What do you think?
Rate this book
FABLE
Turning over a new leaf can be hard sometimes. For high school senior Neil Karp it means putting his burnout lifestyle behind him, salvaging his grades before college, and perhaps even plucking up the courage to talk to his crush. That's the easy part. When he and his friends run afoul of the local drug dealers, they become trapped in a rapidly escalating feud which promises only violence and terror. And if things were not bad enough, something from Neil's past has returned, a creature as bizarre and otherworldly as it is deadly. Neil had hoped he had severed this dark relationship permanently, but with the violence and intimidation rising between him and the town's criminal element, this 'friend' could be his only hope at survival. But when the dust has settled, will he survive the friendship?
271 pages, Paperback
Published February 20, 2021
2 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 28, 2021
You can check out all of my reviews at www.bookmarkedreviews.com
I received this ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
What if your imaginary childhood friend could come to life and deal with the bullies making your life miserable? That the question that Daniel James explores in his latest self-published novel. Neil Karp and his friends are your typical teenagers in their senior year of high school when they run afoul of the local drug dealers. As the dispute escalates, Neil is shocked one evening to see a figure dancing on a rooftop. It Frogmoore, his tweed wearing, talking imaginary friend who defended Neil from bullies once before. Except that in teaching the bullies a lesson, Frogmoore killed them leaving Neil traumatized and on medication. It seems that Frogmoore has once again appeared in Neil's time of need. But his murderous appetite has only grown while he has been away. Neil now struggles between wanting his bullies gone and not wanting Frogmoore to kill on his behalf.
This is a really quirky and unique novel. It has a definite 1980's feel to it. It would have been perfectly at home as a horror flick during my years in high school. I love the idea of an imaginary friend coming back and becoming homicidal. But the tale of the murderous Frogmoore gets overshadowed by the constant increase of hostilities between Neil an his friends and the drug dealers. I didn't really need to have chapters form the bad guys' point of view. It felt unnecessary. They're bad guys. They don't need depth. It's not that kind of novel. It felt like Frogmoore was overshadowed and used too sparingly. I wanted more of the serial killer frog! He's much more interesting than common drug dealers. Overall, James has a talent for recreating teenage dialogue, making it feel natural. Some of the best scenes are of Neil and his stoner friends sitting around getting high. The interactions between Frogmore and Neil are also compelling. I just wish that there had been more of them.
I received this ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
What if your imaginary childhood friend could come to life and deal with the bullies making your life miserable? That the question that Daniel James explores in his latest self-published novel. Neil Karp and his friends are your typical teenagers in their senior year of high school when they run afoul of the local drug dealers. As the dispute escalates, Neil is shocked one evening to see a figure dancing on a rooftop. It Frogmoore, his tweed wearing, talking imaginary friend who defended Neil from bullies once before. Except that in teaching the bullies a lesson, Frogmoore killed them leaving Neil traumatized and on medication. It seems that Frogmoore has once again appeared in Neil's time of need. But his murderous appetite has only grown while he has been away. Neil now struggles between wanting his bullies gone and not wanting Frogmoore to kill on his behalf.
This is a really quirky and unique novel. It has a definite 1980's feel to it. It would have been perfectly at home as a horror flick during my years in high school. I love the idea of an imaginary friend coming back and becoming homicidal. But the tale of the murderous Frogmoore gets overshadowed by the constant increase of hostilities between Neil an his friends and the drug dealers. I didn't really need to have chapters form the bad guys' point of view. It felt unnecessary. They're bad guys. They don't need depth. It's not that kind of novel. It felt like Frogmoore was overshadowed and used too sparingly. I wanted more of the serial killer frog! He's much more interesting than common drug dealers. Overall, James has a talent for recreating teenage dialogue, making it feel natural. Some of the best scenes are of Neil and his stoner friends sitting around getting high. The interactions between Frogmore and Neil are also compelling. I just wish that there had been more of them.
Displaying 1 of 1 review