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anxiouslyreading33's review against another edition
2.0
This book started out so promising to let me down in a major way. The novellas this book is made up of were way too long and none of them were all that great. Though the last story caught me off guard it just wasnt worth the time. Others may like it but it wasnt my cup of tea
maitland's review against another edition
2.0
I’d like to thank Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine and Del Rey for an ARC of this copy to review.
Goblin: A Novel in Six Novellas
A Man in Slices
A young man is asked to prove his love to his girlfriend by sending her body parts.
I enjoyed the first of the six stories. The main character of the story is Richard. Richard has been the only friend of Charles, a boy who has always been looked at as troubled and disturbed since moving to Goblin. Through several flashbacks, we are given examples of Charles's odd behavior and of Richard's continued loyalty to him. Present-day we find Richard once again wrestling with the decision to support Charles and his disturbing activities or to turn away once and for all.
I felt the story was well-written and well-paced. I could feel the internal struggle Richard went through as his loyalty to Charles was tested, and also the warped sense of hope, dread, and anxiety Charles went through while trying to prove his love for his girlfriend.
Kamp
Walter Kamp is afraid of dying from fright. He has gutted his apartment and even sleeps on a Plexiglas bed so there is nowhere for anyone or anything to hide.
The second story did not really do it for me. I found the parts with Kamp whining and screaming in his apartment more annoying and tedious than creepy or interesting. I did however enjoy when the history of the town of Goblin is discussed. I wanted to read more about that and was disappointed when the story returned to Kamp and his ghost anxiety. The ending to this one was underwhelming (at least to me) as well.
Happy Birthday, Hunter!
On the night of his 60th birthday party, big game hunter Neil Nash sets out with several of his friends to hunt the rare and off-limits Great Owl in the forbidden North Woods.
Overall I enjoyed the third story. I found the premise interesting and I was excited to see some carnage at the hands of the Owls which had already been mentioned several times in the other stories. I was excited for a man vs beast horror story. The story wasn't quite what I expected but it was still enjoyable. Nash is a character that shows his true colors the further into the story you get. I was not head over heels for the ending of this one but I am hoping there is a little more added to it in the epilogue.
Presto
Pete is obsessed with magic. And his favorite magician Roman Emperor is going to be coming to Goblin for a midnight show.
I'm torn on this story. I liked it and I didn't. The magic described (in the opening scene) was fun to read about. Anytime magicians are brought up in a horror story I find it fascinating so the story caught my attention right away. The character of Maggie I thought was very intriguing and I wanted to know more about her. Pete's excitement to see the magic show was contagious and I began to look forward to it as much as him.
What I didn't like. The story jumps from what is happening with Pete in the present to Roman's history and the backstory of how he became a magician. This in itself isn't a huge problem except that it takes up a huge chunk of the story and when we finally get back to the present and the magic show it comes and goes almost like an afterthought. There is barely any time or description given to it. It feels extremely rushed and glossed over and I felt frustrated reading it.
A Mix-up At The Zoo
Dirk Rogers works as a tour guide at the Goblin Zoo and at the Goblin Slaughter House. But working seven days a week is beginning to drive him crazy.
The most horrific part of this horror book was reading this story. The other stories I read in one sitting each. But for this one, I took multiple breaks. I found myself staring at a paragraph that I knew I had read but was drawing a blank as to what it had said. I had to re-read certain sentences and/or paragraphs before they made sense. And at no point was any of it interesting to me.
The protagonist, Dirk Rogers, gives tours at the Zoo during the week and at the Slaughter House on the weekends. For some reason, this is driving him insane. It is said several times throughout the story that he is somewhat slow and non-philosophical. But all he seems to do is whine about the philosophical point of his job giving tours and wanting to be his own boss.
The story felt like a chore to finish and at times I wondered if it was written by another author. Had this been a full-length novel I would not have finished it. I didn't feel that this story added at all to the lore of the city of Goblin and could have and should have been left out of the book.
The Hedges
Margot, a nine-year-old girl discovers the horrible secret at the center of the Hedges, the huge maze created by Wayne Sherman.
After the “horrible secret” was revealed in this story, I spent the rest of the story thinking, “so what?” Even when a possible explanation was given, and a very vague and unsubstantiated one with many holes in it at that, I still wondered for the rest of the story what the big deal was.
The story finally included some scenes with the much talked about Goblin police but in my opinion, not enough. Like several of the book's other stories once their time finally arrives it seems to be hurried and glossed over very quickly.
In the end, this story was another merely OK story for me. The transgression of Wayne Sherman didn't seem to warrant the reaction it got. And with the story being so short it just felt rushed and unfinished to me.
Welcome / Make Yourself At Home
Tom is a delivery driver asked to make one last delivery for the night to the town of Goblin 70 miles away. He is given specific instructions to make the delivery between 12:00 and 12:30 am. If there is no one there to collect the delivery or if he is late. He is to destroy the contents.
This short two-parter might have been my favorite of the stories. It was dark, creepy, and immediately got me curious about the package. What was it? Why did it have to be delivered at that specific time? Who was waiting for it? Was something going to happen with it before being delivered? What would happen when it was delivered? This simple prop of a mysterious box had me more interested than most of the other longer stories in the book.
Overall Reaction
My overall reaction to this book is, it was OK. There were stories that I liked. Stories that I did not like at all, and stories that I thought were just OK. There were stories I really wanted to like more than I did. I get excited when I see a horror story about magicians. I have always felt a Zoo to be a great and underutilized setting for a horror story/book. But unfortunately, I found both of those stories to be underwhelming in this case.
Instead of being about what was actually happening much of this book was flashbacks and often the flashbacks felt more like bland filler than anything that helped move the story along. Like homework you had to do before you were given more of the actual story. I enjoyed the bits of lore that were given about Goblin and I really wish they were delved into more. Examples would be more about the police and the mayor.
This is a book I would not recommend for someone looking for a scary or disturbing horror novel. But I'm not saying don't read it either. Some of my gripes can be put down to personal preference and if this looks like the type of book you like, give it a shot.
jenniferlwatson's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
manwithanagenda's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
A collection of sparsely linked stories and novellas that ostensibly tell a larger story. Eh. Not really. Josh Malerman has some good ideas and some great imagery pulled from decades of horror media that he has crafted into something unique. It is not very good, but it is unique.
I will read other books in the future from him, but your mileage may vary when it comes to 'Goblin'.
I will read other books in the future from him, but your mileage may vary when it comes to 'Goblin'.
karadavis1990's review against another edition
Killed a dog unnecessarily. Not for me
breadandmushrooms's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
esdeecarlson's review against another edition
3.0
**This book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.**
3 stars
This is a beautifully interwoven short story cycle, or composite novel. It’s delightful as a reader to see touches from other stories make an appearance, or finally reveal their true natures, in whatever story you’re currently reading.
On that note, the town of Goblin, in which all the stories are set and which by its very looming presence ties all of the stories together, is the real shining star of the book. All of the details and oddities that make Goblin such a unique town are utterly bizarre in the best possible way. I was charmed by this town, with its elaborate topiary statues and oddly-named streets and ghoulish police officers and haunted woods, and I would love to spend more time there.
Where the stories fall short for me has to do with the writing style. Most of the stories are primarily told in long flashbacks, and the characters spend most of their time either reflecting on their pasts or finding as many ways to articulate their singular driving force as possible. I would have highly preferred the stories if the fat was trimmed. The subtitle for this book reads “A Novel in Six Novellas,” and I think therein the problem lies: it should have been a novel in six short stories. Each of them felt just a little too long, to the point where I wanted to say “We get it!” two-thirds of the way through each narrative. It’s obvious Malerman loves a good build-up to a reveal, but the reveals are so obvious, each character’s foil so evident, that the atmospheric build-up falls flat, deflated.
What the book really lacks is a sense of humor. There are moments when characters are reflecting about the oddities of Goblin, particularly when they’re glowing with pride about their strange and spooky little town, that the narrative really comes into itself. However, far too often Malerman veers into taking it all far too seriously, indulging in an atmosphere of stale mystery. It feels as though he’s pushing to emulate Stephen King’s Derry or Castle Rock, when Goblin is crying out for a tone more along the lines of what you’d find in R.L. Stine.
There’s a lot here to enjoy, and I certainly had a fun time with this book. Any horror fan will certainly feel they got their money’s worth. It just needed a few tweaks, and a tonal shift, to be really spectacular.
3 stars
This is a beautifully interwoven short story cycle, or composite novel. It’s delightful as a reader to see touches from other stories make an appearance, or finally reveal their true natures, in whatever story you’re currently reading.
On that note, the town of Goblin, in which all the stories are set and which by its very looming presence ties all of the stories together, is the real shining star of the book. All of the details and oddities that make Goblin such a unique town are utterly bizarre in the best possible way. I was charmed by this town, with its elaborate topiary statues and oddly-named streets and ghoulish police officers and haunted woods, and I would love to spend more time there.
Where the stories fall short for me has to do with the writing style. Most of the stories are primarily told in long flashbacks, and the characters spend most of their time either reflecting on their pasts or finding as many ways to articulate their singular driving force as possible. I would have highly preferred the stories if the fat was trimmed. The subtitle for this book reads “A Novel in Six Novellas,” and I think therein the problem lies: it should have been a novel in six short stories. Each of them felt just a little too long, to the point where I wanted to say “We get it!” two-thirds of the way through each narrative. It’s obvious Malerman loves a good build-up to a reveal, but the reveals are so obvious, each character’s foil so evident, that the atmospheric build-up falls flat, deflated.
What the book really lacks is a sense of humor. There are moments when characters are reflecting about the oddities of Goblin, particularly when they’re glowing with pride about their strange and spooky little town, that the narrative really comes into itself. However, far too often Malerman veers into taking it all far too seriously, indulging in an atmosphere of stale mystery. It feels as though he’s pushing to emulate Stephen King’s Derry or Castle Rock, when Goblin is crying out for a tone more along the lines of what you’d find in R.L. Stine.
There’s a lot here to enjoy, and I certainly had a fun time with this book. Any horror fan will certainly feel they got their money’s worth. It just needed a few tweaks, and a tonal shift, to be really spectacular.
dad_bro_39's review against another edition
dark
slow-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
3.0
hannahsnoww's review against another edition
2.0
This book was not for me! I liked the idea of it, 6 different short stories about a town named Goblin, but I felt myself skimming a lot. I felt like I was forcing myself to finish this book. Literally towards the end I was just flipping the pages.
The only parts I liked of this book was the prologue, the story of the maze, and the history of the town. I wanted to know more about the North Woods and the witch! But I was given little. None of the stories were really creepy and most of the characters were annoying. I’ve had this on my shelf for a while and it’s great I’ve finally read it.
The only parts I liked of this book was the prologue, the story of the maze, and the history of the town. I wanted to know more about the North Woods and the witch! But I was given little. None of the stories were really creepy and most of the characters were annoying. I’ve had this on my shelf for a while and it’s great I’ve finally read it.