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No Doors, No Windows
When madness is your inheritance, how do you escape it?
Scott Mast thought he got away–first from a family haunted by a dark fate, then from a dull career writing greeting cards in Seattle. But now he has come back to his New Hampshire hometown only to find that his family is in ruins, his nephew needs a home, and a shattering truth is clawing its way into the light.
Fifteen years ago, Scott’s mother died in a fire. And now the shadowy circumstances–the bodies buried beneath the ashes, the lives ripped apart that fateful day–are starting to be revealed. The answers unspool in the pages of a peculiar old manuscript–an unfinished ghost story written in his father’s own hand that beckons Scott out to a strange house in the woods with a lightless corridor that cannot be seen from the outside. Here Scott Mast will uncover all that has been hidden–and perhaps finish his father’s unspeakable work.
Scott Mast thought he got away–first from a family haunted by a dark fate, then from a dull career writing greeting cards in Seattle. But now he has come back to his New Hampshire hometown only to find that his family is in ruins, his nephew needs a home, and a shattering truth is clawing its way into the light.
Fifteen years ago, Scott’s mother died in a fire. And now the shadowy circumstances–the bodies buried beneath the ashes, the lives ripped apart that fateful day–are starting to be revealed. The answers unspool in the pages of a peculiar old manuscript–an unfinished ghost story written in his father’s own hand that beckons Scott out to a strange house in the woods with a lightless corridor that cannot be seen from the outside. Here Scott Mast will uncover all that has been hidden–and perhaps finish his father’s unspeakable work.
276 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
22 people are currently reading
1576 people want to read
About the author
Joe Schreiber
25 books319 followersJoe Schreiber was born in Michigan but spent his formative years in Alaska, Wyoming and northern California. Until recently, he has never lived in the same address for longer than a year. Before settling in Hershey he lived in New York, Boston, Martha’s Vineyard, Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland (OR), and Philadelphia. Becoming a parent forced him to consider a career with more reliable income, and he got a job as an MRI tech at Hershey Medical Center. Joe is married and has two children. He is the author of Chasing The Dead, Eat The Dark, and his newest tale of terror; No Doors, No Windows, which went on sale the same day as STAR WARS: DEATH TROOPERS. You can find him on the web at his blog ScaryParent.Blogspot.Com and on Suvudu.Com, where he is an occasional horror columnist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
August 1, 2010
Great set up, build up, starts ominous, then creepy, drifts to scary and speeds along to the climax - which then becomes a huge plane crash of half-baked storylines, cliches and convenient resolutions all thrown together with a sappy denouement on top. Whew.
An excellent book until the last 30 pages or so. I really enjoyed the writing, again, until the last 30 pages or so. I'd like to read more by this author and would recommend this book even though I didn't care for all the goings on at the end. It was a great ride up til then.
An excellent book until the last 30 pages or so. I really enjoyed the writing, again, until the last 30 pages or so. I'd like to read more by this author and would recommend this book even though I didn't care for all the goings on at the end. It was a great ride up til then.
November 21, 2010
Schreiber does it again! This is one heck of a cold ride through a cursed, not haunted, house in the back woods of Vermont. The characters, the prose and the storyline crackle with that magical energy that makes you feel as if there are cold fingers running down your spine as you read. Read this book and you will be hooked on this author. As an aside his other book, Chasing the Dead, is another example of the far reaches of his talent. Enjoy, oh and don't forget to leave all of the lights on when you read this one.
August 14, 2011
I loved this book! It kept me at the edge of my seat as I read every chapter. I couldn't put it down for one second, I wanted to know what was going to happen next after every page. The suspense behind the story kept me going until the end. The twist and turns of the story feed my curiosity of wanting to know what was next for Scoot Mast. I think this was the best horror/suspense story that I have ever read.
April 2, 2018
For the sake of my life I will never quit reading, never ever...
Ahhhhhhh! Tell me that this was some kind of joke. Are kidding with me? How supposed to write something ok when at the same time I feel fear and emotional in the exact moment! I do believe right now I am incapable of writing a good or say a solid for this novel...
It was good, too good. The kind of novel that kept uptight to your position while you are reading. I do want to admit that this one is one of the best horror novel that I read in the year of 2018. If you ask me than of course I will love to recommend this work to those who love to read a good horror fiction...
Right now as I am writing this review I could feel every type of emotions that playing in my head. Would you believe that I was in that totally emotional by my mental condition. I just couldn't believe that. Well you see from a horror fiction you expect to find scary, creepy or cruel events; if you know what I mean. But at that exact point of that book while I was reading I just couldn't help myself but felt attached with the character that almost made me cry...
The story was too good as I already mentioned it. Specifically the way the author described it. I was so caught up with all the events from this book that in the end I forgot my sense of time. I was totally lost in it. I would say not from the beginning but when you deep further to the book, after then you will gradually become more aware with those characters. By the I liked the description of the circumstances and believe me in some point these writing style of making a story creep the hell out of me. I do remember in almost in the last end I read something and then I reread it again, couldn't believing my own eyes I felt fear; the kind of fear you don't want feel whenever you see or heard something unthinkable...
Scott!
Believe me this character that I think I can match something with myself. I could see myself in him (ij some point) and I do felt sorry for him. I don't know how to make it right to say something about him but it's that character that make me think again that no matter what Life is so unpredictable...
Sonia!
Ah, that women. I don't want to talk about her but I know I do have to. Don't get me wrong but I felt pity for her sounding no offence here as I mentioned it already Life is so unpredictable and of course you don't when and how it might turn even in a split of second...
Owen!
Brother of Scott. Always drunk, hopeless person who never sure what to do with himself but hey he did have a good health into him. & what he did in the end for that women well it could never be better than that...
Henry!
Ah! That poor sweet little boy, son of Owen. I felt terribly sorry for that little pal, and reading about him I again couldn't help myself but remembered some of dark past of my childhood time...
Colette!
Special thanks for this character to the author. Though at first I really beginning to hate her but in the end well that was another story. But what happened with her husband (that sick minded beast) Red, yeah he deserved it and guess what? It satisfied my mind too. Never mind...
From me 5 out 5. Thanks to the Author -
Joe Schreiber...
August 10, 2012
No Doors, No Windows is by Joe Schreiber, who writes short, smooth little horror thrillers with a really crawly creep factor.
No Doors, No Windows finds Scott Mast back home in small town America for his father's funeral. His alcoholic brother can barely take care of his precocious nephew, but Scott's about to go back to his succesful job writing greeting cards on the coast when he finds pages from a novel manuscript written by his assumedly unimaginative father. The manuscript leads Scott to a haunted house mentioned in it, which leads to our protagonist renting the haunted house and trying to finish his dad's haunted novel. He's stopped taking his meds, and his research on the house's history seems to indicate that his whole family has a history of mental instability that goes back generations.
I liked how the scenario starts sleightly off, with the funeral and the dysfunctional family. Each detail the author adds: the house in the manuscript turning out to be real, the dead girl in the blue dress, the ex suddenly showing up, the revelation that she dumped him cold without an explanation when they were set to leave town together, the once beautiful town matriarch addicted to plastic surgery... each bit just adds tension and an element of creepy, until the weird is rattling around in the story like a loose bolt in a dune buggy. I also really relished that the house showes up in many generations of his family's art, like a bad thought they are trying to exorcise.
I felt like you couldn't tell if the protagonist was haunted or nuts until close to the end, and I'm not going to tell you which. I do think Joe mines interesting territory, setting a presumably modern illness in the remote past. The ending seemed like it got wrapped up a little too neatly. Perhaps that was because over the course of the story your feelings about the protagonist are muddied: should you be afraid for him, or of him? That's often par for the course in horror, but I wanted a little more emotional certainty about the outcome. Otherwise, it was a creepy, fun, quick read.
No Doors, No Windows finds Scott Mast back home in small town America for his father's funeral. His alcoholic brother can barely take care of his precocious nephew, but Scott's about to go back to his succesful job writing greeting cards on the coast when he finds pages from a novel manuscript written by his assumedly unimaginative father. The manuscript leads Scott to a haunted house mentioned in it, which leads to our protagonist renting the haunted house and trying to finish his dad's haunted novel. He's stopped taking his meds, and his research on the house's history seems to indicate that his whole family has a history of mental instability that goes back generations.
I liked how the scenario starts sleightly off, with the funeral and the dysfunctional family. Each detail the author adds: the house in the manuscript turning out to be real, the dead girl in the blue dress, the ex suddenly showing up, the revelation that she dumped him cold without an explanation when they were set to leave town together, the once beautiful town matriarch addicted to plastic surgery... each bit just adds tension and an element of creepy, until the weird is rattling around in the story like a loose bolt in a dune buggy. I also really relished that the house showes up in many generations of his family's art, like a bad thought they are trying to exorcise.
I felt like you couldn't tell if the protagonist was haunted or nuts until close to the end, and I'm not going to tell you which. I do think Joe mines interesting territory, setting a presumably modern illness in the remote past. The ending seemed like it got wrapped up a little too neatly. Perhaps that was because over the course of the story your feelings about the protagonist are muddied: should you be afraid for him, or of him? That's often par for the course in horror, but I wanted a little more emotional certainty about the outcome. Otherwise, it was a creepy, fun, quick read.
November 21, 2009
Good. Not great. While Schreiber's novel starts out with the fairly unique setting of the Round House (which has both doors and windows, so I'm not sure where the title of the book comes from) and an interesting cast of characters the more that is revealed the less interesting it all gets until it becomes a pile of derivative mush that ends up resembling the ending of a 'Nightmare on Elm Street' movie rather than the tense haunted house story you were promised in the beginning. A noble effort, but it doesn't compare at all to House of Leaves. (As you may read in other reviews.) Worth checking out. It would have been a ton better without several soap opera revelations in the final 10 pages of the story.
January 12, 2015
I think this is the best book I've read all year. Words fail me when trying to explain why, b/c it has more to do with a feeling than any word, and my feelings have this bad habit of eluding one- or two-word descriptions.
July 31, 2011
Creepy, but I don't think it really stood out. It was good enough that I will def. seek out other works by this author, but I have read horror books which have stood out more.
February 26, 2015
Freaky!
October 1, 2021
Really good! I got to a point in this book where it got a little creepy. I wasn't sure if I should keep reading. I don't in general like to read or see movies about paranormal, so I wasn't sure if I should keep reading. Glad I did, because it was really good, until the weird ending. The ending felt like a Steven King ending. Where he just couldn't quite figure how to end this great book.
November 18, 2009
It’s been recommended that writers should stick to writing what they know when it comes to writing, and what better character can a writer write about than him- or herself . . . a writer. But the writer in Joe Schreiber’s new novel, No Doors, No Windows, is one with a dark, disturbing past that even he doesn’t fully understand until the last few pages of the book, and has worked hard to forget and stay away from. One hopes that Joe Schreiber isn’t anything like his character, Scott Mast.
Scott Mast wanted to make it big as a writer, but it never happened. So now he spends his days living relatively well, writing copy for greeting cards. He currently lives in Seattle and is happily far away from his family and old life where he grew up. That is until his father dies and he must return home to New Hampshire, finding an alcoholic loser of a brother with a son who he neglects and fails at being a decent father to. As Mast contemplates what he can do to help – there’s the touchy history of their mother having died fifteen years ago in a horrific fire – he discovers a unfinished manuscript his father was apparently working on. It’s about a very special house where there are no corners or edges; everything is curved and rounded. In this house there is a door that leads to “the black wing,” where there are no doors, and no windows; where terrible things happen. But the story is unfinished and Mast decides that he must finish the book himself. After meeting up with an old girlfriend (their failed relationship is its own doomed story), he stumbles upon a remote house that turns out to be exactly like the one in his father’s manuscript.
And so Mast rents the house and begins writing the story, feeling a strange presence overtake him when he is adding to the manuscript. He knows it has something to do with the house, but he doesn’t know what. Meanwhile his brother falls deeper into his booze-filled spiral, leaving young Henry alone and abandoned. The clues gently fall in to place with each chapter, as Schreiber leaves the read wanting more, forcing the turning of the page, and the need to know what is the story behind Scott Mast and his strange mental state; what’s the story behind the house; what’s the deal with Mast’s brother; and most importantly: what’s the story behind the Mast family that deals with the dark history of the town. Horror readers will enjoy No Doors, No Windows for its psychological thrill ride that doesn’t get revealed and resolved until the very last pages of the book.
For more reviews, check out the BookBanter site.
