Reviews with content warning for Murder - Don't Fear the Reaper

This is a stunning follow-up to Chainsaw, serving as the slasher literature’s equivalent of the premier slasher film sequel (which, to be clear, is Scream 2, no contest). I was expecting it to be a 5-star follow-up, and it was. The writing is strong, the flow is fun (SGJ pulls off the ping-ponging perspectives like a champ), the audio cast is stellar. While the first book is patterned after the classic slasher, slow to ramp up and then all at once, this is patterned after the traditional slasher sequel: gorier, jumping straight into the action with a quicker, more persistently relentless pace. This book deals with cycles—cycles of trauma and of brutality, cycles of nature, of the beginning and the ending and starting again, emphasized by the slasher cycle and the murder cycles

of Dark Mill South

. Rebirth, and the connections forged in its fire, in friendship, in family; lineage in the wake of colonization and gentrification, and the lineage of the final girl; finding yourself again after rejecting who you are in order to survive. Getting more of Proofrock’s history was a delight, and the town is as much of a character here as anyone.

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sexytinatrainconductress's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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jcbkr's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-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? No

5.0

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elizabethtrue's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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thewordn3rd's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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hauntedantiqueshop's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Not what I would have imagined a sequel to My Heart is a Chainsaw would be. There was too much happening at once. I’ll still read the next book to finish the trilogy but this one was a disappointment for me.

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mnboyer's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Absolutely love the dark twists and turns this novel, set on the rez, took. SGJ is a wonderful horror writer, it is just a bonus that his content is Indigenous!

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elysianbud's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

"...many sequels have surpassed their original!"
"Name one!"

The answer: 'Don't Fear the Reaper'.

He's only gone and Terminator 2/Aliens/The Godfather Part 2'd us. One has to wonder if Stephen Graham Jones did this on purpose--the ultimate meta callback to Scream 2's classroom scene about sequels, because this sequel is better than the original.

Yet another incredibly fun ode to slashers, in my opinion, 'Don't Fear the Reaper' far exceeds its predecessor. I found the plot easier to follow, the characters more alive (until they're dead), and overall more entertaining.

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