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the_weirdling's review
4.0
A creepy and excellent start of a longer work that’s been serialized. Because it’s only the first part, the ending leaves you hanging... but also wanting for more. I will be reading on with this series.
kleeble's review
1.0
DNF at 50%. Interesting premise ruined by poor writing and cliches.
The whole high school plot line made me feel like I was reading Twilight. I think this paragraph says it all:
"Sarah was definitely NOT that kind of girl. She was a strict under-the-radar flyer. She wasn't always wearing makeup. Her hair wasn't always done, her clothes not the latest fashion. She was rarely photographed, even by herself, and she had few friends interested in snapping selfies with her."
This is in contrast to descriptions of the cheerleader/popular girl.
Additionally, a woman in the book who is strong willed and opinionated is basically described as a harpy.
John Taff needs to take off his fedora and take a class on writing women/writing in general.
The whole high school plot line made me feel like I was reading Twilight. I think this paragraph says it all:
"Sarah was definitely NOT that kind of girl. She was a strict under-the-radar flyer. She wasn't always wearing makeup. Her hair wasn't always done, her clothes not the latest fashion. She was rarely photographed, even by herself, and she had few friends interested in snapping selfies with her."
This is in contrast to descriptions of the cheerleader/popular girl.
Additionally, a woman in the book who is strong willed and opinionated is basically described as a harpy.
John Taff needs to take off his fedora and take a class on writing women/writing in general.
johnlynchbooks's review
5.0
The Horror event of 2019 officially kicked off in July, with the release of The Fearing Book One: Fire & Rain. John F.D. Taff has unleashed part one of an apocalyptic serial novel that will have readers enthralled until the final page.
With book one, Taff introduces us to a handful of well-written characters. We witness the onset of the apocalypse through the eyes of a trio of teenagers, a group of elderly people on a bus to Phoenix, and a man named Adam who is somehow central to these events. There is no one event that signals the end, rather a multitude of cataclysmic events seemingly playing off of different fears. The book itself is beautifully written, with Taff skillfully weaving together scenes of destruction and death that will burn themselves into your retinas, becoming imprinted into your mind. Due to the serialized nature of the book, it starts off fast and never lets up. You could easily read this in one sitting, and trust me, you’re going to want to. Taff ends Book one of The Fearing with a bang, leaving the reader eagerly anticipating book 2.
With book one of The Fearing, John F.D. Taff is on track to have horror novel of the year nominations thrown his way. If the writing on display in the pages of book one is any indication, there’s no reason to believe we shouldn’t expect anything but greatness from the rest of the serialization. Taff puts on a masterclass of both apocalyptic fiction and serial novelization. Bring on Book Two.
5/5 stars
Review originally posted on The Night Worms Blog
With book one, Taff introduces us to a handful of well-written characters. We witness the onset of the apocalypse through the eyes of a trio of teenagers, a group of elderly people on a bus to Phoenix, and a man named Adam who is somehow central to these events. There is no one event that signals the end, rather a multitude of cataclysmic events seemingly playing off of different fears. The book itself is beautifully written, with Taff skillfully weaving together scenes of destruction and death that will burn themselves into your retinas, becoming imprinted into your mind. Due to the serialized nature of the book, it starts off fast and never lets up. You could easily read this in one sitting, and trust me, you’re going to want to. Taff ends Book one of The Fearing with a bang, leaving the reader eagerly anticipating book 2.
With book one of The Fearing, John F.D. Taff is on track to have horror novel of the year nominations thrown his way. If the writing on display in the pages of book one is any indication, there’s no reason to believe we shouldn’t expect anything but greatness from the rest of the serialization. Taff puts on a masterclass of both apocalyptic fiction and serial novelization. Bring on Book Two.
5/5 stars
Review originally posted on The Night Worms Blog
jo_in_bookland's review
4.0
This dark, catastrophy-filled series is off to a fantastic start!
This is my first time reading something by Mr. Taff and I'm really enjoying his writing.
I'd be zooming through the 4 books but I'm buddy reading other things this month. So, I'll have to take my time with these. I really don't mind though as I get to savour them.
