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The Hoard
A new breed…a new evil…
Hidden deep beneath its landfill lair of trash and filth, a strange new organism has come to life. When an accidental fire drives it out, the mysterious creature escapes across the drought-blasted Kansas prairie and finds the home of elderly hoarder Anna Grish. In desperate need of shelter, it burrows in, concealed amidst the squalor and mess.
When Adult Protective Services force Anna to vacate her junk-riddled home, she moves in with her son and his family. But there is something wrong with Anna, something more than her declining mental condition and severe hoarding disorder. Something sinister has taken hold of her, and it’s not only getting stronger, it’s spreading.
Amidst the wide-open Kansas plains, with endless blue sky above and flat, open vista stretching from one horizon to the next, there is nowhere to hide from…THE HOARD.
Hidden deep beneath its landfill lair of trash and filth, a strange new organism has come to life. When an accidental fire drives it out, the mysterious creature escapes across the drought-blasted Kansas prairie and finds the home of elderly hoarder Anna Grish. In desperate need of shelter, it burrows in, concealed amidst the squalor and mess.
When Adult Protective Services force Anna to vacate her junk-riddled home, she moves in with her son and his family. But there is something wrong with Anna, something more than her declining mental condition and severe hoarding disorder. Something sinister has taken hold of her, and it’s not only getting stronger, it’s spreading.
Amidst the wide-open Kansas plains, with endless blue sky above and flat, open vista stretching from one horizon to the next, there is nowhere to hide from…THE HOARD.
216 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
2 people are currently reading
976 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
February 1, 2016
Posted at Shelf Inflicted
I have yet to watch an episode of Hoarders. I’m just a little scared that I’ll be able to identify with some of their behaviors. I’m convinced that somewhere deep down lives a little hoarder screaming to get out. It is mostly books, but sometimes piles of stuff that I haven’t looked at yet or decided where to put it mysteriously grow larger. When I was unemployed last summer, I decided it was time to do a major cleanup of my bedroom in order to accommodate the new furniture I ordered. I went through drawers, the closet, top of the dresser, under the bed, and the armoire. Books, papers, envelopes, pictures, clothing, yarn, craft magazines, buttons, those tiny plastic bags of extra thread that came with garments I no longer have, gifts from past lovers, pens that no longer work, dead batteries, all got sorted out into various piles – to be discarded, to be donated, and to keep. The stuff I threw away or donated completely filled up five 30-gallon trash bags. It took me an entire day just to clean out one room, and that’s probably because I spent an inordinate amount of time looking through many of the items before deciding what to do with them.
My bedroom is now clutter-free, but my husband had to go and buy me an under-the-bed storage bin that I’ve somehow managed to fill up with books, receipts, old bills, small empty boxes that could be useful for gift-giving, you get the drift. One of these days I need to empty it before it gets stuck under the bed.
This is the first time I’ve read about a hoarder in fiction. It is only natural and appropriate that the story of Anna Grish should fall squarely in the genre of horror. Anna is elderly, socially withdrawn and badly needs help. Her hoard has become completely unmanageable, her cats are neglected, and her house is falling apart. She has a son, Peter, who has inherited the hoarding gene but is kept under control by his fastidious wife and only allowed to clutter the garage.
Anna doesn’t want help, but she is forced to stay with Peter and his family. She misses the comfort of her possessions and Peter notices his mother is different. Something strange is hiding beneath the layers of filth in Anna’s house. Now it wants Anna.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It was horrifying, sad, and gripping. It’s full of realistic and likable characters. The exploration of Anna’s hoarding disorder, as well as the family’s methods of coping with the problem were sensitively rendered.
I’m thrilled to have discovered a new horror author and look forward to more of Alan Ryker’s stories.
*ARC received from DarkFuse through NetGalley.
I have yet to watch an episode of Hoarders. I’m just a little scared that I’ll be able to identify with some of their behaviors. I’m convinced that somewhere deep down lives a little hoarder screaming to get out. It is mostly books, but sometimes piles of stuff that I haven’t looked at yet or decided where to put it mysteriously grow larger. When I was unemployed last summer, I decided it was time to do a major cleanup of my bedroom in order to accommodate the new furniture I ordered. I went through drawers, the closet, top of the dresser, under the bed, and the armoire. Books, papers, envelopes, pictures, clothing, yarn, craft magazines, buttons, those tiny plastic bags of extra thread that came with garments I no longer have, gifts from past lovers, pens that no longer work, dead batteries, all got sorted out into various piles – to be discarded, to be donated, and to keep. The stuff I threw away or donated completely filled up five 30-gallon trash bags. It took me an entire day just to clean out one room, and that’s probably because I spent an inordinate amount of time looking through many of the items before deciding what to do with them.
My bedroom is now clutter-free, but my husband had to go and buy me an under-the-bed storage bin that I’ve somehow managed to fill up with books, receipts, old bills, small empty boxes that could be useful for gift-giving, you get the drift. One of these days I need to empty it before it gets stuck under the bed.
This is the first time I’ve read about a hoarder in fiction. It is only natural and appropriate that the story of Anna Grish should fall squarely in the genre of horror. Anna is elderly, socially withdrawn and badly needs help. Her hoard has become completely unmanageable, her cats are neglected, and her house is falling apart. She has a son, Peter, who has inherited the hoarding gene but is kept under control by his fastidious wife and only allowed to clutter the garage.
Anna doesn’t want help, but she is forced to stay with Peter and his family. She misses the comfort of her possessions and Peter notices his mother is different. Something strange is hiding beneath the layers of filth in Anna’s house. Now it wants Anna.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It was horrifying, sad, and gripping. It’s full of realistic and likable characters. The exploration of Anna’s hoarding disorder, as well as the family’s methods of coping with the problem were sensitively rendered.
I’m thrilled to have discovered a new horror author and look forward to more of Alan Ryker’s stories.
*ARC received from DarkFuse through NetGalley.
October 17, 2019
this was great stuff, seriously. i liked Burden Kansas a scootch more because - come on - vampire western, but this one is great and manages to shudder the reader with the horrors of "the hoarding lifestyle," compound it with an additional layer of grotesquerie in the form of supernatural parasites, and have it all wrapped up in this short and tightly-packed novel.
loved. it.
because i worry that i am a hoarder, i do. after i read Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things, i had a couple of sleepless nights and some sobering self-examination sessions. to borrow a quote i used in my review for stuff, i have:
piles on sofas and beds that make the furniture useless, homes that have to be navigated by narrow "goat trails", stacks of paper that are "churned" but never discarded...
but it is mostly books, for me. and that's okay, right?? because when i read a book like the hoard, i realize just how much worse it can get, in terms of hoarding. garbage and newspapers and cats and their feces everywhere, plumbing unusable, floors rotted through...i am nowhere near this level. and yet at the same time, i understand this character: raised up poor, learning never to waste anything, finding clever uses for objects other people would see as "junk" because she has had to become creative in her poverty. and it is easy to get out of hand. and ryker manages to make the situation horrifying, but the character sympathetic. and that is tricky business.
like all the best works of horror, this one takes an already-scary situation that we can understand,like hoarding, and adds something to it that makes it even more chilling and awesome - in this case - a creepy parasite that'll get in ya and transform you into a violent host for your new blood-based organisms, and make you wanna burrow down in a warm dark smelly place until you pop and set all your "babies" free.
and he makes it work. i wholeheartedly recommend this author to you if you are looking for something good in the modern horror genre. because i have spent all october reading "spooky" books, and this one is one of the best. i will read anything this guy writes, forever.
.......................................................................
woo-hoo!! baby's first netgalley approval!!! now i just have to figure out how to put the magic book onto the reader-thingie. will i be able to master technology?? wait and see!
come to my blog!
loved. it.
because i worry that i am a hoarder, i do. after i read Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things, i had a couple of sleepless nights and some sobering self-examination sessions. to borrow a quote i used in my review for stuff, i have:
piles on sofas and beds that make the furniture useless, homes that have to be navigated by narrow "goat trails", stacks of paper that are "churned" but never discarded...
but it is mostly books, for me. and that's okay, right?? because when i read a book like the hoard, i realize just how much worse it can get, in terms of hoarding. garbage and newspapers and cats and their feces everywhere, plumbing unusable, floors rotted through...i am nowhere near this level. and yet at the same time, i understand this character: raised up poor, learning never to waste anything, finding clever uses for objects other people would see as "junk" because she has had to become creative in her poverty. and it is easy to get out of hand. and ryker manages to make the situation horrifying, but the character sympathetic. and that is tricky business.
like all the best works of horror, this one takes an already-scary situation that we can understand,like hoarding, and adds something to it that makes it even more chilling and awesome - in this case - a creepy parasite that'll get in ya and transform you into a violent host for your new blood-based organisms, and make you wanna burrow down in a warm dark smelly place until you pop and set all your "babies" free.
and he makes it work. i wholeheartedly recommend this author to you if you are looking for something good in the modern horror genre. because i have spent all october reading "spooky" books, and this one is one of the best. i will read anything this guy writes, forever.
