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Serial #1
Serial
First edition, first printing, mint, new/unread limited edition chapbook, signed by both authors. Limited to 500 copies.
June 2009 OR: Norwood Press
Thriller masters Blake Crouch and Jack Kilborn (J.A. Konrath) turn their attention to the twin golden rules of hitchhiking:
# 1: Don't go hitchhiking, because the driver who picks you up could be certifiably crazy.
# 2: Don't pick up hitchhikers, because the traveler you pick up could be a certifiable crazy.
So what if, on some dark, isolated road, Crazy #1 offered a ride to Crazy #2?
When two of the most twisted minds in the world of horror fiction face off, the result is SERIAL, a terrifying tale of hitchhiking gone terribly wrong. Like a deeply twisted version of an "After School Special," Serial is the single most persuasive public service announcement on the hazards of free car rides.
Beyond a thrilling piece of horrifying suspense, Serial is also a groundbreaking experiment in literary collaboration. Kilborn wrote the first part. Crouch wrote the second. And they wrote the third together over email in 100-word exchanges, not aware of each other's opening section. All bets were off, and may the best psycho win.
Serial contains the novella, "Serial", a Q&A with Kilborn and Crouch, author bibliographies, and excerpts from their most recent and forthcoming works: Kilborn's Afraid and Crouch's Abandon.
June 2009 OR: Norwood Press
Thriller masters Blake Crouch and Jack Kilborn (J.A. Konrath) turn their attention to the twin golden rules of hitchhiking:
# 1: Don't go hitchhiking, because the driver who picks you up could be certifiably crazy.
# 2: Don't pick up hitchhikers, because the traveler you pick up could be a certifiable crazy.
So what if, on some dark, isolated road, Crazy #1 offered a ride to Crazy #2?
When two of the most twisted minds in the world of horror fiction face off, the result is SERIAL, a terrifying tale of hitchhiking gone terribly wrong. Like a deeply twisted version of an "After School Special," Serial is the single most persuasive public service announcement on the hazards of free car rides.
Beyond a thrilling piece of horrifying suspense, Serial is also a groundbreaking experiment in literary collaboration. Kilborn wrote the first part. Crouch wrote the second. And they wrote the third together over email in 100-word exchanges, not aware of each other's opening section. All bets were off, and may the best psycho win.
Serial contains the novella, "Serial", a Q&A with Kilborn and Crouch, author bibliographies, and excerpts from their most recent and forthcoming works: Kilborn's Afraid and Crouch's Abandon.
65 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2009
514 people are currently reading
3244 people want to read
About the author
Jack Kilborn
38 books847 followersJack Kilborn is pen name for writer J.A. Konrath. The Kilborn name denotes his horror novels; the Konrath name his thrillers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 512 reviews
July 17, 2024
It's like the start of a bad joke: “Two psychopaths get into a 2006 Honda Accord …”
Trigger warnings: sexual assault, violence, gore, and bad writing. The situations are so absurd that it's hard to take all of the above seriously (well, except for the bad writing part), but the trigger warnings are pretty much the entire story. There's some cheesy dialogue in between the acts of violence, but don't expect much else.
And the dialogue is truly terrible. The two main characters apparently take great delight in calling each other “big boy” and “little lady,” and I have no idea why there's so much talk of spanking. Awkward.
But, hey, at least we get to find out the color of Lucy's panties for absolutely no reason whatsoever! (They're , in case you were wondering.)
The ending is super predictable (and absurd), but it did make me laugh out loud. I don't think that was necessarily the intent, but … *shrugs*
My overall rating: two stars – one star for the writing and one star because it was mercifully short.
Trigger warnings: sexual assault, violence, gore, and bad writing. The situations are so absurd that it's hard to take all of the above seriously (well, except for the bad writing part), but the trigger warnings are pretty much the entire story. There's some cheesy dialogue in between the acts of violence, but don't expect much else.
And the dialogue is truly terrible. The two main characters apparently take great delight in calling each other “big boy” and “little lady,” and I have no idea why there's so much talk of spanking. Awkward.
But, hey, at least we get to find out the color of Lucy's panties for absolutely no reason whatsoever! (They're , in case you were wondering.)
