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The Silver Scream
They say it’s hard getting into the movies…try getting out! Fresh from the cutting room floor, The Silver Scream exposes the bloodiest behind-the-scenes details of the most gruesome, shocking, true-crime tragedy of our time. Part autopsy, part grisly director’s “cut,” this is the only book with a comprehensive exploration inside the mind of America’s notorious, celluloid-obsessed, rock star turned cinema-copycat murderer, Spencer Charnas. Bayonet Award–winning television reporter Roy Merkin is the only storyteller in possession of the journals scrawled by disgraced psychotherapist Dr. Ian Black. The Silver Scream reconstructs, with unflinching detail, how fiction became fact, art imitated death, and the most horrific movie murders by the likes of Jason, Leatherface, Freddy, Michael, and the rest became real. Merkin courageously slashes open the ghoulish mind and tortured nightmares of Spencer himself, probing deeply, with razor-sharp precision. Learn how the box office created so many oblong boxes. Understand why this rock n’ roll heartthrob chose to stop so many human hearts.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published August 8, 2023
82 people are currently reading
805 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
August 18, 2023
before i write anything else, and before i get into any part of this review, i genuinely do want to preface this by saying that i've been a fan of ice nine kills since 2015, and i genuinely love and appreciate their work and their creativity and artistry. i'm also a life-long horror fan, and this band blends horror and metal music together, and well - anyone who knows me knows in depth how much i love both of those things, and that i truly hold this band near and dear to my heart. i've seen them in concert about five times, and just recently met them at the book signing event for the release of this book. so, like, this band is a big deal to me.
that being said, i really wanted to love this book. like, truly. i've been following along with this storyline that ice nine kills has been building since the release of the first silver scream album, and when i found out they were compiling the lore (so to speak) into a book, i was genuinely so excited to get my hands on it. i'm a bookworm and book eater before i am a human being, and this was just another example of how ice nine kills was blending all of my favorite things together and immersing themselves into all my hobbies (hyperfixations). i'll say it again: i really wanted to love this book.
the sad truth is: i didn't. i felt like the writing was all over the place, but also just consistently falling flat. it seemed juvenile, and it also seemed like this book hadn't been edited enough before it got to publication. countless spelling errors, missing punctuation, etc. the dialogue especially felt really stilted and wrong, and i was just constantly thinking that nobody really talks this way. the dialogue wasn't believable, and the narration seemed to jump back and forth between the kind of third-person narration that was neutral and unconnected to the plot, and third-person narration that was practically the doctor's first-person perspective, if that makes sense? (also, just a personal gripe: the artistic choice to constantly refer to the narrator as Doctor Ian Black and continuously spell out the title "Doctor" instead of shortening it. something about that really just rubbed me the wrong way.)
the writing felt like it was trying to emanate a horror movie, but the rules for horror movies and horror novels are different. if you want to write a screenplay, write a screenplay. there's just some things that work as a written text, and some things that don't. we all know the common horror shtick in 80s horror movies - blonde women with big boobs and the constant attention on their bodies rather than their deaths (or plot). it feels strange to see that in a horror novel, and it just made the book fall really flat for me.
i promise that it wasn't all bad, though. the storyline itself was entertaining, and it was helpful, i guess, to have all the lore that ice nine kills has built consolidated into one piece of media. it felt like a crash course in the plotline that the band has created for their brand and their image. the nods and homages to classic horror was a treat, as ice nine kills has always done. characters named after prominent names in horror, from the shining to texas chainsaw massacre, halloween, and silent night, deadly night. THAT seemed like the ice nine kills we know and love, and it was one of the best parts of the book. more context and filled-in-blanks for the eccentric and elaborate storyline was another positive of this book, despite all the gripes and complaints above. one thing that i think the book did really well was the ending - it was fast and almost seemed slightly rushed, but it seems like a good setup for a possible sequel novel or novella to this book. i'd love a sequel that covers what happens in the silver scream 2 plotline, and i think the ending of this book laid that out nicely if it ever becomes a goal of the band.
my rating was originally a 2, but i'm going to bump it up to 2.5 stars because i am a bit biased towards this band and everything they do, but also because i think this plot and storyline had an incredible amount of potential and still does, but maybe with a different author or even a co-author. roy merkin seems to have a good penchant for being really descriptive, just sometimes in the wrong places. i really wanted to love this book and give it a raving review, but this is where we're at. i do think that this book is definitely worth a read for fans of the band, if only to catch up on all the lore and details that the band has created for their storyline. and i'm sure that there will be readers of this book that won't have any of the same gripes and problems that i did, but alas, i have editor and writer brain and it just really hindered my ability to fully enjoy this book with all the grammatical errors and stilted writing style staring me right in the face.
happy reading, everybody.
that being said, i really wanted to love this book. like, truly. i've been following along with this storyline that ice nine kills has been building since the release of the first silver scream album, and when i found out they were compiling the lore (so to speak) into a book, i was genuinely so excited to get my hands on it. i'm a bookworm and book eater before i am a human being, and this was just another example of how ice nine kills was blending all of my favorite things together and immersing themselves into all my hobbies (hyperfixations). i'll say it again: i really wanted to love this book.
the sad truth is: i didn't. i felt like the writing was all over the place, but also just consistently falling flat. it seemed juvenile, and it also seemed like this book hadn't been edited enough before it got to publication. countless spelling errors, missing punctuation, etc. the dialogue especially felt really stilted and wrong, and i was just constantly thinking that nobody really talks this way. the dialogue wasn't believable, and the narration seemed to jump back and forth between the kind of third-person narration that was neutral and unconnected to the plot, and third-person narration that was practically the doctor's first-person perspective, if that makes sense? (also, just a personal gripe: the artistic choice to constantly refer to the narrator as Doctor Ian Black and continuously spell out the title "Doctor" instead of shortening it. something about that really just rubbed me the wrong way.)
the writing felt like it was trying to emanate a horror movie, but the rules for horror movies and horror novels are different. if you want to write a screenplay, write a screenplay. there's just some things that work as a written text, and some things that don't. we all know the common horror shtick in 80s horror movies - blonde women with big boobs and the constant attention on their bodies rather than their deaths (or plot). it feels strange to see that in a horror novel, and it just made the book fall really flat for me.
i promise that it wasn't all bad, though. the storyline itself was entertaining, and it was helpful, i guess, to have all the lore that ice nine kills has built consolidated into one piece of media. it felt like a crash course in the plotline that the band has created for their brand and their image. the nods and homages to classic horror was a treat, as ice nine kills has always done. characters named after prominent names in horror, from the shining to texas chainsaw massacre, halloween, and silent night, deadly night. THAT seemed like the ice nine kills we know and love, and it was one of the best parts of the book. more context and filled-in-blanks for the eccentric and elaborate storyline was another positive of this book, despite all the gripes and complaints above. one thing that i think the book did really well was the ending - it was fast and almost seemed slightly rushed, but it seems like a good setup for a possible sequel novel or novella to this book. i'd love a sequel that covers what happens in the silver scream 2 plotline, and i think the ending of this book laid that out nicely if it ever becomes a goal of the band.
my rating was originally a 2, but i'm going to bump it up to 2.5 stars because i am a bit biased towards this band and everything they do, but also because i think this plot and storyline had an incredible amount of potential and still does, but maybe with a different author or even a co-author. roy merkin seems to have a good penchant for being really descriptive, just sometimes in the wrong places. i really wanted to love this book and give it a raving review, but this is where we're at. i do think that this book is definitely worth a read for fans of the band, if only to catch up on all the lore and details that the band has created for their storyline. and i'm sure that there will be readers of this book that won't have any of the same gripes and problems that i did, but alas, i have editor and writer brain and it just really hindered my ability to fully enjoy this book with all the grammatical errors and stilted writing style staring me right in the face.
happy reading, everybody.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2023
Oh boy. I really do enjoy the band, and I really love the way they’ve done their music videos and created this nod to horror with their art. But this was just too much. Extremely poorly written, seemingly with the help of AI perhaps? Women described as though they were being written by a young immature boy. The nod to horror characters and actors/actresses was fun at first but eventually over done and ruined. This was not a good book. I’ll stick with the music going forward
August 24, 2023
I so badly wanted to love this book. I mean, I'm a huge Ice Nine Kills fan so naturally when I heard they were releasing a book, my instinct was to pre-order it because it has to do with The Silver Scream and we all love that album, right? Sadly, this book did not live up to any of my expectations, and the bar wasn't even that high. And I'll admit it's kind of disappointing.
