Scan barcode
outsmartyourshelf's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
On a hot summer's day in the late 1980s, four boys are bored & decide to explore the rumour about an abandoned air raid shelter near a neighbouring village. There's some odd tensions in the group as two of the boys (Mark & Tom) are slightly older than Alan & friend Duncan & the two older boys tend to bully the younger two.
When they reach the field, they find the shelter exists & decide to explore it except for Duncan who won't climb down. Alan keeps feeling a strange surge of rage against his friends & when the older two lock him in, he has a supernatural experience including seeing what happened to a boy who went missing several years before.
It's a very short read, only about 60 pages, so there's not a lot of room to develop the characters very much, but I think the author conveyed the sense of foreboding around the shelter & the dynamics within the group well. I would have liked it to have been slightly longer as it finished on a rather ambiguous note as to what the deal with the shelter actually was. Overall, it was quite an unsettling read.
When they reach the field, they find the shelter exists & decide to explore it except for Duncan who won't climb down. Alan keeps feeling a strange surge of rage against his friends & when the older two lock him in, he has a supernatural experience including seeing what happened to a boy who went missing several years before.
It's a very short read, only about 60 pages, so there's not a lot of room to develop the characters very much, but I think the author conveyed the sense of foreboding around the shelter & the dynamics within the group well. I would have liked it to have been slightly longer as it finished on a rather ambiguous note as to what the deal with the shelter actually was. Overall, it was quite an unsettling read.
trudilibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
This is when Goodreads is acting at its optimal best -- friend reads book and writes great review: friend recommends book to you: you seek book out and read it: you enjoy book and will now recommend it to others.
I most likely would never have stumbled across this title on my own, especially since it is a short novella available only in ebook format by an author I had not previously heard of. This is why we cherish our book pushing friends who can give us a poke, a nudge, a heads-up when something special passes across their reading radar.
For those of you Goodreads users who believe three stars indicates an average, unenthusiastic endorsement, PLEASE do not take my rating as such. The Shelter is a supremely creepy, in a lot of ways "classic" horror story that is filled with sublime suspense and great characterization. The tone and mood are heavy and dark, cynical even. I was enthralled every moment. The writing hits that sweet spot at the intersection of literary meets pulp.
The Shelter is a familiar horror trope of going where you're not supposed to and paying the price. Yet, for all of its familiarity and even its predictability, the story still manages to suspend the reader in a prolonged state of uneasiness and upset. The exploration of the nebulous and often toxic ties binding together young boys where bullying and manipulation masquerade as genuine friendship is also very well done.
If you're looking for a quick and dirty foray into the dark for Halloween, you'll not go wrong with this one.
charshorrorcorner's review against another edition
4.0
I picked up this short novella (deliberately not calling it a novellette, see why in the afterward to this story) because I adored this writer's short story anthology [b:The Other Room|11291303|The Other Room|James Everington|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41EqWJ8OvTL._SL75_.jpg|16218746]. I was not disappointed.
I don't like to talk too much about the plot in my reviews (many a book has been spoiled for me because of reviews like that), but I will say that the story line involves 4 children taking a walk to go check out an old air raid shelter. It is reminiscent of Kings "The Body" or "It" in this way. In fact, the author gives nods to those books in his afterword. James Everington, like King, writes about children very well. You do feel as if you are traveling with them as a part of their group. You might wish you weren't as the story progresses.
I like how the story unfolds and reels you in. It also had an ending that was not quite expected, which I always enjoy. I appreciated how this story focused on more old-school type creeping horror, rather than outright blood and gore.
I enjoy and appreciate this author very much and am looking forward to anything else he may offer in the future.
I don't like to talk too much about the plot in my reviews (many a book has been spoiled for me because of reviews like that), but I will say that the story line involves 4 children taking a walk to go check out an old air raid shelter. It is reminiscent of Kings "The Body" or "It" in this way. In fact, the author gives nods to those books in his afterword. James Everington, like King, writes about children very well. You do feel as if you are traveling with them as a part of their group. You might wish you weren't as the story progresses.
I like how the story unfolds and reels you in. It also had an ending that was not quite expected, which I always enjoy. I appreciated how this story focused on more old-school type creeping horror, rather than outright blood and gore.
I enjoy and appreciate this author very much and am looking forward to anything else he may offer in the future.
More...