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Michael is involved in a car crash which kills his girlfriend. He wakes to find himself in the hospital of a small town in Montana. There he convalesces and gradually becomes acquainted with the local community, most of whom seem to be clever and charming, although some are arrogant and difficult to get on with. In particular he forms a relationship with a smart and pretty local girl. He learns that he has been in a coma for weeks and that his friend’s remains have already been sent back to California for cremation. He keeps in touch with his family through emails and phone calls.As time goes by, however, and he gradually recovers his mobility, he begins to notice odd things about the community. People disappear without explanation and nobody ever mentions them again. Strangers come and go on a regular basis but the local people seem to ignore them. He is about to leave and go back home when his new girlfriend disappears. He stays to investigate. He gradually begins to come to the terrible conclusion that he is actually dead and that everybody in the town knows that he is no more than a ghost. The truth, however, is far more shocking...
232 pages, Hardcover
First published July 23, 2013
102 people are currently reading
542 people want to read
About the author
Graham Masterton
422 books1,968 followersGraham Masterton was born in Edinburgh in 1946. His grandfather was Thomas Thorne Baker, the eminent scientist who invented DayGlo and was the first man to transmit news photographs by wireless. After training as a newspaper reporter, Graham went on to edit the new British men's magazine Mayfair, where he encouraged William Burroughs to develop a series of scientific and philosophical articles which eventually became Burroughs' novel The Wild Boys.
At the age of 24, Graham was appointed executive editor of both Penthouse and Penthouse Forum magazines. At this time he started to write a bestselling series of sex 'how-to' books including How To Drive Your Man Wild In Bed which has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. His latest, Wild Sex For New Lovers is published by Penguin Putnam in January, 2001. He is a regular contributor to Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Woman, Woman's Own and other mass-market self-improvement magazines.
Graham Masterton's debut as a horror author began with The Manitou in 1976, a chilling tale of a Native American medicine man reborn in the present day to exact his revenge on the white man. It became an instant bestseller and was filmed with Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg, Burgess Meredith, Michael Ansara, Stella Stevens and Ann Sothern.
Altogether Graham has written more than a hundred novels ranging from thrillers (The Sweetman Curve, Ikon) to disaster novels (Plague, Famine) to historical sagas (Rich and Maiden Voyage - both appeared in the New York Times bestseller list). He has published four collections of short stories, Fortnight of Fear, Flights of Fear, Faces of Fear and Feelings of Fear.
He has also written horror novels for children (House of Bones, Hair-Raiser) and has just finished the fifth volume in a very popular series for young adults, Rook, based on the adventures of an idiosyncratic remedial English teacher in a Los Angeles community college who has the facility to see ghosts.
Since then Graham has published more than 35 horror novels, including Charnel House, which was awarded a Special Edgar by Mystery Writers of America; Mirror, which was awarded a Silver Medal by West Coast Review of Books; and Family Portrait, an update of Oscar Wilde's tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was the only non-French winner of the prestigious Prix Julia Verlanger in France.
He and his wife Wiescka live in a Gothic Victorian mansion high above the River Lee in Cork, Ireland.
At the age of 24, Graham was appointed executive editor of both Penthouse and Penthouse Forum magazines. At this time he started to write a bestselling series of sex 'how-to' books including How To Drive Your Man Wild In Bed which has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. His latest, Wild Sex For New Lovers is published by Penguin Putnam in January, 2001. He is a regular contributor to Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Woman, Woman's Own and other mass-market self-improvement magazines.
Graham Masterton's debut as a horror author began with The Manitou in 1976, a chilling tale of a Native American medicine man reborn in the present day to exact his revenge on the white man. It became an instant bestseller and was filmed with Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg, Burgess Meredith, Michael Ansara, Stella Stevens and Ann Sothern.
Altogether Graham has written more than a hundred novels ranging from thrillers (The Sweetman Curve, Ikon) to disaster novels (Plague, Famine) to historical sagas (Rich and Maiden Voyage - both appeared in the New York Times bestseller list). He has published four collections of short stories, Fortnight of Fear, Flights of Fear, Faces of Fear and Feelings of Fear.
He has also written horror novels for children (House of Bones, Hair-Raiser) and has just finished the fifth volume in a very popular series for young adults, Rook, based on the adventures of an idiosyncratic remedial English teacher in a Los Angeles community college who has the facility to see ghosts.
Since then Graham has published more than 35 horror novels, including Charnel House, which was awarded a Special Edgar by Mystery Writers of America; Mirror, which was awarded a Silver Medal by West Coast Review of Books; and Family Portrait, an update of Oscar Wilde's tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was the only non-French winner of the prestigious Prix Julia Verlanger in France.
He and his wife Wiescka live in a Gothic Victorian mansion high above the River Lee in Cork, Ireland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
March 21, 2025
Just what is reality?
TRIGGER WARNING - Explicit sexual content!
Michael and his girlfriend, Tasha, are involved in a terrible road traffic accident, close to the mysterious Mount Shasta. He is rescued and is transferred to a mysterious medical research facility, where he spends many weeks in a deep coma. When he awakes, he is suffering from total amnesia and has no recollection of his former life. The facilities' medical staff create a false identity and back story for him and send him to live with another resident, Isobel. However, none of the residents at the centre are who or what they appear to be. Why is everyone so cold to the touch, and why do they not leave footprints in the snow? What are the research staff attempting to achieve? This was a medical thriller, a creative and interesting concept, but was spoilt for me by an explicit sexual subplot that was completely unnecessary.
TRIGGER WARNING - Explicit sexual content!
Michael and his girlfriend, Tasha, are involved in a terrible road traffic accident, close to the mysterious Mount Shasta. He is rescued and is transferred to a mysterious medical research facility, where he spends many weeks in a deep coma. When he awakes, he is suffering from total amnesia and has no recollection of his former life. The facilities' medical staff create a false identity and back story for him and send him to live with another resident, Isobel. However, none of the residents at the centre are who or what they appear to be. Why is everyone so cold to the touch, and why do they not leave footprints in the snow? What are the research staff attempting to achieve? This was a medical thriller, a creative and interesting concept, but was spoilt for me by an explicit sexual subplot that was completely unnecessary.
March 16, 2014
This was tougher to rate than Masterton's books normally are. I'm a huge fan of the author and was very excited to find a new book of his at the library. He's a terrific storyteller and as such draws the reader in right from the start. The titular community Trinity is located in the shadow of the Mount Shasta. It's where the main protagonist, Michael after a terrible car crash. He's got amnesia and he's being taken exceptionally good (and shockingly free) care. Almost to good to be...But amnesia or not, it's impossible to ignore that something is very off in a sweet sleepy preternaturally quiet community. Yes, some of the Trinity secrets were somewhat easy to figure out, but there were still enough twists and surprises to keep things interesting. The main problem here was Michael, the strangely unlikable hero. To start with having sex with a woman after she explicitly says no is a rape, even if it's his lover. Not that Michael is a habitual rapist, but he is habitually self righteous, annoyingly stubborn and kind of an a*hole. The side characters weren't particularly likable either, although they manage to be pretty compelling. The american set novel was overwhelmed with britishisms. Some logic snafus, like Michael not understanding the concept of phones with area codes to be located in different parts of the country/world. Mobile phones, they are mobile, it's in the name. Anyway, it's almost to Masterton's credit that despite all that the book is very readable and very entertaining. Once again he dips into native american mythology and creates an original plot. Not the author's best, but a fun read all the same.
November 22, 2013
This story is not exactly a punch to the gut but more of a kick to the mind. It’s more sinister than in your face scary and over a period of time it starts to sag on the sanity, it was a fun read and when I was away from it my mind would spiral back to it subconsciously wondering “what the heck is Michael up to now?” Michael of course being the main character, a regular guy on a drive with his girl Tasha to visit her sister who lives near Seattle, their little drive was interrupted by magnificent Mount Shasta, or rather something eerie that happened right near it. The story reminded me a bit of that intense movie, Breakdown with Kurt Russell; the road, the intensity, the unnerving feeling of something weird going on and then the separation and introduction of a whole new world to Michael and Natasha. One minute they are driving admiring the view and the next a car crushes them off the road, after a fall down the side of the road and a flip Michael manages to get his seat belt off but the sight of his girl gives him chills, they are both in bad shape, luckily help is on the way.
That’s pretty much all I can say about the meat of the book and not spoil it, cruel I know, but no worries, Michael wakes up in at the Trinity clinic that has his best interest at heart. If anything they go out of their way to make sure he’s okay and working on his rehabilitation. His amnesia doesn’t help especially when they start calling him someone else’s name and his life suddenly turns into a living nightmare, truth and fiction blend like the twilight sky where dark and light coagulate into murky uncertainty and it’s up to Michael to fight back to regain his life and identify back. Eerie residents of Trinity, the overly accommodating doctors and Isobel, his new vixen of a rehabilitation companion make Michael wonder who he is and what exactly is he’s still doing in Trinity months after his waking from a comma and then he discovers that something or rather someone is missing from the picture… his quest for answers was a blast to read, I had my theories but the story was well crafted and in true Masterton fashion it had more deliciously creepy layers than a Trinity get well cake.
- Kasia S.