.......................................................................
woo-hoo!! baby's first netgalley approval!!! now i just have to figure out how to put the magic book onto the reader-thingie. will i be able to master technology?? wait and see!
come to my blog!
October 24, 2013
4.5 stars
I loved this book!
I've been a fan of Alan Ryker since I read Burden Kansas. I thought it might be hard for him to live up to a story that was that good. I was wrong.
The Hoard is about a hoarder (surprise!). I don't know too much about them since I avoid that TV show. I can't watch that stuff-all that garbage hanging around, cats all over the place, rodents and who knows what else - it's gross and it gives me the heebie-jeebies. So did this story.
What happens when a hoarder's house gets out of control? What happens when social services shows up to remove the person from their home and they don't want to go? What happens when something burrows deep into the hoard and calls it home?
Those questions and more are answered in this story but the answers are not pretty. You may find yourself getting a little itchy & squirmy while reading, but that's ok, because you just HAVE to find out what happens next. I found myself glued to the pages, despite my discomfort.
I cared about the characters and felt compelled to finish and find out what happened to them. That wasn't pretty either but I loved it!
Mr. Ryker pulls no punches, so prepare yourself and don't complain when you start to squirm. Trust me, it will be worth it.
Disclosure: I received this novel for free through a contest held by Darkfuse last summer. If I hadn't, I would have purchased it on its release date anyway.
I loved this book!
I've been a fan of Alan Ryker since I read Burden Kansas. I thought it might be hard for him to live up to a story that was that good. I was wrong.
The Hoard is about a hoarder (surprise!). I don't know too much about them since I avoid that TV show. I can't watch that stuff-all that garbage hanging around, cats all over the place, rodents and who knows what else - it's gross and it gives me the heebie-jeebies. So did this story.
What happens when a hoarder's house gets out of control? What happens when social services shows up to remove the person from their home and they don't want to go? What happens when something burrows deep into the hoard and calls it home?
Those questions and more are answered in this story but the answers are not pretty. You may find yourself getting a little itchy & squirmy while reading, but that's ok, because you just HAVE to find out what happens next. I found myself glued to the pages, despite my discomfort.
I cared about the characters and felt compelled to finish and find out what happened to them. That wasn't pretty either but I loved it!
Mr. Ryker pulls no punches, so prepare yourself and don't complain when you start to squirm. Trust me, it will be worth it.
Disclosure: I received this novel for free through a contest held by Darkfuse last summer. If I hadn't, I would have purchased it on its release date anyway.
November 12, 2012
This is very good, just a smidge shy of four star good actually. It's been awhile since I've read such a convincing "monster" story as engrossing as this one. And it's squicky goodness too. I'm still scratching and feeling all paranoid. The hoarding details are tremendously well done, treated with real understanding and sensitivity yet not shying away from the more horrific and disgusting dimensions of the disorder.
I was a little disappointed with the soft, ambiguous ending, pretty much standard for this kind of "monster of the week" fare. It's not certain who survives in the end, and there's always that dangling promise that the threat will be back. Oh yes it will. ::Cue ominous music::
Another good thing about reading this book? It will make you want to clean for your life!!!!
***ARC received from Dark Fuse publishers through NetGalley
January 3, 2013
Alan Ryker is a completely new writer to me. I joined the DarkFuse book club recently and was introduced to his work at the club's forum. And I'm glad that I was because his novella, The Hoard, is something completely original wrapped up in a wonderfully told tale.
The Hoard is about Anna, an elderly hoarder who's found herself in trouble with Adult Protective Services. Her son and his family are neighbors and, although they all know that there's something wrong with Anna and the inside of her home, no one wants to be the one to enter her house. Or worse, confront her about it.
When Anna is finally forced to leave her home and live with her son, they all can't help but notice that there's something wrong with her. Something seriously wrong. What nobody knows just yet is that there's a new type of parasite dwelling within the dirt and mounds of garbage, and maybe even Anna herself.
The character's in The Hoard are all very well realized and they are one thing that makes this book shine. The characters, in fact, begin to feel like your own family and friends.
Another thing that makes the story shine is the personal and dramatic look into a family suffering from mental illness and severe hoarding obsessions. Without these two elements, this could have very well been nothing but another zombie-like story. The Hoard is nothing like another zombie-like story at all.
I highly recommend The Hoard if not for it's originality and fresh story telling, but for the people who populate it. Give it a try and I'll doubt you'll be disappointed.
The Hoard is about Anna, an elderly hoarder who's found herself in trouble with Adult Protective Services. Her son and his family are neighbors and, although they all know that there's something wrong with Anna and the inside of her home, no one wants to be the one to enter her house. Or worse, confront her about it.
When Anna is finally forced to leave her home and live with her son, they all can't help but notice that there's something wrong with her. Something seriously wrong. What nobody knows just yet is that there's a new type of parasite dwelling within the dirt and mounds of garbage, and maybe even Anna herself.
The character's in The Hoard are all very well realized and they are one thing that makes this book shine. The characters, in fact, begin to feel like your own family and friends.
Another thing that makes the story shine is the personal and dramatic look into a family suffering from mental illness and severe hoarding obsessions. Without these two elements, this could have very well been nothing but another zombie-like story. The Hoard is nothing like another zombie-like story at all.
I highly recommend The Hoard if not for it's originality and fresh story telling, but for the people who populate it. Give it a try and I'll doubt you'll be disappointed.
June 5, 2013
Skin craawlingly good
This is my first Alan Ryker read and on the strength of it will most definitely not be the last.
The story revolves around Anna and her son Peter. Anna is a hoarder, whose family home is now uninhabitable. She is forced to stay with Peter and his family whilst APS assess her home. Whilst her home may not be fit for human habitation, something is finding it an ideal place to live and breed!
This is a fantastic little story that really (literally) gets under your skin. The descriptions of the house are so vivid you could practically smell the garbage and rot.
For me this story highlights mankinds susceptibility to invading foreign organisms, be it viral, bacterial or otherwordly bugs. The story never explains the origins which I think make it all the more horrific.
A well paced read that is highly recommended.
This is my first Alan Ryker read and on the strength of it will most definitely not be the last.
The story revolves around Anna and her son Peter. Anna is a hoarder, whose family home is now uninhabitable. She is forced to stay with Peter and his family whilst APS assess her home. Whilst her home may not be fit for human habitation, something is finding it an ideal place to live and breed!
This is a fantastic little story that really (literally) gets under your skin. The descriptions of the house are so vivid you could practically smell the garbage and rot.
For me this story highlights mankinds susceptibility to invading foreign organisms, be it viral, bacterial or otherwordly bugs. The story never explains the origins which I think make it all the more horrific.
A well paced read that is highly recommended.
December 14, 2013
There’s a potential Hoarder in all you avid book readers out there, so this story was certainly an intriguing concept with a horrific parasitic twist.
Anna Grish is an old lady and a hoarder, she collects and stores everything to the extent that it’s a big chore just moving around her house, which has also disgustingly been all but taken over by feral cats (not a cat lover myself so this part repulsed me).
Her Son Pete, who lives close by with his family, regularly brings food over for Anna but she never lets him in the house, always coming outside to collect and give back the tupperware. Ashamed she maybe, a little bit crazy definitely and there’s a little red parasite that’s going to bring a mountain of trouble to Anna and all around her.
One day Anna is found buried under a heap of her stash, taken to hospital, social services are soon involved and the house built by her late husband is condemned, but all is not right with dear old Anna. For starters she makes an alarmingly quick recovery, her dead son talks to her and she is drawn back to her wreck of a house. She is slowly being consumed by the parasitic infection and her needs become that of an animal or a bug, to increase the size of her nest, infect more people and spread rapidly.
The Hoard is an enjoyable parasite horror, I was invested in the characters and a little surprised by the ending, leaving it somewhat open for a follow on.
Anna Grish is an old lady and a hoarder, she collects and stores everything to the extent that it’s a big chore just moving around her house, which has also disgustingly been all but taken over by feral cats (not a cat lover myself so this part repulsed me).
Her Son Pete, who lives close by with his family, regularly brings food over for Anna but she never lets him in the house, always coming outside to collect and give back the tupperware. Ashamed she maybe, a little bit crazy definitely and there’s a little red parasite that’s going to bring a mountain of trouble to Anna and all around her.
One day Anna is found buried under a heap of her stash, taken to hospital, social services are soon involved and the house built by her late husband is condemned, but all is not right with dear old Anna. For starters she makes an alarmingly quick recovery, her dead son talks to her and she is drawn back to her wreck of a house. She is slowly being consumed by the parasitic infection and her needs become that of an animal or a bug, to increase the size of her nest, infect more people and spread rapidly.
The Hoard is an enjoyable parasite horror, I was invested in the characters and a little surprised by the ending, leaving it somewhat open for a follow on.
September 16, 2013
Brilliant, simply brilliant!
A big thank you goes out, once again, to the awesome Karen for providing me with this novella!
This story is really great, Ryker has an uncanny ability of taking the fantastic, dropping it into rural farmland and making it believable. He's really a fantastic story teller. That being said his prose is actually quite simple - and I noticed in The Hoard that it is in some cases rather poorly edited - but the story is so rich and interesting that it's completely forgivable.
The grotesqueness of this novella is handled incredibly well. While I have to agree with Karen that I liked this one just a little bit less than Burden Kansas, it's not for Ryker's lack of talent. It's hard to compete with a Vampire Western and, at least in my opinion, mind altering grubs just really don't cut it. Regardless, this is a really great story and anyone who likes their stories of the creatures-who-go-bump-in-the-night to not end in a kiss scene will surely appreciate Ryker's take on the subject.
A big thank you goes out, once again, to the awesome Karen for providing me with this novella!
This story is really great, Ryker has an uncanny ability of taking the fantastic, dropping it into rural farmland and making it believable. He's really a fantastic story teller. That being said his prose is actually quite simple - and I noticed in The Hoard that it is in some cases rather poorly edited - but the story is so rich and interesting that it's completely forgivable.
The grotesqueness of this novella is handled incredibly well. While I have to agree with Karen that I liked this one just a little bit less than Burden Kansas, it's not for Ryker's lack of talent. It's hard to compete with a Vampire Western and, at least in my opinion, mind altering grubs just really don't cut it. Regardless, this is a really great story and anyone who likes their stories of the creatures-who-go-bump-in-the-night to not end in a kiss scene will surely appreciate Ryker's take on the subject.
March 15, 2013
Finished reading The Hoard last night, very good book. I just love Alan's fresh take on writing horror storys. The more I read his books the more I'm impressed. This book was kind of like a cross between the tv show Hoarders and the movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers, alot of fun to read. I have yet to sit down and start reading one of his books and say haven't I read something like this before. I gave it 4 stars, almost as good as Among Prey but not quite. This was the fourth book of Alan's I have read so far this year. If I keep up at this pace I'm going to run out of his books to read. Can't wait for Nightmare Man to come out in September. If you haven't read anything by Alan I highly recommend you do, don't miss out on some great storys.
December 3, 2012
I really enjoyed this one -- read it very quickly, couldn't put it down.
I loved his earlier Burden Kansas and Blood Tells True, his "Vampires of the Plains" serial novellas, but found this one a much smoother read. The first suffers from extended and a bit dreary and repetitive flashbacks that derail a lot of the book's momentum. The second wastes time with Ryker showing off his ability to write fight scenes, which, according to his biography on Amazon, he is way too proud of. But the fight scenes aren't always clear and they are inherently ridiculous, as the teenage heroine is no match whatever for the vampires and super-vampires Ryker creates. So after a while the concentration on fight scenes comes across as the writer, a martial arts enthusiast, indulging himself at the expense of story or believability. Nevertheless, I gave both those books four stars because they did so much else right. The second one especially had great characters and action. The Hoard, by contrast, I gave five stars.
The Hoard's action for the most part sticks to the present tense. It does weaken when Ryker seems to do his inevitable switching of time frames into the past, first by flashbacks for one character and then by means of a visiting ghost/hallucination for another character, but that intertwining of past and present doesn't overwhelm the momentum of the book or lock it into an extended, attenuating morbid depression the way it does for large portions of Burden Kansas. The Hoard's story keeps up its momentum.
It also does it with interesting character work. Rebecca is the social worker assigned to work with elderly Anna, who has fallen victim to a hoarder mentality in what appears to be her encroaching senescence. Rebecca tries to figure Anna out and do what's best for her, and figure her out in the context of her family and her options in life. Ryker puts us inside Rebecca's mind for a large portion of the book, and in doing so he explores an interesting character confronting interesting obstacles. In counterpoint to her slowly trying to put together solutions for Anna that are both reasonable and caring, Anna has a conflicting agenda. She is host to a parasite that has bigger plans and loves the filth Anna has lived in for years. Rebecca is trying to undo what Anna is trying to make worse, and that's a problem. Because Anna can't go on living like that. Her house is so filthy it has gone rotten. Anna's family, a third factor, is more or less on Rebecca's side, and wants a good result for Anna, but is reluctant to be too demanding. They're lucky they have Rebecca around to make them own up to the problem, make them realize how much they enable it, and to keep their heads on straight.
So Rebecca does a lot for the book and for Anna and her family. She's very well written, and as the son of a social worker and growing up in a foster family, I can attest to her thoughts, emotions and approach ringing true. She feels authentic, and we come to like her in the course of the story. I wouldn't mind reading a series with her as the ongoing center.
Finally, the "monsters" are interesting. They have a hive mind of sorts, are malevolent, and have a nasty and disgusting agenda. They even tend to evolve as they move from species to species, and experience with that species. This is for the most part good old-fashioned horror with better than usual characterization, momentum, and visceral though not overly gory and off-putting impact. I could easily see this book, with its drive, clear scenes, fun creepy-crawly monster, and intelligent characters, as a movie.
Ryker seems to be getting better and better as a writer -- each of his three novels is smoother and less distracted than the last, and he has everything else going on that a horror writer needs, with much better than average characterization skills. He's getting to the point at which he could write about most anything and make it work well.
So, this is a quick read that shows Ryker's only getting better. If you liked his vampire novellas, your time will be well spent on The Hoard.
I loved his earlier Burden Kansas and Blood Tells True, his "Vampires of the Plains" serial novellas, but found this one a much smoother read. The first suffers from extended and a bit dreary and repetitive flashbacks that derail a lot of the book's momentum. The second wastes time with Ryker showing off his ability to write fight scenes, which, according to his biography on Amazon, he is way too proud of. But the fight scenes aren't always clear and they are inherently ridiculous, as the teenage heroine is no match whatever for the vampires and super-vampires Ryker creates. So after a while the concentration on fight scenes comes across as the writer, a martial arts enthusiast, indulging himself at the expense of story or believability. Nevertheless, I gave both those books four stars because they did so much else right. The second one especially had great characters and action. The Hoard, by contrast, I gave five stars.
The Hoard's action for the most part sticks to the present tense. It does weaken when Ryker seems to do his inevitable switching of time frames into the past, first by flashbacks for one character and then by means of a visiting ghost/hallucination for another character, but that intertwining of past and present doesn't overwhelm the momentum of the book or lock it into an extended, attenuating morbid depression the way it does for large portions of Burden Kansas. The Hoard's story keeps up its momentum.
It also does it with interesting character work. Rebecca is the social worker assigned to work with elderly Anna, who has fallen victim to a hoarder mentality in what appears to be her encroaching senescence. Rebecca tries to figure Anna out and do what's best for her, and figure her out in the context of her family and her options in life. Ryker puts us inside Rebecca's mind for a large portion of the book, and in doing so he explores an interesting character confronting interesting obstacles. In counterpoint to her slowly trying to put together solutions for Anna that are both reasonable and caring, Anna has a conflicting agenda. She is host to a parasite that has bigger plans and loves the filth Anna has lived in for years. Rebecca is trying to undo what Anna is trying to make worse, and that's a problem. Because Anna can't go on living like that. Her house is so filthy it has gone rotten. Anna's family, a third factor, is more or less on Rebecca's side, and wants a good result for Anna, but is reluctant to be too demanding. They're lucky they have Rebecca around to make them own up to the problem, make them realize how much they enable it, and to keep their heads on straight.
So Rebecca does a lot for the book and for Anna and her family. She's very well written, and as the son of a social worker and growing up in a foster family, I can attest to her thoughts, emotions and approach ringing true. She feels authentic, and we come to like her in the course of the story. I wouldn't mind reading a series with her as the ongoing center.
Finally, the "monsters" are interesting. They have a hive mind of sorts, are malevolent, and have a nasty and disgusting agenda. They even tend to evolve as they move from species to species, and experience with that species. This is for the most part good old-fashioned horror with better than usual characterization, momentum, and visceral though not overly gory and off-putting impact. I could easily see this book, with its drive, clear scenes, fun creepy-crawly monster, and intelligent characters, as a movie.
Ryker seems to be getting better and better as a writer -- each of his three novels is smoother and less distracted than the last, and he has everything else going on that a horror writer needs, with much better than average characterization skills. He's getting to the point at which he could write about most anything and make it work well.
So, this is a quick read that shows Ryker's only getting better. If you liked his vampire novellas, your time will be well spent on The Hoard.
February 11, 2013
I received this book as a member of the Darkfuse book club which, as I have said elsewhere, is the best investment that I have made to my reading pleasure since I bought my Kindle. You not only get tons of great books and novels, you get to interact with the writers themselves and discuss their works. That is entrance into the pearly gates (or the gates of your choice I suppose...) for fans of dark fiction. Seriously, check it out. In the interest of full disclosure I got nothing, nada, zilch for that endorsement other than the hope that someone takes me up on it and thanks me later.
Alan Ryker is a really good writer. I read and thoroughly enjoyed Burden Kansas and Blood Tells True (the Vampires of the Plains series).I am not just saying he can write a good horror story, which he can. His stories are populated with characters we care about. His plots are compelling---and in this case squirm-inducing. He can sure create a scene. In this case the inside of a hoarders abode.
A story of possessions and the possessed.
There are more things that you don't want to know about in that trash heap than bacteria and TV guides from the Carter administration. Things that really do have a life of their own and pose a great risk to yours.
Loved this book. Loved the characters. I felt for them as they confronted one awful situation after another. Even more amazing than that, Ryker gets into the thoughts of the characters in the story. What drives a hoarder to insist on living in a stockpile of rotting trash, unwilling to part with what most of us would consider to be waste? What effect does it have on their families who must wrestle with this destructive and dangerous obsession. Ryker even gets into the squirming, predatory, and thoroughly nasty brain of the absolutely vile creature living in the refuse of our civilization---seeking migration to a human host to claw its way up the food chain.
Be prepared to be horrified at the events and amazed at how much you care for the characters. You will also probably take a shower or two after you finish the book. It will probably literally make you itch---the scenes and description are that good.
I saw those shows on TV about hoarders. I may have watched an episode or so. But I never really thought about it very much.
Not any more.
Alan Ryker is a really good writer. I read and thoroughly enjoyed Burden Kansas and Blood Tells True (the Vampires of the Plains series).I am not just saying he can write a good horror story, which he can. His stories are populated with characters we care about. His plots are compelling---and in this case squirm-inducing. He can sure create a scene. In this case the inside of a hoarders abode.
A story of possessions and the possessed.
There are more things that you don't want to know about in that trash heap than bacteria and TV guides from the Carter administration. Things that really do have a life of their own and pose a great risk to yours.
Loved this book. Loved the characters. I felt for them as they confronted one awful situation after another. Even more amazing than that, Ryker gets into the thoughts of the characters in the story. What drives a hoarder to insist on living in a stockpile of rotting trash, unwilling to part with what most of us would consider to be waste? What effect does it have on their families who must wrestle with this destructive and dangerous obsession. Ryker even gets into the squirming, predatory, and thoroughly nasty brain of the absolutely vile creature living in the refuse of our civilization---seeking migration to a human host to claw its way up the food chain.
Be prepared to be horrified at the events and amazed at how much you care for the characters. You will also probably take a shower or two after you finish the book. It will probably literally make you itch---the scenes and description are that good.
I saw those shows on TV about hoarders. I may have watched an episode or so. But I never really thought about it very much.
Not any more.
October 9, 2012
How has no one written a horror novel set against the scary reality of a hoarder? Or if they have...I'm glad this one was my first "taste" of the complexly stacked terror of what was both a tense, sad, and fast paced progression of madness. The main characters are believable, raw, honest, and victims of both the horror unfurling it's red legs in and around them as much as they are to the habits which have long been working through their veins way before the hoard ever set in.
I'm not sure what is more grotesque and yet imaginable: the shame felt over a mothers hazardous and out of control situation, the image of the layers of filth which become a safe haven for the hoard as they bury and protect themselves deep in its moist dark layers; or the pain felt by the Queen as she is torn between her needs, her love for her son, and her memories all which twist and turn as she struggles to protect that which she feels is most precious.
The author does a great job in keeping the story moving forward with a few unexpected twists and turns; keeping you horrified both by what's happening as well as by how the characters each respond. Sometimes we are most powerless against those things we love and it's only our obsessions and compulsions that propel us forward or deep under.
I'm not sure what is more grotesque and yet imaginable: the shame felt over a mothers hazardous and out of control situation, the image of the layers of filth which become a safe haven for the hoard as they bury and protect themselves deep in its moist dark layers; or the pain felt by the Queen as she is torn between her needs, her love for her son, and her memories all which twist and turn as she struggles to protect that which she feels is most precious.
The author does a great job in keeping the story moving forward with a few unexpected twists and turns; keeping you horrified both by what's happening as well as by how the characters each respond. Sometimes we are most powerless against those things we love and it's only our obsessions and compulsions that propel us forward or deep under.
November 15, 2012
This story will wrap itself around you like a nice warm pile of steamy, rotting garbage where you are anything but safe and secure – And I mean that in the best possible way!
The Hoard is an original and intriguing book by Alan Ryker. A dark and creepy journey into the world of hoarding which rather quickly escalates into something much more sinister. Reminded me of old school horror movies that I used to sneak and watch on Creature Features when I was a kid. I was very impressed with Rykers writing style and was immediately drawn to the characters and submersed into the story from the first few chapters. Solid 4.5 Stars! Highly recommended. Definitely not my last read from Alan Ryker!
The Hoard is an original and intriguing book by Alan Ryker. A dark and creepy journey into the world of hoarding which rather quickly escalates into something much more sinister. Reminded me of old school horror movies that I used to sneak and watch on Creature Features when I was a kid. I was very impressed with Rykers writing style and was immediately drawn to the characters and submersed into the story from the first few chapters. Solid 4.5 Stars! Highly recommended. Definitely not my last read from Alan Ryker!
November 17, 2012
Five reasons I loved Alan Ryker's new novella from DarkFuse, The Hoard:
1. The story tells of Anna, a compulsive hoarder; in lesser hands such a character would merely be the subject of mistrust but Ryker deals with the theme subtly, showing her actions and their emotional consequences not just on herself but on her family too. The interior of Anna's house, full of junk and grime, is described with clarity and detail, and it is a vivid and original setting for a horror story. Similarly, the wider setting of a Kansas small town is made real to the reader, much like in the author's equally impressive Burden Kansas.
2. It's got a pun in the title. The title!
3. There's a low key start, where the main focus is on the revelation of Anna's hoarding to her family, but when the horror comes, it really comes. The story ends with a deluge of rain after a summer draught, and the change in the narrative feels much like that: foreshadowed by an increase in pressure, but still shockingly sudden and violent.
4. Despite the fact I normally hate any story with a chapter from the point of view of an animal, I didn't hate this one, even though really early on there is a part from the point of view of a rat. *
5. Whilst I'm not sure that any monster in horror fiction can be 100% original any more, the one in The Hoard is at least originally unoriginal - The Thing crossed with The Bodysnatchers crossed with the alien possession of The Autopsy (by Michael Shea), perhaps.
So there you have it.
* I admit this dislike may be slightly irrational. I don't mind books told entirely from the point of view of animals like Watership Down. I just can't stand it when, in the middle of an ordinary narrative, suddenly there's a section where we see events from a Llama's point of view or whatever. Particularly when the animal seems to have human-esque feelings or be 'thinking' in English. **
** I reserve the right to use animal points of view in my future stories should the need arise.
1. The story tells of Anna, a compulsive hoarder; in lesser hands such a character would merely be the subject of mistrust but Ryker deals with the theme subtly, showing her actions and their emotional consequences not just on herself but on her family too. The interior of Anna's house, full of junk and grime, is described with clarity and detail, and it is a vivid and original setting for a horror story. Similarly, the wider setting of a Kansas small town is made real to the reader, much like in the author's equally impressive Burden Kansas.
2. It's got a pun in the title. The title!
3. There's a low key start, where the main focus is on the revelation of Anna's hoarding to her family, but when the horror comes, it really comes. The story ends with a deluge of rain after a summer draught, and the change in the narrative feels much like that: foreshadowed by an increase in pressure, but still shockingly sudden and violent.
4. Despite the fact I normally hate any story with a chapter from the point of view of an animal, I didn't hate this one, even though really early on there is a part from the point of view of a rat. *
5. Whilst I'm not sure that any monster in horror fiction can be 100% original any more, the one in The Hoard is at least originally unoriginal - The Thing crossed with The Bodysnatchers crossed with the alien possession of The Autopsy (by Michael Shea), perhaps.
So there you have it.
* I admit this dislike may be slightly irrational. I don't mind books told entirely from the point of view of animals like Watership Down. I just can't stand it when, in the middle of an ordinary narrative, suddenly there's a section where we see events from a Llama's point of view or whatever. Particularly when the animal seems to have human-esque feelings or be 'thinking' in English. **
** I reserve the right to use animal points of view in my future stories should the need arise.
October 17, 2012
This is the story of Anna, and her son Pete and his family. Anna is a hoarder and has lived all her married life in the house her husband built for her. Now she has had an accident and must go and stay with Pete and his family. Her behaviour soon becomes increasingly erratic and Pete fears for her mental health. Then she runs from his house and back to her own and the comfort of her things around her. Then people start to go missing....
This was an interesting subject to base a horror on, probably unique too. It made for compelling reading as we followed Anna's descent into madness and Peter's shame at the state his mother had got into and the fact that he had allowed it to go on for so long. It was a chilling book in places and kept me hooked until the end. Great characters and a unique plot make this an absolute winner.
This was an interesting subject to base a horror on, probably unique too. It made for compelling reading as we followed Anna's descent into madness and Peter's shame at the state his mother had got into and the fact that he had allowed it to go on for so long. It was a chilling book in places and kept me hooked until the end. Great characters and a unique plot make this an absolute winner.
December 29, 2012
In a rural Kansas area, an elderly woman lives alone, hoarding and saving all kinds of trash, and cats, lots of cats. A new, devastating has come to life and needs a dark, dank environment to thrive. The organism finds a haven and place to grow in Anna Grish's garbage strewn home. Seeking hosts to multiply, it invades the bodies of unsuspecting humans.
This was horror at its best, no one believing that Anna was anything but a senile old woman who needed to be taken from her disgusting home. Up until the end, it was anyone's guess as to how the story would end! If you like horror, creepy crawlies, blood and gore, its a good read! Well-written, not too long, with several sub-stories intermixed! I swear I could smell the garbage!
This edition was provided by NetGalley and Darkfuse in exchange for an honest review.
This was horror at its best, no one believing that Anna was anything but a senile old woman who needed to be taken from her disgusting home. Up until the end, it was anyone's guess as to how the story would end! If you like horror, creepy crawlies, blood and gore, its a good read! Well-written, not too long, with several sub-stories intermixed! I swear I could smell the garbage!
This edition was provided by NetGalley and Darkfuse in exchange for an honest review.
February 6, 2016
The hot and sultry farmlands of Kansas are the setting for this short but snappy little horror story by a new name to me in the horror genre Alan Rkyer. Anna Grish a lonely old woman eking out an existence is visited one day by a mysterious alien creature looking for a "host" for his hoard of invading "monster insect" infection/virus type friends (every home should have one!) Anna's son Pete is increasingly worried about his mothers odd "hoarding" behaviour and so against this sultry, dry harsh landscape of a hot Kansas summer our little story unfolds....and heads towards an unexpected conclusion.....
November 10, 2012
Ever since it was announced that this book would be coming out I'd been chomping at the bit, waiting to get my hands on it. Being a fan of Ryker's previous books, I knew this one wouldn't disappoint, and it didn't. It's a great twist on the interesting, and scary phenomenon we know as hoarding. It was dark, it was scary as hell, and superbly written. After reading this book I'll never watch any of those hoarding shows the same way again. Nor will I let unused items stack up around the house. You never know what could be lurking underneath.
September 28, 2012
Great book - you can find my review here:
http://www.horrordrive-in.com/serendi...
http://www.horrordrive-in.com/serendi...
November 9, 2012
The Hoard by Alan Ryker was a very creepy story that left me haunted. Will definitely be picking up another one of Mr. Ryker's novels in the future. Courtesy of Net Galley.
Read
November 6, 2012Yes, I really read my own book today. I'm *that* author.
February 15, 2018
The Hoard really digs in
I was recommended this book by my wife who had heard of the author through her work and decided to give it a proper roll. I was not disappointed. I was actually a little surprised at how well the story flowed and the characters were so well written. I loved the originality in the story and really felt the grit and dirt beneath my fingers.
Looking forward to more from him.
Thank you.
I was recommended this book by my wife who had heard of the author through her work and decided to give it a proper roll. I was not disappointed. I was actually a little surprised at how well the story flowed and the characters were so well written. I loved the originality in the story and really felt the grit and dirt beneath my fingers.
Looking forward to more from him.
Thank you.
June 7, 2013
Rob’s Critical Book Review: “The Hoard,” by Alan Ryker
Posted on June 7, 2013 by admin
Though I’m sure to upset some authors and publishers who, understandably, want five-star reviews, I’ve my own definition of the five-star system.
*One Star: A crime against God and man.
*Two Stars: Poor, or otherwise not ready for publication.
*Three Stars: A solid work worth the money/read.
*Four Stars: A superior, award-worthy achievement.
*Five Stars: A standard setter, a work to stand the test of time, a work to be studied and read again and again….
Alex Ryker The HoardFor author Alan Ryker’s novel “The Hoard,” I award three stars!
***
This one’s a novel received as a birthday gift from my daughters, and even better, received as a print copy. And what a gorgeous print copy, and with a superb cover, and perfect title.
After all, what can go wrong with bio-hazard symbol, like ever? And with the title, “The Hoard,” again, there’s perfection. Even if only pulpishly so. Such elements have instant appeal for creature feature stories, bug tales, microbe myths, and any kind of test tube, body snatching nasty that invades, infects, perverts, contorts, or mind-jacks its victims.
The work’s predictable, yes, but predictably fun.
The tale?
Simple enough to get, especially since the entire story is given away with the book’s description:
A new breed…a new evil…
Hidden deep beneath its landfill lair of trash and filth, a strange new organism has come to life. When an accidental fire drives it out, the mysterious creature escapes across the drought-blasted Kansas prairie and finds the home of elderly hoarder Anna Grish. In desperate need of shelter, it burrows in, concealed amidst the squalor and mess.
When Adult Protective Services force Anna to vacate her junk-riddled home, she moves in with her son and his family. But there is something wrong with Anna, something more than her declining mental condition and severe hoarding disorder. Something sinister has taken hold of her, and it’s not only getting stronger, it’s spreading.
Amidst the wide-open Kansas plains, with endless blue sky above and flat, open vista stretching from one horizon to the next, there is nowhere to hide from…THE HOARD.
Again, with the above, one has a synopsis for the entire story. Reading some of the other reviews for this tale, I’d have to disagree with the many compliments about originality, for within “The Hoard,” there’s hardly anything original. One might argue that there isn’t anything original. On the contrary, the entire work plays out as a very predictable script. There’s no surprises, no real jump scares, and no unexpected moments of squeamishness.
And yet the piece still works.
Why?
Because, despite its predictability, or maybe, in this particular case, because of it–it’s still
UK Cover
UK Cover
fun.
Were there any downsides?
Not many.
With the editing, I have to tip my hat. There’s less than a handful of “bugs” in the entire book, just a missing word in one spot, and the bad American habit of using UK rules when it comes to comma placement on the outside of quotation marks. But hell, less than five bugs for an entire novel, even a short one, who can complain?
Anything else?
Yes. The work’s predictability. For veteran readers, this will be the biggest drawback. No, it doesn’t make the work unreadable–after all, the story is fun–but it does make it good for only a one-time read.
Is that a failure? No. Not at all. And if it was, if only more authors could fail in like manner.
With “The Hoard,” potential readers need only look at the book’s description. If it appeals, then no problem. No, the reader will not be devouring true pulpish perfection like Harry Adam Knight’s “The Fungus,” and no, they won’t be getting contemporary horror perfection like “Spore,” by Skipp and Goodfellow, but they’ll have a great one-time romp.
In the end, the biggest compliment I can give is that I won’t mind reading another Alan Ryker work.
All my best,
Rob M. Miller
Posted on June 7, 2013 by admin
Though I’m sure to upset some authors and publishers who, understandably, want five-star reviews, I’ve my own definition of the five-star system.
*One Star: A crime against God and man.
*Two Stars: Poor, or otherwise not ready for publication.
*Three Stars: A solid work worth the money/read.
*Four Stars: A superior, award-worthy achievement.
*Five Stars: A standard setter, a work to stand the test of time, a work to be studied and read again and again….
Alex Ryker The HoardFor author Alan Ryker’s novel “The Hoard,” I award three stars!
***
This one’s a novel received as a birthday gift from my daughters, and even better, received as a print copy. And what a gorgeous print copy, and with a superb cover, and perfect title.
After all, what can go wrong with bio-hazard symbol, like ever? And with the title, “The Hoard,” again, there’s perfection. Even if only pulpishly so. Such elements have instant appeal for creature feature stories, bug tales, microbe myths, and any kind of test tube, body snatching nasty that invades, infects, perverts, contorts, or mind-jacks its victims.
The work’s predictable, yes, but predictably fun.
The tale?
Simple enough to get, especially since the entire story is given away with the book’s description:
A new breed…a new evil…
Hidden deep beneath its landfill lair of trash and filth, a strange new organism has come to life. When an accidental fire drives it out, the mysterious creature escapes across the drought-blasted Kansas prairie and finds the home of elderly hoarder Anna Grish. In desperate need of shelter, it burrows in, concealed amidst the squalor and mess.
When Adult Protective Services force Anna to vacate her junk-riddled home, she moves in with her son and his family. But there is something wrong with Anna, something more than her declining mental condition and severe hoarding disorder. Something sinister has taken hold of her, and it’s not only getting stronger, it’s spreading.
Amidst the wide-open Kansas plains, with endless blue sky above and flat, open vista stretching from one horizon to the next, there is nowhere to hide from…THE HOARD.
Again, with the above, one has a synopsis for the entire story. Reading some of the other reviews for this tale, I’d have to disagree with the many compliments about originality, for within “The Hoard,” there’s hardly anything original. One might argue that there isn’t anything original. On the contrary, the entire work plays out as a very predictable script. There’s no surprises, no real jump scares, and no unexpected moments of squeamishness.
And yet the piece still works.
Why?
Because, despite its predictability, or maybe, in this particular case, because of it–it’s still
UK Cover
UK Cover
fun.
Were there any downsides?
Not many.
With the editing, I have to tip my hat. There’s less than a handful of “bugs” in the entire book, just a missing word in one spot, and the bad American habit of using UK rules when it comes to comma placement on the outside of quotation marks. But hell, less than five bugs for an entire novel, even a short one, who can complain?
Anything else?
Yes. The work’s predictability. For veteran readers, this will be the biggest drawback. No, it doesn’t make the work unreadable–after all, the story is fun–but it does make it good for only a one-time read.
Is that a failure? No. Not at all. And if it was, if only more authors could fail in like manner.
With “The Hoard,” potential readers need only look at the book’s description. If it appeals, then no problem. No, the reader will not be devouring true pulpish perfection like Harry Adam Knight’s “The Fungus,” and no, they won’t be getting contemporary horror perfection like “Spore,” by Skipp and Goodfellow, but they’ll have a great one-time romp.
In the end, the biggest compliment I can give is that I won’t mind reading another Alan Ryker work.
All my best,
Rob M. Miller
February 26, 2013
The Hoard was the first full length DarkFuse title I read. A parasite that loves filth is driven from its home in a landfill and finds refuge literally inside a hoarder, an elderly woman named Anna Grish. She lives in a house filled with trash, magazines, and all the other things she couldn’t bare to part with. The story then moves to her family and the local authorities trying to remove her from her blighted property and get her help for her hoarding. The parasite that controls her needs to spread and find more flesh to inhabit, whether human or otherwise. First it spreads to her cats. Then when others come to threaten her, she brings them into her nest and makes them hosts.
The hoarding setting is a great idea. There are plentiful descriptions of the grime, feces and junk that make up Anna’s house, or, as it becomes, her nest. It is the TV show Hoarders taken to the millionth degree. The book takes an interesting turn into examining hoarding as a form of mental illness. I liked the concept of the parasite. It healed the ailing Anna and gave her strength and agility beyond her years. From the descriptions, it was hard to get a vivid image of what the parasites looked like in my head, other than in the grub stage. Apart from Anna, the other major characters are her family that live on the next property – mostly her son, Peter. The characterization of Peter is good, portraying his struggles to please an impatient wife, while also dealing with his mother and doing the right thing by her. Added to that are financial struggles, due to his failing farm yield. He’s a sympathetic character. One of the problems I had with the book is that the other characters seemed peripheral and were not fleshed out enough. They would play a role, appear and then get killed, but you’d never get to know much about them. The other character who does get better developed is Rebecca, Anna’s social worker, but we don’t see enough of her.
It’s fascinating to watch as an infected Kansas State science student, Bryce, and Anna, rightful queen, fight to establish dominance of the nest. It added a new dimension to the hoard structure and the way the leadership of it functioned. However, the division between infected humans did somewhat take away from the scariness of the hoard. I wanted the parasites to be relentless and single-minded. This interaction sort of broke the hive mind idea.
The gore is good and very much appreciated by this reader, with body horror one of my favorite sub-genres. This took me back to being obsessed with the early films of David Cronenberg. I just felt that it needed more. The parasites are inside people but then don’t really do anything other than control them. This is just my personal taste, but as a big fan of the splatter genre, there were some amazing missed opportunities from this set up.
The story plods along at points, and with such a narrow focus on the Grish family it seemed like some potential was missed. The whole book takes place in just a few locations, and that is to its detriment. It feels like the threat only grows marginally throughout the book while I longed for it to grow exponentially. I was gripped for the first third and the last third of the book, but it dragged in the middle. Based on the ending, I would guess that a sequel is coming. Hopefully it will expand the scope of the story and also provide more back story on the parasites.
6/10
The hoarding setting is a great idea. There are plentiful descriptions of the grime, feces and junk that make up Anna’s house, or, as it becomes, her nest. It is the TV show Hoarders taken to the millionth degree. The book takes an interesting turn into examining hoarding as a form of mental illness. I liked the concept of the parasite. It healed the ailing Anna and gave her strength and agility beyond her years. From the descriptions, it was hard to get a vivid image of what the parasites looked like in my head, other than in the grub stage. Apart from Anna, the other major characters are her family that live on the next property – mostly her son, Peter. The characterization of Peter is good, portraying his struggles to please an impatient wife, while also dealing with his mother and doing the right thing by her. Added to that are financial struggles, due to his failing farm yield. He’s a sympathetic character. One of the problems I had with the book is that the other characters seemed peripheral and were not fleshed out enough. They would play a role, appear and then get killed, but you’d never get to know much about them. The other character who does get better developed is Rebecca, Anna’s social worker, but we don’t see enough of her.
It’s fascinating to watch as an infected Kansas State science student, Bryce, and Anna, rightful queen, fight to establish dominance of the nest. It added a new dimension to the hoard structure and the way the leadership of it functioned. However, the division between infected humans did somewhat take away from the scariness of the hoard. I wanted the parasites to be relentless and single-minded. This interaction sort of broke the hive mind idea.
The gore is good and very much appreciated by this reader, with body horror one of my favorite sub-genres. This took me back to being obsessed with the early films of David Cronenberg. I just felt that it needed more. The parasites are inside people but then don’t really do anything other than control them. This is just my personal taste, but as a big fan of the splatter genre, there were some amazing missed opportunities from this set up.
The story plods along at points, and with such a narrow focus on the Grish family it seemed like some potential was missed. The whole book takes place in just a few locations, and that is to its detriment. It feels like the threat only grows marginally throughout the book while I longed for it to grow exponentially. I was gripped for the first third and the last third of the book, but it dragged in the middle. Based on the ending, I would guess that a sequel is coming. Hopefully it will expand the scope of the story and also provide more back story on the parasites.
6/10
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2012
When an accidental fire breaks out in a Kansas prairie plagued by drought, no one thinks anything of it. But what they don't realize is that underneath the piles of trash, a new organism has been holed up, waiting. The fire drives the new organism out, and into the home of local elderly woman Anna Grish. That may have been the end of the new species, as it needs filth to survive, only Anna Grish is a hoarder, and her home is the perfect breeding ground.
After Anna is found by her son, buried alive and injured under piles of her "possessions", she is taken to the hospital, where a concerned doctor calls Adult Protective Services to assess her home conditions. It takes only one visit from Rachel, a worker from APS, to determine that Anna's house is uninhabitable, and Anna is forced to move into her son's home with his wife and two son's.
At first, Anna seems to be adjusting to life with her son and his family. She gets to spend time with her two grandsons, and annoy her daughter-in-law merely by breathing, but it doesn't take long for the family to realize there is something wrong with Anna. First she is found burrowed under her grandson's bed, after moving all of his possessions to the floor, effectively barricading herself inside. And then there is her need to return to her home, a need that no one can stop, even though its been condemned and set for demolish-ion.
When local people start turning up missing, the police immediately begin investigating, but nothing could prepare them for the Hoard.
My Rating: 3 Stars out of 5
The Hoard was a deliciously creepy book, with a completely original idea that was well executed, which made it all the more disappointing when the ending seemed to fall flat and leave the reader with more questions than answers.
I found the character of Peter to be a bit.... annoying though. It is reiterated throughout the book that he is a "good" son, a "loving" son, he even takes his mother Anna supper each night. So how is it that he was unaware of the unhealthy condition of her home? The author stated that after a certain point, Anna would no longer allow her son inside her home, but at the same time, mentioned that Peter and his family had notice an "odor" coming from her. At what point do you step in and see what is really going on? Peter was able to gain access to his Mother's home when she had fallen using a key she did not know he had. Why didn't he use this key earlier? Why was this allowed to go on for as long as it did? Had he only gone in to begin with, the house would have been demolished long before the fire, and the Hoard would have had no place to go.
However, the details of Anna's condition were extremely well written, and it was obvious that the author had done his research on the subject as it was depicted with a realistic understanding and delicacy of the disorder while managing to not overlook the more horrific elements that can happen.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, I felt that it was a quick read as my interest was kept by the originality of the idea, and the way Anna's mental health quickly declined. I found myself unable to put the book down until I had found out what happened to Anna, Peter and the rest of the Grish family.
DISCLAIMER: I received an advanced copy of The Hoard in exchange for my honest review. This has not reflected on my review in any way.
After Anna is found by her son, buried alive and injured under piles of her "possessions", she is taken to the hospital, where a concerned doctor calls Adult Protective Services to assess her home conditions. It takes only one visit from Rachel, a worker from APS, to determine that Anna's house is uninhabitable, and Anna is forced to move into her son's home with his wife and two son's.
At first, Anna seems to be adjusting to life with her son and his family. She gets to spend time with her two grandsons, and annoy her daughter-in-law merely by breathing, but it doesn't take long for the family to realize there is something wrong with Anna. First she is found burrowed under her grandson's bed, after moving all of his possessions to the floor, effectively barricading herself inside. And then there is her need to return to her home, a need that no one can stop, even though its been condemned and set for demolish-ion.
When local people start turning up missing, the police immediately begin investigating, but nothing could prepare them for the Hoard.
My Rating: 3 Stars out of 5
The Hoard was a deliciously creepy book, with a completely original idea that was well executed, which made it all the more disappointing when the ending seemed to fall flat and leave the reader with more questions than answers.
I found the character of Peter to be a bit.... annoying though. It is reiterated throughout the book that he is a "good" son, a "loving" son, he even takes his mother Anna supper each night. So how is it that he was unaware of the unhealthy condition of her home? The author stated that after a certain point, Anna would no longer allow her son inside her home, but at the same time, mentioned that Peter and his family had notice an "odor" coming from her. At what point do you step in and see what is really going on? Peter was able to gain access to his Mother's home when she had fallen using a key she did not know he had. Why didn't he use this key earlier? Why was this allowed to go on for as long as it did? Had he only gone in to begin with, the house would have been demolished long before the fire, and the Hoard would have had no place to go.
However, the details of Anna's condition were extremely well written, and it was obvious that the author had done his research on the subject as it was depicted with a realistic understanding and delicacy of the disorder while managing to not overlook the more horrific elements that can happen.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, I felt that it was a quick read as my interest was kept by the originality of the idea, and the way Anna's mental health quickly declined. I found myself unable to put the book down until I had found out what happened to Anna, Peter and the rest of the Grish family.
DISCLAIMER: I received an advanced copy of The Hoard in exchange for my honest review. This has not reflected on my review in any way.
April 14, 2013
Note, this is a shortened (for spoilers) review of one I originally posted in the DarkFuse book club members forum. (If you aren't a member of the DarkFuse member club, become one now by clicking here!)
The Hoard was my introduction to Alan Ryker's work, and color me impressed. Another author successfully added to my "I have to read more of" list.
Stephen King, while having a sheer amount of (well deserved) recognition in both pop culture and horror fans in general, doesn't get a lot of respect in the academic world because he's not seen as a good 'writer'. To some degree I can agree with this. King's stories aren't terribly deep. But where he's absolutely brilliant is with character development, and that's incredibly important. A good example of this is Christine. At it's ultimate root, it's about a possessed car. On the topmost surface, that's a silly idea and shouldn't be that frightening, but it is. Because of character. Not only does King knock it out of the park with bringing the supporting characters of Arnie, Dennis, and Leigh (and hell, he even made Roland Lebay, the car's original owner, memorable and he was only around what? A few pages?), he makes Christine herself a character. He takes this piece of metal and steel and rubber and plastic and makes her pure evil. So where King may not please the academics due to his inability to, I don't know, write fancy maybe (?), he does something perhaps far more important...he tells a story with people you both relate to and care about.
Now what does all this have to do with The Hoard? Well, as I was reading it, the thought that went through my mind the most was how much I loved the attention Ryker gave to his characters. On its surface, The Hoard is about bugs. Yes, I'm oversimplifying it a bit, but at the end of the day its all about bugs that get up in you and change your personality to their fitting. And this is a cool concept, no doubt, but what makes the book so damn righteous is not the red grubs but the characters. Take out those red grubs and you still have an amazing story about a son dealing with his mother's illness (hoarding), his wife's (rightful) inability to deal with it, a town of chatterboxes and a social worker just trying to help. The character development is so damn good, the hoard becomes almost secondary while being a major aspect of the story at the same time (if that makes sense).
In my experience, there are two different types of authors: writers and storytellers. Right now -- having only read just one of Ryker's works -- it seems like he falls in the latter. I should be clear neither type is better than the other, it's just two different styles. Like sometimes you want to watch a thriller and sometimes you want to watch a comedy. Although I will say, typically, I lean towards storytellers because I tend to find it easier to relate to the characters.
This is a fantastic read where the character development really shined and the hoarding aspect was really true to life. I really dug the storytelling style Ryker presented and hope to read more of him in the future.
The Hoard was my introduction to Alan Ryker's work, and color me impressed. Another author successfully added to my "I have to read more of" list.
Stephen King, while having a sheer amount of (well deserved) recognition in both pop culture and horror fans in general, doesn't get a lot of respect in the academic world because he's not seen as a good 'writer'. To some degree I can agree with this. King's stories aren't terribly deep. But where he's absolutely brilliant is with character development, and that's incredibly important. A good example of this is Christine. At it's ultimate root, it's about a possessed car. On the topmost surface, that's a silly idea and shouldn't be that frightening, but it is. Because of character. Not only does King knock it out of the park with bringing the supporting characters of Arnie, Dennis, and Leigh (and hell, he even made Roland Lebay, the car's original owner, memorable and he was only around what? A few pages?), he makes Christine herself a character. He takes this piece of metal and steel and rubber and plastic and makes her pure evil. So where King may not please the academics due to his inability to, I don't know, write fancy maybe (?), he does something perhaps far more important...he tells a story with people you both relate to and care about.
Now what does all this have to do with The Hoard? Well, as I was reading it, the thought that went through my mind the most was how much I loved the attention Ryker gave to his characters. On its surface, The Hoard is about bugs. Yes, I'm oversimplifying it a bit, but at the end of the day its all about bugs that get up in you and change your personality to their fitting. And this is a cool concept, no doubt, but what makes the book so damn righteous is not the red grubs but the characters. Take out those red grubs and you still have an amazing story about a son dealing with his mother's illness (hoarding), his wife's (rightful) inability to deal with it, a town of chatterboxes and a social worker just trying to help. The character development is so damn good, the hoard becomes almost secondary while being a major aspect of the story at the same time (if that makes sense).
In my experience, there are two different types of authors: writers and storytellers. Right now -- having only read just one of Ryker's works -- it seems like he falls in the latter. I should be clear neither type is better than the other, it's just two different styles. Like sometimes you want to watch a thriller and sometimes you want to watch a comedy. Although I will say, typically, I lean towards storytellers because I tend to find it easier to relate to the characters.
This is a fantastic read where the character development really shined and the hoarding aspect was really true to life. I really dug the storytelling style Ryker presented and hope to read more of him in the future.
November 22, 2012
3.5 stars. To see my full review:
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
This was a really interesting premise and I found the novel to be a good read, too. I have to admit, I definitely didn’t care for the characters, though. I’m not sure if I was supposed to like them or not, but I just found them a little bit… uncaring—if that’s the word for it? Anna is a very elderly hoarder, and the fact that her son, Pete, who lives down the lane, next door, doesn’t know it, makes me wonder just how much he cares about others. I feel like he’s a bit of a “bad” son. I mean, I have a great relationship with my family, so I might just not get it, but aren’t children supposed to care for their elderly parents at a certain point? Now, I do understand that he’s not allowed in his mother’s house, but… I’d be curious enough to go in anyway, no matter what she said, and see what all the fuss is about. And, once I knew the condition of her house, I’d make sure she didn’t go back there and that she got the help she needed. Pete doesn’t do that, and his actions throughout much of the novel made me very angry with him, especially as he chastises himself, but doesn’t seem to do anything about it. Of course, psychologically speaking, Pete is messed up due to a family death that occurred when he was young, but even so, I’d think that protecting my family members was more important than making my mother happy. Perhaps that’s just me, but that’s the reason I didn’t care for Pete very much. His wife also seemed to be quite uncaring and, while I know it’s said that daughter-in-laws hate their mother-in-laws, I also tend to believe that, when someone is in trouble, you care for them. Pete’s wife is someone of a jerk, in my opinion. And Anna… well… she’s a hoarder willing to put her lifestyle and cats above all else, and it’s really disgusting.
But, it probably it a good thing that I don’t have any loving connections with the characters because some crazy things happen in this novel, and none of them are good. I definitely was anxious throughout much of the novel, and the ending just killed me. After all the battling and trying to save people from The Hoard… I almost felt like the ending was a bit anti-climactic. It was good, don’t get me wrong, but I was hoping for a more happy resolution—I mean, the book itself just isn’t very happy and I thought it would go differently in the end.
Do I recommend this book? Yep. I thought it was very well done, though I didn’t connect with the characters. And by the end, I was very glad I didn’t. It’s very well written and The Hoard itself is really creepy—it’ll make you think twice about any pile of junk you come across, for sure, and the events will stay with you for days. The horrific elements within the book and Anna’s loss of sanity do spur the reader on and I highly suggest reading it if you’re looking for a horror novel that’s completely different.
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
This was a really interesting premise and I found the novel to be a good read, too. I have to admit, I definitely didn’t care for the characters, though. I’m not sure if I was supposed to like them or not, but I just found them a little bit… uncaring—if that’s the word for it? Anna is a very elderly hoarder, and the fact that her son, Pete, who lives down the lane, next door, doesn’t know it, makes me wonder just how much he cares about others. I feel like he’s a bit of a “bad” son. I mean, I have a great relationship with my family, so I might just not get it, but aren’t children supposed to care for their elderly parents at a certain point? Now, I do understand that he’s not allowed in his mother’s house, but… I’d be curious enough to go in anyway, no matter what she said, and see what all the fuss is about. And, once I knew the condition of her house, I’d make sure she didn’t go back there and that she got the help she needed. Pete doesn’t do that, and his actions throughout much of the novel made me very angry with him, especially as he chastises himself, but doesn’t seem to do anything about it. Of course, psychologically speaking, Pete is messed up due to a family death that occurred when he was young, but even so, I’d think that protecting my family members was more important than making my mother happy. Perhaps that’s just me, but that’s the reason I didn’t care for Pete very much. His wife also seemed to be quite uncaring and, while I know it’s said that daughter-in-laws hate their mother-in-laws, I also tend to believe that, when someone is in trouble, you care for them. Pete’s wife is someone of a jerk, in my opinion. And Anna… well… she’s a hoarder willing to put her lifestyle and cats above all else, and it’s really disgusting.
But, it probably it a good thing that I don’t have any loving connections with the characters because some crazy things happen in this novel, and none of them are good. I definitely was anxious throughout much of the novel, and the ending just killed me. After all the battling and trying to save people from The Hoard… I almost felt like the ending was a bit anti-climactic. It was good, don’t get me wrong, but I was hoping for a more happy resolution—I mean, the book itself just isn’t very happy and I thought it would go differently in the end.
Do I recommend this book? Yep. I thought it was very well done, though I didn’t connect with the characters. And by the end, I was very glad I didn’t. It’s very well written and The Hoard itself is really creepy—it’ll make you think twice about any pile of junk you come across, for sure, and the events will stay with you for days. The horrific elements within the book and Anna’s loss of sanity do spur the reader on and I highly suggest reading it if you’re looking for a horror novel that’s completely different.
April 25, 2015
Anna Grish is an old woman and a severe hoarder; she lives in her old house among horrible filth and numerous semi-feral cats. When her son Peter finds her unconscious under a pile of junk, he takes her to the hospital. Apart from a few cuts and bruises, Anna is unharmed and Peter gets her to stay with him and his family. But Anna is changed. Her wounds heal within a day without leaving as much as a mark, she returns to her house no matter how many times Peter drags her out of there, and she starts to bury herself under things: her grandson's toys, Peter's workshop tools, etc. Anna has been infected with some kind of parasite, and her body is now a host.
This book glued me to its pages from the start. It's scary, pretty gross at times and there's just so much filth everywhere. The characters are real characters, with family problems, mental illness, tragedies, love and compassion. Not at all like your typical clueless-people-always-in-the-way type characters, expected from zombie books (by me, at least). Though in my opinion, The Hoard is not a zombie book, and the infected characters are not zombies.
The best part of this book is that it's not the parasite that's necessarily the scariest thing. Anna Grish's hoarding problem and what it's done to her home and herself is what really gets me. The only thing stopping this book from getting five stars is the ending
This book glued me to its pages from the start. It's scary, pretty gross at times and there's just so much filth everywhere. The characters are real characters, with family problems, mental illness, tragedies, love and compassion. Not at all like your typical clueless-people-always-in-the-way type characters, expected from zombie books (by me, at least). Though in my opinion, The Hoard is not a zombie book, and the infected characters are not zombies.
The best part of this book is that it's not the parasite that's necessarily the scariest thing. Anna Grish's hoarding problem and what it's done to her home and herself is what really gets me. The only thing stopping this book from getting five stars is the ending
May 24, 2013
She builds.
She gathers.
She grows.
She heaps.
She reaps.
She sows.
She obtained,
received,
procured.
She defected,
infected,
endured.
by Nikki
2.5 Stars
I don't know why I'm not excited by this read? Maybe it was the son who was scared of his momma and making wrong decisions at every turn. Or, the wife who said all the right things, but never put her foot down. Or, Bryce and the crew who were jumping from stacks of junk like Tarzan. Maybe, it was because I didn't sense anything remotely creepy or scary. It just didn't grab me like I thought it would.
The descriptions of the house at the beginning were done well. I think the characters were too bland. It was decent, but nothing special.
She gathers.
She grows.
She heaps.
She reaps.
She sows.
She obtained,
received,
procured.
She defected,
infected,
endured.
by Nikki
2.5 Stars
I don't know why I'm not excited by this read? Maybe it was the son who was scared of his momma and making wrong decisions at every turn. Or, the wife who said all the right things, but never put her foot down. Or, Bryce and the crew who were jumping from stacks of junk like Tarzan. Maybe, it was because I didn't sense anything remotely creepy or scary. It just didn't grab me like I thought it would.
The descriptions of the house at the beginning were done well. I think the characters were too bland. It was decent, but nothing special.
January 8, 2013
This is the Episode of "Hoarders" that you will never see! A group of undiscovered, frightening killer parasites - that take over people's minds and turn them into monsters - find a warm cozy place to breed: The home of an elderly hoarder. This book is clever, and the characters are believable and endearing for the most part, you find yourself feeling genuine concern for them. It kept me reading every chance I had until I reached the end, and it never got boring. The zombie-like people who have been taken over by the parasites are genuinely frightening. I recommend this book if you like horror stories - this one is a new take. Taking a sad and devastating psychological disorder and adding in the truly horrific really works here.
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