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The Eyes of the Dead

par G. R. Yeates

Séries: Vetala Cycle (1)

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This was quite a departure for me. If I'm honest I'm not quite sure why I've always overlooked the horror/vampire genre – it's not as if I read a horror story and decided I didn't like it; for some reason, I've just never tried it.

G R Yeates has taken my horror fiction virginity; and yes, it was good for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It is evident that the author is a very gifted writer; he has an outstanding command of the English language – his narrative is vivid, no detail is left to the imagination, the scene is set for you with every element described right down to minutiae and to complete perfection.

The story is set in the First World War – horrors of war alone are enough to shock, appal and disgust – but when three soldiers take refuge in a deserted, bombed church, what they find in the crypt is beyond a nightmare: it's chilling, frightening and abominable . As you eagerly turn the pages, absorbing the rich, abundant vocabulary that depicts every imaginable horror, you are periodically suddenly stopped in your tracks when you are brought into the parallel of reality.

And just as you think you're on the even keel of real life when the scene shifts to a war hospital which houses the senselessness and destruction of war and the appalling physical injuries and mental torture of brave young men who fought for their country, you are plunged back into merciless vampire terror.

The ending is one you race towards. Not only because you want to greedily devour more and more of the feast of illustrative words, but also because you are eager to know if it will end with the shape-shifting evil or if will we be jolted back to a scene of reality. The final curtain falls, not totally unexpectedly, but utterly satisfyingly.
( )
  Librogirl | Mar 13, 2022 |
Wow.

A horror novel based in WW1 which manages to keep a horrific dark story going without understating the real horrors of WW1....

Mr Yeates has an ability to make the reader wince with the written word, a skill which should make fans of horror crave for more of his material and a skill which he deserves much credit for.

The story was gripping, playing on many fears (such as the insincere smiling horror which seems to get to your fears at a very base level)

One surprise for me was a rather "racey" piece of narrative about halfway through the book which managed to throw a spanner in the dark, forboding tone the book takes the majority of the time.

Its obvious that Mr Yeates has researched his topic well and there's a few sad tales (in relation to individual characters) thrown into the plot to add to the sense of hopelessness in the story.

A great read! I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a battlefield horror (such as Jacobs Ladder, Deathwatch, The Bunker) whilst remaining respectful to the true horror of life in the battlefield of WW1.

A big thumbs up! ( )
  Tim.W | Jan 23, 2012 |
*shudders* This little darling freaked me out *shudders again*
Now, see, there’s all kinds of horror; there’s the “boo-hoo” and the “boo-hoo-hoo” kind, the mildly amusing darkish delicious kind, the not-so-dark-but-a-bit-spooky kind, the I-wanna-be-a-horror-when-I-grow-up kind, and so on and o forth – all kinds. This right here, this is the freak-you-out-of-your-mind/gross-you-out kind. I’m telling you I had a few moments of nausea while reading, it’s that hardcore terrifying. Well maybe I wouldn’t say terrifying per so, more like a nasty shade of repugnant? *shudders* I think I went through 5 shades of green and 20 or so of pale overall.
I’m really happy I haven’t eaten before starting to read this yesterday, and today either before finishing it up. It could easily have been me heaving, it’s that intense.

Of course, this all translates to a smashing and disturbing success of G.R. Yeates‘s writing. This is truly horrifying, in a deep and disturbing way that very few manage to write. Honestly, I don’t remember reading something quite as disturbing as this novel, and I am into dark and disturbing things by large.
The most ingenious aspect of this degree of horror is simplicity; no matter how elaborate and creative you get, you’ll never manage to be quite as effective as the simple things of life. Like rats. Big, black, chubby rats, munching on some rotten flesh – maybe offering you a bit too. See? I bet you’re bolting for the bathroom already, just after picturing that. And man, there’s so much more of it where that came from.
The author makes use of most people’s natural yuch-factor, instead of trying to create it. That, to me, is incredibly smart. Nothing will ever be as horrific as your natural fears, and chances are a lot of people will find rats, especially flesh eating ones, effectively scary. I know I damn well do.

Of course, the setting is awe-inspiring. Creating vivid images of a First World War battle, the already disturbing and reflex tension associated with filthy battle grounds makes for a beautiful setting; the quirky soldiers, the much too young recruits, the horror of finding yourself in the middle of an especially sour pickle, all of it builds rapidly from the first pages. You’ll instantly grow attached to Brookes, you’ll be somewhat puzzled by Smithy, and most of all, you’ll find Wilson to be the ‘level-headed’ one that you’re constantly cheering for, hoping against hope he’ll make it out of that hellhole alive.

I can honestly say I was completely taken by the story line; it kept me guessing all the while, and I did not picture anything ahead while reading. That’s rare, I always picture scenes ahead, usually I’m proven my flair was right on when I reach them. Well in this case, I was totally lost. It may have been in great part because of the thought-numbing creepy-filled fear of those damn rats. *shudders* You might have guessed it, for me the horror part wasn’t the vampire-y part, that’s never scary material for me as I’ve been a fang-groupie since I was 7 yo, but the rat-y part of it was just…just…*shudders*. Diabolical genius to use those.

I will also say, as I often simply must, that the cover is pretty awesome. You can tell there’s gonna be all kinds of fun just by looking at it.

Now, I will warn you, if you think you’re into horror, but you haven’t really read much of it, this is not the way to start exploring. It will be shocking, intense, and quite overwhelming. I wouldn’t recommend this to horror-noobs, or people with a faint heart (or queasy stomach!). But I would recommend it to horror lovers, as I find it to be a chilling masterpiece of the genre. ( )
  L.E.Olteano | Aug 3, 2011 |
For me, this book comes down to personal taste. For those who like J.A. Konrath and Jack Kilborn stories, you'll probably enjoy The Eyes of the Dead. It has a slasher horror feel with scene after scene of gruesome and descriptive details. The adjectives and metaphors keep on coming and had me floating somewhere between is this a dream, a hallucination or partial reality? I kept reading hoping by the end it would pull together (all the disjointed pieces) and I'd have my 'ah-ha' moment. The surrealism grabbed my attention, but the repetition of events or rather, circling began to frustrate me a little. Midway through Kitty and Mad appear, along with the hospital. This section felt more grounded and I would have liked the story to stay a bit more planted in place. Some more gravity would have (in my opinion) provided a center for the plot. I felt the balance between the abstract and concrete was lacking. ( )
  ccourtland | Jun 26, 2011 |
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