The ending is super predictable (and absurd), but it did make me laugh out loud. I don't think that was necessarily the intent, but … *shrugs*
My overall rating: two stars – one star for the writing and one star because it was mercifully short.
September 2, 2011
I heard a lot of bad things about this book and, well, I'm the sort of masochist that reads the comments on news articles online. I was both pleased and disappointed by this book.
To begin with, I loved the basic idea of the story, which is what drew me to borrow a kindle and read it. Despite the many bad things I'd heard, I found the story to be well written, especially considering it was a collaboration. I was impressed by the fact that I couldn't tell where the influence and/or actual writing of the authors switched off from one to the other. The entire story flowed even when the POV shifted between Donaldson and Lucy.
That having been said, I didn't find it frightening in any way. In fact, I found myself chuckling at the predictability of the two killers and the TSTL victims. I also found myself frustrated that there weren't more details in all the parts that others have said were "too gruesome", "too gory", and "too violent". It felt like I was being teased. If you're going to put that much effort into writing about torturing someone, at least get into it thoroughly.
Or maybe that's just me.
In the end, I waffled between 2 stars (because of the predictability and lack of details) and 3 stars (because it was well-written and the collaboration was executed beautifully and seamlessly) and finally decided on 3 stars simply because the way it ended made me laugh.
To begin with, I loved the basic idea of the story, which is what drew me to borrow a kindle and read it. Despite the many bad things I'd heard, I found the story to be well written, especially considering it was a collaboration. I was impressed by the fact that I couldn't tell where the influence and/or actual writing of the authors switched off from one to the other. The entire story flowed even when the POV shifted between Donaldson and Lucy.
That having been said, I didn't find it frightening in any way. In fact, I found myself chuckling at the predictability of the two killers and the TSTL victims. I also found myself frustrated that there weren't more details in all the parts that others have said were "too gruesome", "too gory", and "too violent". It felt like I was being teased. If you're going to put that much effort into writing about torturing someone, at least get into it thoroughly.
Or maybe that's just me.
In the end, I waffled between 2 stars (because of the predictability and lack of details) and 3 stars (because it was well-written and the collaboration was executed beautifully and seamlessly) and finally decided on 3 stars simply because the way it ended made me laugh.
June 24, 2010
2.0 stars. Like a lot of people, I got sucked into reading this based on all of the hype. That said, it was okay and I am not sorry I read it. It was short and fairly interesting. However, if I did not know the background regarding how this very short book came into being, I would have finished the book and asked the quesiton...Okay, so what was the point?
September 13, 2011
Kilborn doesn’t mince words, just body parts in this engrossing short story which picks up literally where Truck Stop left off. Donaldson’s god complex, thirst for blood and need for complete victim submission come to fore in Serial at the expense of a naive hitchhiker. Kilborn teams Donaldson with yet another antagonist with a fetish for the macabre whose drive is that of the more imposing serial killer yet far more unassuming. Expect terror at every turn of the road.
Serial delivers on its relentless pursuit to dissuade people of picking up hitchhikers – I will never look at charred meat on the BBQ the same again as I am sure to envision the vivid and overtly graphic scenes described in this story. Sublime yet sadistic and so satisfying – 5 stars.
I recommend reading 'Truck Stop' first to add context - my review below:
Truck Stop is a culmination of all that is evil and perverse. Perennial killers Taylor and Donaldson, two corrupt souls find solace in a demented embrace at a roadside tuck stop. The initial victim; a prostitute whose body is seen as little more than a piece of meat ripe for dismemberment and consumption before the predators set their sights on police officer Jack Daniels. However, you could say, they bit off more than they could chew in underestimating Daniels’ survival instinct and hardened police training. Truck Stop is a brief interlude into the Jack Daniels saga and a good entry point for those unfamiliar with the character. Not a word is wasted in this thriller that touches on our deep seeded fear of experiencing a kidnapping, forced cannibalism and slow death. 4 stars.
Serial delivers on its relentless pursuit to dissuade people of picking up hitchhikers – I will never look at charred meat on the BBQ the same again as I am sure to envision the vivid and overtly graphic scenes described in this story. Sublime yet sadistic and so satisfying – 5 stars.
I recommend reading 'Truck Stop' first to add context - my review below:
Truck Stop is a culmination of all that is evil and perverse. Perennial killers Taylor and Donaldson, two corrupt souls find solace in a demented embrace at a roadside tuck stop. The initial victim; a prostitute whose body is seen as little more than a piece of meat ripe for dismemberment and consumption before the predators set their sights on police officer Jack Daniels. However, you could say, they bit off more than they could chew in underestimating Daniels’ survival instinct and hardened police training. Truck Stop is a brief interlude into the Jack Daniels saga and a good entry point for those unfamiliar with the character. Not a word is wasted in this thriller that touches on our deep seeded fear of experiencing a kidnapping, forced cannibalism and slow death. 4 stars.
October 22, 2017
A short almost funny story that's absolutely horrific at the same time. I'm really not sure if I should recommend it since it is so realistically horrible.
August 24, 2011
First a clarification: the story itself gets one star. The other star is for the afterword/correspondence between the authors that my copy included.
Over all it was poorly written horror-porn spun off from an interesting Creative Writing 102 starter seed-- what if a serial killer hitchhiker comes in contact with a serial killer long haul driver? Answer: horrible gory things described in far too much detail for such a short story. I love a good horror novel, and I've usually got a pretty strong stomach for the gross, but I can only read about so many corn cobs and grinding snapping bones before I question why.
The authors' discussion on how they came up with the story is much more engaging. (It also explained why the writing felt choppy and uneven.) You can tell from their discussion they have a great friendship and mutual respect and really enjoyed working on the story, I just wish it had yielded a better product. The concept is fun though, each author took a character and wrote in response to what the other author's character did. They didn't plan outcomes or try to skew the story in a particular direction, they just reacted and wrote. Interesting! Maybe next time they'll have a wider scope and lay off the graphic violence a bit.
Over all it was poorly written horror-porn spun off from an interesting Creative Writing 102 starter seed-- what if a serial killer hitchhiker comes in contact with a serial killer long haul driver? Answer: horrible gory things described in far too much detail for such a short story. I love a good horror novel, and I've usually got a pretty strong stomach for the gross, but I can only read about so many corn cobs and grinding snapping bones before I question why.
The authors' discussion on how they came up with the story is much more engaging. (It also explained why the writing felt choppy and uneven.) You can tell from their discussion they have a great friendship and mutual respect and really enjoyed working on the story, I just wish it had yielded a better product. The concept is fun though, each author took a character and wrote in response to what the other author's character did. They didn't plan outcomes or try to skew the story in a particular direction, they just reacted and wrote. Interesting! Maybe next time they'll have a wider scope and lay off the graphic violence a bit.
July 20, 2009
This book is very good.
Remember the two golden rules of hitchhiking?
# 1: Don't go hitchhiking, because the driver who picks you up could be certifiably crazy.
# 2: Don't pick up hitchhikers, because the traveler you pick up could be raving nutcase.
So what if, on some dark, isolated road, Crazy #1 offered a ride to Nutcase #2?
this book sets two serial killers against each other and it is great. also the authors wrote part one and two separately and then wrote part three together over email. Well done and just a funny idea. I did not like reading how they kill their first victims but part three was very good at how they both end up getting the upper hand for a time and then the other comes back. they go back and forth for a bit and then the dramatic ending, Well done too because they had no idea how to end it but just kept email back and forth until the ending wrote itself.
Remember the two golden rules of hitchhiking?
# 1: Don't go hitchhiking, because the driver who picks you up could be certifiably crazy.
# 2: Don't pick up hitchhikers, because the traveler you pick up could be raving nutcase.
So what if, on some dark, isolated road, Crazy #1 offered a ride to Nutcase #2?
this book sets two serial killers against each other and it is great. also the authors wrote part one and two separately and then wrote part three together over email. Well done and just a funny idea. I did not like reading how they kill their first victims but part three was very good at how they both end up getting the upper hand for a time and then the other comes back. they go back and forth for a bit and then the dramatic ending, Well done too because they had no idea how to end it but just kept email back and forth until the ending wrote itself.
May 18, 2011
Joe Konrath (aka Jack Kilborn) is leading the charge for self-publishing e-books. He's trying to change the way authors work, for the better of everyone (well, except for the publishing houses and literary agents who used to make much more money than their authors did). One of the things involved in self-publishing is promoting your own work, and that's what Konrath has done here with "Serial."
Hitchhiking isn't safe. You could get picked up by a crazy person. Alternatively, if you're the driver, you could be picking up a crazy person. So what happens when a crazy driver picks up a crazy hitchhiker?
Joe Konrath and Blake Crouch decided to find out.
Half the fun of this story is knowing how it was written: Konrath wrote a short story about a crazy guy who picks up hitchhikers, and Crouch wrote a short story about a crazy person who gets picked up by hitchhikers. Then they wrote the final section together: the meeting between the two crazy people. I'd go into more detail about their creative process, but that was actually one of the most entertaining parts of this e-book: the author interview at the end, where they talk about how this project came to be. Sure, they use it as an excuse to oh-so-subtly mention a few of their other books available for purchase, but that's part of the game when you're self-publishing. And it's not like the interview is a full-on sales pitch . . . it's mostly a discussion of the creative process, followed by a few self-plugs (including excerpts from each of the authors' books at the end).
It's free, it's short, it's awesome (so long as you're not revolted by detailed serial killings). What reason do you have not to check it out? Download a Kindle app for your PC or phone, if you have to!
Hitchhiking isn't safe. You could get picked up by a crazy person. Alternatively, if you're the driver, you could be picking up a crazy person. So what happens when a crazy driver picks up a crazy hitchhiker?
Joe Konrath and Blake Crouch decided to find out.
Half the fun of this story is knowing how it was written: Konrath wrote a short story about a crazy guy who picks up hitchhikers, and Crouch wrote a short story about a crazy person who gets picked up by hitchhikers. Then they wrote the final section together: the meeting between the two crazy people. I'd go into more detail about their creative process, but that was actually one of the most entertaining parts of this e-book: the author interview at the end, where they talk about how this project came to be. Sure, they use it as an excuse to oh-so-subtly mention a few of their other books available for purchase, but that's part of the game when you're self-publishing. And it's not like the interview is a full-on sales pitch . . . it's mostly a discussion of the creative process, followed by a few self-plugs (including excerpts from each of the authors' books at the end).
It's free, it's short, it's awesome (so long as you're not revolted by detailed serial killings). What reason do you have not to check it out? Download a Kindle app for your PC or phone, if you have to!
May 4, 2010
I stumbled on this in my usual unplanned way. I have been following the current dispute over ebook pricing and the battle now enjoined between Amazon, Apple, and the Big Six (minus 1). Konrath has a blog called A Newbies Guide to Publishing in which he documents his anti-DRM approach to digital publishing. It' worth a read. Anyway, he has brought out several of his backlist and short stories as inexpensive digital books and Truck Stop, really a short novella, was my first. It's a confrontation between his detective Jack Daniels and two serial killers who meet up and decide to victimize Jack. This led to Serial (the uncut version which actually contained Truck Stop) and completes the journey of one of the serial killers (no spoilers.) Serial does have an interesting conceit, two serial killers meet up, one hitchhiking and then they both get hoist with their own petard. It's fun.
I read one of his Jack Daniels novels. They are a quixotic blend of humor, detective, and thriller.
I read one of his Jack Daniels novels. They are a quixotic blend of humor, detective, and thriller.
August 18, 2013
A brief, twisted short story romp between two road warrior psychos; one who picks up hitchhikers and tortures them and the other who waits to be picked up and tortures the driver. What makes this short story even more interesting is it was written by two writers, JA Konrath writing as Jack Killborn and Blake Crouch. There is a behind the scenes interview between both writers involving how they wrote this story that is also worth reading.
It's all over too fast to dig into the meat of either character, pun intended, but I understand there's a much longer version that spans multiple books involving both characters called, Serial Killers Uncut. I have that one and will probably dig into that at some point in the future. There is also a Serial Uncut: Extended Edition. Clearly, the authors were also fascinated by these antagonists and wanted to give us readers more road mileage.
3.25 stars. 471 Kindle locations. The story is over at 67% and the remainder involves the aforementioned interview and excerpts for both authors.
It's all over too fast to dig into the meat of either character, pun intended, but I understand there's a much longer version that spans multiple books involving both characters called, Serial Killers Uncut. I have that one and will probably dig into that at some point in the future. There is also a Serial Uncut: Extended Edition. Clearly, the authors were also fascinated by these antagonists and wanted to give us readers more road mileage.
