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WELCOME TO THE RUSHMORE INN
The bed and breakfast was hidden in the hills of West Virginia. Wary guests wondered how it could stay in business at such a creepy, remote location. Especially with its bizarre, presidential decor and eccentric proprietor.
ONCE YOU CHECK IN...
When the event hotel for the national Iron Woman triathlon accidentally overbooked, competitor Maria was forced to stay at the Rushmore. But after checking into her room, she quickly realized she wasn't alone. First her suitcase wasn't where she put it. Then her cell phone was moved. Finally, she heard an odd creaking under the bed. Confusion quickly turned to fear, and fear to hysteria when she discovered the front door was barred and the windows were bricked over. There was no way out.
...YOU'LL BE DYING TO LEAVE
One year later, four new female athletes have become guests of the Inn. Will they escape the horrors within its walls? Or will they join the many others who have died there, in ways too terrible to imagine?
ENDURANCE by Jack Kilborn
Are you brave enough to finish?
A Word of Warning:
Originally scheduled to be released in paperback in 2010, the publisher read the final version of the manuscript and refused to release it.
This is a disturbing, terrifying book. You may think you're brave enough to handle it. But you're probably not...
Also includes excerpts from TRAPPED by Jack Kilborn and AFRAID by Jack Kilborn, as well as LOCKED DOORS by Blake Crouch.
The bed and breakfast was hidden in the hills of West Virginia. Wary guests wondered how it could stay in business at such a creepy, remote location. Especially with its bizarre, presidential decor and eccentric proprietor.
ONCE YOU CHECK IN...
When the event hotel for the national Iron Woman triathlon accidentally overbooked, competitor Maria was forced to stay at the Rushmore. But after checking into her room, she quickly realized she wasn't alone. First her suitcase wasn't where she put it. Then her cell phone was moved. Finally, she heard an odd creaking under the bed. Confusion quickly turned to fear, and fear to hysteria when she discovered the front door was barred and the windows were bricked over. There was no way out.
...YOU'LL BE DYING TO LEAVE
One year later, four new female athletes have become guests of the Inn. Will they escape the horrors within its walls? Or will they join the many others who have died there, in ways too terrible to imagine?
ENDURANCE by Jack Kilborn
Are you brave enough to finish?
A Word of Warning:
Originally scheduled to be released in paperback in 2010, the publisher read the final version of the manuscript and refused to release it.
This is a disturbing, terrifying book. You may think you're brave enough to handle it. But you're probably not...
Also includes excerpts from TRAPPED by Jack Kilborn and AFRAID by Jack Kilborn, as well as LOCKED DOORS by Blake Crouch.
330 pages, Nook
First published June 16, 2010
522 people are currently reading
3647 people want to read
About the author
Jack Kilborn
39 books847 followersJack Kilborn is pen name for writer J.A. Konrath. The Kilborn name denotes his horror novels; the Konrath name his thrillers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 572 reviews
August 17, 2018
2.5☆ - rounded up, partly due to it being fun; and because of the poetic justice (s) - towards the end. That amused me, quite a bit.
As with its predecessors, this novel is littered with typos; and in this case, I also noticed two (there may be more) continuity errors, that should've been caught, but missed - somehow. I can only assume, that this wasn't proof-read, by anyone. I'll list a few; mainly because, I'm in a petty mood, and because it's starting to wind-me up. I'll put the words that should've been used in open/closed brackets.
So here we go: her (he), exits (exists), women (woman), taught (taut), they (the), peek-a-book (peek-a-boo), one (once), etc. There are others, but I didn't take inventory of them all - it would've taken too much time away - from actually reading.
As for the continuity errors: In a scene, where two characters (Mal and Deb) are in the forest: Mal passes a flashlight to Deb; and then, after a few sentences, Mal is scanning the forest-floor with the light; and then, after a few more sentences, Deb hits Mal with the flashlight. They must've been passing it back and forth - or something? The othe error I noticed was - with two other characters (Cam and Kelly) - not Cam and Deb. Deb was elsewhere, and had her own problems to deal with. Unless she found a way to be in two places, at the same time? Another typo between Cam and Kelly was: when Kelly was thinking: He's a psycho. He'll need to run. In the context of the scene, it would be: He's a psycho. I'll need to run. Anyway, rant over. Maybe.
Maria Kilborn, a triathlete, is in Monk Creek, for the Iron-Woman contest. Unfortunately, the hotel where she had a reservation, was over-booked, and a reporter, got her room. So she ends up, in the middle of no-where, at a Bed & Breakfast - called the Rushmore Inn.
Twelve months, later.
Deb Novachek is in Monk Creek for the annual Iron-Woman contest, and she has the same problems, as Maria did - twelve months, earlier. The hotel manager, Franklin, advises her of an out-of-town, Bed & Breakfast - and is willing to phone the proprietor, to see if there's any rooms - available. She reluctantly, accepts the offer, when the manager returns and tells her there are rooms, available, at the Inn, and that her room, will be fully paid for. So she heads for Rushmore Inn (which isn't on any map) - with a reporter, Mal Deiter (ex-cop) - who was supposed to be interviewing her, at the event hotel. He's also interviewing a family of three: the Pillbury's, who are also there for the Iron-woman contest. The pillbury's: Letti (mother), Florence (grandmother), Kelly (Letti's daughter) - and JD 'Jack Daniels' (dog) - will be at the Inn, so she agrees (semi-reluctantly) to have him tag-along. Kill-two-birds with one stone. The excursion, doesn't go without incident. The Pillburys' didn't have the same problems, as Deb and Maria. Letti, was mailed a letter, saying she'd won a three-night stay, at the Inn, which was lucky, as it will save them a lot of money, but it may cost them, something else.
Deb gets the Theodore Roosevelt room, Mal the Harry S. Truman, Kelly the Abraham Lincoln, Letti the Grover Cleveland and Florence gets the Ulysses S. Grant room. They're all on different floors. Each room, has the decor of its respective President: bedsheets, curtains, toilet-seat, pictures, etc. Everything, more or less, throughout Rushmore Inn, is decorated with Presidential memorabilia.
Will they enjoy their stay?
In conclusion: I enjoyed it for the most part. It was fun, and totally over-the-top crazy, at times. I had to suspend disbelief, more often, than I would've liked. I think my favourite character's were Florence and Deb. Florence has seen some action, in Vietnam, as a combat nurse, and she's pretty adept at martial arts. And Deb, has had both her legs amputated, due to a mountain-climbing accident, years earlier, in the same area, she's staying at - though that won't stop her competing in the contest. Okay, I liked JD, too. And I liked the back-stories. I didn't like the typos and continuity errors. The subplot with Felix and Cam, was intriguing, and the Inn's proprietor was quintessentially eccentric, as were her brood.
As with its predecessors, this novel is littered with typos; and in this case, I also noticed two (there may be more) continuity errors, that should've been caught, but missed - somehow. I can only assume, that this wasn't proof-read, by anyone. I'll list a few; mainly because, I'm in a petty mood, and because it's starting to wind-me up. I'll put the words that should've been used in open/closed brackets.
So here we go: her (he), exits (exists), women (woman), taught (taut), they (the), peek-a-book (peek-a-boo), one (once), etc. There are others, but I didn't take inventory of them all - it would've taken too much time away - from actually reading.
As for the continuity errors: In a scene, where two characters (Mal and Deb) are in the forest: Mal passes a flashlight to Deb; and then, after a few sentences, Mal is scanning the forest-floor with the light; and then, after a few more sentences, Deb hits Mal with the flashlight. They must've been passing it back and forth - or something? The othe error I noticed was - with two other characters (Cam and Kelly) - not Cam and Deb. Deb was elsewhere, and had her own problems to deal with. Unless she found a way to be in two places, at the same time? Another typo between Cam and Kelly was: when Kelly was thinking: He's a psycho. He'll need to run. In the context of the scene, it would be: He's a psycho. I'll need to run. Anyway, rant over. Maybe.
Maria Kilborn, a triathlete, is in Monk Creek, for the Iron-Woman contest. Unfortunately, the hotel where she had a reservation, was over-booked, and a reporter, got her room. So she ends up, in the middle of no-where, at a Bed & Breakfast - called the Rushmore Inn.
Twelve months, later.
Deb Novachek is in Monk Creek for the annual Iron-Woman contest, and she has the same problems, as Maria did - twelve months, earlier. The hotel manager, Franklin, advises her of an out-of-town, Bed & Breakfast - and is willing to phone the proprietor, to see if there's any rooms - available. She reluctantly, accepts the offer, when the manager returns and tells her there are rooms, available, at the Inn, and that her room, will be fully paid for. So she heads for Rushmore Inn (which isn't on any map) - with a reporter, Mal Deiter (ex-cop) - who was supposed to be interviewing her, at the event hotel. He's also interviewing a family of three: the Pillbury's, who are also there for the Iron-woman contest. The pillbury's: Letti (mother), Florence (grandmother), Kelly (Letti's daughter) - and JD 'Jack Daniels' (dog) - will be at the Inn, so she agrees (semi-reluctantly) to have him tag-along. Kill-two-birds with one stone. The excursion, doesn't go without incident. The Pillburys' didn't have the same problems, as Deb and Maria. Letti, was mailed a letter, saying she'd won a three-night stay, at the Inn, which was lucky, as it will save them a lot of money, but it may cost them, something else.
Deb gets the Theodore Roosevelt room, Mal the Harry S. Truman, Kelly the Abraham Lincoln, Letti the Grover Cleveland and Florence gets the Ulysses S. Grant room. They're all on different floors. Each room, has the decor of its respective President: bedsheets, curtains, toilet-seat, pictures, etc. Everything, more or less, throughout Rushmore Inn, is decorated with Presidential memorabilia.
Will they enjoy their stay?
In conclusion: I enjoyed it for the most part. It was fun, and totally over-the-top crazy, at times. I had to suspend disbelief, more often, than I would've liked. I think my favourite character's were Florence and Deb. Florence has seen some action, in Vietnam, as a combat nurse, and she's pretty adept at martial arts. And Deb, has had both her legs amputated, due to a mountain-climbing accident, years earlier, in the same area, she's staying at - though that won't stop her competing in the contest. Okay, I liked JD, too. And I liked the back-stories. I didn't like the typos and continuity errors. The subplot with Felix and Cam, was intriguing, and the Inn's proprietor was quintessentially eccentric, as were her brood.
May 25, 2011
If the West Virginia “family” that owns the Rushmore Inn bears even the slightest resemblance in ANYway to ANYone in your family then….HOLY GOAT BLOWERS BATMAN you need to stop reading this review and go deal because you have some meganormous genealogy issues to work through. Of course, I will be unable to assist you because I will be standing off at a safe distance with a flame thrower and a light saber ready to go either Medieval or JEDIevil on your ass if you so much as pivot in my direction.This is WITHOUT QUESTION the most Fuckered UP family in the long illustrious history of murdering, inbred, nymphomaniacal cannibal family units. These people make the chainsawing Hewitt family from Texas look like the Osmonds on Thorazine. In fact, if Leatherface and Millard (one of the cuties from the book) ever got into a tussle, I am quite sure that Millard would have Leatherface “PulpFictioned” wearing a Tootsie dress with a rubber ball gag and squealing like Ned Beatty in Deliverance while Millard played a game of “more than just the tip”… (Please let me know if you think I could have squeezed in another pop culture reference)….
So let me give you the baby got backstory on this gorrific literary stroll down Depravity Lane. We begin in West Virginia where we have an old, secluded Bed and Breakfast way back yonder in dem dar woods. Being as far off the beaten path as they are, this place doesn’t get a lot of clubbed foot traffic. However, when the few hotel/motels in the area are overbooked for some big event (in this case a triathlon) there are some “helpful” locals who happen to know about a nice quite B&B that will likely have a vacancy or two for the night.
With me so far?...Good.
So these tourists end up at the Rushmore Inn where all of the rooms are themed after a former POTUS (e.g., the Lincoln room, the Truman room, the Nancy Reagan room…jk…). Well, in addition to the patriotic theme, the Rushmore has also been modified by the owners to be a sort of human “roach motel” because once inside, you will not be checking out….until you “check out”….and maybe not even then.
So that’s your basic set up. Now let me introduce you to a few of the more special hotel staffers starring in this literary snuff piece.
Up first we have Eleanor named for Eleanor Roosevelt who is the mama bear to this clan of the cave cannibals. Eleanor can trace her roots back a long way and thinks of herself as a gen-u-ine “blue blood” of royal lineage. She is also the only woman (and I use that word asking for a lotta leeway). Why are there no other women? Well that little nugget is for you to discover.
Next is Jimmy who is a real hoot and a half. You see Jimmy really wants to be doctor…a surgeon to be precise…but he doesn’t quite have the book smarts to get himself a formalized learn on. However, Jimmy still needs to practice, practice, practice his techniques…you see where this is going…Yep…it is just that bad. BTW, Jimmy boy’s for most “operations” survived by a single patient is 8, but he sure hopes to break that record soon. Sorry about the lack of anesthesia so just lie back and try to pass out.
Third is a real charmer; the aforementioned Millard. Millard is a huge, deformed mountain of a fuck who happens to be the special combination of crazy, strong, sadistic and horny. Millard is the one person that all of the other “hotel staff” are afraid of so you can just assume he is all kinds a nasty.
Next up is Ronald who is our surprise mystery family member. Ronald lives alone in a cave next to the Rushmore and has a real hankering for meat…a real hankering.
As for the others, we have a large supporting cast in this little show tune of horror but I don’t want to give away any of the surprises. So I will just say that the rest of the group are all various degrees of male, depraved, sadistic, MASSIVELY DEFORMED and hornier than Charlie Sheen at a strip club on ecstasy. Not a good combination!!!
So, did I like the book…abso-frickin-lutely. I thought it was fantastic. I knew I was picking up an extreme horror read and Mr. Kilborn did not disappoint. The writing is very good. The horror is scary, disturbing in the extreme and very shocking…but it is not overly gratuitous. By this I mean, while a ton of really bad things that happen and the author is not shy about telling us about them, he doesn’t spend two pages describing a graphic scene of blood and gore so that you are squirming in your seat. The terror is that you know what is happening and he paints some very vivid images in your mind. For me, that is the best kind of horror.
Still, this is certainly not for the squeamish and I wanted to make sure you knew what you were getting into if you decide to read it. However, if you like horror, this is very, very good. 4.0 STARS.
October 10, 2011
Okay, let me be up-front about this ...no bullshitting ... Endurance is some sick and twisted shit. Some of the sickest and twisted-est shit I've read in a very long time. BUT ... and this is an important "but" folks ... Endurance is also solidly written, sublimely creepy in parts, with characters you can root for and other characters you can hate. And that's what saves this novel from the unsavory pit of mere torture porn.
In a recent documentary, Stephen King makes a very interesting point about graphic violence and horror. This is how he distinguishes 'torture porn': there are times when we are reading/watching to see the monster killed, and there are other times when we are reading/watching to see the monster kill. It may seem like a nebulous distinction, but I think he hit the nail right on the head. That's why the latter makes us feel so dirty; King refers to it as "morally queasy".
In most horror, we want the monster to be slain, we want the good guys to prevail. Bad shit can happen along the way, but the monster should not become the hero. We root for the victims, we do not root for the sick motherfucker and the pain and carnage he/she/it is inflicting. That's the difference between the first movie in a franchise, and the last movie in a franchise; in the original A Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy is the monster and we want him stopped. By number 5, we're there to see what kind of sick shenanigans he can come up with next, knowing full well that the victims are now fodder to support his starring role. Suddenly, he's the guy we're cheering for (well, sort of, but I hope my point is clear).
