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herzeloyde's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Confinement
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
stuffhanreads's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Rating: 4 Stars
”Life doesn’t care what you want, other people don’t care what you want. All that matters is what you do.”
What can I even begin to say about ‘Horrorstor’? As a big fan of Hendrixs’ other works ‘My Best Friend’s Exorcism’ and The Southern Bookclub’s Guide to Slaying Vampires’, I had very high hopes for this book and I wasn’t disappointed. While it’s considered less “scary” for some readers, I found it to be on par with his other two books. It featured just enough campy weirdness, especially since the book features an Ikea-style knockoff store called Orsk, right down to the floorplan and the style of furniture name.
Horrorstor follows Amy, a relatively impoverished 24 year old who works at Orsk’s Cleveland branch. After bad interactions with her store’s deputy manager Basil, Amy and her fellow employee Ruth Anne stay behind to work a “special” overnight shift. But perhaps there’s more to this store than meets the eye.
”It’s complicated. But pain and fear have a way of simplifying things.”
I truly enjoyed reading this book, so much so that I finished it in a few hours, something I’ve found difficult recently. Hendrix’s way of writing just sucks you in and you simply cannot stop reading until you find out what happens next. A relatively short book in comparison to others I’ve read, Horrorstor still packs a punch. With a variety of creepy goings on, gore and death, this book should be enough for any new or old horror fan.
”For her, the world was divided into two kinds of jobs: those where you had to stand up, and those where you could sit down. If you were standing up, you were paid hourly. If you were sitting down, you were salaried.”
”Life doesn’t care what you want, other people don’t care what you want. All that matters is what you do.”
What can I even begin to say about ‘Horrorstor’? As a big fan of Hendrixs’ other works ‘My Best Friend’s Exorcism’ and The Southern Bookclub’s Guide to Slaying Vampires’, I had very high hopes for this book and I wasn’t disappointed. While it’s considered less “scary” for some readers, I found it to be on par with his other two books. It featured just enough campy weirdness, especially since the book features an Ikea-style knockoff store called Orsk, right down to the floorplan and the style of furniture name.
Horrorstor follows Amy, a relatively impoverished 24 year old who works at Orsk’s Cleveland branch. After bad interactions with her store’s deputy manager Basil, Amy and her fellow employee Ruth Anne stay behind to work a “special” overnight shift. But perhaps there’s more to this store than meets the eye.
”It’s complicated. But pain and fear have a way of simplifying things.”
I truly enjoyed reading this book, so much so that I finished it in a few hours, something I’ve found difficult recently. Hendrix’s way of writing just sucks you in and you simply cannot stop reading until you find out what happens next. A relatively short book in comparison to others I’ve read, Horrorstor still packs a punch. With a variety of creepy goings on, gore and death, this book should be enough for any new or old horror fan.
”For her, the world was divided into two kinds of jobs: those where you had to stand up, and those where you could sit down. If you were standing up, you were paid hourly. If you were sitting down, you were salaried.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Excrement, Confinement, and Blood
Minor: Suicide
kellyofcali's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
It was fine, entertaining enough, but kind of felt sometimes run of the mill horror and sometime gratuitous violence. I guess it was kind of a slasher novel, but then tried to be more sometimes? I did enjoy the design of the book, like an IKEA catalogue!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Forced institutionalization, and Gore
Minor: Sexual content
ricksilva's review
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A solid four-star horror story that gains a star for it's ridiculous (in the best possibly way) design/layout and it's total dedication to sticking to it's gimmick.
Strange things are afoot at the local Orsk, a big-box retailer of Swedish-style furniture that is absolutely not just a knockoff of it's better-known competitor, Ikea.
Amy, an employee stuck in the retail grind, is offered double-overtime for an overnight shift with her manager, Basil, and longtime cashier Ruth Anne. It seems there has been a series of vandalism incidents overnight, and Basil has a team from corporate showing up the next morning expecting answers.
No problem, just a night in a giant maze-like furniture store full of doors to nowhere and stocked with the latest in fashionable home design. What could possibly go wrong?
Everything does, of course. The story hits a bunch of standard horror beats while never losing its central metaphor of retail work as prison. The characters have enough complexity to each pull off a few surprises, and the author does a nice job mixing the creepiness and overall absurdity of the setting.
The book is laid out like a furniture catalogue, and it's done with delightful attention to detail (why yes, I did notice that every furniture piece has 666 somewhere in its item number). The Orsk corporate-speak and slogans, lovingly quoted by Basil, get more and more disturbing as the story moves on. And I particularly loved how all of the characters referred to the furniture pieces by their Swedish names no matter how stressful the situation was.
This is a harrowing story (avoid if you're bothered by claustrophobia, bondage, and/or drowning) that is loaded with dark humor in a wonderfully absurd package.
Strange things are afoot at the local Orsk, a big-box retailer of Swedish-style furniture that is absolutely not just a knockoff of it's better-known competitor, Ikea.
Amy, an employee stuck in the retail grind, is offered double-overtime for an overnight shift with her manager, Basil, and longtime cashier Ruth Anne. It seems there has been a series of vandalism incidents overnight, and Basil has a team from corporate showing up the next morning expecting answers.
No problem, just a night in a giant maze-like furniture store full of doors to nowhere and stocked with the latest in fashionable home design. What could possibly go wrong?
Everything does, of course. The story hits a bunch of standard horror beats while never losing its central metaphor of retail work as prison. The characters have enough complexity to each pull off a few surprises, and the author does a nice job mixing the creepiness and overall absurdity of the setting.
The book is laid out like a furniture catalogue, and it's done with delightful attention to detail (why yes, I did notice that every furniture piece has 666 somewhere in its item number). The Orsk corporate-speak and slogans, lovingly quoted by Basil, get more and more disturbing as the story moves on. And I particularly loved how all of the characters referred to the furniture pieces by their Swedish names no matter how stressful the situation was.
This is a harrowing story (avoid if you're bothered by claustrophobia, bondage, and/or drowning) that is loaded with dark humor in a wonderfully absurd package.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Torture
maddiearthur's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Confinement, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Death, Murder, Body horror, Physical abuse, Slavery, Blood, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
disguisedposer's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Mental illness, Body horror, Gore, Blood, Death, Medical content, Torture, and Violence
justwordsandink's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, Confinement, Suicide attempt, Death, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Body horror, and Gore
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Like The Office or Superstore but make it fantastical horror. There were scenes that grossed me out so much I was physically gagging. There was also lots of humour, but I found that zapped out by the end. Strong start and middle, but I definitely lost interest by the end. Liked this more than The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires and I might check out more by him in the future after this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Vomit, Body horror, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Torture
thee_eclectic_eccentric's review
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical trauma, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Physical abuse, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Sexual content
mementomoriiv's review
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Injury/Injury detail