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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a weird trip. I'm still not entirely sure what happened. The ending was more mysterious and open-ended than I was hoping for. Who/what was PIN really? One of the more horrifying concepts I've ever read about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Violence
Moderate: Child abuse
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Brother, Sister, Madness, Sin, Now the Terror Will Begin…” Probably the most accurate tag line I’ve ever read on a book. This is a 5 star read in terms of compelling storytelling, but be warned that this “paperback from hell” is filled with total depravity. If you’re someone who wouldn’t read a book due to something you read in a content warning, skip this one. This isn’t gatekeeping, seriously, it’s got every kind of immoral, objectionable, inappropriate, and triggering content I can think of. It’s weird and gross, but also kind of good…? About this book penned in 1981 by Andrew Neiderman (an author who also wrote numerous books under the pseudonym V.C. Andrews), Grady Hendrix says: “If you’re a completely insane lunatic shut-in with ice water in your veins and screaming bats inside your skull, this would be paradise” (Paperbacks from Hell 143). I can’t put it any better than that. While I might recommend readers pick up one of Hendrix’s books instead of this revolting story, those who are determined to read PIN may find it expertly paced and even delightfully suspenseful toward the end. Frankly I enjoyed this book, even if I’m ashamed of the fact that I did. Although my initial impulse was to rate this 3/5 due to the content, after discussing this book with others in a book club with the Howl Society I decided to elevate my rating to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. While much of the content made me uncomfortable and was genuinely disturbing and gross, this was likely the author’s intention and I don’t want to poorly rate a book for effectively doing what it set out to do. The protagonist is an interesting character, even if the choices he makes in this horror novel are, well…horrifying. I had fun reading this book, even if it’s not the kind of thing I usually read and wouldn’t readily recommend it to others unless I knew they were into paperbacks from hell.
***This book should only be read by readers 18 years of age or older.***
***This book should only be read by readers 18 years of age or older.***
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Incest, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Murder
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Abortion
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Incest, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Bullying, Violence, Grief
Minor: Cursing, Rape, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol
To say this ticks off nearly every content warning, it’s morbidly addictive and I flew through it. It’s fascinating, but definitely not for the faint of heart.
** Warning for offensive language **
What the fuck is this book? I wavered between 3 stars and 4, but I had to bump it up because this is a unique story and I think, for horror, it was successful in making me feel icky and generally creeped out.
How could I even synopsize this? Brother and sister, Leon and Ursula, in their late teens live alone after their parents die in a car accident. And PIN? Well, he is a life-size anatomically correct dummy that lives with the teens. He has been a confidant to them throughout their childhood, educating them on "the need," their sexual desires, and more. What?
This book made me feel icky. Such a weird, creepy tale, but that is one aspect of horror and Neiderman did it successfully. Can't recall reading anything like this, so kudos to him for being unique.
Recommend for hard horror heads only.
Warning for sexually explicit scenes involving.
Must read if you are a fan of Paperbacks from Hell (hard horror heads
What the fuck is this book? I wavered between 3 stars and 4, but I had to bump it up because this is a unique story and I think, for horror, it was successful in making me feel icky and generally creeped out.
How could I even synopsize this? Brother and sister, Leon and Ursula, in their late teens live alone after their parents die in a car accident. And PIN? Well, he is a life-size anatomically correct dummy that lives with the teens. He has been a confidant to them throughout their childhood, educating them on "the need," their sexual desires, and more. What?
This book made me feel icky. Such a weird, creepy tale, but that is one aspect of horror and Neiderman did it successfully. Can't recall reading anything like this, so kudos to him for being unique.
Recommend for hard horror heads only.
Warning for sexually explicit scenes involving.
Must read if you are a fan of Paperbacks from Hell (hard horror heads
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm not sure what to think, but it kept my interest until the very end.
A brother, sister and an anatomical model... How many ways could this go weird.
It actually played out exactly as I expected however I didn't expect the one death to pan out.
So curious to watch the 1988 movie now.
A brother, sister and an anatomical model... How many ways could this go weird.
It actually played out exactly as I expected however I didn't expect the one death to pan out.
So curious to watch the 1988 movie now.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Brother and sister, Leon and Ursula, had a unique upbringing. Father, the doctor, was obsessed with his work, and Mother was obsessed with cleaning the house. Thankfully there was Pin, the life-size anatomical model who became their friend, confidant, and teacher of 'the birds and the bees'.
This was a brilliant story of psychological horror. Leon is perfectly painted as the loving but overbearing brother. There were some delightfully unsettling moments in this book, and one scene in particular that I found thoroughly disturbing and has stayed with me since reading it. It's difficult to say much more about the plot without giving too much away but I thought this one was excellent and I highly recommend it!
This was a brilliant story of psychological horror. Leon is perfectly painted as the loving but overbearing brother. There were some delightfully unsettling moments in this book, and one scene in particular that I found thoroughly disturbing and has stayed with me since reading it. It's difficult to say much more about the plot without giving too much away but I thought this one was excellent and I highly recommend it!
This one is really creepy. It's told from the son's perception, but I kept imagining how his sister saw it.