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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
This is NOT just another book about cults. You haven’t read anything like this. This was my first experience with Ahlborn, but I’ve got the rest of her books on order and I can’t wait to get my mitts on them!
I can’t say enough good things about this book. It is everything you want in a good book: well-written with concise descriptions and great characterization, compelling, creepy, and that ending... Ho-leee crap. It is confidently billed as horror, but WITHIN THESE WALLS is easily some of the best fiction that I’ve read this year as well.
Not only is this book steeped in horror tradition with references throughout to movies, pop culture, and books alike, but it is also staunchly modern, incorporating current technology as a part of the characters’ day to day experience. Making it realistic in these ways only highlights the supernatural elements, very slick writing. It’s a pretty thick book, clocking in at over 400 pages, but because of the pace and narrative structure, it certainly doesn’t feel long. The story is told in first person by various narrators that include both the present day with a washed-up true crime writer and his young daughter, and the past, following a cult victim’s downward spiral.
If you’re looking for a plot synopsis (generally I avoid these—any old monkey can tell you what a book is about, but personally I think that’s what reading is for…) just think of the movie SINISTER mixed with Adam Nevill’s amazing book, [b:Last Days|15793201|Last Days|Adam Nevill|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344319467s/15793201.jpg|19267664]. Of course, this book is so much more than that, but I won’t say more. And if you haven’t read Nevill, you should go check him out too! I think he and Ahlborn are very similar in how they are writing true supernatural horror—none of that “thriller” marketing crap—for a modern age in a way that few other authors have attempted, let alone succeeded with.
I was definitely a little wary of this book because cults are becoming as passé as zombies—it just seems that no one has anything new or interesting to say about them. Check out Ti West’s recent dismal attempt THE SACRAMENT if you don’t believe me. Boy, was I wrong, though. While Ahlborn’s plot centers around a cult and the deaths of its followers, the book itself is definitely more about the people than the cult itself. Even more impressive, the enigmatic cult leader (a cliché if ever there was one) has very limited appearances in the book—we almost exclusively hear about him second hand from other characters’ perspectives. Ahlborn doesn’t over-explain, she lets the readers come to their own conclusions, and then she shatters them.
Beautiful, beastly, and brilliant, this book is a reason to keep pursuing horror.
I can’t say enough good things about this book. It is everything you want in a good book: well-written with concise descriptions and great characterization, compelling, creepy, and that ending... Ho-leee crap. It is confidently billed as horror, but WITHIN THESE WALLS is easily some of the best fiction that I’ve read this year as well.
Not only is this book steeped in horror tradition with references throughout to movies, pop culture, and books alike, but it is also staunchly modern, incorporating current technology as a part of the characters’ day to day experience. Making it realistic in these ways only highlights the supernatural elements, very slick writing. It’s a pretty thick book, clocking in at over 400 pages, but because of the pace and narrative structure, it certainly doesn’t feel long. The story is told in first person by various narrators that include both the present day with a washed-up true crime writer and his young daughter, and the past, following a cult victim’s downward spiral.
If you’re looking for a plot synopsis (generally I avoid these—any old monkey can tell you what a book is about, but personally I think that’s what reading is for…) just think of the movie SINISTER mixed with Adam Nevill’s amazing book, [b:Last Days|15793201|Last Days|Adam Nevill|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344319467s/15793201.jpg|19267664]. Of course, this book is so much more than that, but I won’t say more. And if you haven’t read Nevill, you should go check him out too! I think he and Ahlborn are very similar in how they are writing true supernatural horror—none of that “thriller” marketing crap—for a modern age in a way that few other authors have attempted, let alone succeeded with.
I was definitely a little wary of this book because cults are becoming as passé as zombies—it just seems that no one has anything new or interesting to say about them. Check out Ti West’s recent dismal attempt THE SACRAMENT if you don’t believe me. Boy, was I wrong, though. While Ahlborn’s plot centers around a cult and the deaths of its followers, the book itself is definitely more about the people than the cult itself. Even more impressive, the enigmatic cult leader (a cliché if ever there was one) has very limited appearances in the book—we almost exclusively hear about him second hand from other characters’ perspectives. Ahlborn doesn’t over-explain, she lets the readers come to their own conclusions, and then she shatters them.
Beautiful, beastly, and brilliant, this book is a reason to keep pursuing horror.
This one never clicked with me. The characters were frustrating and unlikeable (was the misogyny toward the ex-wife really necessary?) and I never felt engaged with the plot. I finished it because it was the only audiobook I had with me while walking the dog -- otherwise I'd have likely quit. Great premise, disappointing book.
challenging
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
slow-paced
These effing cults man. They are the worst! This was so well done and scary/creepy but the manipulation of vulnerable girls via the cult broke my heart.
This book has gore/horror, a cult, true crime type investigation and ghosts.
It was extremely creepy but I did feel like it took a little too long to get to where we were going and my concern for the dog from the past was distracting.
This book has gore/horror, a cult, true crime type investigation and ghosts.
It was extremely creepy but I did feel like it took a little too long to get to where we were going and my concern for the dog from the past was distracting.
dark
slow-paced
Creepy. Layered. Good pacing. One part Manson family, one part The Shining (Jack and his relationship with the book from the basement and hotel transformation).
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes