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Awake
Lee Fenton can't sleep. He goes to the doctor, and finds out that he has a terminal form of insomnia called Fatal Familial Insomnia. A fairly successful author, he realizes the one good thing is that he won't have to worry so much about his retirement fund anymore. He buys a luxury RV and sets off across the country, enlisting his best friend to help him with the driving. They meet some girls, and they end up coming along on the trip. Together, the group takes an all-American trip. It's the ultimate vacation, the perfect way for Lee to spend his limited time. But as Lee sleeps less and less each night, he begins to see visions. Visions of a monster that is stalking him, following him around the country. And it wants him... AWAKE is a tale of horror, hallucinations, friendship, America, and love, told through the eyes of our new Lost Generation of twenty-somethings.
- GenresHorror
390 pages, Paperback
First published March 2, 2013
10 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Blake
27 books96 followersMatthew Blake lives in Spokane, Washington. He has been a fan of writing and reading horror since he was a boy. He keeps busy between writing and his three-year-old daughter. He was a soldier in the US Army and attained a degree in web development after his time in the service.
When he has free time he likes to play disc golf (a popular sport that a lot of people don't know about, you should try it if you haven't already,) and take long walks.
When he has free time he likes to play disc golf (a popular sport that a lot of people don't know about, you should try it if you haven't already,) and take long walks.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 3, 2013
Awake is a new novel by Matthew Blake.
I have to confess, I didn’t have the best reading experience with Blake’s last book; although the story was decent, I found it to be marred by less than satisfactory editing. This new novel, however, is a breath of fresh air, and really showcases Blake’s talent as a writer, bringing his stylistic flair and unique writing style to the forefront.
Awake, for me, is remarkable for one particular reason: it’s so bloody average. Now this might sound like a criticism, but it is in fact the magic of the story. The plot rolls through such everyday experiences in such a bizarre way that it feels as though nothing is happening – it is a superb and unique way of building tension; you just know that something god awful is going to happen at any moment.
And let’s face it, when the protagonist is suffering from a terminal insomnia disease and is being followed by a bloody great demon, the god-awful is going to be pretty hellish. The sweet little love story of Lee and Ivy feels doomed from the start – not only by Lee’s condition – but thanks to the relentless pursuit by the red, horned being, and Lee’s descent into what his companions only see as ‘madness’.
I won’t say a lot more about the plot so as not to spoil it for any potential readers, but I can safely say that this is a great little story; not only for those who like horror, but for those who like travelling – it has made me want to visit and tour the USA in a way that nothing before has. I’ve never been taken with the idea before reading this, but the adventure of Lee, Ivy, Ben and Stella, has made me want to try it out – though I sincerely hope that nothing as horrific as what’s in this book decides to follow me if I ever get the chance!
I have to confess, I didn’t have the best reading experience with Blake’s last book; although the story was decent, I found it to be marred by less than satisfactory editing. This new novel, however, is a breath of fresh air, and really showcases Blake’s talent as a writer, bringing his stylistic flair and unique writing style to the forefront.
Awake, for me, is remarkable for one particular reason: it’s so bloody average. Now this might sound like a criticism, but it is in fact the magic of the story. The plot rolls through such everyday experiences in such a bizarre way that it feels as though nothing is happening – it is a superb and unique way of building tension; you just know that something god awful is going to happen at any moment.
And let’s face it, when the protagonist is suffering from a terminal insomnia disease and is being followed by a bloody great demon, the god-awful is going to be pretty hellish. The sweet little love story of Lee and Ivy feels doomed from the start – not only by Lee’s condition – but thanks to the relentless pursuit by the red, horned being, and Lee’s descent into what his companions only see as ‘madness’.
I won’t say a lot more about the plot so as not to spoil it for any potential readers, but I can safely say that this is a great little story; not only for those who like horror, but for those who like travelling – it has made me want to visit and tour the USA in a way that nothing before has. I’ve never been taken with the idea before reading this, but the adventure of Lee, Ivy, Ben and Stella, has made me want to try it out – though I sincerely hope that nothing as horrific as what’s in this book decides to follow me if I ever get the chance!
May 3, 2013
I enjoyed this book a lot. I found myself interested in the daily routines of the characters. I enjoyed the way they played off of each other. The ending seemed a little abrupt to me, but I would still recommend this book.
May 4, 2017
Especially near the end, this book sunk hooks into my horror/terror/suspense level and would not let go.
May 23, 2013
You’re told you have an incurable disease and you only have a few months to a year to live so what do you do? If you are like Lee, you find a good buddy, buy an RV and travel. Lee doesn’t need to worry about money as he is a successful writer of horror novels, so money comes in regularly from the sales of these and he cashes in some of his retirement savings and on the road the two guys go. Sounds like a good plan but things only get better when they find two young girls looking for a ride on the side of the road and it has now become a couple’s getaway. Ivy is the perfect match for Lee and even though Stella’s whining and challenging attitude is nonstop, Ben and Stella find comfort with one another. Working their way across the states, hitting the tourists sites, eating, drinking and enjoying each other company (if you catch my drift) keeps the story moving along rather quickly as you enjoy the sites with these couples. Things start to get twisted when Lee starts to see a red demon. Thinking it is the disease of insomnia that is causing this vision, Lee quickly tries to avoid situations where this red being could be sighted but the sightings are interrupting the trip. Is this being real or just his imagination?
This reminded me of the movie Joe vs. The Volcano when Tom Hanks thinks he has the brain cloud and he quits his job and goes on an adventure when then he really doesn’t. I just love that movie. It answers the question, what would you do if you found out you have an incurable disease and like Tom Hanks, Lee doesn’t get a second opinion, he just instantly takes action and he does what he has always wanted to but his dreams have something evil chasing him. As I was reading, the mystery of the demon surrounded my thoughts. Matthew had great characters in the book even though I got annoyed with Stella. I’m sure glad she had Ben there as I would have left her on the side of the road but that is what you get with a good writer, a variety of characters. I thought the middle of the book got slow but the ending picked back up and I enjoyed their trip.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.
This reminded me of the movie Joe vs. The Volcano when Tom Hanks thinks he has the brain cloud and he quits his job and goes on an adventure when then he really doesn’t. I just love that movie. It answers the question, what would you do if you found out you have an incurable disease and like Tom Hanks, Lee doesn’t get a second opinion, he just instantly takes action and he does what he has always wanted to but his dreams have something evil chasing him. As I was reading, the mystery of the demon surrounded my thoughts. Matthew had great characters in the book even though I got annoyed with Stella. I’m sure glad she had Ben there as I would have left her on the side of the road but that is what you get with a good writer, a variety of characters. I thought the middle of the book got slow but the ending picked back up and I enjoyed their trip.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.
April 12, 2013
Awake
by: Matthew Blake
A successful writer named Lee Fenton learns he has a terminal disease and has but a few short months left to live. What he thought was a case of Insomnia turns out to be a fatal condition called Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFA).
With what time he has left to live, he decides to pack up a few belongs and hit the road in a luxury motor home to tour the United States. Lee not only wants to see all the places he has longed to visit, he also has this urgent feeling that tells him to run...to keep moving!
Knowing that he could not make this trip alone, he calls his good friend Ben, asking him to go with him, all expenses paid of course. Ben out of work and facing financial troubles jumps at the chance to help his friend while curing his cash flow problems!
Once on the road the duo meets Ivy and Stella. Two girls making their own journey. Hitting it off quickly, Lee and Ivy soon fall in love. Ben and Stella though not as smoothly also fall in love.
During their trip Lee's Insomnia progresses with him losing more sleep as well as developing hallucinations. The real confusion begins when first Ivy then Ben and Stella also see Lee's hallucinations! There the real journey begins.
I enjoyed this book and give it three and a half stars. It drags a bit towards the middle and once it picks up again....it's over. I'd have liked to see a bit more of the foursome experiencing Lee's hallucinations before the ending. There are some grammar problems but really didn't distract me from the story.
Overall, an enjoyable read....especially if you suffer from Insomnia yourself!!
Book given as a gift from the author for an honest review.
by: Matthew Blake
A successful writer named Lee Fenton learns he has a terminal disease and has but a few short months left to live. What he thought was a case of Insomnia turns out to be a fatal condition called Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFA).
With what time he has left to live, he decides to pack up a few belongs and hit the road in a luxury motor home to tour the United States. Lee not only wants to see all the places he has longed to visit, he also has this urgent feeling that tells him to run...to keep moving!
Knowing that he could not make this trip alone, he calls his good friend Ben, asking him to go with him, all expenses paid of course. Ben out of work and facing financial troubles jumps at the chance to help his friend while curing his cash flow problems!
Once on the road the duo meets Ivy and Stella. Two girls making their own journey. Hitting it off quickly, Lee and Ivy soon fall in love. Ben and Stella though not as smoothly also fall in love.
During their trip Lee's Insomnia progresses with him losing more sleep as well as developing hallucinations. The real confusion begins when first Ivy then Ben and Stella also see Lee's hallucinations! There the real journey begins.
I enjoyed this book and give it three and a half stars. It drags a bit towards the middle and once it picks up again....it's over. I'd have liked to see a bit more of the foursome experiencing Lee's hallucinations before the ending. There are some grammar problems but really didn't distract me from the story.
Overall, an enjoyable read....especially if you suffer from Insomnia yourself!!
Book given as a gift from the author for an honest review.
July 20, 2013
Awake is a decent story about a successful novelist, Lee, who has a rare, genetic and fatal insomnia disorder. Once he learns that the disorder is incurable, he decides to purchase an RV and go traveling across the country with a best friend. After picking up a couple of “hot” hitchhikers, the four enjoy the tourist’s life with an unlimited budget – Lee’s dying, so why not enjoy his stored loot? Only, along the way, a demon follows in pursuit, taking over seemingly unaware tourists, and gives him demonic stares. This, of course, freaks out the writer. Lucky for him and his friend, the hitchhikers are perfect mates, and Lee has his soul mate by his side while traveling the sites, trying to get in enough sleep to keep going, dreams of the demon in pursuit when he does sleep, and on occasion viewing the demon at almost every stop.
The characters and dialog are realistic; however, the repetitive nature of the story goes on for too long. It makes you think that this is a buddy traveling story; not quite what I was expecting. I was also not sure why Lee remains so terrified of the demon who does nothing but takes over the form of a tourist and glares at him. Though the nightmares are sufficiently scary, at least I feel I’d be scared if it was me having them, they are very short. The other worlds Lee happens into is another good sidetrack of the story, that should, instead, be the main part. The demon and Lee’s disorder have very little to do with the story at least for half of the book, again being a buddy traveling book.
The ending has a sufficient amount of action, though the resolution seems a bit too un-supernatural.
The characters and dialog are realistic; however, the repetitive nature of the story goes on for too long. It makes you think that this is a buddy traveling story; not quite what I was expecting. I was also not sure why Lee remains so terrified of the demon who does nothing but takes over the form of a tourist and glares at him. Though the nightmares are sufficiently scary, at least I feel I’d be scared if it was me having them, they are very short. The other worlds Lee happens into is another good sidetrack of the story, that should, instead, be the main part. The demon and Lee’s disorder have very little to do with the story at least for half of the book, again being a buddy traveling book.
The ending has a sufficient amount of action, though the resolution seems a bit too un-supernatural.
September 21, 2013
Lee Fenton, successful novelist, receives disastrous news from his physician after having a recent medical. It appears that he has a terminal form of insomnia called FFI.
Realizing that he optimistically has only a year at most left to live, he opts to cash in his assets, buy a state-of-the-art RV and tour America with his best friend, Ben, picking up a couple of curvaceous and very beautiful hitchhikers on the way.
The foursome pair off, and the book begins to feel like a typical road trip and an advertisement for all of the great tourist spots in the US, which is no bad thing, because it does indeed make the reader want to grab their passport and hop on a 'plane!
What Lee doesn't tell his fellow travellers is that he has begun to have hallucinations, or so he thinks.
Dogged by the "hallucination" in the form of a scarlet demon, the reader witnesses Lee's deterioration, both physically and mentally as his sleeplessness gets worse and he begins to doubt his sanity increasingly so - until the others begin to see the demon too.
At nearly 400 pages, it's quite a lengthy book, but as I reached the end, I felt that Matthew Blake had pulled his punches with the ending somewhat, and rather than being able to say it was a great book, I can only say that it was a good book, yet I still urge others to give the book a good read through.
Realizing that he optimistically has only a year at most left to live, he opts to cash in his assets, buy a state-of-the-art RV and tour America with his best friend, Ben, picking up a couple of curvaceous and very beautiful hitchhikers on the way.
The foursome pair off, and the book begins to feel like a typical road trip and an advertisement for all of the great tourist spots in the US, which is no bad thing, because it does indeed make the reader want to grab their passport and hop on a 'plane!
What Lee doesn't tell his fellow travellers is that he has begun to have hallucinations, or so he thinks.
Dogged by the "hallucination" in the form of a scarlet demon, the reader witnesses Lee's deterioration, both physically and mentally as his sleeplessness gets worse and he begins to doubt his sanity increasingly so - until the others begin to see the demon too.
At nearly 400 pages, it's quite a lengthy book, but as I reached the end, I felt that Matthew Blake had pulled his punches with the ending somewhat, and rather than being able to say it was a great book, I can only say that it was a good book, yet I still urge others to give the book a good read through.
July 1, 2013
Overall, I liked this book. I enjoyed the plot and basic story/scenario. This was a horror/suspense style novel and I was interested in finding out what happens next, which is a good thing.
My main complaints would be the editing, the way the characters talked, and the slowness of the plot. This book very obviously needs a good editor, I feel a lot of things could have been tightened up. I realize the book was self-published, so I forgive the author for that. The other piece was that the characters seemed to spend a lot of time explaining the story instead of doing the story, which I found to be very distracting at times. So many times I wished the characters would talk less, and the action would simply be described or implied more. Spend more time in the characters heads and less in their mouths. Lastly, a lot of the book moves very slowly. I felt there would have been more or a buildup if either some of the slower parts had simply been cut, or more suspense had been built into the story (see editing comments above).
I also have mixed feelings about the ending, I think I might have preferred a darker ending. But still, I would recommend checking out this book if you're interested, and I'll be keeping tabs on this author for the future.
My main complaints would be the editing, the way the characters talked, and the slowness of the plot. This book very obviously needs a good editor, I feel a lot of things could have been tightened up. I realize the book was self-published, so I forgive the author for that. The other piece was that the characters seemed to spend a lot of time explaining the story instead of doing the story, which I found to be very distracting at times. So many times I wished the characters would talk less, and the action would simply be described or implied more. Spend more time in the characters heads and less in their mouths. Lastly, a lot of the book moves very slowly. I felt there would have been more or a buildup if either some of the slower parts had simply been cut, or more suspense had been built into the story (see editing comments above).
I also have mixed feelings about the ending, I think I might have preferred a darker ending. But still, I would recommend checking out this book if you're interested, and I'll be keeping tabs on this author for the future.
June 15, 2013
Awake by Matthew Blake is the first independently published book I ever read, and it surpassed my expectations. I am generally not a fan of this genre and would usually not consider picking up a book like Awake, I am glad that I did though. The story has an interesting beginning and a descent ending, in spite of being somewhat slow in the middle. If you want a light reading, I would recommend Awake. It puts you in an interesting setting with characters you can relate to.
July 17, 2013
I liked the book. It is a nice combination of a roadtrip, horror and romance story. However, there were times when Blake's writing was bugging me a little. There were quite a few short, unnecessary dialogues that really interrupted the flow of the story.
But of course, this is an independently released title and Blake does not have a fancy editor to comb through his work. It was a nice read, and I will check out any new books he will publish!
But of course, this is an independently released title and Blake does not have a fancy editor to comb through his work. It was a nice read, and I will check out any new books he will publish!
April 21, 2013
I was gifted a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.
Great plot, so many twists and turns. Leaves you peeking around corners to see what will happen next.
This book needs an editor to go through it with a fine tooth comb. Once complete, this will be a best seller in the horror genre!
Great plot, so many twists and turns. Leaves you peeking around corners to see what will happen next.
This book needs an editor to go through it with a fine tooth comb. Once complete, this will be a best seller in the horror genre!
October 7, 2013
I really liked this book, but I did find the middle went on a bit too long and started to become a bit repetitive, and then the ending was rushed.
It has a really good storyline though, and would make a good movie.
It has a really good storyline though, and would make a good movie.
April 24, 2013
Book was really good, until the epilogue. What was the point of it???? It kinda ruined a good story. I would have ended it differently.
December 7, 2013
The beginning and the ending were good. The premise was good. Pandimonium (sp?) was good, however the characterization and the pace was quite dull and women were treated as adjuncts to the men.
June 23, 2014
started out good but midway though started sizzling out.
July 29, 2013
A fun little road trip story that ends up being a bit darker than just that.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews