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shaylierae's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.0
cinemazombie's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent horror novel
Scott Thomas weaves a tale that grabs you by the wrist and pulls you slowly but surely into a dark damp basement of fear. Tough to put down, worth every minute of late night reading. One of the best books I've read in recent history.
Scott Thomas weaves a tale that grabs you by the wrist and pulls you slowly but surely into a dark damp basement of fear. Tough to put down, worth every minute of late night reading. One of the best books I've read in recent history.
anredman's review against another edition
3.0
I dithered for a while between a two and three star rating. Three because it's well written and ambitious for a first novel. The basis and power source (so to speak) for the entity of the haunted house was nice change from the expected. There was gore and suffering and character growth.
However, women were poorly conceived of and written. One was fridged halfway through. A wife and ex-wife were passive observers in the brief appearances they made. The female lead was brash to the point of being unsympathetic. A typical straight white dude in his late thirties was the de facto group leader, because of course he was. And the ending was all one man's power to save his life, destroy the house, kill the baddie, save the girl. Really frustrating way to end a 400+ page novel.
Despite being able to pick out what I don't like more clearly than what I do like, I genuinely look forward to more work from this author. With more seasoning he'll hopefully come off as less arrogant in his writing. I believe well balanced, horrific, thoughtful, epic novels are in this dude's midrange future.
However, women were poorly conceived of and written. One was fridged halfway through. A wife and ex-wife were passive observers in the brief appearances they made. The female lead was brash to the point of being unsympathetic. A typical straight white dude in his late thirties was the de facto group leader, because of course he was. And the ending was all one man's power to save his life, destroy the house, kill the baddie, save the girl. Really frustrating way to end a 400+ page novel.
Despite being able to pick out what I don't like more clearly than what I do like, I genuinely look forward to more work from this author. With more seasoning he'll hopefully come off as less arrogant in his writing. I believe well balanced, horrific, thoughtful, epic novels are in this dude's midrange future.
heidikundin's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 Stars
It has been quite awhile since I've read a book that does haunted houses right, and Kill Creek was a fantastic ride! The premise, which starts out sounding beyond cliche (four horror writers are asked to spend Halloween night in one of "America's Most Haunted Houses"), quickly becomes a darkly atmospheric and character-driven story of fear, sanity, and survival. Very well done!
It's hard to believe that this is Scott Thomas's first novel, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he delivers next!
It has been quite awhile since I've read a book that does haunted houses right, and Kill Creek was a fantastic ride! The premise, which starts out sounding beyond cliche (four horror writers are asked to spend Halloween night in one of "America's Most Haunted Houses"), quickly becomes a darkly atmospheric and character-driven story of fear, sanity, and survival. Very well done!
It's hard to believe that this is Scott Thomas's first novel, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he delivers next!
kelcaro1's review against another edition
4.0
It was a really good books. The plot was engaging and you could actually feel the tension. However, I had an issue with some of the characterizations and I felt like the epilogue was a stupid addition that really did nothing but kind of kick suspension of disbelief out the window. I would read the book and just skip the final epilogue.
thriller_buffet's review against another edition
3.0
Some crazy amazing shit happened in this book and it was SO good!
I knew something sinister will happen in the end and it did! The writing style is beautiful.. reminded me of Stephen King’s style.
I loved how it reminded me of “The Shining” but also had its unique horrifying events. Well done!
I knew something sinister will happen in the end and it did! The writing style is beautiful.. reminded me of Stephen King’s style.
I loved how it reminded me of “The Shining” but also had its unique horrifying events. Well done!
zanalex's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
mbpartlow's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the way this book provided a definition of "gothic horror" early on, in a classroom setting, then proceeded to become one. I really liked it. Just twisty enough. Very satisfying ending for me, but I'm aware others might not feel the same way.
Gets into some twisty thoughts about the origin of a particular haunted house.
Will read more by this author. Loved the four fictional authors he brought together to explore the haunted house. I will not claim that the disposition of every single character was satisfying, but the ending was.
Gets into some twisty thoughts about the origin of a particular haunted house.
Will read more by this author. Loved the four fictional authors he brought together to explore the haunted house. I will not claim that the disposition of every single character was satisfying, but the ending was.
slerner's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
pilot_wave's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5