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Hide
Life on the island is sedate and hollow. The perfect respite for Detective Matthew Kramer and his daughter. Even the isolated Black River Asylum is still and quiet. A new inmate threatens to bring chaos to Cain's End, harbouring a dark secret that will condemn Kramer and everyone on the island. And he isn't alone. Something has followed him here, and it's hungry... From the twisted mind that brought you THIS LONELY CARCASS SONG, Nick Harper's first horror novel is a blood-stained journey into the darkest corners of the soul. HIDE is a story of monsters and severed souls,ancient magic and creatures with a thirst only for blood.
299 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 12, 2020
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42 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 26, 2021
It’s no secret that I’m a Nick Harper fanboy. His first book, THIS LONELY CARCASS SONG, is among my favorite horror short story collections, and its follow-up, BLOOD FOR A CAMBIUM HEART, shows startling growth in an author in such a short amount of time. I read all of his SKITTERS chapbooks as soon as they release, and I’m constantly going full Barnie Stinson with all my “Haaaaaaaaave you read Nick?”
But I’d never read a longer story from him, so I was both excited and hesitant to finally dig into his debut novel, HIDE.
And I loved it.
This is the most pulpy, edge-of-your-seat story Nick Harper has written so far. We’re immediately thrown into a lot of mystery, a lot of carnage, and a lot of characters and timelines centered around the tiny island that is Cain’s End, its Black River asylum, the new inmate Edward Drake, a mysterious abomination known only as the Yellow-Faced Man, and the detective who has to sort all this out and keep his daughter safe, Matthew Kramer.
First, Harper’s writing style: it still blows me away that apparently he wrote this novel at only 17 years old. His voice is fully realized, his characters have surprising depth, the dialogue follows the tropes without making you roll your eyes at the clichés, and the horror is real and breathtaking.
Next, the story: as I’ve said, this is pulp at its best. Harper plays with a few genres here almost effortlessly. The plot moved with break-neck complexity. I’ve seen several reviews where that particular reader was turned off by the sheer amount of story elements introduced in just one book, but for me, personally, that constant mystery was perhaps my favorite part.
I will say that reader expectations are a real thing. I think this book could have been served by even just a “Book One of the Cain’s End Trilogy” on the title page or in the description so that readers know that not all threads will be closed, not all questions will be answered by the end of it.
That being said, I am *dying* for the sequel.
All in all, highly recommended to fans of fast-paced, visceral horror.
But I’d never read a longer story from him, so I was both excited and hesitant to finally dig into his debut novel, HIDE.
And I loved it.
This is the most pulpy, edge-of-your-seat story Nick Harper has written so far. We’re immediately thrown into a lot of mystery, a lot of carnage, and a lot of characters and timelines centered around the tiny island that is Cain’s End, its Black River asylum, the new inmate Edward Drake, a mysterious abomination known only as the Yellow-Faced Man, and the detective who has to sort all this out and keep his daughter safe, Matthew Kramer.
First, Harper’s writing style: it still blows me away that apparently he wrote this novel at only 17 years old. His voice is fully realized, his characters have surprising depth, the dialogue follows the tropes without making you roll your eyes at the clichés, and the horror is real and breathtaking.
Next, the story: as I’ve said, this is pulp at its best. Harper plays with a few genres here almost effortlessly. The plot moved with break-neck complexity. I’ve seen several reviews where that particular reader was turned off by the sheer amount of story elements introduced in just one book, but for me, personally, that constant mystery was perhaps my favorite part.
I will say that reader expectations are a real thing. I think this book could have been served by even just a “Book One of the Cain’s End Trilogy” on the title page or in the description so that readers know that not all threads will be closed, not all questions will be answered by the end of it.
That being said, I am *dying* for the sequel.
All in all, highly recommended to fans of fast-paced, visceral horror.
July 13, 2020
HORROR FANS THIS ONES FOR YOU.
The yellow faced man is already here but the islanders must hide as there's something stirring waiting to be woken on Cains End...
In short this book is great and you should pick it up but if you need more convincing strap in...
Detective Matt Kramer and his daughter Charlotte have not long moved to Cains End which is also home to 200+ inmates at Devils End Asylum. All hell breaks loose as Kramer begins to investigate a brutal murder which happened on the beach, the night before a new inmate at the asylum threatened darkness was coming to the island but has it already arrived?.. We follow Kramer and his companion Debbie whilst they investigate the unusual murder on the island. Harper pulls at every detail until the reader is left horrified. This is not a novel for the faint hearted as its blood stained with monsters, severed souls, ancient magic and not to forget the yellow faced man. Nana Death was probably my favourite character she was so deceptive and bizzare with her vodoo witchcraft. The most frustrating part of this novel was the secret Kramer was keeping from his daughter I was anxious to know what the secret was.
Harpers use of descriptive language is captivating, horrifyingly repulsive and grimacing as there's blood, popping eyeballs and cracking bones. I was horrified and repulsed from start to finish especially when it came to the yellow faced man and his hearse he truly gave me the creeps, he was so ominous. All the characters are interesting and well developed, Harper uses these characters to connect the dots so cleverly. I had so many questions through out and was completey immersed in the Cains End horror show. Due to all the twists and turns I couldn't put it down, I just had to know how it ended.
