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billymac1962's review
4.0
Well, this couldn't have been 190 pages. Seemed more like 80. And that's okay.
Once again my horror itch flared up and Tim Curran is my go-to for fun creepiness.
And, once again he gave me a good scratch.
The story is simple enough. A gambler with ice in his veins is in debt to a heavyweight to the tune of fifty large. There is an easy way he can pay off the debt, though. Spend one full night aboard a haunted freighter.
As always, Curran wastes no time getting to the meat of the story. There was plenty of unsettlement to be had and a few parts had me squirming.
The ending was great.
Tim Curran should be much more famous than he is now. Dead Sea remains one of the best horror novels I've read with one scene that still bothers me years after reading it.
Deadlock was a fun way to spend an afternoon.
Once again my horror itch flared up and Tim Curran is my go-to for fun creepiness.
And, once again he gave me a good scratch.
The story is simple enough. A gambler with ice in his veins is in debt to a heavyweight to the tune of fifty large. There is an easy way he can pay off the debt, though. Spend one full night aboard a haunted freighter.
As always, Curran wastes no time getting to the meat of the story. There was plenty of unsettlement to be had and a few parts had me squirming.
The ending was great.
Tim Curran should be much more famous than he is now. Dead Sea remains one of the best horror novels I've read with one scene that still bothers me years after reading it.
Deadlock was a fun way to spend an afternoon.
dantastic's review
4.0
When presented with an opportunity to have a $50,000 gambling debt wiped out in exchange for spending the night on an allegedly haunted ship, Charlie Petty jumps at the chance. Will Charlie Petty survive the night or will the violent history of the ship catch up with him?
I got this from DarkFuse via Netgalley.
Every time I read a Tim Curran book, he rises a couple notches in my esteem. Deadlock is no different.
I have to say that I wasn't overly impressed with Deadlock at first. A haunted ship? Big whoop. Then the Curran magic kicked in. Charlie starts getting more and more paranoid as his night goes on and he learns more about the horrible things that happened on the ship in the past. For most of the book, the horror was strictly atmospheric.
Things really took off around the 70% mark and the book was impossible to put down after that. Lots of revolting things happened and I almost gagged a few times. By the end, Tim Curran's talent was affirmed once again. And the last line was one last kick to the groin.
Deadlock is a delightful horror novella that isn't for the squeamish. Four out of five stars.
I got this from DarkFuse via Netgalley.
Every time I read a Tim Curran book, he rises a couple notches in my esteem. Deadlock is no different.
I have to say that I wasn't overly impressed with Deadlock at first. A haunted ship? Big whoop. Then the Curran magic kicked in. Charlie starts getting more and more paranoid as his night goes on and he learns more about the horrible things that happened on the ship in the past. For most of the book, the horror was strictly atmospheric.
Things really took off around the 70% mark and the book was impossible to put down after that. Lots of revolting things happened and I almost gagged a few times. By the end, Tim Curran's talent was affirmed once again. And the last line was one last kick to the groin.
Deadlock is a delightful horror novella that isn't for the squeamish. Four out of five stars.
mxsallybend's review
5.0
Tim Curran and the guys at DarkFuse have done it again, putting forth another absolutely stellar piece of horror with Deadlock. In terms of tone and subject matter it's definitely closer to Curran's recent Nightcrawlers than to the earlier Worm, but it takes things to a next level with its intensity. It's a novel that gets under your skin and into your head in a way that few authors can manage.
The set-up here is simple. Charlie is gambling addict and a womanizer, deeply in debt to the local loan shark, and secretly sleeping with the man's girlfriend. Fortunately for him, the cheating element seems to have slipped under the radar, with Arturo only concerned with the fifty grand. In fact, he's willing to forgive the entire lump sum, if only Charlie will agree to spend the night in the haunted captain's cabin of the Yvonne Addams, the cursed ship languishing at anchor for the last year.
The ship's history is a tale in and of itself, perfect for a spooky night around the campfire. It's full of holes and assumptions, with witlessness long since dead or missing entirely, but suitably creepy. Fifty grand to survive one night on board seems too good to be true, and the reader can be forgiven for sharing Charlie's doubts as to what Arturo really knows, and what his true intentions with the night's stay may be. That question results in a clever little flourish at the very end, but it's real power is in taking the wind out of Charlie's sails and setting him mentally adrift upon a sea of doubt.
On board, Curran makes the most of the dim, gloomy, cold, claustrophobic atmosphere. Even if the ship weren't said to be haunted, Charlie's descent below decks would be unsettling all on its own. Curran begins messing with the reader almost immediately, however, with the suggestion of things heard, seen, and felt . . . and the intimation of what they might really be. He carefully layers on the fear and the horror, building the story to the point where we're prepared to accept Charlie's strange, bloody dreams as phantom memories of what's gone before. By the time he starts exploring the ship, challenging those dreams, we know in our hearts that things will not end well.
There's a monster at the heart of this tale, worse than any simple spook or poltergeist, and it's immensely exciting to watch as it's slowly revealed. It's the kind of story that leaves you picking at invisible spiderwebs, even as you wander across the room to turn on one more light. Deadlock is not a story that can be accused of being subtle, not by any means, but it is one that's chillingly methodical in the pace at which it builds in intensity. A fantastic read, best consumed in a single, breathless sitting, it shows yet another facet to Curran's literary talents.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
The set-up here is simple. Charlie is gambling addict and a womanizer, deeply in debt to the local loan shark, and secretly sleeping with the man's girlfriend. Fortunately for him, the cheating element seems to have slipped under the radar, with Arturo only concerned with the fifty grand. In fact, he's willing to forgive the entire lump sum, if only Charlie will agree to spend the night in the haunted captain's cabin of the Yvonne Addams, the cursed ship languishing at anchor for the last year.
The ship's history is a tale in and of itself, perfect for a spooky night around the campfire. It's full of holes and assumptions, with witlessness long since dead or missing entirely, but suitably creepy. Fifty grand to survive one night on board seems too good to be true, and the reader can be forgiven for sharing Charlie's doubts as to what Arturo really knows, and what his true intentions with the night's stay may be. That question results in a clever little flourish at the very end, but it's real power is in taking the wind out of Charlie's sails and setting him mentally adrift upon a sea of doubt.
On board, Curran makes the most of the dim, gloomy, cold, claustrophobic atmosphere. Even if the ship weren't said to be haunted, Charlie's descent below decks would be unsettling all on its own. Curran begins messing with the reader almost immediately, however, with the suggestion of things heard, seen, and felt . . . and the intimation of what they might really be. He carefully layers on the fear and the horror, building the story to the point where we're prepared to accept Charlie's strange, bloody dreams as phantom memories of what's gone before. By the time he starts exploring the ship, challenging those dreams, we know in our hearts that things will not end well.
There's a monster at the heart of this tale, worse than any simple spook or poltergeist, and it's immensely exciting to watch as it's slowly revealed. It's the kind of story that leaves you picking at invisible spiderwebs, even as you wander across the room to turn on one more light. Deadlock is not a story that can be accused of being subtle, not by any means, but it is one that's chillingly methodical in the pace at which it builds in intensity. A fantastic read, best consumed in a single, breathless sitting, it shows yet another facet to Curran's literary talents.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
mrschy's review
3.0
Psychological horror where we see a man, Charlie, get conned into agreeing to stay by himself overnight in a haunted ship by his loan shark simply complimenting his balls (and clearing his sizable debt, almost as sizable as his balls, which are huge).
The horror elements were creepy and well written as Charlie slowly losses his mind and teeters away from sanity over the course of the night. Despite this being a novella Charlie feels fully fleshed out, and the actions he takes while aboard the ship feel appropriate to the character. I really liked how the author held tension throughout the story as well.
The horror elements were creepy and well written as Charlie slowly losses his mind and teeters away from sanity over the course of the night. Despite this being a novella Charlie feels fully fleshed out, and the actions he takes while aboard the ship feel appropriate to the character. I really liked how the author held tension throughout the story as well.
mel_reviews_in_a_pinch's review
3.0
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thinking of that one thing that truly gets under your skin, how far would you go to take care of the problem? I will admit that my limit is the actual law. I can’t see myself breaking the law to solve a problem, unless it was self-defense (which is not technically against the law). This short story (79 pages) had a lot of potential, plus I wasn’t really sure what to expect going in. The synopsis made it sound like it could be something supernatural, but I wasn’t sure if that would include ghosts, creatures or a croatoan incident. The author’s suspense-filled build up to Charlie’s ultimate fate was well-done. It was very detailed and pretty gory (I wish I hadn’t been eating lunch while reading it). But it was far from perfect. There was a lot of what I deemed unnecessary swearing; it didn’t help make a point or add to the story at all. There was also a lot of repetition. If the author were repeating something because it was an important point that the reader needed to remember it would have been fine, but this was repetition for the sake of it or for making Deadlock seem longer. My biggest problem was a lack of resolution to the entire story. If it were part of a continuing series and ended on a cliffhanger, fine. Not the case here. I was actually pretty irritated that after getting to the end, I still have no clue what was haunting the freaking ship! I think Deadlock could be a full length novel, with more background on Charlie and his life decisions leading up to his decision to stay on the ship. Flashback accounts on the ship could also be added. Overall I did like this short story, I just thought it could be better. If you’re hardcore into thriller stories, I may recommend Deadlock to you, but it would be on an individual basis when I know what you prefer to read.
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For more reviews, check out reviewsinapinch.wordpress.com today!
bmacenlightened's review
5.0
This was my first real introduction to Mr. Curran's work and for the record its not going to be the last. It started quick with a great introduction to the characters but then spent the bulk of the time on why I actually picked it up, the horror. The haunting events taking place on that boat were things I'd never heard of anything close to but I'll never forget what they were doing to the man. I really enjoyed that the author kept the man reasonable with his stubbornness and the thoughts he had as everything was going on. Then as a cherry on top the ending of it was satisfactory as well on another level returning the story back to its place in the universe in which it existed.
paperbackstash's review
4.0
A fun, fast and haunting horror ride. This boat may never set sail, but being on a boat at night floating on a chamber horrors is enough without adding in actual creepy sea life.
The plot is basic and straight-forward, and it reminds me a bit of the short story from King's movie Cat's Eye where an addicted gambler is forced out on the ledge to solve his issues and save his life. In this case, a gambler who owes a major debt is offered the chance to pay it off by staying alive on a large freighter.
Charlie doesn't trust the mobster in charge, but the chance to squeeze out of a fifty thousand dollar debt and keep his dignity intact makes the risk tempting - I'll let you read it for yourself to see if this gamble paid off.
The one has an almost hallucinogenic quality as Charlie lets him imagination run away with him, mixed in memories and unrealities. The villain Arturo is kind of funny and made memorable lines and moments considered he’s the big-bad of the shipyard.
The ending is a satisfying “so there!” moment. You get creepiness, a suitable end, a worthy premise, and a bizarre ship. Tim Curran is a talented writer who penned a worthy tale. It’s not maritime horror since the boat stays docked, but the claustrophobic setting rocks for this type of story.
It’s relatively short at 190 pages and can be had for a cheap price of 2.99 e-book --- recommended.
The plot is basic and straight-forward, and it reminds me a bit of the short story from King's movie Cat's Eye where an addicted gambler is forced out on the ledge to solve his issues and save his life. In this case, a gambler who owes a major debt is offered the chance to pay it off by staying alive on a large freighter.
Charlie doesn't trust the mobster in charge, but the chance to squeeze out of a fifty thousand dollar debt and keep his dignity intact makes the risk tempting - I'll let you read it for yourself to see if this gamble paid off.
The one has an almost hallucinogenic quality as Charlie lets him imagination run away with him, mixed in memories and unrealities. The villain Arturo is kind of funny and made memorable lines and moments considered he’s the big-bad of the shipyard.
The ending is a satisfying “so there!” moment. You get creepiness, a suitable end, a worthy premise, and a bizarre ship. Tim Curran is a talented writer who penned a worthy tale. It’s not maritime horror since the boat stays docked, but the claustrophobic setting rocks for this type of story.
It’s relatively short at 190 pages and can be had for a cheap price of 2.99 e-book --- recommended.
charshorrorcorner's review
5.0
(I beta read this novella back in January and I have been thinking about it ever since. I originally rated it 4.5 stars, but after constantly thinking about it, I raised my rating to a full 5 stars.)
This novella was excellent!
One man. One night on a ship. Seems easy enough right? But this is no ordinary ship and Tim Curran is no ordinary author. If this premise sounds interesting to you, buy this novella. You won't be sorry!
This novella was excellent!
One man. One night on a ship. Seems easy enough right? But this is no ordinary ship and Tim Curran is no ordinary author. If this premise sounds interesting to you, buy this novella. You won't be sorry!
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