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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5 a great fast paced monster story with not just a little hint of sci-fi. I heard they're making it into a TV show, and the ensemble cast side of it could be fun! This might be my fav McCammon yet. Characters are good, and the image of the small town, while narrow, feels pretty authentic. Maybe more monster kills? Hahaah
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This has been my favourite book for the last...25+ years. I have read it about a half-dozen times. I spent a good chunk of change on this limited edition because of all that.
It isn't the most perfect, elegant prose; it doesn't have the deepest, best characters ever; it doesn't shed bright new light on meaningful themes...
But it has a good heart, used to tell a dark, gory story that's most visibly a 1980s pulp horror tale par excellence, wrapped up in strains and threads of class, race, humanity, and greed—and the ways of small, dying towns. It has characters that are deeply flawed and learn and grow, that are quite satisfying and have effective arcs.
Doing all of those things in a sci-fi horror setting is essentially my platonic ideal, so it's little wonder that this book captivates me like it does.
Hell, it even has a pervasive image of brightly coloured light. It's got everything!
It isn't the most perfect, elegant prose; it doesn't have the deepest, best characters ever; it doesn't shed bright new light on meaningful themes...
But it has a good heart, used to tell a dark, gory story that's most visibly a 1980s pulp horror tale par excellence, wrapped up in strains and threads of class, race, humanity, and greed—and the ways of small, dying towns. It has characters that are deeply flawed and learn and grow, that are quite satisfying and have effective arcs.
Doing all of those things in a sci-fi horror setting is essentially my platonic ideal, so it's little wonder that this book captivates me like it does.
Hell, it even has a pervasive image of brightly coloured light. It's got everything!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, Car accident
Minor: Animal death