Reviews

Garth Marenghi's TerrorTome by Garth Marenghi

njdarkish's review against another edition

3.0

Funny, but overstays its welcome.

jayluke92's review against another edition

3.0

3.5

Audiobook is fun but some of the gags get a bit old here and there.

elegantmechanic's review

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

Predictably overstays its welcome in long form prose rather than the tighter episodic TV show but still good and very funny in places, being actually very well-written with deliberate undermining of that due to the character of Marenghi being the "author". Not in a hurry to read the next although also not a regular horror reader myself so I might not entirely be the target audience.

scottl's review

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.0

hoggnogg's review

funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

Pokes fun at horror novels by the likes of Stephen King and the tropes and cliches found in them. The book is funny at first, however I found that the humour wore a bit thin and the book itself perhaps went on a bit too long as a result. 

glenvisceration's review against another edition

5.0

Two of my favourite things in the world are shit, pulpy horrror novels and absurd humour. This combines the two in the most quotable self aware joke within a joke, within a joke type way with a healthy sprinkling of sarcastic tone. Probably wouldn't be for everyone, and the joke might wear thin for some people after the first third or two but for me it hit everything I wanted from the archduke of darkdom and I still want more, so I'm going to have to go and watch Darkplace again.

I'm going to have to make a new shelf called "Humour that feels so British, I'm surprised it has any kind of market anywhere that isn't within at least five miles of an Argos" on which this will sit somewhere between Red Dwarf and whatever it is Noel Fielding is doing these days.

joeloughney's review against another edition

dark funny fast-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? It's complicated

3.0

bookreadgirl21's review against another edition

1.0

The book stayed very truthful to the idea of being written by an inept horror writer. It's fun for 3 pages and then it get's exhausting.

A lot of similar jokes in Darkplace work because you have an excellent cast who really deliver the lines, and some of them don't act: they just tell the truth. In addition to that you had great set design and campy special effects to round everything off. If you take all that away you're just stuck with bad writing and nothing which makes it work, i.e. TerrorTome.

You're better off with just rewatching Darkplace for the gazillonth time. Trust me, I've written more reviews about books than I have read.

cpt_abbott's review

dark funny medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

shaanananaaa's review

I love Marenghi’s character but really prefer to watch/listen rather than read him. His speaking style and cadence are something that, while I can imagine them as I read along, I read much faster than allowing my brain to imagine him speaking the book and it’s throwing off my attention span. I may try to read along with the audiobook at some point.