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Blake House
Blake House is literally driving its occupants to suicide with some unholy power, and a police psychologist must rely on a paranormal hobby to pinpoint what she believes are the supernatural forces responsible for the deaths
- GenresHorror
254 pages, Paperback
First published January 2, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 7, 2023
I thought this was going to be a knock off of Rosemary's Baby, but outside of a creepy old building in NYC, the two stories are radically different. This starts with some kind of ceremony that ultimately leads to people dying in strange ways at Blake House. Blake House is owned/run by the Blake foundation and before 'restoring' it, and making it into condos, they had to get rid of the prior tenants. This was largely done via some psychic 'suggestion' by a ruthless investor.
In any case, our main protagonist, Jacob, starts the book in India at an ashram, where he has been for many years. The Blake that started the foundation took in Jacob as a child when his parents died; now, he and his two cousins run the foundation, but Jacob has basically abandoned it to his cousins, even though he is the chairman of the board. When the deaths start piling up, his mentor at the ashram sends him back to sort it out, for she knows that something hinky and supernatural is going on.
Every new moon, someone dies at Blake House, committing bizarre acts of suicide (which are quite graphic BTW!). It does not matter if you are not at the House either, as some former residents find out living in Japan and Mexico. What is behind the deaths? The remaining tenants want some answers as they too fear for their lives. So, can Jacob, along with a writer (who was watching one of the flats for a friend) and a guy working for the housing board with connections to parapsychology solve the mystery?
Blake House has it moments for sure, filled with graphic death, a few devil worshipers, and strange mind powers. It also has a nasty cast of racist characters who I was only to happy to see offed. Savage does not really give us much to root for here. The characters, if not obvert racists, tend to be self-absorbed to the extreme and not very likable. The plot also meanders around and the big reveal had me scratching my head a bit. Definitely not for the faint of heart, but it seemed that Savage was out more to shock the reader than tell a good story. 2.5 stars, rounding up for GR.
In any case, our main protagonist, Jacob, starts the book in India at an ashram, where he has been for many years. The Blake that started the foundation took in Jacob as a child when his parents died; now, he and his two cousins run the foundation, but Jacob has basically abandoned it to his cousins, even though he is the chairman of the board. When the deaths start piling up, his mentor at the ashram sends him back to sort it out, for she knows that something hinky and supernatural is going on.
Every new moon, someone dies at Blake House, committing bizarre acts of suicide (which are quite graphic BTW!). It does not matter if you are not at the House either, as some former residents find out living in Japan and Mexico. What is behind the deaths? The remaining tenants want some answers as they too fear for their lives. So, can Jacob, along with a writer (who was watching one of the flats for a friend) and a guy working for the housing board with connections to parapsychology solve the mystery?
Blake House has it moments for sure, filled with graphic death, a few devil worshipers, and strange mind powers. It also has a nasty cast of racist characters who I was only to happy to see offed. Savage does not really give us much to root for here. The characters, if not obvert racists, tend to be self-absorbed to the extreme and not very likable. The plot also meanders around and the big reveal had me scratching my head a bit. Definitely not for the faint of heart, but it seemed that Savage was out more to shock the reader than tell a good story. 2.5 stars, rounding up for GR.
March 7, 2020
Extremely violent and sexual pulp horror, this is a book that's worth buying if you see it on the cheap side of things, but I can't really see it appealing to horror readers who's the mainstream experience of the genre is from Dean Koontz, who was just starting to tone his writing down to airport paperback level banality when this was published, or John Saul.
There are some outrageous moments, though. The whole time I was reading I kept being reminded of Edward Lee's Flesh Gothic. The whole thing, in general, feels like Lee on an off-day. For examples, I've included some of the more memorable parts of the book:
He fell on his hands and knees, then, forcefully and repeatedly, he began banging his head against the sidewalk, as though it were a hammer he was driving down on a stubborn nail. His chin, teeth, and nose shattered. His forehead caved in, driving pieces of skull deep into his brain...The pool of blood spreading out from his head so red that none of the crowd gathering around the motionless body could see the bits of gray mass floating in the mess like morsels of meat in a thick soup. (Pg 16)
As always, shitting on someone had relaxed him profoundly.(Pg 157)
Perez pulled his jaw one way while jerking his head in the opposite direction. His jaw came off in his hands, as he twisted all the way around. Blood exploded from all sides of his neck. With his head facing his spine and his jaw still firmly in his hand, the lifeless body fell. Lying in a pool of blood on the floor, reacting to the shock of the uprooting, the tongue wiggled obscenely. (Pg 172)
There are some outrageous moments, though. The whole time I was reading I kept being reminded of Edward Lee's Flesh Gothic. The whole thing, in general, feels like Lee on an off-day. For examples, I've included some of the more memorable parts of the book:
He fell on his hands and knees, then, forcefully and repeatedly, he began banging his head against the sidewalk, as though it were a hammer he was driving down on a stubborn nail. His chin, teeth, and nose shattered. His forehead caved in, driving pieces of skull deep into his brain...The pool of blood spreading out from his head so red that none of the crowd gathering around the motionless body could see the bits of gray mass floating in the mess like morsels of meat in a thick soup. (Pg 16)
As always, shitting on someone had relaxed him profoundly.(Pg 157)
Perez pulled his jaw one way while jerking his head in the opposite direction. His jaw came off in his hands, as he twisted all the way around. Blood exploded from all sides of his neck. With his head facing his spine and his jaw still firmly in his hand, the lifeless body fell. Lying in a pool of blood on the floor, reacting to the shock of the uprooting, the tongue wiggled obscenely. (Pg 172)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2009
I picked this one up used a few days ago and finished it in a day. I mostly bought it out of nostalgia, because I'd read another of Savage's books in middle school and at the time it was the most insane, gory thing I'd ever read. It was quickly passed around in my little circle of friends.
Savage reads better to morbid, not-very-world-wise thirteen-year-olds. There are some decent and fairly original gore scenes, but the story is wrapped up in some ridiculous black magic plot, and I'd picked up on the not-very-subtle clue as to the identity of the force behind the plot the very minute it was dropped.
I kind of tossed this one aside when finished as a "throwaway," but I gave it to a co-worker whom I knew would actually enjoy it. Two stars and a "meh."
Savage reads better to morbid, not-very-world-wise thirteen-year-olds. There are some decent and fairly original gore scenes, but the story is wrapped up in some ridiculous black magic plot, and I'd picked up on the not-very-subtle clue as to the identity of the force behind the plot the very minute it was dropped.
I kind of tossed this one aside when finished as a "throwaway," but I gave it to a co-worker whom I knew would actually enjoy it. Two stars and a "meh."
August 5, 2017
I actually just skipped to the epilogue. It's just a very derogatory and a little bit racist kind of a book that I'm done wasting my time on. I disliked every character and it was basically boring with not much of a plot. Sorry Adrian but what ur selling is not what I'm buying. 1 star. That being said, anybody want it?...lol. Oh yeah, and did I mention how very gross this book is...oh yeah, it went there and just about everywhere.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews