Reviews

Tome by Ross Jeffery

lisa_592's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The cover doesn't lie, be prepared to be freaked out while reading this book! If you are a gory horror fan, you will love this book.

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reads_vicariously's review

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5.0

I’ll say this right off the bat: Tome is dark and brutal horror done right. I’ve had several conversations recently about the use of highly disturbing or taboo subjects in horror, and how poorly things can go when they’re not handled properly. Anything that values shock over substance is a hard pass from me. However, it is possible to weave traumatizing scenes involving rape, gore, rancid racism, and so on into a story, but those scenes certainly must exist for a reason beyond just triggering a reaction.

I want to be honest with you when I say that, for me, Tome was an emotionally heavy and distressing read. Not just because of the rape scenes and not just because of the abhorrent racism, but also because of how depressing it all is. It’s a dark and grimy story about dreadful people who do unspeakably awful things. There were several times I had to set the book aside for a bit to decompress after a specific chapter or event. And yet, I always returned eager to dive back in. The story, in spite of its ugliness, is also utterly compelling.

The book is set almost entirely in Juniper Correctional, a decaying prison full of despicable inmates and corrupt guards led by the truly atrocious Warden Fleming. A recent string of suicides inside the facility prompts a visit from two black U.S. Marshalls, who believe (correctly) that there is something more going on behind the scenes of JC. This is a place of dark secrets and there are those, both human and demonic, who will do anything to keep certain information covert. Like I said, this is a book full of terrible people. We expect the guards and ruinous spirits to be evil, but even the Marshall Dolores Fink has her own less-than-benevolent motivations. The only slim beacon of purity is Frank, a prison guard who lives his life right but will eventually have his light put to the test by the darkness.

Don’t get me wrong though, I loved this book! If this is sounding like a negative review it’s definitely not. The characters, though immensely flawed, are all fascinating and multifaceted. In fact, I think the reason they were so upsetting is because of how realistically they were written. The story line is full of twists and scenes I will never forget. Even though a certain twist I could see coming from a long way off, the revelation is still shocking. It felt like staring down an oncoming train, wanting to move but unable to look away.

The excellent writing in general is what really elevates this story for me. The descriptions and imagery are incredibly powerful and vivid. I could feel the damp, cold of the cells, sense the dreariness of the constant storms, see the festering rot in certain scenes, and smell every bit of cigarette smoke, perspiration, and whiskey on Warden Fleming. All of the details are graphic and disgusting, but that’s the nature of the story that author Ross Jeffery has written.

If you like the perverse mystery of Fincher’s Se7en (but with demons), the violent prison setting of Brawl in Cell Block 99, or the literary quality and bleak humanity of much of Cormac McCarthy’s writing, then you will absolutely enjoy this! I know this book is set in a series all based around the town of Juniper. And though Juniper is a place I desperately don’t want to visit, I will absolutely be checking out more books from this author!

the_coycaterpillar_reads's review

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5.0

ome – its clarity was never more focused and established from the very first page. Dark and depraved. The story is multi-faceted as it strips the layers back of the human condition. Boy does it show the human condition for what it truly is, hungry for power and destruction. Tome is a story that examines many prejudices rife in not only America’s penial system. Racial abuse, misogyny and homophobia feature strongly, and Jeffery has tackled the sensitive themes with both class and tenderness without skipping on the reality. This novel is a highly intelligent and brutal story on multiple levels.

Jeffery has birthed a new sub-genre of horror; he mixes realism with the palpitatingly dark. The narrative doesn’t relinquish its hold on us for one moment, its spindly fingers choke the life out of you, its grip increasing under you are so far gone that you can’t help but consume its mastery.

Juniper Correctional has turned into a cess pit of suffering and delinquency. Prison life was never going to be easy, but someone for something is getting away with murder. Imagine buildings that look run down, they look haunted…haunted with the misdeeds of its prisoners, haunted with the souls that are being taken too early. There is nothing about Juniper Correctional that screams light, it is the darkness in spite of the light, only one person seems to chase that darkness away…Frank.

Frank comes in does his job like everyone else but treats the inmates like actual people, funny notion, right? He doesn’t treat them like the scum of the earth, despite the awful atrocities they have been convicted with. He shares the halo, or the island in amongst the shit prison, located within an even shittier town. The library, ah but once again the power of books and its ability to transport you away features heavily in Tome. Franks suffered plenty in this cess pit of a town, he’s experienced racial hatred for marrying a black woman. Its uncomfortable as all hell, but subjects like these HAVE to be. If its not making you cringe, then you are part of the problem. Jeffery has written a horror story with violence and gore, but he tells of the horrors that human are capable of committing, it’s a grim reality that is mortifying.

Jeffrey has created something quite unique here, he’s edgy, he’s got the biggest set of Kaunas for riding with this one, trusting his vision and pulling it off so brilliantly. The destructive nature of a supernova. The setting. The protagonist. The horror. It tallied up to an experience to say the very least. I felt the fear, I spent most of the novel feeling deeply unsettled. Time has no consequence whilst I absorbed its power. I don’t think I’ll ever read another book quite like it and that is a good thing because no-one come close. A book Stephen King wishes he wrote…It’s that damn good.

Tome is a nerve jangling read with the pace and finesse of a master storyteller. I should be kicking myself black and blue that I haven’t picked this up sooner.

motherhorror's review

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5.0

All the stars. Top 5 for 2020. Damn.

joshuamarsella's review

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5.0

I was lucky enough to be given an ARC copy of Tome from Jeffery. I was a huge fan of Juniper with its grotesque yet humorous qualities, so I honestly had no idea what to expect with this book. Tome, his first full-length novel totally blew away my expectations. Not only does Jeffery write like a veteran author with dozens of publications, he continues to evolve with his beautiful writing style and expert storytelling.

Tome tells the story of Juniper Correctional Facility which, if you read Juniper, takes place prior to the events of that story. It follows several characters throughout the prison including the inmates, prison staff, the warden, and a team of investigators who were hired to investigate several mysterious and disturbingly brutal suicides. You never get lost among the diverse cast and each character is intricately detailed with a distinguishable personality all their own. That's as far as I'll go in describing the story so as to not spoil anything.

If I had to describe this story to someone, I would say it's a perfect blending of Shawshank Redemption with Lovecraftian cosmic horror. If the evil that is living within the cell blocks of JCF aren't enough, the supernatural horrors festering in the dark corners will gladly do the job. Tome is a must-read and although it's a prequel, it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone novel. I highly recommend this book to any horror lover and I look forward to book III that is currently in the works.
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