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Dead River Series #1.5
Off Season: The Unexpurgated Edition
When Off Season, a novel of horror and cannibalism in modern day Maine, was first released in 1980, it took readers by storm and sold over 250,000 copies However, the original edition was edited and content was removed from the story at the publisher's request. The whole effect of the book was deemed to intense, in particular the ending, which is completely restored in this edition.
The Overlook Connection Press has released this edition in its original unexpurgated state for the first time anywhere. The author's original vision can now be read. This book has not been available in the US for almost two decades in any edition.
We have a special introduction by Douglas E. Winter, who has championed this novel for years. Also an Afterword by the author Jack Ketchum.
The Overlook Connection Press has released this edition in its original unexpurgated state for the first time anywhere. The author's original vision can now be read. This book has not been available in the US for almost two decades in any edition.
We have a special introduction by Douglas E. Winter, who has championed this novel for years. Also an Afterword by the author Jack Ketchum.
211 pages, Paperback
Published April 30, 2004
4 people are currently reading
621 people want to read
About the author
Jack Ketchum
198 books2,955 followersDallas William Mayr, better known by his pen name Jack Ketchum, was an American horror fiction author. He was the recipient of four Bram Stoker Awards and three further nominations. His novels included Off Season, Offspring, and Red, which were adapted to film. In 2011, Ketchum received the World Horror Convention Grand Master Award for outstanding contribution to the horror genre.
A onetime actor, teacher, literary agent, lumber salesman, and soda jerk, Ketchum credited his childhood love of Elvis Presley, dinosaurs, and horror for getting him through his formative years. He began making up stories at a young age and explained that he spent much time in his room, or in the woods near his house, down by the brook: "[m]y interests [were] books, comics, movies, rock 'n roll, show tunes, TV, dinosaurs [...] pretty much any activity that didn't demand too much socializing, or where I could easily walk away from socializing." He would make up stories using his plastic soldiers, knights, and dinosaurs as the characters.
Later, in his teen years, Ketchum was befriended by Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, who became his mentor.
Ketchum worked many different jobs before completing his first novel (1980's controversial Off Season), including acting as agent for novelist Henry Miller at Scott Meredith Literary Agency.
His decision to eventually concentrate on novel writing was partly fueled by a preference for work that offered stability and longevity.
Ketchum died of cancer on January 24, 2018, in New York City at the age of 71.
A onetime actor, teacher, literary agent, lumber salesman, and soda jerk, Ketchum credited his childhood love of Elvis Presley, dinosaurs, and horror for getting him through his formative years. He began making up stories at a young age and explained that he spent much time in his room, or in the woods near his house, down by the brook: "[m]y interests [were] books, comics, movies, rock 'n roll, show tunes, TV, dinosaurs [...] pretty much any activity that didn't demand too much socializing, or where I could easily walk away from socializing." He would make up stories using his plastic soldiers, knights, and dinosaurs as the characters.
Later, in his teen years, Ketchum was befriended by Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, who became his mentor.
Ketchum worked many different jobs before completing his first novel (1980's controversial Off Season), including acting as agent for novelist Henry Miller at Scott Meredith Literary Agency.
His decision to eventually concentrate on novel writing was partly fueled by a preference for work that offered stability and longevity.
Ketchum died of cancer on January 24, 2018, in New York City at the age of 71.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
April 30, 2016
Review en español: Click aquí
Traduje este y otros libros. Si te interesa, puedes chequear esta sección en mi blog.
I had to take a break after finishing this book, it was really intense. It's probably one of the most gory, violent and insane horror books I ever read.
This is a story about how a group of friends is attacked by a family of mad cannibals, so you can expect a lot of disturbing scenes on this book. Even though I have read other splatterpunk books I have to say that some scenes of this novel really disgusted me but at the same time I couldn't put it down.
If you "enjoy" extreme horror books go for it; in my opinion it was a great novel. I didn't rate it with five stars because the start was a little slow.
I wouldn't recommend to read this if you are not okay with gore and violence, this book contains a lot of it and can be disgusting. If you are a hardcore horror fan you should try it, this book will put your stomach to the test (seriously don't read this after dinner).
Traduje este y otros libros. Si te interesa, puedes chequear esta sección en mi blog.
I had to take a break after finishing this book, it was really intense. It's probably one of the most gory, violent and insane horror books I ever read.
This is a story about how a group of friends is attacked by a family of mad cannibals, so you can expect a lot of disturbing scenes on this book. Even though I have read other splatterpunk books I have to say that some scenes of this novel really disgusted me but at the same time I couldn't put it down.
If you "enjoy" extreme horror books go for it; in my opinion it was a great novel. I didn't rate it with five stars because the start was a little slow.
I wouldn't recommend to read this if you are not okay with gore and violence, this book contains a lot of it and can be disgusting. If you are a hardcore horror fan you should try it, this book will put your stomach to the test (seriously don't read this after dinner).
November 24, 2011
They had hunted every animal, but there was no flesh like man's...
Wowza. I haven't read this book in years, so I was excited to pick up The Unexpurgated edition and give it a go. Violent, dark, and relentless, Off Season is a book you won't forget. As an advisory: If you dislike horror, torture, and depravity you might want to avoid this one. Off Season is not for the faint of heart and no one is spared -- not women, not innocents, and certainly not children.
Also, this is the first novel by Mr. Ketchum. If you've not explored his work this is a good place to start. I also recommend The Girl Next Door and Right To Life. I'm eagerly waiting on his book, Red, to arrive in my mailbox.
Wowza. I haven't read this book in years, so I was excited to pick up The Unexpurgated edition and give it a go. Violent, dark, and relentless, Off Season is a book you won't forget. As an advisory: If you dislike horror, torture, and depravity you might want to avoid this one. Off Season is not for the faint of heart and no one is spared -- not women, not innocents, and certainly not children.
Also, this is the first novel by Mr. Ketchum. If you've not explored his work this is a good place to start. I also recommend The Girl Next Door and Right To Life. I'm eagerly waiting on his book, Red, to arrive in my mailbox.
September 15, 2016
I am on a quest, a quest to find a well-written splatterpunk novel. I know it is out there, and like all noble knights on a quest, I will not stop until I find it. Unfortunately Off Season by Jack Ketchum is not it.
Now I enjoyed Off Season the way I enjoy a good (and not so good) slasher film. This was just not a well written story. So I guess my quest will continue.
Now I enjoyed Off Season the way I enjoy a good (and not so good) slasher film. This was just not a well written story. So I guess my quest will continue.
December 16, 2021
Ok. I am almost totally convinced now that a Splatterpunk novel that also happens to be a good book simply does not exist. This was disastrous. All of the characters are interchangeable. All of the dudes could be called Chad and all of the girls, Britney, and it'd be no harder to tell them apart than it already is. I mean literally, the only way I could tell one of the Chad's from the others is that Chad #2 wore glasses, and actually I think they broke at one point and now I'm not entirely sure he even wore them in the first place.
Then there's the story itself. It's almost non-existent. A writer moves to an isolated cabin, invites some friends over for one last hurrah before beginning work on her next novel. Cannibals come. Hilarity ensues. That's it. That's the whole story. But I guess it's really only a means to tie together all of the violent bits anyway. It's completely just driven on shock value but the sad thing is, because I didn't care about any of the characters even slightly, I really wasn't that shocked when they died. Oops sorry. Spoiler alert: People die.
Also I gotta say that I find it hard to believe that a long surviving and successful group of murderous cannibals met their biggest resistance yet in a group of idiots that can't even take their minds off of fucking each other for just one minute. I mean seriously, even while they are actively being slaughtered they're still admiring each others "firm breasts". Was this written by a teenager? Surely Ketchum must have been quite young when he wrote this thing *checks notes* 34!? Uh ohh.
Look, it's not all bad. It never tries to be anything more than a violent gore-fest. If you go into it expecting Shakespeare then you are definitely going to have a bad time. But if you want nothing more than a quick and violent read with absolutely no subtlety at all, then holy shit have I got the book for you!
It just wasn't my cup of pipping hot lavender tea, I'm afraid.
