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Die, You Bastard! Die!
Claire is a first-rate paramedic, with a heroic devotion to saving lives. She is also a survivor of unspeakable abuse, who has rebuilt herself entirely, as far from home as she could get.
But when her aged father is hospitalized, after a crippling fall, Claire is dragged back into a brutal nightmare of sexual depravity, and deepest betrayal. Where the only question left is, “How can I possibly survive?”
And the only answer is, “DIE, YOU BASTARD! DIE!”
But when her aged father is hospitalized, after a crippling fall, Claire is dragged back into a brutal nightmare of sexual depravity, and deepest betrayal. Where the only question left is, “How can I possibly survive?”
And the only answer is, “DIE, YOU BASTARD! DIE!”
181 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 2, 2012
3 people are currently reading
146 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
November 1, 2013
Wow. How to describe this book? It blew me away. The experience reading it was powerful. Much like the title, this book makes no apologies, and after reading it, I certainly don't need one.
It started out as a great novel with distinct, interesting characters and intense enough action scenes. I fully trusted the author and entered into her world, ready to partake in a great thriller.
What I wasn't ready for was a hand to shoot out of the pages and suddenly put a knife to my throat, but that was basically what happened. My eyeballs started to bleed and my heart shed tears.
This is not so much horror as it is ultra-realism. The horror isn't what is happening in the book as much as what can happen at the hands of humans. Things we want to dismiss. This is a great piece of work, not some gratuitous bit of shock horror. I didn't ever get that feeling that the author was smirking behind the page, just happy she grossed us out. Characters under pressure had their essence squeezed out of them, and with each bit of action and dialogue these people were brought to life. The sickness that existed in their hearts never wavered, which made the story all that more terrifying. The journey of the main character was riveting, never cliche, and never certain.
But there were moments where I looked away from the pages, thinking, if this continues, I don't know how much more I can take. The author turns up the intensity and lets you boil for a while, but always seems to gauge where the reader is at and turns the story to a place you can continue. It demanded breaks, but commanded your attention. I became like a kid covering my face with my hands but peeking thru my fingers. This book is no escapism like some horror or dark fiction, but it is a fantastic piece of art.
It started out as a great novel with distinct, interesting characters and intense enough action scenes. I fully trusted the author and entered into her world, ready to partake in a great thriller.
What I wasn't ready for was a hand to shoot out of the pages and suddenly put a knife to my throat, but that was basically what happened. My eyeballs started to bleed and my heart shed tears.
This is not so much horror as it is ultra-realism. The horror isn't what is happening in the book as much as what can happen at the hands of humans. Things we want to dismiss. This is a great piece of work, not some gratuitous bit of shock horror. I didn't ever get that feeling that the author was smirking behind the page, just happy she grossed us out. Characters under pressure had their essence squeezed out of them, and with each bit of action and dialogue these people were brought to life. The sickness that existed in their hearts never wavered, which made the story all that more terrifying. The journey of the main character was riveting, never cliche, and never certain.
But there were moments where I looked away from the pages, thinking, if this continues, I don't know how much more I can take. The author turns up the intensity and lets you boil for a while, but always seems to gauge where the reader is at and turns the story to a place you can continue. It demanded breaks, but commanded your attention. I became like a kid covering my face with my hands but peeking thru my fingers. This book is no escapism like some horror or dark fiction, but it is a fantastic piece of art.
April 20, 2012
I highly recommend Jan Kozlowski's brutal revenge story DIE, YOU BASTARD! DIE! I read this sucker in a day because I physically could not stop reading it. You really will want that bastard dead and enjoy what he has coming to him. One of the more inventive torture scenes I can recall. Excellent rape revenge exploitation and a great start for the new Ravenous Shadows line of genre books. It's short, but not detrimentally so because the story is tight, taut, and well told at a near-breathless, hardboiled, brutal pace. READ, you bastard! READ!
June 2, 2013
I read this book in about two hours. The violent scenes (and they are BRUTAL) reminded me of Jack Ketchum's work. This short novel is fast-paced and not for the faint of heart! Highly recommended.
November 21, 2019
While the cover and the back copy of the book broadcast that it is a revenge thriller, I still ended up being surprised on several fronts. The book was more intense and violent than I thought. And it had a few more twists in the plot than I expected. I thought I knew where it was going when I was suddenly shocked by a plot twist that left me flabbergasted and left the main character in a worse situation. Ahh, but first, the story.
Claire Valentin is an expert paramedic who has been awarded a few medals for saving people's lives. One day an old friend calls her up and tells her that her father is in the hospital; the same man who abused her massively as a child, so much that Claire ran from home and never returned. Now Claire and her friend have a chance to get revenge on the man. The plan starts smooth, deviates a little quickly, and then takes a hard left into a brick wall. Suddenly Claire finds herself fighting for her life instead of getting revenge.
The book is concise and tight in its wording. An effect that pulled me in faster and sped me through the story. At the same time, I felt every emotion along with Claire. Her desire for revenge, her confusion when the reality of the moment hits, and her fear when things go really bad. Kozlowski does not hold back either. The pain, suffering, and abuse throughout the novel are unfiltered and intense. Some of the torture is imaginative also. Scary but still imaginative. I don't want to give anything away so I'm going to end it here. Do yourself a favor though and read this book.
Claire Valentin is an expert paramedic who has been awarded a few medals for saving people's lives. One day an old friend calls her up and tells her that her father is in the hospital; the same man who abused her massively as a child, so much that Claire ran from home and never returned. Now Claire and her friend have a chance to get revenge on the man. The plan starts smooth, deviates a little quickly, and then takes a hard left into a brick wall. Suddenly Claire finds herself fighting for her life instead of getting revenge.
The book is concise and tight in its wording. An effect that pulled me in faster and sped me through the story. At the same time, I felt every emotion along with Claire. Her desire for revenge, her confusion when the reality of the moment hits, and her fear when things go really bad. Kozlowski does not hold back either. The pain, suffering, and abuse throughout the novel are unfiltered and intense. Some of the torture is imaginative also. Scary but still imaginative. I don't want to give anything away so I'm going to end it here. Do yourself a favor though and read this book.
August 30, 2012
This book is harsh, there is no denying it. It makes you squirm in your seat but it's well worth it. Claire is not the unlikely hero we read so much about, she is the hero we hope that we might be in a tough spot. I cheered her on even when she was doing the most horrendous things and I never once felt guilty about it. At the risk of sounding like a sociopath, I admired this character like most people admire Oprah. She got things done and the last line in the book elicited a loud,"YES!" and a fist pump from me. I suppose I became her "lizard brain," warning her against duplicity, and urging her on to the ever so satisfying end. This book isn't for everyone, simply because of the violence, but it's not gratuitous. I felt that every word was carefully thought out and I doubt my response would have been the same if Ms. Kozlowski hadn't included the graphic descriptions. I was there and I was angry. If you have ever felt the need for the 3 Rs; Rage, Revenge, and Retribution, then this is the book for you.
December 7, 2012
My review certainly isn't typical of those of Die, You Bastard! Die! so take it with a grain of salt. I really enjoyed the first 20 pages or so of the book. The EMT set-up was really well done, and the characters were nicely developed. But after the main character receives a phone call from home about her ailing father, the whole thing fell apart for me.
And before you say it, I'm not squeamish about this type of work. I loved Last House on the Left, for instance, and think it is one of the greatest works of horror ever produced. This work was more akin to I Spit On Your Grave to me, but more over-the-top, more unbelievable, and more gratuitously sexually depraved.
Like I said, take it with a grain of salt. The book is certainly well written and well-edited, and if you are a big fan of the genre, you may find this book right down your alley.
And before you say it, I'm not squeamish about this type of work. I loved Last House on the Left, for instance, and think it is one of the greatest works of horror ever produced. This work was more akin to I Spit On Your Grave to me, but more over-the-top, more unbelievable, and more gratuitously sexually depraved.
Like I said, take it with a grain of salt. The book is certainly well written and well-edited, and if you are a big fan of the genre, you may find this book right down your alley.
March 13, 2012
Need something to read? Something to entertain your reptile brain? Check this out. Highly recommended.
October 21, 2013
Wicked. I am now scared of Jan Kozlowski.
May 4, 2012
I put this book down exactly one time and that was only because I, like everyone else, have duties in my every day life to which I must attend. As soon as my day was over, I picked it right back up and read through to the end. When Ravenous Shadows Executive Editor John Skipp announced that his plan for this line of books was to "leave out all the boring stuff," he wasn't kidding. Of the books I've read so far, Jan Kozlowski's Die, You Bastard! Die is perhaps the imprint's best example of a tale so tightly told that you cannot stop yourself from going on to the next chapter.
Claire Valentin is a paramedic who considers herself a survivor of the atrocious childhood abuse her father Benjamin "Big Daddy" Valentin inflicted on her. Although Big Daddy, a serial child abuser, seems to have law enforcement in his back pocket and is never prosecuted for his crimes, Claire manages to escape his clutches when she turns 18 and never looks back. Years and many heroic accomplishments later, she receives a phone call from her childhood best friend Olivia, who informs her that Big Daddy has fallen ill and that now just might be Claire's only chance to "do the right thing." Suddenly, the demons of Claire's past return to victimize her all over again. And that's not all. She must also confront her own perceptions of right and wrong and who she has grown up to be.
On the surface, Die, You Bastard! Die! might sound like every other revenge story you've read before: the protagonist is violently victimized, becomes enraged, and gets equal or exponentially more violent revenge. Kozlowski's story is so much more than that. Yes, you will cringe. You will squirm in your seat. You will wish you could unimagine the agonizingly imaginative brutality the characters in this story inflict on each other. More than those things, however, you will come to understand that this is a revenge story that has at its core an intimate understanding of human psychology. Kozlowski deftly imparts those underpinnings with a casual thought here or a descriptive phrase there. She doesn't beat you over the head with a particular character's psychological profile. She simply knifes you in the gut, twists her wrist, and screams "There! That's what they're feeling!"
Fair warning: when you pick up this title, you will feel that knife in your gut from Chapter One all the way through to the Epilogue.
Claire Valentin is a paramedic who considers herself a survivor of the atrocious childhood abuse her father Benjamin "Big Daddy" Valentin inflicted on her. Although Big Daddy, a serial child abuser, seems to have law enforcement in his back pocket and is never prosecuted for his crimes, Claire manages to escape his clutches when she turns 18 and never looks back. Years and many heroic accomplishments later, she receives a phone call from her childhood best friend Olivia, who informs her that Big Daddy has fallen ill and that now just might be Claire's only chance to "do the right thing." Suddenly, the demons of Claire's past return to victimize her all over again. And that's not all. She must also confront her own perceptions of right and wrong and who she has grown up to be.
On the surface, Die, You Bastard! Die! might sound like every other revenge story you've read before: the protagonist is violently victimized, becomes enraged, and gets equal or exponentially more violent revenge. Kozlowski's story is so much more than that. Yes, you will cringe. You will squirm in your seat. You will wish you could unimagine the agonizingly imaginative brutality the characters in this story inflict on each other. More than those things, however, you will come to understand that this is a revenge story that has at its core an intimate understanding of human psychology. Kozlowski deftly imparts those underpinnings with a casual thought here or a descriptive phrase there. She doesn't beat you over the head with a particular character's psychological profile. She simply knifes you in the gut, twists her wrist, and screams "There! That's what they're feeling!"
Fair warning: when you pick up this title, you will feel that knife in your gut from Chapter One all the way through to the Epilogue.
April 22, 2016
Wow.
Umm, how on earth do I talk about this story without spoiling it? *sighs*
There are so many twists and turns, disgusting displays of violence and human depravity that will leave you feeling a little nauseous but mostly … vindicated.
I find splatter punk, in general, to be weirdly fascinating. It’s so violent that I feel like a horrible person for reading it. It’s often so gross that my stomach will churn during some of the more graphic scenes. And yet, when it’s well done, like Die, You Bastard! Die! Every page is worth the torment.
The beauty of this story is in Claire’s endurance of the trauma’s being visited upon her, and how she adapts to react to it. (There’s some seriously fracked up $**t that goes on). And because of her journey as a character an some sort of voodoo writing magic — I actually ended up enjoying this rape/revenge story. Normally stories with this plot device leave me feeling too violated by the end. But this one? This one knocks you around five ways to Sunday and manages to make the ending feel exactly right.
The Hardcore Violence: At the very end of this post I will add some trigger warnings, because this book is guaranteed to punch you in the face, gut, groin, and nose repeatedly… metaphorically speaking. But triggers reveal spoilers so I’m separating the paragraph a bit.
I could seriously gush over every aspect of this book, but it’s too darn good to ruin by blabbing out all of the details. If you even sort of like splatter punk or stories with Clive Barker’s flair for violence and sexual depravity , buy this and read this. It’s a seriously incredible book that is going to take you on a wild ride.
Umm, how on earth do I talk about this story without spoiling it? *sighs*
There are so many twists and turns, disgusting displays of violence and human depravity that will leave you feeling a little nauseous but mostly … vindicated.
I find splatter punk, in general, to be weirdly fascinating. It’s so violent that I feel like a horrible person for reading it. It’s often so gross that my stomach will churn during some of the more graphic scenes. And yet, when it’s well done, like Die, You Bastard! Die! Every page is worth the torment.
The beauty of this story is in Claire’s endurance of the trauma’s being visited upon her, and how she adapts to react to it. (There’s some seriously fracked up $**t that goes on). And because of her journey as a character an some sort of voodoo writing magic — I actually ended up enjoying this rape/revenge story. Normally stories with this plot device leave me feeling too violated by the end. But this one? This one knocks you around five ways to Sunday and manages to make the ending feel exactly right.
The Hardcore Violence: At the very end of this post I will add some trigger warnings, because this book is guaranteed to punch you in the face, gut, groin, and nose repeatedly… metaphorically speaking. But triggers reveal spoilers so I’m separating the paragraph a bit.
I could seriously gush over every aspect of this book, but it’s too darn good to ruin by blabbing out all of the details. If you even sort of like splatter punk or stories with Clive Barker’s flair for violence and sexual depravity , buy this and read this. It’s a seriously incredible book that is going to take you on a wild ride.
October 11, 2013
I waited to get this when I could get a signed copy from the author (love it!). Now I kick myself for having waited so long. This is a wild breakneck ride of a revenge story (so it goes without saying, trigger warnings galore!). Love that 70s exploitation film-look cover: it gives an accurate snapshot of what's inside.
Claire Valentin has struggled to make a life for herself in Albany, far from the horror of her early family in backwoods Connecticut. If you don't know the state, you may be surprised by that description, but there are off-the-beaten-track parts of the Nutmeg State as unnerving as the hills of Arkansas to outsiders. The highest concentration of the KKK north of the Mason-Dixon line can be found in CT.
Claire gets dragged back to that world when "Big Daddy" gets injured and Claire feels the need to employ her EMT skills to maybe set that part of her life at rest. Her best pal Olivia meets up with her and suggests instead that this is the time to get revenge. Claire feels her basic decency at war with her buried anger and the overriding fear that her father hasn't changed at all.
This is a no-holds-barred, grindhouse-style revenge thriller with more twists than a corkscrew. It's horrific, harrowing, surprising and relentless. Not for the faint of heart! But those ready for a wild ride will collapse at the end with a whispered 'wow!' and shudder to think that there really are people like Big Daddy in the world. I don't want to give a thing away. Buy the ticket, take the ride and see if you survive.
Here's hoping Kozlowski is fast at work on her next one!
Claire Valentin has struggled to make a life for herself in Albany, far from the horror of her early family in backwoods Connecticut. If you don't know the state, you may be surprised by that description, but there are off-the-beaten-track parts of the Nutmeg State as unnerving as the hills of Arkansas to outsiders. The highest concentration of the KKK north of the Mason-Dixon line can be found in CT.
Claire gets dragged back to that world when "Big Daddy" gets injured and Claire feels the need to employ her EMT skills to maybe set that part of her life at rest. Her best pal Olivia meets up with her and suggests instead that this is the time to get revenge. Claire feels her basic decency at war with her buried anger and the overriding fear that her father hasn't changed at all.
This is a no-holds-barred, grindhouse-style revenge thriller with more twists than a corkscrew. It's horrific, harrowing, surprising and relentless. Not for the faint of heart! But those ready for a wild ride will collapse at the end with a whispered 'wow!' and shudder to think that there really are people like Big Daddy in the world. I don't want to give a thing away. Buy the ticket, take the ride and see if you survive.
Here's hoping Kozlowski is fast at work on her next one!
April 3, 2012
*Possible Bias warning* Go team RAVENOUS SHADOWS! Dark as hell, but oddly emotionally rewarding. An icky abuse/revenge tale that mercifully doesn't linger on the worst of its character's offenses. Reader comparisons to LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT are apt.
May 6, 2012
Solid and definitely unflinching. I think it perfectly fits John Skipp's idea of short novels you can consume in the time it takes to watch a (very long) movie. Definitely not for the faint of heart or survivors easily triggered, however. This is rough-as-sandpaper rape/revenge fiction.
May 12, 2013
A visceral reading experience, one that doesn't flinch at sex and violence, usually at the same time. It comes across as a little dialogue-heavy for my taste particularly at the beginning, but the author succeeds in creating some memorably icky moments.
March 20, 2012
This is the horror novel I always wanted to see. A woman get revenge on her abusive father. It is gripping, over the top, and very satisfying.
August 5, 2012
Fast, raw and unflinching. I really enjoyed the EMT setup and the attention to detail. Couldn't put it down.
January 21, 2013
Well written and a quick read! There are definitely some uncomfortable scenes in this novel, reminiscent of Jack Ketchum's style of writing.
February 9, 2013
Brutal read - crossed my legs a few times during this one.
February 27, 2013
Enjoyed it. It kept me wanting to read it until it was finished. From hearing people talk about it, I thought it would be disturbing.
October 21, 2012
So-So novel. Didn't hate it nor love it but I did like it.
September 9, 2017
*Inhalt*
"Die Zeit ist gekommen, mit Daddy abzurechnen!
Die Krankenschwester Claire kümmert sich liebevoll um Menschen, die Hilfe benötigen. Vielleicht hat Claire diesen Beruf gewählt, weil sie die Kindheit in der Hölle verbrachte – ihr Vater hat sie viele Jahre lang sexuell brutal missbraucht.
Claire hat die Geschehnisse verdrängt. Doch plötzlich ruft ihre Schwester Olivia an. Sie berichtet, dass ihr Vater im Sterben liegt. Jetzt hätten sie die Chance für ihre späte Rache.
Aber das Miststück Olivia hat gelogen ..." (Quelle: Amazon)
*Erster Satz des Buches*
"Der orange-weiße Krankenwagen vom Albany County fuhr mit konstanter Geschwindigkeit die Western Avenue entlang, vorbei an georgianischen Backsteingebäuden und der grünen Kupferkuppel, die das Herz der SUNY Uni in der Innenstadt markierte."
*Infos zum Buch*
Seitenzahl: 192 Seiten
Verlag: Festa Verlag
Originaltitel: Die, you Bastard! Die!
ISBN: Keine ISBN, da Privatdruck. HIER bestellen!
Preis: 12,99 € (Taschenbuch) / 4,99 € (E-Book)
*Infos zur Autorin*
"Jan Kozlowskis Liebe für das Horrorgenre erwachte 1975, mit einem rubinroten Tropfen Blut, der auf das schwarze Cover einer Ausgabe von Stephen Kings Salem's Lot geprägt war und der dazu führte, dass sie das Buch wie hypnotisiert kaufte.
1997 wurde Jans erste Story veröffentlicht. Es folgten zahlreiche weitere in Magazinen und Anthologien. 2012 erschien ihr sadistischer Thriller Die, You Bastard! Die!." (Quelle: Verlagshomepage)
*Fazit*
-> Wieso wollte ich dieses Buch lesen?
Derzeit lese ich mich quer durch das Angebot des Festa - Verlages und der Klappentext von "Stirb, Du Bastard! Stirb! hat mich irgendwie fasziniert.
-> Cover:
Betrachtet man das Cover, so hat man schon eine ungefähre Ahnung, was einen in diesem Buch erwarten wird - und man wird diesbezüglich definitiv nicht enttäuscht. Ich mag das Cover ehrlich gesagt sehr gerne, denn es hat etwas düsteres...
-> Story + Charaktere:
Wer die Extrem - Romane aus dem Festa Verlag kennt, der erwartet blutige und exzessive Sex- und Gewaltszenen, im Falle von "Stirb, Du Bastard! Stirb! täuscht man sich dabei jedoch gewaltig. Auch wenn die Autorin durchaus in der Lage ist, fiese und gewalttätige Szenen zu schreiben, so setzt sie diese gezielt ein und setzt mehr auf eine gute Story und gut ausgearbeitete Charaktere.
Auch wenn der Roman mit knapp 192 Seiten nicht besonders lang ist, schafft er es dennoch, zu begeistern. Besonders Sanitäterin Claire, die wir im Laufe des Buches sehr gut kennenlernen gefiel mir als Protagonist besonders gut, denn sie ist eine starke Persönlichkeit, die versucht, ihre Vergangenheit hinter sich zu lassen - nachdem sie jahrelang davor geflohen ist. Dafür muss sie sich in eine Situation begeben, die ihr zutiefst zuwider ist, denn dafür muss sie ihrem Vater entgegentreten, der sie jahrelang missbraucht hat. Als sich die Chance bietet, muss sie sich entscheiden... will sie Rache an ihrem Vater üben?
Die Autorin schafft es, den Leser in Claires Welt zu entführen und sowohl ihre Gedanken, als auch ihre Gefühle nachvollziehen zu können. Die auftretenden Thematiken der "Pädophilie" der "Kinderpornographie" und des "Kindesmissbrauchs" regen zum nachdenken an, machen das Buch jedoch nicht zu einer schweren Lektüre. Einige unerwartete Wendungen peppen die Story zusätzlich auf und letztendlich hat man das Buch schneller beendet, als man es erwarten würde.
-> Schreibstil:
Der Schreibstil ist angenehm und gut lesbar, die Kapitel kurz. Geschrieben wurde die Geschichte aus der Sicht eines Erzählers, in der Vergangenheitsform.
-> Gesamt:
Ein solider und sehr fesselnder Thriller über Rache, bei dem die Seiten nur so dahinschwinden. Die Autorin überzeugt nicht nur mit faszinierenden Charakteren, sondern hält auch die Spannungskurve stets aufrecht, was das Lesen zu einem Vergnügen macht.
Wertung: 5 von 5 Sterne!
"Die Zeit ist gekommen, mit Daddy abzurechnen!
Die Krankenschwester Claire kümmert sich liebevoll um Menschen, die Hilfe benötigen. Vielleicht hat Claire diesen Beruf gewählt, weil sie die Kindheit in der Hölle verbrachte – ihr Vater hat sie viele Jahre lang sexuell brutal missbraucht.
Claire hat die Geschehnisse verdrängt. Doch plötzlich ruft ihre Schwester Olivia an. Sie berichtet, dass ihr Vater im Sterben liegt. Jetzt hätten sie die Chance für ihre späte Rache.
Aber das Miststück Olivia hat gelogen ..." (Quelle: Amazon)
*Erster Satz des Buches*
"Der orange-weiße Krankenwagen vom Albany County fuhr mit konstanter Geschwindigkeit die Western Avenue entlang, vorbei an georgianischen Backsteingebäuden und der grünen Kupferkuppel, die das Herz der SUNY Uni in der Innenstadt markierte."
*Infos zum Buch*
Seitenzahl: 192 Seiten
Verlag: Festa Verlag
Originaltitel: Die, you Bastard! Die!
ISBN: Keine ISBN, da Privatdruck. HIER bestellen!
Preis: 12,99 € (Taschenbuch) / 4,99 € (E-Book)
*Infos zur Autorin*
"Jan Kozlowskis Liebe für das Horrorgenre erwachte 1975, mit einem rubinroten Tropfen Blut, der auf das schwarze Cover einer Ausgabe von Stephen Kings Salem's Lot geprägt war und der dazu führte, dass sie das Buch wie hypnotisiert kaufte.
1997 wurde Jans erste Story veröffentlicht. Es folgten zahlreiche weitere in Magazinen und Anthologien. 2012 erschien ihr sadistischer Thriller Die, You Bastard! Die!." (Quelle: Verlagshomepage)
*Fazit*
-> Wieso wollte ich dieses Buch lesen?
Derzeit lese ich mich quer durch das Angebot des Festa - Verlages und der Klappentext von "Stirb, Du Bastard! Stirb! hat mich irgendwie fasziniert.
-> Cover:
Betrachtet man das Cover, so hat man schon eine ungefähre Ahnung, was einen in diesem Buch erwarten wird - und man wird diesbezüglich definitiv nicht enttäuscht. Ich mag das Cover ehrlich gesagt sehr gerne, denn es hat etwas düsteres...
-> Story + Charaktere:
Wer die Extrem - Romane aus dem Festa Verlag kennt, der erwartet blutige und exzessive Sex- und Gewaltszenen, im Falle von "Stirb, Du Bastard! Stirb! täuscht man sich dabei jedoch gewaltig. Auch wenn die Autorin durchaus in der Lage ist, fiese und gewalttätige Szenen zu schreiben, so setzt sie diese gezielt ein und setzt mehr auf eine gute Story und gut ausgearbeitete Charaktere.
Auch wenn der Roman mit knapp 192 Seiten nicht besonders lang ist, schafft er es dennoch, zu begeistern. Besonders Sanitäterin Claire, die wir im Laufe des Buches sehr gut kennenlernen gefiel mir als Protagonist besonders gut, denn sie ist eine starke Persönlichkeit, die versucht, ihre Vergangenheit hinter sich zu lassen - nachdem sie jahrelang davor geflohen ist. Dafür muss sie sich in eine Situation begeben, die ihr zutiefst zuwider ist, denn dafür muss sie ihrem Vater entgegentreten, der sie jahrelang missbraucht hat. Als sich die Chance bietet, muss sie sich entscheiden... will sie Rache an ihrem Vater üben?
Die Autorin schafft es, den Leser in Claires Welt zu entführen und sowohl ihre Gedanken, als auch ihre Gefühle nachvollziehen zu können. Die auftretenden Thematiken der "Pädophilie" der "Kinderpornographie" und des "Kindesmissbrauchs" regen zum nachdenken an, machen das Buch jedoch nicht zu einer schweren Lektüre. Einige unerwartete Wendungen peppen die Story zusätzlich auf und letztendlich hat man das Buch schneller beendet, als man es erwarten würde.
-> Schreibstil:
Der Schreibstil ist angenehm und gut lesbar, die Kapitel kurz. Geschrieben wurde die Geschichte aus der Sicht eines Erzählers, in der Vergangenheitsform.
-> Gesamt:
Ein solider und sehr fesselnder Thriller über Rache, bei dem die Seiten nur so dahinschwinden. Die Autorin überzeugt nicht nur mit faszinierenden Charakteren, sondern hält auch die Spannungskurve stets aufrecht, was das Lesen zu einem Vergnügen macht.
Wertung: 5 von 5 Sterne!
October 9, 2019
I have a little challenge for you. Ready? Here it goes: try to image an author that brings together the pull-no-punches prose of Edward Lee, Richard Laymon or Jack Ketchum with whatever an M. Night Shyamalan movie would be like if his plethora of twists were incredibly good. If you were able to conjure something like that, rejoice: that author is here and her name is Jan Kozlowski.
Die, You Bastard! Die! is part of the first batch of titles put out by John Skipp's Ravenous Shadows. It's also Kozlowski's first novel. Considering how pleasing (and I mean pleasing in the most uncomfortable way possible) it was to read Kozlowski's work, I wanted a new book by her before being done with this one.
You can read Gabino's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
Die, You Bastard! Die! is part of the first batch of titles put out by John Skipp's Ravenous Shadows. It's also Kozlowski's first novel. Considering how pleasing (and I mean pleasing in the most uncomfortable way possible) it was to read Kozlowski's work, I wanted a new book by her before being done with this one.
You can read Gabino's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
August 17, 2022
There was a part of me apprehensive about reading Die, You Bastard, Die! but I ordered it on a friend’s recommendation. Since watching Last House on the Left and I Spit on Your Grave way too young, I’ve never had much stomach for rape/revenge and I did take a break reading before any bad shit happened (no fault of the book, I’m a publisher and tend to get stuck in a publishing bubble where I read very little outside what I’m working on). So when I got back, I picked up with the very chapter where everything goes to hell…and finished in an hour.
This is my kind of book, narrative-wise; takes time to build characters and world and then blasts into the third act like a runaway train. There are some really vile and unsettling scenes, paired with tension filled action. I liked the writing in the second half more, because the first half had some slower bits that were necessary, but didn’t quite grab me. Totally worth it though, if it doesn’t grab you either, trust the author, it will pay off.
For fans of Splatterpunk, grind house films, 70s exploitation.
This is my kind of book, narrative-wise; takes time to build characters and world and then blasts into the third act like a runaway train. There are some really vile and unsettling scenes, paired with tension filled action. I liked the writing in the second half more, because the first half had some slower bits that were necessary, but didn’t quite grab me. Totally worth it though, if it doesn’t grab you either, trust the author, it will pay off.
For fans of Splatterpunk, grind house films, 70s exploitation.
