Scan barcode
imhstone's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
k_ko's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
peritract's review
4.0
Drew is a loser. He’s fat, awkward, and hopelessly infatuated with a girl who doesn’t share his feelings. He has good friends though, and throws great parties. Sunny Hill, the house he shares with those friends, has been a party house for decades.
When Drew finds an old camera in the basement beneath the house, it leads him into a downward spiral of jealousy and rage. The pictures show some of the house’s previous inhabitants, and sometimes they seem to change.
Lurk is a story of corruption and degradation, of creeping evil and the underside of human happiness. It’s my kind of horror.
This is not a fun book to read. It’s about a basically decent person’s decline and fall, so it isn’t meant to be. Lurk is one of those books that makes you feel slightly unclean, drawn in and disgusted at the same time. It struck me throughout as rather similar to Stephen King’s Desperation, which has a similar sense of sordid uneasiness throughout. That ongoing atmosphere is one of Lurk‘s strengths – the horror comes from the oily persuasiveness of evil, and the protagonist is both repellent and sympathetic.
The book uses first person narration, which is an unusual choice for horror, and difficult to do well. It works here, though it’s not normally my preference, and gives the reader the closeness and connection to the protagonist that the story needs.
The ending is the weakest part, which is so often the case with horror. An initially tight idea expands and extends into metaphysics, losing some of the tension and pace as it does so. Plot twists that don’t really need to be there start appearing, padding out the narrative without adding much. To be fair though, Lurk does pull it all back together, tightening the focus and bringing the narrative to a somewhat satisfying close.
Adam Vine uses the supernatural to emphasize, not overrule, human characteristics, creating horror from human drives and desires rather than external forces. That’s a kind of horror that I don’t think there’s enough of, and it’s something that I’m always pleased to find. I would have liked a slower and more detailed exploration of Drew’s initial corruption, but that’s not a criticism – I just particularly enjoy the process of corruption as a character arc.
Lurk is fresh and original horror. It’s well-written and consistently unsettling. I’d recommend it.
When Drew finds an old camera in the basement beneath the house, it leads him into a downward spiral of jealousy and rage. The pictures show some of the house’s previous inhabitants, and sometimes they seem to change.
Lurk is a story of corruption and degradation, of creeping evil and the underside of human happiness. It’s my kind of horror.
This is not a fun book to read. It’s about a basically decent person’s decline and fall, so it isn’t meant to be. Lurk is one of those books that makes you feel slightly unclean, drawn in and disgusted at the same time. It struck me throughout as rather similar to Stephen King’s Desperation, which has a similar sense of sordid uneasiness throughout. That ongoing atmosphere is one of Lurk‘s strengths – the horror comes from the oily persuasiveness of evil, and the protagonist is both repellent and sympathetic.
The book uses first person narration, which is an unusual choice for horror, and difficult to do well. It works here, though it’s not normally my preference, and gives the reader the closeness and connection to the protagonist that the story needs.
The ending is the weakest part, which is so often the case with horror. An initially tight idea expands and extends into metaphysics, losing some of the tension and pace as it does so. Plot twists that don’t really need to be there start appearing, padding out the narrative without adding much. To be fair though, Lurk does pull it all back together, tightening the focus and bringing the narrative to a somewhat satisfying close.
Adam Vine uses the supernatural to emphasize, not overrule, human characteristics, creating horror from human drives and desires rather than external forces. That’s a kind of horror that I don’t think there’s enough of, and it’s something that I’m always pleased to find. I would have liked a slower and more detailed exploration of Drew’s initial corruption, but that’s not a criticism – I just particularly enjoy the process of corruption as a character arc.
Lurk is fresh and original horror. It’s well-written and consistently unsettling. I’d recommend it.
viva_pugnacio's review
1.0
I did not enjoy this book at all. I was hoping for the sort of creeping dread you'd expect from a book called Lurk, but instead found none. It's hard to narrow down what I didn't enjoy in this novel, as the basic premise, "College kids discover evil photographs in the basement of their house." is promising. Essentially, it comes down to this. While you don't always need a likeable or relatable protagonist, you can't hinge all of your book's drama on whether or not the main character will survive body and sanity intact without one. Lurk asks me to root for and care about a character who was moderately gross before the corruption of evil photographs. This, I could not do.
gnomon's review against another edition
I could only handle so much of the main character. I was interested the mystery, but I just couldn't finish it.
kimily's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun read. It wasn't really all that scary, but it was entertaining and twisty. I will look for more of this author's work.
dmsullivan's review
4.0
I couldn't put this one down. This is super creepy. I didn't find any of the characters particularly likeable, but that's probably the point. I did feel a little bad for Drew at a few points in the story, but that didn't last very long. The writing was really good --- I know I was making a face during some of the more gruesome scenes throughout the story.
My only complaints were that I think it dragged a little bit around 3/4 of the story (mainly, the "flashbacks" of the Union that Drew was seeing), and the story could have probably ended fine on at least 3 separate occasions --- I kept reading and thinking "Oh, here's the end" and it just kept going.
Overall, a good story. I'd be interested to see the movie interpretation of this, if that ever became a thing.
My only complaints were that I think it dragged a little bit around 3/4 of the story (mainly, the "flashbacks" of the Union that Drew was seeing), and the story could have probably ended fine on at least 3 separate occasions --- I kept reading and thinking "Oh, here's the end" and it just kept going.
Overall, a good story. I'd be interested to see the movie interpretation of this, if that ever became a thing.
findingtoriii's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Eerie, thrilling, and a bitterness that will sit with you. It’s complicated to say where the book is going but as things develop and events begin to make more sense you’ll wish you could talk to the narrator. The backstories that circle the lore of what happened in the past are captivating and I wish I could get even more details on the other untold stories.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Animal death, Drug abuse, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Stalking, Sexual content, Police brutality, Murder, Mental illness, Drug use, Death, Bullying, Body shaming, Blood, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Addiction
toris_reads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved this book! The characters, the setting, and the story felt so realistic, with a hint of the paranormal of course. The last chapter was the only issue for me — I felt like the author’s message could’ve been more understated, and it was a bit in-your-face by the end there. As a reader, I could’ve understood the book’s message without the explanation in the final chapter. Still, I’ll definitely be picking up more by this author, and I highly recommend this one!