Then there's the story itself. It's almost non-existent. A writer moves to an isolated cabin, invites some friends over for one last hurrah before beginning work on her next novel. Cannibals come. Hilarity ensues. That's it. That's the whole story. But I guess it's really only a means to tie together all of the violent bits anyway. It's completely just driven on shock value but the sad thing is, because I didn't care about any of the characters even slightly, I really wasn't that shocked when they died. Oops sorry. Spoiler alert: People die.
Also I gotta say that I find it hard to believe that a long surviving and successful group of murderous cannibals met their biggest resistance yet in a group of idiots that can't even take their minds off of fucking each other for just one minute. I mean seriously, even while they are actively being slaughtered they're still admiring each others "firm breasts". Was this written by a teenager? Surely Ketchum must have been quite young when he wrote this thing *checks notes* 34!? Uh ohh.
Look, it's not all bad. It never tries to be anything more than a violent gore-fest. If you go into it expecting Shakespeare then you are definitely going to have a bad time. But if you want nothing more than a quick and violent read with absolutely no subtlety at all, then holy shit have I got the book for you!
It just wasn't my cup of pipping hot lavender tea, I'm afraid.
June 8, 2015
If there's one aspect of horror fiction that I could easily live without, it's the "hillbilly horror" subgenre spawned by DELIVERANCE in the early 70's. The idea of murderous, inbred rednecks just doesn't appeal to me, which is why I've never bothered watching such films as THE HILLS HAVE EYES or the WRONG TURN series.
Speaking of THE HILLS HAVE EYES, both it and OFF SEASON are based on the same legend. But what made me give OFF SEASON a chance was that it was written by Jack Ketchum, who I regard as a terrific storyteller. (I'm unable to say the same for Wes Craven, the highly overrated director of THE HILLS HAVE EYES.)
Story-wise, OFF SEASON is exactly what you'd expect, but the quality of Ketchum's writing elevates the proceedings far above that of typical horror pulp. You'd never guess that this was his debut. Despite being one heck of a grisly novel, it is the characters rather than the gore that drive the story and fuel the suspense. Ketchum takes the time to invest you in his characters, and he establishes early on that any of them could die at any time. Part of the fun of this book is that it subverts some typical horror conventions, especially if you read the "unexpurgated" version like I did. Just be warned: you'll need a strong stomach for this one. There's a reason why blue-haired ladies tried to ban it from their libraries upon its initial release.
Speaking of THE HILLS HAVE EYES, both it and OFF SEASON are based on the same legend. But what made me give OFF SEASON a chance was that it was written by Jack Ketchum, who I regard as a terrific storyteller. (I'm unable to say the same for Wes Craven, the highly overrated director of THE HILLS HAVE EYES.)
Story-wise, OFF SEASON is exactly what you'd expect, but the quality of Ketchum's writing elevates the proceedings far above that of typical horror pulp. You'd never guess that this was his debut. Despite being one heck of a grisly novel, it is the characters rather than the gore that drive the story and fuel the suspense. Ketchum takes the time to invest you in his characters, and he establishes early on that any of them could die at any time. Part of the fun of this book is that it subverts some typical horror conventions, especially if you read the "unexpurgated" version like I did. Just be warned: you'll need a strong stomach for this one. There's a reason why blue-haired ladies tried to ban it from their libraries upon its initial release.
November 4, 2017
to the tune of "Panama":
Cannibals!
Cannibals!
Cannibal-al-al-al-AL-als!
Cannibals!
Cannibals!
Cannibals!
Cannibal-al-al-al-AL-als!
Cannibals!
October 8, 2023
This book is currently my favorite of Jack Ketchum. I'm happy I read the author's preferred copy. Not because it was more gruesome/visceral, but because of how it ended.
In the original text, we were given hope. This one, felt very real.
Imagine going on vacation to the middle of nowhere with your friends and then all of sudden a group of cannibals come and attack you. You try with all your might to stay alive, but maybe you don't. Maybe no matter how hard you try, you end up dying by the hands of the person who was supposed to save you. It's the irony of life.
