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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
TL;DR: Surprisingly complicated with some more thrilling elements than scary ones.
Source: NetGalley - Thank you to the publisher!!
Source: NetGalley - Thank you to the publisher!!
Plot: A double feature, this has a young girl hitchhiking and running into the wrong man and then a babysitter fighting a house for her freedom.
Characters: These two girls felt very similar, I’m not going to lie. The rest of the cast wasn’t very deep and I do wish we’d gotten a little variety in personality.
Setting: The highway and the house, both settings, were very strong and well drawn.
Horror: The horror in this was more thrilling and gore than scary, though one deeply uncomfortable scene got under my skin in Babysitter.
Characters: These two girls felt very similar, I’m not going to lie. The rest of the cast wasn’t very deep and I do wish we’d gotten a little variety in personality.
Setting: The highway and the house, both settings, were very strong and well drawn.
Horror: The horror in this was more thrilling and gore than scary, though one deeply uncomfortable scene got under my skin in Babysitter.
Thoughts:
I still truly consider myself a baby Horror Fan. I read a handful every year, and the number is growing. Stephen Graham Jones is one author I’ve found I do enjoy a lot as his characters have a lot of heart and he puts a lot of care in these spooky stories. Killer On The Road and The Babysitter Lives are two examples of what I’d call a popcorn movie version of his work.
Killer on the Road is the classic hitchhiker trope, but make it go sideways quick. The opening chapter sets you up with your big bad and then you meet Harper who quickly pulls her friends into a bloody, and gore-filled death drive. This held no punches, and I doubt I’ll be able to look at Big rigs and tow trucks the same ever again (this is awkward as a close relative drives a big rig, ha). Babysitter is less on the core and more on the dimensional trapped feeling. If you don’t like claustrophobic horror or the feeling of being trapped this one is going to really get to you. The two read like two excellent slasher movies, and the idea to package these together is genius. It feels like a back to back movie feature at a drive in.
My only complaint on this is that Harper and Charlotte, our two title girls, feel very similar. They have their own voices, yes, but there were times when I’d slip and forget I wasn’t with Harper on the road, that I was trapped with Charlotte in the house. That would jerk me out of the plot quick. That aside I think this is a great pickup for horror newbies and possibly even seasoned fans. It’s different (for a book format) and extremely fun while also feeling nostalgic. Maybe a great read for spooky season!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault, Vomit, Death of parent
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Jones’s horror stories are always challenging in that he subverts the reader’s usual expectations, sometimes mercilessly. If you become attached to a character, don’t count on him or her coming out unscathed, because chances are they’ll be dispatched in some terrible way. The plots and themes are out-of-the-ordinary, and because of Jones’s courage, they go in unexpected directions. If I have any complaint, it’s that the more technical aspects of these two novellas—big rigs’ machinery, houses with secret passages—are difficult to understand to the point that it can distract from the action of the novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
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
I liked the highway one more than the babysitter one. The babysitter one was confusing and I had trouble following what was going on. Also I didn't like the creepy dad.
Every time I am on the highway I start noticing all the 18-wheelers now. #PeterbiltRecognizer
Every time I am on the highway I start noticing all the 18-wheelers now. #PeterbiltRecognizer
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
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:
Yes
Fantastic double feature, I would say Killer on the road is the feature but The Babysitter Lives is equally crazy. Love how Stephen Graham Jones takes urban legends and make them your own
Bonus points for making me gag. But it felt like King’s Long Walk or whatever - kinda boring, too high school, not fun to read but entertaining enough to finish.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
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
Another gem from SGJ.
Both stories are unforgettable, but “The Babysitter Lives” is far and away one of the best horror stories I’ve read in a while. I read it first & fast and had trouble focusing on “The Killer on the Road” because I kept finding myself stuck in the maze of the funny places of that house…
Both stories are unforgettable, but “The Babysitter Lives” is far and away one of the best horror stories I’ve read in a while. I read it first & fast and had trouble focusing on “The Killer on the Road” because I kept finding myself stuck in the maze of the funny places of that house…