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Doll Face
Six friends are returning home from a night out when they end up in a town called Stokes. They discover they are trapped there, as Stokes does not really exist. The actual town had burned to the ground more than fifty years ago. The Stokes they are in is a nightmare version of the former town, engineered by a deranged and undead mind, a supernatural machine of wrath that will destroy them one by one....unless they submit to its dominance and become living dolls.
246 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2015
22 people are currently reading
636 people want to read
About the author
Tim Curran
149 books596 followersTim Curran lives in Michigan and is the author of the novels Skin Medicine, Hive, Dead Sea, Resurrection, The Devil Next Door, and Biohazard, as well as the novella The Corpse King. His short stories have appeared in such magazines as City Slab, Flesh&Blood, Book of Dark Wisdom, and Inhuman, and anthologies such as Shivers IV, High Seas Cthulhu, and Vile Things.
For DarkFuse and its imprints, he has written the bestselling The Underdwelling, the Readers Choice-Nominated novella Fear Me, Puppet Graveyard as well as Long Black Coffin.
Find him on the web at: www.corpseking.com.
For DarkFuse and its imprints, he has written the bestselling The Underdwelling, the Readers Choice-Nominated novella Fear Me, Puppet Graveyard as well as Long Black Coffin.
Find him on the web at: www.corpseking.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
May 24, 2016
Fuck. This book was creepy as hell. Six friends end up in Stokes, a town that doesn't exist anymore, as it burned to the ground 50 years earlier. As they enter the town, they believe they have run over someone or something and stop to investigate - and from that point onwards everything spirals into complete madness..The Doll's in this book reminded me of the nurses in Silent Hill, probably because of the way they moved, or something? Not sure. Anyway, I liked it.
January 30, 2015
This was a wildly imaginative book. I'm not going to get into the setup since the synopsis already does that. Instead I'm just going to state how this book made me feel.
This book is INSANE! I don't even know where to begin. An old town that doesn't exist now does. Things that don't exist, now do. A few of them? Frankendoll. Spider Mother. The Puppeteer. The Controller. Yeah, think about what those look like. Go ahead, I'll wait.
From the unsettling mind of Tim Curran comes this crazy tale of the town of Stokes, which to most, no longer exists. The occupants of which are mostly animated dolls and mannequins. But there's something much worse in Stokes and this group of 6 friends are soon going to find out who or what that is.
I found this story to be slightly repetitive in the middle portion, but not enough for me to start skimming. (Mostly because I was worried that I would miss something incredibly creative and cool. ) Also, I felt that I didn't get to know a few of the characters as well as I would have liked. Those are the only two complaints I have and they're both minor.
Overall, I thought this book was crazy good. Tim Curran is one imaginative son of a bitch- I don't know how the man sleeps at night. I recommend this book to fans of creepy dolls, wild imaginations and nightmares. This book delivers all that, and it delivers it in spades.
*If you like Tim Curran as much as I do, please tune in to HAD at the beginning of March for my interview with the man!* -Char
*I received this book free from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. This is it.*
This book is INSANE! I don't even know where to begin. An old town that doesn't exist now does. Things that don't exist, now do. A few of them? Frankendoll. Spider Mother. The Puppeteer. The Controller. Yeah, think about what those look like. Go ahead, I'll wait.
From the unsettling mind of Tim Curran comes this crazy tale of the town of Stokes, which to most, no longer exists. The occupants of which are mostly animated dolls and mannequins. But there's something much worse in Stokes and this group of 6 friends are soon going to find out who or what that is.
I found this story to be slightly repetitive in the middle portion, but not enough for me to start skimming. (Mostly because I was worried that I would miss something incredibly creative and cool. ) Also, I felt that I didn't get to know a few of the characters as well as I would have liked. Those are the only two complaints I have and they're both minor.
Overall, I thought this book was crazy good. Tim Curran is one imaginative son of a bitch- I don't know how the man sleeps at night. I recommend this book to fans of creepy dolls, wild imaginations and nightmares. This book delivers all that, and it delivers it in spades.
*If you like Tim Curran as much as I do, please tune in to HAD at the beginning of March for my interview with the man!* -Char
*I received this book free from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. This is it.*
February 15, 2015
'They were in danger. Incredible danger. He could feel it moving around them in the darkness like the cold coils of a snake. It was circling them, pressing in ever closer, grinning with long white teeth and watching them with hungry, ebon eyes.'
Doll Face is another top notch horror from the warped mind of Tim Curran. This is definitely not a slow moving psychological horror that has you sitting on the edge of the seat as it builds the tension, Doll Face pretty much throws the horror at you almost immediately and never really takes its foot off the gas.
So we have a group of college kids, as you would expect perfect fuel for a disturbing horror filled fire that just won't stop burning. A turning of the highway brings them into the town of Stokes, Chazz, drunk and insisting this short-cut would save them 20 minutes, will of course rue the day he took that turning, if he stays alive.
First glance a normal town, nothing out of the ordinary until BANG followed by a double thump as he hits someone crossing the road and runs right over him. Arguments ensue, stay or run, the usual, until they see what it is they hit and then it moves, a siren sounds and reality as they know it is about to shift beyond belief. You don't just leave Stokes, there's something there that will do its utmost to keep you from ever leaving and it will take your mind, your body and things you could never possibly imagine.
As the kids split and with no apparent way out, we rapidly bounce from one to the other as the horrors they envisage come true, their worst fears laid out before them, changing, relentless and its bloody intense.
The story explores the depth of some of the characters and the history of Stokes as it barrels through each disturbing outcome, there's the familiar horror filled sexual liaison and some gruesome fatalities. My only issue was that the pinnacle of intensity was attained early on and never really relented, which is not a bad thing, it breeds a fast and entertaining read that keeps your attention but as a result comes dangerously close to repetition.
'It felt like Chazz’s skin was crawling with thousands of tiny insects that were skittering over his arms and up his legs, down his spine and over the nape of his neck. The sensation was so very real that he scratched at his skin until it hurt. But there were no bugs, there was only fear and it was making his skin prickle.'
I gave Doll Face 4 stars, I enjoyed it, just not as much as some of his other stuff.
I received Doll Face from Darkfuse & Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and that’s what you’ve got.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
Doll Face is another top notch horror from the warped mind of Tim Curran. This is definitely not a slow moving psychological horror that has you sitting on the edge of the seat as it builds the tension, Doll Face pretty much throws the horror at you almost immediately and never really takes its foot off the gas.
So we have a group of college kids, as you would expect perfect fuel for a disturbing horror filled fire that just won't stop burning. A turning of the highway brings them into the town of Stokes, Chazz, drunk and insisting this short-cut would save them 20 minutes, will of course rue the day he took that turning, if he stays alive.
First glance a normal town, nothing out of the ordinary until BANG followed by a double thump as he hits someone crossing the road and runs right over him. Arguments ensue, stay or run, the usual, until they see what it is they hit and then it moves, a siren sounds and reality as they know it is about to shift beyond belief. You don't just leave Stokes, there's something there that will do its utmost to keep you from ever leaving and it will take your mind, your body and things you could never possibly imagine.
As the kids split and with no apparent way out, we rapidly bounce from one to the other as the horrors they envisage come true, their worst fears laid out before them, changing, relentless and its bloody intense.
The story explores the depth of some of the characters and the history of Stokes as it barrels through each disturbing outcome, there's the familiar horror filled sexual liaison and some gruesome fatalities. My only issue was that the pinnacle of intensity was attained early on and never really relented, which is not a bad thing, it breeds a fast and entertaining read that keeps your attention but as a result comes dangerously close to repetition.
'It felt like Chazz’s skin was crawling with thousands of tiny insects that were skittering over his arms and up his legs, down his spine and over the nape of his neck. The sensation was so very real that he scratched at his skin until it hurt. But there were no bugs, there was only fear and it was making his skin prickle.'
I gave Doll Face 4 stars, I enjoyed it, just not as much as some of his other stuff.
I received Doll Face from Darkfuse & Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and that’s what you’ve got.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
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October 26, 2016I requested this book from Netgalley and I am sad to say that I am going to have to DNF at the halfway mark. It may get better but it may not. All I know for certain is that I am just not having a good time with the story and I’m calling it done and moving on. You readers who revile the DNF review may want to click away now because that’s what you’re about to get here.
The intoxicated driver of a car filled with twenty somethings decides to take a shortcut home. You just know this won’t end well. And it doesn’t. They end up stranded in a town that no longer exists on any map and is inhabited by some very strange animated doll parts.
Sounds good to me and my hopes were high. I loved Curran’s book Blackout. But after a great beginning featuring some extremely well written creepy atmosphere, a diner straight out of hell, and several creatures that will haunt my dreams, it just sort of got stuck in a rut and lost me. I had trouble keeping track of the characters who decided to split up early and investigate and pretty much get what’s coming to them for being such curious creatures. I didn’t get to know any of them well enough to like or dislike them and never felt the tension that comes when a character you love or despise has to face unimaginable horror. And thus I stalled and this is where I part ways with Doll Face. Sorry guys.
The intoxicated driver of a car filled with twenty somethings decides to take a shortcut home. You just know this won’t end well. And it doesn’t. They end up stranded in a town that no longer exists on any map and is inhabited by some very strange animated doll parts.
Sounds good to me and my hopes were high. I loved Curran’s book Blackout. But after a great beginning featuring some extremely well written creepy atmosphere, a diner straight out of hell, and several creatures that will haunt my dreams, it just sort of got stuck in a rut and lost me. I had trouble keeping track of the characters who decided to split up early and investigate and pretty much get what’s coming to them for being such curious creatures. I didn’t get to know any of them well enough to like or dislike them and never felt the tension that comes when a character you love or despise has to face unimaginable horror. And thus I stalled and this is where I part ways with Doll Face. Sorry guys.
February 2, 2015
Curran has a knack for uncovering our basest fears and exploiting them in the most horrific manor possible. in his latest release from DarkFuse, he takes us on a journey with six college students, who are somehow "drawn into" and stranded in the town of Stokes. Through a pone call that Ramona, the most "mentally together" of the group is able to get through to 911, we learn that there is no longer a town of Stokes--it had burned down completely sometime in the 60's...
Besieged by a parody of human puppets/marionettes/creatures created by an enigmatic "Controller", the group quickly finds themselves at the mercy of these hybrids, and something...else...that is able to use their innermost fears and flaws against them in order to break them down.
The atmosphere in this novel is one of Curran's biggest strengths, in my opinion. The town--and the changes it manifests--are so detailed that I could actually feel myself witnessing these horrors first hand. Another strong point was his characterization. While not all the characters felt "fully" developed, the main ones certainly did. By the end of the tale, I felt that I "knew" each of them, and was very impressed at the mental growth certain key players exhibited.
Just when I felt it was over, Curran threw in a last line that actually sent a shiver up my spine...
Highly recommended!!
*I received an advance copy of this novel through NetGalley/DarkFuse in exchange for an honest review.*
Besieged by a parody of human puppets/marionettes/creatures created by an enigmatic "Controller", the group quickly finds themselves at the mercy of these hybrids, and something...else...that is able to use their innermost fears and flaws against them in order to break them down.
The atmosphere in this novel is one of Curran's biggest strengths, in my opinion. The town--and the changes it manifests--are so detailed that I could actually feel myself witnessing these horrors first hand. Another strong point was his characterization. While not all the characters felt "fully" developed, the main ones certainly did. By the end of the tale, I felt that I "knew" each of them, and was very impressed at the mental growth certain key players exhibited.
Just when I felt it was over, Curran threw in a last line that actually sent a shiver up my spine...
Highly recommended!!
*I received an advance copy of this novel through NetGalley/DarkFuse in exchange for an honest review.*
January 23, 2015
Does anybody beyond the age of four, and in their right mind, even like dolls? What about mannequins? Isn't everybody whose name is not Andrew McCarthy at least a little creeped out by them?
I know I am. Just this Christmas gone, my partner and I were discussing how unsettling the doll our 18 month old daughter received from an extended family member was.
"It's kind of ... life like," my partner said.
"I know. And it's eyes seem to follow you wherever you go," I replied.
Even our daughter seemed uneasy with it. After walking around with it for a full 30 seconds, she put the doll at the bottom of her plastic trolley and immediately piled in half a dozen toys on top of it. And there it has stayed.
It's on these fears that Tim Curran plays with his newest novel, Doll Face. A group of friends take an ill-advised short-cut and wind-up in a town that does not feature on any maps. Within minutes they find themselves fleeing for their lives, chased by a number of animated mannequins that demonstrate intelligent thought, and can sometimes even talk. From there, its all about survival and attempting to determine what is going on, but the stakes are high, and this is a Tim Curran book, so you can be certain not everyone is going to make it home - be it in one or many pieces...
Doll Face starts strong. It's at its best in the opening few chapters as the protagonists are confronted by the horrors of the town they find themselves in. There are some incredibly creepy chapters through the first act of the novel, and on several occasions I found myself tensing my shoulders and grimacing at what the characters were being put through. Curran's imagination is his most potent weapon and he again draws from its incredible depths to produce some truly nightmarish scenes.
But the pace does falter, and falter significantly, through the novel's middle stages. The characters eventually get separated so there is very little dialogue through a long sequence of chapters - just description after description of what latest horror is confronting the POV character at that time. And truth be told, it got wearisome simply because there was not enough variation.
Thankfully, for this reader at least, Curran rights the ship and puts things back on track for the final scenes as the full extent of what is happening is revealed and the surviving characters do their best to fight free.
Overall then, fans of Tim Curran are likely to love it; while those who have are new to his work might be better directed to start with something shorter he has written.
Mention should also be made that while Doll Face is mainly about mannequins and their derivatives, it also features spiders. So many spiders. Spiders metaphorically, spiders (semi-)literally, references to things moving like spiders, spiders spiders spiders. So don't read this if you're arachnophobic. You will shit your pants.
4 Spider-Like Creatures Doing Spider-esque Things in the Deepest Dark for Doll Face.
The preceding review is based on an eARC provided by Dark Fuse Publishing through Netgalley.
I know I am. Just this Christmas gone, my partner and I were discussing how unsettling the doll our 18 month old daughter received from an extended family member was.
"It's kind of ... life like," my partner said.
"I know. And it's eyes seem to follow you wherever you go," I replied.
Even our daughter seemed uneasy with it. After walking around with it for a full 30 seconds, she put the doll at the bottom of her plastic trolley and immediately piled in half a dozen toys on top of it. And there it has stayed.
It's on these fears that Tim Curran plays with his newest novel, Doll Face. A group of friends take an ill-advised short-cut and wind-up in a town that does not feature on any maps. Within minutes they find themselves fleeing for their lives, chased by a number of animated mannequins that demonstrate intelligent thought, and can sometimes even talk. From there, its all about survival and attempting to determine what is going on, but the stakes are high, and this is a Tim Curran book, so you can be certain not everyone is going to make it home - be it in one or many pieces...
Doll Face starts strong. It's at its best in the opening few chapters as the protagonists are confronted by the horrors of the town they find themselves in. There are some incredibly creepy chapters through the first act of the novel, and on several occasions I found myself tensing my shoulders and grimacing at what the characters were being put through. Curran's imagination is his most potent weapon and he again draws from its incredible depths to produce some truly nightmarish scenes.
But the pace does falter, and falter significantly, through the novel's middle stages. The characters eventually get separated so there is very little dialogue through a long sequence of chapters - just description after description of what latest horror is confronting the POV character at that time. And truth be told, it got wearisome simply because there was not enough variation.
Thankfully, for this reader at least, Curran rights the ship and puts things back on track for the final scenes as the full extent of what is happening is revealed and the surviving characters do their best to fight free.
Overall then, fans of Tim Curran are likely to love it; while those who have are new to his work might be better directed to start with something shorter he has written.
Mention should also be made that while Doll Face is mainly about mannequins and their derivatives, it also features spiders. So many spiders. Spiders metaphorically, spiders (semi-)literally, references to things moving like spiders, spiders spiders spiders. So don't read this if you're arachnophobic. You will shit your pants.
4 Spider-Like Creatures Doing Spider-esque Things in the Deepest Dark for Doll Face.
The preceding review is based on an eARC provided by Dark Fuse Publishing through Netgalley.
March 8, 2015
Review of Doll Face by Tim Curran "Is that you doll-face?"From the author of Puppet Graveyard, we are blessed with another puppety-nightmare of a story. While trying to take a short-cut on the way home from a concert, drunk Chazz and 5 of his friends end up stranded in Stokes after running down a man standing in the middle of the street. A call to 911 quickly becomes their first clue that vehicular manslaughter is the least of their problems, when the operator informs them that there is no town of Stokes. The entire town burned to the ground in the 1960's. However, the sign leading into town clearly said Stokes and unless they are all sharing the same hallucination, it's still standing. When the man that they hit not only stands up but starts putting himself back together, the weirdness in nonexistent Stokes is just getting started. Their van dies. The highway disappears. An air-raid alarm seems to be awakening something. And the town seems to be filled with animated and dangerous life-sized dolls. Something seems to be controlling the entire town. In a place where reality doesn't seem to have any bearing on what unfolds, they must figure out how to stop whatever is controlling Stokes before it controls them or drives them insane in the process. This is not my favorite Tim Curran book (Graveworm! Graveworm! Graveworm!) but it was far from disappointing. From the one person on this planet who truly knows how to make my skin crawl, Doll Face will feed any doll-phobia you either have or didn't know that you had prior to reading it.
© 2015 by Andi Rawson of Andreya's Asylum
© 2015 by Andi Rawson of Andreya's Asylum
May 29, 2015
It's all in your mind. Stokes, the town, no longer exists due to a fire. Sound familiar? Yet six friends find themselves trapped there. Does being trapped in a town that doesn't exist, that was, burned to the ground, ring a bell? Okay, let's keep going. The group soon find themselves separated and they get their first glimpses at the parts a pieces of dolls and mannequins. They want you to be part of them. All you have to do is listen to them and everything will be okay. I'm not going to spoil the book for you. However, when you have little minion dolls, there is always a god-like leader with their own disillusioned reasons for the way things work. The Controller and other bosses in this read don't want to let anyone go. They want you to become a part of them. Literally. 
Gah! You still can't figure out what movie or game comes to mind? Does no one play video games? Fine, I'll give you the answer: Silent Hill. The last movie even had a mannequin spider type thing in it collecting human body parts. I'm not saying Mr. Curran got it from that movie, that's just where my imagination took me. If it's a shout-out to it: Awesome! I've always said that Mr. Curran is very talented and has major atmospheric and descriptor writing skills, I'm just waiting on the one that will blow me out of the park. This read started out in-your-face but once the dolls showed themselves so much, they, and the story had less of a horror impact. Doll Face settles nicely into the "that's a good one" category. Don't like dolls and want to be creeped out? I'd definitely try this one on for size.
April 1, 2015
Doll Face is the thirteenth book by Tim Curran I have read. The story starts out with six friends (Ramona, Chazz, Lex, Soo-Lee, Creep and Danielle)driving home on a rainy night. Chazz driving (drunk) decides to take a short cut. With the rain and the Van skidding Chazz runs over this manlike shape with his arms raised. After the van comes to a stop, Chazz wants to take off but the Van won't start. They see that they are in a town but no lights are on. The body was broken up and looked like a homeless man. When checked the body felt like rubber or soft plastic. Ramona calls 911 and tells her they are in a town named Stokes. The operator says the town doesn't exist. They find out that the town burned down back in the 60's. Highways gone, road is a dead end. Now they are trapped in a town with these doll like things. A siren goes off, clicking sound, then this doll like thing stands up with no eyes and a grin on its face. Will stop here, this is when the story gets going. This book was well written and had that great creepy atmosphere to the story. It was like reading a episode of Twilight Zone or the Night Gallery. The only thing I didn't like was the length, it could of been shortened and been just as good. Tim sometimes in his stories gets a little too descriptive. I gave Doll Face 4 stars.
I received an e-arc of this book from DarkFuse/NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an e-arc of this book from DarkFuse/NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 13, 2016
Another twisted tale, chock full of classic Curran characters and monsters and non-stop Curran prose. This one may even get too descriptive. Is that even possible? Maybe. I think this one could have used a bit of a haircut in the middle to even the pacing, but nonetheless, a very good and creepy read.
