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A Place For Sinners
Ko Mai Phaaw, a remote island off the coast of Thailand, awaits its visitors. They will cross the sea at dawn. They always do. All creatures seek retreat in the end. On the rickety boat is Amity Collins and her brother, Caleb. They have waited years to leave behind their claustrophobic Australian town, an overbearing mother, and their shared traumatic past. For them, this is the long overdue trip of a lifetime.
Also aboard is Robert, a burned-out American businessman in the throes of a midlife crisis. Only he's not alone. Bedbugs and regrets he can't shake have hitched a ride, too.
Tobias, the German backpacker, is in wanderlust. And denial.
Finally, there is Susan Sycamore, a woman with a horrific secret. She has journeyed from country to country, leaving a trail of carnage in her wake.
All of these lives are about to converge on a single strip of sugar white sand. "Discover paradise," the advertisement read. "Come and feed the monkeys!" It sounded like such a good idea at the time.
But on this beach, blood will be shed, and no one will ever be the same.
An uncompromising novel of surreal terror from the author of House of Sighs and The Fallen Boys.
Also aboard is Robert, a burned-out American businessman in the throes of a midlife crisis. Only he's not alone. Bedbugs and regrets he can't shake have hitched a ride, too.
Tobias, the German backpacker, is in wanderlust. And denial.
Finally, there is Susan Sycamore, a woman with a horrific secret. She has journeyed from country to country, leaving a trail of carnage in her wake.
All of these lives are about to converge on a single strip of sugar white sand. "Discover paradise," the advertisement read. "Come and feed the monkeys!" It sounded like such a good idea at the time.
But on this beach, blood will be shed, and no one will ever be the same.
An uncompromising novel of surreal terror from the author of House of Sighs and The Fallen Boys.
322 pages, Paperback
First published May 6, 2014
32 people are currently reading
2162 people want to read
About the author
Aaron Dries
19 books294 followersAvid traveler, former pizza boy, retail clerk, kitchen hand, aged care worker, video director and copywriter, Aaron Dries was born and raised in New South Wales, Australia. When asked why he writes horror, his standard reply is that when it comes to scaring people, writing pays slightly better than jumping out from behind doors. He is the author of the award-winning House of Sighs, and his subsequent novels, The Fallen Boys and A Place for Sinners are just as--if not more--twisted than his debut. Feel free to drop him a line at aarondries.com. He won't bite. Much.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
March 14, 2021
Sometimes, in the genre of horror, a reviewer stumbles upon a dark, glistening vein in the granite of horror. Maybe the reviewer reads a book from a specific indie press and enjoys it so much, they find themselves reading other books they have to offer. Or maybe the reviewer finds an author and they run in a circle of like-minded authors who do collaborative work—so the reviewer finds not just one new favorite author, but several!
I found Aaron Dries in one of the aforementioned dark veins in the granite. Being the excitable and curious reader that I am, I bought myself some of his books. A Place for Sinners entices you with an intriguing premise; boiled down it amounts to the simplest of tropes: A traveling experience to the jungles of Thailand goes terribly wrong.
But what I thought I was signing up for is not at all what I experienced. No, my friends…this novel is so much more than I bargained for.
The reader is invited to go on a journey with the main protagonist, Amity Collins. It is Amity we first read about when she’s only seven years old, and it is Amity the reader will feel most at home and at ease with. Several other characters will travel in and out of the narrative, bringing with them their own, unique POV, but the reader won’t desire to live there. It was refreshing to me to discover that the author knows that.
Aaron Dries gave me a home base, a safe place in Amity Collins. This is important because there are characters in this book that are unsafe. Dangerous. Horribly, horribly disturbing people. I was struck multiple times, almost like a slap in the face, with Dries’ unflinching prose.
There is one line that is so messed up at its core, and delivered with such casual elegance, that I almost missed it until it started glowing in my brain like a neon sign and I was forced to go back and read the line again. I would gasp out loud, “What?” My eyes would dart back and forth, reading that one line over and over—trying to wrap my mind around it—but such evil utterances don’t give more details or explanations. They just are what they are and they stick in your side like a thorn. As I went deeper and deeper into this book, I became a collector of these painful thorns.
What begins as a cathartic adventure to Thailand for Amity and her brother Caleb comes apart at the seams, ultimately ripping open into sheer madness. I’m not exaggerating when I express to you that A Place for Sinners is one thousand different ways to be scared. Everything from wild animals to insects and sociopathic serial killers to isolation. Aaron’s wheelhouse is submerging his reader into the atmosphere of his novel—in this case, a suffocating jungle setting—while simultaneously preying on your worst psychological fears. Needless to say, I was anxious and unhinged emotionally the entire time I read this book.
My only real criticism is that some of the action sequences were disorienting. A few times there were two POVs in dueling streams of consciousness and it was difficult for me to find my footing and understand what I was reading. I longed for a reliable narrator to swoop in and give me a logical telling of what was happening. But again, that speaks to the full submersion the reader experiences—almost drowning in the dark prose and chaos.
It’s my recommendation that if you are a seasoned horror reader looking for something unusual that will knock you on your ass, this is the book for you. I promise that you haven’t read anything like this story, ever.
I found Aaron Dries in one of the aforementioned dark veins in the granite. Being the excitable and curious reader that I am, I bought myself some of his books. A Place for Sinners entices you with an intriguing premise; boiled down it amounts to the simplest of tropes: A traveling experience to the jungles of Thailand goes terribly wrong.
But what I thought I was signing up for is not at all what I experienced. No, my friends…this novel is so much more than I bargained for.
The reader is invited to go on a journey with the main protagonist, Amity Collins. It is Amity we first read about when she’s only seven years old, and it is Amity the reader will feel most at home and at ease with. Several other characters will travel in and out of the narrative, bringing with them their own, unique POV, but the reader won’t desire to live there. It was refreshing to me to discover that the author knows that.
Aaron Dries gave me a home base, a safe place in Amity Collins. This is important because there are characters in this book that are unsafe. Dangerous. Horribly, horribly disturbing people. I was struck multiple times, almost like a slap in the face, with Dries’ unflinching prose.
There is one line that is so messed up at its core, and delivered with such casual elegance, that I almost missed it until it started glowing in my brain like a neon sign and I was forced to go back and read the line again. I would gasp out loud, “What?” My eyes would dart back and forth, reading that one line over and over—trying to wrap my mind around it—but such evil utterances don’t give more details or explanations. They just are what they are and they stick in your side like a thorn. As I went deeper and deeper into this book, I became a collector of these painful thorns.
What begins as a cathartic adventure to Thailand for Amity and her brother Caleb comes apart at the seams, ultimately ripping open into sheer madness. I’m not exaggerating when I express to you that A Place for Sinners is one thousand different ways to be scared. Everything from wild animals to insects and sociopathic serial killers to isolation. Aaron’s wheelhouse is submerging his reader into the atmosphere of his novel—in this case, a suffocating jungle setting—while simultaneously preying on your worst psychological fears. Needless to say, I was anxious and unhinged emotionally the entire time I read this book.
My only real criticism is that some of the action sequences were disorienting. A few times there were two POVs in dueling streams of consciousness and it was difficult for me to find my footing and understand what I was reading. I longed for a reliable narrator to swoop in and give me a logical telling of what was happening. But again, that speaks to the full submersion the reader experiences—almost drowning in the dark prose and chaos.
It’s my recommendation that if you are a seasoned horror reader looking for something unusual that will knock you on your ass, this is the book for you. I promise that you haven’t read anything like this story, ever.
September 18, 2019
I think I'm the last person in our book group to write my review. I fell behind with my reviews, and now I'm finding it hard to get back into the swing of things. But I loved this book, and the 4 of us who buddy read it had a great time discussing it together, so I need to review it.
A PLACE FOR SINNERS is about a brother and sister who live with their mother in Australia, and decide to take a much needed vacation to Thailand. The main protagonist, Amity, is deaf but doesn't let that stop her from doing what she wants. Her brother Caleb is protective of her, ever since the incident when she was a child that left her without her hearing. The two end up on a boat tour to a remote island where they are promised a fun time with the animals that live in the jungle there. However, the tour group doesn't know that they are in for nothing but violence and misery.
This book is definitely not for everyone. I'm not sure exactly which subgenre this one would fall under, but it's pretty hardcore, and not for the casual horror reader. I really enjoyed it, even though I found myself making grossed out exclamations quite often. I think there was also a fair amount of me asking what the hell was going on too. Not in the sense that I couldn't understand what was happening, but more like I couldn't believe that Dries went there. Some of the things that occur in this book are so gruesome, I can't imagine how Dries came up with it. But those crazy, gory, outrageous things are what we as a buddy reading group had the most fun talking about. Beware though, Dries is definitely not for the faint of heart. If serious gore and violence are what you are looking for, definitely look no further. For fans of hardcore horror, this book is a must-read.
