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journey_sloane's review
medium-paced
2.0
I've liked some of Strand's work in the past but this was just...bad. pathetic mc and no connection
jessie85's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mdumont's review against another edition
1.0
I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. It was entertaining for sure. Some of the scenes were a little hard to believe I guess (as far as being friends with a giant monster that eats your girlfriend can be believable). I do not understand how Toby is so strange. He seemed funny and quirky. Granted the other characters weren't inside his head. It was fast paced and entertaining.
charshorrorcorner's review against another edition
5.0
Jeff Strand does an amazing job with this book.
Young Toby encounters a monster in the woods, but when he tells his family no one will believe him.
So begins a lifelong relationship between Toby and the monster.
The reason I say Jeff Strand did an amazing job is twofold. First, you really care for Toby, even though his relationship with the monster takes some nasty turns (and when I say nasty, I mean VERY nasty). You can't help but feel sorry for him. Second, you really care for the monster although he does some horrific things. Mr. Strand brings an humanity to the monster that I didn't expect, but it worked.
In my opinion, this story isn't really scary in the usual way. What's scary about it is how far these two will go to maintain their friendship, above ALL else. I know people say this all the time, but I couldn't put this book down. It is fast paced and well written and best of all, it is a fascinating story that will keep you engaged.
Young Toby encounters a monster in the woods, but when he tells his family no one will believe him.
So begins a lifelong relationship between Toby and the monster.
The reason I say Jeff Strand did an amazing job is twofold. First, you really care for Toby, even though his relationship with the monster takes some nasty turns (and when I say nasty, I mean VERY nasty). You can't help but feel sorry for him. Second, you really care for the monster although he does some horrific things. Mr. Strand brings an humanity to the monster that I didn't expect, but it worked.
In my opinion, this story isn't really scary in the usual way. What's scary about it is how far these two will go to maintain their friendship, above ALL else. I know people say this all the time, but I couldn't put this book down. It is fast paced and well written and best of all, it is a fascinating story that will keep you engaged.
luckaye's review against another edition
4.0
You would think that a boy meets monster story would be a horror story, but it isn't really. It is a bit sad & disarming.
errantdreams's review against another edition
5.0
In Jeff Strand’s Dweller, it’s 1960. 15-year-old Toby Floren, the class weirdo, finally makes a friend. Only this isn’t an ordinary friend. This is a monster, with sharp teeth and claws. It lives in a cave in the forest, and Toby names it Owen. Over the decades their relationship survives, although it has its rough patches. Toby pours out all of his troubles to Owen, and Owen listens to it all.
The book has longer sections separated by glimpses of Toby and Owen’s lives. Toby has an extremely active imagination, but reality only measures up when it comes to Owen. Toby is badly bullied in school. Even as he ages he’s a loner. He has just enough self-awareness to realize that certain things would make him come across as creepy, but he only barely manages to talk himself out of them. His thought processes always seem to be a bit left-of-center. When he starts heading into dangerous territory, it’s always easy to see how he goes down the slippery slope–while the reader is sitting there waving their arms and trying to get him to stop before things go bad.
Owen generally sees humans as food, making his relationship with Toby all the more bizarre and dangerous. They bond as Toby gives him snacks, and eventually they develop a sort of sign language between them since Owen can’t talk.
There’s drama, horror, gore, and some very touching moments. Well worth reading!
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/12/short-take-dweller-jeff-strand/
The book has longer sections separated by glimpses of Toby and Owen’s lives. Toby has an extremely active imagination, but reality only measures up when it comes to Owen. Toby is badly bullied in school. Even as he ages he’s a loner. He has just enough self-awareness to realize that certain things would make him come across as creepy, but he only barely manages to talk himself out of them. His thought processes always seem to be a bit left-of-center. When he starts heading into dangerous territory, it’s always easy to see how he goes down the slippery slope–while the reader is sitting there waving their arms and trying to get him to stop before things go bad.
Owen generally sees humans as food, making his relationship with Toby all the more bizarre and dangerous. They bond as Toby gives him snacks, and eventually they develop a sort of sign language between them since Owen can’t talk.
There’s drama, horror, gore, and some very touching moments. Well worth reading!
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/12/short-take-dweller-jeff-strand/
lauriereadslohf's review against another edition
4.0
Toby is a young, friendless, socially awkward boy relentlessly picked on by two school bullies. His only friend is a monster he meets in the woods and names Owen. Dweller follows Toby as he meanders his way through life trying to maintain a sort of “normal” life and maintaining his friendship with the man-eating monster who is his best pal.
Dweller isn’t an extraordinarily deep book and Toby is a bit of a mess but it’s touching, vaguely disturbing and very readable. Toby screws up big-time on more than one occasion and Owen screws up too but they’re always there for each other despite it all. I liked the fact that Toby was followed around by guilt and that Owen wasn’t painted as a thoroughly evil monster and that the book follows them as they grow older. Their friendship always came across as real and genuine.
If you’re looking for a monster book with heart this one is for you.
Dweller isn’t an extraordinarily deep book and Toby is a bit of a mess but it’s touching, vaguely disturbing and very readable. Toby screws up big-time on more than one occasion and Owen screws up too but they’re always there for each other despite it all. I liked the fact that Toby was followed around by guilt and that Owen wasn’t painted as a thoroughly evil monster and that the book follows them as they grow older. Their friendship always came across as real and genuine.
If you’re looking for a monster book with heart this one is for you.
ctgt's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the concept of this book, boy meets monster, becomes friends, and we follow them through their lives, but this never really grabbed me. We meet Toby as a young boy and he is one of those kids who is constantly picked on and has no friends to speak of. Toby is constantly creating scenarios in his head where he reverses the bad situations he gets involved in, swirlies at school, fights in the schoolyard, trouble with his parents, and he becomes the hero saving the day. I mean, c'mon who hasn't done that at some point in their youth? The only problem is I never really saw any growth in the character and while that certainly happens in real life, I just don't think that makes for very compelling reading. Anyway, Toby meets the monster(sasquatch, bigfoot?)in a small cave in the woods behind his house and they gradually become friends. Toby names the monster Owen and teaches him a few words and some rudimentary hand signals to communicate.
Don't look at me like that. You know I can't get out here every day. It's not my fault you don't have any other friends. If you'd get out of the cave once in a while, you might get to socialize more often, you know? Meet a nice elk or something, get some interspecies lovin' going on. Where's your Owenetta?
That's some statement coming from a guy who's only real friend is a bigfoot. We follow along with Toby and Owen as the former goes through a few girlfriends, marriage, kids of his own and eventually it comes around to just Toby and Owen at the end. I could never connect with Toby and I found myself wishing the author had explored the character of Owen much more.....I know, he's a monster how do you explore the character of an animal but I needed something a little more to really enjoy this book. and maybe that might have done the trick.
Don't look at me like that. You know I can't get out here every day. It's not my fault you don't have any other friends. If you'd get out of the cave once in a while, you might get to socialize more often, you know? Meet a nice elk or something, get some interspecies lovin' going on. Where's your Owenetta?
That's some statement coming from a guy who's only real friend is a bigfoot. We follow along with Toby and Owen as the former goes through a few girlfriends, marriage, kids of his own and eventually it comes around to just Toby and Owen at the end. I could never connect with Toby and I found myself wishing the author had explored the character of Owen much more.....I know, he's a monster how do you explore the character of an animal but I needed something a little more to really enjoy this book. and maybe that might have done the trick.
mikekaz's review
5.0
Before I start this review, I have a confession to make about the movie "King Kong." I cry at the ending. I did when I was a little boy with the original and I still do now. Then again tears when I was older and saw the remake with Jeff Bridges. (Any crying during the Peter Jackson remake was more due to how poor the film was than anything else.) Here was a creature that was living a happy life who finally thought he found love only to be kidnapped to a foreign country and then killed while defending his love. How that could not stir tears in anyone, I don't know.
Jumping forward to the book DWELLER, it will evoke a lot of the same feelings. Toby is a misfit teenager who through a series of events makes friends with a big-toothed, massive-clawed creature in the woods. They keep this friendship for decades and through many life changes. Like many friendships, it's not always easy but the friendship does persevere. All the way to the end of the book. Yes, the idea might seem a little crazy that someone could make friends with such a creature but so is a gigantic ape falling in love with a blonde human sacrifice. If you just go with it, you'll find that the book is well worth it and extremely entertaining. It will pull you in very quickly and you won't want to stop reading. This was one of those books I could barely put down and which I stayed up late reading. As always, I look forward to more books by Strand.
Jumping forward to the book DWELLER, it will evoke a lot of the same feelings. Toby is a misfit teenager who through a series of events makes friends with a big-toothed, massive-clawed creature in the woods. They keep this friendship for decades and through many life changes. Like many friendships, it's not always easy but the friendship does persevere. All the way to the end of the book. Yes, the idea might seem a little crazy that someone could make friends with such a creature but so is a gigantic ape falling in love with a blonde human sacrifice. If you just go with it, you'll find that the book is well worth it and extremely entertaining. It will pull you in very quickly and you won't want to stop reading. This was one of those books I could barely put down and which I stayed up late reading. As always, I look forward to more books by Strand.