Reviews with content warning for Excrement - Horrorstör

The second Hendrix novel I've read so far. I just love the mix of horror and comedy so much, even though this book's horror aspect didn't catch me quite as much as his other work(s) did. Still, it was a really cool experience - especially given this amazing design! The story was fast-paced, the characters felt really authentic and the ending left me wanting to read more; I would definitely recommend it :)

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whatthegayle's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“Everything always comes down to those two choices: stay down or stand up.”

I listened to this book on audible and honestly I think I enjoyed it more listening to it than if I read it.

I loved the journey the main character went through and how it changed her. The horror elements were very well done and I loved the idea behind this book.

There’s always something creepy about seeing places that are usually so full be empty and dark.

I love how in the end, Amy is offered the one thing she wanted and turned it down. It shows how she changed. Also love how Basil and her both came back at the end to try and free their lost coworkers

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mj452's review

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adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious reflective 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

4.0

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astrangewind's review

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dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

As an avid IKEA fan, I found the premise of Horrorstor to be captivating. Orsk is a perfect reflection of the home-goods-paradise-slash-capitalistic-hellscape that does resemble a panopticon, in some ways.

There's a lot of subtle horror in this kind of labyrinthine store that Hendrix explores. For example,

Matt and Amy getting turned around in the showrooms, the fake doors opening impossibly into long concrete hallways, and the general eerieness of being in an empty store at night

. However, I wish the book remained this subtle. I wish I came out of it with a quiet, haunted feeling that follows me when I go to an IKEA-like store. Instead...

I got ghosts

. To his credit, Hendrix tried to humanize the more boring parts

such as the bit with the ectoplasm pouring out of Trinity's mouth

, but the whole trope of "structure is on top of a place where a bunch of people died" is a little bit lame.

I did like the ending, though. Good character development, good creep factor.

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saskia6's review

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3.25

what i liked: fun horror read, deffo scary at times, characters that (although not super developed) you can root for
what i disliked: it tried to provide some sort of satire commentary on capitalism, but it couldn’t really pull it off

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vaguely_pink's review

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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

3.75

Damn, maybe the horror really was capitalism all along.

I found it a bit hard to get into in the beginning. Hendrix's character exposition for our main narrator Amy is giving "I read a book about poor people once," or maybe I'm just jaded. However, once you get into the spooky stuff, I found it incredibly difficult to put down. I love the way Horrorstör flips the haunted house and

indigenous burial ground

tropes on their heads into an anti-capitalist "good for her" story. Truly grotesque. We love to see it.

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