A PLACE FOR SINNERS is about a brother and sister who live with their mother in Australia, and decide to take a much needed vacation to Thailand. The main protagonist, Amity, is deaf but doesn't let that stop her from doing what she wants. Her brother Caleb is protective of her, ever since the incident when she was a child that left her without her hearing. The two end up on a boat tour to a remote island where they are promised a fun time with the animals that live in the jungle there. However, the tour group doesn't know that they are in for nothing but violence and misery.
This book is definitely not for everyone. I'm not sure exactly which subgenre this one would fall under, but it's pretty hardcore, and not for the casual horror reader. I really enjoyed it, even though I found myself making grossed out exclamations quite often. I think there was also a fair amount of me asking what the hell was going on too. Not in the sense that I couldn't understand what was happening, but more like I couldn't believe that Dries went there. Some of the things that occur in this book are so gruesome, I can't imagine how Dries came up with it. But those crazy, gory, outrageous things are what we as a buddy reading group had the most fun talking about. Beware though, Dries is definitely not for the faint of heart. If serious gore and violence are what you are looking for, definitely look no further. For fans of hardcore horror, this book is a must-read.
December 5, 2017
Well, where do you begin after finishing a book like this one? Probably with a couple of strong drinks to be honest. But it's 7:00am in the morning so I will make do with a strong coffee. This is a book that is going to no doubt mess with my head at least for the rest of the day.
There were things I really liked in this book and things I did not enjoy so much, therefore leading me to my 3 star rating. Firstly, I am no stranger to horror stories, and I am rarely disturbed by graphic gore and guts (and plenty of that in this book), however I do like to be able to follow the book I am reading, and I was frustrated that at times this book lost me in parts (more about that later).
Amity experiences a traumatic experience in childhood which we are introduced to in the very beginning of this book. The book then moves forward to adulthood to find Amity and her brother Caleb packing for a backpacking holiday around Thailand (they live in Australia).
The book then begins to switch points of view between other, new characters that we are introduced to. I am not going to share about them as it brings up too many spoilers, but at this point in the book is where the graphic scenes and the gore gets cranked up and we know we are in for one hell of a ride.
Amity and Caleb embark on a trip in a tourist boat to an island full of cheeky monkeys (ha! you think!) and golden sand off the Thailand mainland becomes hell on earth, this book makes Lord of the Flies look like a Mr Men book, in fact it's like Lord of the Flies on ACID!.
F-r-e-a-k-y stuff. Very freaky stuff. We are talking monkeys going berserk, primal fear and terror and it's NOT PRETTY, in fact it's a sheer gore-fest. Eyeball popping gore (literally).
At this point we are still getting different perspectives from the characters but it's rapid streams of consciousness stuff and it really lost me a lot at this point, I was reading it but struggling to know what was truly going on. Reality and internal imagery, thoughts and feelings were blurring and it was not often clear which was which. I had to re-read a few paragraphs. This is survival of the fittest at it's most extreme as the island, it's creatures, it's insects and the people all battle it out for life, for survival.
I felt this part of the book had way too much going on and up to this point the book was really well written. Did I mention gory and graphic? Possibly the understatement of the year, do not go here if you are even slightly squeamish (or eating whilst reading it). The sheer atmosphere and energy at this point in the book is good however, the tension, the pace, the torment is tangible. The fear is tangible. Everywhere.
There are some profound and shocking discoveries made on the island that just hit me in the guts when I was digesting the ENORMITY of it all. Holy macaroni Batman, this was intense!
I was desperate for a solid and meaningful ending after wading through the minds of various characters. This is where Amity as a character shines again, as the book comes back around to place her in the starring role. But I was sad, yes, it was not the ending I wanted. It was powerful, emotive and desperate. I sat back, stopped reading and took stock. Flip me what a ride.
If you like your writing very clear-cut, and very simplistic this is not the book for you, if however you have tasted Stephen King when he is at his diverse best and are open minded you may very well enjoy this book. For me? I love two-thirds of the book but it lost me as a reader during it's less lucid moments (somewhere around Part Three of the book).
Want to know which species wins on the island? Well I am not telling.
I would certainly read another of Aaron's novels in the future to compare with this one. I will just in future ensure I have that stiff drink to hand to have afterwards to calm my racing heart and nerves.
I received a copy of this book direct from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review, my thanks for the opportunity.
There were things I really liked in this book and things I did not enjoy so much, therefore leading me to my 3 star rating. Firstly, I am no stranger to horror stories, and I am rarely disturbed by graphic gore and guts (and plenty of that in this book), however I do like to be able to follow the book I am reading, and I was frustrated that at times this book lost me in parts (more about that later).
Amity experiences a traumatic experience in childhood which we are introduced to in the very beginning of this book. The book then moves forward to adulthood to find Amity and her brother Caleb packing for a backpacking holiday around Thailand (they live in Australia).
The book then begins to switch points of view between other, new characters that we are introduced to. I am not going to share about them as it brings up too many spoilers, but at this point in the book is where the graphic scenes and the gore gets cranked up and we know we are in for one hell of a ride.
Amity and Caleb embark on a trip in a tourist boat to an island full of cheeky monkeys (ha! you think!) and golden sand off the Thailand mainland becomes hell on earth, this book makes Lord of the Flies look like a Mr Men book, in fact it's like Lord of the Flies on ACID!.
F-r-e-a-k-y stuff. Very freaky stuff. We are talking monkeys going berserk, primal fear and terror and it's NOT PRETTY, in fact it's a sheer gore-fest. Eyeball popping gore (literally).
At this point we are still getting different perspectives from the characters but it's rapid streams of consciousness stuff and it really lost me a lot at this point, I was reading it but struggling to know what was truly going on. Reality and internal imagery, thoughts and feelings were blurring and it was not often clear which was which. I had to re-read a few paragraphs. This is survival of the fittest at it's most extreme as the island, it's creatures, it's insects and the people all battle it out for life, for survival.
I felt this part of the book had way too much going on and up to this point the book was really well written. Did I mention gory and graphic? Possibly the understatement of the year, do not go here if you are even slightly squeamish (or eating whilst reading it). The sheer atmosphere and energy at this point in the book is good however, the tension, the pace, the torment is tangible. The fear is tangible. Everywhere.
There are some profound and shocking discoveries made on the island that just hit me in the guts when I was digesting the ENORMITY of it all. Holy macaroni Batman, this was intense!
I was desperate for a solid and meaningful ending after wading through the minds of various characters. This is where Amity as a character shines again, as the book comes back around to place her in the starring role. But I was sad, yes, it was not the ending I wanted. It was powerful, emotive and desperate. I sat back, stopped reading and took stock. Flip me what a ride.
If you like your writing very clear-cut, and very simplistic this is not the book for you, if however you have tasted Stephen King when he is at his diverse best and are open minded you may very well enjoy this book. For me? I love two-thirds of the book but it lost me as a reader during it's less lucid moments (somewhere around Part Three of the book).
Want to know which species wins on the island? Well I am not telling.
I would certainly read another of Aaron's novels in the future to compare with this one. I will just in future ensure I have that stiff drink to hand to have afterwards to calm my racing heart and nerves.
I received a copy of this book direct from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review, my thanks for the opportunity.
June 3, 2019
This is a confronting and disquieting read, peopled with strong characters in a variety of powerfully impossible situations. Dries’ prose is lyrical and accessible, the subject matter most certainly not for the faint-hearted. But a superb read all the same.
August 22, 2019
I'll start by thanking Poltergeist Press for the republishing of this book. I first discovered Aaron Dries about eighteen months ago and after reading House Of Sighs I wanted to read everything with Aaron's name on it. This was the one book that sounded so awesome that those lucky enough to have an original copy were not parting with it. Finally I have my own copy and let me tell you... A Place For Sinners is utterly terrifying!!!
This story goes beyond any horror I've ever read, it's savage, brutal, and in some parts so complex I found myself pausing to absorb and process what I had just read.
The story revolves around Amity Collins, who experiences a horrific tragedy as a child leading to the death of her Father and the loss of her hearing. Thirteen years later, Amity and her brother decide to leave Australia to backpack around Thailand.
The siblings aren't the only ones holidaying in Thailand- We start to follow the stories of some other unique characters and the pov delivered from both their conscience and subconscious.
Thailand sounds like fun, right?
Beautiful island, see the sights, how about feed some monkeys?
Fuck that!!!
I cannot begin to describe the gory and graphic detail of this book. It's an art that Aaron Dries has. He turns nature into horror. You'll never want to holiday again. You'll be sleeping with the lights on.
This book is what nightmares are truly made of!
This story goes beyond any horror I've ever read, it's savage, brutal, and in some parts so complex I found myself pausing to absorb and process what I had just read.
