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paperwitch's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
A short and bloody novella about secret societies, vampires gone rogue and vengeance. Sullivan manages to create a bond between the reader and characters in such a small amount of time, never slowing down, always prepared with a bloody surprise around the corner. We experience the different sides to the vampires, from the ruthless, to the sexy and the vengeful.
I do wish this novel was a little longer (a good thing) for I enjoyed my time in this world and crave more. It is an amazing concept that I hope the author explores more in the future.
I was sent a copy in exchange for an honest review.
A short and bloody novella about secret societies, vampires gone rogue and vengeance. Sullivan manages to create a bond between the reader and characters in such a small amount of time, never slowing down, always prepared with a bloody surprise around the corner. We experience the different sides to the vampires, from the ruthless, to the sexy and the vengeful.
I do wish this novel was a little longer (a good thing) for I enjoyed my time in this world and crave more. It is an amazing concept that I hope the author explores more in the future.
I was sent a copy in exchange for an honest review.
rock_n_reads's review against another edition
4.0
When it comes to vampire stories, BUTCHERS has a unique premise. It’s one of the things that first caught my interest, aside from the eye-catching cover art. Reading this book was a new experience to me in several ways. I think that it’s the first horror story I’ve read about Asian characters; I’m aware of quite a few Asian horror films, but can’t say that I’ve been exposed to many of these stories within literature before. This particular tale is set in South Korea, and I enjoyed the snippets it provided in regard to culture and setting.
This is a fast-paced novella, and the author drops the reader in on the action from the very beginning. I thought that he did a great job with packing in some history on the main characters in so few pages—it never felt like too much. It was nice to have a glimpse of their pasts, and this added in my development of empathy for several of the characters. Without spoilers, I’ll say that this is a story about modern-day vampires blending in with human society, while maintaining order within their own species. As I mentioned earlier, there were some unique takes on the vampire trope, and I really enjoyed that. One aspect that really stood out to me was the description of how the vampires dealt with pretending to be human—trying to blend in but having to be cautious in order to do so. In a lot of vampire stories, their lives seem glamorous, but we don’t always see the negative aspects. Todd Sullivan shows the reader this downside when he describes how the vampires must restrain their speed and other abilities, and he also notes how they must consume human food to blend in. Some of my favorite scenes (and also some of the most cringe-worthy) involved this piece of their lives. There are some tense and visceral moments of horror throughout this story. The author doesn’t hold back in describing the brutality that the characters endure and dish out to others. It’s gory at times but never felt over the top or out of place to me.
My connection to the characters is always important in a read, and that was a standout aspect of this story for me. While I didn’t share their particular life experience, the author was able to humanize even the villains, and that added to my understanding. There’s just enough information in this story to leave you wanting more at the end, and once I finished reading, I discovered that there is a sequel, so I’ll be adding that to my TBR. If you’re looking for a fast-paced horror novella that reads like a movie, I’d recommend checking this out—especially if you’re looking for a fresh perspective on the vampire story.
This is a fast-paced novella, and the author drops the reader in on the action from the very beginning. I thought that he did a great job with packing in some history on the main characters in so few pages—it never felt like too much. It was nice to have a glimpse of their pasts, and this added in my development of empathy for several of the characters. Without spoilers, I’ll say that this is a story about modern-day vampires blending in with human society, while maintaining order within their own species. As I mentioned earlier, there were some unique takes on the vampire trope, and I really enjoyed that. One aspect that really stood out to me was the description of how the vampires dealt with pretending to be human—trying to blend in but having to be cautious in order to do so. In a lot of vampire stories, their lives seem glamorous, but we don’t always see the negative aspects. Todd Sullivan shows the reader this downside when he describes how the vampires must restrain their speed and other abilities, and he also notes how they must consume human food to blend in. Some of my favorite scenes (and also some of the most cringe-worthy) involved this piece of their lives. There are some tense and visceral moments of horror throughout this story. The author doesn’t hold back in describing the brutality that the characters endure and dish out to others. It’s gory at times but never felt over the top or out of place to me.
My connection to the characters is always important in a read, and that was a standout aspect of this story for me. While I didn’t share their particular life experience, the author was able to humanize even the villains, and that added to my understanding. There’s just enough information in this story to leave you wanting more at the end, and once I finished reading, I discovered that there is a sequel, so I’ll be adding that to my TBR. If you’re looking for a fast-paced horror novella that reads like a movie, I’d recommend checking this out—especially if you’re looking for a fresh perspective on the vampire story.
stranger_sights's review against another edition
4.0
Read my full review at: https://mediadrome.wordpress.com/2020/03/30/butchers-by-todd-sullivan/
Sullivan has built an interesting world filled with vampires that aren’t quite like the vampires I’ve seen up til now. I really, really enjoyed it.
Sullivan has built an interesting world filled with vampires that aren’t quite like the vampires I’ve seen up til now. I really, really enjoyed it.
teamredmon's review against another edition
2.0
This is an extreme horror vampire novella. The book centers around vampire society in South Korea called Gwanylo. In this world, there are two opposing groups of vampires; those that want to rule and those that want to remain hidden. That aspect of this story reminded me of the Death Eaters from Harry Potter. These factions of the vampire world are constantly battling each other and the reader is dropped immediately into this battle right from the beginning of the book.
Sey-Mi is a character that gets kidnapped early in the book and turned into a vampire. The scenes of her kidnapping and torture are where the 'extreme horror' comes into play. The descriptive violence is bonkers in this and Sullivan definitely knows what buttons to push to make the reader uncomfortable.
The majority of the problems that I had with this book were due to my own personal tastes and preferences. I'm generally not a fan of quote-unquote extreme horror so Butchers had a hill to climb with me in that regard. I also struggled with connecting with the characters and part of that reason is that so many are introduced in a short period of time. I did enjoy the world that Sullivan created here and with the Neonpunk details of the setting along with the very well written action scenes. Yeah, I made up the word Neonpunk but that summarizes the feel of this world for me.
Overall, this book was not for me but if you enjoy extreme horror and are looking for an original take on vampires set in a richly imagined world, you should give this a try.
Sey-Mi is a character that gets kidnapped early in the book and turned into a vampire. The scenes of her kidnapping and torture are where the 'extreme horror' comes into play. The descriptive violence is bonkers in this and Sullivan definitely knows what buttons to push to make the reader uncomfortable.
The majority of the problems that I had with this book were due to my own personal tastes and preferences. I'm generally not a fan of quote-unquote extreme horror so Butchers had a hill to climb with me in that regard. I also struggled with connecting with the characters and part of that reason is that so many are introduced in a short period of time. I did enjoy the world that Sullivan created here and with the Neonpunk details of the setting along with the very well written action scenes. Yeah, I made up the word Neonpunk but that summarizes the feel of this world for me.
Overall, this book was not for me but if you enjoy extreme horror and are looking for an original take on vampires set in a richly imagined world, you should give this a try.
brennanlafaro's review against another edition
Butchers, by Todd Sullivan is primarily the story of Sey-Mi, a young woman who is chosen to be turned into a vampire and brought into the ranks of the Gwanlyo, a secret vampire society. The story revolves around Sey-Mi's initiation, learning curve, and torture at the hands of current members. There are also elements within the order attempting to police it and others trying to bring it down.
From the word go, it is clear that Sullivan has spent a great deal of time in the far east(he is, in fact, a teacher there) and has great knowledge of and respect for the area. The story takes place in Seoul, South Korea, and the locale immediately drops most readers into unfamiliar territory. A great tactic for a horror novella.
As many successful novellas do, Butchers drops the reader directly into the action. A lot of characters are introduced right away, and I worried I'd have a hard time keeping them straight. Actually, I did for a couple chapters, but Sullivan sticks with these characters, fleshes out their motivations, and doesn't add many more people to keep track of.
As much as I don't like to suggest an author's work should have been shorter or longer, I would have liked some more information on the Gwanlyo. I understood that they were a secret society of vampires, but because they were bringing people to their ranks and offering them employment, it wasn't clear what their objective was. It would also be interesting to delve into the society's origins, but that certainly could have altered the fast-paced and linear nature of the story told.
Butchers touts itself as extreme horror. This is based in part on the action scenes revolving around unflinching vampire attacks, both on each other but also on Sey-Mi. Most of what earns it this title are the scenes involving Sey-Mi's torture. They are violent at times but the sexual nature and descriptions of other gross acts are what non-fans of extreme horror are going to want to avoid. They seemed a bit gratuitous and over-the-top to me, but then again, the author did warn me.
The strength here is in the unrelenting pacing. Todd Sullivan trimmed any fat and never lets his foot off the gas to mix metaphors. The dialogue can be a bit clunky at times and the ending is not fully resolved, leaving the door open to more stories in this world, but if breakneck vampire horror with an extreme bent sounds like your cup of tea, come grab a mug.
I was given a copy by the author for review consideration.
From the word go, it is clear that Sullivan has spent a great deal of time in the far east(he is, in fact, a teacher there) and has great knowledge of and respect for the area. The story takes place in Seoul, South Korea, and the locale immediately drops most readers into unfamiliar territory. A great tactic for a horror novella.
As many successful novellas do, Butchers drops the reader directly into the action. A lot of characters are introduced right away, and I worried I'd have a hard time keeping them straight. Actually, I did for a couple chapters, but Sullivan sticks with these characters, fleshes out their motivations, and doesn't add many more people to keep track of.
As much as I don't like to suggest an author's work should have been shorter or longer, I would have liked some more information on the Gwanlyo. I understood that they were a secret society of vampires, but because they were bringing people to their ranks and offering them employment, it wasn't clear what their objective was. It would also be interesting to delve into the society's origins, but that certainly could have altered the fast-paced and linear nature of the story told.
Butchers touts itself as extreme horror. This is based in part on the action scenes revolving around unflinching vampire attacks, both on each other but also on Sey-Mi. Most of what earns it this title are the scenes involving Sey-Mi's torture. They are violent at times but the sexual nature and descriptions of other gross acts are what non-fans of extreme horror are going to want to avoid. They seemed a bit gratuitous and over-the-top to me, but then again, the author did warn me.
The strength here is in the unrelenting pacing. Todd Sullivan trimmed any fat and never lets his foot off the gas to mix metaphors. The dialogue can be a bit clunky at times and the ending is not fully resolved, leaving the door open to more stories in this world, but if breakneck vampire horror with an extreme bent sounds like your cup of tea, come grab a mug.
I was given a copy by the author for review consideration.
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