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drakaina16's review
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book is so unique. It's a mashup of crime, small town horror, and cosmic horror. The best I can come up with is cosmic Michigan gothic. Bleak as it is, the book is beautifully written. This was my first David Peak book and it's been on my TBR forever. I definitely won't wait so long to read my next one. 4.5 stars, rounded up.
and_it_spoke's review against another edition
4.0
Dark, and very well paced. This one goes by almost too fast. The story itself is a grim one - not a heroic adventure with horror trappings. Somehow the bleakness keeps from being overwhelming, and manages direct (and misdirect!) the horror elements.
I almost wish it was longer, but I wouldn't want it's tight-rope balancing act disrupted. Eerie, bleak and a smooth read. Very much recommended for those who don't mind some darkness with their darkness.
I almost wish it was longer, but I wouldn't want it's tight-rope balancing act disrupted. Eerie, bleak and a smooth read. Very much recommended for those who don't mind some darkness with their darkness.
charshorrorcorner's review
5.0
4.5 stars!
"The Thornapple's winding body and its non-navigable waters, bringing nothing to nobody. A steady stream of pointlessness. A withered worm in a rotten apple. A river surrounded by a stillness, whose muddy banks go untrodden, whose tireless, repressed rage goes unheard, out of earshot, trembling with inarticulate anger."
The Thornapple runs through Ardor, Michigan, during the winter in which this story is set. I could feel the cold in my bones. It may well be that the the season is a symbol, of what's become of this town. The dead-ness of it. The grittiness of it. The wasted remains of its inhabitants.
It's not just the meth-amphetamine that's a problem here, but that's definitely part of it. It's dying dreams, it's cult worship, it's Bicycle Bob. Who is Bicycle Bob? Is he real, or is he the product of sick imaginations? I think he's real. He's ruined too many lives not to be. And I haven't even mentioned the worm yet.
This book begins with a quote from Edgar Allan Poe. I've included the last two lines here:
"...That play is the tragedy of "Man", and its hero is the Conqueror Worm."
I was super impressed with this novella. It's dark, it's gritty and it's creepy as all hell. It puts me in mind of authors like Kealan Patrick Burke, and Lovecraft. This horror is quiet, it's gritty, it's not super gory, it's not in-your-face bloody. What it IS is scarier than that-bigger than that. I'm excited to have found a new author capable of writing something this good.
I highly recommend this tale to fans of gritty, quiet horror! If you do read it, look me up because I would love to discuss Bicycle Bob.
"The Thornapple's winding body and its non-navigable waters, bringing nothing to nobody. A steady stream of pointlessness. A withered worm in a rotten apple. A river surrounded by a stillness, whose muddy banks go untrodden, whose tireless, repressed rage goes unheard, out of earshot, trembling with inarticulate anger."
The Thornapple runs through Ardor, Michigan, during the winter in which this story is set. I could feel the cold in my bones. It may well be that the the season is a symbol, of what's become of this town. The dead-ness of it. The grittiness of it. The wasted remains of its inhabitants.
It's not just the meth-amphetamine that's a problem here, but that's definitely part of it. It's dying dreams, it's cult worship, it's Bicycle Bob. Who is Bicycle Bob? Is he real, or is he the product of sick imaginations? I think he's real. He's ruined too many lives not to be. And I haven't even mentioned the worm yet.
This book begins with a quote from Edgar Allan Poe. I've included the last two lines here:
"...That play is the tragedy of "Man", and its hero is the Conqueror Worm."
I was super impressed with this novella. It's dark, it's gritty and it's creepy as all hell. It puts me in mind of authors like Kealan Patrick Burke, and Lovecraft. This horror is quiet, it's gritty, it's not super gory, it's not in-your-face bloody. What it IS is scarier than that-bigger than that. I'm excited to have found a new author capable of writing something this good.
I highly recommend this tale to fans of gritty, quiet horror! If you do read it, look me up because I would love to discuss Bicycle Bob.
willdrown's review
3.0
Stuck halfway between a serviceable (if overly edgy) noir and a strong desire to flirt with horror, The River Through the Trees ends up flailing from side to side and never really making a landing properly. It's written quite well and the setting is vividly described with an atmosphere that seeps through at every turn. But the feeble flirting with horror elements keeps throwing the book off again and again without ever delivering anything, resulting in a subpar story that would have been better as a straight noir.
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