The story revolves around Amity Collins, who experiences a horrific tragedy as a child leading to the death of her Father and the loss of her hearing. Thirteen years later, Amity and her brother decide to leave Australia to backpack around Thailand.
The siblings aren't the only ones holidaying in Thailand- We start to follow the stories of some other unique characters and the pov delivered from both their conscience and subconscious.
Thailand sounds like fun, right?
Beautiful island, see the sights, how about feed some monkeys?
Fuck that!!!
I cannot begin to describe the gory and graphic detail of this book. It's an art that Aaron Dries has. He turns nature into horror. You'll never want to holiday again. You'll be sleeping with the lights on.
This book is what nightmares are truly made of!
October 6, 2020
What a fucking roller-coaster. Some of the strongest writing I have ever read. It takes a lot to write that dense and not come off as overbearing or confusing. Some very well written and beautiful prose! Aaron definitely has a way of describing the surroundings and making them come to life.
There is a huge cast in this book and the constant character changing does become a little annoying after a while. I feel like a few of the characters didn't need to be there, or at least didn't need multiple chapters. I thought a few would have important roles in the book but ultimately they drizzled off into nothing.
I can say one thing. You will never guess what the fuck is going to happen. I thought I had it figured out multiple times and each time I did, something else happened.
This book is bat shit crazy in a good way. If you feel like a heavy read, choc-full of fucking insanity and brutality, then you need to visit a place for sinners.
There is a huge cast in this book and the constant character changing does become a little annoying after a while. I feel like a few of the characters didn't need to be there, or at least didn't need multiple chapters. I thought a few would have important roles in the book but ultimately they drizzled off into nothing.
I can say one thing. You will never guess what the fuck is going to happen. I thought I had it figured out multiple times and each time I did, something else happened.
This book is bat shit crazy in a good way. If you feel like a heavy read, choc-full of fucking insanity and brutality, then you need to visit a place for sinners.
September 12, 2019
Rating: ★★★☆☆+
Synopsis
Sometimes, survival is a sin.
Amity Collins has been deaf since she was seven. That was the day the wild dogs attacked, fighting for her bones. The day her father died. This trip to Thailand is exactly what Amity and her brother, Caleb, need—freedom.
As their boat slits through saltwater, Amity, Caleb and the other passengers are having the time of their lives. They watch the island emerge on the horizon. Its trees twitch, as though impatient or hungry. Within its shadows, secrets best kept hidden will be unearthed. Sacrifices will be made. Terror will reach out to grasp Amity, as real and frightening as what’s lurking in the dark.
Review
Thanks to the publisher and author for a digital copy of A Place for Sinners in exchange for an honest review. Receiving a copy of the book did not influence my thoughts or opinions on the novel.
I ended up reading A Place for Sinners alongside some of my favorite Insta-peeps, and while I was slowed by a stomach virus and a short family vacation, I was able to finish in time to be able to write one of the first reviews of the group. I want to thank my SINNERS group for a fantastic buddy-read and I hope we can have more in the future :D.
Ever finish a story and ask yourself: “Just WTF did I get done reading?”
A Place for Sinners, while not the first novel to have me asking that of myself, easily fits in the category. It was a complete mindf#$k of a read and will have you rethinking those long-awaited plans of vacationing abroad. Dries is an author whom I have had no experience with whatsoever, but is one I can wholly recommend for readers who enjoy novels that pull absolutely no punches.
While the opening couple of chapters reel you in with subtle horror and survival elements, introducing you to Amity and her brother, Caleb, the story of their past and how they got to this point in their lives, the author then takes the opportunity to send you running for the hills. When I say Dries doesn’t pull punches, you have to take me 100% at my word. This story becomes borderline terrifying. Unsettling yes, but that is child’s play compared the utter insanity that unfolds for the cast. The story is unrelenting for pages upon pages while vicious slaughter is rained down, blood is released in flows that would make the Mississippi blush, and pure terror is bestowed upon those looking for a little slice of adventure.
And no, the entire novel isn’t just one giant bloodbath. There is a love-story, people dealing with physical and mental disabilities/disorders, destructive tendencies, chaotic home lives, etc. But it is difficult to let those things be the focus when you have no idea what is around the corner. I mean, someone gets f#$ked with a machete. Who does that?!?!?!?!
While the first half of the novel is beyond bonkers, the 2nd half loses some of the gusto I came to (enjoy?) and went more into the bizarre camp. I liked how we had all of these POVs and seeing the action in each account only to narrow the focus toward the end. Not that this is a bad thing and some may enjoy the change of pace, but I felt that it sort of lost a step.
This novel is not for the casual horror fan that only reads Stephen King or Joe Hill. It isn’t even for those who dabble in themed novels like the occult, vampires, zombies, etc. This one is for the true horror-fiends that want to be scared out of their minds; those who need something to keep them up at night and constantly watching their backs. A Place for Sinners is not for the faint of heart or ones who are even a tad bit squeamish. I may put this one up there with The Troop as the only two (2) novels that consistently made my uncomfortable.
Think you’re ready for it? Good luck, amigo.
Synopsis
Sometimes, survival is a sin.
Amity Collins has been deaf since she was seven. That was the day the wild dogs attacked, fighting for her bones. The day her father died. This trip to Thailand is exactly what Amity and her brother, Caleb, need—freedom.
As their boat slits through saltwater, Amity, Caleb and the other passengers are having the time of their lives. They watch the island emerge on the horizon. Its trees twitch, as though impatient or hungry. Within its shadows, secrets best kept hidden will be unearthed. Sacrifices will be made. Terror will reach out to grasp Amity, as real and frightening as what’s lurking in the dark.
Review
Thanks to the publisher and author for a digital copy of A Place for Sinners in exchange for an honest review. Receiving a copy of the book did not influence my thoughts or opinions on the novel.
I ended up reading A Place for Sinners alongside some of my favorite Insta-peeps, and while I was slowed by a stomach virus and a short family vacation, I was able to finish in time to be able to write one of the first reviews of the group. I want to thank my SINNERS group for a fantastic buddy-read and I hope we can have more in the future :D.
Ever finish a story and ask yourself: “Just WTF did I get done reading?”
A Place for Sinners, while not the first novel to have me asking that of myself, easily fits in the category. It was a complete mindf#$k of a read and will have you rethinking those long-awaited plans of vacationing abroad. Dries is an author whom I have had no experience with whatsoever, but is one I can wholly recommend for readers who enjoy novels that pull absolutely no punches.
While the opening couple of chapters reel you in with subtle horror and survival elements, introducing you to Amity and her brother, Caleb, the story of their past and how they got to this point in their lives, the author then takes the opportunity to send you running for the hills. When I say Dries doesn’t pull punches, you have to take me 100% at my word. This story becomes borderline terrifying. Unsettling yes, but that is child’s play compared the utter insanity that unfolds for the cast. The story is unrelenting for pages upon pages while vicious slaughter is rained down, blood is released in flows that would make the Mississippi blush, and pure terror is bestowed upon those looking for a little slice of adventure.
And no, the entire novel isn’t just one giant bloodbath. There is a love-story, people dealing with physical and mental disabilities/disorders, destructive tendencies, chaotic home lives, etc. But it is difficult to let those things be the focus when you have no idea what is around the corner. I mean, someone gets f#$ked with a machete. Who does that?!?!?!?!
While the first half of the novel is beyond bonkers, the 2nd half loses some of the gusto I came to (enjoy?) and went more into the bizarre camp. I liked how we had all of these POVs and seeing the action in each account only to narrow the focus toward the end. Not that this is a bad thing and some may enjoy the change of pace, but I felt that it sort of lost a step.
This novel is not for the casual horror fan that only reads Stephen King or Joe Hill. It isn’t even for those who dabble in themed novels like the occult, vampires, zombies, etc. This one is for the true horror-fiends that want to be scared out of their minds; those who need something to keep them up at night and constantly watching their backs. A Place for Sinners is not for the faint of heart or ones who are even a tad bit squeamish. I may put this one up there with The Troop as the only two (2) novels that consistently made my uncomfortable.
Think you’re ready for it? Good luck, amigo.
February 24, 2015
A Place for Sinners is one of those novels. You know the type. When about 50% of what you read is incredible, and the other half is so disappointingly frustrating that you're left completely confused as to how to rate such a wildly variable book...
Starting with an extended flashback that explains main character Amity's deafness and building through a fantastic sequence where she and her brother travel through exotic Thailand, A Place For Sinners at times left me stunned with the power of its prose and vividness of its imagery. Having recently traveled to Thailand, I also found myself smiling and nodding along with many of Dries' descriptions of what awaits the casual tourist there. Meanwhile, a seriously deranged woman is carving a bloody path toward Amity and her brother, and I thought I was in for a gore-drenched battle for survival on a remote island somewhere off the coast of Thailand.
Well, I was technically right.
