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The Twilight Pariah
Three friends go looking for treasure and find horror in Jeffrey Ford's The Twilight Pariah.
All Maggie, Russell, and Henry wanted out of their last college vacation was to get drunk and play archaeologist in an old house in the woods outside of town. When they excavate the mansion's outhouse they find way more than they bargained for: a sealed bottle filled with a red liquid, along with the bizarre skeleton of a horned child
Disturbing the skeleton throws each of their lives into a living hell. They feel followed wherever they go, their homes are ransacked by unknown intruders, and people they care about are brutally, horribly dismembered. The three friends awakened something, a creature that will stop at nothing to retrieve its child.
All Maggie, Russell, and Henry wanted out of their last college vacation was to get drunk and play archaeologist in an old house in the woods outside of town. When they excavate the mansion's outhouse they find way more than they bargained for: a sealed bottle filled with a red liquid, along with the bizarre skeleton of a horned child
Disturbing the skeleton throws each of their lives into a living hell. They feel followed wherever they go, their homes are ransacked by unknown intruders, and people they care about are brutally, horribly dismembered. The three friends awakened something, a creature that will stop at nothing to retrieve its child.
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 12, 2017
57 people are currently reading
1784 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey Ford
241 books511 followersJeffrey Ford is an American writer in the Fantastic genre tradition, although his works have spanned genres including Fantasy, Science Fiction and Mystery. His work is characterized by a sweeping imaginative power, humor, literary allusion, and a fascination with tales told within tales. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Binghamton, where he studied with the novelist John Gardner.
He lives in southern New Jersey and teaches writing and literature at Brookdale Community College in Monmouth County. He has also taught at the summer Clarion Workshop for science fiction and fantasy writers in Michigan. He has contributed stories, essays and interviews to various magazines and e-magazines including MSS, Puerto Del Sol, Northwest Review, Hayden's Ferry Review, Argosy, Event Horizon, Infinity Plus, Black Gate and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.
He published his first story, "The Casket", in Gardner's literary magazine MSS in 1981 and his first full-length novel, Vanitas, in 1988.
He lives in southern New Jersey and teaches writing and literature at Brookdale Community College in Monmouth County. He has also taught at the summer Clarion Workshop for science fiction and fantasy writers in Michigan. He has contributed stories, essays and interviews to various magazines and e-magazines including MSS, Puerto Del Sol, Northwest Review, Hayden's Ferry Review, Argosy, Event Horizon, Infinity Plus, Black Gate and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.
He published his first story, "The Casket", in Gardner's literary magazine MSS in 1981 and his first full-length novel, Vanitas, in 1988.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews
August 7, 2017
Everyone knows that you don't disturb buried skeletons. Everyone except Henry, Maggie and Russell, that is. With the summer off from college, three high school pals get together as Maggie has convinced the other two to help her with her amateur archaeology project. They're going to dig up an old outhouse pit and see what they can find. Not only do they find a buried skeleton, the skeleton is very small and it has horns. Anyone sane of mind would leave that thing alone, fill the hole back up and take off-but that wouldn't make for a very good horror story now would it? And this is definitely a good horror story! So what happens to the demon baby skeleton? What happens to this trio of friends almost immediately after disturbing said skeleton? You'll have to read this to find out!
Digging up an outhouse pit , (at night of course), near an old abandoned mansion is a creepy endeavor to start with, and when odd things started happening it got very creepy indeed. I especially loved the portions about the mansion and the Prewitts, the people that used to live there. Actually, I would have loved to have learned more about them and the history of the family. Still, what happened to Marlby Prewitt and what resulted from that incident, was a unique and new idea, (at least to me), and I loved what Mr. Ford did with his creation.
The Twilight Pariah was a LOT of fun! I read it in just two sittings and when I finished, I was sorry that it was over. There is a lot to be said for lean storytelling and tight prose, but let me be clear, I would have delighted in more! More of the Prewitts, more of the trio and their friendship, more, more, more! In such a tight space, Mr. Ford brought these characters alive, made me care for them, and then boom! It was over and he took them away!
I'm embarrassed to say that this was my first book from Jeffrey Ford, but it will not be my last. I HIGHLY recommend The Twilight Pariah!
You can pre-order your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Paria...
*I received this paperback ARC free of charge by responding to a Tweet from Mr. Ford. This did not affect my opinion of this awesome story.*
Find this review and others like it at: Horrorafterdark.com
Digging up an outhouse pit , (at night of course), near an old abandoned mansion is a creepy endeavor to start with, and when odd things started happening it got very creepy indeed. I especially loved the portions about the mansion and the Prewitts, the people that used to live there. Actually, I would have loved to have learned more about them and the history of the family. Still, what happened to Marlby Prewitt and what resulted from that incident, was a unique and new idea, (at least to me), and I loved what Mr. Ford did with his creation.
The Twilight Pariah was a LOT of fun! I read it in just two sittings and when I finished, I was sorry that it was over. There is a lot to be said for lean storytelling and tight prose, but let me be clear, I would have delighted in more! More of the Prewitts, more of the trio and their friendship, more, more, more! In such a tight space, Mr. Ford brought these characters alive, made me care for them, and then boom! It was over and he took them away!
I'm embarrassed to say that this was my first book from Jeffrey Ford, but it will not be my last. I HIGHLY recommend The Twilight Pariah!
You can pre-order your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Paria...
*I received this paperback ARC free of charge by responding to a Tweet from Mr. Ford. This did not affect my opinion of this awesome story.*
Find this review and others like it at: Horrorafterdark.com
September 17, 2017
Isn't the cover absolutely ominously stunning? I have to admit that part of the reasons for me to want to read this book was the cover and of course the fascinating blurb. Who doesn't love a devil child, and brutally murders? Well, not everyone perhaps, but I love horror books like this.
I especially liked the historical part of this story, when Maggie, Russell, and Henry learn more about the horned child skeleton that they found when they started to dig around the house in the woods. What I felt the story lacked, however, was a chilling vibe. The story is definitely interesting and well-written. I just felt that it never really hooked me or got my pulse racing, in the way I want when I read a horror tale. I was fascinated, but I also felt a bit disconnected with the characters, which can be because of the shortness of the tale. I was never really worried about them, they never got under my skin. They are not flat, but neither do they flesh out properly. The same problem did I have with the victims in this story if there had been more interactions, then I would have felt more for them. With other words, if the story had been longer, then perhaps it would have gotten to me more.
Nevertheless, it's definitely is a story I would recommend and I do want to read more books by Jeffrey Ford.
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Netgalley for an honest review!
