Reviews and Comments

David Bruce

DavidB_Tn@books.mxhdr.net

Joined 2 years ago

Avid reader of fiction, sci-fi, non-fiction (science, essay, nature writing). Reside in Tennessee.

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Jay Anson: The Amityville Horror (Paperback, 1978, Bantam Books) 3 stars

28 Days of Terror in a House Possessed by Evil Spirits

In December 1975, the …

Review of 'The Amityville Horror' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This was the first contemporary horror book I'd ever read. I can still remember reading in during the day in my bedroom. I didn't even pay attention to my mom walking up the stairs.

She leaned into the doorway and said, "Supper's almost ready."
I think I levitated three feet off the bed and shrieked.

Rick McIntyre, Robert Redford: The Rise of Wolf 8: Witnessing the Triumph of Yellowstone's Underdog (2019, Greystone Books) 4 stars

Review of "The Rise of Wolf 8: Witnessing the Triumph of Yellowstone's Underdog" on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I've had a long history of reading nonfiction and fiction about wolves, including Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat, Of Wolves and Men by Barry Lopez (and his other books).
This book was more observational, and I greatly appreciated the author's efforts to reintroduce wolves back into the Yellowstone ecosystem.

Riley Sager: Home Before Dark (2020, Dutton) 5 stars

Review of 'Home Before Dark' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Home Before Dark was very difficult to put down each day. There were three occasions where I was reading the book, two of them outside in the sun, and either my hubby or his daughter walked out and said something to me, and I jumped and explained, "Jeezus!"
That's how good this was. The suspense kept me reading, so I finished faster than I usually do.

T. Kingfisher: The Hollow Places (2020) 5 stars

A young woman discovers a strange portal in her uncle’s house, leading to madness and …

Review of 'The Hollow Places' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This was a great read, was it horror, science fiction, or fantasy, or somewhere in between the three.
The main characters were well-drawn, human, funny, and likeable.

I felt at home with this one. I think southern fiction has that effect for me, because I grew up there and can relate to the environment and people. T. kingfisher, aka Ursula Vernon, is fast becoming a favorite author of mine.

Emma Newman: Planetfall (Paperback, 2018, Gollancz) 3 stars

Review of 'Planetfall' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I got this book at a local store on the recommendation of a young person who works there. I haven't read science fiction in quite a while, none that was new in any case.

With Planetfall the author's world-building was scientifically believable, but I would've liked more physical descriptions that made it more attainable to the imagination. I got through the story fairly quickly, and it was intriguing, but the ending was a little jarring.

I know now there are more books in the series, but I don't know if I'm up for more of the same. The main character's shortcomings made it difficult for me to feel much sympathy.

Chuck Wendig: The Book of Accidents (2021, Del Rey) 5 stars

Review of 'The Book of Accidents' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This is Chuck Wendig's book through and through, but it brought me back to the joy, intrigue, and on the edge of my seat anxiousness with the dark magic of Straub's Shadowland and familial terrors of King's The Shining.

This novel is a keeper. It's the second book I've read by Wendig (Wanderers), and now I'm hooked.
Thank you for this amazing work.

Mira Grant: Into the drowning deep (2017) 5 stars

"Seven years ago Atagaris set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film …

Review of 'Into the Drowning Deep' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Mira Grant is the pseudonym for Seanan McGuire, and this is my first encounter with her work. It won't be my last. This may have been the most action packed novel I've read in a while. It reads like a blockbuster sci-fi/fantasy action movie.

I particularly enjoyed the biological explanations and science that enhanced the story without breaking the suspension of disbelief.

Stephen King: If It Bleeds (2020, Scribner) 4 stars

A collection of four uniquely wonderful long stories, including a stand-alone sequel to the No. …

Review of 'If It Bleeds' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Thoroughly enjoyable connection of short stories, or perhaps novellas. I had picked this up thinking it was one novel, and with each story, I was more confused about how he might tie all these characters together, until I realized my assumption was incorrect.

Still I enjoyed this, more maybe than some of the older collections. King has stretched into other genres here with the piece about Chuck, and it was a pleasant surprise.

I also thought his Holly Gibney dialog was more realistic in this incarnation vs that of The Outsider.

Stephen Graham Jones: The Only Good Indians (Hardcover, 2020, Gallery/Saga Press) 4 stars

Ten years ago outside Browning, Montana, four Blackfeet shot some elk, and then went on …

Review of 'The Only Good Indians' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed the magical realism and well drawn characters of my first Stephen Graham Jones novel.

The characters were relatable and more gritty than the usual characters in the genres that I follow, and I the ending was handled with finesse.

Looking forward to reading more of his work soon.

Nick Cutter: The troop (2014) 3 stars

Once every year, Scoutmaster Tim Riggs leads a troop of boys into the Canadian wilderness …

Review of 'The troop' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

The Troop was glowingly reviewed here on GoodReads and here and there in other lists, so I thought I'd give it a go.

When all was said and done, and I turned the final page, I had a conundrum regarding my feelings for the story.

In its simplest terms, The Troop is about a group of young teen scouts and their Scoutmaster on an uninhabited island in Canada encountering a stranger with a problem.

How the Scoutmaster deals with the problem in his initial steps in that encounter is where I had difficulty maintaining the suspense of disbelief. It's not a particularly long part of the book, but in the end, I just went with it.

The ride afterwards was more engrossing since the characters behaved more in a manner consistent with their reality.

That initial part bothered me so much that I really wanted to rate this at 3.5, …

Joe Hill: Strange Weather: Four Short Novels (2017, William Morrow) 4 stars

Review of 'Strange Weather: Four Short Novels' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This was the second Joe Hill book for me. Strange Weather is a collection of tales, most horror, and one straight up thriller, called Loaded, that ended with a solid gut punch. I think Snapshot, about a camera that takes pictures from it's subjects minds was my favorite, could easily have come from Matheson in a Twilight Zone episode.

Thanks for the solid entertainment, Mr. JHK.