Now I know that usually books released by bands end up doing...somewhat poorly. They may be able to tell a story through music videos and lyrics, and INK certainly knows how to do that. But writing a book is a VERY different medium than music, and this one didn't deliver in the same way their music does.
At first, reviews seemed pretty positive when I hopped on goodreads the week it first came out. I didn't read it right away though. I was in the middle of something else. By the time I came back to the goodreads page, not much time had really passed at all, but it was enough to lower its rating enough to make me question the book before I'd even read it. Now I'll be the first to admit that I often let a goodreads rating skew my view of a book (particularly if it's low), but something tells me that even if I hadn't seen that rating before going into it, I'd still have the same opinion about it that I do today.
So. Here's why I didn't like it.
I don't know if middle and high schoolers still do this, but I remember when /I/ was in middle and high school, a lot kids wrote *terrible* fanfiction about their favorite bands. This wasn't limited to just the emo/scene/metal kids either. Kids listening to all genres did it, and probably still do. And to be honest, this feels like it could have easily been someone's fanfiction about the band, rather than a tie-in with the lore behind the Silver Scream albums and videos. That's how it read. It was actually very hard to take seriously. And I get it. You're probably not supposed to take it seriously. But even if the book is meant to be satirical, it's not very convincing. It isn't very amusing, especially with the way its written.
I don't know if it's because of the stiff dialogue that didn't feel natural, or if it was because of the run on sentences, lack of editing, and uninteresting narrative, but this book became a chore to get through, and it was hard to imagine the band members being the star of this book when it was imagined so poorly. It almost made laugh. I don't understand; I feel like for a band this big, it wouldn't have hurt to get some more proofreading done on it.
I know people (like me) are gonna buy it immediately just because it's INK, and there were plenty of pre-order incentives that came to those who ordered it off their website, which might have been the sole reason why some people got it in the first place. And I recognize that a very small percentage of people are going to read this. For as big as INK is, not every member of their fanbase is going to dedicate the time to reading this novel. And people who aren't fans of INK likely aren't going to pick this book up (and it won't make much sense to them anyway if they did). And you know, maybe that's the point. Maybe the die-hards are gonna read this and bias will make it easy for them to love it. Or maybe the casual readers won't be as picky. Or maybe the ones who rarely read won't have anything to compare it to, meaning they might actually love it. But having read as many books as I have...this one just fell flat for me. There wasn't much about it that was interesting. It didn't add to the lore. It didn't read smoothly. There were only a handful of lines that really stood out and impressed me, because for the most part, the writing was subpar. Considering how intriguing I find their lyrics and music videos, and considering how much I love to read, it's really disappointing that this book felt kind of pointless.
It almost felt...forced. The story is told in the tracklist order of The Silver Scream, and because of that, it felt like the whole book was designed around conveniences to fit the next song that HAD to go next, rather than an actually enjoyable narrative. Maybe if they'd allowed themselves to switch the order around and build their story off of that? I'm not sure it would've saved it from the lackluster writing, but it might've at least improved the narrative somewhat. I mean, a lot of it didn't even really make sense! The pacing was also off, with some important parts being glossed over, while we got excruciating detail about things that added no significance to the story. And don't even get me started on large passages being told in italics...
The other thing that bothered me, and I noticed others didn't like this either, was the book's portrayal of women. And maybe that was meant to be on theme. The band writes songs about 80s slasher movies that didn't always depict women in the best light. But this felt so unnecessary. Women were often treated like objects in this book, reduced to the size of their breasts and how "tight" they fit into their clothing. At one point, one female character was merely described as a "big-chested brunette" for the entirety of that chapter. She was mentioned multiple times, and apparently she wasn't given the dignity of a name. It got old pretty quickly.
Another tiresome aspect was the doctor's back and forth on Spencer. One minute, he believes Spencer is the killer. The next, he doesn't. But he flips between the two so often, always sounding, or outright saying, that he is so sure Spencer is X or Y, only to take it back completely in the next paragraph. Make up your mind! Can we also talk about how this paints psychologists in such a poor light? Again, that may be on theme with their depiction in older horror films. I get it. But my god. As a counselor, and having worked in the psych field for some time, of course there are bad psychologists and counselors and whatnot. But this guy was straight up sleazy and annoying. Focused on women's bodies, treating them terribly, motivated by power, fame, and money... It made it hard to care about the doctor at the end. In fact, I didn't really care at all. Those last 8 pages were grueling, let me tell you. But it also gave me the impression that the author and masterminds behind this don't really know how therapy works behind the scenes. Granted, not everyone is going to care about that depiction like I do, but there were so many inaccuracies. For instance, the doctor shouldn't have had to sneak into paper files to retrieve Spencer's address. Everything is digital these days. And the ethics considerations were also poorly researched. No one just goes up to the board and asks if it's okay to date a client they saw just a few months ago, even if it was only once, and then be told that YES you can. That's not how it works! An ethics board would never agree to that. At least, not where I live. Ugh. That was annoying.
But I guess there's one good thing I liked about this book. No one ever mentions Albuquerque and our green chili. I feel like this must mean that Spencer and the band liked it enough to make a lasting impression. And then to mention T or C? People who don't live here rarely know of the place. Never mind the fact that it was a dream sequence where Spencer than committed murder. My point is, at least someone acknowledged we New Mexicans have good green chili. Now, I know I just trashed your book...but please keep coming back here. We love your performances.
ANYWAY. I think this book had a lot of potential, but it fell flat on its face and I'm just glad it was only 161 pages. I'm not sure I could have carried on with it if it were longer.
Now I know that usually books released by bands end up doing...somewhat poorly. They may be able to tell a story through music videos and lyrics, and INK certainly knows how to do that. But writing a book is a VERY different medium than music, and this one didn't deliver in the same way their music does.
At first, reviews seemed pretty positive when I hopped on goodreads the week it first came out. I didn't read it right away though. I was in the middle of something else. By the time I came back to the goodreads page, not much time had really passed at all, but it was enough to lower its rating enough to make me question the book before I'd even read it. Now I'll be the first to admit that I often let a goodreads rating skew my view of a book (particularly if it's low), but something tells me that even if I hadn't seen that rating before going into it, I'd still have the same opinion about it that I do today.
So. Here's why I didn't like it.
I don't know if middle and high schoolers still do this, but I remember when /I/ was in middle and high school, a lot kids wrote *terrible* fanfiction about their favorite bands. This wasn't limited to just the emo/scene/metal kids either. Kids listening to all genres did it, and probably still do. And to be honest, this feels like it could have easily been someone's fanfiction about the band, rather than a tie-in with the lore behind the Silver Scream albums and videos. That's how it read. It was actually very hard to take seriously. And I get it. You're probably not supposed to take it seriously. But even if the book is meant to be satirical, it's not very convincing. It isn't very amusing, especially with the way its written.
I don't know if it's because of the stiff dialogue that didn't feel natural, or if it was because of the run on sentences, lack of editing, and uninteresting narrative, but this book became a chore to get through, and it was hard to imagine the band members being the star of this book when it was imagined so poorly. It almost made laugh. I don't understand; I feel like for a band this big, it wouldn't have hurt to get some more proofreading done on it.
I know people (like me) are gonna buy it immediately just because it's INK, and there were plenty of pre-order incentives that came to those who ordered it off their website, which might have been the sole reason why some people got it in the first place. And I recognize that a very small percentage of people are going to read this. For as big as INK is, not every member of their fanbase is going to dedicate the time to reading this novel. And people who aren't fans of INK likely aren't going to pick this book up (and it won't make much sense to them anyway if they did). And you know, maybe that's the point. Maybe the die-hards are gonna read this and bias will make it easy for them to love it. Or maybe the casual readers won't be as picky. Or maybe the ones who rarely read won't have anything to compare it to, meaning they might actually love it. But having read as many books as I have...this one just fell flat for me. There wasn't much about it that was interesting. It didn't add to the lore. It didn't read smoothly. There were only a handful of lines that really stood out and impressed me, because for the most part, the writing was subpar. Considering how intriguing I find their lyrics and music videos, and considering how much I love to read, it's really disappointing that this book felt kind of pointless.
It almost felt...forced. The story is told in the tracklist order of The Silver Scream, and because of that, it felt like the whole book was designed around conveniences to fit the next song that HAD to go next, rather than an actually enjoyable narrative. Maybe if they'd allowed themselves to switch the order around and build their story off of that? I'm not sure it would've saved it from the lackluster writing, but it might've at least improved the narrative somewhat. I mean, a lot of it didn't even really make sense! The pacing was also off, with some important parts being glossed over, while we got excruciating detail about things that added no significance to the story. And don't even get me started on large passages being told in italics...
The other thing that bothered me, and I noticed others didn't like this either, was the book's portrayal of women. And maybe that was meant to be on theme. The band writes songs about 80s slasher movies that didn't always depict women in the best light. But this felt so unnecessary. Women were often treated like objects in this book, reduced to the size of their breasts and how "tight" they fit into their clothing. At one point, one female character was merely described as a "big-chested brunette" for the entirety of that chapter. She was mentioned multiple times, and apparently she wasn't given the dignity of a name. It got old pretty quickly.
Another tiresome aspect was the doctor's back and forth on Spencer. One minute, he believes Spencer is the killer. The next, he doesn't. But he flips between the two so often, always sounding, or outright saying, that he is so sure Spencer is X or Y, only to take it back completely in the next paragraph. Make up your mind! Can we also talk about how this paints psychologists in such a poor light? Again, that may be on theme with their depiction in older horror films. I get it. But my god. As a counselor, and having worked in the psych field for some time, of course there are bad psychologists and counselors and whatnot. But this guy was straight up sleazy and annoying. Focused on women's bodies, treating them terribly, motivated by power, fame, and money... It made it hard to care about the doctor at the end. In fact, I didn't really care at all. Those last 8 pages were grueling, let me tell you. But it also gave me the impression that the author and masterminds behind this don't really know how therapy works behind the scenes. Granted, not everyone is going to care about that depiction like I do, but there were so many inaccuracies. For instance, the doctor shouldn't have had to sneak into paper files to retrieve Spencer's address. Everything is digital these days. And the ethics considerations were also poorly researched. No one just goes up to the board and asks if it's okay to date a client they saw just a few months ago, even if it was only once, and then be told that YES you can. That's not how it works! An ethics board would never agree to that. At least, not where I live. Ugh. That was annoying.
But I guess there's one good thing I liked about this book. No one ever mentions Albuquerque and our green chili. I feel like this must mean that Spencer and the band liked it enough to make a lasting impression. And then to mention T or C? People who don't live here rarely know of the place. Never mind the fact that it was a dream sequence where Spencer than committed murder. My point is, at least someone acknowledged we New Mexicans have good green chili. Now, I know I just trashed your book...but please keep coming back here. We love your performances.
ANYWAY. I think this book had a lot of potential, but it fell flat on its face and I'm just glad it was only 161 pages. I'm not sure I could have carried on with it if it were longer.
Read
August 15, 2023It’s a fun book and a very short read. It mostly just outlines the plot points from the silver scream music videos but it’s nice to have the other songs included as well. The references to horror movies (especially the names) are a nice touch. It’s a book that might now have much for you if you aren’t a big INK fan but I loved it
Edit: as a small additional side note: as a pharmacist there were a few issues that sort of took me out of the story. I realise this is a me issue and does not effect my enjoyment or review. It’s just no doctor would prescribe a benzodiazepine on the first appointment for nightmares. Prazosin is far more likely. Benzodiazepines help with falling asleep and are controlled substances while prazosin is specifically for nightmares. Because diazepam is controlled it couldn’t be prescribed on a paper pad. I realise that’s a plot point but that’s one reason it would be even better to prescribe prazosin. It doesn’t have the same name recognition but is a better fit. Just some pharmacy thoughts
Edit: as a small additional side note: as a pharmacist there were a few issues that sort of took me out of the story. I realise this is a me issue and does not effect my enjoyment or review. It’s just no doctor would prescribe a benzodiazepine on the first appointment for nightmares. Prazosin is far more likely. Benzodiazepines help with falling asleep and are controlled substances while prazosin is specifically for nightmares. Because diazepam is controlled it couldn’t be prescribed on a paper pad. I realise that’s a plot point but that’s one reason it would be even better to prescribe prazosin. It doesn’t have the same name recognition but is a better fit. Just some pharmacy thoughts
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2023
The writing is at an elementary-school reading level, which doesn't at all match the graphic horror movie theme. It's bad enough to make you cringe, *a lot*. This book is a great collector's item for INK fans, but not the best read.
August 17, 2023
So if you like INK, you’ll like the book for the most part. Buut don’t go into it expecting it to be a 1:1 replication of the Silver Scream mvs. Some are really really close with minor details tweaked while others are very different.
The bad (non-spoiler):
- There’s a few typos that can be overlooked and at least one that made me pause and have to reread a bit again (a character is called by another character’s name), leaving me wondering if this was proofread?
- The way women are written in this is a big yikes. Like yeah, we really don’t need to hear about how this girl’s shirt/top/bikini etc is showing off her breasts very well anytime there’s a woman introduced who isn’t a family member or a minor.
- Some of the chapters drag (looking at you Enjoy Your Slay)
- It fleshes out a character that doesn’t get a lot of screentime technically speaking
The good (non-spoiler):
- it’s interesting
- It fleshes out some characters that really didn’t get a lot of screen time in the mv-universe version (which I’m personally thankful for)
- quick read
- songs that weren’t given music videos are covered/used loosely in passing references or events
- there’s a little throwaway bit of dialogue that imo kinda explains what could be seen as a continuity error/weird thing in the mv-verse in regards to Nancy
- lots of little Easter eggs for horror fans and INK fans/anyone familiar with the Silver Scream album
The bad (spoiler version):
- A lot of the chapters focused on Dr. Black drag quite a bit and the book does kinda focus more heavily than I expected on him (and it’s hard to feel for him, even if we’re kinda supposed to/we’re supposed to think Spencer’s guilty when you spend the first 3 pages of his intro talking about how he’s fantasizing about a news anchor and his views on his assistant)
- Soooo, Merry Axe-Mas huh? I was going into it hoping that there’d be more to that one as someone who felt like it was just kinda there in the silver scream mv series. But guess not lol!
- A Grave Mistake is totally mangled beyond recognition if you look at it vs its music video imo. Like they spliced parts from it to shoehorn it into other chapters/parts.
The good (spoiler version):
- Foreshadowing is good (the mention of the lady in red leaving with Eric/Spencer and then the use of red being tied pretty explicitly to Nancy)
- Has some incredibly strong chapters
- Ties up loose ends in the mv-verse (confirmation that JD and Justin are dead/referred to as JC and Julio respectfully in the book)
- Iconic lines from the mvs stayed (Spencer’s it is the end kinda monologue about innocence)
- It’s in tracklist order, which kinda helps with some of the timeline stuff that seemed a little wonky in the videos
The bad (non-spoiler):
- There’s a few typos that can be overlooked and at least one that made me pause and have to reread a bit again (a character is called by another character’s name), leaving me wondering if this was proofread?
- The way women are written in this is a big yikes. Like yeah, we really don’t need to hear about how this girl’s shirt/top/bikini etc is showing off her breasts very well anytime there’s a woman introduced who isn’t a family member or a minor.