Scott Mast wanted to make it big as a writer, but it never happened. So now he spends his days living relatively well, writing copy for greeting cards. He currently lives in Seattle and is happily far away from his family and old life where he grew up. That is until his father dies and he must return home to New Hampshire, finding an alcoholic loser of a brother with a son who he neglects and fails at being a decent father to. As Mast contemplates what he can do to help – there’s the touchy history of their mother having died fifteen years ago in a horrific fire – he discovers a unfinished manuscript his father was apparently working on. It’s about a very special house where there are no corners or edges; everything is curved and rounded. In this house there is a door that leads to “the black wing,” where there are no doors, and no windows; where terrible things happen. But the story is unfinished and Mast decides that he must finish the book himself. After meeting up with an old girlfriend (their failed relationship is its own doomed story), he stumbles upon a remote house that turns out to be exactly like the one in his father’s manuscript.
And so Mast rents the house and begins writing the story, feeling a strange presence overtake him when he is adding to the manuscript. He knows it has something to do with the house, but he doesn’t know what. Meanwhile his brother falls deeper into his booze-filled spiral, leaving young Henry alone and abandoned. The clues gently fall in to place with each chapter, as Schreiber leaves the read wanting more, forcing the turning of the page, and the need to know what is the story behind Scott Mast and his strange mental state; what’s the story behind the house; what’s the deal with Mast’s brother; and most importantly: what’s the story behind the Mast family that deals with the dark history of the town. Horror readers will enjoy No Doors, No Windows for its psychological thrill ride that doesn’t get revealed and resolved until the very last pages of the book.
For more reviews, check out the BookBanter site.
October 30, 2009
There are two horror novelists whose books I avidly await. The first is Sarah Langan and the second is Joe Schreiber. Both write spooky stories that disturb not by creating revolting images, but by creating moods and suggesting terrible things. They are young and have just a few (solid) books to their credit, but Schreiber has two new books out. The books are in different genres, so I expected some variation, but I found the differences between them to be startling.
One book, Death Troopers, has a immediately engaging concept, but a weak payoff. The other, No Doors, No Windows, has one of the most hackneyed of concepts, but is riveting throughout. In Death Troopers, an Imperial prison barge investigates and abandoned Star Destroyer and finds it occupied by space zombies. Sounds cool, but doesn't go anywhere. No Doors, No Windows is a haunted house story about a hard luck family and the gothic horrors of small towns. It's been done a million times, but Schreiber's characters, plot peculiarities, pacing and writing rise to the top.
Death Troopers has weak characterization, relies on the Star Wars universe to carry much of the background and is marred by far too much exposition. No Doors, No Windows has a number of interesting characters, some cliched to be sure, but symphatheically and often surprisingly handled. The difference in the writing is just shocking. It feels lifeless in Death Troopers, while vigorous in No Doors, No Windows. Sadly, I think that Death Troopers might be the future of Schreiber's books (he already has a prequel in the works.)
Death Troopers has a sales rank of 430, while No Doors No Windows has a rank of 89,965 (as of this writing). I can't blame him if he churns out more of these Star Wars books. My only hope is that the people who find him thanks to Star Wars move on (and buy) his much better horror books.
One book, Death Troopers, has a immediately engaging concept, but a weak payoff. The other, No Doors, No Windows, has one of the most hackneyed of concepts, but is riveting throughout. In Death Troopers, an Imperial prison barge investigates and abandoned Star Destroyer and finds it occupied by space zombies. Sounds cool, but doesn't go anywhere. No Doors, No Windows is a haunted house story about a hard luck family and the gothic horrors of small towns. It's been done a million times, but Schreiber's characters, plot peculiarities, pacing and writing rise to the top.
Death Troopers has weak characterization, relies on the Star Wars universe to carry much of the background and is marred by far too much exposition. No Doors, No Windows has a number of interesting characters, some cliched to be sure, but symphatheically and often surprisingly handled. The difference in the writing is just shocking. It feels lifeless in Death Troopers, while vigorous in No Doors, No Windows. Sadly, I think that Death Troopers might be the future of Schreiber's books (he already has a prequel in the works.)
Death Troopers has a sales rank of 430, while No Doors No Windows has a rank of 89,965 (as of this writing). I can't blame him if he churns out more of these Star Wars books. My only hope is that the people who find him thanks to Star Wars move on (and buy) his much better horror books.
May 15, 2010
A book full of promise and a really great premise, yet it lets you down in the end.