The second half of Dries' novel throws some major curve-balls the reader's way, with imagination and reality blending into one almost-incoherent mess. No less than four of the major characters who reach the island are revealed to have major psychological issues ranging from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to Dissociative Identity Disorder, to just being a flat out delusional psychotic with sociopathic tendencies. Of course, every POV from one of these characters' perspectives is infused with the taint of their disorder, to the point where narrative flow and logical sequencing are thrown out the side of the rapidly fleeing boat in favour of flashback after hallucination after flashback.
In other words, the plot completely lost me. A sudden introduction of another character comes out of nowhere while the wide-open stories of others are abruptly cut short. I'll admit I was truly surprised at what took place, but not always in a good way.
The violence is extreme and plentiful, if that's the type of thing to attract you/put you off. And little in the way of quarter is offered anyone you may have become (foolishly) attached to. Clearly, Dries is not a forgiving kind of author.
Truth be told, I'm not sure how I'll remember A Place for Sinners. As providing more than a hint of promise regarding an author I came to enjoy? Or as a terrible tease, the potential of which was never lived up to? I guess the only way to find out will be to track down another Dries book and gather further evidence ...
3 Floating Insane Asylums for A Place for Sinners.
The preceding was based on an ebook provided by Samhain Publishing through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Starting with an extended flashback that explains main character Amity's deafness and building through a fantastic sequence where she and her brother travel through exotic Thailand, A Place For Sinners at times left me stunned with the power of its prose and vividness of its imagery. Having recently traveled to Thailand, I also found myself smiling and nodding along with many of Dries' descriptions of what awaits the casual tourist there. Meanwhile, a seriously deranged woman is carving a bloody path toward Amity and her brother, and I thought I was in for a gore-drenched battle for survival on a remote island somewhere off the coast of Thailand.
Well, I was technically right.
The second half of Dries' novel throws some major curve-balls the reader's way, with imagination and reality blending into one almost-incoherent mess. No less than four of the major characters who reach the island are revealed to have major psychological issues ranging from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to Dissociative Identity Disorder, to just being a flat out delusional psychotic with sociopathic tendencies. Of course, every POV from one of these characters' perspectives is infused with the taint of their disorder, to the point where narrative flow and logical sequencing are thrown out the side of the rapidly fleeing boat in favour of flashback after hallucination after flashback.
In other words, the plot completely lost me. A sudden introduction of another character comes out of nowhere while the wide-open stories of others are abruptly cut short. I'll admit I was truly surprised at what took place, but not always in a good way.
The violence is extreme and plentiful, if that's the type of thing to attract you/put you off. And little in the way of quarter is offered anyone you may have become (foolishly) attached to. Clearly, Dries is not a forgiving kind of author.
Truth be told, I'm not sure how I'll remember A Place for Sinners. As providing more than a hint of promise regarding an author I came to enjoy? Or as a terrible tease, the potential of which was never lived up to? I guess the only way to find out will be to track down another Dries book and gather further evidence ...
3 Floating Insane Asylums for A Place for Sinners.
The preceding was based on an ebook provided by Samhain Publishing through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 25, 2015
I've chewed through all of Dries's books over the past few months. A Place For Sinners is his most challenging (and well written) book yet, which is why it's so rewarding. Amity Collins and her gay brother, survivors of sorts from a really screwed up childhood, venture off on the trip of a lifetime to Thailand. Meanwhile, we meet a bunch of equally interesting, well drawn and original characters destined to arrive at the same place ... on the same day ... on the same boat. What happens next cannot be written here for fear of spoilers. But trust me, it's among the most intense things I've ever read.
The first great thing about this book is the slow build towards a truly cataclysmic event that's something ripped right out of Hieronymus Bosch. It's kind of a travel book, really - and it's spot on. I've been to all of these places, and yes, these disturbing monkey feeding trips really do exist!!! The detail is incredible, and beautiful, and actually inspiring. And then everything changes - the dread had been there all along, we knew something would happen - but I never could have imagined this...
The second great thing about this book are the characters. Each is utterly believable, easy to relate to, and unlike much of what you read in horror fiction these days. For a comparison within the genre on character work, you'll have to look to Stephen King or Jack Ketchum. Amity Collins is one of the most interesting female characters I've ever read. She's deaf (it's amazing the way Dries uses color to describe her emotions), wounded, and resilient.
The third great thing about this book is how cerebral it is. Dries seemlessly dips us in and out of reality, weaves through the minds of his cast, and doesn't miss a beat. This book, which recalls Ketchum's Offspring and Off Season for visceral horror, is however written as though it was meant to one day be a David Lynch film! I love the psychology of it all, the weirdness - and yet at no point does it dissolve into confusion.
The third great thing about this book ... is the ending. WHOA. This book takes you to hell, beyond, and yet never lets you out. It's tragic. I'd compare the power of the ending to the final 50 pages of Thomas Harris's Hannibal. And it's just as poetic.
I've now read all of Dries's books (except the novella, and I haven't read any of his short stories) but he's become one of my favorite new authors. EVERYONE READ THIS BOOK NOW
The first great thing about this book is the slow build towards a truly cataclysmic event that's something ripped right out of Hieronymus Bosch. It's kind of a travel book, really - and it's spot on. I've been to all of these places, and yes, these disturbing monkey feeding trips really do exist!!! The detail is incredible, and beautiful, and actually inspiring. And then everything changes - the dread had been there all along, we knew something would happen - but I never could have imagined this...
The second great thing about this book are the characters. Each is utterly believable, easy to relate to, and unlike much of what you read in horror fiction these days. For a comparison within the genre on character work, you'll have to look to Stephen King or Jack Ketchum. Amity Collins is one of the most interesting female characters I've ever read. She's deaf (it's amazing the way Dries uses color to describe her emotions), wounded, and resilient.
The third great thing about this book is how cerebral it is. Dries seemlessly dips us in and out of reality, weaves through the minds of his cast, and doesn't miss a beat. This book, which recalls Ketchum's Offspring and Off Season for visceral horror, is however written as though it was meant to one day be a David Lynch film! I love the psychology of it all, the weirdness - and yet at no point does it dissolve into confusion.
The third great thing about this book ... is the ending. WHOA. This book takes you to hell, beyond, and yet never lets you out. It's tragic. I'd compare the power of the ending to the final 50 pages of Thomas Harris's Hannibal. And it's just as poetic.
I've now read all of Dries's books (except the novella, and I haven't read any of his short stories) but he's become one of my favorite new authors. EVERYONE READ THIS BOOK NOW
June 5, 2019
A Place for Sinners is a novel that I would compare to a Python. This book will squeeze the light out of your heart and mind and will leave you exhausted by its darkness and it’s feeling of claustrophobia. The beginning of this book will not prepare you for what will come in the second half of this novel. The writing in this book is great and will grab hold of your attention and not let go. The main characters are well created and we are given enough backstory so we are invested in their fate. There is a good amount of gore and violence that can overwhelm at times. The pace starts slow but moves at a good pace as the book progresses. The best part of the book is how the thoughts of the characters become more frantic and confused and hellish. It is a delight to watch the author slowly crush our hope and leave us emotionally crushed. I highly recommend this book to all that love horror and great writing.
May 16, 2014
A great new, fresh horror writer, Aaron cements the fact that he has arrived. He pushes boundaries and freaks you out, using cinematic techniques and visual imagery with words. You won't be the same after reading this....trust me.
September 4, 2019
4.5/5.0
This year, I have been introduced to numerous indie authors that have blown my mind; Aaron Dries is one of them. Never have I read horror quite like his brand. Maybe I just haven’t lived (as some of your diehards might say), but I grew up on horror in the likes of Stephen King and Dean Koontz – they are so very tame in comparison to Dries.
First, I checked out House of Sighs, which left me (what’s the youthful term? Is it – ) shook. I felt sick during multiple scenes, and there were quite a few. Never has a book done that to me. I wasn’t even sure how to process it. With the exception of excitement and interest – which are common in reading – I haven’t ever really felt such emotion when reading something before that book; it was my first taste of pure terror in written form. I thought I had read work that was gripping before, but I suppose I was wrong; it feels like Dries’ words are literally clenching down on your shoulders as a cackle echoes into your ear as you read.
Fuck.
So, naturally, I knew I wanted to try him again (even if House of Sighs left me a little scared). Next, I went with the sequel, The Sound of His Bones Breaking. That one didn’t bother me until the very end; but that final sequence had my heart fluttering with anxiety.
A few weeks ago, in the midst of toppling over a stack of TBR, I realized I had A Place for Sinners, set for a reissue via Poltergeist Press. I didn’t make it my priority at first, but I did start reading it slowly. About halfway through, I finally moved the title to the top of my list. And here’s the thing: reading an Aaron Dries’ novel is like inviting a nightmare to crawl up under your fingernails, dig its way up your arms, through your shoulders, and down your spine. You’ll tense up, shiver, and quiver, and finally ask yourself, “Jesus, what did I just read?” A Place for Sinners is most likely the most uncomfortable and unnerving thing I have ever read.
Now, granted, I had my minor qualms with the book. There was at least one sequence (maybe two) in which I got a bit confused as to what was actually happening. Also, I hate the death of children, especially when they are as gruesomely detailed as they are in Dries’ work. That sort of thing unsettles me so much so that I nearly put down the book (same thing happened with House of Sighs, and the end of The Sound of His Bones Breaking). Now, I get the point of it; this is horror, ladies and gentleman, and dying kids will shock most of us to our core. Nevertheless, it does push me away from a title.
My complaints aside, it is hard to deny the talent in Dries’ writing. The man has a profound and unique way with words. They are darkly poetic and hypnotizing, the sort of thing I could never produce myself. The fucking nightmares this guy must have to write this stuff…I worry about him. I mean…the shark. I don’t think I will ever forget that character. She became one of the most haunting creations I’ve ever followed.
“The color was RED.”
Yeah, there’s plenty of blood in this one. And you’ve got to love Aaron’s author note at the end: “The island of Koh Mai Phaaw…does not exist…even if it did, I wouldn’t recommend you visit there. For, um, obvious reason.”
No shit, Aaron! That place is horrific!
Horror fans, do yourself a favor and look up this Aussie talent. Because that’s exactly what he is: talent.
This year, I have been introduced to numerous indie authors that have blown my mind; Aaron Dries is one of them. Never have I read horror quite like his brand. Maybe I just haven’t lived (as some of your diehards might say), but I grew up on horror in the likes of Stephen King and Dean Koontz – they are so very tame in comparison to Dries.
First, I checked out House of Sighs, which left me (what’s the youthful term? Is it – ) shook. I felt sick during multiple scenes, and there were quite a few. Never has a book done that to me. I wasn’t even sure how to process it. With the exception of excitement and interest – which are common in reading – I haven’t ever really felt such emotion when reading something before that book; it was my first taste of pure terror in written form. I thought I had read work that was gripping before, but I suppose I was wrong; it feels like Dries’ words are literally clenching down on your shoulders as a cackle echoes into your ear as you read.
Fuck.
So, naturally, I knew I wanted to try him again (even if House of Sighs left me a little scared). Next, I went with the sequel, The Sound of His Bones Breaking. That one didn’t bother me until the very end; but that final sequence had my heart fluttering with anxiety.
A few weeks ago, in the midst of toppling over a stack of TBR, I realized I had A Place for Sinners, set for a reissue via Poltergeist Press. I didn’t make it my priority at first, but I did start reading it slowly. About halfway through, I finally moved the title to the top of my list. And here’s the thing: reading an Aaron Dries’ novel is like inviting a nightmare to crawl up under your fingernails, dig its way up your arms, through your shoulders, and down your spine. You’ll tense up, shiver, and quiver, and finally ask yourself, “Jesus, what did I just read?” A Place for Sinners is most likely the most uncomfortable and unnerving thing I have ever read.
Now, granted, I had my minor qualms with the book. There was at least one sequence (maybe two) in which I got a bit confused as to what was actually happening. Also, I hate the death of children, especially when they are as gruesomely detailed as they are in Dries’ work. That sort of thing unsettles me so much so that I nearly put down the book (same thing happened with House of Sighs, and the end of The Sound of His Bones Breaking). Now, I get the point of it; this is horror, ladies and gentleman, and dying kids will shock most of us to our core. Nevertheless, it does push me away from a title.
My complaints aside, it is hard to deny the talent in Dries’ writing. The man has a profound and unique way with words. They are darkly poetic and hypnotizing, the sort of thing I could never produce myself. The fucking nightmares this guy must have to write this stuff…I worry about him. I mean…the shark. I don’t think I will ever forget that character. She became one of the most haunting creations I’ve ever followed.
“The color was RED.”
Yeah, there’s plenty of blood in this one. And you’ve got to love Aaron’s author note at the end: “The island of Koh Mai Phaaw…does not exist…even if it did, I wouldn’t recommend you visit there. For, um, obvious reason.”
No shit, Aaron! That place is horrific!
Horror fans, do yourself a favor and look up this Aussie talent. Because that’s exactly what he is: talent.
June 2, 2018
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
Maybe I'm to blame for this one. It was a while since I got this book, and didn't remember what it was about any more and the cover is misleading. However, I don't believe it is just me, since the change in A Place for Sinners was so sudden, from a nice holiday in Thailand to doomsday kind of situations, that I actually had to go back and reread to make sure that was what was really happening.
It is also what continues on the second half. I like a good horror, and I understand there is some build-up where everything seems fine, but here it really was about half the book. With all the changing POVs (many of them delusional) and the non-stop action after the turning point I got lost and found it difficult to connect to the remaining protagonist.
Not for me, I'm afraid.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Maybe I'm to blame for this one. It was a while since I got this book, and didn't remember what it was about any more and the cover is misleading. However, I don't believe it is just me, since the change in A Place for Sinners was so sudden, from a nice holiday in Thailand to doomsday kind of situations, that I actually had to go back and reread to make sure that was what was really happening.
It is also what continues on the second half. I like a good horror, and I understand there is some build-up where everything seems fine, but here it really was about half the book. With all the changing POVs (many of them delusional) and the non-stop action after the turning point I got lost and found it difficult to connect to the remaining protagonist.
Not for me, I'm afraid.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
May 31, 2020
Very good extreme horror!
January 9, 2020
Dear Mr. Dries, thank you for bringing my nightmares to life. This book contains SO MANY things that make me squirm: “teeth” issues, BUGS, and an overall sense of entrapment were the three biggies for me. I have no doubt that other readers will no doubt find their very own “special moments” within these pages. -Sincerely, Tracy.
A Place for Sinners is at once a novel about family and survival as well as a no-holds-barred, evil island extravaganza. There are no safe places within these pages and I really dig the way Dries handles some of these moments. The beginning starts off with a bang, literally. We get some character development and plot movement, and then the battle royale at the worst island ever.
The first time we “visit” the island there is a scene with a machete that Dries delivers in such an off-handed way. As if this is just par for the course here on the island. I re-read that part a couple times because it read as if someone was tying their shoes or performing some other ordinary daily task, not the devastation that was actually taking place. Here on the island, these things ARE the norm and I love that the author introduces this in this manner.
I actually had the opportunity to read this book with a group of bookish friends. One thing we discussed really stuck out to me. There are no perfect characters here. All of them flawed, all of them with their own demons. There is “the shark”, a buggy kind of guy, and several other characters that fit this flawed theme. I suppose one can name Amity as the main protagonist, a girl and then a woman who seems to be a victim of circumstance. She experiences growth as a character and does her best to thrive, but even she joins the ranks of flawed people. Think about it, we all are “damaged” in some way and I appreciate this portrayal.
I had a good time with this book. There were a few moments and changes in storytelling that I personally didn’t gel with, but I already know these particular things work great for other readers; group/buddy reads have the BEST discussions. Previously, I read Dries’ book House of Sighs and liked it. After experiencing this book I will show up for all of this author’s future work.
A Place for Sinners is at once a novel about family and survival as well as a no-holds-barred, evil island extravaganza. There are no safe places within these pages and I really dig the way Dries handles some of these moments. The beginning starts off with a bang, literally. We get some character development and plot movement, and then the battle royale at the worst island ever.
The first time we “visit” the island there is a scene with a machete that Dries delivers in such an off-handed way. As if this is just par for the course here on the island. I re-read that part a couple times because it read as if someone was tying their shoes or performing some other ordinary daily task, not the devastation that was actually taking place. Here on the island, these things ARE the norm and I love that the author introduces this in this manner.
I actually had the opportunity to read this book with a group of bookish friends. One thing we discussed really stuck out to me. There are no perfect characters here. All of them flawed, all of them with their own demons. There is “the shark”, a buggy kind of guy, and several other characters that fit this flawed theme. I suppose one can name Amity as the main protagonist, a girl and then a woman who seems to be a victim of circumstance. She experiences growth as a character and does her best to thrive, but even she joins the ranks of flawed people. Think about it, we all are “damaged” in some way and I appreciate this portrayal.
I had a good time with this book. There were a few moments and changes in storytelling that I personally didn’t gel with, but I already know these particular things work great for other readers; group/buddy reads have the BEST discussions. Previously, I read Dries’ book House of Sighs and liked it. After experiencing this book I will show up for all of this author’s future work.
February 27, 2015
Sometimes you just can't get into a book; no matter how hard you try, it just isn't working and only proceeds to go down hill from there. Unfortunately, after 44% through it, that was my experience reading A PLACE FOR SINNERS, which turns out to be my first (and hopefully last) "did not finish " book of 2015.
A PLACE FOR SINNERS tells the story of Amity, who was a victim of a dog attack when she was a kid - that somehow left her deaf - and her brother Caleb, who decide to go on a trip to Thailand. Soon they find out that their trip will be anything but a peaceful, exotic getaway as they find themselves in a blood bath of gore and a fight for survival.
Is the book more than just that? Perhaps, but I just couldn't go any further. First off, the characters are completely uncharismatic, dull and uninteresting. Secondly, all of the dialog is stilted, mechanical and completely unbelievable. I was willing to forgive these things, so long as the story got better, but it got worse by the page, eventually devolving into a convoluted and random garble, culled from the writers seemingly drug induced writing sessions. I can't begin to explain the mess that is this book. Absurd situations like monkeys suddenly attacking tourist happen out of nowhere and right in the middle of this there will suddenly be a flashback to something that happened in the past, that leads nowhere and then it will cut to another characters random thought, then it cuts to a scene of gore, then back to another random thought, that this time is no longer than a sentence and then ends with these spirits (I'm guessing), talking about taking over The Body but having to climb up The Tree to do so.
Sound fucked up and disjointed? You don't know the half of it. This book just wasn't worth my time to dedicate to it in finishing it. There's too many other good, coherent stories that are waiting to be read. I give this abysmal book a 1/5
A PLACE FOR SINNERS tells the story of Amity, who was a victim of a dog attack when she was a kid - that somehow left her deaf - and her brother Caleb, who decide to go on a trip to Thailand. Soon they find out that their trip will be anything but a peaceful, exotic getaway as they find themselves in a blood bath of gore and a fight for survival.
Is the book more than just that? Perhaps, but I just couldn't go any further. First off, the characters are completely uncharismatic, dull and uninteresting. Secondly, all of the dialog is stilted, mechanical and completely unbelievable. I was willing to forgive these things, so long as the story got better, but it got worse by the page, eventually devolving into a convoluted and random garble, culled from the writers seemingly drug induced writing sessions. I can't begin to explain the mess that is this book. Absurd situations like monkeys suddenly attacking tourist happen out of nowhere and right in the middle of this there will suddenly be a flashback to something that happened in the past, that leads nowhere and then it will cut to another characters random thought, then it cuts to a scene of gore, then back to another random thought, that this time is no longer than a sentence and then ends with these spirits (I'm guessing), talking about taking over The Body but having to climb up The Tree to do so.
Sound fucked up and disjointed? You don't know the half of it. This book just wasn't worth my time to dedicate to it in finishing it. There's too many other good, coherent stories that are waiting to be read. I give this abysmal book a 1/5
June 29, 2014
"It's like the Rough Guide they never dared release; The Rough Guide to The Island of Horror."
Aaron Dries novel A Place for Sinners from Samhain Publishing is a real travelogue of horror. It starts with a child, Amity Collins, penned into a dark cave by feral dogs, helpless and static like the transistor radio that she carries around. The monsters never really leave after that; as much as the light never fully returns into the world of Amity, her brother Caleb or the people they meet. Sound is also stolen from her life after the gunshot to kill the dogs leaves Amity deaf.
We leapfrog into the present following the adult siblings as they plan an escape from their religiously zealous and overbearing mother. She’s a hoarder, a house full of yellowing newspapers, chipped bric-a-brac and broken lives. An Indonesian adventure awaits Amity and Caleb far from their tightknit Australian town and claustrophobic history.
Dries threads an assortment of outcasts and socially broken lives through this adventure. Robert Mann a New York copywriter with a life like a minefield used as a dancefloor by a herd of elephants. Matt, a German backpacker who attaches himself to the brother and sister. His relationship with Caleb becomes an invisible shard of glass, scratching at Amity and bleeding Caleb without either realizing. Then we have the most monstrous of characters. Sycamore is an English housewife with such a sadistic bent she makes the Whitechapel murders look like an episode of the Mickey Mouse Club.
fallen
But these characters aren’t coming from hell. They are all heading toward it in a rickety boat that drops them on a deserted island populated by savage monkeys.
Continue reading at- http://thehorrificallyhorrifyinghorro...
Aaron Dries novel A Place for Sinners from Samhain Publishing is a real travelogue of horror. It starts with a child, Amity Collins, penned into a dark cave by feral dogs, helpless and static like the transistor radio that she carries around. The monsters never really leave after that; as much as the light never fully returns into the world of Amity, her brother Caleb or the people they meet. Sound is also stolen from her life after the gunshot to kill the dogs leaves Amity deaf.
We leapfrog into the present following the adult siblings as they plan an escape from their religiously zealous and overbearing mother. She’s a hoarder, a house full of yellowing newspapers, chipped bric-a-brac and broken lives. An Indonesian adventure awaits Amity and Caleb far from their tightknit Australian town and claustrophobic history.
Dries threads an assortment of outcasts and socially broken lives through this adventure. Robert Mann a New York copywriter with a life like a minefield used as a dancefloor by a herd of elephants. Matt, a German backpacker who attaches himself to the brother and sister. His relationship with Caleb becomes an invisible shard of glass, scratching at Amity and bleeding Caleb without either realizing. Then we have the most monstrous of characters. Sycamore is an English housewife with such a sadistic bent she makes the Whitechapel murders look like an episode of the Mickey Mouse Club.
fallen
But these characters aren’t coming from hell. They are all heading toward it in a rickety boat that drops them on a deserted island populated by savage monkeys.
Continue reading at- http://thehorrificallyhorrifyinghorro...
April 15, 2021
Aaron has a unique voice in horror, his writing is different from any i've read before. He has such a way with words and building sentences that, for a second when you read them, don't quite make sense, but then further down the line (paragraphs or chapters later) they suddenly do. And a picture begins to build of what is happening in the story. This makes his work so addictive. I've read a few stories by him now and have loved them all.
If you settle yourself down and concentrate on this one it will pull you in until you stuggle to find your way back out.
I've never been to Thailand before so don't have any image reference in my brain for the scenery but Aaron does a great job of describing it so that my brain could put something together enough that i could picture what was going on. And some images, are better left out of your head! Trust me on that one.
I really liked having the story told from different characters POV, who are going through their own issues (understatement!). I mean, character development is in abundance in this book. The reader is dragged into their lives.
As for the gore, there is plenty! This book isn't just one form of horror, it melds multiple - emotional, visual, survival, creepy crawly, body. So many that any horror fan will be in their element.
If you're already a fan of Aaron then you'll know what to expect. If this is your first read by him, strap in and brace yourself!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
If you settle yourself down and concentrate on this one it will pull you in until you stuggle to find your way back out.
I've never been to Thailand before so don't have any image reference in my brain for the scenery but Aaron does a great job of describing it so that my brain could put something together enough that i could picture what was going on. And some images, are better left out of your head! Trust me on that one.
I really liked having the story told from different characters POV, who are going through their own issues (understatement!). I mean, character development is in abundance in this book. The reader is dragged into their lives.
As for the gore, there is plenty! This book isn't just one form of horror, it melds multiple - emotional, visual, survival, creepy crawly, body. So many that any horror fan will be in their element.
If you're already a fan of Aaron then you'll know what to expect. If this is your first read by him, strap in and brace yourself!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
July 20, 2015
Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/mini-rev...
A perfect example of a book that starts out strong but ends on a bit of a sour note. The first part was magnificent, and I felt like I was in Thailand too, along with the main characters. However, the second part of the book, while disturbing and holding a lot of potential, fell a little flat because it was TOO complex. Some of the twists and character reveals made little to no sense either. I don’t mind a little complexity but it needs to stay within the realms of the possible.
A perfect example of a book that starts out strong but ends on a bit of a sour note. The first part was magnificent, and I felt like I was in Thailand too, along with the main characters. However, the second part of the book, while disturbing and holding a lot of potential, fell a little flat because it was TOO complex. Some of the twists and character reveals made little to no sense either. I don’t mind a little complexity but it needs to stay within the realms of the possible.
July 8, 2014
Amity Collins, a 20-year-old deaf woman, and her 26-year-old brother Caleb, leave the bosom of an overly protective mother, and the sweet rural simplicity of Evans Head, for a wild adventure in Thailand.
They have lived a sheltered existence since the violent death of their father 13 years earlier and, much to their mother’s chagrin, step outside their comfort zone and see another world.
Amity and Caleb are the two most sympathetic characters amongst the unfortunate cast that find themselves conjured into the latest nightmare from Australian horror author Aaron Dries, his third novel A Place for Sinners.
Amongst this cast is the writer’s most vile, memorable and monstrous creation, Susan Sycamore. In one of the book’s most effective sequences, we meet this ugly shell of a woman that was once a British school teacher and mother. But Sycamore has given over to her darkest urges and now brutally murders tourists in remote locations. Thailand happens to be a suitable game park.
The first half of the novel deftly juggles the introduction of the various players. Then they all converge for a cheap day cruise to a remote and exotic Thai island called Koh Mai Phaaw, where they will get to feed the native monkey population. Sycamore, amongst the tourists on the boat, is clearly the wild card in an intriguing pack. On the island, which is the only fictional location in the book, Dries’ omnipotent storyteller is quick to tell us that blood will be shed. He even tells us who will be the first to die. Anyone who has read the author’s previous tales has no reason to doubt him.
On Koh Mai Phaaw, Amity and her fellow tourists face danger, both real and conceptual. The protagonists are confronted by not only the wild hazards of Koh Mai Phaaw, but also their inner demons.
Across his three novels, including his debut House of Sighs and its follow-up The Fallen Boys, Dries has demonstrated a visceral and lyrically dense approach to prose. When mixed with expository flashbacks and vivid, graphic descriptions, his writing is hypnotic.
In A Place for Sinners, Dries is at his most ambitious, both thematically and narratively. Likes it jungle location, the writing is far more dense and requires increased exertion to navigate and digest. Dries also walks a fine line in his descriptions. Some similes and analogies are jarring and feel excessive. Others are poetic and impressive, and serve the imagery in a memorable way. The scene in which Dries depicts half-digested rice floating from a victim’s open stomach is just one moment that is difficult to erase after the final page.
In this sense, his verbosity can act as a double-edged sword. In building characters and tension, Dries’ style can be effective. There are moments of real greatness. But in A Place for Sinners‘ most tense moments, when characters are staring death in the face or running for their lives, it feels like the author should have reined in the language and allowed the bones of the action to propel the narrative. Too often, moments of terror are weighed down with abstract, dream-like introspections, flashbacks and rapid-fire barrages of imagery. When this happens, you might feel like jumping forward to the next instance of reality, to find out what happens next. Like what happens to some of the book’s characters, flaying some flesh from the prose might have increased the impact of the horror.
One of the book’s strengths is its depiction of the Kingdom of Thailand. While the story eventually descends into mayhem, the initial arrival at the country is beautifully realised. Dries travelled through Thailand and clearly absorbed the sights, sounds and smells of the area in intricate detail. He uses the wildlife, which the fictional island is teeming with, to turn up the heat on the pressure cooker that the characters are trapped in. The island is alive and it is not on the side of our protagonists - or antagonists.
The character arc of Amity is at the centre of the story, and she has the inner strength to match the horrors and hurdles that Dries puts in her way. The recurring “underground motif”, introduced literally at the beginning of the book when young Amity is trapped in a cave with feral dogs snapping at her toes, reappears throughout. In this novel, as often in life, transformative experiences take place in the dark. Silence too, eternal to Amity’s deaf ears, is a tunnel that she can never leave. It’s a clever device that works to enhance the claustrophobia of many tense moments. But there are numerous elements in A Place for Sinners that will get under the reader’s skin (especially in the “bed bugs” side plot), and attack the psyche from a number of angles.
A Place for Sinners is Dries’ most cerebral and memorable work, and has a simmering sexuality that is less apparent in past efforts. These elements combine to make a cocktail that is no more suitable for anyone with a weak stomach than his two previous novels or the novella And The Night Growled Back.
If you were to distil the world-view depicted by the author in each story, you might decide that Dries believes life is never without pain and suffering. Or you may conclude that, in order to scare you, Dries knows he has to subvert your belief that the world is a fair place. Either way, he draws on humans’ ability to endure pain as the backbone of each gruesome tale. He clearly believes in this strength, and that mindset adds a palatable layer to his bedrock of nightmarish brutality.
Dries visceral style has flourishes that would make the Marquis de Sade proud, nasty humour that Stephen King might appreciate and, particularly in A Place for Sinners, an abstract sensibility that highlights Dries’ liking of David Lynch. Horror fans that enjoy a bloodthirsty read, no matter how grim, will enjoy this journey into the Thai jungle. However, faint-hearted folk might prefer a holiday read of a very different kind.
* from www.nicholasmilligan.com
They have lived a sheltered existence since the violent death of their father 13 years earlier and, much to their mother’s chagrin, step outside their comfort zone and see another world.
Amity and Caleb are the two most sympathetic characters amongst the unfortunate cast that find themselves conjured into the latest nightmare from Australian horror author Aaron Dries, his third novel A Place for Sinners.
Amongst this cast is the writer’s most vile, memorable and monstrous creation, Susan Sycamore. In one of the book’s most effective sequences, we meet this ugly shell of a woman that was once a British school teacher and mother. But Sycamore has given over to her darkest urges and now brutally murders tourists in remote locations. Thailand happens to be a suitable game park.
The first half of the novel deftly juggles the introduction of the various players. Then they all converge for a cheap day cruise to a remote and exotic Thai island called Koh Mai Phaaw, where they will get to feed the native monkey population. Sycamore, amongst the tourists on the boat, is clearly the wild card in an intriguing pack. On the island, which is the only fictional location in the book, Dries’ omnipotent storyteller is quick to tell us that blood will be shed. He even tells us who will be the first to die. Anyone who has read the author’s previous tales has no reason to doubt him.
On Koh Mai Phaaw, Amity and her fellow tourists face danger, both real and conceptual. The protagonists are confronted by not only the wild hazards of Koh Mai Phaaw, but also their inner demons.
Across his three novels, including his debut House of Sighs and its follow-up The Fallen Boys, Dries has demonstrated a visceral and lyrically dense approach to prose. When mixed with expository flashbacks and vivid, graphic descriptions, his writing is hypnotic.
In A Place for Sinners, Dries is at his most ambitious, both thematically and narratively. Likes it jungle location, the writing is far more dense and requires increased exertion to navigate and digest. Dries also walks a fine line in his descriptions. Some similes and analogies are jarring and feel excessive. Others are poetic and impressive, and serve the imagery in a memorable way. The scene in which Dries depicts half-digested rice floating from a victim’s open stomach is just one moment that is difficult to erase after the final page.
In this sense, his verbosity can act as a double-edged sword. In building characters and tension, Dries’ style can be effective. There are moments of real greatness. But in A Place for Sinners‘ most tense moments, when characters are staring death in the face or running for their lives, it feels like the author should have reined in the language and allowed the bones of the action to propel the narrative. Too often, moments of terror are weighed down with abstract, dream-like introspections, flashbacks and rapid-fire barrages of imagery. When this happens, you might feel like jumping forward to the next instance of reality, to find out what happens next. Like what happens to some of the book’s characters, flaying some flesh from the prose might have increased the impact of the horror.
One of the book’s strengths is its depiction of the Kingdom of Thailand. While the story eventually descends into mayhem, the initial arrival at the country is beautifully realised. Dries travelled through Thailand and clearly absorbed the sights, sounds and smells of the area in intricate detail. He uses the wildlife, which the fictional island is teeming with, to turn up the heat on the pressure cooker that the characters are trapped in. The island is alive and it is not on the side of our protagonists - or antagonists.
The character arc of Amity is at the centre of the story, and she has the inner strength to match the horrors and hurdles that Dries puts in her way. The recurring “underground motif”, introduced literally at the beginning of the book when young Amity is trapped in a cave with feral dogs snapping at her toes, reappears throughout. In this novel, as often in life, transformative experiences take place in the dark. Silence too, eternal to Amity’s deaf ears, is a tunnel that she can never leave. It’s a clever device that works to enhance the claustrophobia of many tense moments. But there are numerous elements in A Place for Sinners that will get under the reader’s skin (especially in the “bed bugs” side plot), and attack the psyche from a number of angles.
A Place for Sinners is Dries’ most cerebral and memorable work, and has a simmering sexuality that is less apparent in past efforts. These elements combine to make a cocktail that is no more suitable for anyone with a weak stomach than his two previous novels or the novella And The Night Growled Back.
If you were to distil the world-view depicted by the author in each story, you might decide that Dries believes life is never without pain and suffering. Or you may conclude that, in order to scare you, Dries knows he has to subvert your belief that the world is a fair place. Either way, he draws on humans’ ability to endure pain as the backbone of each gruesome tale. He clearly believes in this strength, and that mindset adds a palatable layer to his bedrock of nightmarish brutality.
Dries visceral style has flourishes that would make the Marquis de Sade proud, nasty humour that Stephen King might appreciate and, particularly in A Place for Sinners, an abstract sensibility that highlights Dries’ liking of David Lynch. Horror fans that enjoy a bloodthirsty read, no matter how grim, will enjoy this journey into the Thai jungle. However, faint-hearted folk might prefer a holiday read of a very different kind.
* from www.nicholasmilligan.com
December 1, 2020
Wow, I still have no idea what I just read. I don’t think I have ever read a book so brutal and bat shit crazy in my life. This book will take you on one hell of a roller coaster ride.