3.25 stars. 471 Kindle locations. The story is over at 67% and the remainder involves the aforementioned interview and excerpts for both authors.
June 27, 2011
What happens when two psychotic minds come together? A story that will make the reader gasp and race through pages at lightening speed. I have not read anything else by these authors, though I do have more of Jack Kilborn's works in my TBR pile, including Afraid. I knew going into Serial that this was not a story for the weak stomached nor the easily offended. Yes, it is gory, graphic and incredibly visual, however that is what makes it an appealing read. There is no sweet coating and the story begins with an explosive bang. With that in mind, if you don't enjoy gore, skip this one.
I, truthfully, am not a huge fan of overt amounts of gore, however I was enthralled with the format and progression of Serial. The ending was awesome and completely rocked. The talent of Jack Kilborn and Blake Crouch combine to make an intense and entertaining short story/novella and one that I highly recommend to those fans of horror. I greatly look forward to reading further works by both of these authors!
I, truthfully, am not a huge fan of overt amounts of gore, however I was enthralled with the format and progression of Serial. The ending was awesome and completely rocked. The talent of Jack Kilborn and Blake Crouch combine to make an intense and entertaining short story/novella and one that I highly recommend to those fans of horror. I greatly look forward to reading further works by both of these authors!
December 31, 2010
So this is the first book read on my brand spanking new Kindle!!! Love to my fabulous brother for getting me the gift of the year, a portable reader I can take anywhere and add to whenever I want..So back to the book, this short collaborative story combines the talents of two horror writers on the subject of hitchhiking..What do you think would happen if a guy who preys on picking up and killing hitchhikers meets a hitchhiker who preys on torturing and killing those who pick them up..This story answers that question as well as giving backstory and details on the two characters before they meet and then it all goes down from there..Cant say I love the book but will say it kept me reading and was easy to finish in about an hour..I love morbid, sadistic reads as much as the next girl :) and wish this one had a little more, more description, more details and just more writing--such a tease but interesting and a great free download...Oh man I am going to have so much fun with this reader!!
August 19, 2011
My husband was goofing around with my Kindle and found this one for free. We both agreed that the premise sounded awesome--what happens when a psycho driver who kills hitchhikers, picks up a psycho hitchhiker who kills drivers?
I started reading it before he did, and I regretted it pretty quickly. The first scene is SO gross, and SO gory. I know they warn you about it beforehand, but it's so gory that I feel it really takes away from the premise of the story. I kind of breezed through the rest of the novella just because I wanted to know what happened when Donaldson met Lucy (and the rest of the novella wasn't quite as gory...but still pretty gross).
So I think the issue here for me is that this is a novella with an excellent premise--unfortunately, it feels like the authors wanted to pack it with so much gore, that the interesting premise gets a bit lost. One positive I will say though, is that the ending is pretty cool.
I started reading it before he did, and I regretted it pretty quickly. The first scene is SO gross, and SO gory. I know they warn you about it beforehand, but it's so gory that I feel it really takes away from the premise of the story. I kind of breezed through the rest of the novella just because I wanted to know what happened when Donaldson met Lucy (and the rest of the novella wasn't quite as gory...but still pretty gross).
So I think the issue here for me is that this is a novella with an excellent premise--unfortunately, it feels like the authors wanted to pack it with so much gore, that the interesting premise gets a bit lost. One positive I will say though, is that the ending is pretty cool.
June 1, 2015
So I won a Kindle. Yep, that's right won it. Shocked as I was I wanted some free content and got this book from Amazon. It is a quick read, took me maybe 45 minutes, but only minutes into the book it had me sitting up in bed horrified at the wonderfully horrid writing of the tale of two serial killers. The book is not a five as it was a collaborative effort which in a way should make it rate higher but I am being a bit picker these days as I can't rate everything a five, can I? The book is well written and the stories are good, only three chapters but the ending is kind of stupid. This was my first read post Larsson's "The Girl" tales so I kind of wanted one of the serial killers to win over the other.
