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pulp_fiction_books's reviews
493 reviews
Little Pet Werewolf by Tom B. Stone
2.0
Firstly can I just state that the cover and title of this book are entirely misleading. Now with that done, this is your standard run of the mill werewolf story, werewolf terrorizes town (I use the term terrorize very loosely), werewolf turns out to be someone we know. Unfortunately, nothing interesting, or of note happens until really late on and it's painfully obvious what the conclusion is going to be, even from early on. This being a 'goosebumps knock-off' I can't help comparing them. The 'twist' in here is one R.L Stine has used a number of times over the course of the Goosebumps franchise and it's one I've never really been a fan of. Comparing this to Stine's werewolf stories however is night and day, every one under Stine's umbrella are far superior than this.
Playground by Aron Beauregard
2.5
'Squid Game' meets 'Saw' with children, that's the essence of this book. It was absolutely fine and serviceable but I just never really clicked with it on any engaging or meaningful level, whether that's my fault or the author's, I'm not sure. There is a scene early in this book (if you've read it, you know what I'm talking about) and it's one of, if not the most ridiculous thing I've ever read. The author's train of thought couldn't have been anything other than what's the most scandalous, extreme thing I can think of to shock people. It annoyed me so much that I nearly DNF'd and that's something that I never do. What makes it even more jarring is that upon finishing the book it sticks out like a sore thumb, it doesn't connect to the rest of the story in any way, making it even more pointless and unnecessary.
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
medium-paced
2.75
For a story written so long ago I think it definitely holds up, it's well written and engaging. I was also a big fan of the science behind the invisibility and the way it laid it out. I did feel though that it lacked any real direction or stakes, I was disappointed that it never really explored the corruption that comes such power.
There is something I need to bring up, something that took me aback in here. There were a couple of instances of casual racism. One of which was the n-word being dropped into conversation by two "upstanding" characters. The context is literally a conversation about another character looking tired and one saying to the other "he looks like he's been working like a..." I understand that this story is from the late 1800's and the debate over what should and shouldn't be acceptable from that time period is for another day but my copy was published in 1988 and it feels inexcusable that as recently as that it was still in here. . I can see an argument for a book having such language if it's used to depict how vile and disgustingly racist a character is but in here it's just so flippantly used and feels so unnecessary and could have so easily been removed. I'm not one for books being rewritten and edited, I'm actually quite against it but there is definitely exceptions that should be made.
There is something I need to bring up, something that took me aback in here. There were a couple of instances of casual racism. One of which was the n-word being dropped into conversation by two "upstanding" characters. The context is literally a conversation about another character looking tired and one saying to the other "he looks like he's been working like a..." I understand that this story is from the late 1800's and the debate over what should and shouldn't be acceptable from that time period is for another day but my copy was published in 1988 and it feels inexcusable that as recently as that it was still in here. . I can see an argument for a book having such language if it's used to depict how vile and disgustingly racist a character is but in here it's just so flippantly used and feels so unnecessary and could have so easily been removed. I'm not one for books being rewritten and edited, I'm actually quite against it but there is definitely exceptions that should be made.
The Train by Diane Hoh
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
3.75
Diane Hoh is one of, if not my favourite 'Point Horror' author so it's always nice returning to her books. I found the dynamic in this one quite interesting as it's written in the sense that we're supposed to root for the protagonist group of characters in here but they're self entitled bullies who are completely unapologetic. Even by the end of the story they show no growth and little to no remorse for any of their transgressions. Whilst it's not my favourite entry from the author, I did still enjoy this one as there's a solid mystery running through it and I'm also a sucker for transport horror (especially trains).
Babydoll by Christopher Robertson
fast-paced
4.0
This is a novella which in a nutshell tells the story of a couple named Babydoll and Honeybear and their overnight stay in a hotel, except it's so much more than that. This story is extremely raunchy, which is something I usually have no particular interest in and very rarely enjoy and I rated this a four star so I firmly believe anybody who is into erotica and enjoys Robertson's pulpy gore and twisted humour will absolutely find this to be a five star read. One thing I also wanted to highlight was the hotel itself, it's almost a character in its own right. It's this high tech, hentai themed house of debauchery that the author weaves into the story subtly but very effectively. This was very fun and f*****d up.
The author as he has done so many times before provides a playlist to listen to whilst reading which I always enjoy. I find they match the books perfectly, really add to the whole experience and are always a really welcomed addition.
Lastly, I wanted to highlight one of Christopher Robertson's reasons for writing this which he reveals in the credits of the book and which I found hilarious...
...I wrote this story because somebody called my writing wholesome. Imagine an angry raccoon screaming at his laptop "I'll show how f*****g wholesome I am!"
The author as he has done so many times before provides a playlist to listen to whilst reading which I always enjoy. I find they match the books perfectly, really add to the whole experience and are always a really welcomed addition.
Lastly, I wanted to highlight one of Christopher Robertson's reasons for writing this which he reveals in the credits of the book and which I found hilarious...
...I wrote this story because somebody called my writing wholesome. Imagine an angry raccoon screaming at his laptop "I'll show how f*****g wholesome I am!"
All-Monster Action! by Cody Goodfellow
medium-paced
2.5
This reads like a fever dream! It constantly drops you into bizaere, futuristic, apocalyptic scenes with no set up or explanation. It's a collection of four short stories and one main story. All featuring larger than life, zany monsters (when I say larger than life I mean anywhere from a couple of hundred feet tall to miles in length). Most of the book is military focused and whilst I enjoyed a couple of the short stories in here, I didn't enjoy the military stuff. I can't help but feel the author throws so much randomness at the wall and the majority of it just doesn't stick. Unfortunately this is especially true for the main story which accounts for a little over half of the entire book. Picture the power rangers when they're in the Megazord fighting the latest monstrosity of the week. Sounds good, right? Well no, because it's just that repeated multiple times and instead of a Megazord it's something much more ridiculously stupid. One final positive though, the cover is freakin' awesome!
Bruce Coville's Book of Nightmares: Tales to Make You Scream by Bruce Coville
2.5
This book was quite underwhelming. I couldn't help but compare it to the 'Tales To Give You Goosebumps' series while I was reading it as they were released around the same time, are the same length, have the same number of stories and are geared towards the same demographic and in doing so I have to say that this falls short of all six entries in that series. The stories are quite boring, especially in the first half of the book. There are a couple in here with really good premises but end up not amounting to much.