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sausome's review against another edition
5.0
This book was a beautifully dark and horrific tale. It felt like returning to Bennett's earlier "Troupe" novel, which I loved. Dark, gritty, violent, but some earnest and true grappling with core elements of good and evil. There is a supernatural element of a place legitimately haunted by evil, and it was a slow and terrifying creep of a read.
What makes a man; how does he grow to fill his own life when his father and his father's father took it away through violence and anger? Is he doomed to repeat atrocities of his forebears, or can he hope to find a small bit of light through the cracks in his tumbled down life? These are the true issues of this story, though it is told through truly creepy, terrifying means. Descriptions of sexual violence are found in the book, but how Bennett ultimately treats this topic is with the weight it deserves.
This book was haunting, scary, and dark, and that Robert Jackson Bennett wrote so beautifully of such horrors is a testament to his true talent as an author. His descriptions evoke a desolate, gritty, dirt-filled place, full of men desperate to make it in this life. It feels like a place on the outer edges of society, wreaking of desperation, where little is monitored, and bars are filled with rough, grime-covered day laborers who always end up in a brawl.
If you have enjoyed his canon, from "Mr. Shivers" and "The Troupe" to "American Elsewhere" and his growing fantasy works, such as the "Divine Cities" and "Foundryside" series, you are sure to appreciate this dark, powerful work.
What makes a man; how does he grow to fill his own life when his father and his father's father took it away through violence and anger? Is he doomed to repeat atrocities of his forebears, or can he hope to find a small bit of light through the cracks in his tumbled down life? These are the true issues of this story, though it is told through truly creepy, terrifying means. Descriptions of sexual violence are found in the book, but how Bennett ultimately treats this topic is with the weight it deserves.
This book was haunting, scary, and dark, and that Robert Jackson Bennett wrote so beautifully of such horrors is a testament to his true talent as an author. His descriptions evoke a desolate, gritty, dirt-filled place, full of men desperate to make it in this life. It feels like a place on the outer edges of society, wreaking of desperation, where little is monitored, and bars are filled with rough, grime-covered day laborers who always end up in a brawl.
If you have enjoyed his canon, from "Mr. Shivers" and "The Troupe" to "American Elsewhere" and his growing fantasy works, such as the "Divine Cities" and "Foundryside" series, you are sure to appreciate this dark, powerful work.
kevinscorner's review against another edition
5.0
I am not a reader of horror so I went into In the Shadows of Men a newbie, and this was certainly a horrific read. It follows two damaged brothers who attempt to fix up an old rundown motel, but what they find in its rooms tell of a more terrifying history and that the motel may not be as abandoned as it seems. From the opening pages of this supernatural horror novella, Robert Jackson Bennett somehow wrote atmosphere that was immediately oppressive and tense. The book was heart-pounding and suspenseful and carries a surprising level of depth for such a short novella. In the Shadows of Men certainly packs a punch, and the horror is delivered exquisitely and with care so the message is not lost.
pbanditp's review against another edition
4.0
The story is told by the unnamed younger brother of Bear Pugh. Bear buys an old run down motel in west Texas off a cousin who had inherited it. Bear invites the younger brother to help gut the place and and refinish it. They end up uncovering a history that should have remained in the past, but old ghosts and visions won’t stay quiet.
“It was not supposed to be like this. Nothing was supposed to be like this. Everything was not supposed to be so goddamned hard.”
This is an ominously compelling book with very good writing. You can feel the depressed vibe of the men as they use hard work to hide the horrors of their past only to end up pulling the horrors of the past from the motel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.
“It was not supposed to be like this. Nothing was supposed to be like this. Everything was not supposed to be so goddamned hard.”