That’s pretty much all I can say about the meat of the book and not spoil it, cruel I know, but no worries, Michael wakes up in at the Trinity clinic that has his best interest at heart. If anything they go out of their way to make sure he’s okay and working on his rehabilitation. His amnesia doesn’t help especially when they start calling him someone else’s name and his life suddenly turns into a living nightmare, truth and fiction blend like the twilight sky where dark and light coagulate into murky uncertainty and it’s up to Michael to fight back to regain his life and identify back. Eerie residents of Trinity, the overly accommodating doctors and Isobel, his new vixen of a rehabilitation companion make Michael wonder who he is and what exactly is he’s still doing in Trinity months after his waking from a comma and then he discovers that something or rather someone is missing from the picture… his quest for answers was a blast to read, I had my theories but the story was well crafted and in true Masterton fashion it had more deliciously creepy layers than a Trinity get well cake.
- Kasia S.
May 29, 2018
I don't usually make a habit to bash another author's work. If I don't like a book then fine, whatever...but in this case I feel I really just have to say something.
My quick plot summary of “Community” by Graham Masterson is as follows:
A rather self righteous jerk named Michael and his cardboard cutout of a girlfriend are in a bad traffic accident. Michael wakes up in a pleasant little small mountain town with a state-of-the-art medical facility and all his medical bills taken care of. He has amnesia, so maybe he doesn't quite realize that he has already experienced a minor miracle, as after care for a long term medical condition (like say a damaged spine, and a head injury, both of which he supposedly has,) can easily bankrupt even middle class people in America. Regardless, he is soon released from intensive care and sent to stay with some kind of literature spouting sex nymph who makes him delicious food, takes care of his every whim, and has lots of strangely worded sex with him.
So far so good, right?
Now, Michael's live in teenage fantasy is also rather cold to the touch, which is odd, and sometimes at night he sees strange people peeking in the blinds and looking at them. That sort of thing would certainly be a bit disconcerting. He tries to talk about this sort of thing but people are enigmatic about it, and mostly just tell him to chill out, relax, and do whatever he likes all day. Everyone seems really adamant that he live this sort of rent free, stress free, life of doing whatever he desires, having lots of sex, eating good food, and hanging out with a community of friendly strangers. They are also clearly lying to him about his identity, what happened to him, and a lot of other stuff too. Lying isn't good, certainly, but it is certainly not the most malicious activity people can do.
Naturally, (and without spoiling anything,) Michael decides he needs to burn this town to the ground.
To say that the main character of this story is the villain of it does a disservice to villains in more respectable stories. He is a self righteous tool, an angry and ungrateful little brat, and as thoroughly unlikable as I have ever read a protagonist to be. At one point he even rapes his live in sex maid. Charming fellow really. At another point he runs over a bunch of people because they are trying to get him not to steal a car and kidnap someone. This man deserves a medal.
At this point I feel I really MUST get into spoiler territory, because as ridiculous as all this is: it is still somewhat of an entertaining read. My main beef is not with how silly and juvenile the main arc is, it is with the clever twist that explains why everyone is trying so hard to deceive Mr. Michael.
[SPOILER WARNING]
The twist here is that the town that Michael is trapped in is actually made up of immortal, and nearly physically indistinguishable ghosts. Not just any ghosts either, but the ghosts of famous, productive, and important members of society. The whole place is a sort of planned community that allows really awesome people in society to keep contributing forever...or at least as long as they would like (there is a pretty easy escape mechanism built in too.) It turns out that Michael's live in sex maid is actually a famous author who now screws random strangers in between making works of literary genius. Other ghosts create vaccines and mathematical or scientific breakthroughs of various kinds. In essence: this place is like a ghostly version of the TV show “Eureka!”
The catch? These ghosts need non ghost people to hang out with them so that they stay around and don't disappear. It doesn't have to be anyone in particular, and the ghosts are well aware that they ARE ghosts...so really, being as how this is a government run institution of national importance, you would figure they carefully find and screen candidates, require thorough qualifications, and have a long waiting list of applicants wanting to live, work, and chill alongside your Stephen Hawkings and Ray Bradbury's of the world. Ha ha! NOPE! Instead, they ambush whoever happens to be passing by, attempt to give them serious brain injuries and then perform a long and elaborate con job trying to convince that person they are someone else, that they need to stay here forever, and that none of this is the slightest bit weird.
What kind of psychopath came up with that idea?
Seriously, for a community the way they describe it in the book there would be HUNDREDS of interested and qualified applicants in universities and government positions around the country. They could put promising young writers with the literati, talented scientists with the scientists, physiologists and social workers with any ghosts who have mental issues, and all of them FULLY AWARE AND BRIEFED on the whole thing.
It's not even like there isn't ALREADY a fully briefed and qualified staff that lives and works with the ghosts. The frikkin medical center is filled with normal folks who are doing their very best to help and maintain this community. There is clearly already someone in charge of recruiting and hiring the people who work there, so, what, we are supposed to believe that that person is just so overworked that they absolutely refuse to hire anyone else? At what point does assaulting random strangers and then attempting to brainwash them make more sense than just putting up a frikkin advertisement??
