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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
This is a legitimately scary book. It takes a lot for a book to really scare me. The first was The Shining, which I read in junior high and had to physically remove from my room before I'd go to bed.
This wasn't quite as scary as that but it was still an excellent read.
The main character is Kyle, a documentary filmmaker who has fallen on some hard times. He is kinda desperate for work and so he takes on a project about a notorious cult that started in the late 60s and imploded in spectacular fashion less than 10 years later.
Shit starts getting weird & scary almost right away. The descriptions of the "ghosty" things are extremely vivid and horrifying. Kyle's dread is evident and adds to the overall feeling of unease.
I actually didn't mind the Kyle character, although I've read others on here found him whiny and annoying. I guess I cut him a lot of slack because he was just trying to follow his dream and ended up getting completely screwed.
As others have said, the ending was not awesome but I certainly can't think of a better way to end it.
This wasn't quite as scary as that but it was still an excellent read.
The main character is Kyle, a documentary filmmaker who has fallen on some hard times. He is kinda desperate for work and so he takes on a project about a notorious cult that started in the late 60s and imploded in spectacular fashion less than 10 years later.
Shit starts getting weird & scary almost right away. The descriptions of the "ghosty" things are extremely vivid and horrifying. Kyle's dread is evident and adds to the overall feeling of unease.
I actually didn't mind the Kyle character, although I've read others on here found him whiny and annoying. I guess I cut him a lot of slack because he was just trying to follow his dream and ended up getting completely screwed.
As others have said, the ending was not awesome but I certainly can't think of a better way to end it.
i’m sad :// i thought this was gonna be a lot better. if it had stopped at the 50% mark it would’ve been a different story. for such a long book there was a lotttt left unsaid. it felt overwritten and yet under planned
I really wish I could give this a 3.5 instead of a 3 or a 4... most appropriate rating for how I feel about it. The novel starts off very strong. First 50-60%, even, is lushly written and full of effective, creepy atmosphere. Then something changes in the effectiveness, in the immersion. It just kind of peters off and doesn't ever end up coming back in any big way. The trip to Antwerp was a nice little chunk later in the book, then the ending feels like it was written for Hollywood instead of a horror novel. Glad I read this, but ultimately not as happy with it overall as I was hoping to be.
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In my opinion, Nevill writes the scariest horror on the market today. If people are looking for an author that drives home the most fear-based horror book for book, Nevill is your guy.
..
LAST DAYS terrified me. It's the story of an indie filmmaker making a documentary on The Temple of the Last Days, a cult responsible for the ritualistic massacre of its members back in the 70s.
..
Of course, Kyle Freeman and his production team realize (too late) that the mystical, fucked up secrets the cult was willing to defend at all costs, are not exactly done fighting. The filmmakers get in way over their heads.
There were times, reading about 'The Old Friends' where I was like, I gotta stop reading this at night.
Despite the book's size (it's a chunky one), the chapters do go by quickly with very few lulls (although there are some and a few chapters are pretty lengthy).
The characters are very life-like and it's easy to invest in their plight to finish the doc in order to FINALLY make some money doing something that takes up so much of their time for very little reward. The stakes are high enough for them that it's not unrealistic they would endure all this fucked-up stuff in order to just finish. This is quintessential cult horror at its best. A must-read for horror fans looking for genuine scares in this sub-genre. Nobody does it like Nevill.
..
LAST DAYS terrified me. It's the story of an indie filmmaker making a documentary on The Temple of the Last Days, a cult responsible for the ritualistic massacre of its members back in the 70s.
..
Of course, Kyle Freeman and his production team realize (too late) that the mystical, fucked up secrets the cult was willing to defend at all costs, are not exactly done fighting. The filmmakers get in way over their heads.
There were times, reading about 'The Old Friends' where I was like, I gotta stop reading this at night.
Despite the book's size (it's a chunky one), the chapters do go by quickly with very few lulls (although there are some and a few chapters are pretty lengthy).
The characters are very life-like and it's easy to invest in their plight to finish the doc in order to FINALLY make some money doing something that takes up so much of their time for very little reward. The stakes are high enough for them that it's not unrealistic they would endure all this fucked-up stuff in order to just finish. This is quintessential cult horror at its best. A must-read for horror fans looking for genuine scares in this sub-genre. Nobody does it like Nevill.
This started off so strong that by the time I was a quarter through, I couldn't understand what would fill the back end of the book. All the creepiness and action had already been put into play. Which then made sense because the back half made a U-turn in terms of style and plot. The creepiness (sort of rosemary's baby-esque but more supernatural) just became the over the top action-horror of predator or alien, which kind of killed it for me (even though I love both those films). This would've made a better movie.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really enjoyed but felt the ending was a bit abrupt and rushed