Don't get me wrong, I'm just as guilty as the next person. I've watched all the SAW movies as each has degenerated more and more into gratuitous violence. But none of them will ever be as satisfying as the original, when I really, really wanted those two guys to survive and slay the monster (before Jigsaw started getting top billing and the best trailer).
More to the point (and I've said this many times before), I don't scare if I don't care. Give me characters I can care about and suddenly I start fretting for their well-being and safety. I don't want to see them hurt (no matter how imaginatively), I don't want them to die. I want them to survive and for the monster to be slain.
Endurance has a surprisingly large cast of characters for this type of story, and I actually liked them all. I wanted them all to survive and I definitely wanted these freakazoid, in-bred monsters tormenting them to be stopped. There is nothing original here (it’s got Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Wrong Turn all over it, not to mention an unforgettable X-Files episode called “Home”), but Kilborn still manages to give it a nice, ruthless twist of his own. The devil is in the details, yes?
October Country 2011 #3
In a recent documentary, Stephen King makes a very interesting point about graphic violence and horror. This is how he distinguishes 'torture porn': there are times when we are reading/watching to see the monster killed, and there are other times when we are reading/watching to see the monster kill. It may seem like a nebulous distinction, but I think he hit the nail right on the head. That's why the latter makes us feel so dirty; King refers to it as "morally queasy".
In most horror, we want the monster to be slain, we want the good guys to prevail. Bad shit can happen along the way, but the monster should not become the hero. We root for the victims, we do not root for the sick motherfucker and the pain and carnage he/she/it is inflicting. That's the difference between the first movie in a franchise, and the last movie in a franchise; in the original A Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy is the monster and we want him stopped. By number 5, we're there to see what kind of sick shenanigans he can come up with next, knowing full well that the victims are now fodder to support his starring role. Suddenly, he's the guy we're cheering for (well, sort of, but I hope my point is clear).
Don't get me wrong, I'm just as guilty as the next person. I've watched all the SAW movies as each has degenerated more and more into gratuitous violence. But none of them will ever be as satisfying as the original, when I really, really wanted those two guys to survive and slay the monster (before Jigsaw started getting top billing and the best trailer).
More to the point (and I've said this many times before), I don't scare if I don't care. Give me characters I can care about and suddenly I start fretting for their well-being and safety. I don't want to see them hurt (no matter how imaginatively), I don't want them to die. I want them to survive and for the monster to be slain.
Endurance has a surprisingly large cast of characters for this type of story, and I actually liked them all. I wanted them all to survive and I definitely wanted these freakazoid, in-bred monsters tormenting them to be stopped. There is nothing original here (it’s got Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Wrong Turn all over it, not to mention an unforgettable X-Files episode called “Home”), but Kilborn still manages to give it a nice, ruthless twist of his own. The devil is in the details, yes?
October Country 2011 #3
August 14, 2011
This book is a trainwreck. Even though the rational part of my brain was telling me, "This is terrible, you're wasting your time, read something you're actually interested in," I just could not look away from the awfulness.
Kilborn/Konrath seems to think that "horror" and "gore" are synonymous terms, but coming up with graphic, creative ways to make your characters bleed to death is not enough to make something scary (neither does having a family of people with grotesque genetic defects trying or threatening to rape every woman that crosses their path). After a while, it becomes almost comical. Or maybe that was just the presidential thing getting more and more ridiculous with each page. Either way, this is far from "a novel of terror."
In the Afterword, the author talks about how he chose to publish this book independently because his editors hated it and he didn't want to make the edits they wanted. I'm pretty sure this is supposed to make me think he's ~edgy~ and ~controversial~ and ~unwilling to compromise the integrity of his art~, but instead he comes across as a guy who's trying to make a quick buck by publishing a piece of crap as an ebook.
You have an editor for a reason. Maybe you should listen to them next time.
Kilborn/Konrath seems to think that "horror" and "gore" are synonymous terms, but coming up with graphic, creative ways to make your characters bleed to death is not enough to make something scary (neither does having a family of people with grotesque genetic defects trying or threatening to rape every woman that crosses their path). After a while, it becomes almost comical. Or maybe that was just the presidential thing getting more and more ridiculous with each page. Either way, this is far from "a novel of terror."
In the Afterword, the author talks about how he chose to publish this book independently because his editors hated it and he didn't want to make the edits they wanted. I'm pretty sure this is supposed to make me think he's ~edgy~ and ~controversial~ and ~unwilling to compromise the integrity of his art~, but instead he comes across as a guy who's trying to make a quick buck by publishing a piece of crap as an ebook.
You have an editor for a reason. Maybe you should listen to them next time.
November 17, 2017
I like Jack Kilborn (Konrath), there's no two ways about it.
While Endurance did not reach the level of sickness that TRAPPED did - let's be honest, few stories can - it was still an adrenaline rush with some pretty rough and horrifying scenes.
The premise is a terrifying one: To stay in a strange place with some insane people who have very, very bad plans for you. Add to that someone who has no legs and you make for some interesting ways of trying to fight for your life.
There are more than one main character in this story, each with their own haunted past and reasons for survival.
And this may reflect badly on my own character, but there was a stage in there where I was thinking:
Please, whatever happens next, to whomever, just don't kill the dog!
Had I read this one before TRAPPED, I may have rated it five stars, but this is more like a 4.5 and I couldn't rate the stories the same.
A very solid horror story, highly recommended for fans of the genre.
While Endurance did not reach the level of sickness that TRAPPED did - let's be honest, few stories can - it was still an adrenaline rush with some pretty rough and horrifying scenes.
The premise is a terrifying one: To stay in a strange place with some insane people who have very, very bad plans for you. Add to that someone who has no legs and you make for some interesting ways of trying to fight for your life.
There are more than one main character in this story, each with their own haunted past and reasons for survival.
And this may reflect badly on my own character, but there was a stage in there where I was thinking:
Please, whatever happens next, to whomever, just don't kill the dog!
Had I read this one before TRAPPED, I may have rated it five stars, but this is more like a 4.5 and I couldn't rate the stories the same.
A very solid horror story, highly recommended for fans of the genre.
April 16, 2019
3.5 stars.
ENDURANCE, by J.A. Konrath, is a gruesome novel with a good dose of dark comedy thrown in, that you will not be able to get out of your mind for quite some time afterward. Several athletes competing at the Iron Woman Triathlon find that their hotel had been overbooked. However, the hotel clerk is happy to inform them that they will be put up--free of charge--at the Rushmore Inn.
Konrath introduces us to several groupings of characters, all conveniently arriving at different times. Two of them, Felix and Cam, are looking for a woman that went missing at the previous year's Triathlon. Having received nothing more than a brush-off from the local authority, they've decided to search for Maria themselves. The last message Felix had received from his fiancée, stated that she was being forced to stay at some Bed and Breakfast in the hills, due to the hotel overbooking . . .
"Welcome to relentless fear . . . "
The Rushmore Inn is one of the most unsettling locations I've read about. Hidden deep in the woods, this massive, dilapidated home is run by a formidable woman named Eleanor Roosevelt. As if that weren't odd enough, the entire place is a shrine to past Presidents. At this point you'd think alarm bells would be going off, and the characters would turn around and get the hell out of there.
Of course, they don't.
". . . didn't mind quaint and rustic. But backwoods and hidden weren't a good match."
While the characters were far from believable, I did enjoy the moments of dark humor injected into the story. As things progressed, the reality of what was happening in the house was as horrible as you could imagine, made even more so by each additional revelation.
". . . After their first night, some of our guests never want to leave . . ."
Honestly, this read more like a "hillbilly" torture and gore fest to me, although the originality and details Konrath went into make certain you won't forget these scenes anytime soon!
"Escape is impossible. Resistance is met with violence."
Overall, this novel had some really intense scenes that fans of hardcore torture methods will appreciate. There were a couple of twists I didn't see coming, but for the most part--aside from the graphic violence--I felt that much of what the characters did was easy to predict. Conveniently, many had the chance to "face their greatest fears". Even though I had no real connection to the characters, I did enjoy the author's imagination and the dark humor in this book.
". . . It's not so bad . . . Dying . . . "
ENDURANCE, by J.A. Konrath, is a gruesome novel with a good dose of dark comedy thrown in, that you will not be able to get out of your mind for quite some time afterward. Several athletes competing at the Iron Woman Triathlon find that their hotel had been overbooked. However, the hotel clerk is happy to inform them that they will be put up--free of charge--at the Rushmore Inn.
Konrath introduces us to several groupings of characters, all conveniently arriving at different times. Two of them, Felix and Cam, are looking for a woman that went missing at the previous year's Triathlon. Having received nothing more than a brush-off from the local authority, they've decided to search for Maria themselves. The last message Felix had received from his fiancée, stated that she was being forced to stay at some Bed and Breakfast in the hills, due to the hotel overbooking . . .
"Welcome to relentless fear . . . "
The Rushmore Inn is one of the most unsettling locations I've read about. Hidden deep in the woods, this massive, dilapidated home is run by a formidable woman named Eleanor Roosevelt. As if that weren't odd enough, the entire place is a shrine to past Presidents. At this point you'd think alarm bells would be going off, and the characters would turn around and get the hell out of there.
Of course, they don't.
". . . didn't mind quaint and rustic. But backwoods and hidden weren't a good match."
While the characters were far from believable, I did enjoy the moments of dark humor injected into the story. As things progressed, the reality of what was happening in the house was as horrible as you could imagine, made even more so by each additional revelation.
". . . After their first night, some of our guests never want to leave . . ."
Honestly, this read more like a "hillbilly" torture and gore fest to me, although the originality and details Konrath went into make certain you won't forget these scenes anytime soon!
"Escape is impossible. Resistance is met with violence."
Overall, this novel had some really intense scenes that fans of hardcore torture methods will appreciate. There were a couple of twists I didn't see coming, but for the most part--aside from the graphic violence--I felt that much of what the characters did was easy to predict. Conveniently, many had the chance to "face their greatest fears". Even though I had no real connection to the characters, I did enjoy the author's imagination and the dark humor in this book.
". . . It's not so bad . . . Dying . . . "
May 26, 2012
The usual suspect is a Nasty piece of sheriff, who used to be a bootlegger to boot before he came to the town.
Once you check into The Rusmore Inn Hotel you would notice the proprietor Eleanor Roosevelt has an obsession with American presidents.
“ That Eleanor Roosevelt has some issues. Hell she has a whole subscription.”
This story includes a house of horrors, a Charnel House of ill repute and torture, and a motley bunch of human crudeness and evil freaks.
The Rushmore Inn a homage to dead presidents amongst other things.
The Bates hotel and the Overlook hotel eat you heart out a new kid is on the block. Florence a mighty tough old lady who probably has a Black belt in some Martial art is a proud woman a mother and a grandmother her character shines in this story.
The three of them grandma, ma and daughter have won a free stay in the hotel, they are down their attending a competition. My motto is keep away from these free mailings that you don’t remember applying for THERE is ALWAYS a catch nothing is for free!
There is some bonding in this story between grandma and her daughter they need to reconnect their relationship in amongst all the fear, terror, survival and retribution. I suppose there are the theories that extreme situations and fears bring down barriers that old Stockholm syndrome.
Jack Kilborn has really done well in telling this story it flows well with memorable characters and some real page-turning thrill.
The worst scenario you could have is an amputee woman who does not have her prosthetic legs attached on stuck in a room with a blood hungry sadistic man who genetics seems to look like they have gone freakishly haywire coming at you. This story will stay with you check your lock twice tonight.
“Amelia. Porphyria. Acromia. Scoliosis. Alopecia. Thrombocytopenia.”
Ever heard of these names?
http://more2read.com/review/endurance-a-novel-of-terror-by-jack-kilborn-j-a-konrath/
Once you check into The Rusmore Inn Hotel you would notice the proprietor Eleanor Roosevelt has an obsession with American presidents.
“ That Eleanor Roosevelt has some issues. Hell she has a whole subscription.”
This story includes a house of horrors, a Charnel House of ill repute and torture, and a motley bunch of human crudeness and evil freaks.
The Rushmore Inn a homage to dead presidents amongst other things.
The Bates hotel and the Overlook hotel eat you heart out a new kid is on the block. Florence a mighty tough old lady who probably has a Black belt in some Martial art is a proud woman a mother and a grandmother her character shines in this story.
The three of them grandma, ma and daughter have won a free stay in the hotel, they are down their attending a competition. My motto is keep away from these free mailings that you don’t remember applying for THERE is ALWAYS a catch nothing is for free!
There is some bonding in this story between grandma and her daughter they need to reconnect their relationship in amongst all the fear, terror, survival and retribution. I suppose there are the theories that extreme situations and fears bring down barriers that old Stockholm syndrome.
Jack Kilborn has really done well in telling this story it flows well with memorable characters and some real page-turning thrill.
The worst scenario you could have is an amputee woman who does not have her prosthetic legs attached on stuck in a room with a blood hungry sadistic man who genetics seems to look like they have gone freakishly haywire coming at you. This story will stay with you check your lock twice tonight.
“Amelia. Porphyria. Acromia. Scoliosis. Alopecia. Thrombocytopenia.”
Ever heard of these names?
http://more2read.com/review/endurance-a-novel-of-terror-by-jack-kilborn-j-a-konrath/
February 10, 2014
Tense and brutal
This book grabbed me from the start and never really let me go. The author did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and making them likable before placing them in extremely hazardous situations.
Yes, we have read the degenerate hillbilly story before. This author, however, takes a common theme and spins an intensely uncommon story around it.
The story alternates between various groups of characters, each as round and likable as the other. He skillfully weaves a razor sharp plot that never feels unclear or confusing, and uses several techniques for building tension and suspense that are so successful it left me wondering why no one had used them before. That is where originality and creativity became a factor.
This was an excellent, gripping, gory read that has terror and suspense in all the right places.
This book grabbed me from the start and never really let me go. The author did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and making them likable before placing them in extremely hazardous situations.
Yes, we have read the degenerate hillbilly story before. This author, however, takes a common theme and spins an intensely uncommon story around it.
The story alternates between various groups of characters, each as round and likable as the other. He skillfully weaves a razor sharp plot that never feels unclear or confusing, and uses several techniques for building tension and suspense that are so successful it left me wondering why no one had used them before. That is where originality and creativity became a factor.
This was an excellent, gripping, gory read that has terror and suspense in all the right places.
May 13, 2011
I tend to read a good bit of horror. I picked this one up because of the glowing reviews of others saying it scared the beejezus out of them. I must say this is one of most nerve-racking, spine-chilling books I have ever read. I started it at night before bed (great time to read horror) and didn't go to sleep. To rephrase, I finished it four hours later and could not go to sleep. After reading this you will check under your bed EVERY time you stay at a hotel. Books that claim to be "edge of your seat" thrillers usually aren't. Not "Endurance". Reading this was like being repeatedly sprayed in the face with blood and enjoying every minute of it. It's "Hills Have Eyes" meets "Deliverance" with MORE violence and has a plot so drum-tight that you have to pay attention to every detail because the whole thing comes back full circle. This book contains absolutely zero filler. The characters are strong and original. Jack Kilborn weaves the reader seamlessly through multiple character's viewpoints so effortlessly that by the end it feels like you have known them for years. If you think you don't scare easily (like me) than test yourself against "Endurance". You won't be disappointed.
May 9, 2011
Jack Kilborn is a pen name for J. A. Konrath. He tends to use this name for his more gruesome horror novels. J. A. Konrath is a talented storyteller who will enthrall you with exciting stories for the evening. Jack Kilborn will charm you just enough to be invited in then will stab you in the back and chew on your bones... while you're still alive.
Did I call Kilborn's novels gruesome? Let me rephrase. This is SICK SHIT! Lord knows I have a high tolerance for the grotesque but this tested my boundaries. Think Texas Chainsaw Massacre times ten. My least favorite horror theme is the one having to do with "mutant weird psycho family terrorizes and tortures innocent women" and that is exactly what you get here...multiplied by ten again. At least Konrath does it well. He piles surprise upon surprise and throws in lots of dark humor. Despite my reservations for the plot, I read it in one sitting, staying up late in the night waiting to see what became of our unlucky innocents. Don't get me wrong. I actually liked this. It is a well written tale of terror. Kilborn may be a pulp writer but he kicks pulp writer ass. Nonetheless, after I finished this novel, I felt I needed a bath.
Did I call Kilborn's novels gruesome? Let me rephrase. This is SICK SHIT! Lord knows I have a high tolerance for the grotesque but this tested my boundaries. Think Texas Chainsaw Massacre times ten. My least favorite horror theme is the one having to do with "mutant weird psycho family terrorizes and tortures innocent women" and that is exactly what you get here...multiplied by ten again. At least Konrath does it well. He piles surprise upon surprise and throws in lots of dark humor. Despite my reservations for the plot, I read it in one sitting, staying up late in the night waiting to see what became of our unlucky innocents. Don't get me wrong. I actually liked this. It is a well written tale of terror. Kilborn may be a pulp writer but he kicks pulp writer ass. Nonetheless, after I finished this novel, I felt I needed a bath.
August 27, 2013
Endurance: a Novel of Terror felt like a horror rollercoaster ride is the best way I can describe this book. So many twists, turns, & cliff hangers keeps you reading one more page to see what happens. Jack Kilborn aka JA Konrath does an amazing job with a large ensemble cast. It amazes me how he can take so many characters and make each one unique and interesting. My ebook had a few typos and errors but who cares? I hate it when those grammar Nazis start deducting points for every typo they find, just enjoy the book. A very fun & exciting read. 4.5
February 21, 2014
I never knew horror could be so funny.
This book was completely AWESOME the one liners had my laughing out loud all the way through, loved the characters, the plot and the outcome
gruesome and hilarious.
This book was completely AWESOME the one liners had my laughing out loud all the way through, loved the characters, the plot and the outcome
gruesome and hilarious.
September 14, 2017
I just saw an episode of Hotel Hell about a Roosevelt Inn that definitely could have been an inspiration for this book.
August 19, 2018
Endlich mal wieder ein Buch, was von Anfang bis Ende spannend war.Jack Kilborn wird wahrscheinlich nicht zum Meister des Horrors aufsteigen und er erfindet das Horror-Rad auch nicht neu, aber er hat mit "Hotel" einen wirklich spannenden Roman geschaffen. Das Hotel hält einige Logikschwächen bereit, konnte mich aber dank der Spannung und guter Schreibe stetig unterhalten. Dabei lebt das Buch nicht von vielen Splatter-Momenten, sondern von den Geschichten der einzelnen Besucher des Rushmore Inn. Es zieht nämlich nicht nur die Profisportlerin Maria dort ein, auch andere Gäste kommen in das Hotel des Wahnsinns und vielleicht nicht mehr dort hinaus.
Man darf das Hotel nicht zu ernst nehmen. Zwar wurde auf einen schwerwiegenden Medikamenten-Skandal aus den 1960er-Jahren Bezug genommen, die Genauigkeit blieb dabei allerdings auf der Strecke. Doch dies war für mich kein negativer Punkt in dem Sinne, vielmehr war es für mich ein plausibler Grund, die Bewohner des Rushmore Inn so darzustellen.
Mein Fazit
Dies wird mit Sicherheit nicht mein letztes Buch von Kilborn bleiben. Wer auf kurzweilige Spannung und Nervenkitzel steht und über Logiklöcher hinwegsehen kann, dem empfehle ich das Hotel, aber bitte nur zum Lesen!
Man darf das Hotel nicht zu ernst nehmen. Zwar wurde auf einen schwerwiegenden Medikamenten-Skandal aus den 1960er-Jahren Bezug genommen, die Genauigkeit blieb dabei allerdings auf der Strecke. Doch dies war für mich kein negativer Punkt in dem Sinne, vielmehr war es für mich ein plausibler Grund, die Bewohner des Rushmore Inn so darzustellen.
Mein Fazit
Dies wird mit Sicherheit nicht mein letztes Buch von Kilborn bleiben. Wer auf kurzweilige Spannung und Nervenkitzel steht und über Logiklöcher hinwegsehen kann, dem empfehle ich das Hotel, aber bitte nur zum Lesen!
September 2, 2015
Having enjoyed J. A. Konrath's first two forays into straight out horror, Afraid and Trapped, I was looking forward to this third title he released under the name, Jack Kilborn. The afterword reveals that his editors wanted significant cuts, but he refused to give up on it, and his desire to see it released in the form he intended led to him expanding into ebooks.
Well, good for Konrath/Kilborn, but truth be told, I can see why his editors had their issues.
Endurance depicts the tale of several female triathletes who fall victim to a group of backwoods types who happen to run a very out of the way inn. It might not be anywhere near California, but it's definitely the type of place where once you check in, you can never leave. Though I won't reveal the whys and whereto-fores, it's all fairly bog-standard stuff. Except for the interesting variation Kilborn brings to his cast of (mostly) women in soon to be distress. As triathletes, you expect all of the women to be stronger than the typical characters in this type of novel, and they are, but one is an amputee, and others form three generations from the same family, all of which make for more interesting than usual dynamics.
I've said it before, but Konrath is the emperor of teasing character mysteries and then only dolling out critical answers when it mattes most. He also ends every chapter on a cliffhanger, which did begin to grate after awhile, but had the desired effect of making me say "Just one more..."
Aside from being fairly pedestrian in its narrative, my other bugbear about Endurance was how one-note and interchangeable almost all of the villains of the piece were. I quickly lost track of who was who - other than the matriarchal maniac leading them - so never cared when one or another met their end or did something that might have seemed significant. Less would definitely have been more when it came to the cast of antagonists.
All in all then, Endurance is the lesser of Kilborn's trilogy, but it still passes muster and is worth checking out - especially for those planning to continue on with the next book in the series, Haunted House.
3 Face-Marring Bone Growths for Endurance.
Well, good for Konrath/Kilborn, but truth be told, I can see why his editors had their issues.
Endurance depicts the tale of several female triathletes who fall victim to a group of backwoods types who happen to run a very out of the way inn. It might not be anywhere near California, but it's definitely the type of place where once you check in, you can never leave. Though I won't reveal the whys and whereto-fores, it's all fairly bog-standard stuff. Except for the interesting variation Kilborn brings to his cast of (mostly) women in soon to be distress. As triathletes, you expect all of the women to be stronger than the typical characters in this type of novel, and they are, but one is an amputee, and others form three generations from the same family, all of which make for more interesting than usual dynamics.
I've said it before, but Konrath is the emperor of teasing character mysteries and then only dolling out critical answers when it mattes most. He also ends every chapter on a cliffhanger, which did begin to grate after awhile, but had the desired effect of making me say "Just one more..."
Aside from being fairly pedestrian in its narrative, my other bugbear about Endurance was how one-note and interchangeable almost all of the villains of the piece were. I quickly lost track of who was who - other than the matriarchal maniac leading them - so never cared when one or another met their end or did something that might have seemed significant. Less would definitely have been more when it came to the cast of antagonists.
All in all then, Endurance is the lesser of Kilborn's trilogy, but it still passes muster and is worth checking out - especially for those planning to continue on with the next book in the series, Haunted House.
3 Face-Marring Bone Growths for Endurance.
October 19, 2011
Deep in the (inbred) forests of West Virginia, the Rushmore Inn has a policy of "You can check in, but you can't check out!" Several female contestants in the Iron Woman competition, referred to the Inn due to overbooking, are about to find this out...
There's Deb, a mountain climber who lost both her legs in a fall and crawled to safety while being attacked by a moutain lion, who arrives at the Inn accompanied by a flirtatious reporter, and there's Florence, Letti, and Kelly, 3 generations of tough women. And there's Maria - who went missing a year ago, now being hunted for by her fiance and her possibly crazy little brother.
This entire crew is going to come head-to-head with the largest, most inbred group of freaks you can imagine...
I've read many positive reviews of books by this author here on Goodreads, so when I saw that my library had added several of his books to their ebook collection, I decided to check one out. To my delight, this was a huge violent gore-fest that read like a movie. I loved the army of spunky heroines, and found myself pulling for Mal and Felix (two of the men) to survive as well. There were several unexpected developments along the way, and I was happy when the turn from the women being victims to the women getting their revenge happened early on. The evil inbred Roosevelt clan was interesting, both in their genetic mutations and their motivations, although I kind of wanted to see a little humanity left in them. But hey, what can you expect from a brood of murdering freaks?
I'm glad Jack Kilborn (aka J.A. Konrath) decided to go the self-publishing route after editors turned him down - I will be looking for more of his books!
There's Deb, a mountain climber who lost both her legs in a fall and crawled to safety while being attacked by a moutain lion, who arrives at the Inn accompanied by a flirtatious reporter, and there's Florence, Letti, and Kelly, 3 generations of tough women. And there's Maria - who went missing a year ago, now being hunted for by her fiance and her possibly crazy little brother.
This entire crew is going to come head-to-head with the largest, most inbred group of freaks you can imagine...
I've read many positive reviews of books by this author here on Goodreads, so when I saw that my library had added several of his books to their ebook collection, I decided to check one out. To my delight, this was a huge violent gore-fest that read like a movie. I loved the army of spunky heroines, and found myself pulling for Mal and Felix (two of the men) to survive as well. There were several unexpected developments along the way, and I was happy when the turn from the women being victims to the women getting their revenge happened early on. The evil inbred Roosevelt clan was interesting, both in their genetic mutations and their motivations, although I kind of wanted to see a little humanity left in them. But hey, what can you expect from a brood of murdering freaks?
I'm glad Jack Kilborn (aka J.A. Konrath) decided to go the self-publishing route after editors turned him down - I will be looking for more of his books!
July 24, 2011
The plot is far from original (how many times have we seen movies and other novels with backwoods inbreds and a group of unlucky victims) but forget everything you know about similar stories, and get ready to be caught on a white knuckle thrill-a-minute literary creep fest, because Jack Kilborn is going to amaze (and shock) you.
Sometimes a novel is written so perfectly, and so precisely that you wonder why all books cannot be so. “Endurance” happens to be one of those novels. Everything is so perfectly paced, characters so perfectly described, situations so out of control and intense that you find yourself breathing heavy, your heartbeat rapidly approaching 180 bpm, your palms sweaty in anticipation of what comes along in the next paragraph.
I am one of those guys that goes by the maxim “The faster, the better” when referring to books. Don’t give me a long backstory, or side plots, or an over written description of settings. Just plunge me straight into the thick of things. Kilborn did EXACTLY that. The action and speed of “Endurance” are truly relentless. From the opening scene of Maria’s paranoia to the final sentence, there is never a second to catch your breath. And just when you thought you couldn’t possibly take anymore, that there cannot be anymore to possibly say, Kilborn is there to grab you and take you along even further.
As I just stated the plot is similar to films like “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, “The Hills Have Eyes” and “Vacancy” but who cares when something like this is so well structured from beginning to end. Plus, you have some of the best characters I can ever recall reading about in a horror novel. Imagine, a legless mountain climber, an ass kicking martial arts grandmother, a distraught fiance who will stop at nothing to get his woman back, and not to mention a whole SLEW of inbred, mutilated, and all together disgusting backwoods, murderous rednecks.
I wouldn't go as far as to say “Endurance” is “scary” but it is without a doubt, a creepy novel of terror and this could easily be a blockbuster summer horror film.
Kilborn is an immensely talented author and it’s a shame he isn’t as well known as less skilled, higher paid writers in this genre. It takes skill to pen a book as good as “Endurance” and Kilborn is, obviously, the man for the job.
Sometimes a novel is written so perfectly, and so precisely that you wonder why all books cannot be so. “Endurance” happens to be one of those novels. Everything is so perfectly paced, characters so perfectly described, situations so out of control and intense that you find yourself breathing heavy, your heartbeat rapidly approaching 180 bpm, your palms sweaty in anticipation of what comes along in the next paragraph.
I am one of those guys that goes by the maxim “The faster, the better” when referring to books. Don’t give me a long backstory, or side plots, or an over written description of settings. Just plunge me straight into the thick of things. Kilborn did EXACTLY that. The action and speed of “Endurance” are truly relentless. From the opening scene of Maria’s paranoia to the final sentence, there is never a second to catch your breath. And just when you thought you couldn’t possibly take anymore, that there cannot be anymore to possibly say, Kilborn is there to grab you and take you along even further.
As I just stated the plot is similar to films like “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, “The Hills Have Eyes” and “Vacancy” but who cares when something like this is so well structured from beginning to end. Plus, you have some of the best characters I can ever recall reading about in a horror novel. Imagine, a legless mountain climber, an ass kicking martial arts grandmother, a distraught fiance who will stop at nothing to get his woman back, and not to mention a whole SLEW of inbred, mutilated, and all together disgusting backwoods, murderous rednecks.
I wouldn't go as far as to say “Endurance” is “scary” but it is without a doubt, a creepy novel of terror and this could easily be a blockbuster summer horror film.
Kilborn is an immensely talented author and it’s a shame he isn’t as well known as less skilled, higher paid writers in this genre. It takes skill to pen a book as good as “Endurance” and Kilborn is, obviously, the man for the job.
July 17, 2012
I read this book as part of a horror group read at Shelfari. I finished it back on July 5, but wanted to think on it a little bit before posting a review.
While I found this book to be a fun, fast paced read, I did find it to be a bit cliche. The hillbilly family 'thing' has been done and though this novel had a few original twists on that theme, I couldn't help still thinking about those cliches.
What I did like were the characters. They saved the day. Most especially Eleanor Roosevelt, the charming proprietress of the inn.
Many other reviews go into the plot, so I will just leave it at that and say that if you're looking for a fun thriller that doesn't tax the brain too much, (AND you like mutant redneck, hillbilly fun), this book could be the one for you.
While I found this book to be a fun, fast paced read, I did find it to be a bit cliche. The hillbilly family 'thing' has been done and though this novel had a few original twists on that theme, I couldn't help still thinking about those cliches.
What I did like were the characters. They saved the day. Most especially Eleanor Roosevelt, the charming proprietress of the inn.
Many other reviews go into the plot, so I will just leave it at that and say that if you're looking for a fun thriller that doesn't tax the brain too much, (AND you like mutant redneck, hillbilly fun), this book could be the one for you.
February 17, 2014
Das war mal ein Buch nach meinem Geschmack.
Ich empfehle ja nicht oft Bücher, aaaaaber jeder der es blutig mag sollte sich das zum lesen schnappen.
Ich empfehle ja nicht oft Bücher, aaaaaber jeder der es blutig mag sollte sich das zum lesen schnappen.
November 8, 2017
Loved how freaky this was!
July 4, 2020
This was a fast paced, super gross read. Definitely not for the light hearted. If you like the movies hostel, hills have eyes and wrong turn you will like this.
October 27, 2017
Endurance, in a word: tiresome.
November 15, 2011
Endurance is branded as a “novel of terror,” hyped as being so intense that readers might not be able to finish it. I finally broke down and got the book. By the time I finished, I was laughing.
Make no mistake – for the average reader, Endurance scores high on the gratuitous gore chart and may be too uncomfortable for some.
But in my opinion, Endurance suffers from two fatal flaws: 1) painfully awkward development of unbelievable characters and 2) a plot that is far too busy with said outlandish characters, scenes and set ups. It’s about as messy as one of Eleanor’s spawn. It’s extremely unfortunate, because had the book focused more on a simpler plot that involved fewer victims and monsters, this tired story might have actually lived up to inspiring terror.
As it was, I didn’t really care about any of the victims, all of which apparently possess some kind of superhuman (and superdog) strength and resilience. Good fantasy contains an element of truth; in Endurance, that gets hacked to pieces. I don’t think the author has ever been severely injured to understand just how incapacitating pain can be; because here we have severely broken people running around, climbing trees and doing things that even in an adrenaline-fueled situation would be next to impossible. Each supposedly “horrific” set up is not so much, because you know the characters are somehow going to survive.
I’d recommend this book only if you’re looking for gratuitous violence; if you’re wanting a well-crafted story with characters you can actually feel for, find another title.
Make no mistake – for the average reader, Endurance scores high on the gratuitous gore chart and may be too uncomfortable for some.
But in my opinion, Endurance suffers from two fatal flaws: 1) painfully awkward development of unbelievable characters and 2) a plot that is far too busy with said outlandish characters, scenes and set ups. It’s about as messy as one of Eleanor’s spawn. It’s extremely unfortunate, because had the book focused more on a simpler plot that involved fewer victims and monsters, this tired story might have actually lived up to inspiring terror.
As it was, I didn’t really care about any of the victims, all of which apparently possess some kind of superhuman (and superdog) strength and resilience. Good fantasy contains an element of truth; in Endurance, that gets hacked to pieces. I don’t think the author has ever been severely injured to understand just how incapacitating pain can be; because here we have severely broken people running around, climbing trees and doing things that even in an adrenaline-fueled situation would be next to impossible. Each supposedly “horrific” set up is not so much, because you know the characters are somehow going to survive.
I’d recommend this book only if you’re looking for gratuitous violence; if you’re wanting a well-crafted story with characters you can actually feel for, find another title.
December 17, 2012
My first thought when reading Endurance was that Kilborn/Konrath is one sick puppy. Great for horror fans that he put this to good use by writing stuff like this! Endurance is a nasty, twisted, exciting and entertaining tale about a family of backwoods freaks who run a remote hotel to suit their own dastardly ends.
Despite being such a nasty piece of work, Endurance isn't constantly explicit. It's clever enough to leave much of the mechanics of the brutality to the reader's imagination which of course can have a greater effect than cataloguing every gory detail.
The story follows several people/groups of people and each chapter ends on a cliffhanger for one group then moves to a different group so you don't get to find out what happens for maybe 3 chapters or more. This makes it difficult to put down as the pace never lets up due to the perpetual peril. Occasionally the chapter endings get a bit "and that's when the screaming started" cheesy, but it's a tongue in cheek (I think!) style that suits the story well enough not to be too off putting.
I'll certainly be reading more Kilborn/Konrath in the future and can recommend Endurance to anyone who enjoys imaginative balls-to-the-walls horror.
Despite being such a nasty piece of work, Endurance isn't constantly explicit. It's clever enough to leave much of the mechanics of the brutality to the reader's imagination which of course can have a greater effect than cataloguing every gory detail.
The story follows several people/groups of people and each chapter ends on a cliffhanger for one group then moves to a different group so you don't get to find out what happens for maybe 3 chapters or more. This makes it difficult to put down as the pace never lets up due to the perpetual peril. Occasionally the chapter endings get a bit "and that's when the screaming started" cheesy, but it's a tongue in cheek (I think!) style that suits the story well enough not to be too off putting.
I'll certainly be reading more Kilborn/Konrath in the future and can recommend Endurance to anyone who enjoys imaginative balls-to-the-walls horror.
June 9, 2014
First of all major props to the author for not conforming and publishing some watered down version of what we in our literary community call "peculiars", or books with odd, disturbing, or horror plots.
What seem to be random circumstances for groups of triathletes are not random at all. Their journeys take them to The Rushmore Inn. The guests can check out any time they like...but they can never leave. Ha Ha heard that before?
This book has some sick and twisted sheet. I mean that in a good way if you like that type of stuff. If you like gory, creepy, and just plain ol' stuff that makes you go EEEEW!, this is worth a chance. If you decide to read this pay special attention to what the staff prepares for the guests if they choose not to eat, priceless. It jumps around from character to character but not too hard to follow. I enjoyed this and have begun another of this author's novels of terror.
What seem to be random circumstances for groups of triathletes are not random at all. Their journeys take them to The Rushmore Inn. The guests can check out any time they like...but they can never leave. Ha Ha heard that before?
This book has some sick and twisted sheet. I mean that in a good way if you like that type of stuff. If you like gory, creepy, and just plain ol' stuff that makes you go EEEEW!, this is worth a chance. If you decide to read this pay special attention to what the staff prepares for the guests if they choose not to eat, priceless. It jumps around from character to character but not too hard to follow. I enjoyed this and have begun another of this author's novels of terror.
July 7, 2010
The premise of this book sends a chill down my spine, because how terrifying would it be to be trapped inside a B&B out in the redneck woods of West Virginia with a family of incestuous mutants who want to impregnate the women and experiment on the men? Situations like this is why I stay at antiseptic Motel Sixes.
If this were my first time to read a redneck mutant story, I'd give this four stars. But I've read a lot of Ed Lee lately and this story is similar to some of his, and therefore not many surprises were in store for me.
But I will continue to look forward to any Kilborn books. It's worth a read.
If this were my first time to read a redneck mutant story, I'd give this four stars. But I've read a lot of Ed Lee lately and this story is similar to some of his, and therefore not many surprises were in store for me.
But I will continue to look forward to any Kilborn books. It's worth a read.
July 25, 2020
J.A. Konraths' (or Jack Kilborn) 'Endurance' makes Jack Ketchum's 'Off Season' books look like Disney's 'Alice In Wonderland'!! Get ready for a 5 star EXTREME BODY HORROR ride!
When I went into starting this audiobook yesterday, I had no idea that it was part of a 4 book series that is referred to as the 'Afraid Books' which start with 'Afraid', then 'Trapped' then this one, followed by 'Haunted House' which I recently reviewed here on my page also. With this book being only 368 pages, this is a book that starts out scaring the shit out of you right with the prologue and does not let up till the final page!!!! Yes, I am not joking! Konrath (or as he is AKA Jack Kilborn) writes with a pen of blood soaked and stomach churning disgust as no other writer that I have read. He took Hoopers original 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' then dipped that in all the 'WRong Turn' movies, then drenched that into 'Last House on Dead End Street' and then topped it off with Ketchum's 'Off Season' books!!! This starts off with a woman named Maria having to be turned to the Rushmoore Inn because of the hotel she reserved to stay in is very very overbooked, with female athetes who will be taking part in the West Virginia woman's triathlon. With Maria being upset, since the Inn is 45 miles out of the way, once she gets there she is already creeped out by it's out of the way and off the main highways location. But, this just starts out with once she gets to her room, she feels she is being watched, she hears a sound like weird and creepy singing by someone who is 'not normal' let's be nice about how we put that. Then her cell phone moves locations in the room while she used the bathroom, then she hears the scraping noises and some 'thing' telling her....I'm going to BLEED you bitch!.....and this is just the prologue!
Jump a year later to 2019, a mother, her 13 year old daughter, and the girls grandmother arrive in the same predicament to the Rushmoore and get ready for the most disgusting, sick, morbidly disturbing and just plain SICK story of endurance of the fittest and run to survival that you will ever read. WARNING:!! This book is extremely grapic in scenes of Incest, cannibalism, deformed people having sex with their siblings, blood drinking and sever cannibalism so you can't say I didnt warn you. Now, you could read this as a stand alone novel, however this is what I did, not knowing it was the prequel to 'Haunted House'. My recommendation is for you to read This one first THEN read Haunted House, it will make more sense. Get ready for stomach turning DISGUST AND HORROR! Get ready to fight to survive!
When I went into starting this audiobook yesterday, I had no idea that it was part of a 4 book series that is referred to as the 'Afraid Books' which start with 'Afraid', then 'Trapped' then this one, followed by 'Haunted House' which I recently reviewed here on my page also. With this book being only 368 pages, this is a book that starts out scaring the shit out of you right with the prologue and does not let up till the final page!!!! Yes, I am not joking! Konrath (or as he is AKA Jack Kilborn) writes with a pen of blood soaked and stomach churning disgust as no other writer that I have read. He took Hoopers original 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' then dipped that in all the 'WRong Turn' movies, then drenched that into 'Last House on Dead End Street' and then topped it off with Ketchum's 'Off Season' books!!! This starts off with a woman named Maria having to be turned to the Rushmoore Inn because of the hotel she reserved to stay in is very very overbooked, with female athetes who will be taking part in the West Virginia woman's triathlon. With Maria being upset, since the Inn is 45 miles out of the way, once she gets there she is already creeped out by it's out of the way and off the main highways location. But, this just starts out with once she gets to her room, she feels she is being watched, she hears a sound like weird and creepy singing by someone who is 'not normal' let's be nice about how we put that. Then her cell phone moves locations in the room while she used the bathroom, then she hears the scraping noises and some 'thing' telling her....I'm going to BLEED you bitch!.....and this is just the prologue!
Jump a year later to 2019, a mother, her 13 year old daughter, and the girls grandmother arrive in the same predicament to the Rushmoore and get ready for the most disgusting, sick, morbidly disturbing and just plain SICK story of endurance of the fittest and run to survival that you will ever read. WARNING:!! This book is extremely grapic in scenes of Incest, cannibalism, deformed people having sex with their siblings, blood drinking and sever cannibalism so you can't say I didnt warn you. Now, you could read this as a stand alone novel, however this is what I did, not knowing it was the prequel to 'Haunted House'. My recommendation is for you to read This one first THEN read Haunted House, it will make more sense. Get ready for stomach turning DISGUST AND HORROR! Get ready to fight to survive!
December 5, 2024
Absolutely Fab!
I am so impressed with this author!! J.A.Konrath is an absolute master at building suspense to critical levels. I don’t think I have experienced this level of trepidation in a book since Misery by Stephen King.
A bed and breakfast literally in the middle of nowhere is the location where our unwitting guests are being sent. On the pretence of an overbooked hotel they are redirected to a freebie stay at The Rushmore Inn.
What they find there is an experience that lives in our nightmares. How on earth will they cope? How can they possibly escape?
Fantastic writing style, vivid imagery, great characters and character development. The scene setting just pops and the freaks OMG THE FREAKS!!!
I loved every second, didn’t want to stop reading and had to force myself not to skim because every world slaps.
Enjoy!
I am so impressed with this author!! J.A.Konrath is an absolute master at building suspense to critical levels. I don’t think I have experienced this level of trepidation in a book since Misery by Stephen King.
A bed and breakfast literally in the middle of nowhere is the location where our unwitting guests are being sent. On the pretence of an overbooked hotel they are redirected to a freebie stay at The Rushmore Inn.
What they find there is an experience that lives in our nightmares. How on earth will they cope? How can they possibly escape?
Fantastic writing style, vivid imagery, great characters and character development. The scene setting just pops and the freaks OMG THE FREAKS!!!
I loved every second, didn’t want to stop reading and had to force myself not to skim because every world slaps.
Enjoy!
January 19, 2021
This book is the same as your typical hillbilly slasher horror movie. Think The Hills Have Eyes and Wrong Turn. Nothing surprising in here if you've seen either or both those movies. The writing is relatively good, but don't expect any character development or particular world building. I'd say this book is good for readers new to the horror genre. Lots of blood and gore, but nothing really scary.
September 12, 2019
J.A. Konrath, also known by his not really secret pen name Jack Kilborn, generally writes two types of books. There are his murder mysteries starring Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels; then there are his horror books. I haven't really read enough of him yet to know and recognize his voice but ENDURANCE felt like a mix. I kept getting flashes of Richard Laymon, of Edward Lee, and maybe a splash of Joe Lansdale.
The story focuses on the Rushmore Inn, a quaint bed and breakfast in the middle of nowhere. Every year there is a triathlon in same area as the Rushmore Inn. Thanks to certain individuals, referrals are made for special guests to stay instead at the remote bed and breakfast. The proprietress likes it that way since it gives her and her brood private time with their guests. Time to make them disappear.
This is just one spot where ENDURANCE is similar to a Laymon novel. The story starts relatively simple and then just grows odd and off-kilter from that point. In this case, the off-kilter ends up being cannibalistic, inbred, mutant rednecks who need blood transfusions from a rare blood type so that they can survive. Don't worry about the monster being revealed; it is revealed pretty quickly. Besides the thrill comes from the horrors they inflect. Unfortunately I'm kind of tired of cannibalistic, inbred, mutant rednecks. I was never really a fan. Maybe because it's so much the cliche of the stereotype; it's easy to not take it serious. And I don't. The rest of the novel was really good though. The characters were easy to imagine and easy to follow their motivations. I didn't quite feel anything if they were killed or maimed but I could picture them. Oh, and a bit more than halfway through, I realized I missed the reference to the title. Endurance. As in being able to maintain great physical stamina over a period of time. Exactly what the triathletes had trained for and what the victims were doing in the novel. The book was good and I would recommend it but I know I'm going to look forward to his next book and a more "acceptable" monster.
The story focuses on the Rushmore Inn, a quaint bed and breakfast in the middle of nowhere. Every year there is a triathlon in same area as the Rushmore Inn. Thanks to certain individuals, referrals are made for special guests to stay instead at the remote bed and breakfast. The proprietress likes it that way since it gives her and her brood private time with their guests. Time to make them disappear.
This is just one spot where ENDURANCE is similar to a Laymon novel. The story starts relatively simple and then just grows odd and off-kilter from that point. In this case, the off-kilter ends up being cannibalistic, inbred, mutant rednecks who need blood transfusions from a rare blood type so that they can survive. Don't worry about the monster being revealed; it is revealed pretty quickly. Besides the thrill comes from the horrors they inflect. Unfortunately I'm kind of tired of cannibalistic, inbred, mutant rednecks. I was never really a fan. Maybe because it's so much the cliche of the stereotype; it's easy to not take it serious. And I don't. The rest of the novel was really good though. The characters were easy to imagine and easy to follow their motivations. I didn't quite feel anything if they were killed or maimed but I could picture them. Oh, and a bit more than halfway through, I realized I missed the reference to the title. Endurance. As in being able to maintain great physical stamina over a period of time. Exactly what the triathletes had trained for and what the victims were doing in the novel. The book was good and I would recommend it but I know I'm going to look forward to his next book and a more "acceptable" monster.
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