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lamusadelils's review against another edition
4.0
Es muy difícil asustarme, pero es bien sabido que mi debilidad es Alien. Este libro tiene una atmósfera similar y es la comparación obvia, pero además me pareció original y tiene un ritmo menos parsimonioso.
En este barrifest del terror estuve buscando horror espacial en particular y me alegra haber encontrado un par de excelentes lecturas porque el espacio (y el mar, y saben) es mi tema de terror favorito pero rara vez funciona para mi.
En este barrifest del terror estuve buscando horror espacial en particular y me alegra haber encontrado un par de excelentes lecturas porque el espacio (y el mar, y saben) es mi tema de terror favorito pero rara vez funciona para mi.
ladilira's review against another edition
5.0
I entered a world these past few days that I have not entered before. My experience with science fiction/horror for years was a child’s memory of “Hello my baby, hello my honey, hello my ragtime gal…” Enter center stage, a mini alien tearing open a guy’s stomach from Space Balls.
Yes, I honestly thought this was incredibly disturbing and horrific for years, until I actually saw the real thing. Once. And never again.
So, I was a bit shocked as I began reading this — not just because this is a genre I have worked very hard at pretending does not exist, but also because I felt I was reading something from a completely different author.
Absent was the usual sarcastic humor that twists and spans throughout the story from Kozeniewski. Instead, this was dark. Not dark funny. Just dark, with a hearty side of tentacle porn. It brought images of HR Giger’s artwork to mind.
So, considering this is a genre that gives me nightmares, I will concede that it is quality work. It is dark, disturbing and carnal. I have to say I feel oddly closer to the writer, for no other reason than perhaps there was something raw about this story that I feel exposes a vulnerability? A kink? Or reminds me of someone from my past? I don’t know, maybe all three, but this was an excellent, gruesome creation. And even though I was uncomfortable for the duration, and I am sure that it will haunt me for longer than I care to admit, I accept that it is well-written and a welcome addition to its genre.
If you are in the mood for something tantalizingly inky and skin cripplingly sinister then you found your story.
https://cellardoorbooks.wordpress.com/2017/12/11/the-hematophages-stephen-kozeniewski/
Yes, I honestly thought this was incredibly disturbing and horrific for years, until I actually saw the real thing. Once. And never again.
So, I was a bit shocked as I began reading this — not just because this is a genre I have worked very hard at pretending does not exist, but also because I felt I was reading something from a completely different author.
Absent was the usual sarcastic humor that twists and spans throughout the story from Kozeniewski. Instead, this was dark. Not dark funny. Just dark, with a hearty side of tentacle porn. It brought images of HR Giger’s artwork to mind.
So, considering this is a genre that gives me nightmares, I will concede that it is quality work. It is dark, disturbing and carnal. I have to say I feel oddly closer to the writer, for no other reason than perhaps there was something raw about this story that I feel exposes a vulnerability? A kink? Or reminds me of someone from my past? I don’t know, maybe all three, but this was an excellent, gruesome creation. And even though I was uncomfortable for the duration, and I am sure that it will haunt me for longer than I care to admit, I accept that it is well-written and a welcome addition to its genre.
If you are in the mood for something tantalizingly inky and skin cripplingly sinister then you found your story.
https://cellardoorbooks.wordpress.com/2017/12/11/the-hematophages-stephen-kozeniewski/
abi00356's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
3.5
ctorretta's review against another edition
5.0
When I see a new book from Stephen Kozeniewski, I buy it. There are not many authors that I do that for. Mainly because my "to read list" is just way too long and I would constantly be reading authors that I already know instead of being introduced to amazing authors that are new. Stephen's work, however, is always top notch, chew your nails off intense, bloody, horrific, and so fun to read!
With a name like The Hematophages, I knew this was going to get good. It starts innocently enough, introducing the reader to the main character Paige while she's in an interview. I love this because it allows us to see exactly how she thinks. With what she's going to face the reader has to believe that she's smart enough to get out of the frying pan without putting herself into the fire. In this interview she is basically told that she cannot know what the job is without being a part of corporate espionage. Paige is smart enough to understand the concept that this job is so extraordinary that a normal layperson cannot know about it. It's sort of like "if I tell you, I have to kill you". Paige gets the picture and decides it's worth the effort to find out.
"How you feeling, virgin?" I'm breathing into a paper bag, so I suspect the question is rhetorical.
I was worried that this being placed in space would throw me off but it was like reading The Event Horizon, scary as all get out. Plus, even scarier was the fact that, much like Event Horizon, although a completely different plot, they were going to salvage a ship that was lost in space 200 years ago. They had no idea what they were getting into or if a competing ship was going to try to blast them out of the sky once they were there. I was just telling my husband that I was sad that horror films and books today allow the reader to see what is happening. This is not the case here. Nobody has an idea of what is going on so of course the reading wouldn't either.
So much happens at the beginning of the book. What bit of hesitation I had about this being in space was squelched almost immediately. It doesn't take long to see that Paige is intelligent and can fight back but she is not just a fighter she is also vindictive, assertive, and ambitious but people are looking to her for answers. She's supposed to be the expert on a ship that hasn't been seen in hundreds of years and she only found out about it the day before! Talk about pressure.
The other characters are just as interesting although I don't remember reading why there were only females. Zanib was really interesting and I love her zeal for other lifeforms. She's as excited for blood suckers as I get over butterflies. This gal is awesome!
But Stephen doesn't just stop at crafting unique characters, his ideas would be great for this world. I could imagine some of this in our actual future, which makes the story even better. Maybe not the horror though. He has some horrific ideas as well, and that could stay in his head. Or in some strange Clive Barker universe.
This is action packed from start to finish. I felt like there was a reason for every word. From the interview to the drama and excitement surrounding the crew. It also seems like he put a lot of foreshadowing into the story. There also isn't gore added in just to have gore. People die. This is a horror. But there are reasons for every drop of blood, especially considering we're talking about blood drinkers.
She leaves chunks of her body and a long slug's trail of blood behind her.
For hard core horror lovers this will be a walk in the park but with some elements of surprise that'll leave you wanting more. There weren't any parts that freaked me out, and I didn't have nightmares, although I purposefully stayed up just to finish this. The story is fantastic with horror elements thrown in.
I feel like Stephen Kozeniewski must have had a lot of fun writing this. I certainly had fun reading it.
In short: Exciting, horrific, fantastic! A must read for fans of horror.
With a name like The Hematophages, I knew this was going to get good. It starts innocently enough, introducing the reader to the main character Paige while she's in an interview. I love this because it allows us to see exactly how she thinks. With what she's going to face the reader has to believe that she's smart enough to get out of the frying pan without putting herself into the fire. In this interview she is basically told that she cannot know what the job is without being a part of corporate espionage. Paige is smart enough to understand the concept that this job is so extraordinary that a normal layperson cannot know about it. It's sort of like "if I tell you, I have to kill you". Paige gets the picture and decides it's worth the effort to find out.
"How you feeling, virgin?" I'm breathing into a paper bag, so I suspect the question is rhetorical.
I was worried that this being placed in space would throw me off but it was like reading The Event Horizon, scary as all get out. Plus, even scarier was the fact that, much like Event Horizon, although a completely different plot, they were going to salvage a ship that was lost in space 200 years ago. They had no idea what they were getting into or if a competing ship was going to try to blast them out of the sky once they were there. I was just telling my husband that I was sad that horror films and books today allow the reader to see what is happening. This is not the case here. Nobody has an idea of what is going on so of course the reading wouldn't either.
So much happens at the beginning of the book. What bit of hesitation I had about this being in space was squelched almost immediately. It doesn't take long to see that Paige is intelligent and can fight back but she is not just a fighter she is also vindictive, assertive, and ambitious but people are looking to her for answers. She's supposed to be the expert on a ship that hasn't been seen in hundreds of years and she only found out about it the day before! Talk about pressure.
The other characters are just as interesting although I don't remember reading why there were only females. Zanib was really interesting and I love her zeal for other lifeforms. She's as excited for blood suckers as I get over butterflies. This gal is awesome!
But Stephen doesn't just stop at crafting unique characters, his ideas would be great for this world. I could imagine some of this in our actual future, which makes the story even better. Maybe not the horror though. He has some horrific ideas as well, and that could stay in his head. Or in some strange Clive Barker universe.
This is action packed from start to finish. I felt like there was a reason for every word. From the interview to the drama and excitement surrounding the crew. It also seems like he put a lot of foreshadowing into the story. There also isn't gore added in just to have gore. People die. This is a horror. But there are reasons for every drop of blood, especially considering we're talking about blood drinkers.
She leaves chunks of her body and a long slug's trail of blood behind her.
For hard core horror lovers this will be a walk in the park but with some elements of surprise that'll leave you wanting more. There weren't any parts that freaked me out, and I didn't have nightmares, although I purposefully stayed up just to finish this. The story is fantastic with horror elements thrown in.
I feel like Stephen Kozeniewski must have had a lot of fun writing this. I certainly had fun reading it.
In short: Exciting, horrific, fantastic! A must read for fans of horror.
ashlawson09's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
sil_che_legge's review against another edition
3.0
Tante scene coinvolgenti, diversi personaggi mirabili, ma anche tante idee banali e uno stile che a tratti non funziona.
La trama segue il copione più scontato e tutti gli spunti originali sono lasciati in angolo a prendere polvere. Un paio di snodi importanti nella storia sono lasciati alla nostra immaginazione o raccontati da un personaggio anziché mostrati, e c'è almeno un caso di Deus ex macchina che non ho gradito.
Un libro non brutto, ma così così. Peccato.
La trama segue il copione più scontato e tutti gli spunti originali sono lasciati in angolo a prendere polvere. Un paio di snodi importanti nella storia sono lasciati alla nostra immaginazione o raccontati da un personaggio anziché mostrati, e c'è almeno un caso di Deus ex macchina che non ho gradito.
Un libro non brutto, ma così così. Peccato.
kate_farber's review against another edition
2.0
That went from zero to exploding eye tentacles real fast.
lilyn_g's review
4.0
My first book experience with Stephen Kozeniewski gave me a zombie detective and aborted fetus mob boss. I was fascinated and disgusted. It was like a train wreck. I wanted to look away, but I just couldn’t. It was such a unique experience that I couldn’t decide if I actually liked it or not. As a result, I actually stayed away from Kozeniewski’s work until very recently, although I’d had ‘The Hematophages’ sitting on my Kindle for a while. But, what can I say? I’m a sucker for a book that promises disgusting sci-fi horror, so I had to eventually give it a try.
‘The Hematophages’ has elements that make it interesting even without considering the horror element. Like the fact that a conspicuous part of the human race is completely absent from the novel. There’s no explanation for it, and I was so intensely curious that I actually ended up corresponding with the author about it. (Not that I’m going to tell you what he said.)
About the horror element though – Kozeniewski delivered in spades. This is a sci-fi horror novel that will leave you shuddering. You are engrossed in the story before a single scary thing happens. So when stuff does start happening, it takes you by surprise. And it’s done in such a way that you’re left blinking and wanting desperately to scrub the image from your mind. But you can’t (and you probably never will.)
The pacing, the dialogue, the characters – everything about ‘The Hematophages’ is sound. For a novel featuring a main cast of female characters, the author doesn’t write just tits with no wit. Instead he writes actual characters (including one that I think may possibly be a psychopath.) He even nails the ending – which is amazing considering I thought he was walking me in to a “yep, totally expected this”. Instead, he ends the book with one of the most disturbing scenes I’ve ever read. And he writes in such a way you can’t NOT see it. So enjoy reading this book and having that image haunt you for weeks.
‘The Hematophages’ has elements that make it interesting even without considering the horror element. Like the fact that a conspicuous part of the human race is completely absent from the novel. There’s no explanation for it, and I was so intensely curious that I actually ended up corresponding with the author about it. (Not that I’m going to tell you what he said.)
About the horror element though – Kozeniewski delivered in spades. This is a sci-fi horror novel that will leave you shuddering. You are engrossed in the story before a single scary thing happens. So when stuff does start happening, it takes you by surprise. And it’s done in such a way that you’re left blinking and wanting desperately to scrub the image from your mind. But you can’t (and you probably never will.)
The pacing, the dialogue, the characters – everything about ‘The Hematophages’ is sound. For a novel featuring a main cast of female characters, the author doesn’t write just tits with no wit. Instead he writes actual characters (including one that I think may possibly be a psychopath.) He even nails the ending – which is amazing considering I thought he was walking me in to a “yep, totally expected this”. Instead, he ends the book with one of the most disturbing scenes I’ve ever read. And he writes in such a way you can’t NOT see it. So enjoy reading this book and having that image haunt you for weeks.
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