Hide is quite easily one of the best books I've read this year. It's an addictive page turner with so much gore and depth. This isn't one to sleep on.
The yellow faced man is already here but the islanders must hide as there's something stirring waiting to be woken on Cains End...
In short this book is great and you should pick it up but if you need more convincing strap in...
Detective Matt Kramer and his daughter Charlotte have not long moved to Cains End which is also home to 200+ inmates at Devils End Asylum. All hell breaks loose as Kramer begins to investigate a brutal murder which happened on the beach, the night before a new inmate at the asylum threatened darkness was coming to the island but has it already arrived?.. We follow Kramer and his companion Debbie whilst they investigate the unusual murder on the island. Harper pulls at every detail until the reader is left horrified. This is not a novel for the faint hearted as its blood stained with monsters, severed souls, ancient magic and not to forget the yellow faced man. Nana Death was probably my favourite character she was so deceptive and bizzare with her vodoo witchcraft. The most frustrating part of this novel was the secret Kramer was keeping from his daughter I was anxious to know what the secret was.
Harpers use of descriptive language is captivating, horrifyingly repulsive and grimacing as there's blood, popping eyeballs and cracking bones. I was horrified and repulsed from start to finish especially when it came to the yellow faced man and his hearse he truly gave me the creeps, he was so ominous. All the characters are interesting and well developed, Harper uses these characters to connect the dots so cleverly. I had so many questions through out and was completey immersed in the Cains End horror show. Due to all the twists and turns I couldn't put it down, I just had to know how it ended.
Hide is quite easily one of the best books I've read this year. It's an addictive page turner with so much gore and depth. This isn't one to sleep on.
June 9, 2021
There is a lot going on in Hide. I mean A LOT. It jumps around different timelines, and there are three different monster. We even get possible time travel between dimensions at one point. I say possible because I'm still not quite sure what happened in that cave.
I realize all of that sounds cryptic, but that's intentional, because I'm not quite sure how to talk about this book. It's good, I enjoyed it, but the timelines were difficult to follow because they weren't always clearly defined, and I think three monsters were too many. At times, it was hard for me to see how things were going to come together by the end of the book. Hide is the first book of a trilogy, and I wish each book had focused only on one monster, bringing them all together in the final book. They're great monsters, especially Nana Death, and I wish we could have spent more time with them in a way this book didn't allow.
If you're looking for gruesome scenes, Hide has you covered. There are plenty here, and I loved them. In particular, there was a scene in an abandoned arcade that I loved. Really, though, I'm a sucker for books set in abandoned places like amusement parks and arcades, and I love beach settings, so this book was perfect for me in those ways.
Hide is a good book. It's not a perfect book, but how many books are? I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy.
I realize all of that sounds cryptic, but that's intentional, because I'm not quite sure how to talk about this book. It's good, I enjoyed it, but the timelines were difficult to follow because they weren't always clearly defined, and I think three monsters were too many. At times, it was hard for me to see how things were going to come together by the end of the book. Hide is the first book of a trilogy, and I wish each book had focused only on one monster, bringing them all together in the final book. They're great monsters, especially Nana Death, and I wish we could have spent more time with them in a way this book didn't allow.
If you're looking for gruesome scenes, Hide has you covered. There are plenty here, and I loved them. In particular, there was a scene in an abandoned arcade that I loved. Really, though, I'm a sucker for books set in abandoned places like amusement parks and arcades, and I love beach settings, so this book was perfect for me in those ways.
Hide is a good book. It's not a perfect book, but how many books are? I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy.
February 25, 2021
📙Spoiler Free Book Review📙
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⭐️⭐️💫✨ (2.75 rounded up)
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This book had my emotions all over the place so I’m gonna break it down Clint Eastwood style.
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The good...I love Nick’s writing style. This is his first novel and I do think he improved in his later released short story anthology, Blood for a Cambium Heart, but you can see his talent shine through quite a bit in this one. I enjoyed the first half of the book best and was racing through the pages to see what would happen next. There were also some really great characters, particularly Nana and the yellow faced man.
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The bad...The book jumps from different years in the past to the present, but the times aren’t always clearly defined and we don’t know what year ‘now’ is. This isn’t hugely distracting until the last few chapters, but a consistent date stamp for each transition would have been nice. The biggest issue I had with Hide is that there were too many ideas for one book. The last few chapters got more chaotic and added questions instead of bringing everything together. I don’t need all the answers, but I needed more than I got. I also wasn’t a fan of the ending, but I could see some people liking it.
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The ugly...I’m pretty sure Hide sets the record for mentions of intestines and spines being torn out. So ya, it’s gory. Now I love gore, so that isn’t a bad thing for me, but there were times when I would have preferred more focus to go to the rest of the plot.
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Overall, this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me but it definitely showed potential. Based on the other stories I’ve read, @nick.harper_writes has already improved his craft and I can’t wait to read more of his work in the future.
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I found out after reading that this book is the first in what will be a trilogy. That knowledge in advance would have helped because I typically don’t read a series unless I have all of the books. I’m not a fan of cliffhanger endings, so please take that into account with my review.
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⭐️⭐️💫✨ (2.75 rounded up)
•
This book had my emotions all over the place so I’m gonna break it down Clint Eastwood style.
•
The good...I love Nick’s writing style. This is his first novel and I do think he improved in his later released short story anthology, Blood for a Cambium Heart, but you can see his talent shine through quite a bit in this one. I enjoyed the first half of the book best and was racing through the pages to see what would happen next. There were also some really great characters, particularly Nana and the yellow faced man.
•
The bad...The book jumps from different years in the past to the present, but the times aren’t always clearly defined and we don’t know what year ‘now’ is. This isn’t hugely distracting until the last few chapters, but a consistent date stamp for each transition would have been nice. The biggest issue I had with Hide is that there were too many ideas for one book. The last few chapters got more chaotic and added questions instead of bringing everything together. I don’t need all the answers, but I needed more than I got. I also wasn’t a fan of the ending, but I could see some people liking it.
•
The ugly...I’m pretty sure Hide sets the record for mentions of intestines and spines being torn out. So ya, it’s gory. Now I love gore, so that isn’t a bad thing for me, but there were times when I would have preferred more focus to go to the rest of the plot.
•
Overall, this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me but it definitely showed potential. Based on the other stories I’ve read, @nick.harper_writes has already improved his craft and I can’t wait to read more of his work in the future.
•
I found out after reading that this book is the first in what will be a trilogy. That knowledge in advance would have helped because I typically don’t read a series unless I have all of the books. I’m not a fan of cliffhanger endings, so please take that into account with my review.
March 7, 2023
(Note: I am writing this review independent of matters pertaining to the author; this review is entirely regarding the work)
Welcome to Cain's End, a community on island... somewhere, with an Asylum and its own population. A new inmate has arrived, and some nasty stuff has followed him. Things from his past.
So before we go any further, Hide is meant to be the beginning of a series. It ends on a multi-cliffhanger. Unfortunately, due to events I won't discuss, it seems unlikely we'll get the rest of the series. But I don't think this book is currently in print, either, so anyway...
This is a book of multiple perspectives and timelines. We have the modern day story of evil things coming to Cain's End, and the story of what led to that moment. It can get a little confusing at times. Chapters are split into smaller chapters, and often bounce between the timelines. Sometimes the year is specified, sometimes not, so it can be a bit of a lottery as to whether you'll follow along.
I struggled with it. The bouncing around made it hard for me to remain invested, and I didn't particularly connect with any characters either, which didn't help.
The writing, overall, was great. It's very descriptive, especially when things get gory - and they certainly do - and aside from semi-regular grammatical errors and typos, it's enjoyable. Scenes are well-crafted. It's just a shame it's not as coherent as it maybe could be.
A lot is left unanswered, but that's intentional, so I won't mark it down too much for that, though there are leaps in logic at times that took me out of the plot.
Not the author's best, but a good effort. You can tell that this could have gone somewhere, and I think subsequent books would have improved where this one fell short, but that's unlikely to come to fruition now. Still, it was decent. Didn't blow me away, and I didn't love it, but I don't have any misgivings about reading it.
Welcome to Cain's End, a community on island... somewhere, with an Asylum and its own population. A new inmate has arrived, and some nasty stuff has followed him. Things from his past.
So before we go any further, Hide is meant to be the beginning of a series. It ends on a multi-cliffhanger. Unfortunately, due to events I won't discuss, it seems unlikely we'll get the rest of the series. But I don't think this book is currently in print, either, so anyway...
This is a book of multiple perspectives and timelines. We have the modern day story of evil things coming to Cain's End, and the story of what led to that moment. It can get a little confusing at times. Chapters are split into smaller chapters, and often bounce between the timelines. Sometimes the year is specified, sometimes not, so it can be a bit of a lottery as to whether you'll follow along.
I struggled with it. The bouncing around made it hard for me to remain invested, and I didn't particularly connect with any characters either, which didn't help.
The writing, overall, was great. It's very descriptive, especially when things get gory - and they certainly do - and aside from semi-regular grammatical errors and typos, it's enjoyable. Scenes are well-crafted. It's just a shame it's not as coherent as it maybe could be.
A lot is left unanswered, but that's intentional, so I won't mark it down too much for that, though there are leaps in logic at times that took me out of the plot.
Not the author's best, but a good effort. You can tell that this could have gone somewhere, and I think subsequent books would have improved where this one fell short, but that's unlikely to come to fruition now. Still, it was decent. Didn't blow me away, and I didn't love it, but I don't have any misgivings about reading it.
March 14, 2022
This story is not for the squeamish or faint-hearted. Nick Harper takes you on a tour across a bunch of timelines and locations, before cleverly bringing everything together in a flurry of torn limbs, terror, and gore…lots of gore. Delicious.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews