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A review by charshorrorcorner
The Concrete Grove by Gary McMahon
4.0
The book opens with this quote: "One of the widespread beliefs is that hummingbirds, in some way, are messengers between worlds. As such they help shamans keep nature and spirit in balance"
Great. Hummingbirds. What's so scary about that you say? Plenty about that is scary, which is why you should read this book.
The Concrete Grove is described as what we here in the U.S. would call the projects. It's an urban area, filled with drug dealers, gang members and violence. At the center of these circularly laid out projects stands the needle.There are things living in the needle.Our 14 year old protagonist, Hailey, is drawn there, to them, for reasons unknown. It turns out that the needle is a sort of gateway, and what is coming through may or may not be pleasant, depending on the viewer. The Slitten are a force to be dealt with. Will 14 year old Hailey make it through? You will have to read this book to find out.
This book is populated with bleak, hopeless characters trapped in a bleak, grey environment. We have a woman, Hailey's mother, fighting to keep their financial heads above water. We have Tom, caring for his obese, paralyzed wife, (who got that way during a rendezvous with her lover.) At the same time we have Banjo, the drug addict and Monte Bright the local loan shark and instrument of mayhem. We won't even talk about Mr. Boater. These characters came alive to me, with all of their flaws and troubles. To me, that's an amazing piece of writing.
I was not aware at the time I bought this book that it was the beginning of a series. It looks as each book focuses on a different set of characters. I picked up the remaining two books in the series and I am looking forward to checking them out.
Recommended for fans of urban horror and for fans of science fiction type stories with heavy hints of horror!
Great. Hummingbirds. What's so scary about that you say? Plenty about that is scary, which is why you should read this book.
The Concrete Grove is described as what we here in the U.S. would call the projects. It's an urban area, filled with drug dealers, gang members and violence. At the center of these circularly laid out projects stands the needle.There are things living in the needle.Our 14 year old protagonist, Hailey, is drawn there, to them, for reasons unknown. It turns out that the needle is a sort of gateway, and what is coming through may or may not be pleasant, depending on the viewer. The Slitten are a force to be dealt with. Will 14 year old Hailey make it through? You will have to read this book to find out.
This book is populated with bleak, hopeless characters trapped in a bleak, grey environment. We have a woman, Hailey's mother, fighting to keep their financial heads above water. We have Tom, caring for his obese, paralyzed wife, (who got that way during a rendezvous with her lover.) At the same time we have Banjo, the drug addict and Monte Bright the local loan shark and instrument of mayhem. We won't even talk about Mr. Boater. These characters came alive to me, with all of their flaws and troubles. To me, that's an amazing piece of writing.
I was not aware at the time I bought this book that it was the beginning of a series. It looks as each book focuses on a different set of characters. I picked up the remaining two books in the series and I am looking forward to checking them out.
Recommended for fans of urban horror and for fans of science fiction type stories with heavy hints of horror!