Granville
Granville - Alice J Black & David Owain Hughes 5/5
http://www.amazon.com/Granville-David-Hughes-ebook/dp/B01BUACCZO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1456346710&sr=8-2&keywords=Granville
I was lucky enough to have won a copy of Granville during the release party on Facebook, but that's not why I'm writing this review. It would be too easy to just write a fluff piece and hope that people buy this book. I had planned on buying this anyway. All it took was the front cover. I saw that and knew that I wanted to read this book. I read a blurb a few hours later and then I had to read this book. A cover can say a lot about a book and just seeing that image was all I needed. When I got my copy I immediately loaded it onto my Samsung Tab 3 and started reading. For those that haven't read it you have no idea what you're in for!
This is a horror novella that doesn't offer anything new, and it doesn't go out of its way to be different. That's not a bad thing, or a knock against Alice and David because this is an addicting book that actually gives us a villain that you can cheer for. I love Friday 13th because I enjoy watching Jason stalk his prey and unleashing as much havoc as possible. He's the kind of guy that you want to see succeed because he's such a bad ass. Granville is the same type of villain. He's motivated by rage, and revenge and nothing is going to stand in his way. We've all known a Stanley and that's why it's so damn easy to cheer for him. Granville is almost like an intelligent version of Vorhees. There are countless movies that feature a villain like this. The obscure I Spit On Your Grave, and yes even the iconic Nightmare on Elm Street franchise.
The writing here is where the strength of this novella lies. We have characters that we want to see die because they are truly despicable people. They fuel Stanley's metamorphosis into Granville, and once he shows up the novel veers away from any sense of morality, and makes the actions of Stanley almost justified. Of course I just like the character and enjoyed reign of terror, but I'm sure there will be countless people that won't find either Stanley or Granville as likable as I did. At its heart its a tribute the iconic Friday 13th franchise without trying to mimic it. It takes what makes that first film so good and builds upon it. It's also not a direct rip-off either. It's a great horror novella that truly captures the spirit of classic slasher films and updates it by using bullying and alienation as it's main motivator
The truth is that Granville is a classic horror novella that follows in the footsteps of the masters while presenting an original story. These are two writers that offer no redemption and pisses all over the rules of horror by giving us a Laymonesque character that you can't help but like. Usually it's pretty clear that you aren't supposed to like the villain but here? He's a guy that you cheer on and want to see succeed. Alice And David have truly written an interesting piece of horror fiction that has to be read to be believed. This is without a doubt one of my favorite books of the new year and you should read it too.
http://www.amazon.com/Granville-David-Hughes-ebook/dp/B01BUACCZO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1456346710&sr=8-2&keywords=Granville
I was lucky enough to have won a copy of Granville during the release party on Facebook, but that's not why I'm writing this review. It would be too easy to just write a fluff piece and hope that people buy this book. I had planned on buying this anyway. All it took was the front cover. I saw that and knew that I wanted to read this book. I read a blurb a few hours later and then I had to read this book. A cover can say a lot about a book and just seeing that image was all I needed. When I got my copy I immediately loaded it onto my Samsung Tab 3 and started reading. For those that haven't read it you have no idea what you're in for!
This is a horror novella that doesn't offer anything new, and it doesn't go out of its way to be different. That's not a bad thing, or a knock against Alice and David because this is an addicting book that actually gives us a villain that you can cheer for. I love Friday 13th because I enjoy watching Jason stalk his prey and unleashing as much havoc as possible. He's the kind of guy that you want to see succeed because he's such a bad ass. Granville is the same type of villain. He's motivated by rage, and revenge and nothing is going to stand in his way. We've all known a Stanley and that's why it's so damn easy to cheer for him. Granville is almost like an intelligent version of Vorhees. There are countless movies that feature a villain like this. The obscure I Spit On Your Grave, and yes even the iconic Nightmare on Elm Street franchise.
The writing here is where the strength of this novella lies. We have characters that we want to see die because they are truly despicable people. They fuel Stanley's metamorphosis into Granville, and once he shows up the novel veers away from any sense of morality, and makes the actions of Stanley almost justified. Of course I just like the character and enjoyed reign of terror, but I'm sure there will be countless people that won't find either Stanley or Granville as likable as I did. At its heart its a tribute the iconic Friday 13th franchise without trying to mimic it. It takes what makes that first film so good and builds upon it. It's also not a direct rip-off either. It's a great horror novella that truly captures the spirit of classic slasher films and updates it by using bullying and alienation as it's main motivator
The truth is that Granville is a classic horror novella that follows in the footsteps of the masters while presenting an original story. These are two writers that offer no redemption and pisses all over the rules of horror by giving us a Laymonesque character that you can't help but like. Usually it's pretty clear that you aren't supposed to like the villain but here? He's a guy that you cheer on and want to see succeed. Alice And David have truly written an interesting piece of horror fiction that has to be read to be believed. This is without a doubt one of my favorite books of the new year and you should read it too.
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