I especially liked the historical part of this story, when Maggie, Russell, and Henry learn more about the horned child skeleton that they found when they started to dig around the house in the woods. What I felt the story lacked, however, was a chilling vibe. The story is definitely interesting and well-written. I just felt that it never really hooked me or got my pulse racing, in the way I want when I read a horror tale. I was fascinated, but I also felt a bit disconnected with the characters, which can be because of the shortness of the tale. I was never really worried about them, they never got under my skin. They are not flat, but neither do they flesh out properly. The same problem did I have with the victims in this story if there had been more interactions, then I would have felt more for them. With other words, if the story had been longer, then perhaps it would have gotten to me more.
Nevertheless, it's definitely is a story I would recommend and I do want to read more books by Jeffrey Ford.
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Netgalley for an honest review!
August 25, 2019
Review copy provided by the publisher—Tor.com—in exchange for an honest review.
The Twilight Pariah by Jeffrey Ford has an interesting premise and ideas but unfortunately they were quite poorly executed.
In their last college vacation, Maggie, Russell, and Henry wanted to get drunk and play archaeologist in a mansion located in the woods outside of town. During their excavation, the found a disturbing skeleton of a horned child which lead to their lives becoming a living hell wherever they go. Sounds quite good right? But in my opinion, the writing didn’t deliver any of the suspense and creepiness that books in the horror genre delivers.
The Twilight Pariah supposedly belongs in the horror genre but nothing in the book made me feel scared, or feel anything at all really. The main problem that I encountered with the book is how emotionless every aspect of the book felt. The characters didn’t have any personalities imbued into them other than they loved getting drunk and hammered at any free time given. The writing style also felt super choppy, nothing were ever elaborated; every single moment written in the book felt just like a simple text with no impact or meaning. Admittedly though, I must say that despite every cons I had on the book, I was not bored with reading it.
Overall, other than the interesting premise and ideas, sadly I have to say that I didn’t enjoy reading The Twilight Pariah and in my opinion, it didn’t reach the full potential that the novella had. Please do remember that this is just my opinion and experience, there’s a chance that you’ll have a better time with it than me.
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
The Twilight Pariah by Jeffrey Ford has an interesting premise and ideas but unfortunately they were quite poorly executed.
In their last college vacation, Maggie, Russell, and Henry wanted to get drunk and play archaeologist in a mansion located in the woods outside of town. During their excavation, the found a disturbing skeleton of a horned child which lead to their lives becoming a living hell wherever they go. Sounds quite good right? But in my opinion, the writing didn’t deliver any of the suspense and creepiness that books in the horror genre delivers.
The Twilight Pariah supposedly belongs in the horror genre but nothing in the book made me feel scared, or feel anything at all really. The main problem that I encountered with the book is how emotionless every aspect of the book felt. The characters didn’t have any personalities imbued into them other than they loved getting drunk and hammered at any free time given. The writing style also felt super choppy, nothing were ever elaborated; every single moment written in the book felt just like a simple text with no impact or meaning. Admittedly though, I must say that despite every cons I had on the book, I was not bored with reading it.
Overall, other than the interesting premise and ideas, sadly I have to say that I didn’t enjoy reading The Twilight Pariah and in my opinion, it didn’t reach the full potential that the novella had. Please do remember that this is just my opinion and experience, there’s a chance that you’ll have a better time with it than me.
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
September 14, 2017
3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/09/14/...
An innocent summer project undertaken by a trio of college students quickly turns into a nightmare in The Twilight Pariah, a novella which drew me in with the promise of history and horror. But while the premise itself held plenty of potential, the end result did not pack quite the punch I expected, due to the slightly underwhelming execution of the story.
Maggie, Russell, and Henry are childhood friends who have all returned to their hometown for college vacation. Having recently switched her major to Archaeology, Maggie is suddenly struck with the inspiration to dig up the old outhouse pit behind the notorious Prewitt Mansion, a property that has been abandoned for decades. With a little bit of cajoling, the two others are recruited to help her out on this amateur excavation, and together the three of them head out into the night armed with a bunch of lanterns, shovels, and buckets.
While the first couple of their dig sessions proved uneventful, one night our protagonist Henry discovers something terrifying at the bottom of the pit: an infant’s skeleton, with bony horns on its skull and the evidence of a tail. Disturbed by the find, the three of them decide to keep the baby’s remains a secret, conducting their own research into who the child might be and the reasons behind its particular deformities. At around the same time, however, there have been a string of fatal attacks reported, with the victims’ bodies looking like they have been mutilated by a wild animal. None of the three friends believe this could be a coincidence; without realizing it, they may have awakened something evil that would stop at nothing to retrieve what it lost.
Have you ever read a book that has great ideas, but no soul? This was how I felt for the most part while reading The Twilight Pariah. The writing may have played a big part in it, since I found Jeffrey Ford’s style to be a little too restricting and stilted. As a result, very few scenes of terror came across as impactful as they could have been, with even the important bits like the climax imparting virtually no suspense or emotion. I don’t know if there were supposed to be any twists or surprises in the plot, because none of them really came off feeling that way at all.
Being a novella, the disadvantage of its shorter length could also be felt when it came to character development. Henry and his friends Maggie and Russell were all lightly sketched, with very rudimentary personalities. There was also too much telling and not showing, so subsequently their relationships to each other and their loved ones (Henry with his father, Russell with Luther, etc.) felt very flat. I wish the story would have spent more time developing those deeper connections, rather than squandering precious paragraphs describing the three friends sitting around the pool smoking pot and drinking themselves into a stupor.
And yet, for all my complaints, I didn’t entirely dislike the book. I think it accomplished what it set out to do, which is to provide a quick and simple tale of creepy entertainment. It could have been a lot more though, which is where most of my disappointment stems from. While the supernatural angle was fun and the eventual explanations for what happened at the Prewitt Mansion were interesting, the horror elements—which, as I said, were some of the key reasons I was originally drawn to this book—were rather muted and didn’t do it for me. All told, The Twilight Pariah was a perfectly good treat to indulge in for an afternoon of escape, but it didn’t make much of a lasting impression.
An innocent summer project undertaken by a trio of college students quickly turns into a nightmare in The Twilight Pariah, a novella which drew me in with the promise of history and horror. But while the premise itself held plenty of potential, the end result did not pack quite the punch I expected, due to the slightly underwhelming execution of the story.