March 12, 2019
Claire wurde von ihrem Vater jahrelang missbraucht, bis sie es schafft von zu Hause weg zu laufen.
Jetzt ist sie Sanitäterin und verdrängt ihre Vergangenheit.
Bis eine damalige Freundin bei ihr anruft und ihr erzählt, ihr Vater lege im Krankenhaus. Claire soll zurück kommen. Das wäre ihre Chance, den gemeinsamen Plan der Rache durchzuführen - der Bastard soll sterben!
In dieser kurzen Geschichte wird es durchaus brutal, doch für einen Festa Extrem Band, viel zu wenig.
Der Klappentext ist auch etwas irreführend. Ich Frage mich, ob der Verfasser, das Buch überhaupt gelesen hat...
Dennoch kann das Buch durch Spannung, gute Charaktere und dem flüssigen Schreibstil Punkten.
Besonders vielversprechend war der Epilog. Da wurde es eigentlich erst richtig spannend. Doch dann endet die Geschichte.
Da hätte man mehr daraus machen können. Wäre bestimmt ein guter Psychothriller geworden.
Eine nette kleine Rache Story für zwischendurch.
Jetzt ist sie Sanitäterin und verdrängt ihre Vergangenheit.
Bis eine damalige Freundin bei ihr anruft und ihr erzählt, ihr Vater lege im Krankenhaus. Claire soll zurück kommen. Das wäre ihre Chance, den gemeinsamen Plan der Rache durchzuführen - der Bastard soll sterben!
In dieser kurzen Geschichte wird es durchaus brutal, doch für einen Festa Extrem Band, viel zu wenig.
Der Klappentext ist auch etwas irreführend. Ich Frage mich, ob der Verfasser, das Buch überhaupt gelesen hat...
Dennoch kann das Buch durch Spannung, gute Charaktere und dem flüssigen Schreibstil Punkten.
Besonders vielversprechend war der Epilog. Da wurde es eigentlich erst richtig spannend. Doch dann endet die Geschichte.
Da hätte man mehr daraus machen können. Wäre bestimmt ein guter Psychothriller geworden.
Eine nette kleine Rache Story für zwischendurch.
November 14, 2018
This book was disturbing and hard to read at times because of the subject matter. It is extreme horror/bizarro that delves in on perverse matters and child molestation. Not for the squeamish. I was very impressed on the writing of the book. It was nicely done which is sometimes hard to find in this type of book. I could hardly put the book down once it started getting into the "meat" of things. Loved Claire and was doing cartwheels (in my mind) by the end of the book.
There was some poor editing throughout the book but it didn't take away from the story.
There was some poor editing throughout the book but it didn't take away from the story.
March 27, 2022
Die Story war ok - hat mich jetzt aber nicht komplett umgenietet. Es gab einige Wendungen mit denen ich so nicht gerechnet hätte vorallem weil das Buch mit 186 Seiten ja ziemlich dünn ist. Die Story kommt auch gut und schnell voran aber irgendwie konnte mich das ganze nicht so catchen wie erwartet. Wirklich EXTREM fand ich den nun auch nicht - habe keinen Grusel Ekel oder Furcht verspürt. 3,5 Sterne
March 6, 2017
Gastrezension Lesefuchs
Klappentext
Die Zeit ist gekommen, mit Daddy abzurechnen!
Die Krankenschwester Claire kümmert sich liebevoll um Menschen, die Hilfe benötigen. Vielleicht hat Claire diesen Beruf gewählt, weil sie die Kindheit in der Hölle verbrachte – ihr Vater hat sie viele Jahre lang sexuell brutal missbraucht.
Claire hat die Geschehnisse verdrängt. Doch plötzlich ruft ihre Schwester Olivia an. Sie berichtet, dass ihr Vater im Sterben liegt. Jetzt hätten sie die Chance für ihre späte Rache.
Aber das Miststück Olivia hat gelogen ...
Die Autorin
Jan Kozlowskis Liebe für das Horrorgenre erwachte 1975, mit einem rubinroten Tropfen Blut, der auf das schwarze Cover einer Ausgabe von Stephen Kings Salem's Lot geprägt war und der dazu führte, dass sie das Buch wie hypnotisiert kaufte.
1997 wurde Jans erste Story veröffentlicht. Es folgten zahlreiche weitere in Magazinen und Anthologien. 2012 erschien ihr sadistischer Thriller Die, You Bastard! Die!
Meine Meinung
Story
Die Story ist interessant, aber natürlich auch schockierend, wenn man bedenkt, dass es solche Fälle auch in echt gibt. Die Autorin baut Spannung auf und man leidet bei einigen Stellen mit. Es ist kein langes Buch, dennoch war es gut.
Schreibstil
Die Autorin hält sich kurz und schreibt dennoch spannend. Es geht ziemlich schnell los. Das Buch hat keine 200 Seiten, weswegen man es sehr schnell durch hat. Es ist einfach zu verstehen. Dabei wird das Buch aus der Sicht von Claire geschildert.
