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Perfect Little Angels
Justin Freeman and her parents move into a new neighborhood where everything seems too good to be true. The people are all polite and helpful; the neighborhood itself is clean and respectable; but the owner, a doctor, is more than just any physician looking after the health of his patients. He is actually an intelligent, manipulative sadist who wishes to first test his experiments on the oblivious citizens of Elysian Fields.
262 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1989
47 people are currently reading
442 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Neiderman
74 books393 followersAndrew Neiderman is the author of over 44 thrillers, including six of which have been translated onto film, including the big hit, 'The Devil's Advocate', a story in which he also wrote a libretto for the music-stage adaptation. One of his novels, Tender Loving Care, has been adapted into a CD-Rom interactive movie.
Andrew Neiderman became the ghostwriter for V.C. Andrews following her death in 1986. He was the screenwriter for Rain, a film based on a series of books under Andrews name. Between the novels written under her name and his own, he has published over 100 novels.
Andrew Neiderman became the ghostwriter for V.C. Andrews following her death in 1986. He was the screenwriter for Rain, a film based on a series of books under Andrews name. Between the novels written under her name and his own, he has published over 100 novels.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
August 2, 2020
Elysian Fields sounds like such a quaint name for a t own doesn't it? I think it does. I picture flower gardens and open space...idyllic country living.
Except it's not though. Something is wrong with the neighbors. Actually something is wrong with EVERYONE. People are walking around passive and robotic and..well..not themselves that is for sure. So what is going on?
I was really let down by Perfect little angels. And that is because nothing made any sense.
This is one had looked forward to this with enthusiasm but almost did not finish. I did eventually complete but I was a bit baffled.
I had thought I would be getting something along The Stepford Wives. Creepy but fascinating and absorbing.
There are not really any spoilers. I did not understand some of it. But here was my main issue:
It turned out to be much more pure horror then a "Stepford Wives" type of tale I had thought I was getting. Unfortunately the book was just not the best fit for me in that regard.
Likely, had I known this I would not have chosen it. I love Eerie dramas and count Stepford Wives in my all time favorites. This had some gore but really it was both out there (meaning bizarre) but it is also a book I would classify as straight up horror. It was a let down but only because this genre is not one of mt favorites.
So maybe I'd recommend it to horror purists? I mean..even the NAME Elysian Fields is creepy in a way..it absolutely has a gr eat hook, just played out way differently than what I was seeking and alternatively gory and hard to understand it wasn't the greatest read for me.
Except it's not though. Something is wrong with the neighbors. Actually something is wrong with EVERYONE. People are walking around passive and robotic and..well..not themselves that is for sure. So what is going on?
I was really let down by Perfect little angels. And that is because nothing made any sense.
This is one had looked forward to this with enthusiasm but almost did not finish. I did eventually complete but I was a bit baffled.
I had thought I would be getting something along The Stepford Wives. Creepy but fascinating and absorbing.
There are not really any spoilers. I did not understand some of it. But here was my main issue:
It turned out to be much more pure horror then a "Stepford Wives" type of tale I had thought I was getting. Unfortunately the book was just not the best fit for me in that regard.
Likely, had I known this I would not have chosen it. I love Eerie dramas and count Stepford Wives in my all time favorites. This had some gore but really it was both out there (meaning bizarre) but it is also a book I would classify as straight up horror. It was a let down but only because this genre is not one of mt favorites.
So maybe I'd recommend it to horror purists? I mean..even the NAME Elysian Fields is creepy in a way..it absolutely has a gr eat hook, just played out way differently than what I was seeking and alternatively gory and hard to understand it wasn't the greatest read for me.
July 28, 2015
Welcome to Elysian Field , the quaint little town where everything and everyone is perfect. The teenagers are non drinking , non smoking and perfect in every way. Justine and her parents are invited to move from New York. At first glance the town is idle and are so happy to be there. But as time goes on things aren't what they seem . How one man and his ideals of how the children should be. He had terrible and very effective ways to turn the teenagers into perfect little angels
The author tells this story from two points of view . The first is from Eugene , the son of Dr. Lawerence. He has been long suffering test subject for his father. He is a little crazy and shows it through out . He has been molested by a sick nurse and is a lab rat for his father . At first you are a little scared of him and want to know what the heck is wrong with him. But as you read you start to really feel for him an the torture he has gone through and the pain and agony.
The second point of view is Justine's the new girl in town. Her parents and her have moved from New York and she just doesn't know what is going on. The kids are acting like stepford children . They don't do anything for fun and she can't understand why. Until she meets the doctor and start taking the vitamins . She starts to feel different and forgetting everything she likes , like her music. As she figures out what is happening she just goes along with it. She fricken drove me crazy . She was like oh if I tell my mom and dad , they will understand and fix it . Well guess what kind of hard to fix something when they are under the influence . I kind of just wanted to slap some sense into her. I mean lets not do something ourselves lets just tell our parents who in turn are going to the well basically cult leader. So what is a girl to do.
The book was a good read for me , I especially loved Eugene's story the most . I don't think I would of enjoyed as much as I did without Eugene's part. Justine and the stepford children were ok. They got a little boring after awhile. The way they acted was getting a little tiring and just a bit annoying . The grimace on the face of the character when he touched a boob was actually so funny. Then he was punished by burning his hand on the hot car engine. Was like wth ok then . The Eugene parts are really messed up and I just want you to be prepared . Trust me you will never look at
vitamins the same way again, or the color blue .
Over all I really did like reading this book, it was a good read that could be read in an afternoon by the pool. So if you want a good read about a crazy doctor , the Stepford children and one girls struggle to figure out whats going on . Check it .
May 10, 2016
To start with I was slightly unsure of what to make of this book, but the further I got into it, I was well and truly captivated.
The storyline is not a very original one having watched horror films with the exact same theme, but it didn't make it any less enjoyable.
As soon as Justine and her family move to the idyllic Elysian Fields it is obvious that everything there as well as the families are just to perfect. Everyone is very friendly and happy. All the teenagers are nice, no mood swings what so ever and are generally happy to come straight home from school to study or do house chores.
Being a parent I have to admit that the thought of my children doing everything they were told without any argument is one that is very tempting. Unfortunately they are more like robots and have no personality and as much as it would make life so much easier at times, I would never want my children to be like that.
Everyone seems to be very much controlled by the doctor. The parts in the story which are set in his house with his son Eugene and nurse were very disturbing ones. I have to admit it certainly sent shivers down my spine.
Perfect Little Angels is a great mix of horror and suspense. It certainly turned out to be a very gripping read. My only issue is though I have to admit to finding the ending a bit weak. The story really seemed to be building up to something and I thought I would end the novel on a high but instead I was left feeling slightly disappointed with the very tidy ending. Otherwise than that though it's a very entertaining read.
The storyline is not a very original one having watched horror films with the exact same theme, but it didn't make it any less enjoyable.
As soon as Justine and her family move to the idyllic Elysian Fields it is obvious that everything there as well as the families are just to perfect. Everyone is very friendly and happy. All the teenagers are nice, no mood swings what so ever and are generally happy to come straight home from school to study or do house chores.
Being a parent I have to admit that the thought of my children doing everything they were told without any argument is one that is very tempting. Unfortunately they are more like robots and have no personality and as much as it would make life so much easier at times, I would never want my children to be like that.
Everyone seems to be very much controlled by the doctor. The parts in the story which are set in his house with his son Eugene and nurse were very disturbing ones. I have to admit it certainly sent shivers down my spine.
Perfect Little Angels is a great mix of horror and suspense. It certainly turned out to be a very gripping read. My only issue is though I have to admit to finding the ending a bit weak. The story really seemed to be building up to something and I thought I would end the novel on a high but instead I was left feeling slightly disappointed with the very tidy ending. Otherwise than that though it's a very entertaining read.
June 28, 2020
Reading this book you'll be reminded of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Stepford Wives. I was in the mood for an 80's horror novel and had this one on the shelf. It's low on the gore and high on the paranoia. Much of the novel is told through the experiences of 15 year old Justine Freeman (note the symbolic name) as she and her parents move to an exclusive neighborhood named Elysian Fields. This is one of those neighborhoods of large homes behind sprawling emerald lawns within a secured gated wall. Everything is safe, secure and nice in Elysian Fields. Justine thinks it's too weird and the kids are all nerds, except for another girl her age named Lois. Lois seems to get Justine's suspicions about the kids and their parents. Only no one else likes the idea of Lois and Justine rocking the boat. Time for some corrective action.
At the time of this book, America was splitting into political sides with Falwell's Moral Majority and Ronald Reagan's America on one side and, thanks to MTV and Satan, anarchy on the other. The gaps have only widened since, but that's another story. Elysian Fields is Falwell's America, and outside its walls are MTV, punk rock, crack and decay. Here's a neat little speech within the novel that was probably repeated across thousands of dinner tables at the time.
"It [MTV] encourages the kids to be rebellious because most of the rock videos show punk rock or drugs. And the costumes these singers wear," her father continued as if he were reciting the gospel, "outrageous. What do they expect from young people today?" he asked turning to her mother for support. She was nodding again, her head bobbing like a puppet. "Considering what someone like that Madonna wears, everything goes. Nowadays, even prostitutes are held up as cult heroes."
Ah...now those were indeed the good old days.
At the time of this book, America was splitting into political sides with Falwell's Moral Majority and Ronald Reagan's America on one side and, thanks to MTV and Satan, anarchy on the other. The gaps have only widened since, but that's another story. Elysian Fields is Falwell's America, and outside its walls are MTV, punk rock, crack and decay. Here's a neat little speech within the novel that was probably repeated across thousands of dinner tables at the time.
"It [MTV] encourages the kids to be rebellious because most of the rock videos show punk rock or drugs. And the costumes these singers wear," her father continued as if he were reciting the gospel, "outrageous. What do they expect from young people today?" he asked turning to her mother for support. She was nodding again, her head bobbing like a puppet. "Considering what someone like that Madonna wears, everything goes. Nowadays, even prostitutes are held up as cult heroes."
Ah...now those were indeed the good old days.
January 27, 2016
The beginning delivered you right into the action and remained interesting throughout. Some supreme suspense is built in key parts, and the ending was a nice wrap-up. However I couldn't help not wanting the pace to pick up a bit at times. One irritation was that no one believed the girl but this isn't the novel's fault; it's a personal pet peeve of mind. The atmosphere of Perfect Little Angels is slightly ominous but clear-cut, and the plot itself is creative and overall well-executed.
The characters are not focused on evenly; Justine is the main heroine who comes across as a normal, likable teenager adapting to change. All people are pretty simple overall, which appeals to certain kinds of readers, while others may feel disappointed.
The boy kept in the house (won't offer spoilers) is probably the creepiest part of the story. He was an undeniably sad creature, and when he was shown in the story, it always threw me off track trying to figure out just WHAT his deal was. The pace is pretty even and most of the conflict starts at the beginning. Neidermans' trademark writing style is always clear and to the point, which enables faster reading and comprehension.
This can be enjoyed by all age levels, and what I consider "PG-13 horror." I give it 3 wheelchairs. Points deducted due to an at times slow pace that could have been rectified, the annoyance of no one believing Justine, and the semi-predictable tone.
The characters are not focused on evenly; Justine is the main heroine who comes across as a normal, likable teenager adapting to change. All people are pretty simple overall, which appeals to certain kinds of readers, while others may feel disappointed.
The boy kept in the house (won't offer spoilers) is probably the creepiest part of the story. He was an undeniably sad creature, and when he was shown in the story, it always threw me off track trying to figure out just WHAT his deal was. The pace is pretty even and most of the conflict starts at the beginning. Neidermans' trademark writing style is always clear and to the point, which enables faster reading and comprehension.
This can be enjoyed by all age levels, and what I consider "PG-13 horror." I give it 3 wheelchairs. Points deducted due to an at times slow pace that could have been rectified, the annoyance of no one believing Justine, and the semi-predictable tone.
June 27, 2018
Cross post on my blog!
THRIFT STORE WHY: The cover! It looks amazing in person, with this weird, shiny overlay (especially on the red eyes). The art is fantastic, the name is attention grabbing, and the back copy/tagline are both really fun. I’m always keen on brainwashing plots and fake-utopias.
BACK COPY LIES (what the plot really is): A dull rebellious girl moves into a Utopian neighborhood where daily pills and radio signals make every citizen morally pure and essentially the same. Elsewhere, a semi-robot teen hallucinates for half the book.
WOULD I RECC TO READ: No. It’s fun and pulpy, but there’s a lot better of the type.
Review:
This was a fast and fun read, but it was hurt by a couple things.
One, the writing of the women was extremely creepy and weird- as in, you know, written by an older guy. I really don’t need to hear multiple times about 15 year olds’ tits! Similarly, while the main character had a bit of spunk, she was generally completely clueless and at times an idiot- missing all the beyond obvious signs that something was going on. Even when she saw visual proof of things being weird, she was very quick to dismiss it and move on. A common plot device, but one that grew extremely frustrating.
Half the book is from the viewpoint of another character (he’s barely ever referred to by anything other than pronouns so I’ve forgotten his name fast- it was dumb. Edgar?) who is mentally unsound. This is actually at times quite interesting! He’s very unsteady and off, but for most of the book (Cough) he has his own way of logic and thinking that prevents him from being another easy ‘insane villain monster’ stereotype. His sections were sometimes very interesting to read as you made sense of his interpretation of the world and tried to deduce what was real and what was going on, but his viewpoint is about every other chapter- at times you gain nothing, and it’s a pain to read. Also, SUPER notably, there’s some very unnecessarily, creepy, weird sex stuff with him as well. Uncomfortable sexualization and rape of him (and thus of a mentally ill character). Youch!! It didn’t even add anything and was just there for shock value.
There’s a few good tricks to the mind control element- most notably, the main character has a chilling realization when she notices her mother is painting, shadow for shadow, the same painting as their neighbor- but a lot of it was a bit lacking. You understood what it was going to be… and then it was just that: Boys couldn’t be interested in sex, girls couldn’t wear makeup, men had jobs and women were housewives. It was all to the vision of the villain, but we don’t get enough backstory on him to really understand why. Yes, he can control this community and shape it to his will, but to what end? What does he want of it? Why is he so obsessed with this conservative utopia?
These are key questions that help make the plot and climax more interesting, but they are unresolved.
There is also pretty much nothing in terms of solid twists throughout the story. The reader knows what is going on from the premise, the main character is slow but eventually catches on- and then there’s not much else to the story. The climax is over quick and there’s not much of a resolution. Instead of the story being really more explained or wrapped up, the last chapter is a full infodump about how the technology used in the book (which, also, we never technically see from the POV of a character, it’s named and explained only here) is plausible. Two FBI agents talk for a long while, and then the book ends.
It read fast and was for sure engaging, as pulp tends to be. I’m happy to keep this in my collection because of the cover/whole concept, but it’s not a particularly choice book. Not a hidden gem, to say the least.
THRIFT STORE WHY: The cover! It looks amazing in person, with this weird, shiny overlay (especially on the red eyes). The art is fantastic, the name is attention grabbing, and the back copy/tagline are both really fun. I’m always keen on brainwashing plots and fake-utopias.
BACK COPY LIES (what the plot really is): A dull rebellious girl moves into a Utopian neighborhood where daily pills and radio signals make every citizen morally pure and essentially the same. Elsewhere, a semi-robot teen hallucinates for half the book.
WOULD I RECC TO READ: No. It’s fun and pulpy, but there’s a lot better of the type.