Overall rating 4.5/5
In the original text, we were given hope. This one, felt very real.
Imagine going on vacation to the middle of nowhere with your friends and then all of sudden a group of cannibals come and attack you. You try with all your might to stay alive, but maybe you don't. Maybe no matter how hard you try, you end up dying by the hands of the person who was supposed to save you. It's the irony of life.
Overall rating 4.5/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2022
This book was a bloody mess! The story was very familiar and pretty predictable. Despite that, it was a good horror story about cannibals and the carnage that entails. The first half of the book was all setup, but the second half of the book was full of gore. I would recommend this if a bloody cannibal story in a secluded cabin by the beach is for you.
December 28, 2021
WTF. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but believe I found this several years ago on a "best of horror" list somewhere. And, it turns out the one I got from the library was the version the author wanted to publish, but not the original - he added in a lot of the detail to the gore and other things that the publishers had taken out in the originally published version. But, I am glad to have read the one the author wanted published, since it is truer to his vision.
This is binned in horror and it certainly is horrific. Gory and graphic, perhaps more than any other book I've read. So, it's not really my thing. But overall I did find myself sucked in to the story, so had to give it 3 stars even if I don't plan to read more from this author again. I don't mind gore, but this was really all it was. Wish there was more story - as the pieces of story that were there I did like.
Also, as a 40 year old book written by a man, there were lots of eye rolling passages about women's breasts, etc. Such as when two women were in shock after the initial attack and one was naked and practically catatonic and the other woman goes to help her get dressed and, of course, has to notice how full and heavy her breasts are *gigantic eye roll* ugh. Anyway, be aware of that as it abounds here.
This is binned in horror and it certainly is horrific. Gory and graphic, perhaps more than any other book I've read. So, it's not really my thing. But overall I did find myself sucked in to the story, so had to give it 3 stars even if I don't plan to read more from this author again. I don't mind gore, but this was really all it was. Wish there was more story - as the pieces of story that were there I did like.
Also, as a 40 year old book written by a man, there were lots of eye rolling passages about women's breasts, etc. Such as when two women were in shock after the initial attack and one was naked and practically catatonic and the other woman goes to help her get dressed and, of course, has to notice how full and heavy her breasts are *gigantic eye roll* ugh. Anyway, be aware of that as it abounds here.
January 12, 2018
Wow - I had recently read (apparently the 3rd in this "series"), and was quite surprised at how good (even though dark) it was. Spurred me to seek out the 1st two books in this "series". But, I was not prepared (as I should have been from reading blurbs about it), with how dark this book, Off Season was. You begin to care for these characters even though not an extended amount of characterization as larger novels can have...but enough that you care, and then when things begin to happen, you are affected deeply by them. Ready to start the next book.
December 25, 2011
Wow what a great book. A quick read and I could not stop reading. The suspense was there all the time. It reminded me of the movie Texas Chainsaw massacre.
This is the second book I read by Jack Ketchum and I am going to put his other books on my wish list.
There is a sequel to this one. Offspring which i really want to read.
Read twice but this copy I read in 2011
This is the second book I read by Jack Ketchum and I am going to put his other books on my wish list.
There is a sequel to this one. Offspring which i really want to read.
Read twice but this copy I read in 2011
December 18, 2017
I never read the edited version, but, I will say this version was good.
January 9, 2025
(Review of the uncut version)
Off-Season is a great little 200 page horror suspense novel.
It's only after reading so many Stephen King books that I'm amazed that you can have a shorter novel with so much packed inside.
You have your roster of characters masterfully fleshed out by Ketchum, and then you're immediately thrust into a gore filled ride wherein our protagonists intelligently solve problems in a way that makes reading their plight ridiculously addictive.
The violence featured is comparable to that of American Psycho and similarly to that book really gives this a unique flavor.
Because of this I'd recommended reading the uncut edition(Not to mention the uncut version contains the author's intended ending).
Definitely check this out if you're up for this sort of thing. I've read the third book in this trilogy which is a favorite.
That book stands on it's own, as does this one.
