tewilliams27's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
maggiebronwen's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Body horror, and Animal death
renee_will's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
sunnys_library's review against another edition
3.75
This was really great! It reads fast and it is quite horrifying to read (in a very good way). Of course we have a lot of gore and body horro wich is done very well. It remined me a lot of The Shinning! In many aspects (I think anyone who has read the shinning can see this comparison). But this was greatly done. The last third of the book got less interesting and less engaging it took me a bit longer to get through but it was a great read overall!
ladybreww_reads's review
3.0
What the heck did I just read. Really. I binged this in about two days and it had some awesome traditional horror/possession elements. But I am still not entirely sure what happened. It played out in my mind like a movie and I kind of went along for the ride expecting everything to be explained at some point. It was a very unique and truly bizarre concept. The horror imagery - gore - strange gross unexplainable things- were all fantastic.
The big twist was awesome. I think I would love to have seen that fleshed out a little more (see what I did there).
I got a 90s vibe from the YouTube handyman who essentially began to control the MC.
Lots of triggers and toxic masculinity.
Thank you to netgalley and the authors for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
The big twist was awesome. I think I would love to have seen that fleshed out a little more (see what I did there).
I got a 90s vibe from the YouTube handyman who essentially began to control the MC.
Lots of triggers and toxic masculinity.
Thank you to netgalley and the authors for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
jolietjane's review
4.0
Nick Cutter has got to be one of the most divisive horror authors out there. You either think he's a genius or absolutely hate everything he does. I lean on loving him. The Handyman Method is heavy on classic Nick Cutter body horror and overall gross-out, but with some domestic thrills thrown into the mix.
I didn't expect the book to lean heavily on toxic masculinity as the villain. The book centers around Trent- a suburban dad- and his wife and son (Rita and Milo) They just moved into a new development and everything seems to be fine. Until Trent finds a crack in the wall. Until he finds Handyman Hank on YouTube. Until Hank starts teaching him to do increasingly twisted things.
As stated, the true villain here is Red Pill culture, as a primary function of Handyman Hank is to let Trent know what REAL men do, and what beta cuck soy boys do not. He reminds Hank that a woman's place is to submit, despite his wife being the breadwinner. Hank's increasingly dark hold over Trent primarily challenges his masculinity and value as a man. Cutter does a phenomenal job with this element of the story without it feeling too put on.
You can see the Shining influence pretty strongly here. A father spiraling due to the influence of an omnipresent force of evil that chips away at him by prodding his insecurity in being a man.
I think the disappointment with the book for me is where they go with this. I feel they set up a really strong concept that gets lost in Cutter's larger ideals for the plot. Because of this, the last third of the book is far less interesting. Regardless, I finished it in a day, so regardless of it's flaws, I can't recommend this one enough!
I didn't expect the book to lean heavily on toxic masculinity as the villain. The book centers around Trent- a suburban dad- and his wife and son (Rita and Milo) They just moved into a new development and everything seems to be fine. Until Trent finds a crack in the wall. Until he finds Handyman Hank on YouTube. Until Hank starts teaching him to do increasingly twisted things.
As stated, the true villain here is Red Pill culture, as a primary function of Handyman Hank is to let Trent know what REAL men do, and what beta cuck soy boys do not. He reminds Hank that a woman's place is to submit, despite his wife being the breadwinner. Hank's increasingly dark hold over Trent primarily challenges his masculinity and value as a man. Cutter does a phenomenal job with this element of the story without it feeling too put on.
You can see the Shining influence pretty strongly here. A father spiraling due to the influence of an omnipresent force of evil that chips away at him by prodding his insecurity in being a man.
I think the disappointment with the book for me is where they go with this. I feel they set up a really strong concept that gets lost in Cutter's larger ideals for the plot. Because of this, the last third of the book is far less interesting. Regardless, I finished it in a day, so regardless of it's flaws, I can't recommend this one enough!
nicolesa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shannonli1026's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
jelenar620's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Repetitive with no clear sense of what is underlying the horror or else it is so superficial that it appears meaningless. Totally unlikable characters with no clear motivations for their decisions