- Some of the chapters drag (looking at you Enjoy Your Slay)
- It fleshes out a character that doesn’t get a lot of screentime technically speaking
The good (non-spoiler):
- it’s interesting
- It fleshes out some characters that really didn’t get a lot of screen time in the mv-universe version (which I’m personally thankful for)
- quick read
- songs that weren’t given music videos are covered/used loosely in passing references or events
- there’s a little throwaway bit of dialogue that imo kinda explains what could be seen as a continuity error/weird thing in the mv-verse in regards to Nancy
- lots of little Easter eggs for horror fans and INK fans/anyone familiar with the Silver Scream album
The bad (spoiler version):
- A lot of the chapters focused on Dr. Black drag quite a bit and the book does kinda focus more heavily than I expected on him (and it’s hard to feel for him, even if we’re kinda supposed to/we’re supposed to think Spencer’s guilty when you spend the first 3 pages of his intro talking about how he’s fantasizing about a news anchor and his views on his assistant)
- Soooo, Merry Axe-Mas huh? I was going into it hoping that there’d be more to that one as someone who felt like it was just kinda there in the silver scream mv series. But guess not lol!
- A Grave Mistake is totally mangled beyond recognition if you look at it vs its music video imo. Like they spliced parts from it to shoehorn it into other chapters/parts.
The good (spoiler version):
- Foreshadowing is good (the mention of the lady in red leaving with Eric/Spencer and then the use of red being tied pretty explicitly to Nancy)
- Has some incredibly strong chapters
- Ties up loose ends in the mv-verse (confirmation that JD and Justin are dead/referred to as JC and Julio respectfully in the book)
- Iconic lines from the mvs stayed (Spencer’s it is the end kinda monologue about innocence)
- It’s in tracklist order, which kinda helps with some of the timeline stuff that seemed a little wonky in the videos
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2024
2.5 stars
This is definitely something you should only read if you’re an Ice Nine Kills fan. The story is ok - a bit boring at points, especially at the start where it mostly consists of Spencer reporting his dreams to a psychiatrist that are just summaries of popular horror movies with self-inserts of the band members. I did really enjoy how it weaved in elements from all the movies covered on the album (my favourite track/chapter was the IT chapter) and people from the band and beyond.
The writing was pretty poor though and the over-sexualisation of women, while clearly intended to be a horror trope, felt gross and ill-placed.
Overall, a cool collectible for an INK fan but not worth a read if you’re not.
This is definitely something you should only read if you’re an Ice Nine Kills fan. The story is ok - a bit boring at points, especially at the start where it mostly consists of Spencer reporting his dreams to a psychiatrist that are just summaries of popular horror movies with self-inserts of the band members. I did really enjoy how it weaved in elements from all the movies covered on the album (my favourite track/chapter was the IT chapter) and people from the band and beyond.
The writing was pretty poor though and the over-sexualisation of women, while clearly intended to be a horror trope, felt gross and ill-placed.
Overall, a cool collectible for an INK fan but not worth a read if you’re not.
September 15, 2023
I loved this! Was this the best book I've read? No but it was fun and it kept me entertained.
August 17, 2023
2.25 stars:
As an avid reader, Ice Nine Kills listener, horror enjoyer, and true crime consumer I was hopefully skeptic when I heard the premise of this book. The band promoted it as a ‘true crime’ book to fit the narrative of The Silver Scream album; that while on tour in 2018, Spencer committed a series of murders across the country imitating popular horror movies. This is shown in a series of music videos for the album, that when you watch in order, tell the story. If you go into this book expecting it to be like most books compared to the movie, “the book was better”; unfortunately, you will most likely be disappointed.
I wanted this book to be better than I thought it would be, but it was honestly worse. The writing was atrocious and uncreative. The author basically wrote down everything exactly as it happens in the music videos; while throwing in filler chapters that are a huge drag and hard to get through for the songs on the album that did not get a music video. The amount of grammar mistakes and general errors made me wonder if there was even an editor who did a quick flip through of this book. We don’t even get a consistent point-of-view. Yes, it’s third person the whole time, but it goes from third person limited whole following the doctor, to third person omnipotent when the doctor doesn’t know what is happening. This read more like a script/screenplay than an actual horror novel. It just told you exactly what happens without any build up of the anxiety that makes a horror novel, horror.
The way the author describes all women in this book is so repulsive to me. All he focuses on are their bodies, their hair, and what they wear. I hope this was a stylistic choice as another way to show just how much Dr. Ian Black sucks (I’ll get into that later), but I have no idea as the author has no other books out. As a quick example, there is one woman character that doesn’t get a name and is only ever described as the “large-chested brunette”.
Both the doctors in this book were something else as well. I know that it’s not the main plot point of the book, but oh my god. I’ll start with Doctor Nancy Price. She’s the psychiatrist counterpart to the main character. Her main purpose in the book is to be the most careless psychiatrist who just leaves prescription pads out and gives out medications without a care in the world. In the real medical field, she would lose her license so quickly. Now let’s get to the absolute worst part of this book: Doctor Ian Black. I thought the main therapist in The Silent Patient was the worst literary doctor I’d read about, but then we get Dr. Black. This doctor doesn’t give a single fuck about anyone but himself. He only is a therapist so he can hopefully one day have a best selling book looking into the minds of serial killers. He stalks his patient, Spencer, while simultaneously forgetting what they talked about in past sessions unless it had to do with his serial killer dreams. He also only hired the receptionist, Kareen, because she was young and attractive to him. The amount of times I wanted to throw this book across the room because of this guy was outrageous for how short this book was.
Now, let me get to what I actually did like about this book. There were moments where we get more details from what happens in the music videos/dreams. Especially when it comes to Justin aka “Julio” and JD aka “JC” leaving the band. I got a true kick from the description of Justin’s dead body being “motionless in white”. The radio station stint in the middle was very fun and I honestly didn’t see it coming (if it happened in a music video, I have no recollection of it). The ending of the book was enjoyable as well. The descriptions of the whole band coming out in their costumes added some enjoyment for me.
Overall, it was a quick read for me. I doubt I will read it again, or read the sequel that was very obviously hinted at. I think I will stick to the comic book versions of the videos after this, because I truly enjoyed that.
As an avid reader, Ice Nine Kills listener, horror enjoyer, and true crime consumer I was hopefully skeptic when I heard the premise of this book. The band promoted it as a ‘true crime’ book to fit the narrative of The Silver Scream album; that while on tour in 2018, Spencer committed a series of murders across the country imitating popular horror movies. This is shown in a series of music videos for the album, that when you watch in order, tell the story. If you go into this book expecting it to be like most books compared to the movie, “the book was better”; unfortunately, you will most likely be disappointed.
I wanted this book to be better than I thought it would be, but it was honestly worse. The writing was atrocious and uncreative. The author basically wrote down everything exactly as it happens in the music videos; while throwing in filler chapters that are a huge drag and hard to get through for the songs on the album that did not get a music video. The amount of grammar mistakes and general errors made me wonder if there was even an editor who did a quick flip through of this book. We don’t even get a consistent point-of-view. Yes, it’s third person the whole time, but it goes from third person limited whole following the doctor, to third person omnipotent when the doctor doesn’t know what is happening. This read more like a script/screenplay than an actual horror novel. It just told you exactly what happens without any build up of the anxiety that makes a horror novel, horror.
The way the author describes all women in this book is so repulsive to me. All he focuses on are their bodies, their hair, and what they wear. I hope this was a stylistic choice as another way to show just how much Dr. Ian Black sucks (I’ll get into that later), but I have no idea as the author has no other books out. As a quick example, there is one woman character that doesn’t get a name and is only ever described as the “large-chested brunette”.
Both the doctors in this book were something else as well. I know that it’s not the main plot point of the book, but oh my god. I’ll start with Doctor Nancy Price. She’s the psychiatrist counterpart to the main character. Her main purpose in the book is to be the most careless psychiatrist who just leaves prescription pads out and gives out medications without a care in the world. In the real medical field, she would lose her license so quickly. Now let’s get to the absolute worst part of this book: Doctor Ian Black. I thought the main therapist in The Silent Patient was the worst literary doctor I’d read about, but then we get Dr. Black. This doctor doesn’t give a single fuck about anyone but himself. He only is a therapist so he can hopefully one day have a best selling book looking into the minds of serial killers. He stalks his patient, Spencer, while simultaneously forgetting what they talked about in past sessions unless it had to do with his serial killer dreams. He also only hired the receptionist, Kareen, because she was young and attractive to him. The amount of times I wanted to throw this book across the room because of this guy was outrageous for how short this book was.
Now, let me get to what I actually did like about this book. There were moments where we get more details from what happens in the music videos/dreams. Especially when it comes to Justin aka “Julio” and JD aka “JC” leaving the band. I got a true kick from the description of Justin’s dead body being “motionless in white”. The radio station stint in the middle was very fun and I honestly didn’t see it coming (if it happened in a music video, I have no recollection of it). The ending of the book was enjoyable as well. The descriptions of the whole band coming out in their costumes added some enjoyment for me.
Overall, it was a quick read for me. I doubt I will read it again, or read the sequel that was very obviously hinted at. I think I will stick to the comic book versions of the videos after this, because I truly enjoyed that.
August 18, 2023
Oh god... where do I even begin?? I was really looking forward to this book, and I've been utterly disappointed.
Discovering the book
I've been and Ice Nine Kills fan for a while, and when I heard they were making a book about one of their bestselling albums, The Silver Scream, I was so so excited. For anyone who is not as obsessed with INK as I am (so basically everyone), this album is heavily based on horror media, with each song in this particular album being based on a different horror film. "Rocking The Boat" is inspired by Jaws, "The World In My Hands" is inspired by Edward Scissorhands, etc. All of the lore built up in their music videos surly was enough material to have a great book be written about it, and I was really looking forward to all of it being built upon in a way I’ve never seen before. I counted down the minutes until I got the book in the mail, it actually arrived at my house on my 18th birthday, which was really exciting!
The Book Itself
The plot mainly followed Dr. Ian Black, a psychologist who is fascinated by one of his patients, Spencer Charnas, who also happens to be the lead singer of Ice Nine Kills. Many mysterious killings seemed to be following him wherever he and his band goes. Dr. Black catches onto this, and does some snooping which eventually runs him into some trouble.
Each chapter is named after a song in the album, but it’s genuinely so hard to determine why some of the chapters are even somewhat relevant to the song they are named after!! I really hoped that the book was formatted in a way in which there is real relevance to its corresponding song, but I just can’t see it.
Apparently, the book is "based on the shocking true story"... after doing a couple of Google searches, I discovered that there's nothing true about the plot besides for the movies and films that they come from, most of which are also fiction. Besides for the characters names and a couple of famous street names that I recognized, there was really no truth to the book. That being said, I do not to discredit its creativity. Never in my life have I seen a book that was essentially a self-insert of real life people (the band members were all namedropped as characters) in a fictitious world that wasn't a fanfiction.
My analysis
The reason I picked up this book is because I saw it on Ice Nine Kills’s Instagram page, and it was really branded as merchandise from the band. If a horror fanatic who didn’t know about the band this is written by picked up this book, they would probably be really confused. There’s a very niche target audience here, but the few who would appreciate it have been made well aware of the book’s existence.
That being said, the book was poorly written. The characters were pretty two-dimensional, oftentimes physical descriptions overtook important characteristics. One thing that really bothered me was that women were usually described using phrases like "she had a tight body" (page 11), "large-breasted burnette" (page 45), and more. Completely unnecessary, and it took away from the fact that they are actually people, as that would be the only way that many of the female victims would be described. Speaking of descriptions, the murders that were being detailed were very graphic, but not in a bad way. The truth is, I should have expected tons of gore when I picked up a book that has a bloody knife on the cover.
All in all, if you are an Ice Nine Kills fan, don’t read this book. And if you aren’t, also don’t read the book. It didn’t add anything to the lore, which was what I was really excited about, and if anything, made me think more negatively as the band members let their creativity be displayed in this manner. Normally, I’m a sucker for their music videos, Genius lyric pages, and on stage performances, but this attempt at a book? Less than pleasing.
Discovering the book
I've been and Ice Nine Kills fan for a while, and when I heard they were making a book about one of their bestselling albums, The Silver Scream, I was so so excited. For anyone who is not as obsessed with INK as I am (so basically everyone), this album is heavily based on horror media, with each song in this particular album being based on a different horror film. "Rocking The Boat" is inspired by Jaws, "The World In My Hands" is inspired by Edward Scissorhands, etc. All of the lore built up in their music videos surly was enough material to have a great book be written about it, and I was really looking forward to all of it being built upon in a way I’ve never seen before. I counted down the minutes until I got the book in the mail, it actually arrived at my house on my 18th birthday, which was really exciting!
The Book Itself
The plot mainly followed Dr. Ian Black, a psychologist who is fascinated by one of his patients, Spencer Charnas, who also happens to be the lead singer of Ice Nine Kills. Many mysterious killings seemed to be following him wherever he and his band goes. Dr. Black catches onto this, and does some snooping which eventually runs him into some trouble.
Each chapter is named after a song in the album, but it’s genuinely so hard to determine why some of the chapters are even somewhat relevant to the song they are named after!! I really hoped that the book was formatted in a way in which there is real relevance to its corresponding song, but I just can’t see it.
Apparently, the book is "based on the shocking true story"... after doing a couple of Google searches, I discovered that there's nothing true about the plot besides for the movies and films that they come from, most of which are also fiction. Besides for the characters names and a couple of famous street names that I recognized, there was really no truth to the book. That being said, I do not to discredit its creativity. Never in my life have I seen a book that was essentially a self-insert of real life people (the band members were all namedropped as characters) in a fictitious world that wasn't a fanfiction.
My analysis
The reason I picked up this book is because I saw it on Ice Nine Kills’s Instagram page, and it was really branded as merchandise from the band. If a horror fanatic who didn’t know about the band this is written by picked up this book, they would probably be really confused. There’s a very niche target audience here, but the few who would appreciate it have been made well aware of the book’s existence.
That being said, the book was poorly written. The characters were pretty two-dimensional, oftentimes physical descriptions overtook important characteristics. One thing that really bothered me was that women were usually described using phrases like "she had a tight body" (page 11), "large-breasted burnette" (page 45), and more. Completely unnecessary, and it took away from the fact that they are actually people, as that would be the only way that many of the female victims would be described. Speaking of descriptions, the murders that were being detailed were very graphic, but not in a bad way. The truth is, I should have expected tons of gore when I picked up a book that has a bloody knife on the cover.
All in all, if you are an Ice Nine Kills fan, don’t read this book. And if you aren’t, also don’t read the book. It didn’t add anything to the lore, which was what I was really excited about, and if anything, made me think more negatively as the band members let their creativity be displayed in this manner. Normally, I’m a sucker for their music videos, Genius lyric pages, and on stage performances, but this attempt at a book? Less than pleasing.
October 31, 2023
I think some of y'all took this way too deathly serious, it was a fun book that did exactly what it set out to do.
January 14, 2025
Wow…this was bad. DNF
October 5, 2023
As an absolute INK fan, I needed to get my hands on this book. Which was in fact quite hard, because somehow all my german preorders had been cancelled and I was lucky that some american friends came here for a visit and got me the book.
This is not a literary masterpiece and I really struggeled with the writing and the way women were described. The writing got better with time and I started to enjoy my read.
If you're not a fan of the band and following their story, this probably won't make any sense to you. For me it is a nice collectible.
This is not a literary masterpiece and I really struggeled with the writing and the way women were described. The writing got better with time and I started to enjoy my read.
If you're not a fan of the band and following their story, this probably won't make any sense to you. For me it is a nice collectible.
June 4, 2024
So bad it was good. I literally was laughing out loud at some passages because they were so comically bad. INK fan fiction at its best.
September 9, 2023
Okay so first... CONTEXT:
Ice Nine Kills (INK) is one of my favorite bands ever, if not my absolute favorite. I've seen them live twice, and they are absolutely incredible. Their songs, music videos, sets, costumes, performance, etc -- just everything they do is so well thought out and executed. They have such a deep connection to and understanding of the horror stories they adapt, and the plots they create for their albums are so fun and just amazing!
If you are not familiar with the band or their songs, this may not be the book for you. The premise is fascinating, but, in my opinion, it is not very well translated to book format. I would strongly advise that you listen to their Silver Scream album and watch all of their music videos from that album (and in general) in order of release date (see this playlist). Note that their following album, Welcome to Horrorwood, also has a story in the music videos (see this playlist) and has a corresponding graphic novel, Inked in Blood (check it out here!), with a sequel coming soon! I did enjoy the graphic novel quite a bit; it scratched that itch of band fandom vibes added to the horror suspense of the plot and the gruesome art.
Unfortunately--and I'm very sorry to say this--I did not enjoy this book in the same way. Because I had enjoyed the graphic novel previously, I already knew the plot of this book was great, and INK's work is always incredible, I had reasonable hopes for this book I think. I didn't think it would be like the perfect novel or anything, but I did expect myself to really enjoy reading it and have a great time with it. Sadly, I found myself trying to read faster or skim most of it, and I think I can pinpoint why.
and now, my THOUGHTS:
The plot of this story is highkey fascinating. An insecure, self-serving therapist with a fascination for serial killers begins working with a rock star in an attempt to use him for relevance and fame. The rock star has nightmares following the plots of famous horror movies.... and, every time he dreams, people seem to be actually dying. Like the story genuinely has SO much potential for unreliable narration and questions of guilt, responsibility, suspicions, culpability, etc..
my critiques
Again -- please keep in mind I ramble when I'm trying to explain myself, so just because there's a lot here doesn't mean it was a bad book! I just be TALKING okay 😂
Alas, you need to really bring yourself back to these themes and topics yourself or connect it back to the band and their music and videos to make it work.
I have two primary issues with this book. The first is the structure and design of the plot. INK's initial story was devised in the context of an album, so it unfolds with the pacing and style of a series of music video drops. Each video, we get a new tidbit, and it keeps us, as fans and listeners, on our toes and even more excited for the next drop and the approaching conclusion of the story and album. As we listen to the songs over and over again, we think back to the plot of the music videos accompanying the album and even go back to watch the entire set of videos again to watch the story unfold all at once (I'm assuming we all do this, and it's not just me lol).
Unfortunately, the plot for that format cannot be directly copied to book format and work in the same way. The pacing of the story is off: the ending is far too short to feel like a worthwhile payoff/conclusion, and we have a last-minute random revelation that doesn't make a ton of sense
My second and more consistent critique of this book is the way in which is it written. I believe this is somewhat deliberate, based on the framing of the story and the intended POV of a journalist/reporter trying to piece together the story. However, the book feels stuck between two approaches to the story, and I believe it suffers for that reason. Either we have the journalist as the POV, in which case he should appear in the narration to some extent; even if very slightly, we should understand some of his thoughts, question his biases, and remind ourselves that this recollection/piecing together of the facts is an after-the-fact investigative project. Or we have a dramatized edition of the story supposedly written by the journalist, in which case we should genuinely be in Ian's POV (as written by the journalist) and have his thoughts, feelings, frustrations, confusions, etc. come through. As it stands though, we have a hybrid of the two that makes the story feel like a really long episode or movie synopsis. Every piece of information is told to us, as opposed to shown. We don't have to think about Ian's motivations or mindset because we're told exactly what's happening. I think the story would be much more compelling if Ian were an unreliable narrator and we had to decide when he was telling us the truth or being cagey or on to something vs delusional, etc. Scenes and characters are also over-described--like every little detail--and it makes the story feel distant and honestly... a bit boring.
*Maybe I'll come back to add some quotes as evidence... tbd 🤡*
One final point about the writing -- I'm unsure if this is Ian's character or the writer's own descriptions but hearing a woman described as having a "tight body" made me vomit in the back of my mouth. Ian's character is meant to illicit that response often, I believe, with the way he describes... well, basically anything, but especially women. So I'm assuming ~benefit of the doubt~ this is Ian's character saying this, but it wasn't super clear so yeah just wanted to point that out idk. Kind of a non-issue, but I still remember that line lol did not enjoy it. I think probably bc his disgusting vibes didn't really have any sort of place in the story?
Like we know the objectifying and just frankly GROSS ways he views and thinks of women, but because we get an entirely telling lens of the rest of his personality, this feels like his primary character trait and doesn't really inform anything about the story as a whole. So it just felt like grossness for no reason? Like we're told Ian sucks in various ways, but this one-- it just feels like if it's going to be included, it should be done for a purpose or be more integrated with the rest of his character and the plot.
We're also told that Ian enjoys working with his patients and that he genuinely helps some of them, but this feels inconsistent with his actual character as it's presented and otherwise described to us. If we had seen or even heard of another of his patients, even vaguely of a topic he had treated someone for, it would have rounded out his character as slightly morally gray, as opposed to exclusively a piece of shit. Of course, in the framework of the journalist writing this, he can't write about other patients of Ian's bc confidentiality, but I feel like some effort should have been made to fill in this part of Ian's character. It would have helped humanize him in my eyes and make him feel less flat. We're also told he's fascinated by serial killers and that studying Spencer would yield such valuable results to the scientific community, but we're never actually shown or told Ian's questions of study or what he's actually interested in about Spencer. If the rest of the book were more filled in, I would attribute this to the fact that I'm not sure Ian even knows what he's actually interested in besides being famous and having an idea--any idea. But we're told he's genuinely been interested in this for yearsss, so wouldn't we get more internal questioning and reflection about the psychology of serial killers and what he's actually interested in learning about in Spencer?
There are some random/seemingly unnecessary scenes or comments as well, which is wild bc this is only 160 pages. We randomly get in Ian's sister's head for a second as she laments giving up her career to raise a family. We also get a dream of Ian's that I think could have been incorporated a bit better into the story; it's not mentioned much after the fact, and doesn't do much to shed light on Ian's mental state, since we already know everything about that -- it's told to us directly.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Essentially, I wish the writing had been a bit deeper, more intentional, and more manipulative of the reader. I think the plot would be amplified with more doubt, confusion, suspicion, guilt, excuses, rationalizing, etc. and would have really come to life. Instead, it felt like a clinical description or summary of the actual story, and I think that could have been prevented by choosing a more clear and effective POV and cleaning up the writing style to be more concise and active.
I can't say that this was a bad book because, truthfully, this plot is really cool and has such potential! Perhaps they can re-adapt this as a graphic novel, which may flow better with the structure of the story and allow for more cool art!
Ice Nine Kills (INK) is one of my favorite bands ever, if not my absolute favorite. I've seen them live twice, and they are absolutely incredible. Their songs, music videos, sets, costumes, performance, etc -- just everything they do is so well thought out and executed. They have such a deep connection to and understanding of the horror stories they adapt, and the plots they create for their albums are so fun and just amazing!
If you are not familiar with the band or their songs, this may not be the book for you. The premise is fascinating, but, in my opinion, it is not very well translated to book format. I would strongly advise that you listen to their Silver Scream album and watch all of their music videos from that album (and in general) in order of release date (see this playlist). Note that their following album, Welcome to Horrorwood, also has a story in the music videos (see this playlist) and has a corresponding graphic novel, Inked in Blood (check it out here!), with a sequel coming soon! I did enjoy the graphic novel quite a bit; it scratched that itch of band fandom vibes added to the horror suspense of the plot and the gruesome art.
Unfortunately--and I'm very sorry to say this--I did not enjoy this book in the same way. Because I had enjoyed the graphic novel previously, I already knew the plot of this book was great, and INK's work is always incredible, I had reasonable hopes for this book I think. I didn't think it would be like the perfect novel or anything, but I did expect myself to really enjoy reading it and have a great time with it. Sadly, I found myself trying to read faster or skim most of it, and I think I can pinpoint why.
and now, my THOUGHTS:
The plot of this story is highkey fascinating. An insecure, self-serving therapist with a fascination for serial killers begins working with a rock star in an attempt to use him for relevance and fame. The rock star has nightmares following the plots of famous horror movies.... and, every time he dreams, people seem to be actually dying. Like the story genuinely has SO much potential for unreliable narration and questions of guilt, responsibility, suspicions, culpability, etc..
my critiques
Again -- please keep in mind I ramble when I'm trying to explain myself, so just because there's a lot here doesn't mean it was a bad book! I just be TALKING okay 😂
Alas, you need to really bring yourself back to these themes and topics yourself or connect it back to the band and their music and videos to make it work.
I have two primary issues with this book. The first is the structure and design of the plot. INK's initial story was devised in the context of an album, so it unfolds with the pacing and style of a series of music video drops. Each video, we get a new tidbit, and it keeps us, as fans and listeners, on our toes and even more excited for the next drop and the approaching conclusion of the story and album. As we listen to the songs over and over again, we think back to the plot of the music videos accompanying the album and even go back to watch the entire set of videos again to watch the story unfold all at once (I'm assuming we all do this, and it's not just me lol).
Unfortunately, the plot for that format cannot be directly copied to book format and work in the same way. The pacing of the story is off: the ending is far too short to feel like a worthwhile payoff/conclusion, and we have a last-minute random revelation that doesn't make a ton of sense
My second and more consistent critique of this book is the way in which is it written. I believe this is somewhat deliberate, based on the framing of the story and the intended POV of a journalist/reporter trying to piece together the story. However, the book feels stuck between two approaches to the story, and I believe it suffers for that reason. Either we have the journalist as the POV, in which case he should appear in the narration to some extent; even if very slightly, we should understand some of his thoughts, question his biases, and remind ourselves that this recollection/piecing together of the facts is an after-the-fact investigative project. Or we have a dramatized edition of the story supposedly written by the journalist, in which case we should genuinely be in Ian's POV (as written by the journalist) and have his thoughts, feelings, frustrations, confusions, etc. come through. As it stands though, we have a hybrid of the two that makes the story feel like a really long episode or movie synopsis. Every piece of information is told to us, as opposed to shown. We don't have to think about Ian's motivations or mindset because we're told exactly what's happening. I think the story would be much more compelling if Ian were an unreliable narrator and we had to decide when he was telling us the truth or being cagey or on to something vs delusional, etc. Scenes and characters are also over-described--like every little detail--and it makes the story feel distant and honestly... a bit boring.
*Maybe I'll come back to add some quotes as evidence... tbd 🤡*
One final point about the writing -- I'm unsure if this is Ian's character or the writer's own descriptions but hearing a woman described as having a "tight body" made me vomit in the back of my mouth. Ian's character is meant to illicit that response often, I believe, with the way he describes... well, basically anything, but especially women. So I'm assuming ~benefit of the doubt~ this is Ian's character saying this, but it wasn't super clear so yeah just wanted to point that out idk. Kind of a non-issue, but I still remember that line lol did not enjoy it. I think probably bc his disgusting vibes didn't really have any sort of place in the story?
Like we know the objectifying and just frankly GROSS ways he views and thinks of women, but because we get an entirely telling lens of the rest of his personality, this feels like his primary character trait and doesn't really inform anything about the story as a whole. So it just felt like grossness for no reason? Like we're told Ian sucks in various ways, but this one-- it just feels like if it's going to be included, it should be done for a purpose or be more integrated with the rest of his character and the plot.
We're also told that Ian enjoys working with his patients and that he genuinely helps some of them, but this feels inconsistent with his actual character as it's presented and otherwise described to us. If we had seen or even heard of another of his patients, even vaguely of a topic he had treated someone for, it would have rounded out his character as slightly morally gray, as opposed to exclusively a piece of shit. Of course, in the framework of the journalist writing this, he can't write about other patients of Ian's bc confidentiality, but I feel like some effort should have been made to fill in this part of Ian's character. It would have helped humanize him in my eyes and make him feel less flat. We're also told he's fascinated by serial killers and that studying Spencer would yield such valuable results to the scientific community, but we're never actually shown or told Ian's questions of study or what he's actually interested in about Spencer. If the rest of the book were more filled in, I would attribute this to the fact that I'm not sure Ian even knows what he's actually interested in besides being famous and having an idea--any idea. But we're told he's genuinely been interested in this for yearsss, so wouldn't we get more internal questioning and reflection about the psychology of serial killers and what he's actually interested in learning about in Spencer?
There are some random/seemingly unnecessary scenes or comments as well, which is wild bc this is only 160 pages. We randomly get in Ian's sister's head for a second as she laments giving up her career to raise a family. We also get a dream of Ian's that I think could have been incorporated a bit better into the story; it's not mentioned much after the fact, and doesn't do much to shed light on Ian's mental state, since we already know everything about that -- it's told to us directly.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Essentially, I wish the writing had been a bit deeper, more intentional, and more manipulative of the reader. I think the plot would be amplified with more doubt, confusion, suspicion, guilt, excuses, rationalizing, etc. and would have really come to life. Instead, it felt like a clinical description or summary of the actual story, and I think that could have been prevented by choosing a more clear and effective POV and cleaning up the writing style to be more concise and active.
I can't say that this was a bad book because, truthfully, this plot is really cool and has such potential! Perhaps they can re-adapt this as a graphic novel, which may flow better with the structure of the story and allow for more cool art!
October 25, 2024
I wanted to like this sooo much. I wanted to, but I didn't... I really, truly like Ice Nine Kills and what a disappointment this book is.
To be brief, I had no expectations but this book reads like poorly written fan fiction in desperate need of a heavy handed edit. The run on sentences, story structure and poorly development characters and plot are just a few issues I had. The "meta" aspect of this book was not nuanced, but rather shoved down your throat so much so that it wasn't fun, it just became tiresome.
There's a lot more I could say but I don't like writing negative reviews, and I've spent enough time on this book already. Maybe this one just wasn't for me.
0/5 stars, just listen to the albums.
To be brief, I had no expectations but this book reads like poorly written fan fiction in desperate need of a heavy handed edit. The run on sentences, story structure and poorly development characters and plot are just a few issues I had. The "meta" aspect of this book was not nuanced, but rather shoved down your throat so much so that it wasn't fun, it just became tiresome.
There's a lot more I could say but I don't like writing negative reviews, and I've spent enough time on this book already. Maybe this one just wasn't for me.
0/5 stars, just listen to the albums.
October 4, 2023
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS! Is there an option to give 10 stars!?
True crime "non-fiction" (not a real case) that ties in the lead vocalist Spencer Charnas from Ice Nine Kills is brilliant!
This needs to be more of a thing that eventually gets its own genre lol.
I think the band needs to start writing and producing actual horror films (with a classic feel) next!
Ice Nine Kills is a favorite band of mine and the fact they have their own world of horror built in with their music is what makes them a one of a kind that you will never forget!
I hope they do more like this and make more stories to publish for readers. Especially readers who have a high love for music! 🤘🏻❤️🔥
True crime "non-fiction" (not a real case) that ties in the lead vocalist Spencer Charnas from Ice Nine Kills is brilliant!
This needs to be more of a thing that eventually gets its own genre lol.
I think the band needs to start writing and producing actual horror films (with a classic feel) next!
Ice Nine Kills is a favorite band of mine and the fact they have their own world of horror built in with their music is what makes them a one of a kind that you will never forget!
I hope they do more like this and make more stories to publish for readers. Especially readers who have a high love for music! 🤘🏻❤️🔥
December 23, 2024
If you as me “do you like Ice Nine Kills?” I would reply with “not really” which means that yes, I actually love Ice Nine Kills. They are one of my favorite bands. I love horror, crime stories and anything in between but this book was just not it. It reads as awkward and cringey fan fiction, has editorial errors, rushes though parts that could be interesting and then draws out scenes that have no purpose. Then you hit us with Officer Dewey Riley? I understand trying to drop as many nods to the horror genre but, come on.
