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Thrill
It was an amusement park like no other in the world. A tri-level marvel of modern technology enhanced by the special effects wizardry of holograms, lasers, and advanced robotics. The brainstorm of billionaire developer Sheldon Rice, The Park catered to the luxury market of jet-setters, celebrities, yuppies, and others who could afford its high price tag for a week of dazzling space-age rides and spectacular interactive games.
Nothing could go wrong - until it did. As the crowds swarmed through the gates on Opening Day to sample the record-breaking delights of the dazzling Death Spiral or the delicious terror of The Graveyard, they were unprepared for the disaster that was about to strike. A disaster rooted in evil and built on darkness. Rich and poor, young and old would be taken for the ride of their lives, trapped in a game of epic proportions where only the winners survived...
Nothing could go wrong - until it did. As the crowds swarmed through the gates on Opening Day to sample the record-breaking delights of the dazzling Death Spiral or the delicious terror of The Graveyard, they were unprepared for the disaster that was about to strike. A disaster rooted in evil and built on darkness. Rich and poor, young and old would be taken for the ride of their lives, trapped in a game of epic proportions where only the winners survived...
- GenresHorror
383 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1990
3 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 7, 2026
Thrill by Patricia Wallace is a theme park horror novel with a fantastic setting and some genuinely fun moments but uneven pacing and an unsatisfying ending held it back for me.
One thing I loved right away was the structure. The chapters are very short which made it easy to fly through pages. And every single time the theme park itself was mentioned my attention snapped right back in. The park is easily the strongest part of this book! It was vivid, exciting, and deeply woven into the story. Of all the books I’ve read for this themed park challenge so far this one has the most amazing sounding theme park and one of the best integrations of the park into the horror. When the rides started malfunctioning and everything descended into chaos that was hands down my favorite section. Those moments were frantic, creepy, and exactly what I was hoping for going in.
That said it took a long time to get there. I was about 120 pages in and still waiting for the “thrill” to really start. A lot of time is spent on backstory for each of the kids and while I appreciate character depth much of it dragged for me. I found myself skimming. Wesley stood out as a character I genuinely liked but overall the buildup felt slow. It wasn’t until page 164 that we got the first real moment of horror (even if it was just a dream) which really impacted the pacing for me.
By the end I felt pretty torn. The ending felt rushed and incomplete leaving behind questions. Nicholas’s cryptic message went nowhere and major threads like what happened to his parents, how Jesus could realistically survive in the abandoned park, and especially Rice’s motives.. never fully came together. The whole sacrifice angle and grand plan felt underexplained and the story ultimately sputtered out instead of landing with impact.
Overall I’m settling on a three stars. The concept is cool, the setting is unique, and there are some genuinely fun, chaotic horror moments but the slow burn to the action and the messy, rushed ending created pacing issues that kept it from fully delivering. Still if you’re reading for theme park horror specifically Thrill absolutely nails the atmosphere and gives you that experience even if the execution isn’t perfect.
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reading notes:
Chapters are so short i LOVE that.
Already this theme Park "theme" is getting me so excited everytime they mention the park my attention focuses in
Im about 120 pages in and im ready to get to some of the "thrill". The background on each kid i had to skim. I like the Wesley character.
It took 164 pages but we finally got to the first moment of real horror (even if it was just a dream)
I just finished and first Impressions im torn. The ending felt incomplete. What was that cryptic message feom Nicholas and where was he running to and what ever happened to his parents were they caught? And how would Jesus survive at the abandoned park with no food? What was Rice's motives then i really dont get that what was the whole part about needing a sacrifice and what was his grand plan. It kind of ended with a sputter.
But i loved when all the rides were malfunctioning and it was chaos!
Im thinking a three star because it took so long to get to the "happening" and it ended kind of rushed so I think there were pacing issues in my opinion. Fun overall though and a cool concept and setting. Some real fun moments.
The theme Park sounded absolutely amazing and unique. Exactly what I was hoping to experience through this challenge
So far this book has the most amazing sounding theme Park and the best inclusion of the park itself into the horror
One thing I loved right away was the structure. The chapters are very short which made it easy to fly through pages. And every single time the theme park itself was mentioned my attention snapped right back in. The park is easily the strongest part of this book! It was vivid, exciting, and deeply woven into the story. Of all the books I’ve read for this themed park challenge so far this one has the most amazing sounding theme park and one of the best integrations of the park into the horror. When the rides started malfunctioning and everything descended into chaos that was hands down my favorite section. Those moments were frantic, creepy, and exactly what I was hoping for going in.