This is an ominously compelling book with very good writing. You can feel the depressed vibe of the men as they use hard work to hide the horrors of their past only to end up pulling the horrors of the past from the motel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.
spestock's review against another edition
5.0
Haunting (literally and figuratively), and beautifully written, this novella masterfully explores the inheritance of trauma, the cyclical nature of violence, and the crisis many men face in finding their place in the world today. A lot of depth to this piece, but it functions perfectly well as a surface-level spooky horror story, as well.
vsbedford's review against another edition
5.0
Robert Jackson Bennett plants his whole foot in this novella - this is a small package that carries a lot, lot, lot of weight. There's a very cinematic quality to it? There's not much writing that spools out like this; it's very tangible, and economic, and clear in its vision and Bennett's ability to pick the very right word makes me JEALOUS. He is working in a very particular area of American Southern (or rather Texan) Gothic ghost story (with a tinge of horror) and I don't think there's much to be improved upon in his take and its exploration of manhood/manifest destiny. Fans of his Divine Cities series or of Foundryside may sort of bounce off this (it's without a scrap of light or humor) but it's very much in the vein of his earlier work like Mr. Shivers or American Elsewhere. A strong recommend but with a trigger warning for abuse, sexual violence, VAW, and drug addiction; it's not overly graphic but it's there.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
iwb's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
3.25
So, I liked the story. The themes are serious, disturbing, and important.
But one thing just really bothered me:
Told from the perspective of the main character.
So, the main character is an upper lower class/lower middle class blue collar worker; think someone who drives an F-150, has tools, with experience doing labor, installation, maybe even rigging, etc.
Someone like this from the South typically talks in a way that reflects that sort of life and experience. When the main character is engaging in dialogue, he basically comes off that way (though it could have been far more convincing than it was); but when the main character is narrating to himself and the reader, the language is way off the mark--it's stylistically inconsistent. Additionally, I kept stumbling over the narration because it annoyingly lacks contractions. No one talks this way, in their own head or to others. Even in the most academic of situations, in which one generally does not contract in formal writing, there is less of this than in the narration by the main character. The lack of contractions in the book made the reading so choppy.
I'm still going to check out other works by this author; but if we are similarly contraction deficient, I'll just call it a day.
But one thing just really bothered me:
Told from the perspective of the main character.
So, the main character is an upper lower class/lower middle class blue collar worker; think someone who drives an F-150, has tools, with experience doing labor, installation, maybe even rigging, etc.
Someone like this from the South typically talks in a way that reflects that sort of life and experience. When the main character is engaging in dialogue, he basically comes off that way (though it could have been far more convincing than it was); but when the main character is narrating to himself and the reader, the language is way off the mark--it's stylistically inconsistent. Additionally, I kept stumbling over the narration because it annoyingly lacks contractions. No one talks this way, in their own head or to others. Even in the most academic of situations, in which one generally does not contract in formal writing, there is less of this than in the narration by the main character. The lack of contractions in the book made the reading so choppy.
I'm still going to check out other works by this author; but if we are similarly contraction deficient, I'll just call it a day.
bookinvasion's review
5.0
This was an amazing and horrible horror book. Horrible in the best way that a horror book can be. It's actions are so egregious that you HAVE to find out what happens and the way that Bennett spins this tale and buid the suspense is masterful. 2 brothers purchase an old motel that their father used to run but after some renovations and some discoveries, visions, and sounds, and even secret doors start to unveil themselves.
This was a great story that keeps you guessing around every corner and doesn't let up on the pain inflicting onto the main character.
I felt that this does have many of the same steps as a horror haunting story yet the remote atmosphere and the small outskirts of lawless Texas put this in a setting familiar yet terrifying. Bennett's characters are real and their story seems real and authentic.
This was a great story that keeps you guessing around every corner and doesn't let up on the pain inflicting onto the main character.
I felt that this does have many of the same steps as a horror haunting story yet the remote atmosphere and the small outskirts of lawless Texas put this in a setting familiar yet terrifying. Bennett's characters are real and their story seems real and authentic.
cullen_mi's review against another edition
5.0
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.
4.5 stars - A very enjoyable novella. I had no idea what it would be about but I am always interested in reading new things from Bennett.
The atmosphere and characters were both very well constructed and sucked me in; it's easy to consume this in one sitting.
Another reviewer mentioned how this tackles issue of nurture vs nature and dealing with the sins of your predecessors. These elevated it from an enjoyable but 4 star genre-fiction story to my 4.5 star rating.
4.5 stars - A very enjoyable novella. I had no idea what it would be about but I am always interested in reading new things from Bennett.
The atmosphere and characters were both very well constructed and sucked me in; it's easy to consume this in one sitting.
Another reviewer mentioned how this tackles issue of nurture vs nature and dealing with the sins of your predecessors. These elevated it from an enjoyable but 4 star genre-fiction story to my 4.5 star rating.