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ladyofthegreatlakes's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
the_dubious_muse's review against another edition
3.0
Started strong, but marred by a tedious second half.
Nevill is a very good writer and I will certainly read more of him. I liked this book but the descriptions of the ethereal entities and any real lack of coherence became somewhat tedious by the end. Like the unreal and wispy quality of dreams themselves, this story is unsettling, but didn't stick with me as much as it had the potential to.
Nevill is a very good writer and I will certainly read more of him. I liked this book but the descriptions of the ethereal entities and any real lack of coherence became somewhat tedious by the end. Like the unreal and wispy quality of dreams themselves, this story is unsettling, but didn't stick with me as much as it had the potential to.
lunabear33's review against another edition
2.0
Horror is only good when it is written well. Unfortunately for Adam Nevill this book is not. 10 pages in you find that the main character is seeing something that is clearly not there, which is odd given that in 10 pages all we know about the character his name, location and occupation. This means we have no sympathy for him at all. The book fails to provide enough detail for the reader to even remotely care. Stephen King fear not you are still the king of horror
liamkeith's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
gunderchump's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
zjswetlik's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
brigitav's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
barry_x's review against another edition
4.0
I swear Adam Nevill's books need to come with tasting notes!
One thing I absolutely love about all of Nevill's work is his ability to truly assault the senses with descriptions of pestilence, corruption, decrepitude and pure filth. It's a factor in so many of his books and he captivates brilliantly the sights and smells of squalor and illness. It's a factor in many of his books but in 'Under A Watchful Eye' it's pushed to 100% and I love it!
'Under A Watchful Eye' is the story of a fifty year old successful horror writer called Seb Logan who is struggling to complete his latest book. Things start to go very bad for him when he encounters an old flat mate - an alcoholic ex-student from a privileged background who exploited him in his youth. Things start to go even worse when this person is no longer involved with his life...
The book is very clever, and dare I say quite playful in it's structure, plot and characterisation. I can imagine elements really getting on the nerves with some readers but I recognised the playfulness and had a lot of fun reading it (if novels about filth encrusted astral projectors and elderly cultists can be considered playful...).
Nevill is clearly having fun with his audience. The author of the story is the same age as Nevill, is set where he lives and describes a working class author who has worked hard, wrote a bunch of novels whilst working multiple dead end jobs before making it big with a novel (which turned into a film). For fans of Nevill this isn't exactly subtle!
This is a book written by an author, perhaps for other authors and one for his fans. For instance, the notion that now Logan has lost his edge, or is even a sell-out is a theme in the book (Logan's last book is often referred to as 'not very good'). Logan complains to his agent about one star reviews on Goodreads and suggests they are all from the same person. There is even a nod to the successful author needing to knock back multiple endorsements and literary 'can you just' favours which I am sure successful authors get a lot of and aspiring authors would grasp at eagerly. Nevill even sets the book in Birmingham and the English Riviera on the Devon south coast which are places he has been to before.
The 'Easter Eggs' are even more explicit in this one, and I always look forward to finding them. So we have a name check of everyone's favourite band from 'The Ritual' - 'Blood Frenzy', but in this story there are a number of logical links to people from 'Last Days' which really make sense in the book and add to the richness of Nevill's little universe.
So is it scary? The first half - definitely. The central premise of 'someone from your past who you don't want to see turns up back in your life' is really effective and the reader is thrown in at the deep end. Ewan, Seb's former flatmate is brilliantly characterised and when I think back to my youth I can see people like him who invade your home and you can't really get to leave. I think many of us can identify those acquaintances who enter into your friendship circle who you can't get rid off. Nevill is a bit older than me, but I can see a lot of the 'Brew Crew Punks' from the mid-90's in Ewan. Often stinking - (yep Stenchcore was a thing) and treating homes and shared spaces like a rubbish tip, often with pretensions of grandeur and also from privileged backgrounds. I remember squatting in the mid-90's and a room being given over to the 'dog toilet' so I kind of know what is being described with this unwanted guest. Empty cans of cider and takeout trays have never been so evocative! You just know that Nevill has lived in some right dumps in his youth, with people who don't give a shit about some basic courtesies like putting things in a bin. Yeah - that horror of the person you used to hang out with coming back is very real! That notion that you probably owe them a courtesy but you know you will get robbed or exploited is very real!
The second half of the novel gets into more 'traditional' horror mode. There were times when I lost my way a little - particularly during 'dream sequence' writing, because I struggled to follow when Seb was awake or dreaming. I am sure the disorientation is deliberate but it did detract from my enjoyment of the novel a little. I felt the book was lagging a little towards the end of the second act, but at the same time I can't deny that I had spent most of the afternoon reading and really didn't want to put it down.
The third act really made me smile and where it went was quite clever and again tapped into that notion of breaking down the wall between art and reader with a few clever winks. The third act bumped this from a 3 to a 4 but there is part of me that wants to leave this positive review up but score it a 1 just to annoy Seb Logan.
Scary and suspenseful, Nevill fans will love it, new readers may find it a little pretentious rather than clever. Recommended.
One thing I absolutely love about all of Nevill's work is his ability to truly assault the senses with descriptions of pestilence, corruption, decrepitude and pure filth. It's a factor in so many of his books and he captivates brilliantly the sights and smells of squalor and illness. It's a factor in many of his books but in 'Under A Watchful Eye' it's pushed to 100% and I love it!
'Under A Watchful Eye' is the story of a fifty year old successful horror writer called Seb Logan who is struggling to complete his latest book. Things start to go very bad for him when he encounters an old flat mate - an alcoholic ex-student from a privileged background who exploited him in his youth. Things start to go even worse when this person is no longer involved with his life...
The book is very clever, and dare I say quite playful in it's structure, plot and characterisation. I can imagine elements really getting on the nerves with some readers but I recognised the playfulness and had a lot of fun reading it (if novels about filth encrusted astral projectors and elderly cultists can be considered playful...).
Nevill is clearly having fun with his audience. The author of the story is the same age as Nevill, is set where he lives and describes a working class author who has worked hard, wrote a bunch of novels whilst working multiple dead end jobs before making it big with a novel (which turned into a film). For fans of Nevill this isn't exactly subtle!
This is a book written by an author, perhaps for other authors and one for his fans. For instance, the notion that now Logan has lost his edge, or is even a sell-out is a theme in the book (Logan's last book is often referred to as 'not very good'). Logan complains to his agent about one star reviews on Goodreads and suggests they are all from the same person. There is even a nod to the successful author needing to knock back multiple endorsements and literary 'can you just' favours which I am sure successful authors get a lot of and aspiring authors would grasp at eagerly. Nevill even sets the book in Birmingham and the English Riviera on the Devon south coast which are places he has been to before.
The 'Easter Eggs' are even more explicit in this one, and I always look forward to finding them. So we have a name check of everyone's favourite band from 'The Ritual' - 'Blood Frenzy', but in this story there are a number of logical links to people from 'Last Days' which really make sense in the book and add to the richness of Nevill's little universe.
So is it scary? The first half - definitely. The central premise of 'someone from your past who you don't want to see turns up back in your life' is really effective and the reader is thrown in at the deep end. Ewan, Seb's former flatmate is brilliantly characterised and when I think back to my youth I can see people like him who invade your home and you can't really get to leave. I think many of us can identify those acquaintances who enter into your friendship circle who you can't get rid off. Nevill is a bit older than me, but I can see a lot of the 'Brew Crew Punks' from the mid-90's in Ewan. Often stinking - (yep Stenchcore was a thing) and treating homes and shared spaces like a rubbish tip, often with pretensions of grandeur and also from privileged backgrounds. I remember squatting in the mid-90's and a room being given over to the 'dog toilet' so I kind of know what is being described with this unwanted guest. Empty cans of cider and takeout trays have never been so evocative! You just know that Nevill has lived in some right dumps in his youth, with people who don't give a shit about some basic courtesies like putting things in a bin. Yeah - that horror of the person you used to hang out with coming back is very real! That notion that you probably owe them a courtesy but you know you will get robbed or exploited is very real!
The second half of the novel gets into more 'traditional' horror mode. There were times when I lost my way a little - particularly during 'dream sequence' writing, because I struggled to follow when Seb was awake or dreaming. I am sure the disorientation is deliberate but it did detract from my enjoyment of the novel a little. I felt the book was lagging a little towards the end of the second act, but at the same time I can't deny that I had spent most of the afternoon reading and really didn't want to put it down.
The third act really made me smile and where it went was quite clever and again tapped into that notion of breaking down the wall between art and reader with a few clever winks. The third act bumped this from a 3 to a 4 but there is part of me that wants to leave this positive review up but score it a 1 just to annoy Seb Logan.
Scary and suspenseful, Nevill fans will love it, new readers may find it a little pretentious rather than clever. Recommended.
schez's review against another edition
4.0
Adam Nevill is one of my most favourite of horror writers. A writer that always seems to bring something new to the genre. So, I was extremely excited when "Under a watchful eye" was released - and I was lucky to receive it as a gift in August. So why did it sit on my shelf for so long?
Amongst the array of life excuses, it may have simply been that I was apprehensive.
But I needn't have been.
In "Under a Watchful Eye" Nevill delivers a different and an intelligent kind of horror. Exploring the dark in the way he does best.
The main character Seb, a writer, is caught in the stuff of nightmares whilst presenting the idea of the after life, consciencness and out of body experiences. What if you could leave your body and transcend into other spheres or levels of life and existence? But what would the consequences be?
It's an emotional roller coaster from the word go as you follow Seb. I couldn't help but feel angry for Seb as he falls victim to some down right hideous characters - his life, and all he's worked for is taken away. A sense of hopelessness.
I was relieved to see that true to other works I've read of his; Nevill remains incredibly talented in bringing characters and scenes to life. His voice/narrative carries you into a world where even the normal becomes sinister. Enough guidance to place you in the scene but almost abruptly leaves you there to fend for yourself and allow the imagination to take hold ... (Please don't leave me in there with Thin Len... a scary apparition with a back story to match... May I never see him in my dreams... )
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that 1) they dont allow you to give an extra half star on these things 2) some of the concepts were lost on me and I found myself rereading to make sure I understood the ideas that were being conveyed but this is a reflection on me as a reader not the author 3) I don't think this writing "scared" me at the time of reading.... though the imprint and time to reflect after what I read was disturbingly chilling.
I think I need to add here, that even the welcome relief of another character coming to Sebs "aid" was not all it seems... Well done there Mr Nevill ... a false sense of security... But I don't want to say much more for I never intend to leave spoilers, suffice to say that the moment stuck with me.
Well written and not your normal, roll your eyes horror (Thank god)
A favourite to add to the collection.
Amongst the array of life excuses, it may have simply been that I was apprehensive.
But I needn't have been.
In "Under a Watchful Eye" Nevill delivers a different and an intelligent kind of horror. Exploring the dark in the way he does best.
The main character Seb, a writer, is caught in the stuff of nightmares whilst presenting the idea of the after life, consciencness and out of body experiences. What if you could leave your body and transcend into other spheres or levels of life and existence? But what would the consequences be?
It's an emotional roller coaster from the word go as you follow Seb. I couldn't help but feel angry for Seb as he falls victim to some down right hideous characters - his life, and all he's worked for is taken away. A sense of hopelessness.
I was relieved to see that true to other works I've read of his; Nevill remains incredibly talented in bringing characters and scenes to life. His voice/narrative carries you into a world where even the normal becomes sinister. Enough guidance to place you in the scene but almost abruptly leaves you there to fend for yourself and allow the imagination to take hold ... (Please don't leave me in there with Thin Len... a scary apparition with a back story to match... May I never see him in my dreams... )
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that 1) they dont allow you to give an extra half star on these things 2) some of the concepts were lost on me and I found myself rereading to make sure I understood the ideas that were being conveyed but this is a reflection on me as a reader not the author 3) I don't think this writing "scared" me at the time of reading.... though the imprint and time to reflect after what I read was disturbingly chilling.
I think I need to add here, that even the welcome relief of another character coming to Sebs "aid" was not all it seems... Well done there Mr Nevill ... a false sense of security... But I don't want to say much more for I never intend to leave spoilers, suffice to say that the moment stuck with me.
Well written and not your normal, roll your eyes horror (Thank god)
A favourite to add to the collection.