And don't even get me started on the protagonist and his motivations. At the end, I kid you not, after everything is explained to his lout he goes off and burns down the medical center, and then systematically destroys the town. Seriously, the residents in the town did nothing but lie to him, not even going so far as to even TOUCH him, and were instead super nice and chill the whole time...and the dude goes off and essentially kills the lot of them. He even kills his inflatable sex-doll come to life housemate, for no reason other than he is...a jerk? The whole story is written like he is the hero valiantly struggling against a sinister conspiracy, but he really comes of instead as a really really good example of why you don't just take some dingbat off the street and try to brainwash him into your carefully planned community.
The idea for the book is actually pretty dang interesting...the execution is just plain moronic.
As I said before: I hate to put it like that, I really do...but there it is.
November 15, 2025
★★★★
I ended up enjoying this a lot more than I expected. I picked it up in the evening and kept reading in bits through the night whenever I woke up, which says plenty about how intrigued I was. The small-town setting is right up my street. It has that slightly odd, Stepford sort of vibe where everything feels calm on the surface but not quite right underneath, and that kept me interested.
I liked Michael as a lead. He’s easy to follow and easy to care about, and the way the story reveals things bit by bit really works. The slow burn didn’t bother me at all. It suited the feeling of the place and made the strange moments land better when they came.
This is my first Masterton book so I can’t compare it to his earlier stuff, but I can see why people say this one leans more towards quiet, creepy tension than full-on horror. A few readers mentioned parts being predictable, and I get that, but the atmosphere and the town were strong enough for me.
All in all, a really intriguing read with a great setting and a mystery that held my attention from the start. A good first taste of Masterton for me.
I ended up enjoying this a lot more than I expected. I picked it up in the evening and kept reading in bits through the night whenever I woke up, which says plenty about how intrigued I was. The small-town setting is right up my street. It has that slightly odd, Stepford sort of vibe where everything feels calm on the surface but not quite right underneath, and that kept me interested.
I liked Michael as a lead. He’s easy to follow and easy to care about, and the way the story reveals things bit by bit really works. The slow burn didn’t bother me at all. It suited the feeling of the place and made the strange moments land better when they came.
This is my first Masterton book so I can’t compare it to his earlier stuff, but I can see why people say this one leans more towards quiet, creepy tension than full-on horror. A few readers mentioned parts being predictable, and I get that, but the atmosphere and the town were strong enough for me.
All in all, a really intriguing read with a great setting and a mystery that held my attention from the start. A good first taste of Masterton for me.
April 17, 2015
This is one more of the worst novels I have ever read...
January 2, 2014
I'm a little more than halfway through this book and if one more person says "flush-centered" I'm going to lose my mind! I get the gist of what it means, though I've never heard the phrase before. But four different characters have said this phrase and there better be an explanation why by the time I get to the end of this book or I'm going to be pretty angry that I continued to read it!
February 21, 2021
I thought it started out strong, but then it went completely downhill. I heard great things about this author so thought I would give him a chance, but now I'm regretting this decision. Maybe I should have started with one of his other books. Either way, this one was shit. Sorry.
January 30, 2014
I'm only giving this two stars because the plot of the story was eerie and somewhat cool. I mean honestly, the idea of getting into a terrible car wreck and waking up in a strange place not remember anything about who you are or where you come from is pretty terrifying. However I had this figured out only a few chapters in but I held out hope that there would be some gut wrenching twist at the end...but there wasn't really. And can we talk about the sex scenes? I don't mind a good sex scene but some of these were so awkwardly placed that I felt like they were forced on the reader. The first encounter between Michael and Isobel was just awkward and made no sense really. So overall this was not a hit in my eyes and I'm glad it was a quick read.
August 22, 2013
Really loved this book and characters, found it hard to put down, highly recommend it :)
June 23, 2023
Całkiem ok, ale gdyby wyciąć ciągnące się sceny kontaktu seksualnego byłoby o niebo lepsze (4 gwiazdki by były), bo są tam tak naprawdę bez sensu. Zakończenie w 25% mnie zaskoczyło, co jest dobrym wynikiem na tę książkę. Fabuła wciągająca, choć trochę w pewnych momentach naciągana.
September 25, 2020
Graham Masterton is a name I have heard often, and I finally decided it was time to give one of the author’s horror books a read. After reading this one, I’m confused about the rave reviews. Perhaps I picked up a bad example of the author’s work, but this one didn’t work for me.
Community had me hooked enough to read the book quickly, wanting to see how the pieces came together, but there was no connection to the story. It was curiosity and a hope for a twist, not an interest in the characters and the events. As it was, the characters were bland, and the story failed to shock me.
I’ll probably give one of the author’s more popular books a read in the future, but this one didn’t work for me.
Community had me hooked enough to read the book quickly, wanting to see how the pieces came together, but there was no connection to the story. It was curiosity and a hope for a twist, not an interest in the characters and the events. As it was, the characters were bland, and the story failed to shock me.
I’ll probably give one of the author’s more popular books a read in the future, but this one didn’t work for me.
June 23, 2013
COMMUNITY
by
Graham Masterton
COMMUNITY by Graham Masterton is a powder keg of a novel that is ready to blow. I am loathe to spoilers, so all I'll say is that it involves 2 lovers, a horrifying car crash, a medical center and a town that's just a little too good to be true. Sound familiar?...did to me too. Here's the thing, in the hands of a master like Graham Masterton, it's a whole new ballgame. It goes without saying that the writing is crisp, lean and mean...Masterton hasn't just been around the block...he built the block! As if the story wasn't chilling enough, it's always snowing in the small community of Trinity! Set in the mountains of Northern California, the story includes a nod to Native American mysticism...the guy loves his Native American hocus-pocus (run...DON'T walk to the nearest copy of THE MANITOU). I will admit to guessing the "secret", but ultimately that isn't the point, again in the hands of Masterton it's about so much more, and the lines of right and wrong a blurred as one questions if the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. I highly recommend picking up COMMUNITY, and letting Trinity welcome you for an extended stay.
by
Graham Masterton
COMMUNITY by Graham Masterton is a powder keg of a novel that is ready to blow. I am loathe to spoilers, so all I'll say is that it involves 2 lovers, a horrifying car crash, a medical center and a town that's just a little too good to be true. Sound familiar?...did to me too. Here's the thing, in the hands of a master like Graham Masterton, it's a whole new ballgame. It goes without saying that the writing is crisp, lean and mean...Masterton hasn't just been around the block...he built the block! As if the story wasn't chilling enough, it's always snowing in the small community of Trinity! Set in the mountains of Northern California, the story includes a nod to Native American mysticism...the guy loves his Native American hocus-pocus (run...DON'T walk to the nearest copy of THE MANITOU). I will admit to guessing the "secret", but ultimately that isn't the point, again in the hands of Masterton it's about so much more, and the lines of right and wrong a blurred as one questions if the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. I highly recommend picking up COMMUNITY, and letting Trinity welcome you for an extended stay.
November 9, 2013
The first book I've read by Masterton, and I'm unlikely to read a second. The complete lack of characterization and the unengaging story made for a boring read.
January 13, 2017
I am never disappointed by Masterton and his stories. Great twist at the end.
March 10, 2022
I got a little more than halfway through before I just couldn't take it anymore and skimmed to the end. While the book started out OK - Michael and his girlfriend Tasha are in a hideous auto accident, after which Michael awakens in a strange hospital which proclaims to be a special spinal injury clinic. He has no memory and the doctors keep calling him Gregory, and once he begins to heal, he's placed in the care of a woman, Isobel, in their own little town. Except the people act weird, are cold to the touch and leave no footprints in the snow. It actually had some Stepford Wives vibes going on. But Michael/Gregory's recovery with Isobel just collapsed into ridiculous sex scene after sex scene, like Masterton forgot he was writing a horror story and not one of his sex advice books. I'm not one to normally care that much about such things, but when the story just degraded into too much of it I couldn't be bothered to waste my time reading cheap porn. Definitely not one of Masterton's better novels.
February 29, 2024
Niestety tylko 3 gwiazdki.
W pierwszej chwili nie mogłam się wciągnąć. Później, jak zaczęłam czytać, tak nie mogłam przestać. Jednak ostatecznie jestem obrzydzona. Czytałam horror po to, by otrzymać horror, dlatego uważam, że opisy scen seksu nie były całkiem na miejscu, a na pewno nie w takiej ilości. Rozumiem zasugerowanie, iż dziewczyny są zimne, ale naprawdę, nie musiało to być aż tak dokładne. Główny bohater był zwykłym mężczyzną, który wprost nie mógł utrzymać kutasa w spodniach i musiał ruchać wszystko co popadnie. Bardzo przepraszam za to wyrażenie, ale właśnie tak było. Jednak najbardziej obrzydzona byłam w momencie, gdy główny bohater zgwałcił tę dziewczynę. Ta scena obrzydziła mi całą książkę.
Plot twist, który otrzymaliśmy, był do przewidzenia. Naprawdę można było już zostawić wątek, że to Michael jest martwy, bo tego bym nie przewidziała. Niestety reszta była całkowicie do przewidzenia.
Gdy już się przyzwyczaiłam do stylu, książka okazała się naprawdę dobra, jednak potem pojawiają się takie właśnie momenty, opisy i sceny. A mimo wszystko byłoby to do uratowania, jednak zamiast nas zaskoczyć, dostaliśmy odgrzewany kotlet. Szkoda, bo potencjał był
W pierwszej chwili nie mogłam się wciągnąć. Później, jak zaczęłam czytać, tak nie mogłam przestać. Jednak ostatecznie jestem obrzydzona. Czytałam horror po to, by otrzymać horror, dlatego uważam, że opisy scen seksu nie były całkiem na miejscu, a na pewno nie w takiej ilości. Rozumiem zasugerowanie, iż dziewczyny są zimne, ale naprawdę, nie musiało to być aż tak dokładne. Główny bohater był zwykłym mężczyzną, który wprost nie mógł utrzymać kutasa w spodniach i musiał ruchać wszystko co popadnie. Bardzo przepraszam za to wyrażenie, ale właśnie tak było. Jednak najbardziej obrzydzona byłam w momencie, gdy główny bohater zgwałcił tę dziewczynę. Ta scena obrzydziła mi całą książkę.
Plot twist, który otrzymaliśmy, był do przewidzenia. Naprawdę można było już zostawić wątek, że to Michael jest martwy, bo tego bym nie przewidziała. Niestety reszta była całkowicie do przewidzenia.
Gdy już się przyzwyczaiłam do stylu, książka okazała się naprawdę dobra, jednak potem pojawiają się takie właśnie momenty, opisy i sceny. A mimo wszystko byłoby to do uratowania, jednak zamiast nas zaskoczyć, dostaliśmy odgrzewany kotlet. Szkoda, bo potencjał był
September 25, 2023
Z gatunku tak złych, że aż dobrych
Mocne 2
Mocne 2
April 28, 2023
I am writing this review after the second time that I read this book. I didn't remember reading the book before (which may indicate how impressive I found it), but once I got into reading it a bit more, I started to remember it vaguely and remembered that I didn't particularly care for it the first time. Anywho, first, the petty:
Everyone in the town says "flush-centered" as if that is a common phrase. I have never heard anyone else use this phrase in my life, but this book makes it seem like I have never been around people before with how often different characters say it.
Now for the not-so-petty:
The protagonist, Michael, is awful.
1. He's a rapist. He diagnoses his roommate Isobel as a nymphomaniac when they have honestly only had two or three sexual encounters. Then, when he decides he wants to have sex with her, she repeatedly says no, but he forces himself on her because he wants to.
2. He killed half of the town, who happened to be some of the most prominent minds in the world and could have saved the lives of countless people if they had been allowed to continue to exist as ghosts.
3. When he discovers that his motivation for destroying the town (that his girlfriend had seemingly committed suicide) was not true, he had NO remorse for taking away the afterlives of the people who lived there. He had zero remorse for those lives at all and the potential that they had for helping others in the future.
4. He treats women horribly. He treats Isobel as a live-in maid, cook, and sex doll. You really don't know anything about her outside of his assertion that she's a nympho and that she likes to quote famous authors. He continually makes fun of her for enjoying soap operas. Honestly, the author did a disservice to this woman who is supposed to be a brilliant author. We never see her writing anything. It seems like her whole afterlife is dedicated to having sex with Michael and cooking him meals. His girlfriend is two-dimensional and has no motivation outside of Michael. In fact, I would say that she has no motivation at all for the majority of the book, which is chalked up to her having brain damage. He literally killed her. He killed her because he was selfish and didn't care about her actual, living and breathing body.
One thing that really bothered me about this book is that Michael faces NO repercussions for his actions over and over again. He gets his happy ending. Not only that, but I have no idea why the community wanted him in the first place. Was he a great soil conservation guy? We never really know. I assume that they wanted him as a living companion, but like others have said, wouldn't it be easier to advertise the job rather than go to the expense of causing major brain damage to people on HOPE that they will survive in order to become companions to the geniuses?
I know this is rambling, but I really wanted to try to get out some of my thoughts on this book. It has kind of turned me off from reading any other books by the author.
Everyone in the town says "flush-centered" as if that is a common phrase. I have never heard anyone else use this phrase in my life, but this book makes it seem like I have never been around people before with how often different characters say it.
Now for the not-so-petty:
The protagonist, Michael, is awful.
1. He's a rapist. He diagnoses his roommate Isobel as a nymphomaniac when they have honestly only had two or three sexual encounters. Then, when he decides he wants to have sex with her, she repeatedly says no, but he forces himself on her because he wants to.
2. He killed half of the town, who happened to be some of the most prominent minds in the world and could have saved the lives of countless people if they had been allowed to continue to exist as ghosts.
3. When he discovers that his motivation for destroying the town (that his girlfriend had seemingly committed suicide) was not true, he had NO remorse for taking away the afterlives of the people who lived there. He had zero remorse for those lives at all and the potential that they had for helping others in the future.
4. He treats women horribly. He treats Isobel as a live-in maid, cook, and sex doll. You really don't know anything about her outside of his assertion that she's a nympho and that she likes to quote famous authors. He continually makes fun of her for enjoying soap operas. Honestly, the author did a disservice to this woman who is supposed to be a brilliant author. We never see her writing anything. It seems like her whole afterlife is dedicated to having sex with Michael and cooking him meals. His girlfriend is two-dimensional and has no motivation outside of Michael. In fact, I would say that she has no motivation at all for the majority of the book, which is chalked up to her having brain damage. He literally killed her. He killed her because he was selfish and didn't care about her actual, living and breathing body.
One thing that really bothered me about this book is that Michael faces NO repercussions for his actions over and over again. He gets his happy ending. Not only that, but I have no idea why the community wanted him in the first place. Was he a great soil conservation guy? We never really know. I assume that they wanted him as a living companion, but like others have said, wouldn't it be easier to advertise the job rather than go to the expense of causing major brain damage to people on HOPE that they will survive in order to become companions to the geniuses?
I know this is rambling, but I really wanted to try to get out some of my thoughts on this book. It has kind of turned me off from reading any other books by the author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2014
I hadn't read this author before so prior to starting this book, I checked through reviews for some of his others & was encouraged by what I saw. Maybe I shouldn't have done that.
I won't rehash the whole plot, you can get a good summary above. Suffice to say Michael & his girlfriend Tasha are cruising through snowy northern California admiring Mt. Shasta when the unthinkable happens. Fast forward & Michael wakes up to find himself in a hospital with amnesia but no girlfriend. That's when things get weird.
I got the impression this author is best known for horror stories so maybe this was an attempt at something different. For me, it was just an ok read.
The premise sounded interesting even though the amnesia trope is a bit tired. But common devices can be overlooked if you like the characters & find their interactions compelling. In this story, unfortunately the main issue for me was the protagonist. I found Michael kind of bland & some of his reactions just didn't ring true. It's a pet peeve of mine when things are patently obvious to the reader but have to be spelled out repeatedly to a character.
The way he reacted to events around him seemed inconsistent. Some he blithely accepted (things that would make most people say "Wha...?"), others became obsessions. And sorry, the whole Isobel/Michael thing required a huge leap of faith. In the blink of an eye, he's in her home & bed even though it's obvious right from the get go that she's more than a little "tetched". I didn't understand the purpose of all the sex as it did nothing to further the plot, coming off as gratuitous.
I kept waiting for that moment when I'd get hooked & have to keep reading to see how it all pans out. A book can begin slowly but at some point, the tension has to start building so you become invested in the fate of the characters. I found them oddly flat & much of the dialogue came across as stiff. It just seems like people in this situation would react with more emotion & intensity.
It's an easy read with a very simple & repetitive style of prose. I really wanted to be scared or at least feel a few shivers but it never happened. This, too, would be ok if there were a few nice twists or surprises you didn't see coming.
All action is reserved for the last chapter so you have a nice tidy resolution but by then, I'm afraid I wanted out of Trinity as badly as Michael.
I won't rehash the whole plot, you can get a good summary above. Suffice to say Michael & his girlfriend Tasha are cruising through snowy northern California admiring Mt. Shasta when the unthinkable happens. Fast forward & Michael wakes up to find himself in a hospital with amnesia but no girlfriend. That's when things get weird.
I got the impression this author is best known for horror stories so maybe this was an attempt at something different. For me, it was just an ok read.
The premise sounded interesting even though the amnesia trope is a bit tired. But common devices can be overlooked if you like the characters & find their interactions compelling. In this story, unfortunately the main issue for me was the protagonist. I found Michael kind of bland & some of his reactions just didn't ring true. It's a pet peeve of mine when things are patently obvious to the reader but have to be spelled out repeatedly to a character.
The way he reacted to events around him seemed inconsistent. Some he blithely accepted (things that would make most people say "Wha...?"), others became obsessions. And sorry, the whole Isobel/Michael thing required a huge leap of faith. In the blink of an eye, he's in her home & bed even though it's obvious right from the get go that she's more than a little "tetched". I didn't understand the purpose of all the sex as it did nothing to further the plot, coming off as gratuitous.
I kept waiting for that moment when I'd get hooked & have to keep reading to see how it all pans out. A book can begin slowly but at some point, the tension has to start building so you become invested in the fate of the characters. I found them oddly flat & much of the dialogue came across as stiff. It just seems like people in this situation would react with more emotion & intensity.
It's an easy read with a very simple & repetitive style of prose. I really wanted to be scared or at least feel a few shivers but it never happened. This, too, would be ok if there were a few nice twists or surprises you didn't see coming.
All action is reserved for the last chapter so you have a nice tidy resolution but by then, I'm afraid I wanted out of Trinity as badly as Michael.
October 11, 2013
Yet another page turner from Graham Masterton. Filled with his favorite thematic elements of mythology, death, sex, relationships and adventure. Mr. Masterton is responsible for bringing me back to horror fiction. I have always read horror fiction, and have never stopped reading Stephen King since the first day I read him, but in the past years I have become very disenchanted with the horror genre. Too formulaic and dumb in most cases to be completely frank. Masterton has helped me come around by giving me hope that there are still a lot of great horror writers I have yet to discover. This one is told from the point of view of car accident victim Michael and the creepy and disturbing things he experiences while recovering in the shadow of Mount Shasta. There is a deep mystery at the heart of the story and you often think you have it nailed but that's part of Masterton's charm--he can always throw a surprise at you when you are least expecting it. I don't think I have ever read a writer that mixes sex and death quite as well as he does --he manages to make it relevant to the story, erotic and disturbing (two words: icy semen) and yet it does not seem gratuitous. I chomped this up in a day or so and had great fun.
November 11, 2013
This is quite a creative novel. While maybe not quite an edge of your seat spooky tale, it still does use a bit of the psychological fear factor to get the readers attention. I also liked the fact that this did not turn out to be another tale of some kind of zombie apocalypse. Hopefully that was not to much of a give away. I think most people will enjoy this little novel as it does come up with something I felt was quite creative. Beware though that there are some very adult scenes contained within.
October 26, 2013
I really really enjoyed this "strange town" tale. Kind of reminded me of "Pines" by Blake Crouch in a way. Spooky setting, residents not quite normal, main character with memory issues. The scare factor was pretty low, but it was an enjoyable romp regardless.
November 17, 2013
Thoroughly enjoyed this story it wad really head to put the book down, highly recommended
May 10, 2025
This was excellent to read. Really up my street!
January 20, 2014
A fun read that kept me riveted through the book. i would recommend it if you asked me...
June 15, 2021
This could have been so much better. The concept was interesting. The lead up was interesting. The main character and the finale were dumb.
Every woman has their breasts described. The doctor, the caregiver, the old ladies, the sister. Every woman.
[SPOILERS]
The main character rapes the caregiver and then they act like she wanted to but just needed to be forced??? No guilt on his part. No repercussions. No supernatural explanation for him raping her.
The caregiver (and most of the women) is written by a 12 year old horn dog who has never had sex. She is a nympho with big breasts but no hips. She constantly pushes for sex. She takes a load to the eyes and doesn't wipe it away for several minutes until the main character does. That would burn. She catches her lover cheating and then just gets turned on by it. Her underwear is described multiple times. Etc.
If this town is filled with geniuses being preserved doing genius things why are they never doing those things? The supposed literary genius is never once mentioned to be writing anything. Half of the ghosts are geriatrics that don't know what is going on but they are crippling and kidnapping people to preserve these geriatric geniuses.
If this was so important why are there only two security guys for the entire town? Why do they need to cripple and lie to people to get them to stay? How is the main character going to live happily ever after in a house just a few miles away when he just destroyed this government funded think tank?
This book was a massive disappointment in what could have been a cool ghost story.
Every woman has their breasts described. The doctor, the caregiver, the old ladies, the sister. Every woman.
[SPOILERS]
The main character rapes the caregiver and then they act like she wanted to but just needed to be forced??? No guilt on his part. No repercussions. No supernatural explanation for him raping her.
The caregiver (and most of the women) is written by a 12 year old horn dog who has never had sex. She is a nympho with big breasts but no hips. She constantly pushes for sex. She takes a load to the eyes and doesn't wipe it away for several minutes until the main character does. That would burn. She catches her lover cheating and then just gets turned on by it. Her underwear is described multiple times. Etc.
If this town is filled with geniuses being preserved doing genius things why are they never doing those things? The supposed literary genius is never once mentioned to be writing anything. Half of the ghosts are geriatrics that don't know what is going on but they are crippling and kidnapping people to preserve these geriatric geniuses.
If this was so important why are there only two security guys for the entire town? Why do they need to cripple and lie to people to get them to stay? How is the main character going to live happily ever after in a house just a few miles away when he just destroyed this government funded think tank?
This book was a massive disappointment in what could have been a cool ghost story.
February 13, 2020
Where do I even begin, the fact that they give away the surprise twist in the synopsis is so infuriating like why the hell would would anyone read the book after being told pretty much the ending before they even get to page 1. Apparently I’m one of the people who would still read it, the reason being was because I had a lot of hope for this book after reading the synopsis to see if I’m even interested and after reading the reveal which also literally says “the truth is far more shocking”(it’s not) I was hoping maybe there would be an even bigger twist or at least something to substantiate the reason behind the ending but as I kept reading I realized there wasn’t any of that at all. This is honestly one of the worst books I have ever read, instead of building the plot you’re stuck reading about some lame ass, uninteresting jerk and how he spends his days with some clingy annoying skank. There’s so much useless chapters in this book with a surprisingly amount of absurd and totally unnecessary sex that I feel robbed of the 7 hours I spent reading such a boring, uninteresting, unappealing, annoying, plotless book
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