September 26, 2016
After using my Amazon Prime free library book on Pines (loved it) during October I was short for a book at the end of the month. I luckily found the free PDF version of Serial on the Blake Crouch website and read it on my kindle one night before sleep. Yes, I was able to go to sleep, just not gonna go hitchhiking. It is a twisted plot and pretty morbid as you visualize the actions, yet so far-fetched a reality I found myself being amused too. I thought about the book the next morning and found myself so surprised by the concept that I relayed it to my husband over coffee... I think he may view me differently now...lol
December 20, 2014
I happened across this e-book while online one day. The plot sounded tremendously interesting. It is one of the main reasons I bought an e-reader. The story was too short and vague. Then there was too much detail in spots that shouldn't have been. As others have said, the characters were predictable in their actions. With all that being said though, I don't feel that it would be a waste of time to read- just know what you're getting.
June 13, 2015
Well, I read this book based on a recommendation by my daughter. I should be afraid! This has some very gruesome parts - I mean take the warnings at the beginning seriously. But, the ending was terrific! A note I read in a review stated this short story should be a public service warning to avoid hitchhiking or picking up any hitchhikers. Well, I'm too old now to consider ever doing this but in my youth, well, thankfully I am still here to read this story!
June 18, 2009
Wow, that was an amazing read, but pretty weird and creepy. I'm speechless after reading this, I have absolutely no idea how to word my thoughts.
Except, this is an absolute must-read! As long as you're down with violence; if not, avoid this.
Except, this is an absolute must-read! As long as you're down with violence; if not, avoid this.
November 9, 2011
This collaboration between J A Konrath (pen name Jack Kilborn) and Black Crouch is visceral and darkly humorous. Very short and worthy page-turner. Will definitely read more by both authors.
Oh... and the little mutual interview at the end of the story if fun to read, too.
Oh... and the little mutual interview at the end of the story if fun to read, too.
June 13, 2009
Couldn't finish it. Too gruesome. Liked Kilborn/Konrath's other book, Afraid. But this one was just too graphic, pushing the gore element beyond what was reasonable for the story.
April 25, 2020
I knew this was short, but it was even shorter than I thought, because the last 20 pages are excerpts and interviews. So this is VERY short. 40-some pages. I wish this was a full blown novella or something, because I liked the idea, but couldnt get a good feel for the characters. The dialogue was a little bland, and the end was so abrupt.
September 10, 2025
-There’s a kidney in there?
-There will be, once I get it. By the way, what’s your blood type?
A meeting between crazies, short and amazing. Graphic violence stays graphic violence, and this is still horror, so keep that in mind.
But the authors' discussion? How they wrote this was amazing: one author writing a character, the second writing another, both responding to each other’s actions. That’s some incredible co-writing!
-There will be, once I get it. By the way, what’s your blood type?
A meeting between crazies, short and amazing. Graphic violence stays graphic violence, and this is still horror, so keep that in mind.
But the authors' discussion? How they wrote this was amazing: one author writing a character, the second writing another, both responding to each other’s actions. That’s some incredible co-writing!
July 2, 2022
I am quite literally nauseous
April 13, 2023
I would love to see all these books made in to a TV series.
A streaming service could easily have a mini thriller series.
I want to see the characters that were developed in the short stories brought to the "cinema" to continue to validate my worst fears.
A streaming service could easily have a mini thriller series.
I want to see the characters that were developed in the short stories brought to the "cinema" to continue to validate my worst fears.
July 27, 2021
Clash of the titans, as a game of chess sees the serial killers and (and the dual authors) go head to head in a battle to the death.
June 26, 2009
I really couldn't decide whether to rate this a 2 or a 3. It was very gory, but then when you're writing about serial killers that's to be expected, just be prepared for a squirmy read. It was free on kindle and the ending was good, so both of those points counted in its favor.
That was my original review of this and I'm sticking to it. However, having read some of the other review blasting it, I feel the need to defend it. This is a horror novella, it was made blatantly obvious to any readers. In the first review (I have to admit it's kinda cheesy for authors to give their own books 5 star reviews, it should have been added to the book description instead), Kilborn/Konrath writes, "But just because it is 100% free doesn't mean you should automatically download it. This is disturbing stuff. Perhaps too disturbing. If you can handle horrific thrills, proceed at your own risk." Obviously many people ignored this little piece of advice. If you don't like horror, if you can't tolerate gore and squirminess, why did you download this? Why would you want to read a novella about serial killers? And why are you so surprised that they're sadistic people who (shocker!) kill people? Seriously, it's not like they sugar-coated it to lure you in. This was free and you were warned. Sure, it's sick. As a longtime fan of horror writing it even made me squirmy. But I finished it, and I have to tell you it ended very well. Which brings me to my next rant...
Why would you review a book you didn't even finish? How can you say it was irredeemable if you didn't even read to the end. Maybe, they killed each other horribly, maybe they got arrested and punished for their crimes, maybe the next victim killed them both in self-defense, you don't know, you didn't even read the whole thing! I don't like horror movies, and the premise of Saw and the other torture-porn films out there disgusts me. But I don't go and write reviews about how much they suck either, and I don't rate them poorly because I've never watched them. (To the reviewers who did read the whole thing and still gave it a horrible review, please, don't think this is aimed at you, you have earned your right to complain.) There are quite a few books that I've tried to read in the past and couldn't finish, but I don't go around telling everyone they sucked.
Go ahead, write whatever you want, it's not like I can stop you, but seriously think about it. Did you pay for the book? No. Were you adequately warned in the description? Yes. Did you even read the whole thing?
That was my original review of this and I'm sticking to it. However, having read some of the other review blasting it, I feel the need to defend it. This is a horror novella, it was made blatantly obvious to any readers. In the first review (I have to admit it's kinda cheesy for authors to give their own books 5 star reviews, it should have been added to the book description instead), Kilborn/Konrath writes, "But just because it is 100% free doesn't mean you should automatically download it. This is disturbing stuff. Perhaps too disturbing. If you can handle horrific thrills, proceed at your own risk." Obviously many people ignored this little piece of advice. If you don't like horror, if you can't tolerate gore and squirminess, why did you download this? Why would you want to read a novella about serial killers? And why are you so surprised that they're sadistic people who (shocker!) kill people? Seriously, it's not like they sugar-coated it to lure you in. This was free and you were warned. Sure, it's sick. As a longtime fan of horror writing it even made me squirmy. But I finished it, and I have to tell you it ended very well. Which brings me to my next rant...
Why would you review a book you didn't even finish? How can you say it was irredeemable if you didn't even read to the end. Maybe, they killed each other horribly, maybe they got arrested and punished for their crimes, maybe the next victim killed them both in self-defense, you don't know, you didn't even read the whole thing! I don't like horror movies, and the premise of Saw and the other torture-porn films out there disgusts me. But I don't go and write reviews about how much they suck either, and I don't rate them poorly because I've never watched them. (To the reviewers who did read the whole thing and still gave it a horrible review, please, don't think this is aimed at you, you have earned your right to complain.) There are quite a few books that I've tried to read in the past and couldn't finish, but I don't go around telling everyone they sucked.
Go ahead, write whatever you want, it's not like I can stop you, but seriously think about it. Did you pay for the book? No. Were you adequately warned in the description? Yes. Did you even read the whole thing?
January 6, 2014
OMG!
Why had I not read this yet?!
Honestly, I remember reading the plot -
and I've gone through my Jack Ketchum novels numerous times looking for that synopsis.
Chalk it up to a Derp Moment, a blonde moment, sheer stupidity, whatever. I've read it now!
HAVE YOU? WHY NOT?! You've got nothing better to do right now - go read it.
It's a short story - I'll wait...
I went back after the story to read about the writing process, I think a project like this would make me insane! Matt Shawand Michael Bray just completed 'ART' with the same process, and the masters got into it on a larger scale with Sixty-Five Stirrup Iron Road. I don't know how to contain my excitement long enough for that! I tried a few times on a fun project with Art (Grizz), and could never hold on to my bits - always sent them within a day!!
If you've read this, and all the other pieces related to it...
I have Killers Uncut - that's not what I need, is it? I want Bad Girl: Prequel to Serial and Truck Stop - what else?
Is everything in Serial Uncut: Extended Edition or Serial Killers Uncut?
Talk to me - I want to get these today... now. Want to read BAD GIRL right now.
Make a chronological list if you think that's what my Derp needs!! Haha!
Get in on the discussion @ BBB!
http://beckisbookblog.wordpress.com/2...
Why had I not read this yet?!
Honestly, I remember reading the plot -
and I've gone through my Jack Ketchum novels numerous times looking for that synopsis.
Chalk it up to a Derp Moment, a blonde moment, sheer stupidity, whatever. I've read it now!
HAVE YOU? WHY NOT?! You've got nothing better to do right now - go read it.
It's a short story - I'll wait...
I went back after the story to read about the writing process, I think a project like this would make me insane! Matt Shawand Michael Bray just completed 'ART' with the same process, and the masters got into it on a larger scale with Sixty-Five Stirrup Iron Road. I don't know how to contain my excitement long enough for that! I tried a few times on a fun project with Art (Grizz), and could never hold on to my bits - always sent them within a day!!
If you've read this, and all the other pieces related to it...
I have Killers Uncut - that's not what I need, is it? I want Bad Girl: Prequel to Serial and Truck Stop - what else?
Is everything in Serial Uncut: Extended Edition or Serial Killers Uncut?
Talk to me - I want to get these today... now. Want to read BAD GIRL right now.
Make a chronological list if you think that's what my Derp needs!! Haha!
Get in on the discussion @ BBB!
http://beckisbookblog.wordpress.com/2...
October 26, 2009
What I thought was interesting about this book was the way it was written. Two bestselling authors wrote it without the other one knowing hte characters thoughts and actions. The first chapter was written entirely without the knowledge of what the other author wrote in the second chapter. Each of these deals with a serial killer where one is a hitch hiker that kills and the other is a driver that picks up hitch hikers and kills them. Then the third and final chapter brings these two together. The last chapter is written by one author writing a few paragraphs and then the second picking it up and writing some. They passed it back and forth to make the story come to and end. It was uniquely written and a quick ebook read. I enjoyed the flow back and forth. While not hugely suspenseful, it was interesting because of the way it was written. And the concept of the plot was interesting even if it did lack something.
February 2, 2011
I loved the concept of this book - Psycho #1 picks up hitchhikers and kills them. Psycho #2 hitchhikes and kills the people who pick her up. So what happens when Psycho #1 picks up Psycho #2?
This novella was a collaboration between two writers. One wrote chapter 1 (Psycho #1 picks up someone he kills), the other wrote chapter 2 (Psycho #2 gets picked up by people she kills), and then they took turns writing 100 words or so of chapter 3 (where the Psycho 1 picks up Psycho 2).
It was a clever premise, cleverly executed, but I have to admit that it was too grisly for my tastes. I knew going into it, though, that it was a bit more on the horror side of thriller than I usually read. But it was free, and I couldn't resist finding out what happened. I did have to skim my way through one awfully gory scene.
Other than the gore, it was a fun, fast little read, and an interesting departure from my usual fare.
This novella was a collaboration between two writers. One wrote chapter 1 (Psycho #1 picks up someone he kills), the other wrote chapter 2 (Psycho #2 gets picked up by people she kills), and then they took turns writing 100 words or so of chapter 3 (where the Psycho 1 picks up Psycho 2).
It was a clever premise, cleverly executed, but I have to admit that it was too grisly for my tastes. I knew going into it, though, that it was a bit more on the horror side of thriller than I usually read. But it was free, and I couldn't resist finding out what happened. I did have to skim my way through one awfully gory scene.
Other than the gore, it was a fun, fast little read, and an interesting departure from my usual fare.
February 6, 2010
What happens when you take a serial killer who picks up hitchhikers for his victims, then have him pick up a hitchhiker who is also a serial killer and who gets rides from her victims? Well, I won't tell you, but it is an extremely unexpected ending!
Jack Kilborn and Blake Crouch--two authors I had not read--collaborated on this free e-book. It has three chapters. The first chapter profiles one of the killers. The second profiles the other. And in the third they meet. Reading the interview with the authors at the end shed some light on how they created this book. Each wrote a chapter about his character without sharing it with the other one. Then in the last chapter, they passed it back and forth, adding to the story.
It was an interesting writing exercise and a successful suspense story. Well done!
Jack Kilborn and Blake Crouch--two authors I had not read--collaborated on this free e-book. It has three chapters. The first chapter profiles one of the killers. The second profiles the other. And in the third they meet. Reading the interview with the authors at the end shed some light on how they created this book. Each wrote a chapter about his character without sharing it with the other one. Then in the last chapter, they passed it back and forth, adding to the story.
It was an interesting writing exercise and a successful suspense story. Well done!
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