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hippoponymous's review against another edition
dark
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
misspoopinplatz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
ceejaybaird's review
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
motherofallbats's review against another edition
5.0
Like most modern readers I found out about this book from Grady Hendrix's Paperbacks From Hell, and I really feel the need to send Mr. Hendrix a fruit basket or something for introducing me to this absolute powerhouse! The author's premature death shortly after publication makes it understandable that this book became so obscure so quickly, but that doesn't make it any less of a shame. If there were any justice, this would be known as a seminal horror title mentioned in the same breath as Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist, and Perly Dunsmore would have the same instantaneous name recognition as Hannibal Lecter and Anton Chigurh.
The comparison to Shirley Jackson's The Lottery feels like a copout, but it is accurate. Like Jackson's writing, Samson's story has nothing physically explicit or overtly supernatural, but it ratchets up the tension and uncomfortableness to an unbearable level (Hendrix also compares Samson to Cormac McCarthy, which I can also see; although her prose isn't as poetic as McCarthy's, it conveys the same type of utter brittleness and desolation). Unlike The Lottery, which has the (dis)advantage of being a single short story, The Auctioneer stretches its story out to novel-length and forces you to really sit there in the abject horror and contemplate your own response -- I think John made some incredibly stupid choices, yes, but at the end of the day, would I have made any better ones myself? My edition runs less than 230 pages and it took me about twice as long to read this as it normally would a book of this length just because there was only so much I could take in one sitting.
Read this. Discover it. Samson deserves the widespread love and critical appraisal now that she was denied in life.
The comparison to Shirley Jackson's The Lottery feels like a copout, but it is accurate. Like Jackson's writing, Samson's story has nothing physically explicit or overtly supernatural, but it ratchets up the tension and uncomfortableness to an unbearable level (Hendrix also compares Samson to Cormac McCarthy, which I can also see; although her prose isn't as poetic as McCarthy's, it conveys the same type of utter brittleness and desolation). Unlike The Lottery, which has the (dis)advantage of being a single short story, The Auctioneer stretches its story out to novel-length and forces you to really sit there in the abject horror and contemplate your own response -- I think John made some incredibly stupid choices, yes, but at the end of the day, would I have made any better ones myself? My edition runs less than 230 pages and it took me about twice as long to read this as it normally would a book of this length just because there was only so much I could take in one sitting.
Read this. Discover it. Samson deserves the widespread love and critical appraisal now that she was denied in life.
junglefish's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jimmypat's review against another edition
3.0
This was a surprisingly tense read and still highly applicable today (but not in the way that the author's husband states in his afterword - we have much more to fear from Big Tech). Samson is clearly writing an allegorical novel, but infuses it with a lot of realism; I could see how much of this could play out and there was never any time that this felt unbelievable (other than maybe the "twist" at the end).
jo_in_bookland's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
This is a book that's been dubbed "quiet horror". There is always a certain amount of tension present, but not that much action throughout. I think this might be typical for a classic book from the 70s.
The book was well written and enjoyable overall. It might appeal to people who are not into scary or gruesome stories.
This is a book that's been dubbed "quiet horror". There is always a certain amount of tension present, but not that much action throughout. I think this might be typical for a classic book from the 70s.
The book was well written and enjoyable overall. It might appeal to people who are not into scary or gruesome stories.
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