Release the Frankendoll and let the games begin.
*As a member of the DarkFuse/NetGalley Readers Group, I received an advanced copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.
Release the Frankendoll and let the games begin.
*As a member of the DarkFuse/NetGalley Readers Group, I received an advanced copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.
February 7, 2015
An imaginative fearfest that finds six friends playing a macabre game of manhunt through a night that may not end, in a town that doesn't exist, stalked by an unearthly force that can animate the inanimate and invade minds.
Reminded me of the 70s cult horror film "Tourist Trap" on meth.
Curran continues to be one of the most creatively creepy minds working in horror.
This was an eARC from Netgalley.
Reminded me of the 70s cult horror film "Tourist Trap" on meth.
Curran continues to be one of the most creatively creepy minds working in horror.
This was an eARC from Netgalley.
March 1, 2015
For my money, Tim Curran is the best writer of horror actively typing up a storm. He has a devious mind that delights at scaring the pants off you yet a gift for language and characterization that tells you he is just not a shockmeister. Curran is what the early Stephen King was before he got detoured by little girls lost in the forest, hearts in Atlanta, and rabid Saint Bernards. For pure excitement and bad dreams, it does not get any better than Tim Curran.
Doll Face is his newest offering of terror. While I still prefer Nightcrawlers for its Lovecraftian elements and Blackout for its superb alien invasion plot, Doll Face is still an unique shocker and a roller coaster ride that rarely lets up. The plot hinges around a van full of young people who take a shortcut to get home. That is never a good idea if you are in a horror novel or movie. The protagonists are a cross section of personalities some unlikeable other not so. The van hits someone in road so they get out to investigate while the driver, a real jerk by the way, tries to convince everyone to leave the scene. Yet "leaving the scene" becomes a moot point very quickly. That is where everything goes haywire as they call 911 and discover the town they are in does not exist. It doesn't help that the "person" they hit seems manufactured rather than flesh and blood.
I will leave the rest for you to discover. There is very little down time in this tale. Everyone is running or fighting to survive and attempting to discover what is real and what is not. So it is a gift of the author that he is still able to instill a good amount of characterization in order to make you care, or not care at least in one instance. (Note to author: I hated Chazz.) Much of the characters' dilemma is in determining hallucinations from reality. I usually find that a hard thing to communicate in the written word but Curran has no problem. This is a viscerally descriptive work where smells, sights and sound are important to communicate well and Curran does that. Without giving away anything, I also loved the open ending which sent a few extra chills through my spine. Despite the high level of violence and gore, I would consider this a fairly mainstream novel that casual visitors to the horror genre should seek out too.
This horror gem is a nice introduction to 2015's new crop of scares and keeps up the author's record for high quality terror. If it wasn't quite as good as Nightcrawlers or Blackout, it is still way above average nightmare material, Highly recommended as is anything by Tim Curran.
Four and a half stars.
Doll Face is his newest offering of terror. While I still prefer Nightcrawlers for its Lovecraftian elements and Blackout for its superb alien invasion plot, Doll Face is still an unique shocker and a roller coaster ride that rarely lets up. The plot hinges around a van full of young people who take a shortcut to get home. That is never a good idea if you are in a horror novel or movie. The protagonists are a cross section of personalities some unlikeable other not so. The van hits someone in road so they get out to investigate while the driver, a real jerk by the way, tries to convince everyone to leave the scene. Yet "leaving the scene" becomes a moot point very quickly. That is where everything goes haywire as they call 911 and discover the town they are in does not exist. It doesn't help that the "person" they hit seems manufactured rather than flesh and blood.
I will leave the rest for you to discover. There is very little down time in this tale. Everyone is running or fighting to survive and attempting to discover what is real and what is not. So it is a gift of the author that he is still able to instill a good amount of characterization in order to make you care, or not care at least in one instance. (Note to author: I hated Chazz.) Much of the characters' dilemma is in determining hallucinations from reality. I usually find that a hard thing to communicate in the written word but Curran has no problem. This is a viscerally descriptive work where smells, sights and sound are important to communicate well and Curran does that. Without giving away anything, I also loved the open ending which sent a few extra chills through my spine. Despite the high level of violence and gore, I would consider this a fairly mainstream novel that casual visitors to the horror genre should seek out too.
This horror gem is a nice introduction to 2015's new crop of scares and keeps up the author's record for high quality terror. If it wasn't quite as good as Nightcrawlers or Blackout, it is still way above average nightmare material, Highly recommended as is anything by Tim Curran.
Four and a half stars.
April 10, 2015
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Six twentysomethings are heading back from a concert when their driver, the drunken, obnoxious, Chazz, decides to take a shortcut and they find themselves in the town of Stokes. An unsettling incident sees them stranded in the town and unable to find their way out of it.
This was a full on, non stop, crazy read, after the initial set up it didn't really let up for a minute bringing all kinds of puppet/doll nightmares into the mix. Tim Curran is a master at placing readers right into the action with vivid descriptions of horrifying scenes where you can see, smell and almost taste what is being described. His imagination seems to know no bounds and there were several scenes that were spectacularly unsettling and pushed a fair few buttons with me. Arachnophobes should approach this with caution, that's all I'm going to say.
The characters were a bit of a mix for me. I liked Ramona the most, she was a strong character in a lot of ways but was believable as someone who still has insecurities and human frailties especially in her relationship with Chazz. Chazz was someone that I hated at the beginning, he was an aggressive bully who thought he should get his own way but as the read progressed the author explored his past and made him far more engaging and sympathetic than I thought he would be.
One niggle I did have with the characters was that they latched onto the 'controller' idea a little too quickly, I didn't find this believable although it's impact on the story was minimal. I also think the read got a bit bogged down with all the different threads of each characters story after they get split up. This just made some of the scenes a bit repetitious, keeping the characters into small groups for story threads wouldn't have split my attention so much and kept the read a bit tighter.
A couple of issues but none that really detracted from this wildly, over the top read.
Recommended.
Six twentysomethings are heading back from a concert when their driver, the drunken, obnoxious, Chazz, decides to take a shortcut and they find themselves in the town of Stokes. An unsettling incident sees them stranded in the town and unable to find their way out of it.
This was a full on, non stop, crazy read, after the initial set up it didn't really let up for a minute bringing all kinds of puppet/doll nightmares into the mix. Tim Curran is a master at placing readers right into the action with vivid descriptions of horrifying scenes where you can see, smell and almost taste what is being described. His imagination seems to know no bounds and there were several scenes that were spectacularly unsettling and pushed a fair few buttons with me. Arachnophobes should approach this with caution, that's all I'm going to say.
The characters were a bit of a mix for me. I liked Ramona the most, she was a strong character in a lot of ways but was believable as someone who still has insecurities and human frailties especially in her relationship with Chazz. Chazz was someone that I hated at the beginning, he was an aggressive bully who thought he should get his own way but as the read progressed the author explored his past and made him far more engaging and sympathetic than I thought he would be.
One niggle I did have with the characters was that they latched onto the 'controller' idea a little too quickly, I didn't find this believable although it's impact on the story was minimal. I also think the read got a bit bogged down with all the different threads of each characters story after they get split up. This just made some of the scenes a bit repetitious, keeping the characters into small groups for story threads wouldn't have split my attention so much and kept the read a bit tighter.
A couple of issues but none that really detracted from this wildly, over the top read.
Recommended.
March 7, 2015
Review copy
The opening paragraph of Doll Face is masterful...
"It wasn't until later that Ramoma realized how neatly it all fell together. Like pieces of a die-cut puzzle, everything simply fit into place in that purely seemless and smooth sort of way that fate managed when it wanted something to happen. Or it wanted people to suffer."
Ramona, Creep, Soo-Lee, Lex, and Chazz are on their way home from a Green Day concert at the Garden when Chazz decides to take a shortcut. You know, if it weren't for shortcuts there would be way fewer horror stories in the world. This shortcut led them to the forgotten town of Stokes and the accident that trapped them in a nightmare.
There was an increasing unease as I made my way through the first few chapters of Doll Face as Curran does an excellent job of building the terror. The author pushes all the right buttons to exude creepiness in this character study of a small group of diverse young people and how they handle this very strange and stressful situation that could end up costing them their lives.
Doll Face has plenty of gore, the pace is non-stop with unrelenting horror which at times I found very disturbing, but this is horror and it's exactly what we signed up for as readers of this genre.
In the world of music producers, Phil Specter created what became know as the "Wall of Sound." Here, Tim Curran has created a "Wall of Terror" including some of the most disturbing images I've ever read. A word of warning, Doll Face is NOT for the faint of heart.
Doll Face is available now from Darkfuse and can be purchased through Amazon.com. If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, you can read this work at no additional charge, and if your an Amazon Prime member you can make this your monthly FREE read through the Kindle Owners Lending Library.
If you're ready for unrelenting horror. Get this book. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
The opening paragraph of Doll Face is masterful...
"It wasn't until later that Ramoma realized how neatly it all fell together. Like pieces of a die-cut puzzle, everything simply fit into place in that purely seemless and smooth sort of way that fate managed when it wanted something to happen. Or it wanted people to suffer."
Ramona, Creep, Soo-Lee, Lex, and Chazz are on their way home from a Green Day concert at the Garden when Chazz decides to take a shortcut. You know, if it weren't for shortcuts there would be way fewer horror stories in the world. This shortcut led them to the forgotten town of Stokes and the accident that trapped them in a nightmare.
There was an increasing unease as I made my way through the first few chapters of Doll Face as Curran does an excellent job of building the terror. The author pushes all the right buttons to exude creepiness in this character study of a small group of diverse young people and how they handle this very strange and stressful situation that could end up costing them their lives.
Doll Face has plenty of gore, the pace is non-stop with unrelenting horror which at times I found very disturbing, but this is horror and it's exactly what we signed up for as readers of this genre.
In the world of music producers, Phil Specter created what became know as the "Wall of Sound." Here, Tim Curran has created a "Wall of Terror" including some of the most disturbing images I've ever read. A word of warning, Doll Face is NOT for the faint of heart.
Doll Face is available now from Darkfuse and can be purchased through Amazon.com. If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, you can read this work at no additional charge, and if your an Amazon Prime member you can make this your monthly FREE read through the Kindle Owners Lending Library.
If you're ready for unrelenting horror. Get this book. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
April 13, 2015
I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have read quite a few books by Tim Curran that have been published by Darkfuse and elsewhere and, with the exception of Long Black Coffin, also published by Darkfuse, which I felt was perfectly done at novel length, I prefer his novellas. I think that is because of the types of stories that he writes.
Intense, non stop action. Horrific imagery. I feel that these types of stories lend themselves to a shorter format because if stretched to novel length, what is horrifying in a tight novella, wears down the reader and dilutes the tension. I do agree with other reviewers who state that Mr. Curran gets repetitive. I will say that I have only found this to be the case in his novels (for example Hag Night). His novella Sow is probably the most horrific possession story I have ever read. Headhunter is another recent example of a really well done novella. I could name others. Practically all of his novellas actually.
The plot has been outlined numerous times already so I won't get into detail other than to say that a really creepy idea for a story became diluted and repetitive in novel length, mainly because character development remained minimal and there is really nothing going on here other than nonstop action.
I have read quite a few books by Tim Curran that have been published by Darkfuse and elsewhere and, with the exception of Long Black Coffin, also published by Darkfuse, which I felt was perfectly done at novel length, I prefer his novellas. I think that is because of the types of stories that he writes.
Intense, non stop action. Horrific imagery. I feel that these types of stories lend themselves to a shorter format because if stretched to novel length, what is horrifying in a tight novella, wears down the reader and dilutes the tension. I do agree with other reviewers who state that Mr. Curran gets repetitive. I will say that I have only found this to be the case in his novels (for example Hag Night). His novella Sow is probably the most horrific possession story I have ever read. Headhunter is another recent example of a really well done novella. I could name others. Practically all of his novellas actually.
The plot has been outlined numerous times already so I won't get into detail other than to say that a really creepy idea for a story became diluted and repetitive in novel length, mainly because character development remained minimal and there is really nothing going on here other than nonstop action.
May 31, 2019
Okay, I'll admit it...I'm an absolute total Tim Curran fanboy and will buy anything and everything he publishes. If you're unfamiliar with his work, and if you like dark, moody, visceral and utterly terrifying horror tinged with Lovecraft (and in some cases very Lovecraftian), you'll do to check his books out. Trust me on this.
Five young friends are on their way from a concert when they get lost and end up in the little town of Stokes. At first it seems like some small town picturesque place right out of Norman Rockwell. But as they begin to explore Stokes, and meet those who inhabit it, they soon realize they've entered a bizarre and deadly nightmare they may never escape from. For Stokes has a very dark secret and she's called Mother Crow.
Highly recommended!
Five young friends are on their way from a concert when they get lost and end up in the little town of Stokes. At first it seems like some small town picturesque place right out of Norman Rockwell. But as they begin to explore Stokes, and meet those who inhabit it, they soon realize they've entered a bizarre and deadly nightmare they may never escape from. For Stokes has a very dark secret and she's called Mother Crow.
Highly recommended!
March 31, 2017
Actual rating 3.5.
For the most part, I absolutely loved this book. The imagination that went into it was incredible, I loved the atmosphere, it was scary, it was creepy, and it was a hell of a lot of fun to read. However, there were a few things that I wasn't so keen on which is why my rating is at 3.5 instead of the 4 I probably would've given it.
