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A review by bc_dittemore
Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones
3.0
Looks like I might be in the minority here…
The two things that made Chainsaw great was it deconstruction of the horror and slasher genres and Jade Daniel’s POV. I understand Jones probably didn’t want to rehash the structure and basic story of Chainsaw, but what is a slasher sequel if not just that? Horror sequels are notoriously unwarranted and uninspired, produced to cash in on what made the first successful or beloved. So I’m surprised that Jones, who is clearly well-versed in the formula, veers away from it.
Now, if his devotion to the formula goes so far as to intentionally make a messy sequel, Jones has succeeded. It is messy. It is convoluted. It is trying too hard to be clever. And the multiple POV’s? It tracks if this is a film. But as a novel…? We fell in love (or maybe love to hate) with Jade, and her character is too compelling for her to not be allowed to hold the majority of the book. She has such a good arc but it is buried beneath so many other storylines and cryptic passages that her “enlightenment” feels ill-gotten.
Now, there is some really great writing here. The “Big Showdown” is an amazing, amazing set piece, and I literally could not put the book down through that whole section. Some beautiful prose in places. And setting it during a snowstorm is a nice touch; Jones really drives the cold of Proofrock into your bones. But at the end of the day there are too many warring components. Jones clearly loves horror, loves slashers, loves film. He clearly loves writing and seeing how to make these loves mesh and dance with each other. And I love that about him. Unfortunately with Reaper, it doesn’t quite work.
I’ll be here for the third book because I adore Jade and I appreciate Jones’ abilities. And before I read the third one, I’ll read Chainsaw and Reaper again. I appreciated Chainsaw even more on a second read. So, who knows? Jones is the type of writer who deserves the extra effort, and maybe next time around I’ll see Reaper in a different light.
The two things that made Chainsaw great was it deconstruction of the horror and slasher genres and Jade Daniel’s POV. I understand Jones probably didn’t want to rehash the structure and basic story of Chainsaw, but what is a slasher sequel if not just that? Horror sequels are notoriously unwarranted and uninspired, produced to cash in on what made the first successful or beloved. So I’m surprised that Jones, who is clearly well-versed in the formula, veers away from it.
Now, if his devotion to the formula goes so far as to intentionally make a messy sequel, Jones has succeeded. It is messy. It is convoluted. It is trying too hard to be clever. And the multiple POV’s? It tracks if this is a film. But as a novel…? We fell in love (or maybe love to hate) with Jade, and her character is too compelling for her to not be allowed to hold the majority of the book. She has such a good arc but it is buried beneath so many other storylines and cryptic passages that her “enlightenment” feels ill-gotten.
Now, there is some really great writing here. The “Big Showdown” is an amazing, amazing set piece, and I literally could not put the book down through that whole section. Some beautiful prose in places. And setting it during a snowstorm is a nice touch; Jones really drives the cold of Proofrock into your bones. But at the end of the day there are too many warring components. Jones clearly loves horror, loves slashers, loves film. He clearly loves writing and seeing how to make these loves mesh and dance with each other. And I love that about him. Unfortunately with Reaper, it doesn’t quite work.
I’ll be here for the third book because I adore Jade and I appreciate Jones’ abilities. And before I read the third one, I’ll read Chainsaw and Reaper again. I appreciated Chainsaw even more on a second read. So, who knows? Jones is the type of writer who deserves the extra effort, and maybe next time around I’ll see Reaper in a different light.