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The Shinglo
Scott Pillar's life is transformed into a living nightmare when an old army buddy begins a murderous rampage, the end result to a demonic encounter in a hidden jungle cave during the Vietnam War
- GenresHorror
281 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1989
113 people want to read
About the author
Alex Kane
3 booksLibrarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 16, 2018
Sort of a B-movie version of Peter Straub's Koko it delivers everything you want from a book about a Vietnam vet taking on a demon from hell. Sort of a more xenophobic Rambo story with extra hypnosis.
August 22, 2018
Actual rating: 3.5/5
The Shinglo won't blow your mind, but I'll be damned if it isn't an entertaining ride.
Feels more like one of those supernatural horror/action movies from the late-eighties/early-nineties than anything else, with shades of The First Power mixed with the Vietnam angle of Steve Miner's House. I wish Kane had tried to get this made as a film rather than a novel, since everything about this story, from the structure to the characters and even to the locations, screams "mid-budget supernatural actioner I probably would've caught on late-night HBO sometime in 1990."
Not to say there's no ambition behind it. At some point, the story becomes a very blunt metaphor for PTSD (the Shinglo wants our protagonist to kill himself, and the killer even calls himself "Uncle Sam"), giving it a slight (but sufficient) layer of emotional depth that otherwise would've been lacking. I was also impressed with how mean-spirited much of the deaths were. The novel is essentially a slasher, and it checks all the boxes of a successful one:
- distinct killer ("Uncle Sam," a long-haired dude spouting hippie jargon)
- a variety of kills (Vietnam-themed, ranging from crazy booby traps to simple heads on pikes), and many of them get pretty ugly/splatterpunky
- lots of murders and lots of gore
So for a slasher fanatic like myself, I was hooked throughout.
And the climax is definitely a good one, set in an old, crumbling hotel ready for demolition. Even the end result of the final confrontation doesn't disappoint (and would've been perfectly awesome in a movie...just saying).
Don't really get the lukewarm responses on here. It's not visionary literature, but it's fun, I was never bored, and the pacing is airtight. If you're looking for a nice blood-drenched timewaster, The Shinglo is more than willing to possess you for 281 pages.
The Shinglo won't blow your mind, but I'll be damned if it isn't an entertaining ride.
Feels more like one of those supernatural horror/action movies from the late-eighties/early-nineties than anything else, with shades of The First Power mixed with the Vietnam angle of Steve Miner's House. I wish Kane had tried to get this made as a film rather than a novel, since everything about this story, from the structure to the characters and even to the locations, screams "mid-budget supernatural actioner I probably would've caught on late-night HBO sometime in 1990."
Not to say there's no ambition behind it. At some point, the story becomes a very blunt metaphor for PTSD (the Shinglo wants our protagonist to kill himself, and the killer even calls himself "Uncle Sam"), giving it a slight (but sufficient) layer of emotional depth that otherwise would've been lacking. I was also impressed with how mean-spirited much of the deaths were. The novel is essentially a slasher, and it checks all the boxes of a successful one:
- distinct killer ("Uncle Sam," a long-haired dude spouting hippie jargon)
- a variety of kills (Vietnam-themed, ranging from crazy booby traps to simple heads on pikes), and many of them get pretty ugly/splatterpunky
- lots of murders and lots of gore
So for a slasher fanatic like myself, I was hooked throughout.
And the climax is definitely a good one, set in an old, crumbling hotel ready for demolition. Even the end result of the final confrontation doesn't disappoint (and would've been perfectly awesome in a movie...just saying).
Don't really get the lukewarm responses on here. It's not visionary literature, but it's fun, I was never bored, and the pacing is airtight. If you're looking for a nice blood-drenched timewaster, The Shinglo is more than willing to possess you for 281 pages.
July 17, 2024
A mostly quite good horror novel that has some problems that kept me from giving it a higher rating. Things start off well, everything is gritty and moody in a very cinematic 1980s way. The first third or so of the book was great, it really hooked me into the story. I guess the flaws start to show themselves about halfway through, where there is an interminable sequence where two of the main characters, one a psychiatrist, go over everything that has happened up to that point and everything that happened to one character in Vietnam. I feel like this sequence could have been shaved down by a good 30 to 50 pages and it would have helped the book overall.
The leadup to the climax reveals more flaws, as there are a lot of choices made that seem very unrealistic especially to anyone who has children. The kids are basically cyphers and feel like an afterthought. In fact, the author forgets to note that they are present in many scenes.
The ending is decently horrific and suspenseful. The book is capped off by a very unsatisfying epilogue, that had me scratching my head and left a bad taste in my mouth. It really feels like a missed opportunity, too, because it would have been a perfect place for a real mean spirited, shocker of an ending. But, no, the author tries to go the heart warming route, and I, at least was just straight up confused.
A decent novel, again, with some flaws. Turns out it is a first novel, Kane is a pseudonym for Gene Lazuta, who went on to write a number of horror novels, some quite acclaimed.
The leadup to the climax reveals more flaws, as there are a lot of choices made that seem very unrealistic especially to anyone who has children. The kids are basically cyphers and feel like an afterthought. In fact, the author forgets to note that they are present in many scenes.
The ending is decently horrific and suspenseful. The book is capped off by a very unsatisfying epilogue, that had me scratching my head and left a bad taste in my mouth. It really feels like a missed opportunity, too, because it would have been a perfect place for a real mean spirited, shocker of an ending. But, no, the author tries to go the heart warming route, and I, at least was just straight up confused.
A decent novel, again, with some flaws. Turns out it is a first novel, Kane is a pseudonym for Gene Lazuta, who went on to write a number of horror novels, some quite acclaimed.
June 26, 2018
Well written, but it didn't click with me. It's not bad. I guess I didn't get attached to any leading characters. Learned some things about the Vietnam war that I never knew (not saying much, though, as my well of knowledge regarding the Vietnam war is not a deep one,) such as how the VC would nail poisonous snakes into crawl spaces as a sort of living booby trap. I give it three stars.
January 27, 2013
Horror? More Like Bore-er!
While the concept of a couple grizzled 'Nam vets battling it out at the behest of a strange supernatural power is kind of cool, what we get here is page after page of boring character interaction and convoluted rationales as to why all of this is happening. But the cover is cool!
While the concept of a couple grizzled 'Nam vets battling it out at the behest of a strange supernatural power is kind of cool, what we get here is page after page of boring character interaction and convoluted rationales as to why all of this is happening. But the cover is cool!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews