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A review by plagued_by_visions
Cry of the Cat by R.L. Stine
4.0
I grew up gawking at the Goosebumps covers lining my school library in fear and morbid curiosity, but never mustered up enough courage to actually read one of them. Now, some 18 years later, I’ve finally read my first RL Stine, Cry of the Cat, and I’ve been more than pleasantly surprised.
One thing I got from Stine is that he is engaged in constant banter and strikes up rapport with readers of any age. There’s an intentional humor and gentleness to a lot of his prose, and an overall coziness and (for me) nostalgia to the way his books are written. This is undoubtedly the world of sandwich bags, school plays, and frivolity, and rather than attempt to make any broader claims or condemnations about childhood, Stine lets us simply revel in that adventurousness and vulnerability of it all. He’s an author you can laugh WITH (and AT, maybe, at some points, but all in good fun), and his use of false lead-ups and gross-out hijinks was quite endearing (though once or twice eye-rolling). And when it comes to the shocks—this was nonstop thrills! Stine is of the philosophy of throwing everything at a wall and seeing what sticks, and while, admittedly, quite a few things flop down lifelessly to the floor, there’s plenty in here to love, and some genuinely unsettling and daring horrors (I was surprised by some moments where he did not hold back when I thought he would). Yes, the characters are paper-thin and some action leading into the climax was more puzzling than scary, but overall, this is everything it promises to be, and although Stine is writing for a younger audience, some tastes of his style even ring with a sense of Gothic allure and tragedy, which was quite surprising. Still, I would describe RL Stine as unabashedly an author for kids, and it’s actually quite refreshing to see someone write this way, with zero hangups.
Overall, the experience was bittersweet, because now I find myself regretting never having opened one of these books when I was at the prime age to consume them. Thankfully, however, Stine’s writing really assured me that it’s never too late!
One thing I got from Stine is that he is engaged in constant banter and strikes up rapport with readers of any age. There’s an intentional humor and gentleness to a lot of his prose, and an overall coziness and (for me) nostalgia to the way his books are written. This is undoubtedly the world of sandwich bags, school plays, and frivolity, and rather than attempt to make any broader claims or condemnations about childhood, Stine lets us simply revel in that adventurousness and vulnerability of it all. He’s an author you can laugh WITH (and AT, maybe, at some points, but all in good fun), and his use of false lead-ups and gross-out hijinks was quite endearing (though once or twice eye-rolling). And when it comes to the shocks—this was nonstop thrills! Stine is of the philosophy of throwing everything at a wall and seeing what sticks, and while, admittedly, quite a few things flop down lifelessly to the floor, there’s plenty in here to love, and some genuinely unsettling and daring horrors (I was surprised by some moments where he did not hold back when I thought he would). Yes, the characters are paper-thin and some action leading into the climax was more puzzling than scary, but overall, this is everything it promises to be, and although Stine is writing for a younger audience, some tastes of his style even ring with a sense of Gothic allure and tragedy, which was quite surprising. Still, I would describe RL Stine as unabashedly an author for kids, and it’s actually quite refreshing to see someone write this way, with zero hangups.
Overall, the experience was bittersweet, because now I find myself regretting never having opened one of these books when I was at the prime age to consume them. Thankfully, however, Stine’s writing really assured me that it’s never too late!