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Scissors
Stuart will never forget the horrible thing Dr. Ferguson did to him when he was a boy. The pain, the blood and the snip-snip of those glinting scissors will live in his nightmares for the rest of his life. But now Dr. Ferguson is back and not just in Stuart's dreams. He's very real. He's determined to perform that same horrible procedure on Stuart's young son. And his scissors are nice and sharp.
322 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 28, 2004
12 people are currently reading
235 people want to read
About the author
Ray Garton
180 books563 followersRay Garton is the author of several books, including horror novels such as LIVE GIRLS (which has a movie in the works), CRUCIFAX, E4 AUTUMN, and THE FOLKS; thrillers like TRADE SECRETS and SHACKLED; and numerous short stories and novellas. He's also written a number of movie and television tie-ins for young readers. He lives with his wife, Dawn, in California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
June 19, 2021
Not a bad book by Garton, but not one of his best. Scissors features Stuart as the main protagonist; an artist working at a Hallmark like place to pay the bills. Stuart has a 13 y.o. son and an ex-wife from hell; he also has a relatively new girlfriend who inexplicably has befriended his ex-wife. The actual events in the novel take place over a relatively short time-- a few weeks-- but there is so much back story revealed by Garton that we learn quite a bit about Stuart's past and such.
This reads at first as a man-- Stuart-- going crazy, somehow obsessed over a doctor who performed an operation on his penis as a child. He seems to fear that the doctor is stalking him and his boy, wanting to cut off his kid's dick. Bizarre plot to be sure! Scissors features lots of family drama if you are into that sort of thing but it quickly becomes clear that Stuart might be something more than just a guy going crazy. While I cannot discuss more without spoilers, let me just say that Garton tosses in some paranormal surprises into the mix that take the reader beyond Stuart's mental breakdown.
Garton has produced some fine horror tales in the past, my favorite being Live Girls, but also a fair amount of b-grade genre work; Scissors definitely falls into the latter category-- horror schlock. While Scissors does have some creepy aspects-- I mean some strange character trying to cut some kids dick off kinda hits you below the belt a little-- overall, pretty meh. 3 stars.
This reads at first as a man-- Stuart-- going crazy, somehow obsessed over a doctor who performed an operation on his penis as a child. He seems to fear that the doctor is stalking him and his boy, wanting to cut off his kid's dick. Bizarre plot to be sure! Scissors features lots of family drama if you are into that sort of thing but it quickly becomes clear that Stuart might be something more than just a guy going crazy. While I cannot discuss more without spoilers, let me just say that Garton tosses in some paranormal surprises into the mix that take the reader beyond Stuart's mental breakdown.
Garton has produced some fine horror tales in the past, my favorite being Live Girls, but also a fair amount of b-grade genre work; Scissors definitely falls into the latter category-- horror schlock. While Scissors does have some creepy aspects-- I mean some strange character trying to cut some kids dick off kinda hits you below the belt a little-- overall, pretty meh. 3 stars.
February 14, 2010
Not one of Ray Garton's best, but still an enjoyable coupla-days read. I agree with another reviewer's comment about this not being a scary read, but there were some thrilling moments.
Garton is good at making his characters believable and not just some generic figures to fill up a page so the plot can revolve around them. I enjoyed the main character's Bible-thumping mother, as well as the touching relationship between father and son.
I also liked the way the plot took a different turn that I didn't see coming, and so this book rises above some of the other horror on the market today.
Garton is good at making his characters believable and not just some generic figures to fill up a page so the plot can revolve around them. I enjoyed the main character's Bible-thumping mother, as well as the touching relationship between father and son.
I also liked the way the plot took a different turn that I didn't see coming, and so this book rises above some of the other horror on the market today.
June 29, 2011
I started this book with an open mind, ready for Ray Garton to impress me. However, like most of the other books I've read by him - "The Loveliest Dead" and "Night Life" - I was fairly underwhelmed. Garton's "Live Girls" is the only one above average that has kept me coming back.