Charaktere
Claire macht Anfangs einen sehr starken und normalen Eindruck. Sympathieträger gibt es meiner Meinung nach nicht wirklich, aber dennoch ist es interessant zu lesen.
Mein Fazit
Das Buch hat mich zwar nicht umgehauen, dennoch fand ich es ganz gut. Die Story ist interessant und spannend und die Autorin schafft es, dass man mit leidet. Ich gebe diesem Buch 3,5 von 5 Lesefüchsen/Leseratten und einer Leseempfehlung für Fans dieses Genres.
Klappentext
Die Zeit ist gekommen, mit Daddy abzurechnen!
Die Krankenschwester Claire kümmert sich liebevoll um Menschen, die Hilfe benötigen. Vielleicht hat Claire diesen Beruf gewählt, weil sie die Kindheit in der Hölle verbrachte – ihr Vater hat sie viele Jahre lang sexuell brutal missbraucht.
Claire hat die Geschehnisse verdrängt. Doch plötzlich ruft ihre Schwester Olivia an. Sie berichtet, dass ihr Vater im Sterben liegt. Jetzt hätten sie die Chance für ihre späte Rache.
Aber das Miststück Olivia hat gelogen ...
Die Autorin
Jan Kozlowskis Liebe für das Horrorgenre erwachte 1975, mit einem rubinroten Tropfen Blut, der auf das schwarze Cover einer Ausgabe von Stephen Kings Salem's Lot geprägt war und der dazu führte, dass sie das Buch wie hypnotisiert kaufte.
1997 wurde Jans erste Story veröffentlicht. Es folgten zahlreiche weitere in Magazinen und Anthologien. 2012 erschien ihr sadistischer Thriller Die, You Bastard! Die!
Meine Meinung
Story
Die Story ist interessant, aber natürlich auch schockierend, wenn man bedenkt, dass es solche Fälle auch in echt gibt. Die Autorin baut Spannung auf und man leidet bei einigen Stellen mit. Es ist kein langes Buch, dennoch war es gut.
Schreibstil
Die Autorin hält sich kurz und schreibt dennoch spannend. Es geht ziemlich schnell los. Das Buch hat keine 200 Seiten, weswegen man es sehr schnell durch hat. Es ist einfach zu verstehen. Dabei wird das Buch aus der Sicht von Claire geschildert.
Charaktere
Claire macht Anfangs einen sehr starken und normalen Eindruck. Sympathieträger gibt es meiner Meinung nach nicht wirklich, aber dennoch ist es interessant zu lesen.
Mein Fazit
Das Buch hat mich zwar nicht umgehauen, dennoch fand ich es ganz gut. Die Story ist interessant und spannend und die Autorin schafft es, dass man mit leidet. Ich gebe diesem Buch 3,5 von 5 Lesefüchsen/Leseratten und einer Leseempfehlung für Fans dieses Genres.
December 11, 2022
Very quick read and I am quite a fan of the revenge genre. This was a great book with very dark subject matter. It honestly felt like a drive in flick. Fans of I Spit On Your Grave or Ms 45 would like this.
March 12, 2017
Review found here: https://www.facebook.com/Mandashorror...
January 31, 2017
Too many jacket blurbs proudly proclaim that a book is "compulsively readable" or "impossible to put down", and however much these blurbs are overused and hyperbolized, they apply whole-heartedly to Jan Kozlowski's Die, You Bastard! Die! I only put it down once, with much reluctance, because it was three in the morning and I badly needed sleep. Otherwise, I burned through it so fast the words on the page started to blur together. It's a masterclass in suspense and gritty realist horror.
Critics have compared it to a grindhouse film, and while I agree it does borrow some elements from that genre, it isn't their literary equivalent. Grindhouse films are unflinching; the camera pulls in tight on a stomach being torn open and the intestines spooling out onto the ground. Sure, Kozlowski's book contains hardcore violence, rape, and other forms of nastiness, but the author pulls away before the violence reaches a crescendo, and to great effect. It's shocking without being exploitative, which leads to a far more powerful experience.
The writing itself is also superb, with most of it being dialogue driven. If I have any complaints about the book, it's the ending. I felt the climax, or final encounter, was a little rushed. Everything was swept under the rug a little too quickly and conveniently. Despite this, it didn't detract from the rest of the book. I would recommend it to any fans of suspense who can stomach disturbing subject matter.
Critics have compared it to a grindhouse film, and while I agree it does borrow some elements from that genre, it isn't their literary equivalent. Grindhouse films are unflinching; the camera pulls in tight on a stomach being torn open and the intestines spooling out onto the ground. Sure, Kozlowski's book contains hardcore violence, rape, and other forms of nastiness, but the author pulls away before the violence reaches a crescendo, and to great effect. It's shocking without being exploitative, which leads to a far more powerful experience.
The writing itself is also superb, with most of it being dialogue driven. If I have any complaints about the book, it's the ending. I felt the climax, or final encounter, was a little rushed. Everything was swept under the rug a little too quickly and conveniently. Despite this, it didn't detract from the rest of the book. I would recommend it to any fans of suspense who can stomach disturbing subject matter.
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