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david_agranoff's review
4.0
I instantly became a fan of Braunbeck after seeing him do a powerful reading performance of a zombie story that he had released as a chapbook. It was an emotional, heartbreaking and gut-wrenching performance. After reading my third Braunbeck Novel (In silent Graves and Prodigal Blues) I can say those three descriptions describe each of those novels but Keepers is my favorite of the three.
Half way through the book a friend asked me what the book was about. I tried to explain it to him, but it came out sounding like a mess. My fault Braunbeck told this story in a non-linear but brilliant fashion. It was my explanation that failed.
The story of a loner and souvenir shop owner Gil stewart is almost an inverse of Pet Semetary. It explores similar themes, where do our beloved pets , and family members go when we can’t keep them anymore.
Like many great horror novels the strength of the story is the rich love we as readers develop for Gil’s loved ones. This novel is full of rich emotions that power the story. There is a heart breaking relationship with Beth, the woman Gil loves despite her inability to love him back same way. Gil’s nephew with down syndrome is a charming character, all these emotions are what make horror novel work.
This novel is clearly a post Stephen King novel that is clearly influenced by the master. That is a great thing because Braunbeck is not influenced by King King plots or concepts but by his tone and rich connection to the emotions of his characters.
I was worried this novel would demonize animals, but thankfully this novel was the opposite. Check this novel out!
paperbackstash's review against another edition
3.0
There are some authors who have the knack for whipping up a horrific tale that is as confusing as it is interesting; others who write with a dark style that’s impossible to learn through schooling or practice, and still more writers with either the natural knack for scaring the socks off their readers or the food out of their stomachs. Braunbeck has already shown he possesses each of these talents, which seem to come to him effortlessly. When you read his words, they’re real, dark, brooding, and just…well, you’d never mistake the man for a romance novelist.
Keepers is a very different kind of book, clever in its originality, confusing in its clues and hints, and morbid with its premise. Braunbecks goal was to horrify, I’m sure; he succeeded. I’ve said it before in movie reviews, and I’ll say the same thing with books – when you involve animals, you can get some of the creepiest effects possible. I mean, brrrr. These natural creatures can be the most menacing things around! Braunbeck keeps the horror deceivingly subtle, not throwing scary antics right in the readers face, instead letting it seep in through the pores. Without debate, Braunbeck has an amazing knack at bringing the reader into areas of the mind were surreal horror lurks, mystifying while at the same time seducing.
The plot itself is just strange; I felt a few brain hemorrhages reading it. You never know what the hell is really going on, and amidst the creepy atmosphere, you can sympathize with the main character’s seemingly constant state of confusion. From the bizarre opening sequence of a man on the highway being chased by virile dogs, to the bizarre hospital laboratory experiments, to strange comic book scrawlings, it’s impossible to keep a clear, sane head. This is always a good thing with horror, as heightening this state and being able to tap into this part of the human brain can result in the best kind of horror out there.
There were flaws, though. For some reason I couldn’t stay as focused as I would have liked with the book. The flashbacks were the more interesting, while the modern times were peppered with lengthy memories and sometimes anemic messages. Being back in one time, then going in another, can almost be two different books. This method almost always works, but if enough detail of the past is given – that is not always relevant to the future – then the reader may end up caring more about what happened then, and get impatient when thrust back in the ‘now.’ The different modes I got into when reading a flashback vs. current event ended up slightly distracting.
The Keepers were an intriguing lot, but I didn’t know whether to find them threatening or friendly, depending on the circumstance. It’s almost as if the author himself wasn’t sure till the end. For brownie points, a speech made by an important character at the end, about the treatment of our senior citizens, forgotten animals, and deformed children was both memorable and heart-gripping.
Braunbecks’ other book I read, In Silent Graves, was excellent and just as dark, concentrating on children, this one on the world between people and animals. While I enjoyed the previous book more, this one stands as another haunting, lesson-enriched, disturbing horror novel begging to be grabbed and devoured.
Keepers is a very different kind of book, clever in its originality, confusing in its clues and hints, and morbid with its premise. Braunbecks goal was to horrify, I’m sure; he succeeded. I’ve said it before in movie reviews, and I’ll say the same thing with books – when you involve animals, you can get some of the creepiest effects possible. I mean, brrrr. These natural creatures can be the most menacing things around! Braunbeck keeps the horror deceivingly subtle, not throwing scary antics right in the readers face, instead letting it seep in through the pores. Without debate, Braunbeck has an amazing knack at bringing the reader into areas of the mind were surreal horror lurks, mystifying while at the same time seducing.
The plot itself is just strange; I felt a few brain hemorrhages reading it. You never know what the hell is really going on, and amidst the creepy atmosphere, you can sympathize with the main character’s seemingly constant state of confusion. From the bizarre opening sequence of a man on the highway being chased by virile dogs, to the bizarre hospital laboratory experiments, to strange comic book scrawlings, it’s impossible to keep a clear, sane head. This is always a good thing with horror, as heightening this state and being able to tap into this part of the human brain can result in the best kind of horror out there.
There were flaws, though. For some reason I couldn’t stay as focused as I would have liked with the book. The flashbacks were the more interesting, while the modern times were peppered with lengthy memories and sometimes anemic messages. Being back in one time, then going in another, can almost be two different books. This method almost always works, but if enough detail of the past is given – that is not always relevant to the future – then the reader may end up caring more about what happened then, and get impatient when thrust back in the ‘now.’ The different modes I got into when reading a flashback vs. current event ended up slightly distracting.
The Keepers were an intriguing lot, but I didn’t know whether to find them threatening or friendly, depending on the circumstance. It’s almost as if the author himself wasn’t sure till the end. For brownie points, a speech made by an important character at the end, about the treatment of our senior citizens, forgotten animals, and deformed children was both memorable and heart-gripping.
Braunbecks’ other book I read, In Silent Graves, was excellent and just as dark, concentrating on children, this one on the world between people and animals. While I enjoyed the previous book more, this one stands as another haunting, lesson-enriched, disturbing horror novel begging to be grabbed and devoured.
acknud's review against another edition
1.0
This was terrible. I couldn't finish it. I like a strange book but this was so ridiculous it didn't really make sense. I made it through about 130 pages before I realized there are plenty of good books out there to read.
arkwen452's review against another edition
2.0
I am always the type to push through a book to get to the core of it's characters and its plot but I'm sad to say that Keepers was not one of favorites to sit through or the easiest to stomach. The author does a great job with the descriptions and details but as an animal lover, I unfortunately was not able to make it all the way through this book. It turned out not to be my cup of tea. :-/
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