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booksandbrews's review against another edition
1.0
This is just not good. It feels like the male author wanted to write a book where he could just put lesbians in horrific situations. Jack’s parts were pretty much the same thing repeated over and over. It just did not hold my interest and I couldn’t wait to be done with it.
doomkittiekhan's review
4.0
'The Fear' took me nearly 6 months to read. Not because it is bad. Not because I didn't want to finish it sooner. Not because I didn't have time. It took me nearly 6 months to read because Spencer Hamilton wrote a pandemic horror story wrapped up nicely in social commentary during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that amplified all of my anxiety and stress...in the best way possible. I could only finish this book once there was an administrative change in the United States. I could only finish this book once vaccine rollout began en masse. I could only finish this book when I began to feel my own fear beginning to lift. Even though I had to take it slow for my own good, don't let that hinder you from picking this one up.
Instead, let it draw you in.
Jacqueline and Ashley are a married couple that have recently moved to Austin, and are settling into their new life together, when they witness a hate crime that will send ripple effects throughout the rest of the story. While both women are deeply disturbed by what has happened to them, Jacqueline (Jack) is suffering from extreme PTSD. A few months later, when COVID-19 begins to sweep across the globe, and the inadequacies and unpreparedness of the Trump administration add to the confusion and terror, Jack and Ashley find themselves trapped at home and struggling to survive. As the pressures mount, and the situation becomes dire, the women must ask which terror is worse - the unknown outside or the festering within.
I applaud Hamilton for writing about this collective moment in such a way that will last beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. That he taps into the claustrophobia of relationships and the anxiety of the mundane right alongside the very real terrors of xenophobia and racism. This is a well-crafted, indie horror story, and I can't wait to see what other dark roads Hamilton takes us down.
Sincere thanks to the author for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Instead, let it draw you in.
Jacqueline and Ashley are a married couple that have recently moved to Austin, and are settling into their new life together, when they witness a hate crime that will send ripple effects throughout the rest of the story. While both women are deeply disturbed by what has happened to them, Jacqueline (Jack) is suffering from extreme PTSD. A few months later, when COVID-19 begins to sweep across the globe, and the inadequacies and unpreparedness of the Trump administration add to the confusion and terror, Jack and Ashley find themselves trapped at home and struggling to survive. As the pressures mount, and the situation becomes dire, the women must ask which terror is worse - the unknown outside or the festering within.
I applaud Hamilton for writing about this collective moment in such a way that will last beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. That he taps into the claustrophobia of relationships and the anxiety of the mundane right alongside the very real terrors of xenophobia and racism. This is a well-crafted, indie horror story, and I can't wait to see what other dark roads Hamilton takes us down.
Sincere thanks to the author for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
booksncatsncatsnbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Excuse me? Yes, all other books about slow descent into madness may go home now. This is the winner. 10 stars. Would highly recommend.
Anyone who was alive in 2020 can relate to this book. The fear we all felt when we learned we were on lock down, sheltering in place, toilet paper was scarce, Covid was potentially airborne...it was all terrifying. What happens when the space we consider safe, our home with our own family, becomes a source of fear as well?
Hamilton absolutely blew my mind with his ability to capture the pure ignorance of people. My personal favorite quote in this whole story was “I’d like to report a Covid-19 in progress.” This is a scene that will live rent-free in my head for life. This book made me laugh, tense up, invested in Jack and Ash’s well-being, and staying up way too late to finish it.
Last but not least, #fuckdoug.
Anyone who was alive in 2020 can relate to this book. The fear we all felt when we learned we were on lock down, sheltering in place, toilet paper was scarce, Covid was potentially airborne...it was all terrifying. What happens when the space we consider safe, our home with our own family, becomes a source of fear as well?
Hamilton absolutely blew my mind with his ability to capture the pure ignorance of people. My personal favorite quote in this whole story was “I’d like to report a Covid-19 in progress.” This is a scene that will live rent-free in my head for life. This book made me laugh, tense up, invested in Jack and Ash’s well-being, and staying up way too late to finish it.
Last but not least, #fuckdoug.
thebookdad's review
5.0
As a virus sweeps across the world in the beginning stages of a global pandemic, society starts deteriorating rapidly. Ash and Jack are a married couple that find themselves caught up in the disgusting a heinous behaviour of the people around them as darkness descends upon humanity. Now, in a struggle for survival, Ash and Jack desperately need to come together but instead madness takes hold. Now, as they remain locked up in their apartment awaiting their impending doom, the all encompassing fear takes control.