Love you, Spencer, don’t kill me for this review.
Love you, Spencer, don’t kill me for this review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2023
Don’t read this. The way the author writes women makes me cringe, and the story isn’t told well either. I love INK but I think this could have been done a lot better in the hands of a better writer. If you want the story of The Silver Scream, just watch the music videos….
February 12, 2025
We all know by now I am a massive fan of Ice Nine Kills. So when I discovered this book, I had to get my hands on it.
Sadly this book isn't great. Some bits and pieces I did like, like references and such. But overall? It felt like fanfiction. The writing wasn't too good, it was kinda repetitive and bulky, dialoge was also a little off too. There is a lot of errors present, like there was no proof read and edits before release, which bugged me. Storywise, it was easy to follow but nothing to really rave about, it was entertaining enough, but just okay. The portrayal of women in this book is absolutely atrocious. All female characters were described sexually, always mentioning their breasts or arse and how their bodies looked in clothes. It's giving misogyny. It was gross. I understand it might be trying to be on brand with 80s horror movies or whatever, but it felt so unnecessary. What made me laugh was the fact the main Doctor even said how he hated horror movies, one reason being how they portrayed women, yet literally at the start of the book he was being perverted aboout a newreporter? As I said, gross and unnecessary.
One thing it had going for it was it was less than 200 pages at least. It took me longer than a shorter book would take me, but hey, I got throught it!
Sorry, but I think I'll stick to the music, thanks...
Sadly this book isn't great. Some bits and pieces I did like, like references and such. But overall? It felt like fanfiction. The writing wasn't too good, it was kinda repetitive and bulky, dialoge was also a little off too. There is a lot of errors present, like there was no proof read and edits before release, which bugged me. Storywise, it was easy to follow but nothing to really rave about, it was entertaining enough, but just okay. The portrayal of women in this book is absolutely atrocious. All female characters were described sexually, always mentioning their breasts or arse and how their bodies looked in clothes. It's giving misogyny. It was gross. I understand it might be trying to be on brand with 80s horror movies or whatever, but it felt so unnecessary. What made me laugh was the fact the main Doctor even said how he hated horror movies, one reason being how they portrayed women, yet literally at the start of the book he was being perverted aboout a newreporter? As I said, gross and unnecessary.
One thing it had going for it was it was less than 200 pages at least. It took me longer than a shorter book would take me, but hey, I got throught it!
Sorry, but I think I'll stick to the music, thanks...
August 15, 2023
⚠️Disclaimer: If you don’t know anything about this band or of their music this may not be a book for you. Also story contains graphic content ⚠️
First off this book is basically the novelization of The Silver Scream music videos. Sometimes even word for word. I think that is super awesome! Not only did it recount those event it also proved more insight and context to those stories. Especially in tho the thought process of Dr. Ian Black. So if you have seen those videos you know how this book ends. However the joinery to get there was still really fun especially since they added some stories to go with the songs from the album that didn’t have a video.
Now for my minor problems with the book. The most obvious one is that this takes place in 2018 however it does mention this Psychos Only App that to my knowledge only existed since 2020-ish. Not a huge deal but it felt weird to me that it was mentioned a few time in this book.
Lastly my other problem was the writing towards the end. It started out great but then about halfway through there were a many spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. I especially started to loathe the phrases “in that moment”, “in this moment” and “at that moment”. It became very overused and kinda felt weird reading it so many times.
Besides this the book was great! It made me smile and laugh out loud as well as get squeamish and grossed out. The kills were amazing written and I loved every second of reading this book! 4/5⭐️
First off this book is basically the novelization of The Silver Scream music videos. Sometimes even word for word. I think that is super awesome! Not only did it recount those event it also proved more insight and context to those stories. Especially in tho the thought process of Dr. Ian Black. So if you have seen those videos you know how this book ends. However the joinery to get there was still really fun especially since they added some stories to go with the songs from the album that didn’t have a video.
Now for my minor problems with the book. The most obvious one is that this takes place in 2018 however it does mention this Psychos Only App that to my knowledge only existed since 2020-ish. Not a huge deal but it felt weird to me that it was mentioned a few time in this book.
Lastly my other problem was the writing towards the end. It started out great but then about halfway through there were a many spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. I especially started to loathe the phrases “in that moment”, “in this moment” and “at that moment”. It became very overused and kinda felt weird reading it so many times.
Besides this the book was great! It made me smile and laugh out loud as well as get squeamish and grossed out. The kills were amazing written and I loved every second of reading this book! 4/5⭐️
September 22, 2023
It started a bit slow (and I'm sorry, I fucking love INK, but a bit cringey), but ended up getting better. The ending was a bit weak again though. It could've been a lot more.
I honestly hated the retellings of the movies. I think every INK fan is at the very least familiar with these movies, and doesn't want to waste several pages worth their time on retellings. Although I do understand it being important to the plot, it could've been different.
Even though this wasn't perfect, I did still enjoy reading it. Sometimes gave me a good chuckle, and the growth (or decline) of Ian was fun to witness.
I honestly hated the retellings of the movies. I think every INK fan is at the very least familiar with these movies, and doesn't want to waste several pages worth their time on retellings. Although I do understand it being important to the plot, it could've been different.
Even though this wasn't perfect, I did still enjoy reading it. Sometimes gave me a good chuckle, and the growth (or decline) of Ian was fun to witness.
October 19, 2024
DNF This is awful. I haven’t been mad I spent money on a book in a very long time, but this one I am. I didn’t know this was some project by a metal band, and bought it thinking it was a real book. And maybe they think it is? Each chapter seems to be just a guy retelling his “dream” to a therapist which is just a recap of a famous horror movie. There are typos all over. The women are all described by their bodies and attractiveness. It’s just terrible.
November 2, 2023
As an Ice Nine Kills fan, this was made for me. I picked up on all of the horror movies depicted. It was pretty messed up but awesome.
May 30, 2025
Fun little book tie in for the album
August 19, 2023
This book was written so weird the references were cool at first but got repetitive as they went and the ending was also so out of left field it was kinda funny
October 19, 2023
Admittedly the writing isn’t the best, and but a great little companion to The Silver Scream. Super campy and full of references
A definite collectors item for an Ice Nine Kills fan
A definite collectors item for an Ice Nine Kills fan
September 13, 2023
Love the band, love the gimmick, this book was just bad. Small but took me forever to get through. Don’t think I’d pick up anything from this author in the future.
September 20, 2023
Listen, of COURSE I'm going to give this book 5 stars. It was silly, but it was really fun and I spent a lot of time laughing. I also had a huge appreciation for all the easter eggs. Is this a Pulitzer? No. But it sure is a killer read.
December 3, 2023
Is it the best book I've read? No. Is it the worst book I've read? Also no. Am I biased because I pre-ordered this book and this is one of my favourite bands? Yes.
I can admit the writing of this book is not the best, it's a retelling of the band's music videos that came out for The Silver Scream with additions for all the songs that didn't get music videos. But it's just so bland and I would've much rather have watched the music videos again.
The callbacks to the original movies each song is based on are so in your face, it's like a neon flashing light that says "Look here!". If I wanted to read something that was based on horror movies, I'd re-read Final Girl Support Group.
2 stars is probably high for this book, I'm extremely biased because I love this band, but it's so bad and whoever the author actually was is so obsessed with objectifying the women in this book that I really wanted to put the book down and scream into a void.
I can admit the writing of this book is not the best, it's a retelling of the band's music videos that came out for The Silver Scream with additions for all the songs that didn't get music videos. But it's just so bland and I would've much rather have watched the music videos again.
The callbacks to the original movies each song is based on are so in your face, it's like a neon flashing light that says "Look here!". If I wanted to read something that was based on horror movies, I'd re-read Final Girl Support Group.
2 stars is probably high for this book, I'm extremely biased because I love this band, but it's so bad and whoever the author actually was is so obsessed with objectifying the women in this book that I really wanted to put the book down and scream into a void.
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