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acanthae's review against another edition
Laird Barron has cool story ideas, and main characters I just can't enjoy reading about. It's not about being likable. It's about being bland.
sandygx260's review
5.0
This little gem is obscenely wonderful. In this tale, Laird Barron, he who writes exquisite weird horror, writes a fucking awesome horror comedy—better yet, a Ye Weird Darke and Twisted comedy. My love for this warped novella is off the charts.
X's for Eyes drags the whole Hardy Boys-Johnny Quest-Venture Brothers concept through a crack-addled, Cthulhu-tinged gorefest. Little do young teens Macbeth and Drederick Tooms know what is in store for them, but they survive the gruesome experience with breezy aplomb... or so we think.
More, more, more. Please, Mr. Barron, don't let this be a one-off. Pretty-please with glittery tentacles and sharp beaks.
X's for Eyes drags the whole Hardy Boys-Johnny Quest-Venture Brothers concept through a crack-addled, Cthulhu-tinged gorefest. Little do young teens Macbeth and Drederick Tooms know what is in store for them, but they survive the gruesome experience with breezy aplomb... or so we think.
More, more, more. Please, Mr. Barron, don't let this be a one-off. Pretty-please with glittery tentacles and sharp beaks.
thesaltiestlibrarian's review
lighthearted
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
2.0
joyfulfoodie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
2.0
I spent so much of this book wondering what I was reading. I described a small part of it to my husband early on and he goes “you know you don’t have to finish it right?” It was just so weird.
I originally selected this because it is an X title and I do those silly alphabet challenges every year. I kept at it to get credit for the X and because it is short. If it had been longer I’m not sure I would have been able to read it. If you are going for short and different you may just have found what you’re looking for.
Not for me. An interesting side quest but not a new favorite.
I originally selected this because it is an X title and I do those silly alphabet challenges every year. I kept at it to get credit for the X and because it is short. If it had been longer I’m not sure I would have been able to read it. If you are going for short and different you may just have found what you’re looking for.
Not for me. An interesting side quest but not a new favorite.
dantastic's review
4.0
Macbeth and Drederick Tooms are the wealthy sons of the founder of Sword Enterprises, an evil corporation bent on world domination. When they discover the wreckage of a Sword space probe, one that isn't due to launch for several days, a mystery is afoot!
Since I've recently discovered Laird Barron, I plan to devour everything he's written by the end of the year. Fortunately, I had this one on my kindle already.
X's For Eyes is an homage to the Hardy Boys books with Laird Barron's twisted cosmic horror woven in. It's a pretty crazy tale. When the story starts with a 12 year old and a 14 year old going on a road trip with whiskey and hookers, you know the end result is going to be something crazy.
And crazy it was! The Hardy Boy analogues go from one harrowing situation to another and are confronted with artificial intelligent super computers, conspiracies, a dark god from another dimension, and the peculiarities of time itself. Barron manages to work his theories on the nature of time seamlessly into what's a young man's adventure tale.
Barron's prose is as gorgeous as ever. Once again, I found myself wanting to highlight half the book. I had no idea where the plot would lead, always a plus.
X's For Eyes was a really fun but thought-provoking novella. There aren't a lot of writers with the chops to blend the Hardy Boys and cosmic, sanity-blasting horror so well. Fans of modern takes on The Hardy Boys and Nancy drew, like [b:The Boy Detective Fails|102504|The Boy Detective Fails|Joe Meno|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348110907s/102504.jpg|2269040] and [b:The Case of the Bleeding Wall|31823694|The Case of the Bleeding Wall|Joe R. Lansdale|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1472831669s/31823694.jpg|52480884] will find a lot to like here. Four out of five stars.
Since I've recently discovered Laird Barron, I plan to devour everything he's written by the end of the year. Fortunately, I had this one on my kindle already.
X's For Eyes is an homage to the Hardy Boys books with Laird Barron's twisted cosmic horror woven in. It's a pretty crazy tale. When the story starts with a 12 year old and a 14 year old going on a road trip with whiskey and hookers, you know the end result is going to be something crazy.
And crazy it was! The Hardy Boy analogues go from one harrowing situation to another and are confronted with artificial intelligent super computers, conspiracies, a dark god from another dimension, and the peculiarities of time itself. Barron manages to work his theories on the nature of time seamlessly into what's a young man's adventure tale.
Barron's prose is as gorgeous as ever. Once again, I found myself wanting to highlight half the book. I had no idea where the plot would lead, always a plus.
X's For Eyes was a really fun but thought-provoking novella. There aren't a lot of writers with the chops to blend the Hardy Boys and cosmic, sanity-blasting horror so well. Fans of modern takes on The Hardy Boys and Nancy drew, like [b:The Boy Detective Fails|102504|The Boy Detective Fails|Joe Meno|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348110907s/102504.jpg|2269040] and [b:The Case of the Bleeding Wall|31823694|The Case of the Bleeding Wall|Joe R. Lansdale|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1472831669s/31823694.jpg|52480884] will find a lot to like here. Four out of five stars.
nedhayes's review
4.0
Wow -- what an intense thrill ride from [a:Laird Barron|14307734|Laird Barron|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] Did not expect an Indiana Jones-style escapade with horror and supernatural touches throughout. Occasionally hilarious, often strange, and very entertaining.
demanley's review
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Reminds me so much of an eldritch Venture Bros episode.