I might adjust my rating when I'm done with the series and I have the complete picture. I doubt my rating will go down though as this is a compelling story.
This is my first time reading something by Mr. Taff and I'm really enjoying his writing.
I'd be zooming through the 4 books but I'm buddy reading other things this month. So, I'll have to take my time with these. I really don't mind though as I get to savour them.
I might adjust my rating when I'm done with the series and I have the complete picture. I doubt my rating will go down though as this is a compelling story.
jo_in_bookland's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I've got mixed feelings about the series.
I really liked the writing and got to care for many of the characters. This last book got really dark in some parts and brought more heartbreak.
I was trying to think about what it is that didn't make me love it.
The author mentions having to shorten the story. I think it would have been better if it had been longer as I wanted to get to know some of the characters better and feel their journey and their pain more.
All in all though, this series was very enjoyable and I'll definitely be checking more works by this author.
I've got mixed feelings about the series.
I really liked the writing and got to care for many of the characters. This last book got really dark in some parts and brought more heartbreak.
I was trying to think about what it is that didn't make me love it.
The author mentions having to shorten the story. I think it would have been better if it had been longer as I wanted to get to know some of the characters better and feel their journey and their pain more.
All in all though, this series was very enjoyable and I'll definitely be checking more works by this author.
jo_in_bookland's review against another edition
4.0
Curiouser and curiouser!
The strange happenings continue and it's quite a ride. The ending of Book 2 broke my heart...
The strange happenings continue and it's quite a ride. The ending of Book 2 broke my heart...
jo_in_bookland's review against another edition
4.0
This third book gets pretty intense. It will be interesting to see how this ends.
rock_n_reads's review
5.0
I had the pleasure of meeting John F.D. Taff at this year's StokerCon, where he was generously gifting copies to readers. I was so excited to read this, especially after hearing all the buzz from other attendees, telling me all about his wonderful writing skill. This story did not disappoint.
From the first chapter, I was drawn in, and the adventure never let up. I'll be honest in sharing that apocalyptic horror is typically lower on my list than other sub-genres, but this series has me re-thinking what I might add to my TBR in the future. There were several things I loved about this book. One was the characters- there were several that I felt a connection with, and I look forward to seeing how they fare in later books in this series. Another aspect of the story that got me was the dread that I felt early on and throughout the entire story. In several spots, it felt like my heart was pounding along with the characters. The fact that some of the catastrophic events could truly occur really left me shook.
I am eagerly awaiting Book Two of this series, and am planning to order a stack of Taff's other work as soon as possible. Can't wait to read more from the "King of Pain"!
From the first chapter, I was drawn in, and the adventure never let up. I'll be honest in sharing that apocalyptic horror is typically lower on my list than other sub-genres, but this series has me re-thinking what I might add to my TBR in the future. There were several things I loved about this book. One was the characters- there were several that I felt a connection with, and I look forward to seeing how they fare in later books in this series. Another aspect of the story that got me was the dread that I felt early on and throughout the entire story. In several spots, it felt like my heart was pounding along with the characters. The fact that some of the catastrophic events could truly occur really left me shook.
I am eagerly awaiting Book Two of this series, and am planning to order a stack of Taff's other work as soon as possible. Can't wait to read more from the "King of Pain"!
mslestat's review
5.0
What scares you? It would be best for all of us if you come to terms with it now.
This is a deliciously clever and sinister first installment in Taff’s new series where we meet the characters we’ll be joining on this journey. Their greatest fears are becoming reality. What does that mean for the rest of us and what is behind it all?
I can’t wait to find out.
Five solid stars for a novella that feels like the beginning of something unforgettable.
This is a deliciously clever and sinister first installment in Taff’s new series where we meet the characters we’ll be joining on this journey. Their greatest fears are becoming reality. What does that mean for the rest of us and what is behind it all?
I can’t wait to find out.
Five solid stars for a novella that feels like the beginning of something unforgettable.
jamessabata's review
5.0
Ever since I was a little boy, I’ve believed that Hell is completely individualized to each soul unfortunate enough to go there…. John FD Taff may have just proven me correct.
The Fearing is John FD Taff’s new serialized novel and I’m loving the concept. I remember when Stephen King serialized with The Green Mile and at that point, I wondered why more authors didn’t do this… well, it’s been 23 years since then and I still wonder why more authors don’t serialize novels. In this crazy busy world, these short snippets of novels are far easier for the average reader to talk themselves into than a 150,000 word book. Who can resist a book of less than 100 pages?
And The Fearing jumps right in.
You know that feeling you have when you hit the big reveal in a book and you instantly go, “Holy shit!”? Yeah, that happens in the first chapter of this book.
The weird thing is that even though it happens only a few pages into this book, it’s so good, I’m not going to tell you anything more about it, because I want you to have the wind knocked out of your chest when you read it the same way I did.
I’ve already said too much about that.
Let’s get back to what Taff accomplished in the first volume of THE FEARING. The book follows three different people/groups of people. One is a group of high school kids, following a natural disaster. Another group are on a bus when a different type of natural disaster hits. The other is our (so far anyway) main antagonist. There are ten chapters and it cycles through the three groups, telling their stories.
What I loved most about this first volume is the pacing. It’s nonstop. Like I said, we start with a pretty big twist almost immediately and it never lets go after that. As the fears build, the pacing gets even tighter. There’s one chapter that feels much longer than the others and the pacing slows a tad… but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that doing so completely reflects what the characters in that scene are going through. Now I love it even more. That scene is additionally the beginning of the merging of the realistic and not… which makes it even better. I love the order in which the fears build and manifest. I adore the mix of very real world and very not. Taff’s plot construction builds to world destruction like no other. As it builds toward the dreaded words, “To Be Continued…”, the story speeds directly at the wall with a feverish step until all hell breaks loose and we’re left desperately begging for the next volume.
What Taff does best -- in this book and any other -- is to take really well constructed characters and kick the living shit out of them for the rest of the story. The King of Pain reigns supreme… but The Fearing may actually have exceeded the nickname bestowed upon him.
The Fearing is John FD Taff’s new serialized novel and I’m loving the concept. I remember when Stephen King serialized with The Green Mile and at that point, I wondered why more authors didn’t do this… well, it’s been 23 years since then and I still wonder why more authors don’t serialize novels. In this crazy busy world, these short snippets of novels are far easier for the average reader to talk themselves into than a 150,000 word book. Who can resist a book of less than 100 pages?
And The Fearing jumps right in.
You know that feeling you have when you hit the big reveal in a book and you instantly go, “Holy shit!”? Yeah, that happens in the first chapter of this book.
The weird thing is that even though it happens only a few pages into this book, it’s so good, I’m not going to tell you anything more about it, because I want you to have the wind knocked out of your chest when you read it the same way I did.
I’ve already said too much about that.
Let’s get back to what Taff accomplished in the first volume of THE FEARING. The book follows three different people/groups of people. One is a group of high school kids, following a natural disaster. Another group are on a bus when a different type of natural disaster hits. The other is our (so far anyway) main antagonist. There are ten chapters and it cycles through the three groups, telling their stories.
What I loved most about this first volume is the pacing. It’s nonstop. Like I said, we start with a pretty big twist almost immediately and it never lets go after that. As the fears build, the pacing gets even tighter. There’s one chapter that feels much longer than the others and the pacing slows a tad… but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that doing so completely reflects what the characters in that scene are going through. Now I love it even more. That scene is additionally the beginning of the merging of the realistic and not… which makes it even better. I love the order in which the fears build and manifest. I adore the mix of very real world and very not. Taff’s plot construction builds to world destruction like no other. As it builds toward the dreaded words, “To Be Continued…”, the story speeds directly at the wall with a feverish step until all hell breaks loose and we’re left desperately begging for the next volume.
What Taff does best -- in this book and any other -- is to take really well constructed characters and kick the living shit out of them for the rest of the story. The King of Pain reigns supreme… but The Fearing may actually have exceeded the nickname bestowed upon him.