Overall, I did really enjoy this book though (although it might not seem like it from my little rant) there were just a few things that I didn't like so much which earned it a slightly lower rating from me. The story was a lot of fun to read and was definitely very entertaining. There were some scenes I absolutely loved, particularly and some scenes that truly horrified me, in particular and I'm very glad I read this book.
For the most part, I absolutely loved this book. The imagination that went into it was incredible, I loved the atmosphere, it was scary, it was creepy, and it was a hell of a lot of fun to read. However, there were a few things that I wasn't so keen on which is why my rating is at 3.5 instead of the 4 I probably would've given it.
Overall, I did really enjoy this book though (although it might not seem like it from my little rant) there were just a few things that I didn't like so much which earned it a slightly lower rating from me. The story was a lot of fun to read and was definitely very entertaining. There were some scenes I absolutely loved, particularly and some scenes that truly horrified me, in particular and I'm very glad I read this book.
November 1, 2015
Tim Curran’s latest finds six twenty-something’s lost in the small-town of Stokes after an ill-advised shortcut off the highway following a night of partying. The de facto leader of the group, Chazz, is driving drunk and hits a man…who just so happens to not be a man at all, but a strangely configured collection of doll parts. And the town of Stokes? It shouldn’t exist at all, after a fire wiped the town off the map. Separated by attacking doll creatures, the group stumble through Stokes while Curran delivers one scare after another.
Few horror authors deliver as consistently, or get under my skin quite as effectively, as Tim Curran. He is a master at description, and he fills Stokes and its inhabitants with carefully sketched details, and his gory details are enough to send up shivers. I’ve often referred to him as Michigan’s answer to Stephen King, and I think that Doll Face captures this assessment fairly well. The premise is rather outlandish, and would likely prove to be ridiculous, if not outright comical, in less capable hands, but Curran is able to, somehow, make it work. The murderous, doll-like villains are certainly not your average Barbies or even your basically creepy Hummel figurines. They’re axe-wielding, rapey psychopaths hell-bent on murder, their lust for blood utterly insatiable. Curran kicks it up a notch further with an intriguing history of Stokes as a factory town, infusing his story with a solid dose of industrial horror and truly awful spidery creations and rampaging Frankenstein-ish weirdos.
Anyone familiar with horror in general, and Curran in particular, know that these six lost souls are largely cannon fodder. Most of them are pretty well-developed, thankfully, and it makes losing them a bit hard to take given the perversely macabre ways of their dispatch. One meets an end that is not only revolting and squirm-inducing, but truly heart-breaking.
I have only one complaint, and it’s that Doll Face gets a little too long in the tooth. The middle portion of the book dragged as the group basically finds themselves running in circles from one danger to the next, and I wished that Curran would just get to the point already. Still, that last third of the book is terrifically well-done and the climax is positively outstanding, with a chilling final sentence. While it’s not my favorite Tim Curran book (Dead Sea still holds top honors), it is certainly well worth reading. Go get it!
September 29, 2015
A group of friends were returning from a night on the town. Chazz was to drunk to drive his friends home. He decided to take a shortcut that would get them home quicker. While taking this dirt road, Chazz hit somebody with the van. The group gets out to see if the person is still alive. Ramona dials 911 and ask the dispatcher to send an ambulance to the town of Stokes, just off of route 8. There is a hesitation on the other end, the dispatcher says that is impossible, the town of Stokes burnt down in 1960. What waits for them in this abandon town will changes their life forever. There were a lot of twists and turns in this story, with an ending that I did not see coming. The story would have made a great episode for the Twilight Zone. I highly recommend this book!
January 16, 2016
Do dolls bother you? Do mannequins freak you out just a bit? Tim Curran knows what scares and has written not a passage but a whole book of terror.
DOLL FACE starts out with a simple Twilight Zone-like premise that quickly degenerates into your worst nightmares come to life. This heartpounding, action-packed novel should be read when you are alone at home at night for best results. Have your local emergency number programmed into your phone and you doctor standing by...
You have been warned. Buy this book!
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for my review.
DOLL FACE starts out with a simple Twilight Zone-like premise that quickly degenerates into your worst nightmares come to life. This heartpounding, action-packed novel should be read when you are alone at home at night for best results. Have your local emergency number programmed into your phone and you doctor standing by...
You have been warned. Buy this book!
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for my review.
July 3, 2019
Just like all the other books by this author, he has written another masterpiece. The plot line was rather confusing at first, but this does not stop you from wanting the know the outcome of the story.
The characters are young college kids and it gets rather scary and funny at the same time. I enjoyed it, and eager to start my next adventure.
The characters are young college kids and it gets rather scary and funny at the same time. I enjoyed it, and eager to start my next adventure.
May 25, 2021
I think I'd more realistically give this 3.5 stars rather than 4, but Curran is long time favorite of mine, so he gets the full 4. Curran did something quite different with this book, and it is evident right from the start. He starts with the usual horror trope of "throw a group of people into a terrifying situation", but this one is very strange right off the bat. How do I attempt to explain this without giving spoilers? Shades of the late 1970s classic drive in horror film "Tourst Trap", the wild and woolly 80s horror novels of William W. Johnstone, the more psychedelic sequences from the Nightmare on Elm Street series and even some hints of Lovecraftian, cosmic horror. Its all mixed together into a horror molotov cocktail and thrown in your face.
Many of the sequences are incredibly disturbing, frightening and creepy as hell, too. That said, it felt like there was almost too much at times. People are faced with mind melting fear almost non stop and for almost 400 pages.
Overall a good horror read. A talented author taking chances is a good thing, and Curran definitely took chances and created something very interesting and different with this novel. And batshit crazy, too.
Many of the sequences are incredibly disturbing, frightening and creepy as hell, too. That said, it felt like there was almost too much at times. People are faced with mind melting fear almost non stop and for almost 400 pages.
Overall a good horror read. A talented author taking chances is a good thing, and Curran definitely took chances and created something very interesting and different with this novel. And batshit crazy, too.
May 24, 2018
IF YOU ARE NOT A HARDCORE HORROR FICTION NOVEL FAN THEN OF COURSE THIS ONE IS NOT FOR YOU, AS IT IS SURELY NOT FOR THE WEAK HEARTED READER AT ALL…
1. "She heard a clattering sound behind her.
Her skin went cold, a needling fear spreading in waves from her belly to her chest. She turned around, breathless with terror.
The mannequin woman…or her parts…were moving. "...
2. "CLICK-CLACK, CLICK-CLACK, CLICK-CLACK, CLICK-CLACK.
It was coming again. Of course it was.
She almost collapsed with despair."…
3. "But it wasn’t true. He could say it all he wanted, recognizing the horror and revulsion of the thing that spoke to him, but deep inside he was not so sure. Her voice was oddly soothing. It was peaceful, like being wrapped in dark silk and tucked away somewhere where no one could ever hurt you. But that was the danger, that was the threat, that was the seduction."...
4. “It was still clenched in her left hand. She flicked it and the room grew bright. She saw the thing scuttling over the floor to her. It looked like some swollen infant, hairless, its flesh bleached white. It had no eyes, not so much as a nose, just a grinning black aperture for a mouth that was wet and shining. It moved with spasmodic jerking motions like some jack-in-the-box from hell as it got closer and closer. Its breathing—because, yes, it was certainly
breathing—
was clogged and phlegmatic.”...
5. "Sobbing?
Yes, she could hear it. The pathetic sobbing of a woman that she recognized as the sound of violation when all that you knew and all that you trusted in had been torn out by the roots, dirtied and dragged through filth, then tucked back inside you by greasy fingers. Yes, she knew that sound because once upon a time she had sobbed like that. But that was long ago and maybe it had not happened yet or it had happened before and she could not be sure. The sobbing, pained and pitiful, went on and she realized it was her voice but that seemed to mean nothing to her. She could only feel the pain in her belly, the deep gnawing pain, which was bright and cutting."...
Terrifying, Horrifying & one of the best novel based on doll and mannequin that I ever read in my life. That was a total chaos. If you want to say that you were being in a Hell than I will definitely gonna agree with it no doubt at all…
So you love doll as your plaything? Well after when read this one right here gonna regret it immediately if you know what I mean to say. I am admitting it that I do fear doll, I don’t doll never ever. This are the things that I regret most in my life from viewing. Anyway the fact this book totally all about these cursed doll and mannequin. You won’t know what it really feeling like to read until you don’t read it yourself. You will know by time it come but the truth is that time it will very late for you. Never mind…
You want have the feeling of total fear? The kind of fear that could hunt you for a long time that later you will never gonna experienced at all? Than ‘Doll Face’ is waiting for you to giving that such pleasurable yet these horrific feeling you will never know you would have in your real life. I just freaking this book. But believe me in some point I really get exhausted and tired and of course felt the panic of total horror too. You just can’t miss it, the event, those things well everything about this book was just beyond any word. I don’t thing I could be possibly OK for a few days from now on. Unbelievable…
That total Chaos and you just can’t escape until you finished it. There’s just no f***ing way that you could put it down and read it later. That’s exactly what happened to me. In the beginning of the chapter it was all there that caught me right there and it was then I knew by utmost certainty that it gonna be a hell of a read & of course I was not wrong. A cursed town where Chazz, Ramona, Creep, Soo-Lee, Lex, Danielle these all six people trapped themselves in there and it was after than the chaos began. It was really so entertaining to read. As the plot was growing so the fear growing inside my gut too. The detailing about those creepy, frightening doll, mannequin was so overwhelming that I almost couldn’t bear it with uncontrollable fear. I just couldn’t. It was all insane. In time while I was in the deep of this book I couldn’t shake off the feeling that it is going to be hard to finish in last point. Anyway this book most certainly creep the hell out my fear. This has to be something special when you are choosing to read a book of total horror. It take every ounce of my mental strength of tolerance. I do not want describe the chaos of it but I want clarify that fact again and again that if you are not a serious fan of hardcore horror fiction book than this one is not for you. Next time I have to think double or more before I choose to read this author’s book again. But anyway again thanks to the author –
Tim Curran…
January 18, 2015
I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Also this book is published by DarkFuse and you generally cannot go wrong with anything they put out to the masses.
I have seen so much on so many sites about Tim Curran I thought this would be a good opportunity to see what all the fuss was about when this came up on NetGalley. After reading this one I’m left feeling a tad disappointed.
Six friends are returning from a night out when they get caught in a storm. The driver, being a bit drunk decides to take a short cut that he doesn’t know. As they are entering the town of Stokes, someone walks in front of the van and they run him over. When they get out of the van to see if he is ok, they discover it isn’t a human. It appears to be some sort of mechanical mannequin. When they try to get the emergency services to come help them, it appears Stokes no longer exists and they are trapped in a nightmare in the year 1960 with seemingly no way out. They must battle unseen forces, and their own minds to try and escape and get back to the real world.
Now – when I started reading this book it got me excited. It also got me super creeped out. The “evil” that the friends must battle against takes the form of “puppets” if you like. Mechanical mannequins that seem to be easily destroyed but have an uncanny knack of putting themselves together again and re-attacking. The friends are all separated and you end up with a few different stories and battles going on within the main story.
The way it is written initially it is very creepy. The idea of being chased around a town that doesn’t exist, by puppets that take many forms and knowing you can’t stop them, is scary. The tension in the book is fantastic in making you read with one eye open as the characters try to hide and can hear the “enemy” coming after them.
It takes on another turn in that it starts to mess with the minds of the characters and in turn your own. They start to see and hear things that can’t possibly be real and must try to keep themselves sane in order to escape. This again is very effective in messing with your own mind and creeping you out further.
Unfortunately, that’s as far as the story went for me. You discover all of the above fairly early in the book and then the rest is filled with more of the same that sadly became a bit boring for me. I found it hard to keep my concentration and when I came to the end of a page, couldn’t remember what I had read because I was thinking of other things. I hate when this happens in a book and generally lose interest at this point.
I kept going hoping it would get better or something different would happen to peak my interest again but it didn’t. It was just a case of going through the motions until I got to the end. I don’t want to sound nasty or cruel but I found this one a bit of a struggle. I would read Mr Curran again to see what he produces because I did like his writing style. I just didn’t like this one too much.
2 stars from me.
I have seen so much on so many sites about Tim Curran I thought this would be a good opportunity to see what all the fuss was about when this came up on NetGalley. After reading this one I’m left feeling a tad disappointed.
Six friends are returning from a night out when they get caught in a storm. The driver, being a bit drunk decides to take a short cut that he doesn’t know. As they are entering the town of Stokes, someone walks in front of the van and they run him over. When they get out of the van to see if he is ok, they discover it isn’t a human. It appears to be some sort of mechanical mannequin. When they try to get the emergency services to come help them, it appears Stokes no longer exists and they are trapped in a nightmare in the year 1960 with seemingly no way out. They must battle unseen forces, and their own minds to try and escape and get back to the real world.
Now – when I started reading this book it got me excited. It also got me super creeped out. The “evil” that the friends must battle against takes the form of “puppets” if you like. Mechanical mannequins that seem to be easily destroyed but have an uncanny knack of putting themselves together again and re-attacking. The friends are all separated and you end up with a few different stories and battles going on within the main story.
The way it is written initially it is very creepy. The idea of being chased around a town that doesn’t exist, by puppets that take many forms and knowing you can’t stop them, is scary. The tension in the book is fantastic in making you read with one eye open as the characters try to hide and can hear the “enemy” coming after them.
