Robert DeCoteau

Book Info: Genre: Horror short
Reading Level: Young Adult
Recommended for: People who enjoy a suspenseful story that isn't what it seems to be.

My Thoughts: I ended up quite liking this short story, which is mostly set in a psychiatric hospital, so it gave me that extra little delicious shiver over being “trapped” in such a place. However, unlike many books of its ilk, the hospital is not populated completely by psychos, nor are the patients drugged out of their minds. But it is there, so I liked that bit.

The only problem with it was that it could have used another editing pass, as there were a lot of errors scattered throughout the book. As an example, a noise was “to loud to bare”, which should have been “too loud to bear”. Missing commas abound as well, leading to run-on sentences that are hard to follow as a result.

However, overall I quite enjoyed the story, especially the twist ending. If you're looking for something bite-sized, see if you can find this one.

Disclosure: I don't remember exactly when I picked this up, but I believe it was a freebie on Barnes & Noble. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Jason is a confused young man who was abandoned by his parents at a mental hospital at the age of nine. He struggles with a reoccurring nightmare that may just be the key to finding his sanity.… (plus d'informations)

The New Days: The First Son (A Zombie Tale) by Robert DeCoteau is a great surprise of a story! The surprise is how well written, thought-provoking, captivating, and complex the story is. It is partly a gory zombie tale, part examination of a father-son relationship, and part a "Mad Max" romp through a depressing dystopian future. It satisfies on all these levels. The writing is clear and descriptive. The world-building is detailed, effective and believable. And best of all, the characters are realistic, complex, and fascinating - the good guys are a bit bad, and the bad guys are a bit good. I stayed up late reading because I was so involved in the story. My only complaint was that it ended. I hope the author writes more about the New Days. I will buy everything he writes.… (plus d'informations)