That said it took a long time to get there. I was about 120 pages in and still waiting for the “thrill” to really start. A lot of time is spent on backstory for each of the kids and while I appreciate character depth much of it dragged for me. I found myself skimming. Wesley stood out as a character I genuinely liked but overall the buildup felt slow. It wasn’t until page 164 that we got the first real moment of horror (even if it was just a dream) which really impacted the pacing for me.
By the end I felt pretty torn. The ending felt rushed and incomplete leaving behind questions. Nicholas’s cryptic message went nowhere and major threads like what happened to his parents, how Jesus could realistically survive in the abandoned park, and especially Rice’s motives.. never fully came together. The whole sacrifice angle and grand plan felt underexplained and the story ultimately sputtered out instead of landing with impact.
Overall I’m settling on a three stars. The concept is cool, the setting is unique, and there are some genuinely fun, chaotic horror moments but the slow burn to the action and the messy, rushed ending created pacing issues that kept it from fully delivering. Still if you’re reading for theme park horror specifically Thrill absolutely nails the atmosphere and gives you that experience even if the execution isn’t perfect.
.
.
.
reading notes:
Chapters are so short i LOVE that.
Already this theme Park "theme" is getting me so excited everytime they mention the park my attention focuses in
Im about 120 pages in and im ready to get to some of the "thrill". The background on each kid i had to skim. I like the Wesley character.
It took 164 pages but we finally got to the first moment of real horror (even if it was just a dream)
I just finished and first Impressions im torn. The ending felt incomplete. What was that cryptic message feom Nicholas and where was he running to and what ever happened to his parents were they caught? And how would Jesus survive at the abandoned park with no food? What was Rice's motives then i really dont get that what was the whole part about needing a sacrifice and what was his grand plan. It kind of ended with a sputter.
But i loved when all the rides were malfunctioning and it was chaos!
Im thinking a three star because it took so long to get to the "happening" and it ended kind of rushed so I think there were pacing issues in my opinion. Fun overall though and a cool concept and setting. Some real fun moments.
The theme Park sounded absolutely amazing and unique. Exactly what I was hoping to experience through this challenge
So far this book has the most amazing sounding theme Park and the best inclusion of the park itself into the horror
February 7, 2016
It started off like a 1970's disaster movie, then turned into The Most Dangerous Game meets Westworld. A nice quick read. Not the greatest, but I liked the craziness involved.
March 18, 2024
A new theme park built into the side of a mountain opens with problems coming up everywhere.
Most of the story is the buildup to the opening day. A few lightly odd things happen around town. It's not until opening day that the supposed "horror" starts. Except that something supernatural may be at work the book reads more like a thriller than a horror. Some threads could have been thrilling (the insects) which just peter out instead. A decent story though. Entertaining to read. I do enjoy amusement park stories. However, it could have been much better.
Most of the story is the buildup to the opening day. A few lightly odd things happen around town. It's not until opening day that the supposed "horror" starts. Except that something supernatural may be at work the book reads more like a thriller than a horror. Some threads could have been thrilling (the insects) which just peter out instead. A decent story though. Entertaining to read. I do enjoy amusement park stories. However, it could have been much better.
September 5, 2023
This was my first by her and I really enjoyed it! I loved her writing style and word choice but I knocked off a star because there were no real answers in the end. Still a very good story and fun read.
March 24, 2025
Full review here:
https://jamesgenrebooks.blogspot.com/...
It's a fun, if nonsensical at times, ride, that brought back a sense of vicarious excitement I felt reading it years ago. Much love to an old classic.
https://jamesgenrebooks.blogspot.com/...
It's a fun, if nonsensical at times, ride, that brought back a sense of vicarious excitement I felt reading it years ago. Much love to an old classic.
February 11, 2008
...So how's the book?
The writing is good enough; I got to the point where I came close to missing my train stop because I was so absorbed. Wallace knows how to get her characters drawn and imprinted quickly. And the description of the amusement park is about as fantastic as the architecture in the house in The Haunting (as bad a movie as it was, you gotta admit, the house was cool). This is a place I would love to go to.
In any case, the plot: A billionaire has bought a huge tract of land in NorCal, just outside a town called McKenna's Creek, and has erected the world's coolest amusement park. The head designer is a twenty-year-old whiz kid whose contract stipulates that a program will be put in place allowing five disadvantaged kids per month to come to the exclusive, and very expensive, park. The first five arrive on the day of the grand opening for a weeks' stay, and the story focuses on them once the action gets rolling in the park. Among the minor players are an inquisitive sherriff, the park's doctor (the last of the McKenna line who gave the town its name), the kids' chaperone, the PR director of the park, who also happens to be the billionaire's squeeze-of-the-week, and a sociopathic old man who lives in the mountains and prophesises doom for the amusement park because the people who constructed it drilled into the side of the mountain.
Uh oh, I hear you saying, it's another ecohorror novel! Well, as soon as I encountered Ezra and his prophecies (and this guy is really in tune with the environment, and points out some weirdnesses to the reader), I expected that as well... but nothing ever comes of it. We see oceans of weird carnivorous beetles early on in the book, but they never actually attack anyone, we never find out where they came from or why they're there, and they disappear about halfway through with no explanation. And the amount of ecohorror foreshadowing suggests that it was laid on with a trowel, but nothing ever happens. When we finally do find out why things are going wrong at the park, there's no explanation given. At all. Ever. Some pretty nice moral-dilemma subplots are introduced, and they fall by the wayside as well. One of the book's main subplots, regarding one of the disadvantaged kids and the mystery of his sister's death, is brought to a halt so suddenly one thinks the inept editor/typesetter types may have skipped a chapter somewhere. There are enough loose ends at the finishof this book you may think you're swimming directly below an endless school of Japanese Man-o-War. And that, very simply, is annoying. But still, it's hard to argue with Wallace's edge-of-your-seat, up-all-night writing. It's worth a few hours of your time as an escape, but go into it with your eyes open. It's like a chocolate layer cake made with ex-lax. The chocolate tastes good, but when you get to the end, "unsatisfactory" is an understatement.
The writing is good enough; I got to the point where I came close to missing my train stop because I was so absorbed. Wallace knows how to get her characters drawn and imprinted quickly. And the description of the amusement park is about as fantastic as the architecture in the house in The Haunting (as bad a movie as it was, you gotta admit, the house was cool). This is a place I would love to go to.
In any case, the plot: A billionaire has bought a huge tract of land in NorCal, just outside a town called McKenna's Creek, and has erected the world's coolest amusement park. The head designer is a twenty-year-old whiz kid whose contract stipulates that a program will be put in place allowing five disadvantaged kids per month to come to the exclusive, and very expensive, park. The first five arrive on the day of the grand opening for a weeks' stay, and the story focuses on them once the action gets rolling in the park. Among the minor players are an inquisitive sherriff, the park's doctor (the last of the McKenna line who gave the town its name), the kids' chaperone, the PR director of the park, who also happens to be the billionaire's squeeze-of-the-week, and a sociopathic old man who lives in the mountains and prophesises doom for the amusement park because the people who constructed it drilled into the side of the mountain.
Uh oh, I hear you saying, it's another ecohorror novel! Well, as soon as I encountered Ezra and his prophecies (and this guy is really in tune with the environment, and points out some weirdnesses to the reader), I expected that as well... but nothing ever comes of it. We see oceans of weird carnivorous beetles early on in the book, but they never actually attack anyone, we never find out where they came from or why they're there, and they disappear about halfway through with no explanation. And the amount of ecohorror foreshadowing suggests that it was laid on with a trowel, but nothing ever happens. When we finally do find out why things are going wrong at the park, there's no explanation given. At all. Ever. Some pretty nice moral-dilemma subplots are introduced, and they fall by the wayside as well. One of the book's main subplots, regarding one of the disadvantaged kids and the mystery of his sister's death, is brought to a halt so suddenly one thinks the inept editor/typesetter types may have skipped a chapter somewhere. There are enough loose ends at the finishof this book you may think you're swimming directly below an endless school of Japanese Man-o-War. And that, very simply, is annoying. But still, it's hard to argue with Wallace's edge-of-your-seat, up-all-night writing. It's worth a few hours of your time as an escape, but go into it with your eyes open. It's like a chocolate layer cake made with ex-lax. The chocolate tastes good, but when you get to the end, "unsatisfactory" is an understatement.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews