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heathbc's review against another edition
1.0
Oh look, it's my second one star rating.
Horror is my favorite genre so I think I'm especially hard on horror novels that miss the point in meaningfully discussing what humans fear. In Afraid , the author Jack Kilborn seems to be responding to fear of terrorism post 9/11 with some commentary on the Vietnam War. There were likely people who enjoyed the fast paced plot and felt entertained by this novel. I mean no disrespect to the author nor to people who enjoyed the novel. Nonetheless, I'll be honest and say I didn't like the book.
I'll state one positive thing before going into my rant. I liked the moments between the grandson and grandfather. In fact, I think the young boy was a captivating character, living with past trauma but also trying to find a sense of independence while growing out of adolescence.
I didn't feel particularly drawn to any of the other townspeople and I found the 'villains' to be portrayed problematically. Kilborn played into the outdated trope of giving one of the antagonists a lisp and an accent. Another antagonist was given characteristics of being minimally verbal and a giant. We've got to stop mixing speech-language disorders with psychopathy as if those are two things that go hand-in-hand together. As a speech language pathologist, I couldn't overlook these characterizations. Relatedly, in one scene where a townsperson had their vocal cords snipped without ANY anesthesia and then proceeded to whisper right after, I rolled my eyes at how unrealistic the description was. I did quite a lot of eye rolling throughout this novel. How did the old sheriff run and fight with his ruptured appendix/fall from a roof/etc? Why is a face being melted and then written off with pain medication? Why is a plot from my elementary school slumber party scary stories book rehashed basically word for word in this novel for adults? Why are the townspeople so gullible and able to wake up at 2:00 am for an unlikely lottery win? Why is there a LOVE story...didn't this woman just lose her toe to a man that bit it off and isn't she busy trying to save her son?? What is this found footage scenario going on in a bunker when they need to be preparing for an attack? Why is everything wrapping up so cleanly in this ending? In other words, it was too hard to immerse myself in the plot and suspend my disbelief.
P.S. I read this book right after reading Stephen King's The Stand. Was Kilborn making shout-outs to that novel by naming his female protagonist Franny and having an unlikeable character be eaten alive by wolves?
Horror is my favorite genre so I think I'm especially hard on horror novels that miss the point in meaningfully discussing what humans fear. In Afraid , the author Jack Kilborn seems to be responding to fear of terrorism post 9/11 with some commentary on the Vietnam War. There were likely people who enjoyed the fast paced plot and felt entertained by this novel. I mean no disrespect to the author nor to people who enjoyed the novel. Nonetheless, I'll be honest and say I didn't like the book.
I'll state one positive thing before going into my rant. I liked the moments between the grandson and grandfather. In fact, I think the young boy was a captivating character, living with past trauma but also trying to find a sense of independence while growing out of adolescence.
I didn't feel particularly drawn to any of the other townspeople and I found the 'villains' to be portrayed problematically. Kilborn played into the outdated trope of giving one of the antagonists a lisp and an accent. Another antagonist was given characteristics of being minimally verbal and a giant. We've got to stop mixing speech-language disorders with psychopathy as if those are two things that go hand-in-hand together. As a speech language pathologist, I couldn't overlook these characterizations. Relatedly, in one scene where a townsperson had their vocal cords snipped without ANY anesthesia and then proceeded to whisper right after, I rolled my eyes at how unrealistic the description was. I did quite a lot of eye rolling throughout this novel. How did the old sheriff run and fight with his ruptured appendix/fall from a roof/etc? Why is a face being melted and then written off with pain medication? Why is a plot from my elementary school slumber party scary stories book rehashed basically word for word in this novel for adults? Why are the townspeople so gullible and able to wake up at 2:00 am for an unlikely lottery win? Why is there a LOVE story...didn't this woman just lose her toe to a man that bit it off and isn't she busy trying to save her son?? What is this found footage scenario going on in a bunker when they need to be preparing for an attack? Why is everything wrapping up so cleanly in this ending? In other words, it was too hard to immerse myself in the plot and suspend my disbelief.
P.S. I read this book right after reading Stephen King's The Stand. Was Kilborn making shout-outs to that novel by naming his female protagonist Franny and having an unlikeable character be eaten alive by wolves?
thewallflower00's review against another edition
5.0
This is a real Suicide Squad -- not some namby-pamby rogues gallery. A half-dozen sociopaths are given CIA mental conditioning and drug therapy. Then they crash land in sleepy-town, USA. Chaos ensues.
I've never read anything as fast-paced as this. Chapters are short, sentences are short, scenes are short. Although the characterization is light, the action is visceral enough and quick enough that you want to see more. You might think it's a Stephen King-style thriller from the cover and blurb -- slow burn, supernatural junk, psychic powers for no reason -- but it's a far cry.
It reminds me of a high-budget B-movie where they went heavy on script and light on special effects. The horror comes from how realistic (as in the killer is a criminal trained to be a soldier, not Pennywise the clown).
I've never read anything as fast-paced as this. Chapters are short, sentences are short, scenes are short. Although the characterization is light, the action is visceral enough and quick enough that you want to see more. You might think it's a Stephen King-style thriller from the cover and blurb -- slow burn, supernatural junk, psychic powers for no reason -- but it's a far cry.
It reminds me of a high-budget B-movie where they went heavy on script and light on special effects. The horror comes from how realistic (as in the killer is a criminal trained to be a soldier, not Pennywise the clown).
dantilldusk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
carriethis's review against another edition
1.0
Right now I'm about halfway through this demented gorefest, and I can't help laughing out loud at every melodramatic shock-and-guffaw sentence like:
And THAT'S when the house collapsed.
And THAT'S when Mrs. Teller grabbed his foot!
Not even when Taylor began to bite her knee!
And then the light went off!
Dun-dun-dun-DUN!!!!! Not necessary.
And THAT'S when the house collapsed.
And THAT'S when Mrs. Teller grabbed his foot!
Not even when Taylor began to bite her knee!
And then the light went off!
Dun-dun-dun-DUN!!!!! Not necessary.
mellabella's review against another edition
4.0
WHOA!
What a thrill ride this was! The characters flesh out themselves as the book goes on.
The book takes off from the very beginning and doesn't let go.
A helicopter crashes in a small town. The pilots have been suspiciously decapitated.
Something seems off from the beginning. The beginning is super creepy.
There's a great cast of characters (Steng, Fran, Josh, Duncan, Woof... Even Wiley) and supporting characters fighting for their lives as the "others" on that downed helicopter make their way around town. Searching for someone or something. Torturing people to find out where he/it is.
I am really looking forward to the next book.
Suspend belief for some of it and enjoy this tense, scary read.
4.5 stars
What a thrill ride this was! The characters flesh out themselves as the book goes on.
The book takes off from the very beginning and doesn't let go.
A helicopter crashes in a small town. The pilots have been suspiciously decapitated.
Something seems off from the beginning. The beginning is super creepy.
There's a great cast of characters (Steng, Fran, Josh, Duncan, Woof... Even Wiley) and supporting characters fighting for their lives as the "others" on that downed helicopter make their way around town. Searching for someone or something. Torturing people to find out where he/it is.
I am really looking forward to the next book.
Suspend belief for some of it and enjoy this tense, scary read.
4.5 stars
iddylu's review against another edition
2.0
Gory? Yes (though actually not as much as I was expecting). Scary? Ehhhh. It had its moments, but honestly, the scene that I thought was the creepiest was literally the first scene in the book. I might be a little biased because aren't usually aren't that interesting to me in fiction, and so it lost some of its appeal when those elements were introduced. Definitely planning to read his other horror books, which sound like they might be more up my alley.
Spoiler
supersoldiers and government/military conspiraciesvikingwolf's review against another edition
5.0
A helicopter explodes one night in the town of Safe Haven, and a team of deadly modified assassins are searching the town for somebody called Warren-torturing and killing every citizen that they find. A handful of survivors are trying to find a safe place to hide, led by the town Sheriff but these assassins will not stop until the mission is complete and everyone is dead, and they find their target. Who is Warren and why do they want him so badly?
This is one of the best horror/thrillers that I've read in the genre. It is scary, gory, tension filled, brutal, exciting and full of well written characters that you are rooting for. The bad guys really are plain evil and you don't want them to win, but they seem to know everything about everyone in town and use that to their advantage in murdering the civilians. There are scenes of torture and violence and it is adult content. It is also one of these fast paced rollercoaster rides where you really don't know what is coming next or who might make it out alive.
We follow quite a few characters through the book. The Sheriff knows who they are looking for but is determined not to tell. Fran is frantic to escape from the diner and get home to her son Duncan and his beloved beagle Woof. Duncan and Woof are alone and afraid when the assassin comes after them. Erwin is trying to get to his girlfriend Jessie Lee, who is one of many to arrive at the school after hearing that each person in town is to receive a cheque for a lottery win. Jessie Lee is sure one of the men she sees is a well known serial killer. Josh is determined to get Fran and her family safely out of town. There are others in the book as well and although it seems like a lot of people, you don't get confused as they are in pairs or groups at different parts of town and the author jumps back and forward between them, keeping everything fast paced.
The assassins are a team of Red Ops-Bernie, Santiago, Taylor and Ajax, mind modified by Dr Ralph, who heads to the town with his monkey Mathison and a Green Beret team who want to find the team. The entire town is quarantined so the innocent survivors are finding themselves trapped and trying to evade the killers. It's funny how small the town feels when our survivors are trying to evade highly trained psychos!
I was so concerned about poor Woof and the trouble that was following him and Duncan! I always get very anxious about a dog in any kind of book like this and I admit that this was one of the most nerve jangling examples of dog worry that I've ever been through. I love Woof and he features heavily in the plot. Beagles are my favourite dog breed which makes it worse! I also loved the intelligent monkey Mathison, who also features heavily in the plot. That gave me a second animal to worry about, as if I needed that!
The events in the book take place over a short period of time of a day or so which keeps things moving fast throughout. There really are no dull moments in this book. People are having to keep moving to stay alive as there seems to be no safe place in town and the hunters are also moving constantly so you never know which group are going to run into a psycho at some point! It was a book that I didn't want to put down for a minute and I'll be very keen to look at other books by this author.
*NB* I heard that some survivors of his first three books Afraid, Trapped and Endurance appear again in the fourth book Haunted House in a fear experiment...now I'm quite excited at seeing someone from this book again!
This is one of the best horror/thrillers that I've read in the genre. It is scary, gory, tension filled, brutal, exciting and full of well written characters that you are rooting for. The bad guys really are plain evil and you don't want them to win, but they seem to know everything about everyone in town and use that to their advantage in murdering the civilians. There are scenes of torture and violence and it is adult content. It is also one of these fast paced rollercoaster rides where you really don't know what is coming next or who might make it out alive.
We follow quite a few characters through the book. The Sheriff knows who they are looking for but is determined not to tell. Fran is frantic to escape from the diner and get home to her son Duncan and his beloved beagle Woof. Duncan and Woof are alone and afraid when the assassin comes after them. Erwin is trying to get to his girlfriend Jessie Lee, who is one of many to arrive at the school after hearing that each person in town is to receive a cheque for a lottery win. Jessie Lee is sure one of the men she sees is a well known serial killer. Josh is determined to get Fran and her family safely out of town. There are others in the book as well and although it seems like a lot of people, you don't get confused as they are in pairs or groups at different parts of town and the author jumps back and forward between them, keeping everything fast paced.
The assassins are a team of Red Ops-Bernie, Santiago, Taylor and Ajax, mind modified by Dr Ralph, who heads to the town with his monkey Mathison and a Green Beret team who want to find the team. The entire town is quarantined so the innocent survivors are finding themselves trapped and trying to evade the killers. It's funny how small the town feels when our survivors are trying to evade highly trained psychos!
I was so concerned about poor Woof and the trouble that was following him and Duncan! I always get very anxious about a dog in any kind of book like this and I admit that this was one of the most nerve jangling examples of dog worry that I've ever been through. I love Woof and he features heavily in the plot. Beagles are my favourite dog breed which makes it worse! I also loved the intelligent monkey Mathison, who also features heavily in the plot. That gave me a second animal to worry about, as if I needed that!
The events in the book take place over a short period of time of a day or so which keeps things moving fast throughout. There really are no dull moments in this book. People are having to keep moving to stay alive as there seems to be no safe place in town and the hunters are also moving constantly so you never know which group are going to run into a psycho at some point! It was a book that I didn't want to put down for a minute and I'll be very keen to look at other books by this author.
*NB* I heard that some survivors of his first three books Afraid, Trapped and Endurance appear again in the fourth book Haunted House in a fear experiment...now I'm quite excited at seeing someone from this book again!
jen286's review against another edition
4.0
This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland
I must say Jack Kilborn is a new favorite author of mine. I have been trying to read some good horror/thriller/suspense/whatever creepy books for Halloween. I love that kind of thing, but it is hard to find ones I actually enjoy. I keep trying ones from best of lists I have found and for the most part have been disappointed. Jack Kilborn, though, was one that I just downloaded a while ago and had sitting on my Kindle. I read Trapped a few days ago and now it is Afraid, his first book in this series. Man Kilborn is great at setting up really horrific scenarios. He doesn't seem to hold back. He makes these scenes that are so shiver inducing I cringe and look away, though then I have to keep reading since it is a book. I love it. Definitely a new favorite.
Afraid, just like Trapped, starts off and just pretty instantly is terrible for the characters in the book. There is not a long time of setting up a story, or getting to know the characters before bad things happen. No, you start off right from when things start happening. In this case a helicopter crashes unleashing some really scary, well trained, huge guys who love to torture and kill people. Fun! While I didn't like this story as much as Trapped, I still really enjoyed it. The bad guys are so great and seemingly impossible to stop. The way they set everything up and just took out everyone that can was just perfect. I really just loved the story.
What didn't I like about the story? Well the whole don't kill someone even though they are big scary killers who will most likely find a way to get back at you and torture you for days unless they are actively trying to kill you right at this second. There was the same thing inTrapped, the don't kill people who are trying to kill you because they are people thing. In general I would abide by that rule, but in situations like this nightmarish night where you just barely were able to escape from these huge men it just didn't make sense. Why not take them out when you have the chance? I would. Just look at how many people they have already killed and the horrific ways they have done so in some cases. Then look at what they have already done to you and you are just going to be like well...they are people so...nope. Just nope. They are deadly killers who won't think twice about coming after you again. I just...you need to take them out when you can, or at least make sure they are locked up securely or something so they can't come after you once they wake up again. Sure it is great that you don't want to kill people, but this is kill or be killed time. This is not the time to be nice. I understand not wanting to, but I would also want to live so...
Also Fran annoyed me at times. I know she wanted to keep her kid safe, and everyone really, but she would just not think. It was one of those if you go off half crazed and just don't have a plan you are just going to get yourself killed and put those you care about in more danger trying to save you. So just stop for a second and get it together! That and the whole end where she is just crazy and needs to know what is going on in detail and see it first hand! She needs to!!! It was just like calm it down lady. I don't understand why you are being so crazy. Maybe it is just all the stress, but dude. Chill for a minute. Get through this then worry about why the people were sent to kill everyone. She just made me a little crazy, but I still didn't mind that much.
So overall loved the story. Not as much as Trapped, but it was still a great read. I am excited to see what Kilborn has in story for me next!
I must say Jack Kilborn is a new favorite author of mine. I have been trying to read some good horror/thriller/suspense/whatever creepy books for Halloween. I love that kind of thing, but it is hard to find ones I actually enjoy. I keep trying ones from best of lists I have found and for the most part have been disappointed. Jack Kilborn, though, was one that I just downloaded a while ago and had sitting on my Kindle. I read Trapped a few days ago and now it is Afraid, his first book in this series. Man Kilborn is great at setting up really horrific scenarios. He doesn't seem to hold back. He makes these scenes that are so shiver inducing I cringe and look away, though then I have to keep reading since it is a book. I love it. Definitely a new favorite.
Afraid, just like Trapped, starts off and just pretty instantly is terrible for the characters in the book. There is not a long time of setting up a story, or getting to know the characters before bad things happen. No, you start off right from when things start happening. In this case a helicopter crashes unleashing some really scary, well trained, huge guys who love to torture and kill people. Fun! While I didn't like this story as much as Trapped, I still really enjoyed it. The bad guys are so great and seemingly impossible to stop. The way they set everything up and just took out everyone that can was just perfect. I really just loved the story.
What didn't I like about the story? Well the whole don't kill someone even though they are big scary killers who will most likely find a way to get back at you and torture you for days unless they are actively trying to kill you right at this second. There was the same thing inTrapped, the don't kill people who are trying to kill you because they are people thing. In general I would abide by that rule, but in situations like this nightmarish night where you just barely were able to escape from these huge men it just didn't make sense. Why not take them out when you have the chance? I would. Just look at how many people they have already killed and the horrific ways they have done so in some cases. Then look at what they have already done to you and you are just going to be like well...they are people so...nope. Just nope. They are deadly killers who won't think twice about coming after you again. I just...you need to take them out when you can, or at least make sure they are locked up securely or something so they can't come after you once they wake up again. Sure it is great that you don't want to kill people, but this is kill or be killed time. This is not the time to be nice. I understand not wanting to, but I would also want to live so...
Also Fran annoyed me at times. I know she wanted to keep her kid safe, and everyone really, but she would just not think. It was one of those if you go off half crazed and just don't have a plan you are just going to get yourself killed and put those you care about in more danger trying to save you. So just stop for a second and get it together! That and the whole end where she is just crazy and needs to know what is going on in detail and see it first hand! She needs to!!! It was just like calm it down lady. I don't understand why you are being so crazy. Maybe it is just all the stress, but dude. Chill for a minute. Get through this then worry about why the people were sent to kill everyone. She just made me a little crazy, but I still didn't mind that much.
So overall loved the story. Not as much as Trapped, but it was still a great read. I am excited to see what Kilborn has in story for me next!
caseykd's review against another edition
4.0
This book was very interesting and kept my attention the entire time. It really develops the characters and the situation really well. There are twists in this book that you do not see coming and they are great. The last two pages are a great vindication moment for the reader when you want the last bad guy to get what is coming to him!! Great book!