Review:
This was a fast and fun read, but it was hurt by a couple things.
One, the writing of the women was extremely creepy and weird- as in, you know, written by an older guy. I really don’t need to hear multiple times about 15 year olds’ tits! Similarly, while the main character had a bit of spunk, she was generally completely clueless and at times an idiot- missing all the beyond obvious signs that something was going on. Even when she saw visual proof of things being weird, she was very quick to dismiss it and move on. A common plot device, but one that grew extremely frustrating.
Half the book is from the viewpoint of another character (he’s barely ever referred to by anything other than pronouns so I’ve forgotten his name fast- it was dumb. Edgar?) who is mentally unsound. This is actually at times quite interesting! He’s very unsteady and off, but for most of the book (Cough) he has his own way of logic and thinking that prevents him from being another easy ‘insane villain monster’ stereotype. His sections were sometimes very interesting to read as you made sense of his interpretation of the world and tried to deduce what was real and what was going on, but his viewpoint is about every other chapter- at times you gain nothing, and it’s a pain to read. Also, SUPER notably, there’s some very unnecessarily, creepy, weird sex stuff with him as well. Uncomfortable sexualization and rape of him (and thus of a mentally ill character). Youch!! It didn’t even add anything and was just there for shock value.
There’s a few good tricks to the mind control element- most notably, the main character has a chilling realization when she notices her mother is painting, shadow for shadow, the same painting as their neighbor- but a lot of it was a bit lacking. You understood what it was going to be… and then it was just that: Boys couldn’t be interested in sex, girls couldn’t wear makeup, men had jobs and women were housewives. It was all to the vision of the villain, but we don’t get enough backstory on him to really understand why. Yes, he can control this community and shape it to his will, but to what end? What does he want of it? Why is he so obsessed with this conservative utopia?
These are key questions that help make the plot and climax more interesting, but they are unresolved.
There is also pretty much nothing in terms of solid twists throughout the story. The reader knows what is going on from the premise, the main character is slow but eventually catches on- and then there’s not much else to the story. The climax is over quick and there’s not much of a resolution. Instead of the story being really more explained or wrapped up, the last chapter is a full infodump about how the technology used in the book (which, also, we never technically see from the POV of a character, it’s named and explained only here) is plausible. Two FBI agents talk for a long while, and then the book ends.
It read fast and was for sure engaging, as pulp tends to be. I’m happy to keep this in my collection because of the cover/whole concept, but it’s not a particularly choice book. Not a hidden gem, to say the least.
July 25, 2015
This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland
Perfect Little Angels was an okay read. Really it is told from two points of view, one of which I loved and one of which annoyed me greatly. So it was great and not so great at the same time. Some slight spoilers ahead.
This story starts off with an amazing prologue so I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen. I loved the Eugene part of the book. They were really great and I loved trying to figure out what was going on with him. He was a wonderful character for a book like this. It is obvious what Dr. Lawrence is doing in the rest of the town, but not as much with Eugene. He is kind of crazy and it is kind of gross at some points, but in a way that I enjoy. If you don't like really horrifying things, really cringe worthy things, you probably want to skip this book.
The rest of the story is told from Justine's point of view. Justin and her family have just moved to Elysian Fields and they have to get with the program quickly. Justine knows something is up, but then she starts to be affected by everything and starts forgetting what her old life was like. She does have the one other girl in town who tries to help her not succumb to everything, but man Justine annoyed me. So like everyone in town is being controlled by the doctor, but Justine is so stupid. Once she realizes this she thinks oh I will just tell my parents. They will listen to me even though they are like zombies and totally not themselves anymore. I mean they are my parents of course they will listen to me! She was told again and again that she has to try and blend in, and she just doesn't really try very hard. Even once she is afraid of what will happen she is still like whatever. I expected more from her. If you were in her situation would you really be so blase about it? Would you really not try very hard to blend in? Really? She was annoying. Her decision making was terrible. The way she went about things and spoke about things didn't come across as realistic to me. Even when she is affected by everything there was still something off about the way she was (and not because of her being affected by everything). I didn't believe she was becoming one of the zombie people. Then when she wasn't I didn't really believe she would be as stupid as she was.
So everything that was going on, the premise of the story, is interesting. If not for Eugene and his parts I wouldn't have enjoy the book very much. It is a Stepford story with a crazy doctor. It was just alright. Then you get to the end and the epilogue was not the best. To have someone come and tell everyone exactly what happened, have the reader read in detail what happened in a very straightforward outlined way, well it was just not that good. If you read the book you know what was going on so...Or maybe just show a conversation between a few people with the key highlights. It just was unnecessary and made it end on an even lower note than it was. Too bad the whole thing couldn't have been as entertaining as the Eugene chapters (note the Eugene chapters are pretty messed up so you should be prepared for that).
Perfect Little Angels was an okay read. Really it is told from two points of view, one of which I loved and one of which annoyed me greatly. So it was great and not so great at the same time. Some slight spoilers ahead.
This story starts off with an amazing prologue so I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen. I loved the Eugene part of the book. They were really great and I loved trying to figure out what was going on with him. He was a wonderful character for a book like this. It is obvious what Dr. Lawrence is doing in the rest of the town, but not as much with Eugene. He is kind of crazy and it is kind of gross at some points, but in a way that I enjoy. If you don't like really horrifying things, really cringe worthy things, you probably want to skip this book.
The rest of the story is told from Justine's point of view. Justin and her family have just moved to Elysian Fields and they have to get with the program quickly. Justine knows something is up, but then she starts to be affected by everything and starts forgetting what her old life was like. She does have the one other girl in town who tries to help her not succumb to everything, but man Justine annoyed me. So like everyone in town is being controlled by the doctor, but Justine is so stupid. Once she realizes this she thinks oh I will just tell my parents. They will listen to me even though they are like zombies and totally not themselves anymore. I mean they are my parents of course they will listen to me! She was told again and again that she has to try and blend in, and she just doesn't really try very hard. Even once she is afraid of what will happen she is still like whatever. I expected more from her. If you were in her situation would you really be so blase about it? Would you really not try very hard to blend in? Really? She was annoying. Her decision making was terrible. The way she went about things and spoke about things didn't come across as realistic to me. Even when she is affected by everything there was still something off about the way she was (and not because of her being affected by everything). I didn't believe she was becoming one of the zombie people. Then when she wasn't I didn't really believe she would be as stupid as she was.
So everything that was going on, the premise of the story, is interesting. If not for Eugene and his parts I wouldn't have enjoy the book very much. It is a Stepford story with a crazy doctor. It was just alright. Then you get to the end and the epilogue was not the best. To have someone come and tell everyone exactly what happened, have the reader read in detail what happened in a very straightforward outlined way, well it was just not that good. If you read the book you know what was going on so...Or maybe just show a conversation between a few people with the key highlights. It just was unnecessary and made it end on an even lower note than it was. Too bad the whole thing couldn't have been as entertaining as the Eugene chapters (note the Eugene chapters are pretty messed up so you should be prepared for that).
April 13, 2020
I'm an avid fan of 80's pulp fiction, particularly horror and thriller novels.
I appreciated the prologue, which had me saying, "What the heck," within the very first 2 pages. The entire chapter drew me in, and had me thinking, "This is bound to be a wild ride."
Within the first chapter, I felt overwhelmed with the introduction of so many characters. There were so many details given to describe their physical appearance that seemed a bit unnecessary. The amount of descriptive details made me wish I could skip ahead without missing any of the story itself. However, the overdetailed descriptions were throughout the entire book, right down to the last few pages.
The POV bounces between Justine, the new girl in town, and Eugene, the son of the essential leader of Elysian Fields. I like that the story has 2 perspectives. It gives a better insight into things, however when you read Eugene's parts, it is hard to understand what is going on because he is delusional due to his circumstance.
The ending was pretty decent, until the very last 2 pages. Completely unrealistic (I mean, a lot of the book was, but this ending just wouldn't have happened). I wish they explained the end of the control the psychiatrist/scientist had on the community. It seemed to gloss over this.
Overall, a quick read that was entertaining, to say the least. I don't feel like I "wasted my time" with this one. Now onto another Niederman novel, IMP.
I appreciated the prologue, which had me saying, "What the heck," within the very first 2 pages. The entire chapter drew me in, and had me thinking, "This is bound to be a wild ride."
Within the first chapter, I felt overwhelmed with the introduction of so many characters. There were so many details given to describe their physical appearance that seemed a bit unnecessary. The amount of descriptive details made me wish I could skip ahead without missing any of the story itself. However, the overdetailed descriptions were throughout the entire book, right down to the last few pages.
The POV bounces between Justine, the new girl in town, and Eugene, the son of the essential leader of Elysian Fields. I like that the story has 2 perspectives. It gives a better insight into things, however when you read Eugene's parts, it is hard to understand what is going on because he is delusional due to his circumstance.
The ending was pretty decent, until the very last 2 pages. Completely unrealistic (I mean, a lot of the book was, but this ending just wouldn't have happened). I wish they explained the end of the control the psychiatrist/scientist had on the community. It seemed to gloss over this.
Overall, a quick read that was entertaining, to say the least. I don't feel like I "wasted my time" with this one. Now onto another Niederman novel, IMP.
November 27, 2021
Perfect Little Angels by Andrew Neiderman follows a cliched horror theme. The children in Elysian Fields are "too perfect", and the entire gated community is based on a brainwashing scheme by the youth psychologist Dr. Felix Lawrence, into making parents and their children loyal, subservient, and obedient to his "perfect society."
Although the book really picks up at the ending, much of the novel is Young Adult mystery-meets-B Horror film. The protagonist Justine Freeman comes to the community with her family as a fifteen-year-old teenager, and her desire to make friends and meet boys is quickly stifled by the deeply repressed social scene at Elysian Fields. All the boys are sexually awkward around her, there are no parties or fun social activities to serve as an outlet for her boredom, and any critique of the community and its leader, Dr. Lawrence, is tantamount to blasphemy. Soon she has no one to talk to and sees the community as a terrible bore. As she learns about the mind-controlling vitamins and the inhumane lockup of Dr. Lawrence's teenage son Eugene in his basement, it becomes clear that this story is the stuff of pure horror.
Intermixed in the story is a flutter of mind-bending dreams, sexual fantasies, and schizophrenic ideas swimming around in Eugene's head. He believes he as a "double self" and disassociates from the real world to speak with this imaginary shadow voice (his inner monologue). He is perpetually drugged, locked-down and chastised by his own father and their family nurse, and much of the narrative follows his nutty thinking. I found the dialogue of his deep psychosis to be good reading, but more sinister than entertaining. The repressed sexual longing he has for his nurse on the other hand, carries this story into some erotic directions and offers some seriously-needed entertainment.
The story ends with Eugene's escape and a spate of murders. Instead of making Justine the heroine or an amateur sleuth who uncovers the entire mystery, Neiderman simply follows her as a teenager, who, bored out of her mind, learns a few secrets and stumbles across a thing or two she shouldn't. She doesn't actually help Eugene escape, and nothing she says or does seems to upend the ruling order - even at the end, when Eugene is on a murderous escape, his father demands that he comes back inside the car and it felt like the entire story could be undone at any minute. The book veers more towards Young Adult fiction than on straight Horror - although Neiderman could have devoted the whole narrative to Eugene and made this book incredibly dark, it seems he chose to go easy and make it tolerable for a wider audience by infusing teenage "coming of age" themes against a cult of good parenting.
The writing is signature Andrew Neiderman psychological horror, but I rate his other book Angel of Mercy much higher.
Although the book really picks up at the ending, much of the novel is Young Adult mystery-meets-B Horror film. The protagonist Justine Freeman comes to the community with her family as a fifteen-year-old teenager, and her desire to make friends and meet boys is quickly stifled by the deeply repressed social scene at Elysian Fields. All the boys are sexually awkward around her, there are no parties or fun social activities to serve as an outlet for her boredom, and any critique of the community and its leader, Dr. Lawrence, is tantamount to blasphemy. Soon she has no one to talk to and sees the community as a terrible bore. As she learns about the mind-controlling vitamins and the inhumane lockup of Dr. Lawrence's teenage son Eugene in his basement, it becomes clear that this story is the stuff of pure horror.
Intermixed in the story is a flutter of mind-bending dreams, sexual fantasies, and schizophrenic ideas swimming around in Eugene's head. He believes he as a "double self" and disassociates from the real world to speak with this imaginary shadow voice (his inner monologue). He is perpetually drugged, locked-down and chastised by his own father and their family nurse, and much of the narrative follows his nutty thinking. I found the dialogue of his deep psychosis to be good reading, but more sinister than entertaining. The repressed sexual longing he has for his nurse on the other hand, carries this story into some erotic directions and offers some seriously-needed entertainment.
The story ends with Eugene's escape and a spate of murders. Instead of making Justine the heroine or an amateur sleuth who uncovers the entire mystery, Neiderman simply follows her as a teenager, who, bored out of her mind, learns a few secrets and stumbles across a thing or two she shouldn't. She doesn't actually help Eugene escape, and nothing she says or does seems to upend the ruling order - even at the end, when Eugene is on a murderous escape, his father demands that he comes back inside the car and it felt like the entire story could be undone at any minute. The book veers more towards Young Adult fiction than on straight Horror - although Neiderman could have devoted the whole narrative to Eugene and made this book incredibly dark, it seems he chose to go easy and make it tolerable for a wider audience by infusing teenage "coming of age" themes against a cult of good parenting.
The writing is signature Andrew Neiderman psychological horror, but I rate his other book Angel of Mercy much higher.
September 18, 2023
The premise is a standard horror trope: a family moves into a new neighborhood where Something Is Amiss. In this case, it's Stepford Teens. Or rather, Stepford Families, but the focus is on 15-year-old Justine, who's been uprooted from New York City to the idyllic gated community of Elysian Fields. Everything is perfect and beautiful in Elysian Fields. Why wouldn't it be? It was designed by a mad psychiatrist, the supreme leader Dr. Lawrence, who resides in a house atop a hill looking down on his experimental subjects - er, um, I mean the residents of the town.
Dr. Lawrence supplies everyone in Elyisan Fields with his own brand of nutritional vitamins, not sold in stores. When he shows up to welcome the new family to town, Justine's parents happily take these mystery vitamins without a second thought, and force her to take them too. Justine initially thinks the people of Elysian Fields are kinda weird because they get offended by rock music and curse words, and they all dress alike and walk in sync. But soon, she's forgetting her past life. Despite hearing occasional ringing in her ears, Elysian Fields is the most beautiful home she's ever known.
Dr. Lawrence also supplies all residents with approved music and his own videotapes to brainwash the adults and teach the children moral lessons. And all the teens go to see him for private counseling sessions. He's a little obsessed with discipline and keeping teens away from "bad influences".
Naturally, there's one kid (Lois, who's in Justine's class) who manages to resist the brainwashing and convinces Justine to stop taking the pills. They decide to try to find out more about Dr. Lawrence's son, Eugene, who was high on drugs when he caused the car crash that killed his mother many years ago. Eugene hasn't been seen in public for a long time.
Overall, this book was pretty good. I particularly liked the chapters from Eugene's point of view depicting his delirium and psychosis. The ending was odd, though, and I wanted more explanation of the doctor's motives. At first, I thought he was forcing his moralistic ways on the residents in some sort of perverted revenge for his son's drug use that resulted in the death of his wife. But that didn't appear to be the case and we aren't really given any explanation beyond "he just wanted to."
Dr. Lawrence supplies everyone in Elyisan Fields with his own brand of nutritional vitamins, not sold in stores. When he shows up to welcome the new family to town, Justine's parents happily take these mystery vitamins without a second thought, and force her to take them too. Justine initially thinks the people of Elysian Fields are kinda weird because they get offended by rock music and curse words, and they all dress alike and walk in sync. But soon, she's forgetting her past life. Despite hearing occasional ringing in her ears, Elysian Fields is the most beautiful home she's ever known.
Dr. Lawrence also supplies all residents with approved music and his own videotapes to brainwash the adults and teach the children moral lessons. And all the teens go to see him for private counseling sessions. He's a little obsessed with discipline and keeping teens away from "bad influences".
Naturally, there's one kid (Lois, who's in Justine's class) who manages to resist the brainwashing and convinces Justine to stop taking the pills. They decide to try to find out more about Dr. Lawrence's son, Eugene, who was high on drugs when he caused the car crash that killed his mother many years ago. Eugene hasn't been seen in public for a long time.
Overall, this book was pretty good. I particularly liked the chapters from Eugene's point of view depicting his delirium and psychosis. The ending was odd, though, and I wanted more explanation of the doctor's motives. At first, I thought he was forcing his moralistic ways on the residents in some sort of perverted revenge for his son's drug use that resulted in the death of his wife. But that didn't appear to be the case and we aren't really given any explanation beyond "he just wanted to."
February 5, 2019
Justine and her family moved from the city to another smaller town. The development they moved into was beautiful and all the people in there were all so nice. Or so they thought. Seems everyone seemed to act in somewhat the exact way . It got to a point that she noticed the people that lived outside the development were more like she used to be. Dr.Lawrence who was the "head" of the development so to speak and soon after moving there he suggested they start talking the Good Pills which were vitamins. That was why everyone was so happy and healthy. Things get kind of weird then and hard for me to explain. Was the doctor really helping these people or just experimenting with them and brain washing them.
October 25, 2019
Justin's Freeman and her family have just moved to Elysian Fields for a better life.
Everything is perfect, TOO perfect, the whole town is so happy, productive and the kids are major nerds, never acting out and always doing homework on time.
Justine knows something is wrong and so does another girl Lois but as they dig deeper Lois finds out a little too much and very soon she is another Stepford clone.
Justine is fighting for her life and her parents just believe life is wonderful.
Something strange is going on at Elysian Fields and Dr. Lawrence is at the heart of it but will anyone get out alive...?
A blend of sci fi and horror this was a compulsive read, really enjoyed this and the slow burn creep factor to an exciting finale.
Everything is perfect, TOO perfect, the whole town is so happy, productive and the kids are major nerds, never acting out and always doing homework on time.
Justine knows something is wrong and so does another girl Lois but as they dig deeper Lois finds out a little too much and very soon she is another Stepford clone.
Justine is fighting for her life and her parents just believe life is wonderful.
Something strange is going on at Elysian Fields and Dr. Lawrence is at the heart of it but will anyone get out alive...?
A blend of sci fi and horror this was a compulsive read, really enjoyed this and the slow burn creep factor to an exciting finale.
October 21, 2021
My 2nd book by Andrew Neiderman I've read this year. The first was Pin, which is better than Pretty Little Angels but this book was a fun little read during my scary October reads. The story isn't that original with a pleasant little community that has something weird going on with the teens and parents. Justine, the new girl in town, senses something is not right and is not willing to play along. That's the good part. The bad part is, Eugene, the psychologist's son that is batty in the head and we spend way too much time with him. It all ends too abruptly but oddly the epilogue which tries to explain everything actually makes sense.
November 8, 2017
This book was terrible. At least it was short. Nothing was explained like what the heck the doctor did to his son and why the son thought the random girl looked like his mom. I don’t know if the book was written in another language and then translated but the language was really awkward making the book annoying to read. The ending wrapped up in lightening speed leaving quite a few loose ends, most notably “why”.
May 30, 2022
perfect little angels
An ok run of the mill, Psychological Thriller. A few editorial errors. Very odd story that was predictable. The writing style was very formulaic and now I’ve finished the book I feel I’ve missed great chapters of the story. I didn’t warm to any of the characters. I wouldn’t read any more from this author.
An ok run of the mill, Psychological Thriller. A few editorial errors. Very odd story that was predictable. The writing style was very formulaic and now I’ve finished the book I feel I’ve missed great chapters of the story. I didn’t warm to any of the characters. I wouldn’t read any more from this author.
August 19, 2019
2.75
February 22, 2024
An average thriller
October 22, 2024
Good cheesy fun with a strong Stepford Wives vibe to it
November 23, 2024
Not a bad mad scientist conducts secret psychological experiments on a small town
Not too sure about the scenes with the mind bending son but the rest was good
Not too sure about the scenes with the mind bending son but the rest was good
November 3, 2016
There are some spoilers in the below review, but everything mentioned occurs within the prologue and first chapter of the book.
Whilst away from home and internet-less, this was a book that had been on my kindle for a long time, and that I decided to read without access to the blurb. I found this to be an interesting approach to reading, as I never knew what I would get and I probably read a few titles that I wouldn’t have done otherwise.
Initially we are introduced to a nameless narrator, who appears to be the result of some kind of scientific experiment at the hands of his Father after an accident. We soon realise that the man is there against his will, as he writes HELP on the window in his own blood and is visibly distressed.
We then watch Justine and her family move into a new home in a development called Elysian Fields, which was developed by the mysterious Dr. Lawrence. My mind immediately started whirring and I assumed this Dr. Lawrence was the Father of the man from the prologue. This was soon confirmed, but it became apparent that whilst the residents of Elysian Fields seemed to know about the son and the accident – they did not know the full story.
Once I’d started reading I thought the title could hold a clue that the vitamins developed by Dr. Lawrence affect the teenagers more than the adults and turn them into “perfect little angels”.
This definitely reminded me of The Stepford Wives where people are changed to be ‘perfect’ and had a feel of some of Peter James’s earlier, standalone novels where nothing is quite what it seems.
This was very well written, with detailed description and dialogue written so that you could easily distinguish how far into Dr. Lawrence’s plan a particular character was. There was also a good mix of the plot focusing on Justine and on Dr. Lawrence’s son. I particularly liked Lois’s character and her determination into finding out what was going on was written well and convincingly.
Throughout the plot, Dr. Lawrence held all the power, both over his son Eugene and over the wider residents of Elysian Fields. It was interesting to see the change in power from the Doctor to Justine and Lois once they started to piece the puzzle together but I’m not sure I completely understood Dr. Lawrence’s aim, as a lot of the explanation was quite subtle and seemed to leave a lot to the reader’s imagination. Personally, I prefer everything to be concluded and tied up nicely but the end of a book, but this would really appeal to readers who prefer to read between the lines.
Whilst away from home and internet-less, this was a book that had been on my kindle for a long time, and that I decided to read without access to the blurb. I found this to be an interesting approach to reading, as I never knew what I would get and I probably read a few titles that I wouldn’t have done otherwise.
Initially we are introduced to a nameless narrator, who appears to be the result of some kind of scientific experiment at the hands of his Father after an accident. We soon realise that the man is there against his will, as he writes HELP on the window in his own blood and is visibly distressed.
We then watch Justine and her family move into a new home in a development called Elysian Fields, which was developed by the mysterious Dr. Lawrence. My mind immediately started whirring and I assumed this Dr. Lawrence was the Father of the man from the prologue. This was soon confirmed, but it became apparent that whilst the residents of Elysian Fields seemed to know about the son and the accident – they did not know the full story.
Once I’d started reading I thought the title could hold a clue that the vitamins developed by Dr. Lawrence affect the teenagers more than the adults and turn them into “perfect little angels”.
This definitely reminded me of The Stepford Wives where people are changed to be ‘perfect’ and had a feel of some of Peter James’s earlier, standalone novels where nothing is quite what it seems.
This was very well written, with detailed description and dialogue written so that you could easily distinguish how far into Dr. Lawrence’s plan a particular character was. There was also a good mix of the plot focusing on Justine and on Dr. Lawrence’s son. I particularly liked Lois’s character and her determination into finding out what was going on was written well and convincingly.
Throughout the plot, Dr. Lawrence held all the power, both over his son Eugene and over the wider residents of Elysian Fields. It was interesting to see the change in power from the Doctor to Justine and Lois once they started to piece the puzzle together but I’m not sure I completely understood Dr. Lawrence’s aim, as a lot of the explanation was quite subtle and seemed to leave a lot to the reader’s imagination. Personally, I prefer everything to be concluded and tied up nicely but the end of a book, but this would really appeal to readers who prefer to read between the lines.
November 14, 2015
At first, this book had me confused when entering the mind of Dr. Lawrence's son, Eugene. His thoughts are all over the place, but as you continue reading, you realize he has experienced traumatic events which have obviously had a major effect on his being. The other main character of the story is Justine, like any teenager who has moved to another city, she is having trouble adjusting to her new surroundings. As we proceed further into the story she learns there is a strangeness to her new community, but something deeper than just them being odd is going on. Good, quick read.
September 25, 2015
So...The Stepford Wives, but for children. Holds up pretty well. I think if it were written today the ending would've been very different, but otherwise, doesn't seem terribly dated reading it now.
September 28, 2015
Struggled about a third of the way through this one before consigning to my "life's too short " shelf. Would have given up sooner except it was part of a reading challenge. Got it free on kindle - there was a reason for that!!!
July 8, 2017
I can't help it, I have a weird love of cheesy 70's and 80's horror novels and Neiderman was great at it!
June 15, 2015
This is a book that I wouldnt have typically read. However, I rather enjoyed it. It was a fun read as I speculated what the reasons were for what was happening.
July 8, 2015
This was a great read..I can see someone trying to do this if it hasn't happened already.
June 23, 2016
A future film maybe
I can see this being made into a film; vaguely familiar story line but with a dark ending loved it
I can see this being made into a film; vaguely familiar story line but with a dark ending loved it
May 16, 2016
So good read in one go highly recommend.
So good read in one go highly recommend. Would definitely read more by this author can't wait to read the next one.
So good read in one go highly recommend. Would definitely read more by this author can't wait to read the next one.
April 22, 2017
3.5 stars. I rather like Neiderman's books and this was another enjoyable and quick read. Didnt disappoint.
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