The Fear is a book I'm going to be recommending for a long while. I will admit that I was worried, a book about a pandemic during a pandemic wasn't all that appealing. BUT I was wrong. I need to applaude Spencer Hamilton. The cover is kind of deceiving because it says that this is a pandemic horror story but in truth, it's more so about representation and identity. He crafted a bleak and emotionally driven dystopian novel about a biracial LGBTQ married couple dealing with mental illness while navigating through a global crisis. I found it impossible to put down.
This claustrophobic read left me with a feeling of anxious terror as if the room grew smaller and the walls began closing in on me. Spencer Hamilton executed a stunning tale domestic descent and the hysteria of surviving the collapse society. You can't ignore it, that dreaded chittering, skittering feeling that lives in the deepest recesses of your mind. The Fear is always there waiting to consume its next victim.
The Fear by Spencer Hamilton
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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The Fear is a book I'm going to be recommending for a long while. I will admit that I was worried, a book about a pandemic during a pandemic wasn't all that appealing. BUT I was wrong. I need to applaude Spencer Hamilton. The cover is kind of deceiving because it says that this is a pandemic horror story but in truth, it's more so about representation and identity. He crafted a bleak and emotionally driven dystopian novel about a biracial LGBTQ married couple dealing with mental illness while navigating through a global crisis. I found it impossible to put down.
This claustrophobic read left me with a feeling of anxious terror as if the room grew smaller and the walls began closing in on me. Spencer Hamilton executed a stunning tale domestic descent and the hysteria of surviving the collapse society. You can't ignore it, that dreaded chittering, skittering feeling that lives in the deepest recesses of your mind. The Fear is always there waiting to consume its next victim.
The Fear by Spencer Hamilton
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
HORROR FICTION NEWSLETTER
https://www.horrornewsletter.com/signup
IG: INSTAGRAM.COM/THE_BOOKDAD
TW: TWITTER.COM/THEBOOKDAD
FB: FACEBOOK.COM/THEBOOKDAD
GR: GOODREADS.COM/ANDREWFOWLOW
BB: BOOKBUB.COM/profile/2774630872
motherhorror's review
3.0
I started this book around the time that I got it, early August 2020 but then I set it down for a spell. Why? It was triggering my already heightened anxiety at the time. This is a story about a pandemic. And quarantine. And psychological horror. So as a citizen of the US living in the 'right now' world of Covid-19 and the Trump administration...this book presents some challenges for emotional readers who bring all of that into the book with them.
That being said, due to the fact that this book is also a Night Worms buddy read with some of my team members, I binge-read the last two-thirds before the presidential debates last night to make my deadline.
I'm giving you, the readers, all this personal context because it's relevant. Instead of re-imagining the plot summary on the back of the book, I'll just highlight the important details:
Ashley & Jaqueline are a married couple who find themselves quarantined in their apartment as a virus spreads wildly out of control. The women are already vulnerable and mentally unstable due to the fact they fled the area where they were the targets of a hate crime and are hoping to rebuild their lives in a new city. Their hopes are dashed. Jack, having suffered the most psychological trauma is not handling pandemic-life well and the world is in total chaos.
I'll admit, I have Coronavirus burn-out. I'm tired of thinking about it, talking about it and the current administration's downplaying of it gives me anxiety and an unhealthy fear that it will never go away. Couple these feelings with all the side-effects like being too housebound and the family being around each other too much--I'm living through my own isolation/cabin-fever story so this particular book was too on the nose for me but it's going to AMAZING 10 years from now as an accurate representation of how events played out. I loved when Hamilton took this tale into new territory and into more fictional storytelling--veering away from the narrative being almost non-fiction and emotionally exhausting. The body horror elements saved the day.
I enjoyed the representation of a gay couple, I think Hamilton handled that well and I applaud authors who bravely go outside their comfort zone to give us minority representation and normalization (here's where I suggest that *if you're an author thinking about doing that, have a sensitivity reader-Hamilton identifies in the back of the book that he had one. I think that's really important enough for me to mention)
Lastly, I wrote in my notes "Kate Austin problems"
Evangeline Lilly is the actress who played Kate Austin in LOST and she has this horrible habit of overly using her co-star's stage name. It's like every other line. That's not a screenplay thing because none of the other actors did it, it's a HER problem. And the characters in this book do it too. They say each other's names more than actual people would ever do and it made me hyper-sensitive to it and also drew my attention to other repetitions. Something an editor could (should?) spot and eliminate.
Final thoughts: This is a modern pandemic/apocalyptic horror with social commentary and a sweet-spot for the supernatural and body horror. I enjoyed the psychological notes and character development but feel very strongly that this book could have used more editing (There is mention of a team of editors in the back of the book but maybe this just slipped through the cracks?). A great introduction to this author's work.
That being said, due to the fact that this book is also a Night Worms buddy read with some of my team members, I binge-read the last two-thirds before the presidential debates last night to make my deadline.
I'm giving you, the readers, all this personal context because it's relevant. Instead of re-imagining the plot summary on the back of the book, I'll just highlight the important details:
Ashley & Jaqueline are a married couple who find themselves quarantined in their apartment as a virus spreads wildly out of control. The women are already vulnerable and mentally unstable due to the fact they fled the area where they were the targets of a hate crime and are hoping to rebuild their lives in a new city. Their hopes are dashed. Jack, having suffered the most psychological trauma is not handling pandemic-life well and the world is in total chaos.
I'll admit, I have Coronavirus burn-out. I'm tired of thinking about it, talking about it and the current administration's downplaying of it gives me anxiety and an unhealthy fear that it will never go away. Couple these feelings with all the side-effects like being too housebound and the family being around each other too much--I'm living through my own isolation/cabin-fever story so this particular book was too on the nose for me but it's going to AMAZING 10 years from now as an accurate representation of how events played out. I loved when Hamilton took this tale into new territory and into more fictional storytelling--veering away from the narrative being almost non-fiction and emotionally exhausting. The body horror elements saved the day.
I enjoyed the representation of a gay couple, I think Hamilton handled that well and I applaud authors who bravely go outside their comfort zone to give us minority representation and normalization (here's where I suggest that *if you're an author thinking about doing that, have a sensitivity reader-Hamilton identifies in the back of the book that he had one. I think that's really important enough for me to mention)
Lastly, I wrote in my notes "Kate Austin problems"
Evangeline Lilly is the actress who played Kate Austin in LOST and she has this horrible habit of overly using her co-star's stage name. It's like every other line. That's not a screenplay thing because none of the other actors did it, it's a HER problem. And the characters in this book do it too. They say each other's names more than actual people would ever do and it made me hyper-sensitive to it and also drew my attention to other repetitions. Something an editor could (should?) spot and eliminate.
Final thoughts: This is a modern pandemic/apocalyptic horror with social commentary and a sweet-spot for the supernatural and body horror. I enjoyed the psychological notes and character development but feel very strongly that this book could have used more editing (There is mention of a team of editors in the back of the book but maybe this just slipped through the cracks?). A great introduction to this author's work.
readswithdogs's review
2.0
I was excited to read a horror story set in our current time and climate because let's be real: 2020 is its own special horror story.
The Fear started out promising enough with Ash and Jack, a lesbian couple in a new city when Covid begins rapidly spreading and the pandemic panic begins and they find themselves stuck in their new apartment.
I liked how each chapter started with an actual tweet from our current president. I also liked the realistic portrayal of trying to grocery shop at the beginning of the panic.
I didn't like the way Ash and Jack were written. One character has some mental health problems and it results in her not leaving her room and hallucinating a man to have sex with...
The Fear started out promising enough with Ash and Jack, a lesbian couple in a new city when Covid begins rapidly spreading and the pandemic panic begins and they find themselves stuck in their new apartment.
I liked how each chapter started with an actual tweet from our current president. I also liked the realistic portrayal of trying to grocery shop at the beginning of the panic.
I didn't like the way Ash and Jack were written. One character has some mental health problems and it results in her not leaving her room and hallucinating a man to have sex with...
teamredmon's review
3.0
This book was not at all what I expected. The story of a married couple during the covid-19 lockdown. We follow Jacqueline and Ashley as they learn of the virus sweeping the country and into their lockdown and isolation. Just prior to the stay at home orders, the couple is accosted by a homophobic man that we know only as "The Cardigan Man". As Jack and Ash are stuck at home, Jack begins a slow descent into madness and Ash can only watch the woman she loves completely lose it.
For me, this hit too close to home to be truly enjoyable. I read to have that escape from the real world and when the world is in the state that it is, reading about things that are actually happening just doesn't do it for me. Now, about halfway, there's a turn to body horror that makes book not read like non-fiction but it didn't fully turn it around for me. While at the same time as being too close to the real world, it also some how feels quaint reading about people during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Knowing that the book is supposed to take place in March/April/May time of year and reading it during December when the situation is just as bad if not worse. I couldn't help but feel a disconnect. Also, the phrase "The Cardigan Man" makes up roughly 17% of the entire book and I could have done without reading that phrase as many times as I did.
I do think that the author has a bright future in the horror fiction industry because, despite my problems, the novel is well written and genuinely deals well with difficult issues (homophobia, mental illness, etc). The first half of the book does quiet horror quiet well when Jack is having her descent into madness it does feel like the reader, Ash, and Jack are helpless to stop it. And the body horror made my insides knot up the way good body horror is supposed to. Overall, I was impressed with the author's debut novel, despite choosing to read it at the absolutely wrong time, and will absolutely read more of his work.
For me, this hit too close to home to be truly enjoyable. I read to have that escape from the real world and when the world is in the state that it is, reading about things that are actually happening just doesn't do it for me. Now, about halfway, there's a turn to body horror that makes book not read like non-fiction but it didn't fully turn it around for me. While at the same time as being too close to the real world, it also some how feels quaint reading about people during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Knowing that the book is supposed to take place in March/April/May time of year and reading it during December when the situation is just as bad if not worse. I couldn't help but feel a disconnect. Also, the phrase "The Cardigan Man" makes up roughly 17% of the entire book and I could have done without reading that phrase as many times as I did.
I do think that the author has a bright future in the horror fiction industry because, despite my problems, the novel is well written and genuinely deals well with difficult issues (homophobia, mental illness, etc). The first half of the book does quiet horror quiet well when Jack is having her descent into madness it does feel like the reader, Ash, and Jack are helpless to stop it. And the body horror made my insides knot up the way good body horror is supposed to. Overall, I was impressed with the author's debut novel, despite choosing to read it at the absolutely wrong time, and will absolutely read more of his work.
gray_reader_89's review
4.0
Reading this book while dealing with the real-world repercussions of an administration who did not take the pandemic seriously was very surreal. The beginning hit very close to home and then the story evolved into what could possibly happen if things didn’t improve.
I liked the characters and the devolution into madness with no help available. There were some time related issues that bothered me and I’m not so sure about the ending - but overall this was very readable and a story that will stick with me for quite a while.
I liked the characters and the devolution into madness with no help available. There were some time related issues that bothered me and I’m not so sure about the ending - but overall this was very readable and a story that will stick with me for quite a while.
pap3rcut__'s review
5.0
"Stephen King's The Stand could literally be the death of her."
When we started 2020 words such as pandemic and social distancing wasn't mentioned on a day to day basis but now it's a way of life. In times of a pandemic I thought it would be a great idea to escape in books and read about a pandemic...
The Fear is a pandemic based horror loosely inspired on the Covid-19 situation but much more dramatic and horrific as we follow Jacqueline (Jack) and Ashley (Ash) alone in a small apartment with The Fear. The women slowly become restless and paranoid and lash out at each other as Jack slowly loses her mind, resulting in her shutting herself away as she convinces herself the virus is inside her becoming more erratic.
This was a brilliant book and I thoroughly enjoyed it and I know for sure a lot of you guys would enjoy it too. The descreptive language was superb I especially enjoyed the description of Jack's swelling feet. I was left shocked and repulsed. I must mention the Cardigan man what a brilliant character which I felt amplified the sporadity of Jack as a character and brought a different dimension of horror to the novel. I felt like the Cardigan man was Jack's devil on her shoulder. As the book develops Jack becomes more delerious leaving Ash in a difficult situation does she protect herself or the woman she loves.
This book excelled in psychological horror as its heavily influenced on paranoia and claustrophobia which at times left me feeling uneasy. That being said this book is heavily character driven thankfully the two main characters gave us a greater insight into how the human mind copes with isolation and change. I often find horror books are difficult to end and feel that they finish abruptly but with The Fear the last couple chapters were probably the best and it ended naturally.
When we started 2020 words such as pandemic and social distancing wasn't mentioned on a day to day basis but now it's a way of life. In times of a pandemic I thought it would be a great idea to escape in books and read about a pandemic...
The Fear is a pandemic based horror loosely inspired on the Covid-19 situation but much more dramatic and horrific as we follow Jacqueline (Jack) and Ashley (Ash) alone in a small apartment with The Fear. The women slowly become restless and paranoid and lash out at each other as Jack slowly loses her mind, resulting in her shutting herself away as she convinces herself the virus is inside her becoming more erratic.
This was a brilliant book and I thoroughly enjoyed it and I know for sure a lot of you guys would enjoy it too. The descreptive language was superb I especially enjoyed the description of Jack's swelling feet. I was left shocked and repulsed. I must mention the Cardigan man what a brilliant character which I felt amplified the sporadity of Jack as a character and brought a different dimension of horror to the novel. I felt like the Cardigan man was Jack's devil on her shoulder. As the book develops Jack becomes more delerious leaving Ash in a difficult situation does she protect herself or the woman she loves.
This book excelled in psychological horror as its heavily influenced on paranoia and claustrophobia which at times left me feeling uneasy. That being said this book is heavily character driven thankfully the two main characters gave us a greater insight into how the human mind copes with isolation and change. I often find horror books are difficult to end and feel that they finish abruptly but with The Fear the last couple chapters were probably the best and it ended naturally.