Maggie, Russell, and Henry are childhood friends who have all returned to their hometown for college vacation. Having recently switched her major to Archaeology, Maggie is suddenly struck with the inspiration to dig up the old outhouse pit behind the notorious Prewitt Mansion, a property that has been abandoned for decades. With a little bit of cajoling, the two others are recruited to help her out on this amateur excavation, and together the three of them head out into the night armed with a bunch of lanterns, shovels, and buckets.
While the first couple of their dig sessions proved uneventful, one night our protagonist Henry discovers something terrifying at the bottom of the pit: an infant’s skeleton, with bony horns on its skull and the evidence of a tail. Disturbed by the find, the three of them decide to keep the baby’s remains a secret, conducting their own research into who the child might be and the reasons behind its particular deformities. At around the same time, however, there have been a string of fatal attacks reported, with the victims’ bodies looking like they have been mutilated by a wild animal. None of the three friends believe this could be a coincidence; without realizing it, they may have awakened something evil that would stop at nothing to retrieve what it lost.
Have you ever read a book that has great ideas, but no soul? This was how I felt for the most part while reading The Twilight Pariah. The writing may have played a big part in it, since I found Jeffrey Ford’s style to be a little too restricting and stilted. As a result, very few scenes of terror came across as impactful as they could have been, with even the important bits like the climax imparting virtually no suspense or emotion. I don’t know if there were supposed to be any twists or surprises in the plot, because none of them really came off feeling that way at all.
Being a novella, the disadvantage of its shorter length could also be felt when it came to character development. Henry and his friends Maggie and Russell were all lightly sketched, with very rudimentary personalities. There was also too much telling and not showing, so subsequently their relationships to each other and their loved ones (Henry with his father, Russell with Luther, etc.) felt very flat. I wish the story would have spent more time developing those deeper connections, rather than squandering precious paragraphs describing the three friends sitting around the pool smoking pot and drinking themselves into a stupor.
And yet, for all my complaints, I didn’t entirely dislike the book. I think it accomplished what it set out to do, which is to provide a quick and simple tale of creepy entertainment. It could have been a lot more though, which is where most of my disappointment stems from. While the supernatural angle was fun and the eventual explanations for what happened at the Prewitt Mansion were interesting, the horror elements—which, as I said, were some of the key reasons I was originally drawn to this book—were rather muted and didn’t do it for me. All told, The Twilight Pariah was a perfectly good treat to indulge in for an afternoon of escape, but it didn’t make much of a lasting impression.
September 6, 2017
Okay, um... I'm confused. Look, this book wasn't bad. Actually, it was pretty good and thoroughly entertaining. But it was good for the wrong reasons.
Let me explain.
The cover, the blurb, the shelving... all those things promised for this to be a creepy and tense experience. So that is what I was expecting and looking forward to. Some scares, some blood, and lots and lots of suspense and atmosphere.
What I got instead, though, was... humor? And I'm not even sure whether this was supposed to be a funny read or not, but I found myself snorting and laughing like every other page. I loved the narrators wry sense of humor and that simplistic minds of his, his common sense (well, some might rather call it cowardice instead) and stoner attitude.
The problem is that, while it was greatly entertaining to read, due to all of that the mood suffered terribly. It did not feel like a horror/ mystery novel, and despite a neat premise and an original storyline, the execution fell flat for me. Add to that a rather rushed and choppy style of narration that, again, would have worked perfectly if the author hadn't been trying to tell a horror story, an anticlimactic climax and an ending that wasn't entirely satisfying, and you have all the reasons why, in the end, I was a little disappointed and could not rate this higher even though I really liked it.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 21, 2018
What goes together better than drinking and archaeology? Jeffrey Ford decided to take this concept and run with it. He tossed in a disturbing horned child in an abandoned outhouse for good measure.
The Twilight Pariah was a good little story. Ford captured my interest early on, had some intriguing characters and the story had some definite creep factor. For some reason, though, I found the story unmemorable. I really can’t put my finger on it, but once I was done, I was done. I’ll call it a timing issue, or perhaps I needed more story to get completely involved.
The Twilight Pariah was a good little story. Ford captured my interest early on, had some intriguing characters and the story had some definite creep factor. For some reason, though, I found the story unmemorable. I really can’t put my finger on it, but once I was done, I was done. I’ll call it a timing issue, or perhaps I needed more story to get completely involved.
August 11, 2017
This is a creepy little book but one I, for the most part enjoyed. The three friends decide to dig up an out house in a long abandoned house. At night. Just asking for trouble there. They find a mysterious bottle and the skeleton of a deformed, possibly demonic child (it had horns in its skull). This triggers a series of horrific events with loved ones being brutally killed.
My issue was the length of the book. It's quite short and I think that it could have benefited so much with more descriptions. I really enjoyed the history of the house & the families of the era and I would have loved more pages of these. I think it could have enriched the story so much more. Similarly the budding romance of narrator Henry and the waitress.
Although it does have a good level of creepiness and horror and I liked the characters I was left wanting more than the book delivered. It lost some of the tension by being too short. Overall not a bad book but it left me wanting more
Free arc from netgalley
My issue was the length of the book. It's quite short and I think that it could have benefited so much with more descriptions. I really enjoyed the history of the house & the families of the era and I would have loved more pages of these. I think it could have enriched the story so much more. Similarly the budding romance of narrator Henry and the waitress.
Although it does have a good level of creepiness and horror and I liked the characters I was left wanting more than the book delivered. It lost some of the tension by being too short. Overall not a bad book but it left me wanting more
Free arc from netgalley
December 15, 2017
“You can’t kill the dead. You’ve got to outsmart them.”
Tor.com released a “Tor.com Publishing's Fall of Fear Sampler” sampler which included A Long Day in Lychford by Paul Cornell, Switchback by Melissa F. Olson, The Murders of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson, and this title. This one enticed me the most. I’m also a terrible sucker for a great cover, and this one is a winner. It gives you the impression the story you’re about to embark on is atmospheric and eerie, and something perfect for any horror fan. Admittedly, I had high hopes having heard great things about Jeffrey Ford but this one a total dud. The blurb on the cover “Richard Linklater meets Stephen King meets Indiana Jones meets, well, Jeffrey Ford” by up and coming author Paul Tremblay is admittedly extremely off base. Just because something is tagged as horror doesn’t make it the next Stephen King and just because there’s some mild excavation of an old house doesn’t make these characters the next Indiana Jones, let’s be real.