Besides not liking any of the characters in "Scissors", I felt a lot of the dialogue was unnecessary and repetitive, not adding to the characters or the story. Many passages seemed almost like filler, as if the word count of the first draft wasn't long enough and Garton had to go back and beef it up. The first hundred and fifty pages mainly consisted of the problems that occur when raising an adolescent who has just entered his teenage years, lots of bickering and arguing back and forth. Sure, it had a few pages of seemingly paranoid delusions from the father to meet the minimum horror criteria, but nothing even close to actual scares.
Garton's apparent hatred of organized religions seemed very exaggerated. I can only assume he had a bad experience growing up and now takes his anger out through his writing. Fortunately, I grew up going to church all the time and had very pleasant, fond memories with church friends, the youth group, etc. The reason I mention this, is that Garton does a disservice to his writing because it distracts from the story. He spends page after page of near ranting about the church, apparently forgetting he is supposed to be writing a horror novel.
Fortunately, at the halfway point in the book, during a character's visit to a nursing home, Garton finally goes to work and comes on strong. It is here where we begin a very creepy, fairly scary tale. I understand what Garton is trying to do by setting up the first half, but I feel it could have been edited down considerably and still had the same, if not stronger, effect. Without giving away spoilers, the concept Garton explores is a lot of fun, if a little odd, and for me, ultimately, saves the book. So while the first half gets 2 stars and the second half 4 stars, my final average is a solid 3. I must give Kudos to Garton for being able to pull this off, because just before the halfway point, I was about to stop reading. But in the end, I'm glad I stuck with it.
Besides not liking any of the characters in "Scissors", I felt a lot of the dialogue was unnecessary and repetitive, not adding to the characters or the story. Many passages seemed almost like filler, as if the word count of the first draft wasn't long enough and Garton had to go back and beef it up. The first hundred and fifty pages mainly consisted of the problems that occur when raising an adolescent who has just entered his teenage years, lots of bickering and arguing back and forth. Sure, it had a few pages of seemingly paranoid delusions from the father to meet the minimum horror criteria, but nothing even close to actual scares.
Garton's apparent hatred of organized religions seemed very exaggerated. I can only assume he had a bad experience growing up and now takes his anger out through his writing. Fortunately, I grew up going to church all the time and had very pleasant, fond memories with church friends, the youth group, etc. The reason I mention this, is that Garton does a disservice to his writing because it distracts from the story. He spends page after page of near ranting about the church, apparently forgetting he is supposed to be writing a horror novel.
Fortunately, at the halfway point in the book, during a character's visit to a nursing home, Garton finally goes to work and comes on strong. It is here where we begin a very creepy, fairly scary tale. I understand what Garton is trying to do by setting up the first half, but I feel it could have been edited down considerably and still had the same, if not stronger, effect. Without giving away spoilers, the concept Garton explores is a lot of fun, if a little odd, and for me, ultimately, saves the book. So while the first half gets 2 stars and the second half 4 stars, my final average is a solid 3. I must give Kudos to Garton for being able to pull this off, because just before the halfway point, I was about to stop reading. But in the end, I'm glad I stuck with it.
March 16, 2010
Occasionally, I read a book and wonder how it got published. I wonder how such a well-respected author could put out something so...bad. I suppose it comes from the idea that horror is subjective, what's scary to one person won't be scary to another. But in the case of Ray Garton's Scissors, the premise is so odd that the reader has a hard time staying in the story.
Scissors is the story of Stuart, an artist who works for a greeting card company. Many years ago, as a boy, his urologist performed a meatotomy (look it up, I'm not going into details here) on him while his mother held him down. So horrifying was the incident that Stuart still has nightmares about Dr. Furgeson, and begins to become afraid that more than thirty years after the fact, the old doc is coming to cut his dick off and perform the same procedure on his son. Of course, at the same time, everyone else in his life thinks he's gone crazy. His girlfriend begins to fear for his sanity, his son thinks his dad's a loser, and his ex-wife knows more than she's telling.
Scissors tries very hard to work around the ridiculous premise, to the point that it moves into absurdity. Had Garton kept the whole thing as a psychological thriller about a man's gradual decent into madness, he might've had an impressive story. However, the book takes a left turn past the Twilight Zone and moves straight into loony-land with a plot twist that just doesn't seem to fit the rest of the story.
However, there are a few shining moments in this book. Garton's description of Stuart's declining mental state is, to say the least, chilling, as is his depiction of Stuart's son as a teen-aged angst-filled asshole. On the whole, however, no matter how engaging portions of the story are, the reader is brought back to the same premise over and over again. This is a guy who is afraid that his doctor is stalking him to cut his dick off.
Scissors is the story of Stuart, an artist who works for a greeting card company. Many years ago, as a boy, his urologist performed a meatotomy (look it up, I'm not going into details here) on him while his mother held him down. So horrifying was the incident that Stuart still has nightmares about Dr. Furgeson, and begins to become afraid that more than thirty years after the fact, the old doc is coming to cut his dick off and perform the same procedure on his son. Of course, at the same time, everyone else in his life thinks he's gone crazy. His girlfriend begins to fear for his sanity, his son thinks his dad's a loser, and his ex-wife knows more than she's telling.
Scissors tries very hard to work around the ridiculous premise, to the point that it moves into absurdity. Had Garton kept the whole thing as a psychological thriller about a man's gradual decent into madness, he might've had an impressive story. However, the book takes a left turn past the Twilight Zone and moves straight into loony-land with a plot twist that just doesn't seem to fit the rest of the story.
However, there are a few shining moments in this book. Garton's description of Stuart's declining mental state is, to say the least, chilling, as is his depiction of Stuart's son as a teen-aged angst-filled asshole. On the whole, however, no matter how engaging portions of the story are, the reader is brought back to the same premise over and over again. This is a guy who is afraid that his doctor is stalking him to cut his dick off.
December 25, 2010
Scissors is the story of a man whose distorted memory of a traumatic childhood medical procedure, continues to haunt him as an adult. The story took an unexpected turn toward the end, which made it more interesting. We know Molly, James, and Amelia weren't the only ones who saw inside Stuart's head. I wish we could have found out what sort of strange things Betty experienced while raising Stuart. Not my favorite by Ray Garton, but I enjoyed it.
December 15, 2023
This is an odd book and seems a little out of place with Dorchester (especially since it seems to lack editorial meddling near the end). It's the story of a man who was traumatized as a child, and it has major repercussions in his life as an adult in ways that no one could ever possibly believe. The details are a little difficult to figure out because you're relying on people whose memories are not very good at recalling what exactly happened (just in like in real life). I feel bad for Amelia because she's the one we kind of glom onto out of necessity. She loves Stuart but doesn't understand him or the situation he's in because she, like us, is missing important parts of his past. Stuart has his good moments, in which he kind of reminds me of me, but he also has his bad moments, in which he definitely reminds me of my abusive stepfather, someone who had many deep mental problems and refused to seek treatment for any of it, choosing the self-medication of alcohol and violence instead. Stuart gets violent, but not in the same way. It's just a life lived in denial.
This book is really about how parents, no matter how good their intentions might be, are responsible for the things that eventually destroy their children. Stuart's mother lives in denial even more than he does, and her insistence on faith instead of science is what puts Stuart in this position. I personally believe indoctrinating children into religion is child abuse, and this is what she's attempting with him. His sad story of being scared into burning his own comic book collection is evidence enough, but because of her lunacy, it sets Stuart down this path.
Enough with the super serious talk. There's something I want to mention because, if you know me in real life, you know I'm a huge fan of when things go off the rails. Early in the book there are hints of what Stuart is planning. To reveal what it is would be a spoiler, so I won't go into it. What I will say is, it seems ridiculous. There's no way he's going to do that, is he? And then, sure enough, he does the thing, and the book goes spectacularly off the rails in that moment. I can imagine a lot of readers not liking what happened, but I loved it. Especially since it seems goofy at first, but then the real consequences arise, and people get hurt and die, and you realize it's maybe not so goofy after all.
Because of that, I don't think I can recommend the book to many. All I can say is, I loved the hell out of it. And that last chapter is pretty good, too. I hate it when a horror book feels the need to throw one last scare at you, especially if the scare is the fact that the villain has survived to terrorize our hero(es) again in a possible (and wholly unnecessary) sequel, but this doesn't do that, and it doesn't feel too much like a scare. And it's very cleverly done.
This book is really about how parents, no matter how good their intentions might be, are responsible for the things that eventually destroy their children. Stuart's mother lives in denial even more than he does, and her insistence on faith instead of science is what puts Stuart in this position. I personally believe indoctrinating children into religion is child abuse, and this is what she's attempting with him. His sad story of being scared into burning his own comic book collection is evidence enough, but because of her lunacy, it sets Stuart down this path.
Enough with the super serious talk. There's something I want to mention because, if you know me in real life, you know I'm a huge fan of when things go off the rails. Early in the book there are hints of what Stuart is planning. To reveal what it is would be a spoiler, so I won't go into it. What I will say is, it seems ridiculous. There's no way he's going to do that, is he? And then, sure enough, he does the thing, and the book goes spectacularly off the rails in that moment. I can imagine a lot of readers not liking what happened, but I loved it. Especially since it seems goofy at first, but then the real consequences arise, and people get hurt and die, and you realize it's maybe not so goofy after all.
Because of that, I don't think I can recommend the book to many. All I can say is, I loved the hell out of it. And that last chapter is pretty good, too. I hate it when a horror book feels the need to throw one last scare at you, especially if the scare is the fact that the villain has survived to terrorize our hero(es) again in a possible (and wholly unnecessary) sequel, but this doesn't do that, and it doesn't feel too much like a scare. And it's very cleverly done.
December 27, 2014
Despite some difficulty identifying with some characters and some shifts in the story, I did like this book and would recommend it. The story follows Stuart Mullond at a particularly troublesome point in his life. Despite it being years in the past, he's still tormented by a botched operation on his penis from when he was a little boy. In fact, he starts believing that he is being followed by Dr. Furgeson, the doctor who botched things. It is very obviously creating mental problems for him as his life quickly falls apart.
This is the part of the novel where rather than seeing the disintegration of a man's mental health into full-on crazy, I realized we were jumping straight into the crazy with no lead up. However, proving me wrong, Garton took the story in a slight twist and quickly changed things up. I'm not going to spoil things but I'll admit to being surprised and liking the new aspect. It took things to the next level. It made the story a little bit harder to believe but once I got past that part, it was great. It also totally changed the ending that I was predicting. The hardest part to connect with the story was the beginning when it's so obvious to the reader that Stuart needs serious help; that is when I couldn't connect with what the characters were doing. Still a good story though and one that is recommended.
This is the part of the novel where rather than seeing the disintegration of a man's mental health into full-on crazy, I realized we were jumping straight into the crazy with no lead up. However, proving me wrong, Garton took the story in a slight twist and quickly changed things up. I'm not going to spoil things but I'll admit to being surprised and liking the new aspect. It took things to the next level. It made the story a little bit harder to believe but once I got past that part, it was great. It also totally changed the ending that I was predicting. The hardest part to connect with the story was the beginning when it's so obvious to the reader that Stuart needs serious help; that is when I couldn't connect with what the characters were doing. Still a good story though and one that is recommended.
Read
June 6, 2020I've sat on this book for ten years and finally read it. My instincts were correct: this was bad. So bad that I can't give it any stars.
The premise is a man is having visions of a doctor from his childhood stalking him as an adult. He believes this doctor wants to cut off more of his penis, as he did when he was a child. I'm not joking. This man has a live in girlfriend, who's friends with his ex-wife. Their thirteen year-old son is another character in this book. The whole book hinges on whether this doctor is after the protagonist or if he's just imagining it. Wait! There's a twist! The protagonist is fixated on a comic book character he created--Owl-Man...and he makes the costume of his character to battle others, as well as the nefarious doctor. I'm not making this up.
This was a short story blown to unreasonable lengths with any reader considerably smarter than any of the characters. The finale is cliche as anything ever written, and the last page flat out ridiculous. This want to be a horror story, but comes off as unenjoyable melodrama.
Often I donate my books to Goodwill of the local library. This one will be tossed into the recycle bin.
The premise is a man is having visions of a doctor from his childhood stalking him as an adult. He believes this doctor wants to cut off more of his penis, as he did when he was a child. I'm not joking. This man has a live in girlfriend, who's friends with his ex-wife. Their thirteen year-old son is another character in this book. The whole book hinges on whether this doctor is after the protagonist or if he's just imagining it. Wait! There's a twist! The protagonist is fixated on a comic book character he created--Owl-Man...and he makes the costume of his character to battle others, as well as the nefarious doctor. I'm not making this up.
This was a short story blown to unreasonable lengths with any reader considerably smarter than any of the characters. The finale is cliche as anything ever written, and the last page flat out ridiculous. This want to be a horror story, but comes off as unenjoyable melodrama.
Often I donate my books to Goodwill of the local library. This one will be tossed into the recycle bin.
October 27, 2016
Really fun horror story about a guy who thinks a doctor from his childhood has returned to stalk him. Apparently this doctor wants to cut off his pee-pee! It may sound laughable, but "Scissors" has some great horror set-pieces and really ramps up the tension for the climax. Who says you can't be original these days?
And is it true that Ray Garton wrote YA thrillers in the 90s as Joseph Locke? Joseph Locke was one of my favourites from when I was younger! If so, he hasn't lost his touch!
And is it true that Ray Garton wrote YA thrillers in the 90s as Joseph Locke? Joseph Locke was one of my favourites from when I was younger! If so, he hasn't lost his touch!
March 29, 2011
Kept me guessing from the start. Through much of the book I wasn't sure whether there were supernatural elements at work or whether the main character was sinking into insanity. Very original.
May 29, 2022
Wonderfully Twisted
Stuart is a brilliant artist. He has a son named James and a girlfriend named Amelia. At first Stuart"s creativity is amazing and very talented. But there is another side to this creativity that can be quite frightening. It would seem that Stuart has some mental issues as he seems to see his childhood doctor everywhere he goes. The other issue is that this doctor that performed an operation on a Stuart when he was a kid, is now fixated on doing the same to Stuart 's son James.
The question remains: Is Stuart actually insane or is there something not quite natural going in? Will Stuart be able to figure it out? Will his loved ones know what to do? Will any of them live long enough to find out the truth?
A very disturbing and creative story, I loved it!!!
Stuart is a brilliant artist. He has a son named James and a girlfriend named Amelia. At first Stuart"s creativity is amazing and very talented. But there is another side to this creativity that can be quite frightening. It would seem that Stuart has some mental issues as he seems to see his childhood doctor everywhere he goes. The other issue is that this doctor that performed an operation on a Stuart when he was a kid, is now fixated on doing the same to Stuart 's son James.
The question remains: Is Stuart actually insane or is there something not quite natural going in? Will Stuart be able to figure it out? Will his loved ones know what to do? Will any of them live long enough to find out the truth?
A very disturbing and creative story, I loved it!!!
December 4, 2024
This was a wild, awesome book.
It was the kind of book that continually morphed—first, I suspected it to be some kind of serial killer book, then a psychological horror about a man slowly sinking into schizophrenia, and then it didn’t hit me until page 205. The description and cover for the book were very vague, and I actually loved that for once, because I went into the book blind. This is a book that you need to go into blindly to get the real experience, to feel what the characters felt—their despair, confusion, their love for Stuart while trying to face the things he’d been inflicting upon them.
The exploration of Stuart’s subconscious and the way that manifested was an awesome character study. I finished the book while sitting in the library, and had to stop myself from disturbing others when I read the last sentence.
It was the kind of book that continually morphed—first, I suspected it to be some kind of serial killer book, then a psychological horror about a man slowly sinking into schizophrenia, and then it didn’t hit me until page 205. The description and cover for the book were very vague, and I actually loved that for once, because I went into the book blind. This is a book that you need to go into blindly to get the real experience, to feel what the characters felt—their despair, confusion, their love for Stuart while trying to face the things he’d been inflicting upon them.
The exploration of Stuart’s subconscious and the way that manifested was an awesome character study. I finished the book while sitting in the library, and had to stop myself from disturbing others when I read the last sentence.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2019
I was taken off guard by this book as I wasn't sure whether I wanted to read it. This problem was solved when my wife bought it for me. It took a while to get going but once it did it keeps picking up pace until the climax. It's actually very good and as usual from Mr Garton it's well written..... Right on my level (I find king too over descriptive and long winded, a problem with quite a few of the better known authors) the story itself is very different from what I was expecting and this is a good thing. Not his best work but still very much worth a read.
June 19, 2019
I read this book years ago but I can remember being just delighted with it from start to finish. For a long time afterward, I could not look at a pair of scissors without thinking of this book. The story is so over-the-top weird, you'll laugh out loud, even at the really scary parts.
January 17, 2021
A great read! I'm really starting to enjoy Ray Garton's writing. I'll be reading more of him this year.
April 27, 2024
Snick, snick, snick...
August 4, 2018
One of his Best
This may be the best book yet, of his books that I have read so far, from one of my favorite authors.
This may be the best book yet, of his books that I have read so far, from one of my favorite authors.
March 25, 2012
Weird weird weird. And I don't normally feel that's a negative thing, but I was mostly confused and vaguely embarrassed throughout this book.
Stuart has developed a paranoid fear that a urologist he went to as a child is going to cut off his penis. He is also under the impression that this doctor did something totally inappropriate (snipped his winky with some scissors while he was conscious) in his childhood procedure to help him "pee right". He has a teenage son he's worried the doctor is going after (in one of the most uncomfortable scenes of the book where he is hysterical and groping himself in a video arcade), an ex-wife and a girlfriend who are way too good of friends, and a mother he thinks might be in on the conspiracy.
So I go, ok, a psychological descent into madness, sounds good. Then there start being physical manifestations of his paranoia, so I think, psychological horror, I'll take it. And then an Owl Man costume and some crimefighting, so we're into superhero territory? And then living dreams, so maybe fantasy?
I'm not blaming this book for not going where I thought it would, because I'm always up for a surprise. I'm blaming this book for doing this in a totally inorganic and rather uncomfortable way. Or maybe it's just because I have a hard time reading 300 pages of Freudian penis-centric obsession. Winky.
Stuart has developed a paranoid fear that a urologist he went to as a child is going to cut off his penis. He is also under the impression that this doctor did something totally inappropriate (snipped his winky with some scissors while he was conscious) in his childhood procedure to help him "pee right". He has a teenage son he's worried the doctor is going after (in one of the most uncomfortable scenes of the book where he is hysterical and groping himself in a video arcade), an ex-wife and a girlfriend who are way too good of friends, and a mother he thinks might be in on the conspiracy.
So I go, ok, a psychological descent into madness, sounds good. Then there start being physical manifestations of his paranoia, so I think, psychological horror, I'll take it. And then an Owl Man costume and some crimefighting, so we're into superhero territory? And then living dreams, so maybe fantasy?
I'm not blaming this book for not going where I thought it would, because I'm always up for a surprise. I'm blaming this book for doing this in a totally inorganic and rather uncomfortable way. Or maybe it's just because I have a hard time reading 300 pages of Freudian penis-centric obsession. Winky.
March 7, 2016
2.5.
Once again, Ray Garton delivers a novel with flashes of imagination, a few interesting ideas, and a vivid sense of gory grue, but when it comes to characterization, plotting, and style, he falters. It's not that it's bad, or that it doesn't make sense, it's that it makes too much sense. Rather than letting the actions of the characters speak for themselves, Garton feels the need to explain everything, to not only point out the character's motivations and feelings through the prose, but to have the characters do so themselves through dialogue. It comes off as tacky and crashingly unsubtle, as if Garton is afraid that we won't get his point unless he hammers it home constantly, and the characters end up coming off like overly logical aliens, which is especially unusual for a novel about mental illness. If it wasn't for an interesting midway twist and some creative suspense scenes, there wouldn't be a whole lot to recommend about it.
Once again, Ray Garton delivers a novel with flashes of imagination, a few interesting ideas, and a vivid sense of gory grue, but when it comes to characterization, plotting, and style, he falters. It's not that it's bad, or that it doesn't make sense, it's that it makes too much sense. Rather than letting the actions of the characters speak for themselves, Garton feels the need to explain everything, to not only point out the character's motivations and feelings through the prose, but to have the characters do so themselves through dialogue. It comes off as tacky and crashingly unsubtle, as if Garton is afraid that we won't get his point unless he hammers it home constantly, and the characters end up coming off like overly logical aliens, which is especially unusual for a novel about mental illness. If it wasn't for an interesting midway twist and some creative suspense scenes, there wouldn't be a whole lot to recommend about it.
January 6, 2017
Two ideas, one good and one bad make up this book, which makes for an entertaining read, but nothing special. The good idea is Stuart, the protagonist has his fears come to life, and his way of combating it is to become a superhero named "Owl Man." I thought this was a pretty cool idea. The bad idea is a childhood traumatic experience where the tip of his penis is chopped off by a Dr. Ferguson so the boy can urinate right, and who becomes the monster in this story. So, Dr. Ferguson is going after Stuart's son. This read a lot like a newer Dean Koontz book, the writing is good and keeps the reader interested, but ultimately the story just isn't good enough to make it a great book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2008
Folks,
I don't know, having the tip of my penis cut off by some mad doctor, then fearing the same fate for my son, seems like a cheap way to illict thrills. Of COURSE male readers will have some kind of reaction. Just an easy and predictable one.
While a nice hardcover edition, this just doesn't live up to the eighties splatterpunk delight of LIVE GIRLS or CRUCIFAX AUTUMN (with it's celebrated and notorious abortion-by-tongue scene). Read more like an expanded short story.
I still find Mr. Garton's prose clean and slippery reading through.
I don't know, having the tip of my penis cut off by some mad doctor, then fearing the same fate for my son, seems like a cheap way to illict thrills. Of COURSE male readers will have some kind of reaction. Just an easy and predictable one.
While a nice hardcover edition, this just doesn't live up to the eighties splatterpunk delight of LIVE GIRLS or CRUCIFAX AUTUMN (with it's celebrated and notorious abortion-by-tongue scene). Read more like an expanded short story.
I still find Mr. Garton's prose clean and slippery reading through.
February 13, 2010
Scissors is a fast easy read reminescant of Koontz.
Godd characterizations. The author keeps the pacing fairly tight and while not a particluarly scary book it does provide some thrills and is enjoyable.
Godd characterizations. The author keeps the pacing fairly tight and while not a particluarly scary book it does provide some thrills and is enjoyable.
September 7, 2010
Ray Garton weaves a character driven tale of the past coming back to haunt in ways a person can never imagine. Though the story did drag on in some places, I related well with the characters and would recommend this story to others like myself who enjoy a good character driven plot.
June 22, 2016
The book starts off as a "ho hum, seen this before" sort of thing. Solidly done, but familiar. Then we get a very nice twist and things really take off. It's by no means the best thing Mr. Garton has written, but still nicely done.
December 28, 2016
Ray Garton at his best, waving a tale of high-octane suspense with a bit of downright *weirdness*. As with all great books and authors, it's Garton's character development and interplay that grounds the story; the horror evolves from there. SCISSORS is unique, inventive, and unnerving. Brilliant!
October 30, 2010
A real page turner. I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed the premise of this book. Stuart definitely had a screw or two loose. And scissors wasn't going to be tightening them.
July 19, 2010
i really enjoyed this book
November 22, 2013
I don't think it's possible for Ray Garton to write a bad novel.
Scissors went in a direction I didn't see coming, and I loved every minute of it.
Another recommended read.
Scissors went in a direction I didn't see coming, and I loved every minute of it.
Another recommended read.
January 14, 2011
I think this is a scarier book for a man than for a woman. It kind of made me giggle.
July 26, 2011
I couldnt finish this one. Live Girls and The Loveliest Dead are far better books.
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