It's a ghost story about how the past always haunts you and how you can never simply forget where you came from. It starts with a greeting card writer/author-wannabe who returns to his small hometown for his father's funeral. There is tons of atmosphere and genuiune creepiness as the little town is slowly falling into decay and you get the feeling it's not simply because their economy is in ruins. The main character (who is dull as dishwater - I can't even remember his name) finds out that his father had a secret hobby when he discovers a half finished novel stuffed in his father's shed. It's about a man who becomes consumed by a haunted house. Then one day, the main character drives by that very house.
As the book slowly builds towards a confrontation of the main character with the spectre that has been haunting his family for generations, the narrative loses its cohesion and we slip from a world of strange coincidences to just plain absurdity. The main character doesn't even really confront the bad guy (or, as I expected would happen, become possessed by him). You're left feeling somewhat dissatisfied: all of that delicious atmospere and some geniunely scary moments building up to what amounts to a cliche Hollywood climax. Too bad, one half of this book is trully great and Joe Schreiber is definately talented. He's also fairly new, so better luck next time.
It's a ghost story about how the past always haunts you and how you can never simply forget where you came from. It starts with a greeting card writer/author-wannabe who returns to his small hometown for his father's funeral. There is tons of atmosphere and genuiune creepiness as the little town is slowly falling into decay and you get the feeling it's not simply because their economy is in ruins. The main character (who is dull as dishwater - I can't even remember his name) finds out that his father had a secret hobby when he discovers a half finished novel stuffed in his father's shed. It's about a man who becomes consumed by a haunted house. Then one day, the main character drives by that very house.
As the book slowly builds towards a confrontation of the main character with the spectre that has been haunting his family for generations, the narrative loses its cohesion and we slip from a world of strange coincidences to just plain absurdity. The main character doesn't even really confront the bad guy (or, as I expected would happen, become possessed by him). You're left feeling somewhat dissatisfied: all of that delicious atmospere and some geniunely scary moments building up to what amounts to a cliche Hollywood climax. Too bad, one half of this book is trully great and Joe Schreiber is definately talented. He's also fairly new, so better luck next time.
January 21, 2010
I'm iffy on this one. It has a good premise; I am a sucker for horror novels involving failed/struggling writers (like The Killing Circle by Pyper, which I recently read), though having the failed writer stay in a creepy, isolated old house is pretty standard genre stuff. I liked the way Schreiber worked with the idea, though; Scott, the protagonist, finds his father's unfinished horror novel about the Round House and decides to complete it. As expected, Scott's writing suddenly flows, but as a result he starts to have trouble discerning reality and fantasy (well, reality and horror, really), compounded by the fact that he goes off his meds, and oh, yeah, the house is kinda haunted and his family is kinda cursed. Scrieber quickly builds and then sustains the dread and tension throughout. The Round House is an intriguing setting and I like how Scott's family history was woven into its history. The ending is what fizzled, for me. The climactic battle felt rushed, but what really bothered me was that it didn't "feel" right. Maybe I just didn't like how it all worked out -- it's difficult for me to explain.
February 10, 2012
I liked this book quite a bit. Very creepy and scary. Greeting card writer/failed fiction writer Scott Mast comes home for his father's funeral. He finds an unfinished manuscript written by his father and becomes obsessed with finishing it and with the "Round House" that the story is about. I happened to be reading it when stranded in another city. Why was I reading a scary book when I was all alone stranded, you ask? Because I'm an idiot. Anyway, I thought the book was very well written. The tension builds as the Scott gets closer to the truth about the house and about his family. Some of the end was a bit confusing and perhaps contrived to make it all fit and for that I dropped the rating from five to four, but if you like the horror genre, I would definitely check this book out.
March 8, 2011
I loved the authors use of imagery. His metaphors and similes really brought the book to life. The book had promising creepy factor and there were definite moments where I was freaked out, but he would take you to that point and then get distracted. Overall, I found the book fragmented, like it was trying to do too many things and couldn't quite pick a point and stick with it or tie the disparate pieces together. It was sort of explained when I read the afterword where he said he'd been working on the book for years. I think he was just over attached to the different elements instead of realizing it needed to be streamlined.
October 24, 2016
I saw this one pop up on Amazon a few times, and upon reading the blurb, kept passing it up. Then I came across it at the library and it was the best thing available, so I brought it home. Very glad I did. I enjoyed Schreiber's writing. His protagonist's struggle with a mental disorder (anxiety I think) and his brother's struggle with alcoholism rang true to me. I also like this type of haunted house story, where the house has a unique architectural detail (that's all I'm saying, so no spoiler). The sense of impending doom ramped up a little with every chapter, and the end was fairly satisfying, if a bit far-fetched.
March 5, 2011
Hmmm. I really liked the premise of this book, the setting, and the atmosphere...right from the start. BUT, there were too many loose threads and convenient contrivances that left the reader with unnecessary frustration at the end. Too bad, it could have been really great. I actually re-skimmed the entire thing the day after I'd finished it, just to make sure I hadn't missed something...that's how unfulfilled I felt at the end. But alas, I hadn't missed something. Apparently the author had.
June 26, 2017
Thrilling
Mr. Schreiber has done an excellent job of bringing the bizarre to reality. His imagination and talent conjured up a round house, heretofore unheard of. This book kept my attention throughout and I have found a new author to add to my favorite list.
Mr. Schreiber has done an excellent job of bringing the bizarre to reality. His imagination and talent conjured up a round house, heretofore unheard of. This book kept my attention throughout and I have found a new author to add to my favorite list.
August 28, 2017
Great book, delightfully creepy!
September 9, 2017
Damn scary...and yes, I slept with a light on!
December 31, 2024
I have no idea what to make of this book. It started out like it was going to be a mystery/thriller about a man returning to his home town after his father’s death. But after a bit, it took a strange turn, to where I wasn’t sure what genre it was supposed to be. And in the end, it became a truly odd ghost/horror story. Not sure why I stuck with it other than for a while I wanted to see where it would go. But the further in I got, the weirder and more disjointed the story became. And I just couldn’t get a fix on or interest in any of the characters. The development wasn't there. And it just didn’t make sense, frankly. Why did I stick with it? I guess the turning point came too late for me to give up and I was genuinely curious what the author was heading toward. In the end, I was just confused and felt no satisfaction in the denouement. I awarded one star only because it kept my interest just enough (barely) to not put it down.
Want to read
August 5, 2025I’m usually reluctant to do book blind dates because I’m picky but the description on this one intrigued me (haunted house + family issues + unreliable narrator, hell yeah). To Joe Schreiber and the employees at The Book Bin: please don’t let me down!
October 17, 2017
In 'No Doors, No Windows', aspiring writer Scott Mast returns to his hometown for his father's funeral but the discovery of an unfinished manuscript makes him stay. Intrigued by the Round House stated in his late father's story, he decides to temporarily reside in that very house to try completing the horror tale. However, soon he begins experiencing hallucinations that lead him to question what's fiction and what's fact..
The Round House was a character in and of itself. The author's brilliantly intricate descriptions gave it a life of its own - it had such a strong presence coupled with a deliciously dark vibe. There was plenty of suspense throughout the story as to what had really happened at the residence as well as the secret behind the mysterious doorless and windowless passageway within it. The sense of impending doom kept me turning the pages, eager to find out the truth.
Scott was a likeable protagonist. He did his best to take care of his alcoholic brother, Owen both financially and emotionally while playing the role of a father figure for his sibling's son, Henry. The way he changed was subtle and gradual yet frightening especially when the words he typed seemed to turn into reality. Following him on his quest to figure out the history of Round House was interesting as he acquired more information that got him closer to the answer.
The last few chapters were weak compared to how the story started off promising. There was too much crammed into them, with the author rushing to tie up all the relevant information together. That aside, the explanations made sense and the writing remained engaging enough. Therefore, I could overlook a couple of flaws such as the ending which was a little unbelievable for me because Scott's .
Overall, 'No Doors, No Windows' was a riveting psychological horror story that delved into the secrets of the past without ever detracting from the present.
The Round House was a character in and of itself. The author's brilliantly intricate descriptions gave it a life of its own - it had such a strong presence coupled with a deliciously dark vibe. There was plenty of suspense throughout the story as to what had really happened at the residence as well as the secret behind the mysterious doorless and windowless passageway within it. The sense of impending doom kept me turning the pages, eager to find out the truth.
Scott was a likeable protagonist. He did his best to take care of his alcoholic brother, Owen both financially and emotionally while playing the role of a father figure for his sibling's son, Henry. The way he changed was subtle and gradual yet frightening especially when the words he typed seemed to turn into reality. Following him on his quest to figure out the history of Round House was interesting as he acquired more information that got him closer to the answer.
The last few chapters were weak compared to how the story started off promising. There was too much crammed into them, with the author rushing to tie up all the relevant information together. That aside, the explanations made sense and the writing remained engaging enough. Therefore, I could overlook a couple of flaws such as the ending which was a little unbelievable for me because Scott's .
Overall, 'No Doors, No Windows' was a riveting psychological horror story that delved into the secrets of the past without ever detracting from the present.
November 4, 2011
I was in a horror book type of mood for the month of October so when I came across this book I grabbed it only for that reason. The summary seemed quite interesting and a bit scary, so I gave it a try.
This book was about a son who came back to his hometown for his fathers funeral and the day of he comes across a story written by his father that is uncompleted. He feels the need to finish this story, so he decides to stay in town for a month to complete it. The story he found was based on a house with a long black hallway and in his travels he actually finds that it exists in real life. He moves in and begins where the story left off. This part of the book really interested me. The idea of finishing what someone started seemed really creepy to me and more so because that someone was just buried in the ground.
Overall, once the story really go into it I had the creeps a few time, but I was a bit disappointed with where it went. The reasoning to things seems so out of context that I felt like the author had this idea that because it was a horror book he could make up any excuse as to why the charters were in this situation and how it ended.
I would not really recommend this book to anyone, I am sure there are better horror books out there to read.
This book was about a son who came back to his hometown for his fathers funeral and the day of he comes across a story written by his father that is uncompleted. He feels the need to finish this story, so he decides to stay in town for a month to complete it. The story he found was based on a house with a long black hallway and in his travels he actually finds that it exists in real life. He moves in and begins where the story left off. This part of the book really interested me. The idea of finishing what someone started seemed really creepy to me and more so because that someone was just buried in the ground.
Overall, once the story really go into it I had the creeps a few time, but I was a bit disappointed with where it went. The reasoning to things seems so out of context that I felt like the author had this idea that because it was a horror book he could make up any excuse as to why the charters were in this situation and how it ended.
I would not really recommend this book to anyone, I am sure there are better horror books out there to read.
June 6, 2018
Creepy & Mysterious, yet Typical.
There were creepy parts, I will admit. The story is told well; the pace is perfect and kept me interested. There was also the all too familiar reason for the supernatural and it felt forced. There were too many convenient coincidences that I just can't get over.
There's many stories that have the same big reveal and have these parallels that I should have expected with this book. It was going so well. I was being lead to believe (and really wanted) this whole story was a psychotic breakdown.
What could have made this book better for me? I want the main character, that I learn to adore, to experience horrible events, only to wake up and realize they need a psych evaluation. But getting what I wanted would have made me unhappy still. So my expectations are met, but my predictions were not which is how it should be.
I'm a complicated person.
Amazing characters should end up at the bottom of a pond in the backyard of a creepy house in the middle of nowhere. Why? Because that makes the story better. That makes the reader remember.
This is my first read from Schreiber. I am impressed with his imagery, character detail, and suspense building so much that I am now a fan.
There were creepy parts, I will admit. The story is told well; the pace is perfect and kept me interested. There was also the all too familiar reason for the supernatural and it felt forced. There were too many convenient coincidences that I just can't get over.
There's many stories that have the same big reveal and have these parallels that I should have expected with this book. It was going so well. I was being lead to believe (and really wanted) this whole story was a psychotic breakdown.
What could have made this book better for me? I want the main character, that I learn to adore, to experience horrible events, only to wake up and realize they need a psych evaluation. But getting what I wanted would have made me unhappy still. So my expectations are met, but my predictions were not which is how it should be.
I'm a complicated person.
Amazing characters should end up at the bottom of a pond in the backyard of a creepy house in the middle of nowhere. Why? Because that makes the story better. That makes the reader remember.
This is my first read from Schreiber. I am impressed with his imagery, character detail, and suspense building so much that I am now a fan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 15, 2010
Scott Mast comes home to his New England hometown for his father's funeral and ends up staying when he strays across a horror story manuscript his father started and never finished. A failed writer himself, Scott stays in Round House, the house that the book is about, in order to finish the manuscript. But his writing awakes strange happenings in Round House (the house that apparently drove his father crazy) and now that he's off his antidepressant medication, he's wondering if he's crazy, too. Complicating matters is his five-year-old nephew, Henry, who desperately wants to come live with Scott in Seattle due to his own father (Owen) being a lush. The death of Scott and Owen's mother fifteen years prior in a fire haunts the two men and overshadows their relationship, but Scott soon learns that nothing in his life—including his brother—is what it seems.
If you like haunted house stories, this could be your thing. Schreiber lays on the pathos a little thick, but that doesn't make for any less of an engaging read, and there's nothing too gruesome. (I tend to dislike books that overdo "the grossout.") I read the book in two days—always a good sign for a book in the horror genre.
If you like haunted house stories, this could be your thing. Schreiber lays on the pathos a little thick, but that doesn't make for any less of an engaging read, and there's nothing too gruesome. (I tend to dislike books that overdo "the grossout.") I read the book in two days—always a good sign for a book in the horror genre.
May 28, 2011
After having read "Death Troopers" and "Red Harvest" I decided to read an earlier book of Schreibers. Now this one I only gave 3 stars which may be undeserving, may deserve a higher rank. I say this because as I was reading it, I came down with a pretty bad cold and was somewhat in and out of it all while trying to read the story. That having been said, the story here is great. Right away I got attached to Henry as he was playing ball with his uncle Scott, shortly have the passing of Scott's father. The story here all revolves around the the history of the area, the shadows of secrecy of Scott's family, and the house (the round house). The storyline is chilling at times, feverish another, and creepy at others. The 1st part of the story kinda lost me at times (again may be due to the illness I was feeling). Schreiber seemed to be too descriptive at the beginning of each chapter, which made it more difficult for me to visualize what I was reading. I had to think more about what I was seeing in my head rather than getting lost in the story and naturally visualizing it as I went along. I'll have to read this one again to get it a much more exact review.
October 19, 2012
Scott Mast returns to his home town in northern New Hampshire to attend his father's funeral. Officially his dad died of Alzheimer's, but unofficial accounts were that he had just plain gone mad. While retrieving a softball from the locked tool shed, Scott and his brother, Owen, find a book manuscript that his father apparently had written. It is about a strange house with no corners on the inside, called appropriately Round House, and it is unfinished. Being a writer himself, Scott takes on the task of completing the book. He also discovers that Round House really exists out in the woods north of town. He moves into the house to work on his writing and discovers that his father's insanity may be a legacy Scott cannot escape, and may not be entirely genetic.
I am a big fan of Joe Schreiber's horror fiction. His previous two books, "Chasing the Dead" and "Eat the Dark," are compact, tension-filled creepfests that really get under your skin. "No Doors, No Windows" is no exception. It is a perfect Halloween read. It's fast paced, dark, disturbing and a hell of a ride.
I am a big fan of Joe Schreiber's horror fiction. His previous two books, "Chasing the Dead" and "Eat the Dark," are compact, tension-filled creepfests that really get under your skin. "No Doors, No Windows" is no exception. It is a perfect Halloween read. It's fast paced, dark, disturbing and a hell of a ride.
March 17, 2020
I liked No Doors an awful lot. It's a a fairly standard haunted house story with a dash of family curses, which suits me just fine. I found the writing style engaging, and it kept me company on a very long train ride.
The only thing I didn't like was the twist at the end. It was a needless addition to an already kind of complicated plot and sure as hell made a certain character less likable. Otherwise maybe I'm a sap but I found everybody else pretty sympathetic. Even the drunk idiot brother had a helpless sweetness to him, and I can get on the level of a protag who says he's a writer without actually writing anything.
This was the first book I read by this author. It looks like he does a lot of fandom adaptation stuff and not much similar to No Doors, but I look forward to checking some of it out anyway.
The only thing I didn't like was the twist at the end. It was a needless addition to an already kind of complicated plot and sure as hell made a certain character less likable. Otherwise maybe I'm a sap but I found everybody else pretty sympathetic. Even the drunk idiot brother had a helpless sweetness to him, and I can get on the level of a protag who says he's a writer without actually writing anything.
This was the first book I read by this author. It looks like he does a lot of fandom adaptation stuff and not much similar to No Doors, but I look forward to checking some of it out anyway.
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