It takes on another turn in that it starts to mess with the minds of the characters and in turn your own. They start to see and hear things that can’t possibly be real and must try to keep themselves sane in order to escape. This again is very effective in messing with your own mind and creeping you out further.
Unfortunately, that’s as far as the story went for me. You discover all of the above fairly early in the book and then the rest is filled with more of the same that sadly became a bit boring for me. I found it hard to keep my concentration and when I came to the end of a page, couldn’t remember what I had read because I was thinking of other things. I hate when this happens in a book and generally lose interest at this point.
I kept going hoping it would get better or something different would happen to peak my interest again but it didn’t. It was just a case of going through the motions until I got to the end. I don’t want to sound nasty or cruel but I found this one a bit of a struggle. I would read Mr Curran again to see what he produces because I did like his writing style. I just didn’t like this one too much.
2 stars from me.
June 13, 2015
Seems like I'm going off horror possibly. To test the theory I've turned to genre's best, enter Doll Face. A novel that by all means should have been a novella. Curran is a terrifically imaginative author who can think up some seriously disturbing scenarios and decorate them in some seriously horrifying imagery. But here it is all he does, like playing the same few notes over and over again till they are no longer striking as they were in the beginning, but merely tedious. The start of the book was great, sort of like an I Know What You Did Last Summer detouring into The Island (small town really) of Misfit Toys, but then it just went on and on in an unnecessarily long display of Curran's macabre creativity, like a nightmare that just wouldn't end. The ending was appropriately disturbing too, but all the middle...too much. So maybe I am off horror or maybe this story needed some serious editing and trimming, because it had good bones, but just let itself go to fat. Judging by the reviews my opinion is that of a minority, so this is definitely something you might very well enjoy. And creepy dolls have seldom been creepier. Seriously.
March 29, 2015
This is the story of five friends who are on the way home from a night out. Deciding to take a shortcut, the find themselves in a town called Stokes. Only Stokes doesn't exist anymore as it was burned to the ground in 1960. Suddenly the find themselves in an epic struggle for their very lives with no way to get out of town....
This was a real head trip but an absorbing story all the same. It built up nicely, and then smacked me in the face with a wallop of an ending. There were a couple of niggles though, one or two character seemed one dimensional and I couldn't really 'gel' with them. That being said they were minor characters so it wasn't too much of a problem. The other niggle was the author's insistence on ramming the insanity down our throats. Every five minutes it seemed we were being told that a character was on the edge of their insanity. These niggles aside it was a great book, that raced along and kept me hooked on every page.
This was a real head trip but an absorbing story all the same. It built up nicely, and then smacked me in the face with a wallop of an ending. There were a couple of niggles though, one or two character seemed one dimensional and I couldn't really 'gel' with them. That being said they were minor characters so it wasn't too much of a problem. The other niggle was the author's insistence on ramming the insanity down our throats. Every five minutes it seemed we were being told that a character was on the edge of their insanity. These niggles aside it was a great book, that raced along and kept me hooked on every page.
July 15, 2015
I happily received this book from net gallery for an honest review. oh my gosh! Tim really packs a punch with this book. from the word go! absolutely terrifying. This was like Tim literally reached into my mind and pulled out one of my worst nightmares! the plot was spot on. and the depth of the characters too. the spooky history of the main character really had me intrigued. highly Recommend.
February 10, 2025
Oooh brother, this plot stinks (for me)! To put it more respectfully, for me it wasn't the writing style, but the narrative decision to stretch the points of view across five to six characters, which always jumps from chapter to chapter. I'm not a fan of jumping points of view anyway, so I could have guessed early on that I wouldn't like it very quickly. The characters had potential, but there were too many for too few pages to fully flesh them out. As a result, I couldn't really get attached to anyone and the characters remained superficial to me. But I can't entirely fault the book for that, as the horror genre is generally known for more superficial characters. My main point is about the reading experience, doll face.
January 22, 2015
I consider myself a fan of Tim Curran and eagerly await his next work. Alas, there comes a time when one doesn't meet expectations, and Doll Face is that one for me.
The premise is fairly simple: a group of young people arrive in a creepy town that doesn't seem to exist in our reality and can't get out. The menace is life size puppets in various stages of decay. Other books by Mr. Curran have started with a well-worn horror trope and risen above it, so I was not deterred.
The beginning of the novel was great. The mystery and nightmarish situation are very vividly realized. And then...it sort of just stays in the same spot. There are unending chases as the protagonists become separated and hunted down by the monsters. Tim Curran's writing remains excellent in terms of description, but it seems like the story is set on repeat for the remainder of the book. As my interest waned I had trouble remembering who was where and what specific danger they were in.
Maybe if creepy dolls really do it for you this will be more effective than it was for me. I felt that the story would have worked better if it was cut in half and made in to a novella. Can't recommend this one, 2.5 stars.
The premise is fairly simple: a group of young people arrive in a creepy town that doesn't seem to exist in our reality and can't get out. The menace is life size puppets in various stages of decay. Other books by Mr. Curran have started with a well-worn horror trope and risen above it, so I was not deterred.
The beginning of the novel was great. The mystery and nightmarish situation are very vividly realized. And then...it sort of just stays in the same spot. There are unending chases as the protagonists become separated and hunted down by the monsters. Tim Curran's writing remains excellent in terms of description, but it seems like the story is set on repeat for the remainder of the book. As my interest waned I had trouble remembering who was where and what specific danger they were in.
Maybe if creepy dolls really do it for you this will be more effective than it was for me. I felt that the story would have worked better if it was cut in half and made in to a novella. Can't recommend this one, 2.5 stars.
June 15, 2015
It started with a well-known premise: some people taking a short-cut and ending up in a nightmare. But from then on, it was everything but usual and full of surprises. A somehow alive, constantly changing town full of doll-like creatures and abominations and seemingly no way out of it...
The ingredients for this story where resourceful and original, constantly revealing new surprises lurking around the next corner. However, I soon became tired of reading about yet another encounter with some strange doll figure. While each episode of this sequence presented another demented horror, I did not feel that it helped the story to continue.
Also, too often did the main characters repeat that their only chance to survive this horror was to face it - to act instead of react and thus defeat the controller of this weird little town.
While I was not too impressed by the unavoidable showdown, I felt reconciled by the last scene which was a nice little meany.
A very original but definitely too long story that may have been more exciting if written as a novella instead of full-length novel.
(I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)
The ingredients for this story where resourceful and original, constantly revealing new surprises lurking around the next corner. However, I soon became tired of reading about yet another encounter with some strange doll figure. While each episode of this sequence presented another demented horror, I did not feel that it helped the story to continue.
Also, too often did the main characters repeat that their only chance to survive this horror was to face it - to act instead of react and thus defeat the controller of this weird little town.
While I was not too impressed by the unavoidable showdown, I felt reconciled by the last scene which was a nice little meany.
A very original but definitely too long story that may have been more exciting if written as a novella instead of full-length novel.
(I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)
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