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A review by ruminations_reverie
Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones
4.0
If there are three things SGJ loves to write about they are Slashers, Final Girls, and Basketball.
Let's follow up on what I loved so much about the first novel and compare this sequel:
- The writing - Still superb
- Tone - This was greatly improved as it no longer felt so "young" comparatively
- The spunky character - Jade is back...it took her a while to find herself again, but she's back all the same and better than ever
- The slasher knowledge - Somehow it is amped up even further passed a scholarly level
- Pacing - I didn't love the pacing in the first novel as there was a lot of setup, but that is all irrelevant in this sequel and it reads at a pulse pounding speed without losing any of the atmosphere
Where I feel this book lost a little bit of its hold over me is in the sheer unbelievability of some of the elements. In the first novel, they play on Jade's mental stability calling into question the narrative and its reliability. However, in this novel it was just a little over the top. I am all for those gag kill scenes from the horror classics, but there are other moments where I really struggled to stay in it.
I have read quite a few novels from Jones and, while this sequel may not be as good as the original in some ways, in others it really kicked it into overdrive. For fans of the first novel, it is definitely worth continuing on. For those who have struggled with SGJ's writing style or didn't quite enjoy the first novel, I think you are safe to skip this one as it is definitely in the same vein as his other works. Still gets a big recommendation from me.
Let's follow up on what I loved so much about the first novel and compare this sequel:
- The writing - Still superb
- Tone - This was greatly improved as it no longer felt so "young" comparatively
- The spunky character - Jade is back...it took her a while to find herself again, but she's back all the same and better than ever
- The slasher knowledge - Somehow it is amped up even further passed a scholarly level
- Pacing - I didn't love the pacing in the first novel as there was a lot of setup, but that is all irrelevant in this sequel and it reads at a pulse pounding speed without losing any of the atmosphere
Where I feel this book lost a little bit of its hold over me is in the sheer unbelievability of some of the elements. In the first novel, they play on Jade's mental stability calling into question the narrative and its reliability. However, in this novel it was just a little over the top. I am all for those gag kill scenes from the horror classics, but there are other moments where I really struggled to stay in it.
I have read quite a few novels from Jones and, while this sequel may not be as good as the original in some ways, in others it really kicked it into overdrive. For fans of the first novel, it is definitely worth continuing on. For those who have struggled with SGJ's writing style or didn't quite enjoy the first novel, I think you are safe to skip this one as it is definitely in the same vein as his other works. Still gets a big recommendation from me.