I loved the beginning of this book. It started off strong and broke my heart right off the bat. However it started to go down hill for me when so many different character’s point of views were introduced. Some of them did nothing for the story. It started to get really slow towards the end for me. But that ending was wow.
The writing in this book is beautiful and really complex. I wouldn’t suggest this book to just anyone. You have to be able hand brutally and gore on a whole other level to stomach this book.
3/5 stars for me
I loved the beginning of this book. It started off strong and broke my heart right off the bat. However it started to go down hill for me when so many different character’s point of views were introduced. Some of them did nothing for the story. It started to get really slow towards the end for me. But that ending was wow.
The writing in this book is beautiful and really complex. I wouldn’t suggest this book to just anyone. You have to be able hand brutally and gore on a whole other level to stomach this book.
3/5 stars for me
November 14, 2021
Very cool read. It was not what I expected and honestly intense. The book grabs you from page one and leaves you gasping for more until the final line. I loved the choice of characters and the use of a gay lead. It was a reality of tourist driven ills. The book makes a lot of insightful observations about people and with the exception of one character it seemed realistic. I’m glad that this was a recommendation read from a friend.
January 6, 2023
I wanted to give this a better rating originally but the ending sort of lost me. A few times there were two POVs and it was difficult for me to find my footing and understand what I was reading. It was definitely a good read up until around page 240ish then I really just feel like the plot didn’t have any grasp on what was really going on.
November 9, 2023
Eh. 2,5 ⭐️
July 14, 2020
A Place for Sinners hooks you with its poetic start, lyrical and stark. It woos you with intrigue, imagery and gloom.
January 13, 2023
DNFd at 65%. Could not bring myself to finish it. Once the lady started the whole “I am the shark” and shoved glass into her gums? It was game over. Tried to force myself to keep going, and just couldn’t do it. Shame because it really started out strong, then just got way too weird. And not in any good way. I’ve read some messed up sh**, but this was just bad. I have only ever DNFd 1 book before… this makes number 2. Just awful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2014
I've said it before and I'll say it again ... there's something about Dries's books that simply blow my away. And 'A Place for Sinners' is no different. They are impossible to predict, cunningly put together, beautifully written, and weirdly moving. Oh, and did I mention horrific? Because this one sure is. Very.
It tells the story of Amity Collins, a young deaf woman who goes on a long-in-the-waiting trip to Thailand with her gay brother. The two Collins kids have been desperate to get out from under their mother's loving, but constrictive grip, and away from their small Australian town (it's a real place - and I've been there!) where their family is still whispered about after a tragic event some years before. Along with Amity and her brother, we meet a small collection of characters, some good, some very evil, some linger in that wonderful place in between. All of their stories converge on an island off the Thai coast, where ... suffice to say ... all hell breaks loose!
Dries takes his time setting things up, but infuses all the build up with foreboding and suspense. You know something is coming, but you really can't tell what. And then it hits. Bigtime. It's as if Dries knew that the buildup would be big, but the PAYOFF had to be EPIC. The 'when the sh*t hits the fan' scene (trust me, you'll know it when it happens) is one of modern horror's great set pieces -- true, old fashioned carnage choreography. Subsequently, the following pages fly by. There are twists, turns, suspense, and that kind of Jack Ketchum-esque violence that so few people do well. And Dries being in that minority.
All of this leads to an ending that left me shaking and satisfied. But that's not it ... Where I thought the book was going to end, was only the beginning of a truly unexpected epilogue. These final thirty pages, to me, are comparable only to the ending of Hannibal by Thomas Harris. I couldn't believe Dries would drag me, as a reader, into the dark like that. I wanted to stop reading actually. But I couldn't. That was the point. That's horror. Real horror. Suffice to say, my jaw was on the floor.
But that's not to say that Dries is all gore. He's not. The prose is impeccably put together. And his characterizations are flawless. I love how he writes female characters, isn't afraid to make them ugly or unsympathetic, whilst always making them (frighteningly) easy to relate to. I like how he writes about homosexuality, too. I love how his characters have disabilities (the ways he describes Amity's silent world is just incredible, and easy to relate to; and Amity's mother is a borderline compulsive hoarder (very interesting/sad!)).
So what more can I say? I wish Dries would write more. And faster! And I wish he was more widely read. I need to talk to more people about this book lol. So what are you waiting for? Go and read it now!!!!
It tells the story of Amity Collins, a young deaf woman who goes on a long-in-the-waiting trip to Thailand with her gay brother. The two Collins kids have been desperate to get out from under their mother's loving, but constrictive grip, and away from their small Australian town (it's a real place - and I've been there!) where their family is still whispered about after a tragic event some years before. Along with Amity and her brother, we meet a small collection of characters, some good, some very evil, some linger in that wonderful place in between. All of their stories converge on an island off the Thai coast, where ... suffice to say ... all hell breaks loose!
Dries takes his time setting things up, but infuses all the build up with foreboding and suspense. You know something is coming, but you really can't tell what. And then it hits. Bigtime. It's as if Dries knew that the buildup would be big, but the PAYOFF had to be EPIC. The 'when the sh*t hits the fan' scene (trust me, you'll know it when it happens) is one of modern horror's great set pieces -- true, old fashioned carnage choreography. Subsequently, the following pages fly by. There are twists, turns, suspense, and that kind of Jack Ketchum-esque violence that so few people do well. And Dries being in that minority.
All of this leads to an ending that left me shaking and satisfied. But that's not it ... Where I thought the book was going to end, was only the beginning of a truly unexpected epilogue. These final thirty pages, to me, are comparable only to the ending of Hannibal by Thomas Harris. I couldn't believe Dries would drag me, as a reader, into the dark like that. I wanted to stop reading actually. But I couldn't. That was the point. That's horror. Real horror. Suffice to say, my jaw was on the floor.
But that's not to say that Dries is all gore. He's not. The prose is impeccably put together. And his characterizations are flawless. I love how he writes female characters, isn't afraid to make them ugly or unsympathetic, whilst always making them (frighteningly) easy to relate to. I like how he writes about homosexuality, too. I love how his characters have disabilities (the ways he describes Amity's silent world is just incredible, and easy to relate to; and Amity's mother is a borderline compulsive hoarder (very interesting/sad!)).
So what more can I say? I wish Dries would write more. And faster! And I wish he was more widely read. I need to talk to more people about this book lol. So what are you waiting for? Go and read it now!!!!
April 18, 2014
Not your ordinary horror novel! It doesn’t have the vampires, werewolves, or a demon hiding in your closet. But who needs them when you have the monsters in this book! After you read this story, you will never want to leave your house again.
These monsters are the one’s you least expect to hurt you, they creep into your life and before you know it… They have clawed your face off, and used your eyeballs as marbles.
Warning- This book is gruesome. I wouldn’t recommend it to your grandma. But if you are a horror fan like myself, you have to read this book! This is the first book I’ve read by Aaron Dries, and it is definitely not my last.
I was gifted with, A Place For Sinners for exchange of an honest review, Thank You Aaron Dries!
These monsters are the one’s you least expect to hurt you, they creep into your life and before you know it… They have clawed your face off, and used your eyeballs as marbles.
Warning- This book is gruesome. I wouldn’t recommend it to your grandma. But if you are a horror fan like myself, you have to read this book! This is the first book I’ve read by Aaron Dries, and it is definitely not my last.
I was gifted with, A Place For Sinners for exchange of an honest review, Thank You Aaron Dries!
Want to read
October 29, 2019Sadly I'm DNFing this at 50%.
This is a definite case of the reader just not connecting with this book. So many folks have been raving about this one. I tried three times, starting over and diving back in and I just can't get attached or connect with anything.
The multiple POV's have messed with me a few times, as such - I keep forgetting characters and what they have going on.
I'm going to let this one sit for a while and attempt it again at a later date, but currently, I see this on my Kindle and just feel nothing to drag me back in.
Thanks to Poltergeist Press for sending me a digital copy for review, my sincerest apologies that I couldn't get through this one.
This is a definite case of the reader just not connecting with this book. So many folks have been raving about this one. I tried three times, starting over and diving back in and I just can't get attached or connect with anything.
The multiple POV's have messed with me a few times, as such - I keep forgetting characters and what they have going on.
I'm going to let this one sit for a while and attempt it again at a later date, but currently, I see this on my Kindle and just feel nothing to drag me back in.
Thanks to Poltergeist Press for sending me a digital copy for review, my sincerest apologies that I couldn't get through this one.
May 30, 2014
This book just didn't do it for me and It has nothing to do with the content or subject matter. I thought it dragged on for awhile and then all of a sudden it completely switched without warning. It was like, one minute everyone is happy go lucky feeding coke(the drink) to monkeys and then without warning all hell breaks loose and monkeys are tearing people's faces off. There was really no build up or suspense to it. I love a good horror story but I just couldn't get into this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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