, the science fiction aspects, and the dark retro Americana vibes. Did it maybe remind me of the best parts of playing through Fallout, complete with creepy found documents in abandoned laboratories? Perhaps.
This is one of those rare books where you can really feel the author’s enthusiasm and it becomes infectious- I have read weaker versions of this novel, but in Bennett’s hands I was happy to go along for the ride.
Heads up: It’s pretty violent and pretty gory! It didn’t bother me, but if you are someone who struggles to read vividly described gore and/or light body horror, I can’t recommend it.
Very much enjoyed this- my biggest criticism is that it’s a bit long and as a result hits the same narrative beats a few too many times. Still, I found the combination of tropes unique and compelling, enjoyed the horror aspects, the science fiction aspects, and the dark retro Americana vibes. Did it maybe remind me of the best parts of playing through Fallout, complete with creepy found documents in abandoned laboratories? Perhaps.
This is one of those rare books where you can really feel the author’s enthusiasm and it becomes infectious- I have read weaker versions of this novel, but in Bennett’s hands I was happy to go along for the ride.
Heads up: It’s pretty violent and pretty gory! It didn’t bother me, but if you are someone who struggles to read vividly described gore and/or light body horror, I can’t recommend it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first half or two-thirds of this book. They'd get a 4- or 5-star rating. But somewhere around that point, it switched genres from horror to fantasy, and the author stopped respecting the reader (things that should have remained unstated for the reader to mull over themselves are stated outright, etc.). Knowing that RJB switched to fully writing fantasy after this book now makes a lot of sense.