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samjoc's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
billymac1962's review
3.0
It was ok.
Huge writing chops, although this fact distanced me from the story a bit.
Could have just been my mood, read it through a busy time.
Huge writing chops, although this fact distanced me from the story a bit.
Could have just been my mood, read it through a busy time.
amandaslittlelibrary's review
2.0
Felt like 30 out of the 44 pages were just the narrators ramblings; some where interesting, while some I skimmed through. The first few pages were good then it slowed down a loooot, until maybe the last five pages it picked up and got scary.
erins_library's review
4.5
The Elvis Room by Stephen Graham Jones is a short story, under 50 pages, following a disgraced, skeptical research scientist as he studies The Elvis Room superstition in hotels. The book is full of ghosts, moving fast towards a horrifying end. I recommend it if you're looking for something a little creepy.
My takeaways:
-The exploitation of other beings for personal gain, regardless of the consequences.
-The use of western science to disprove or prove spiritual or supernatural beliefs.
-The dangers of obsession and sacrificing everything, including your relationships and life, for your goal.
CW: suicide, blood, death
leahrosereads's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
What a bizarre little novelette/long short story. Being in the mad scientist's mind the entire time was a bit maddening but boy was he an interesting character.
This was such an intriguing concept and I found myself unable to put my phone down until I had read through the last page.
I now also want to know more about Elvis Rooms and other similar urban legends.
This was such an intriguing concept and I found myself unable to put my phone down until I had read through the last page.
I now also want to know more about Elvis Rooms and other similar urban legends.
madzsmiled's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I'm a huge fan of urban legends, and Jones' version of the mad scientist was so much fun. This book was a quick and easy read that kept me hooked.
jdkauthor's review
5.0
Originally posted over at my personal blog site, Night Terror Novels
“Stimulus-response, the world conforms to reason; I was a product of my lengthy education. There were no dark corners, as far as I was concerned. Just shadows we haven’t bothered to shine our lights into yet.”
– Stephen Graham Jones, The Elvis Room
Today’s story was actually a recent read for me – I only read it back in December, but Jones has fast become one of my favourite authors and I’ve made it my mission to read his entire oeuvre. He has one of the most unique authorial voices and everything I’ve read thus far has been of such a high quality. As such, I’ve been tracking down and reading as much as I can from him, slowly but surely.
Which brings me on nicely to the subject of today’s review: The Elvis Room. I read this pretty much back to back with Jones’ The Night Cyclist (2016 – another fantastic short, and one I’m sure I’ll feature soon), and loved it. Once again, this short is written in his ‘one-of-a-kind’ style, and has a really unique approach to the premise.
First things first, it’s probably worth mentioning that this is better described as a chapbook or a novelette than a short story – coming together at 44 pages, it is a fair bit longer than many of the stories that will be featured in my previous Sunday Shorts. I’ll admit, I was drawn into this one by the title, and it is so intriguing finding out how it ties into the narrative. I think I actually heard about this when it was released, way back when I was still in university, but I never got around to reading it at the time.
The plot concerns a self-confessed ‘mad’ ex-scientist, who goes to increasingly extreme lengths to prove the existence of an afterlife and the supernatural. To divulge too much more would spoil the plot, but suffice it to say, he gets more than he bargained for. What follows is an engaging and sincerely blood-curdling tale of otherworldly encounters. There is a palpable sense of dread throughout, and the tension ramps up incrementally; right up until it inevitably boils over.
The one slight gripe I have is that sometimes the wording and choice of language Jones’ employs is a tad overbearing. I think maybe this was a conscious decision – perhaps to illustrate the academic background of the protagonist – but it did sometimes work against the flow of the story, I felt. However, this was only an issue a handful of times – in most instances, as the quote above shows, Jones’ language can be beautifully effective.
The ending is absolutely brilliant, as well. I do sometimes find with shorter fiction that the conclusion can be a bit underwhelming, or a little too abstract and confusing. Not so, with The Elvis Room – it really has a perfect ending – genuinely terrifying, and somewhat ambiguous in the best kind of way. In a lot of ways, the finale (and indeed the story in its entirety) was very reminiscent of a classic Victorian ghost story – evoking, in my eyes, the plotting of greats like Algernon Blackwood, Henry James or M. R. James.
VERDICT: A truly chilling little slice of ghostly goodness, The Elvis Room is a highly original short with a wildly inventive premise. Although occasionally the language obfuscates things somewhat, this is a stellar story that is both evocative of the classic greats and entirely fresh and unique. Stephen Graham Jones continues to dazzle and amaze with whatever he writes.
It’s a highly deserved ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Stimulus-response, the world conforms to reason; I was a product of my lengthy education. There were no dark corners, as far as I was concerned. Just shadows we haven’t bothered to shine our lights into yet.”
– Stephen Graham Jones, The Elvis Room
Today’s story was actually a recent read for me – I only read it back in December, but Jones has fast become one of my favourite authors and I’ve made it my mission to read his entire oeuvre. He has one of the most unique authorial voices and everything I’ve read thus far has been of such a high quality. As such, I’ve been tracking down and reading as much as I can from him, slowly but surely.
Which brings me on nicely to the subject of today’s review: The Elvis Room. I read this pretty much back to back with Jones’ The Night Cyclist (2016 – another fantastic short, and one I’m sure I’ll feature soon), and loved it. Once again, this short is written in his ‘one-of-a-kind’ style, and has a really unique approach to the premise.
First things first, it’s probably worth mentioning that this is better described as a chapbook or a novelette than a short story – coming together at 44 pages, it is a fair bit longer than many of the stories that will be featured in my previous Sunday Shorts. I’ll admit, I was drawn into this one by the title, and it is so intriguing finding out how it ties into the narrative. I think I actually heard about this when it was released, way back when I was still in university, but I never got around to reading it at the time.
The plot concerns a self-confessed ‘mad’ ex-scientist, who goes to increasingly extreme lengths to prove the existence of an afterlife and the supernatural. To divulge too much more would spoil the plot, but suffice it to say, he gets more than he bargained for. What follows is an engaging and sincerely blood-curdling tale of otherworldly encounters. There is a palpable sense of dread throughout, and the tension ramps up incrementally; right up until it inevitably boils over.
The one slight gripe I have is that sometimes the wording and choice of language Jones’ employs is a tad overbearing. I think maybe this was a conscious decision – perhaps to illustrate the academic background of the protagonist – but it did sometimes work against the flow of the story, I felt. However, this was only an issue a handful of times – in most instances, as the quote above shows, Jones’ language can be beautifully effective.
The ending is absolutely brilliant, as well. I do sometimes find with shorter fiction that the conclusion can be a bit underwhelming, or a little too abstract and confusing. Not so, with The Elvis Room – it really has a perfect ending – genuinely terrifying, and somewhat ambiguous in the best kind of way. In a lot of ways, the finale (and indeed the story in its entirety) was very reminiscent of a classic Victorian ghost story – evoking, in my eyes, the plotting of greats like Algernon Blackwood, Henry James or M. R. James.
VERDICT: A truly chilling little slice of ghostly goodness, The Elvis Room is a highly original short with a wildly inventive premise. Although occasionally the language obfuscates things somewhat, this is a stellar story that is both evocative of the classic greats and entirely fresh and unique. Stephen Graham Jones continues to dazzle and amaze with whatever he writes.
It’s a highly deserved ⭐⭐⭐⭐
kryten's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5