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A review by kimwritesstuff
I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones
dark
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
4.0
Stephen Graham Jones might be my favorite horror writer. If you liked the Indian Lake trilogy or Cabin in the Woods, you'll like this book. This book doesn't just fill you with dread as you follow Tolly as he reluctantly carves through Lamesa, but also anger.
Tolly is cursed to be a slasher, but he's also motivated by a serious wrong done to him by his classmates. I know, I know, it's framed as an accident like most slashers are (think Jason's origin story in Friday the 13th). You see Tolly is deathly allergic to peanuts and at a high school party a drunk Tolly makes a fool of himself. In the process of being a fool, he jumps in the pool and splashes popular girl Mel as she's flirting with an older college guy. An enraged Mel rallies her marching band friends and ties Tolly down to a patio lounger while also force-feeding Tolly a drink that has peanuts in it. And thus Tolly's origin story is created and from here he's destined to get his revenge.
This story is told through an autobiography lens, Tolly is in his 30s looking back on the events that took place 17 years ago in Lamesa. He never tries to excuse his actions, but instead tries to explain what happened and what drove him to massacre 6 people in small town Texas. Let's be clear, this book lives in the grey, none of the characters (except Amber, Amber is a gem oh, and Tolly's mom and probably Justin) are blameless. Not that they deserve to die, but they aren't clean either. They're guilty of their own sins and now are being punished.
I love how this book outlines a good slasher and the rules that have to be followed. Tolly is incredibly ordinary as a teenager, but as a slasher, he's deadly for no reason other than revenge. Hit him with a car and he'll get back up. There were two things I didn't love and kept it from being a 5-star review. The first is the chapter style; I wish some of the flashbacks had been broken out more instead of the large chapter format. The second is Tolly's mask, I get the reason for the belts and the symbolism is nice, but I just kept picturing Jim Carrey with tape around his face. And the nickname Strappy? Awful. Just nope.
If you like a good slasher flick and a quick horror read, this book is for you!
Thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press for the ARC; all opinions are my own.
Tolly is cursed to be a slasher, but he's also motivated by a serious wrong done to him by his classmates. I know, I know, it's framed as an accident like most slashers are (think Jason's origin story in Friday the 13th). You see Tolly is deathly allergic to peanuts and at a high school party a drunk Tolly makes a fool of himself. In the process of being a fool, he jumps in the pool and splashes popular girl Mel as she's flirting with an older college guy. An enraged Mel rallies her marching band friends and ties Tolly down to a patio lounger while also force-feeding Tolly a drink that has peanuts in it. And thus Tolly's origin story is created and from here he's destined to get his revenge.
This story is told through an autobiography lens, Tolly is in his 30s looking back on the events that took place 17 years ago in Lamesa. He never tries to excuse his actions, but instead tries to explain what happened and what drove him to massacre 6 people in small town Texas. Let's be clear, this book lives in the grey, none of the characters (except Amber, Amber is a gem oh, and Tolly's mom and probably Justin) are blameless. Not that they deserve to die, but they aren't clean either. They're guilty of their own sins and now are being punished.
I love how this book outlines a good slasher and the rules that have to be followed. Tolly is incredibly ordinary as a teenager, but as a slasher, he's deadly for no reason other than revenge. Hit him with a car and he'll get back up. There were two things I didn't love and kept it from being a 5-star review. The first is the chapter style; I wish some of the flashbacks had been broken out more instead of the large chapter format. The second is Tolly's mask, I get the reason for the belts and the symbolism is nice, but I just kept picturing Jim Carrey with tape around his face. And the nickname Strappy? Awful. Just nope.
If you like a good slasher flick and a quick horror read, this book is for you!
Thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press for the ARC; all opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Gore, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Death of parent