The Twilight Pariah is a novella that tells the story of a final college summer between three friends. Maggie, the budding archaeologist of the group, convinces Russell and Henry to help her excavate an old privy at the Prewitt mansion. Ironically, the only thing I kept thinking about was an article I had recently read about archaeologists digging up Paul Revere’s outhouse. But also, there’s nothing particularly horrifying about the prospect of digging out an outhouse. Of course, finding a skeleton of a horned child should change things when shortly after a series of horrifying murders start taking place in town, but that sense of horror simply never coalesced. The characters are nothing but cardboard cutouts with a few quirky descriptive lines thrown in as a half-assed attempt to differentiate, which is pretty typical of characters in most short stories/novellas but there isn’t a credible plot to at least support the lacking characters. Ford tries to take this centuries-old mystery and link it to the present but it was a pretty flimsy connection, to say the least. And that ending. It felt like the author realized he was past his word count limit had to wrap shit up, pronto. Lackluster characters, middling plot, and an inadequate conclusion. Disappointing.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Tor.com released a “Tor.com Publishing's Fall of Fear Sampler” sampler which included A Long Day in Lychford by Paul Cornell, Switchback by Melissa F. Olson, The Murders of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson, and this title. This one enticed me the most. I’m also a terrible sucker for a great cover, and this one is a winner. It gives you the impression the story you’re about to embark on is atmospheric and eerie, and something perfect for any horror fan. Admittedly, I had high hopes having heard great things about Jeffrey Ford but this one a total dud. The blurb on the cover “Richard Linklater meets Stephen King meets Indiana Jones meets, well, Jeffrey Ford” by up and coming author Paul Tremblay is admittedly extremely off base. Just because something is tagged as horror doesn’t make it the next Stephen King and just because there’s some mild excavation of an old house doesn’t make these characters the next Indiana Jones, let’s be real.
The Twilight Pariah is a novella that tells the story of a final college summer between three friends. Maggie, the budding archaeologist of the group, convinces Russell and Henry to help her excavate an old privy at the Prewitt mansion. Ironically, the only thing I kept thinking about was an article I had recently read about archaeologists digging up Paul Revere’s outhouse. But also, there’s nothing particularly horrifying about the prospect of digging out an outhouse. Of course, finding a skeleton of a horned child should change things when shortly after a series of horrifying murders start taking place in town, but that sense of horror simply never coalesced. The characters are nothing but cardboard cutouts with a few quirky descriptive lines thrown in as a half-assed attempt to differentiate, which is pretty typical of characters in most short stories/novellas but there isn’t a credible plot to at least support the lacking characters. Ford tries to take this centuries-old mystery and link it to the present but it was a pretty flimsy connection, to say the least. And that ending. It felt like the author realized he was past his word count limit had to wrap shit up, pronto. Lackluster characters, middling plot, and an inadequate conclusion. Disappointing.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
July 25, 2022
اولین کتابی که از جفری فورد خوندم ...
در واقع قصد داشتم کتاب بانو شاربوک رو بخونم ولی خب کاملا اتفاقی جلد و اسم این کتاب جذبم کرد ...
واقعیت اینه که من اصلا علاقه ای به ژانر وحشت ندارم و بدون اینکه بدونم ژانر این کتاب وحشته شروعش کردم.
میتونم بگم بیشتر از این که وحشتناک باشه هیجان انگیز بود و این باعث شد که تو مدت کوتاهی تمومش کنم...
این کتاب اولین تجربه ی کتاب انگلیسی خوندن من بود و با این که متن ساده ای داشت ولی چون تونستم شجاعت به خرج بدم و بالاخره یه کتاب انگلیسی رو تموم کنم برام حس فوق العاده ای داشت....
باید بگم کتاب شخصیت پردازی قوی نداشت ... و بیشتر تمرکز داستان روی اتفاقاتی بود که براشون میفتاد . البته معمولا داستان های کوتاه بیشترشون به همین شکل هستن...
ولی من به چشم یه مشکل بهش نگاه نکردم چون روند داستان به اندازه ی کافی کشش داشت که نیازی نباشه به نکات فرعی توجهی کنم...
یکی از نکات مثبت داستان روند سریعشه ... نه اینکه نویسنده عجله داشته باشه داستان رو تموم کنه بلکه از همون صفحه ی اول که شروع میشه هیجان هست تا همون لحظه که داستان تموم بشه و به شخصه با اینکه انگلیسی خوندن یکم برام سخت بود و سرعتمو پایین میآورد هیچ جای داستان نبود که احساس کنم کتاب حوصله ام رو سر برده و بقیشو به فردا موکول کنم....
راجب ایده ی داستان باید بگم که برام جذاب بود و دوسش داشتم ولی شاید دلیلش اینه که من هیچ تجربه ای تو ژانر وحشت ندارم ... شاید اگر کس دیگه ای این کتاب رو بخونه بگه خیلی ساده بوده ولی برای من هر لحظه سرشار از هیجان بود ... و شیوه ای که ایده ی داستان شروع میشه، جلو میره و تکامل پیدا میکنه عالی بود.
درنهایت با تمام نکات مثبتی که راجب کتاب گفتم کتاب بی نقص نیست ... مثل یه سری کاراکتر ها و یه سری راه حل هاشون که واقعا مسخره به نظر میومد ... با تمام این ها به نظرم اونقدری داستان روان جلو میرفت که وقتی نمیموند به نکات منفی توجهی بشه ....
نکته ی آخر، من میخواستم به این کتاب چهار بدم ولی کتاب های بهتری بودن که بهشون چهار داده بودم پس نتیجه این شد که سه ستاره بهش بدم ولی اگر واقعا بخوام بگم لیاقت این کتاب برای من بالاتر از سه بود ...
این کتاب برای همیشه تو ذهنم با عنوان غلبه ی من به ترس از انگلیسی خوندن ثبت میشه ... :)
در واقع قصد داشتم کتاب بانو شاربوک رو بخونم ولی خب کاملا اتفاقی جلد و اسم این کتاب جذبم کرد ...
واقعیت اینه که من اصلا علاقه ای به ژانر وحشت ندارم و بدون اینکه بدونم ژانر این کتاب وحشته شروعش کردم.
میتونم بگم بیشتر از این که وحشتناک باشه هیجان انگیز بود و این باعث شد که تو مدت کوتاهی تمومش کنم...
این کتاب اولین تجربه ی کتاب انگلیسی خوندن من بود و با این که متن ساده ای داشت ولی چون تونستم شجاعت به خرج بدم و بالاخره یه کتاب انگلیسی رو تموم کنم برام حس فوق العاده ای داشت....
باید بگم کتاب شخصیت پردازی قوی نداشت ... و بیشتر تمرکز داستان روی اتفاقاتی بود که براشون میفتاد . البته معمولا داستان های کوتاه بیشترشون به همین شکل هستن...
ولی من به چشم یه مشکل بهش نگاه نکردم چون روند داستان به اندازه ی کافی کشش داشت که نیازی نباشه به نکات فرعی توجهی کنم...
یکی از نکات مثبت داستان روند سریعشه ... نه اینکه نویسنده عجله داشته باشه داستان رو تموم کنه بلکه از همون صفحه ی اول که شروع میشه هیجان هست تا همون لحظه که داستان تموم بشه و به شخصه با اینکه انگلیسی خوندن یکم برام سخت بود و سرعتمو پایین میآورد هیچ جای داستان نبود که احساس کنم کتاب حوصله ام رو سر برده و بقیشو به فردا موکول کنم....
راجب ایده ی داستان باید بگم که برام جذاب بود و دوسش داشتم ولی شاید دلیلش اینه که من هیچ تجربه ای تو ژانر وحشت ندارم ... شاید اگر کس دیگه ای این کتاب رو بخونه بگه خیلی ساده بوده ولی برای من هر لحظه سرشار از هیجان بود ... و شیوه ای که ایده ی داستان شروع میشه، جلو میره و تکامل پیدا میکنه عالی بود.
درنهایت با تمام نکات مثبتی که راجب کتاب گفتم کتاب بی نقص نیست ... مثل یه سری کاراکتر ها و یه سری راه حل هاشون که واقعا مسخره به نظر میومد ... با تمام این ها به نظرم اونقدری داستان روان جلو میرفت که وقتی نمیموند به نکات منفی توجهی بشه ....
نکته ی آخر، من میخواستم به این کتاب چهار بدم ولی کتاب های بهتری بودن که بهشون چهار داده بودم پس نتیجه این شد که سه ستاره بهش بدم ولی اگر واقعا بخوام بگم لیاقت این کتاب برای من بالاتر از سه بود ...
این کتاب برای همیشه تو ذهنم با عنوان غلبه ی من به ترس از انگلیسی خوندن ثبت میشه ... :)
January 29, 2018
So if this was a song on an album by your favorite band it'd be the one you forget about until you listen to the album in its entirety, then remember you like it and wonder why you don't listen to it more often, yet never changing your habits of choosing it over the other tracks.
A decent read with an interesting take on a ghost story, but lacking that something extra that could have really made it stand out. Certainly worth checking out, and I wouldn't mind picking up more of Ford's work to see what else he has behind his sleeves.
A decent read with an interesting take on a ghost story, but lacking that something extra that could have really made it stand out. Certainly worth checking out, and I wouldn't mind picking up more of Ford's work to see what else he has behind his sleeves.
June 26, 2018
I can always count on Jeffrey Ford to entertain me, engage my imagination, and make me laugh. I like to think we'd be friends if we ever met in person. I was first introduced to him when I picked up THE SHADOW YEAR at the library a number of years ago. That book is up there on my list of favorites for so many reasons. THE TWILIGHT PARIAH is a novella, which made it easy to read in fits and starts over a span of a couple of days. Every element that makes a book a good fit for me was present - humor, quirky characters, a supernatural element, a historical back story, a creepy setting, all mixed with a little WTF. I must read everything he's written. I have a few of his other titles, which I was saving for some awesome reading on a vacation I haven't taken. (Why do I hoard things like a crazy cat instead of just getting down to business?)
January 20, 2018
3.5 Stars
I loved the premise involving an archaeological dig unearthing the remains of a possible demon child. Yet, while this novella was well written, I never quite got hooked by the story, which ultimately affected my overall enjoyment.
I loved the premise involving an archaeological dig unearthing the remains of a possible demon child. Yet, while this novella was well written, I never quite got hooked by the story, which ultimately affected my overall enjoyment.
April 16, 2018
The Twilight Pariah by Jeffrey Ford is an old time Gothic horror novel that hearkens back to the early tales of Bradbury and Lovecraft. It has the pace of a pounding heart and the dark intensity of a past best left alone, disturbed.
It is the last college vacation for Maggie, Russell, and Henry. But rather than party and relax, Maggie has a different plan. She wants to dig up an old house in the woods outside of town as preparation for her college thesis. They visit the old abandoned home and decide that the outhouse would be the best place to dig. But what they find is far worse than they had imagined.
What they find is a deformed skeleton of a baby. There are horns coming out of the skull and also a sealed bottle with red liquid. They remove the body to have it examined and that one act becomes the nightmare that follows. The trio find themselves hunted and soon, people they know are horribly murdered. Body pieces missing. Now the truth of what is hunting them can only be found in the history of the home and the once beautiful woman who lived there.
While I enjoyed this book quite a bit, there were some very distinct issues with the story. I know of very few college age kids who want to spend their summer digging up an abandoned outhouse. Next is the reason the entity came into being. Thirdly is its attacks on people not directly to the removal of the bones.
But overall this is a pretty good book and I am interested in further tales from Ford.
It is the last college vacation for Maggie, Russell, and Henry. But rather than party and relax, Maggie has a different plan. She wants to dig up an old house in the woods outside of town as preparation for her college thesis. They visit the old abandoned home and decide that the outhouse would be the best place to dig. But what they find is far worse than they had imagined.
What they find is a deformed skeleton of a baby. There are horns coming out of the skull and also a sealed bottle with red liquid. They remove the body to have it examined and that one act becomes the nightmare that follows. The trio find themselves hunted and soon, people they know are horribly murdered. Body pieces missing. Now the truth of what is hunting them can only be found in the history of the home and the once beautiful woman who lived there.
While I enjoyed this book quite a bit, there were some very distinct issues with the story. I know of very few college age kids who want to spend their summer digging up an abandoned outhouse. Next is the reason the entity came into being. Thirdly is its attacks on people not directly to the removal of the bones.
But overall this is a pretty good book and I am interested in further tales from Ford.
August 10, 2022
TW: mention of suicide, language, animal death, animal cruelty, child murder
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:All Maggie, Russell, and Henry wanted out of their last college vacation was to get drunk and play archaeologist in an old house in the woods outside of town. When they excavate the mansion's outhouse they find way more than they bargained for: a sealed bottle filled with a red liquid, along with the bizarre skeleton of a horned childDisturbing the skeleton throws each of their lives into a living hell. They feel followed wherever they go, their homes are ransacked by unknown intruders, and people they care about are brutally, horribly dismembered. The three friends awakened something, a creature that will stop at nothing to retrieve its child.
Release Date: September 12th,2017
Genre: Horror
Pages: 176
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
What I Liked:
1. The characters
2. The plot
3. The writing style
What I Didn't Like:
1. Some of the thoughts just ended abruptly
Overall Thoughts: I seriously loved this short novella. I enjoyed the writing style and I liked where the story went. The characters had me laughing out loud at some of the stuff they said. The pacing was good and I could not put the book down. I was never bored.
Final Thoughts: This was a random find at the library and I am so happy I came across it. I will definitely check out other books by the author and see what else he has to offer.
Recommend For:
• Strong friendships
• Creepy settings
• Haunted houses
• Scary child stories
IG | Blog
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:All Maggie, Russell, and Henry wanted out of their last college vacation was to get drunk and play archaeologist in an old house in the woods outside of town. When they excavate the mansion's outhouse they find way more than they bargained for: a sealed bottle filled with a red liquid, along with the bizarre skeleton of a horned childDisturbing the skeleton throws each of their lives into a living hell. They feel followed wherever they go, their homes are ransacked by unknown intruders, and people they care about are brutally, horribly dismembered. The three friends awakened something, a creature that will stop at nothing to retrieve its child.
Release Date: September 12th,2017
Genre: Horror
Pages: 176
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
What I Liked:
1. The characters
2. The plot
3. The writing style
What I Didn't Like:
1. Some of the thoughts just ended abruptly
Overall Thoughts: I seriously loved this short novella. I enjoyed the writing style and I liked where the story went. The characters had me laughing out loud at some of the stuff they said. The pacing was good and I could not put the book down. I was never bored.
Final Thoughts: This was a random find at the library and I am so happy I came across it. I will definitely check out other books by the author and see what else he has to offer.
Recommend For:
• Strong friendships
• Creepy settings
• Haunted houses
• Scary child stories
IG | Blog
July 12, 2020
There wasn't necessarily anything 'wrong' with this book but I just found the whole thing to be so boring. None of the characters were interesting and the whole plot was so bare bones that it just flew by and never really gave me a chance to feel scared or care about anything in particular. I literally finished it yesterday and I've already half-forgotten what happened, it was just wholly unremarkable.
September 19, 2017
I feel as though Ford has somehow tapped into a source of myth and crafted a kind of urban legend in book form. I suspect the story is somehow going to sneak off the page and inhabit those late-night gabfests where the stories come out to play. The novella has moments of creepiness interspersed with moments of great humor and leaves at last with a sense of deep humanity.
May 29, 2018
Three college friends do an archaeological dig on an old outhouse and find a demon baby.
Based on that summation, this book should have been a lot better than it was. There was nothing creepy or scary (at least to me) in this book. People got killed - I didn't really care, just read along waiting for the part that would affect me. An elderly lady has been held in torment for over a hundred years - unh hunh. I wanted to be turning pages at a quick clip (and it was a quick read) but I also wanted to be in that 'horror crouch' where you're hunched over the book, quietly almost-sweating. None of that here. This is the first book I've read by the author and while I like his idea, I wasn't impressed with this novella.
Based on that summation, this book should have been a lot better than it was. There was nothing creepy or scary (at least to me) in this book. People got killed - I didn't really care, just read along waiting for the part that would affect me. An elderly lady has been held in torment for over a hundred years - unh hunh. I wanted to be turning pages at a quick clip (and it was a quick read) but I also wanted to be in that 'horror crouch' where you're hunched over the book, quietly almost-sweating. None of that here. This is the first book I've read by the author and while I like his idea, I wasn't impressed with this novella.
September 22, 2019
Easy and simple haunting/possession story. The second half was a bit better, the first as too much humor and started way too slow for a novel this short. The writing was okay and the story too, it was an entertaining horror story but unfortunately it didn't bring anything new, it's all a many many time déjà-vu story. It's also a bit young, I might recommend it too young teenagers who want to start reading horror since it's an easy read. A very average book, without major flaws, but without wonders neither.
October 31, 2017
I had really high expectations for "The Twilight Pariah" despite seeing some well-trusted bloggers who eluded it didn't quite meet their's. I should have trusted them because I had a really difficult time finishing this novella and it took me forever to read something that shouldn't have taken so long.
Maggie, Russel and Henry are on summer break from college. Maggie has switched her majors (again) and now wants to be an archaeologist so she convinces her friends to start a dig on an abandoned town property - in the outhouse of all places. They eventually stumble upon an scary old skeleton of a baby with horns so Maggie puts it in her trunk so they can figure out what exactly they have found (apparently Maggie doesn't watch horror movies and doesn't know she should leave the dead buried). Following this, a strange apparition appears throughout the home and the town and people end up dying. It's up to Maggie and her friends to figure out what is going on before every one they care about ends up dead.
This book had potential and a good premise but overall I felt it was a tad disjointed. In fact, I kind of felt like I was reading two stories mashed into one. Anyone who has read this book and knows me and my blog will know that I really liked how this "being" was formed (the apparition creature, not the devil baby) but had a hard time connecting that with the baby in the well. I will admit that perhaps I wasn't fully invested in this book as I picked it up on a whim and there were some things going on while reading it that kind of distracted me. That being said, I just expected better. "The Twilight Pariah" is a short read and if you like horror, definitely consider picking it up, just don't set your expectations too high.
Maggie, Russel and Henry are on summer break from college. Maggie has switched her majors (again) and now wants to be an archaeologist so she convinces her friends to start a dig on an abandoned town property - in the outhouse of all places. They eventually stumble upon an scary old skeleton of a baby with horns so Maggie puts it in her trunk so they can figure out what exactly they have found (apparently Maggie doesn't watch horror movies and doesn't know she should leave the dead buried). Following this, a strange apparition appears throughout the home and the town and people end up dying. It's up to Maggie and her friends to figure out what is going on before every one they care about ends up dead.
This book had potential and a good premise but overall I felt it was a tad disjointed. In fact, I kind of felt like I was reading two stories mashed into one. Anyone who has read this book and knows me and my blog will know that I really liked how this "being" was formed (the apparition creature, not the devil baby) but had a hard time connecting that with the baby in the well. I will admit that perhaps I wasn't fully invested in this book as I picked it up on a whim and there were some things going on while reading it that kind of distracted me. That being said, I just expected better. "The Twilight Pariah" is a short read and if you like horror, definitely consider picking it up, just don't set your expectations too high.
December 28, 2017
I am a total wuss. Complete and total. So I expected to have the pants scared off me for picking up a horror novella, and it didn’t really happen. There were a few creepy moments, but mostly I found myself wondering why it felt like an episode of Scooby Doo. (Considering Scooby Doo on Zombie Island gave me nightmares as a kid, that doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t be scary, but… I don’t know.)
The actual haunting part seemed solid and interesting. It was the characters and the way they went about tackling the problem that didn’t work for me — it just all felt totally unreal, and like set-up for the three main characters to set up like the Winchester brothers or the Mystery Gang. It felt truncated and just too easy, and some of the action scenes just made me go… “Really??”
If you’re looking for something scary, then this isn’t it, I think. There is a good story somewhere in here, but mostly it didn’t work for me.
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
The actual haunting part seemed solid and interesting. It was the characters and the way they went about tackling the problem that didn’t work for me — it just all felt totally unreal, and like set-up for the three main characters to set up like the Winchester brothers or the Mystery Gang. It felt truncated and just too easy, and some of the action scenes just made me go… “Really??”
If you’re looking for something scary, then this isn’t it, I think. There is a good story somewhere in here, but mostly it didn’t work for me.
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
January 25, 2019
One summer between college semesters, Maggie announces that she wants to become an archeologist and she solicits Henry and Russell to help her explore and excavate an outhouse from the 1800s on the property of an abandoned house on the outside of town. They discover deep in the dirt the skeleton of a baby with horns. This awakens something sinister in the town and the trio must find out what it is and how to stop it.
I was browsing the new fiction section at the library and I found this novella. I’d never heard of Jeffrey Ford or this book, but I liked the description on the back. It’s a fun, fast-paced story that I raced through in just a couple of hours. With a strong first-person narrative, I was sucked into the lives of these three college kids. The writing is well done with a lot of fun detail, but the story just flows making it a joy to read. I don’t normally read horror in fiction, mostly because I don’t find it that scary or that interesting. Reading about horrific events never has the impact of watching or listening to something scary for me. I felt the same way about this book. I wasn’t scared, and I wanted to know what happened in the end. The ending is satisfying as in it completes the story, but it’s not all that interesting or a big revelation. In a way, I wish this was a more traditional book about three friends in college who return to their hometown for the summer. Without the horror elements, this book has many rich elements not fully explored. • Trade Paperback • Fiction - Horror • Borrowed from the San Jose Public Library. • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️▪️
I was browsing the new fiction section at the library and I found this novella. I’d never heard of Jeffrey Ford or this book, but I liked the description on the back. It’s a fun, fast-paced story that I raced through in just a couple of hours. With a strong first-person narrative, I was sucked into the lives of these three college kids. The writing is well done with a lot of fun detail, but the story just flows making it a joy to read. I don’t normally read horror in fiction, mostly because I don’t find it that scary or that interesting. Reading about horrific events never has the impact of watching or listening to something scary for me. I felt the same way about this book. I wasn’t scared, and I wanted to know what happened in the end. The ending is satisfying as in it completes the story, but it’s not all that interesting or a big revelation. In a way, I wish this was a more traditional book about three friends in college who return to their hometown for the summer. Without the horror elements, this book has many rich elements not fully explored. • Trade Paperback • Fiction - Horror • Borrowed from the San Jose Public Library. • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️▪️
August 9, 2018
Baby skeleton with horns and tail is unearthed in an archeological dig in the outhouse pit of an old mansion. Haunting ensues.
I don't usually read horror books, but I loved the first Jeffrey Ford book I read, The Shadow Year. The two books have little in common, though. Here, Ford mimics the tone of the old Alfred Hitchcock Presents story collections, a sort of ghostly Amazing Stories yarn. A likable (but weed-woozied) circle of Gen-Y friends get up to the usual Scooby-Doo-style yoiks and zoinks, which unfortunately means this ends up being a relatively thin story.
But how many authors have the chutzpah to make the monster sound an awful lot like a writer's talent? Y'know, the monster on her back:
"She confessed to me that even though it had cost her she still felt deep empathy for her creation."
I don't usually read horror books, but I loved the first Jeffrey Ford book I read, The Shadow Year. The two books have little in common, though. Here, Ford mimics the tone of the old Alfred Hitchcock Presents story collections, a sort of ghostly Amazing Stories yarn. A likable (but weed-woozied) circle of Gen-Y friends get up to the usual Scooby-Doo-style yoiks and zoinks, which unfortunately means this ends up being a relatively thin story.
But how many authors have the chutzpah to make the monster sound an awful lot like a writer's talent? Y'know, the monster on her back:
"She confessed to me that even though it had cost her she still felt deep empathy for her creation."
April 19, 2018
I had not read anything by this author before, so I didn’t have any expectations. The story started out well and has an interesting premise. But the writing style of this novella just wasn’t for me. A quick read (even for me, a slow reader) not so much because it was a page-turner or grabbed my attention, but rather because the storyline and characters were so simple....as if for a very young reader (though some of the material was clearly not YA). Was it rushed for a deadline? Was it meant for a new type of reader used to tweeting and having a short attention span?
But I admit that this is just my opinion, which seems to be very different from other reviewers. I am still interested in reading more from this author.
March 8, 2020
Kind of a trashy, poorly written thriller/horror novel with two dimensional characters, but it got me out of a reading slump, so it can’t be all bad.
July 15, 2019
The resolution of the story felt too easy and too quick, and then the story ended so abruptly, it was weird, I thought my copy was missing a page. But despite this, I actually really enjoyed the story, it was entertaining and fast-paced, it kind of reminded me of the TV show Supernatural.
September 27, 2017
3.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2017/09/14/th...
I read the Twilight Pariah a couple of weeks ago. It’s a fairly short story (approx 180 pages) and is actually a very quick read with some really good elements. I didn’t quite love it as much as I hoped but I can’t deny that it was an enjoyable read with an interesting premise.
The Twilight Pariah brings to us three young friends spending what is likely to be their last vacation together. Maggie, Russell, and Henry. At the insistence of Maggie the three embark on a project out at an old mansion set within the woods. An abandoned mansion with a curious history. Maggie wants to dig up the outhouse and see what the three of them can find. What they actually find defies explanation. A child’s skeleton that actually appears to have horns is what they come across – now frankly, if that was me I definitely wouldn’t have been keeping that unknown entity but Maggie is determined to find out what it is and that’s when things take a turn for the worse. Really – anyone knows not to disturb old skeletons don’t they! Anyway, I guess it would have been a very short story if they’d just returned the skeleton and filled the pit.
After their discovery the three of them start to experience strange occurences. Something is definitely pursuing them and it doesn’t take too long before somebody turns up dead.
I have a conundrum with this book. It was an enjoyable read and it really had the possibility to give me the serious heebie-jeebies but it just didn’t quite succeed in creeping me out. I thought the author’s style was good, I enjoyed the dynamic between the three lead characters, it was an interesting concept, but, for me it just fell short on the tension and the conclusion was simply too quick. Given another hundred pages this book could have been a proper chiller with the sort of tension that you can cut with a knife – but that’s probably just me to be honest. I can’t help wanting more, I’m just greedy I suppose but I would have liked that slow build up. I would have liked a bit more about the friends and I particularly would have liked them to demonstrate a bit more fear in the face of what they came across.
As it is though this is very readable, I didn’t have any struggle whatsoever finishing it and I did find the writing persuasive. It might not be the chiller that I was hoping for but if you fancy a quick read on a dark night this could be the perfect read.
I received a copy through Netgalley courtesy of the publisher for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
https://lynns-books.com/2017/09/14/th...
I read the Twilight Pariah a couple of weeks ago. It’s a fairly short story (approx 180 pages) and is actually a very quick read with some really good elements. I didn’t quite love it as much as I hoped but I can’t deny that it was an enjoyable read with an interesting premise.
The Twilight Pariah brings to us three young friends spending what is likely to be their last vacation together. Maggie, Russell, and Henry. At the insistence of Maggie the three embark on a project out at an old mansion set within the woods. An abandoned mansion with a curious history. Maggie wants to dig up the outhouse and see what the three of them can find. What they actually find defies explanation. A child’s skeleton that actually appears to have horns is what they come across – now frankly, if that was me I definitely wouldn’t have been keeping that unknown entity but Maggie is determined to find out what it is and that’s when things take a turn for the worse. Really – anyone knows not to disturb old skeletons don’t they! Anyway, I guess it would have been a very short story if they’d just returned the skeleton and filled the pit.
After their discovery the three of them start to experience strange occurences. Something is definitely pursuing them and it doesn’t take too long before somebody turns up dead.
I have a conundrum with this book. It was an enjoyable read and it really had the possibility to give me the serious heebie-jeebies but it just didn’t quite succeed in creeping me out. I thought the author’s style was good, I enjoyed the dynamic between the three lead characters, it was an interesting concept, but, for me it just fell short on the tension and the conclusion was simply too quick. Given another hundred pages this book could have been a proper chiller with the sort of tension that you can cut with a knife – but that’s probably just me to be honest. I can’t help wanting more, I’m just greedy I suppose but I would have liked that slow build up. I would have liked a bit more about the friends and I particularly would have liked them to demonstrate a bit more fear in the face of what they came across.
As it is though this is very readable, I didn’t have any struggle whatsoever finishing it and I did find the writing persuasive. It might not be the chiller that I was hoping for but if you fancy a quick read on a dark night this could be the perfect read.
I received a copy through Netgalley courtesy of the publisher for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
January 22, 2018
That was marvellously entertaining. Slick writing, beautifully paced, peopled with sympathetic characters and, at times, quite creepy. I won’t spoil it here but the source of the supernatural menace, while not an ‘oh gosh wow’ moment, is suitably different to your run of the mill haunting or demon. Most of all Ford is a natural story-teller clearly having a shit load of fun unfurling his shaggy dog tale.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
September 17, 2017
This short contemporary horror novel is lots of fun. Three high school friends sharing what is likely to be their last summer home from college undertake to excavate an abandoned privy on the grounds of a ruined mansion. An unexpected discovery is the beginning of a series of scary supernatural experiences.
October 31, 2017
I finally opened the door, and we stood peering down into the darkness for a while. 'If I was in a horror movie, I wouldn’t do this,' I said.
This was such a delight! Almost equal parts humorous and creepy, The Twilight Pariah is really more about the three friends and their bond of friendship on one side and about their discovery of the baby demon skeleton on the other.
There were definitely some unsettling moments in here but the one thing I loved about this is how Maggie, the female friend, is the only one who's actually daring and fearless (re: 'Maggie, despite having just been punched in the face, still had her cigarette going.'). Also, the main POV character is a literature major so there's definitely a bookish aspect to him and he has a little habit of giving plots to things he encounters which were fun to read.
The only thing that was a bit ? to me was everyone's addiction with drugs and alcohol like that's pretty much a given if they're to hang out? Some sort of a point against millenials and old professors, I guess. Anyway, it could've been fleshed out more in terms of characters maybe, but I feel like it achieved what it set out to achieve in the end especially with the skeleton mystery which I think revolved around quite a fascinating concept.
Favorite quote:
This was such a delight! Almost equal parts humorous and creepy, The Twilight Pariah is really more about the three friends and their bond of friendship on one side and about their discovery of the baby demon skeleton on the other.
There were definitely some unsettling moments in here but the one thing I loved about this is how Maggie, the female friend, is the only one who's actually daring and fearless (re: 'Maggie, despite having just been punched in the face, still had her cigarette going.'). Also, the main POV character is a literature major so there's definitely a bookish aspect to him and he has a little habit of giving plots to things he encounters which were fun to read.
The only thing that was a bit ? to me was everyone's addiction with drugs and alcohol like that's pretty much a given if they're to hang out? Some sort of a point against millenials and old professors, I guess. Anyway, it could've been fleshed out more in terms of characters maybe, but I feel like it achieved what it set out to achieve in the end especially with the skeleton mystery which I think revolved around quite a fascinating concept.
Favorite quote:
'What took you so long?' he asked.
'I was busy being an asshole.'
He nodded as if that was a given.
October 8, 2017
A good, quick read. Even though it's advertised as a horror, it feels more like a mystery/suspence kind of novella with some aspects of horror added in. Regardless, it was engrossing and you found yourself reading to the end, which works because it's really short. A detriment to this is that I feel like some characters served as only a function rather as being fleshed-out characters. (Sondra, Luther, Henry's father, etc.) My frustration is probably because of how much I like characters though, ha.
One of the more interesting parts for me was the big bad's identity reveal, though I wish there was more explanation about that. I won't get too into that though since I don't feel like hiding this entire review for spoilers.
The biggest issue overall was probably the pace, especially at the climax and everything following. The last few pages felt very rushed in comparison to the rest of the novella and like Ford was just trying to tie up all the loose ends left in the aftermath. Even with that though, I don't regret reading it and it was still interesting. Just fast.
One of the more interesting parts for me was the big bad's identity reveal, though I wish there was more explanation about that. I won't get too into that though since I don't feel like hiding this entire review for spoilers.
The biggest issue overall was probably the pace, especially at the climax and everything following. The last few pages felt very rushed in comparison to the rest of the novella and like Ford was just trying to tie up all the loose ends left in the aftermath. Even with that though, I don't regret reading it and it was still interesting. Just fast.
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