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dantastic's review against another edition
3.0
When five horror actors in various states of their careers are recruited for an interactive horror convention, they get more than they bargained for...
I've read a few novels that take place at conventions in the last few years. [b:I Am Providence|25898713|I Am Providence|Nick Mamatas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445540293s/25898713.jpg|45781541], [b:Night of the Living Trekkies|7884969|Night of the Living Trekkies|Kevin David Anderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442858922s/7884969.jpg|11097770], and [b:Shatnerquake|6426609|Shatnerquake|Jeff Burk|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349076114s/6426609.jpg|6615970] come to mind. I keep seeing Adam Cesare's name pop up so I decided to give Con Season a shot.
The title is a little misleading. While it takes place in a convention of sorts, Camping Season might have been more appropriate. Anyway, Con Season is some bloody good fun.
Much like the guests at conventions of this type, the main characters are a mix of washed up has-beens and a rising star. It's not readily apparent which of them will survive, though three of them were more detailed than the others. The setup is a twist on the old "man getting hunted for sport" trope, only in this case, they're being hunted for fun, and being filmed to boot.
The body count is pretty high, as is the gore factor. It was a quick, fun read but I almost wish it would have went longer. While I like my horror short, the ending felt a little rushed to me. Some people's deaths were a little too easy.
The concept was a little too plausible in the age of reality TV, making for an unsettling read. Con Season is a fun horror novel that can be devoured in an extended sitting. You could find a lot worse ways to spend a few hours reading. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
I've read a few novels that take place at conventions in the last few years. [b:I Am Providence|25898713|I Am Providence|Nick Mamatas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445540293s/25898713.jpg|45781541], [b:Night of the Living Trekkies|7884969|Night of the Living Trekkies|Kevin David Anderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442858922s/7884969.jpg|11097770], and [b:Shatnerquake|6426609|Shatnerquake|Jeff Burk|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349076114s/6426609.jpg|6615970] come to mind. I keep seeing Adam Cesare's name pop up so I decided to give Con Season a shot.
The title is a little misleading. While it takes place in a convention of sorts, Camping Season might have been more appropriate. Anyway, Con Season is some bloody good fun.
Much like the guests at conventions of this type, the main characters are a mix of washed up has-beens and a rising star. It's not readily apparent which of them will survive, though three of them were more detailed than the others. The setup is a twist on the old "man getting hunted for sport" trope, only in this case, they're being hunted for fun, and being filmed to boot.
The body count is pretty high, as is the gore factor. It was a quick, fun read but I almost wish it would have went longer. While I like my horror short, the ending felt a little rushed to me. Some people's deaths were a little too easy.
The concept was a little too plausible in the age of reality TV, making for an unsettling read. Con Season is a fun horror novel that can be devoured in an extended sitting. You could find a lot worse ways to spend a few hours reading. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
jodiesbookishposts's review against another edition
3.0
Ive never read a book that felt like watching a cheesy slasher film. I had so much 'fun' with this (although fun sounds like the wrong word considering the content)
The premise of this was interesting - taking the notion of fandom and diving into the deep voyeristic darkness with it. I wish that this had been taken further.
My issue with this was that it felt like there were about 200 pages more in this story. There was more we could have explored, more we could have analysed and delved in to - but it felt trimmed down for the gore factor.
It's a shame this wasnt expanded on as it had the potential to be a five star.
The premise of this was interesting - taking the notion of fandom and diving into the deep voyeristic darkness with it. I wish that this had been taken further.
My issue with this was that it felt like there were about 200 pages more in this story. There was more we could have explored, more we could have analysed and delved in to - but it felt trimmed down for the gore factor.
It's a shame this wasnt expanded on as it had the potential to be a five star.
clarke's review against another edition
2.0
I am so disappointed to be writing this review. I LOVED clown in a cornfield 1&2 so fucking much and I was so excited to read this. The premise sounded great and I was all in. The first half felt off - chapter endings didn't feel like actual endings and the start of the next didn't follow, the point that I downloaded an ebook to check if my audiobook was fucking up. Surprisingly, the audiobook narrators pronunciation of the characters Teek and Kieth sounded exactly the same, and that was v confusing. Once the action started going it was fun, but ended very easily. I also cannot recommend a book that uses an ableist slur.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Blood, Death, and Alcoholism
Minor: Ableism
ablounger926's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Took way too long to get this story going and then the ending was super rushed.
libraryofalibrarian's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
tomesoftrouble's review against another edition
2.0
I'm a big Adam Cesare fan, but this novella was unfortunately a swing and a miss. It takes too long to get to the action and when the good stuff does happen it doesn't happen for nearly long enough. The beginning feels padded and the ending feels strangely rushed. The characters also seem rushed; I liked them initially but nobody was given time to grow or develop. The ending could've been good if it had been built up properly, but as is it just... kinda happens?
It hurts to rate this so low because it has a great premise and I love Cesare's work. That said, I'd be lying to myself if I went even one star higher.
It hurts to rate this so low because it has a great premise and I love Cesare's work. That said, I'd be lying to myself if I went even one star higher.
kat_b's review
2.0
This book really didn't work for me. I have previously enjoyed other books by this author, but this one just missed the mark. I thought the premise was interesting and the book is a super fast read. I didn't really connect with any of the characters. I didn't think this book was overly scary or disturbing. It just wasn't the most fun to read.
boldconfused's review against another edition
Interesting premise but not told in an interesting way. A fake fan con is really a front for slaughtering