Scan barcode
A review by mlc_1316
The Fearing: Book One - Fire and Rain by John F.D. Taff
5.0
I have to say I’m pretty new to horror that’s published outside of the Big 5. I've read King, Hill, Koontz, and Rice, as well as the classics by Lovecraft, Jackson, and Poe. When a librarian friend and I attended StokerCon this past May for Librarian’s Day a whole new world, or underworld one might say, was opened to me.
I was lucky enough to have met John F. D. Taff who was signing and giving away copies of The Fearing Book One – Fire and Rain. My friend gushed over his collection, Little Black Spots, on the drive up, so I decided to move this up my TBR pile.
The book begins with Adam, who is absolutely terrified of everything. He stays locked in his apartment, imaging all the horrible things that may happen to him if he ventures out, except for the necessities he needs to live. One day he takes a trip to the near-by diner and makes a startling discovery about himself. In Missouri, disaster strikes a high school, leaving a trio of teens to fight their way back to town. In the desert, a group of retirees are trying to make their way home to Phoenix when disaster strikes and have to flee imminent danger.
Taff expertly seizes hold of you and never really lets go. He deftly handles and balances all three narratives in the story, keeping you engaged and connected with the characters. I felt I got to know all of them in equal parts. I consumed it over the course of a few days because of work and life stuff, but could easily be read in one sitting.
I also loved his evocative prose: "The actual meter lay a few feet away, dented, broken open, spilling drops of its own glittering, silver blood across the pavement." That description really struck me when I read it.
In blurbs and praise for his previous works I kept seeing John F. D. Taft referred to as the King of Pain. I quietly wondered how he got that title. Now I know why. Damn. The scene where the trio of teens make that discovery was absolutely brutal to read. And that cliffhanger of an ending left me counting the minutes until Book 2 is published later this month.
I'm definitely going to request this title and series be added to our library's collection and begin recommending this series to library users who enjoy apocalyptic fiction.
The King of Pain. Long may he reign!
5/5 dark stars
I was lucky enough to have met John F. D. Taff who was signing and giving away copies of The Fearing Book One – Fire and Rain. My friend gushed over his collection, Little Black Spots, on the drive up, so I decided to move this up my TBR pile.
The book begins with Adam, who is absolutely terrified of everything. He stays locked in his apartment, imaging all the horrible things that may happen to him if he ventures out, except for the necessities he needs to live. One day he takes a trip to the near-by diner and makes a startling discovery about himself. In Missouri, disaster strikes a high school, leaving a trio of teens to fight their way back to town. In the desert, a group of retirees are trying to make their way home to Phoenix when disaster strikes and have to flee imminent danger.
Taff expertly seizes hold of you and never really lets go. He deftly handles and balances all three narratives in the story, keeping you engaged and connected with the characters. I felt I got to know all of them in equal parts. I consumed it over the course of a few days because of work and life stuff, but could easily be read in one sitting.
I also loved his evocative prose: "The actual meter lay a few feet away, dented, broken open, spilling drops of its own glittering, silver blood across the pavement." That description really struck me when I read it.
In blurbs and praise for his previous works I kept seeing John F. D. Taft referred to as the King of Pain. I quietly wondered how he got that title. Now I know why. Damn. The scene where the trio of teens make that discovery was absolutely brutal to read. And that cliffhanger of an ending left me counting the minutes until Book 2 is published later this month.
I'm definitely going to request this title and series be added to our library's collection and begin recommending this series to library users who enjoy apocalyptic fiction.
The King of Pain. Long may he reign!
5/5 dark stars