I can't wait to see what the sequel, Offspring has in store and I can't wait to see how well these novels flow as a trilogy after reading all three in a row.
Off-Season is a great little 200 page horror suspense novel.
It's only after reading so many Stephen King books that I'm amazed that you can have a shorter novel with so much packed inside.
You have your roster of characters masterfully fleshed out by Ketchum, and then you're immediately thrust into a gore filled ride wherein our protagonists intelligently solve problems in a way that makes reading their plight ridiculously addictive.
The violence featured is comparable to that of American Psycho and similarly to that book really gives this a unique flavor.
Because of this I'd recommended reading the uncut edition(Not to mention the uncut version contains the author's intended ending).
Definitely check this out if you're up for this sort of thing. I've read the third book in this trilogy which is a favorite.
That book stands on it's own, as does this one.
I can't wait to see what the sequel, Offspring has in store and I can't wait to see how well these novels flow as a trilogy after reading all three in a row.
June 20, 2025
I'm not going to pretend there is any enlightenment in these novels. That doesn't mean I never learn from them. One of the best scenes has the central character under siege in a remote vacation house. Cannibal rednecks have them surrounded. They don't have weapons. How do they defend themselves? One of them has a stroke of genius. They boil all the butter and vegetable oil in the house, then also put water on the burner. This way they can keep the cannibals at bay. The next time I'm under assault by flesh-eating rednecks, I'll know just what to do.
It's funny. In the afterward the author tells of his struggles to get his complete, unedited text through publication. His novel was just too violent. Shows how jaded I am. It never occurred to me that anything was over-the-top while reading.
It's funny. In the afterward the author tells of his struggles to get his complete, unedited text through publication. His novel was just too violent. Shows how jaded I am. It never occurred to me that anything was over-the-top while reading.
July 18, 2021
Hell of a ride, but maybe not as crazy as I was expecting.
This was a very good book, don't get me wrong, but I think due to the fact that I read it nearly 41 years after it was published, some of the impact was lost on me.
With so many movies or books about cannibals living in the woods being made nowadays, a book like this didn't shock me as much as it would've when it was first released. When you take that shock factor away, you're left with a fairly standard and par-for-the-course novel. People get attacked by said wood (or this case, cave) dwelling cannibals, get kidnapped, eaten, and it all ends in a big bloody mess.
Worth checking out If this is a sub-genre of horror you're a fan of.
This was a very good book, don't get me wrong, but I think due to the fact that I read it nearly 41 years after it was published, some of the impact was lost on me.
With so many movies or books about cannibals living in the woods being made nowadays, a book like this didn't shock me as much as it would've when it was first released. When you take that shock factor away, you're left with a fairly standard and par-for-the-course novel. People get attacked by said wood (or this case, cave) dwelling cannibals, get kidnapped, eaten, and it all ends in a big bloody mess.
Worth checking out If this is a sub-genre of horror you're a fan of.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2022
Unexpected.
At first I was not so happy with the resolution of the story thinking all that for THIS?
But after thinking on it, that ending is for sure a lot more plausible if this scenario ever happened, which is an even scarier thought.
The only reason I removed a star are because of the two useless characters. The boy in the cage and Laura. The story would have been just as good without them in my opinion.
Lots of gore and physical violence and horror.
The feral kids are so well written and we totally get the inference that they are a completely different species than humans.
My gosh. Terrific horror IMO abd would definetly recommend to fans of body horror and gore.
I will be reading more from this author.
At first I was not so happy with the resolution of the story thinking all that for THIS?
But after thinking on it, that ending is for sure a lot more plausible if this scenario ever happened, which is an even scarier thought.
The only reason I removed a star are because of the two useless characters. The boy in the cage and Laura. The story would have been just as good without them in my opinion.
Lots of gore and physical violence and horror.
The feral kids are so well written and we totally get the inference that they are a completely different species than humans.
My gosh. Terrific horror IMO abd would definetly recommend to fans of body horror and gore.
I will be reading more from this author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2023
To be able to read Off Season the way it was supposed to be written was a real treat. A gruesome tale of cannibals. Not only that, but a tale of love, survival, and finding the strength to push beyond what one thinks they are capable of. A terrific read, and I cannot wait to read more Jack Ketchum. Truly one of the great, under-appreciated voices within the horror genre. Read this, you will not be disappointed.
October 11, 2024
This was a great read. I’m really quite annoyed it took me so long, but I’ve had so much happening lately that I was going days/weeks without reading at all.
The fact I was still able to keep picking the book up and enjoy it with so many breaks in-between shows how good it is.
Had a prop B movie feel to it, but in a good way.
Sometimes that’s exactly what you want in horror.
The fact I was still able to keep picking the book up and enjoy it with so many breaks in-between shows how good it is.
Had a prop B movie feel to it, but in a good way.
Sometimes that’s exactly what you want in horror.
November 28, 2024
Un slashercito entretenido y espeluznante. Es interesante leer el afterword sobre los cambios que hubo entre este “director’s cut” y la novela censurada que se publicó hace unas décadas.
A estas alturas, el libro no brinda nada nuevo, pero en su momento fue importante (he aquí la inspiración de The Hills Have Eyes y las subsecuentes tramas de caníbales rurales).
A estas alturas, el libro no brinda nada nuevo, pero en su momento fue importante (he aquí la inspiración de The Hills Have Eyes y las subsecuentes tramas de caníbales rurales).
February 20, 2022
A simple but interesting read. Very careful to keep the reader intrigued but not inundate you with long, unnecessary descriptions or boring filler. Ash does a good job keeping you on edge as you run from cannibals or dodge around there traps in backwoods Maine.
February 6, 2024
A bleak, gory read. I haven't read the originally published version of Off Season and, based on Ketchum's overview of the differences, I'm glad this was my first exposure to the story. There are certainly some images that will stick with me.
February 18, 2020
"February 18, 2020 –
60.0% "1:00:09"
February 13, 2020 – Shelved
February 13, 2020 – Started Reading"
60.0% "1:00:09"
February 13, 2020 – Shelved
February 13, 2020 – Started Reading"
December 9, 2020
what. a. ride.
August 1, 2022
Thoroughly unpleasant ‘80s Sawney Bean-inspired schlock, but I did like the ending of this edition, so instead of one star I’ll give it two.
May 15, 2023
Overall, a good intro into extreme horror but could have been more gruesome. Why even bother with the cop perspective that much?
April 8, 2024
Bloody disgusting. Literally the grossest thing I’ve ever read. Love it
March 12, 2024
This is my preferred version of Off Season, a no-holds barred nightmare completely devoid of hope or reasoning. Dark, incomprehensible madness, and cruel down to its bare bones.
The ending is the biggest noticable swap. Let's just say not everyone makes it in the end like the original published text. More realistic and downright depressing here. My kind of manic cannibalistic horror.
There's also more graphic descriptions of mutilations and gore. Not that that's entirely my thing, but if this was the original vision Jack Ketchum had, shame on the publishers for omitting much of his heightened sense of moot nihilism. It's a bit tough to read at times because of the content, but worth every page!
The ending is the biggest noticable swap. Let's just say not everyone makes it in the end like the original published text. More realistic and downright depressing here. My kind of manic cannibalistic horror.
There's also more graphic descriptions of mutilations and gore. Not that that's entirely my thing, but if this was the original vision Jack Ketchum had, shame on the publishers for omitting much of his heightened sense of moot nihilism. It's a bit tough to read at times because of the content, but worth every page!
Read
May 12, 2018I won't be giving this novel a star rating because I feel weird saying I "liked" a novel about a family of feral cannibals hunting a group of friends. It was, however, definitely an experience. This novel is not for the faint of heart. There were scenes that were difficult to read and I took many reading breaks to clear my head. I will say that although I haven't read the original, I am glad I was able to find a copy of this unexpurgated edition so I could read the story the way the author originally intended.
November 5, 2016
A very grim story - which is a good thing, when you are a horror book!
April 9, 2017
OMG the carnage! Absolutely gruesome!!! Just finished about 10 min ago and I'm starting in on the sequel! This book is NOT for the squeamish or faint of heart
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews