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Horrorstör

Grady Hendrix (Goodreads Author)

3.64 · Rating details · 34,796 ratings · 6,188 reviews

Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.

To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-ti ...more

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Kindle Edition, 240 pages

Published September 23rd 2014 by Quirk Books

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· 34,796 ratings · 6,188 reviews

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Nov 13, 2014 karen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: death-is-not-the-end, live-through-this

this book is a hoot. it gets five stars for concept and design, and a solid 3.75 for execution. i didn't realize when i started this book that the author was guy who wrote yeti vs. bear in Tall Tales with Short Cocks Vol. 4, which was one of the funnier stories in that collection, and has one of the best opening scenes in the broader collection of "stories ever written."

this book is set up like an IKEA catalog, and walks that line between humor and horror without ever putting a ring on either o ...more

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Jan 10, 2015 NReads rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4 CREEPY STARS!

You can find the full review and more about this book on my blog!

First of all,as always,I want to talk about the cover,the design of the physical book in general.I must say this is the most unique book I have ever seen.The pictures inside,the front and the back cover,the maps and the furniture,they are all perfectly made and they raised the book's awesomeness.So greatly done:)

Horrorstör is a dark horror creepy novel with suspense and hell of scary moments.I warn you,if you

...more

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Oct 17, 2018 Emma Giordano rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

Horrostör is one of those books that’s just “fine.” It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t spectacular. It was just fine.

CW: death, ghosts, floods (idk other spooky stuff)

I love the concept of this book. It is so unique – I’ve never read a book like it and believe I’m unlikely to stumble upon another. I feel it’s pretty much what you would expect from a novel pitched as a horror parody of IKEA. I’m a hoe for that Swedish furniture store and the story fed my home décor-loving heart.

I listened to the audiobook Horrostör is one of those books that’s just “fine.” It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t spectacular. It was just fine.

CW: death, ghosts, floods (idk other spooky stuff)

I love the concept of this book. It is so unique – I’ve never read a book like it and believe I’m unlikely to stumble upon another. I feel it’s pretty much what you would expect from a novel pitched as a horror parody of IKEA. I’m a hoe for that Swedish furniture store and the story fed my home décor-loving heart.

I listened to the audiobook version which was also fine. The narrators did a good job, and I appreciated the distinction between the main character's POV and the item descriptions from ORSK. When listening to the audiobook, you do miss the visual diagram of each item which plays a role in the story, but a quick flip through the physical book gave me the info I needed. I particularly liked how the catalogue portions of the book actually felt like I was listening to a radio commercial as opposed to just another paragraph from the narrator.

I enjoyed the characters well enough. There’s a fairly eclectic, diverse main cast that was actually given more development than I expected for a story such as this. I enjoyed getting to understand the backgrounds of the characters and how that fuels their motivations. I wouldn’t consider myself attached to any of them, but the main cast propelled the story in a positive way.

One element I felt was promised to me yet lacking was the humor? Horrostör is often referred to as a “comedy horror” novel, yet I can’t recall laughing even once? It’s not that the book is a drag or uninteresting, I just didn’t find it all that humorous.

As for the horror aspect, I would also deem it “fine.” It was entertaining, but I feel it bordered more on “strange” than “scary.” Paranormal horror can be a hit or miss with me personally and I didn’t fully connect with it. It was unique and interesting, but I didn’t feel terrified or scared at all. It was more intrigue than fear and for that reason, it almost fell a little flat for me.

I don’t have a ton to say about Horrostör. It just wasn’t a very substantial read for me. I’m not at all sorry I read it, I just don’t feel very impressed. I am definitely interested in reading from Grady Hendrix in the future, though! My Best Friend’s Exorcism is still for sure on my to-read list.
...more

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Apr 21, 2020 megs_bookrack rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

**4.5-stars rounded up**

I was so excited when my friend, Shannon, and I made a spur of the moment decision to Buddy Read, Horrorstor.

Love that for us.

I have owned a copy of this since it was first released and have heard such great things about it since. I would often stop, pick it up, flip through the pages and consider reading it, but for some reason never did.

The whole package of the book is hella unique. Made to resemble an IKEA catalog, each chapter begins with a picture of a specific piec ...more

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Jul 13, 2019 Mort rated it it was amazing

***AMENDED REVIEW***
I am man enough to admit when I am wrong. As my wife so rightly points out during an argument, it gets easier when you make so many mistakes.
Still, no furniture were hurt during the writing of this review.

For more than a year now, the name Grady Hendrix kept popping up from GR friends, either with a reading, rating, review or recommendation. HORRORSTOR is my virgin dive into the author’s mind. And I will admit, there were a few things I was worried about:
1. I’ve never been ***AMENDED REVIEW***
I am man enough to admit when I am wrong. As my wife so rightly points out during an argument, it gets easier when you make so many mistakes.
Still, no furniture were hurt during the writing of this review.

For more than a year now, the name Grady Hendrix kept popping up from GR friends, either with a reading, rating, review or recommendation. HORRORSTOR is my virgin dive into the author’s mind. And I will admit, there were a few things I was worried about:
1. I’ve never been in an IKEA, so would I get it?
2. Looking at his profile picture, would I like the humor?
3. Was I expecting too much because everybody raves about him?

Well, let me address each worry seperately:
1. There isn’t an IKEA in the country where I live. Like the town whore, I only know it by reputation from what I’ve heard from others. I use that analogy because I heard that (like the town whore) their merchandise is cheap but of low quality.
* Thanks to my friend Mike, I see that was was completely wrong in my assumption of IKEA merchandise with the things I have heard. We all know know that assumption is the root to all fuck-ups, so there you have it. Instead of changing what I said, I just want to tweak it a little - the analogy will still stand, I believe.
"Town whore" needs to be changed to "high class prostitute" - sadly, I can still use by reputation only.
And the merchandise is not really cheap and of higher quality than you might expect, perhaps even an experience that will last more than 30 seconds. (I'm paraphrasing, of course).
If I have hurt any feelings with my previous statement...well, you need to get a life, actually.
Look, I can’t slam a store I know nothing about. In fact, I think that I might have been a big fan of IKEA – to me, when something is working and doing its job, I really couldn’t care less what it looks like. This is a quality that annoys my wife to no end. Before she bought me a FOSSIL watch as a wedding gift, I used to wear watches that were cheap enough to throw away at the first sign of trouble.
And, to come back to the story, I think Hendrix did a good enough job to inform me of all I needed to know about Orsk.

2. Despite his picture, this guy can write very, very well. It was strange and funny, but without actual jokes...can you even understand what I mean when I say that? Now, I am not educated in English beyond high school, but I read a lot, so I think I’m a little above average with the language. However, there were a few words in there that I had to look up (yes, I’m that kind of geek) – I had no idea what pareidolia or panopticon meant.
And Drittsekk might be my new favorite insult!!
So, yes, don’t judge him by the goofy pic.

3. It was worth every single great review that it got. This was a horror story that took you in and threw you into a maelstrom of madness – it got my heart rate up more than once. Can you think of anything scarier than an asylum with torture devices that would have made the Inquisition jealous? No, I’m not giving too much away, you will still need to take the journey yourself to find out.
Loved the furniture with descriptions at the beginning of each chapter!

I highly recommend it to all horror fans! ...more

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Sep 06, 2014 Melki rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: humorous-fiction, parody, horror, pop-culture

I worked in retail for ten years, every job from the good (B. Dalton Bookseller), to the bad (Pearle Vision Center), to the really, really ugly (Sear's Outlet - where someone tried to return a used vibrator). The one thing all these jobs had in common? After the customers have gone home and the store is closed and the lights are turned low...it's rather creepy.

One of my favorite retail stories (and I may have told this one before - I'M OLD, so I'M ENTITLED!) is the night when Sue and I were clos I worked in retail for ten years, every job from the good (B. Dalton Bookseller), to the bad (Pearle Vision Center), to the really, really ugly (Sear's Outlet - where someone tried to return a used vibrator). The one thing all these jobs had in common? After the customers have gone home and the store is closed and the lights are turned low...it's rather creepy.

One of my favorite retail stories (and I may have told this one before - I'M OLD, so I'M ENTITLED!) is the night when Sue and I were closing the bookstore. You had to turn out the lights at the breaker in the back room, then walk all the way to the front of the store to exit. We were about a quarter of the way to the front when something crashed to the floor behind us. We didn't turn around, just took off running for the door. There is no doubt in my mind that had Sue fallen and couldn't get up, I would not have stopped to help her. And I'm sure she would have left me in her dust as monster chow had I dropped, as well. Two women in their thirties, running like bats outta hell, frightened by a noise.

See what retail does to you?

Poor Amy has become something of a slacker. Forced to drop out of community college, she's been working for retail giant, ORSK. She hates her job, most of her coworkers and especially her supervisor, Basil. But weird things have been happening in the wee hours when the store is closed. Though the security cameras have captured nothing, employees arrive each morning to broken and damaged merchandise. Basil drafts a few "partners" to stay all night and help him catch the vandals. Amy is one of them, and if she thinks her current job is mind-numbing and repetitive, wait until she gets a load of how she may end up spending eternity...

The first half of the book is terrific. The author does a fantastic job of mocking retail culture, motivational slogans and by-the-book managers. Then it takes an abrupt turn, all humor disappears, and the tale becomes a fairly standard horror story. It's almost as if the second half was written by a different author.

So, yes, this is definitely a case of style over substance, but oh, oh, OH! what style! The layout of the book, with its featured products - products that get more and more disturbing as the story advances, mission statements, employee reviews and order forms is DEAD ON. The whole book is clever and innovative...almost like a piece of inexpensive, ready-to-assemble furniture or a store designed to force you to visit EVERY department.

Just don't forget your magic tool.

description

You'll need it! ...more

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Dec 24, 2015 Justin Tate rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This deliciously quirky novel brings scares to one of the happiest places on Earth—an IKEA-esque furniture superstore. After days of mysterious occurrences like broken light fixtures and smashed wardrobes, the employees of ORSK stay after hours to investigate. Dun dun dun!

This novel taught me that any setting can be the groundwork for a spooky good time. It is also textbook perfection on how to blend horror and humor. Hendrix clearly has a blast describing overworked and underpaid employees and ...more

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Aug 02, 2015 Wigs rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Absolutely an abysmal reading experience. Incohesive, immature, unfinished.

I'm not sure about why he actually did write it but it felt like he came out of IKEA one day and was like Whoaaaaaa dude it's so totally like a prison in there. And then wrote a nanowrimo about it. Barely 250 pages with large font (though thank god it's not any longer, I couldn't bear to suffer through any more of it), it's a shallow whirlwind through random imagery that doesn't even fit together. Shallow characters. Shal ...more

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Oct 06, 2020 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: halloween-reads, kindle-own, ha-halloween-rc-2020, horror-gothic-etc

I didn’t really like it. The end!

Mel 🖤🐺🐾 ...more

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Jun 03, 2015 Mohammed Arabey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Horrorstör ; A Plot like an average-rated, Cliché Horror Movie about Haunted Places..

Creatively mixed into more Realistic issue that face millions around the world;
Working in Retail.
And uniquely presented in a Novel shaped like the same Retail Catalog..
So..Welcome to Orsk

A cheap clone of IKEA..at one of its branches by a highway road, will start a series of a Paranormal Events..

With 5 very different characters, their only common thing is working retail, But their personalities variety.. The 'Not ...more

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Oct 28, 2014 Carmen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Horror Fans

Shelves: horror, traditionally-published, fiction, he-says, published2014

Well, this book was just amazing.

Orsk, an Ikea rip-off store, is hell. Retail hell - something Hendrix seems to be very familiar with.

Here are the opening paragraphs:

It was dawn, and the zombies were stumbling through the parking lot, streaming toward the massive beige box at the far end. Later they'd be resurrected by megadoses of Starbucks, but for now they were the barely living dead. Their causes of death differed: hangovers, nightmares, strung out from epic online gaming sessions, circadian ...more

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Mar 17, 2020 Michelle rated it it was ok

Have you ever worked retail? I have and it is truly a horror story. Anyone that has ever worked in customer service knows one thing really well: The customer ISN'T always right. So to base a book, a horror book no less, on a haunted version of IKEA or Orsk as it is named in the book is such a brilliant and unique concept.

However, that is where my enjoyment ended.

This book is neither funny nor scary. The cast of characters were all annoying and acted like 14 year old kids rather than the adults ...more

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Oct 29, 2014 mark monday rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to mark by: Carmen

Shelves: horror-modern

haunted house tale set in an Ikea-ish hellmouth. perfectly accomplished satiric horror, plus actual horror. and redemption! design of book is highly impressive. book is reminiscent of Bentley Little's various horror novels set in various institutions; Hendrix's story is ultimately more heartfelt and his writing glossier, more accomplished while Little remains superior in the depth of his anger at various institutions and his willingness to dive into Kafka-esque surrealism. overall a minor work b ...more

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Jun 08, 2017 Sadie Hartmann rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Let me gush about this book to you for like three or five minutes. Give me five, tops! First of all, let me just explain how much fun this book is. Starting with the cover, have you ever seen a more eye catching, hilarious cover?
(Your answer is no)
My husband and I have been to IKEA several times, like every time we move. Most notably the last time was when we outfitted our camping trailer. It was a weekend. We wound our way through the entire Showroom and it was, quite literally, a Horrorstor!
Al ...more

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Jun 10, 2018 Heidi The Reader rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, fiction

Amy has a cash-flow problem and a desire to transfer to a different Ikea-like furniture store. If she can just stay on the boss' good side for a few more days, she'll be out of here.

So she was on her best behavior while her transfer request made its way through the system. She arrived on time each day. She smiled at customers and didn't blink at last-minute schedule changes. ... She fought her natural tendency to talk back. And, most important, she steered clear of Basil, determined to stay off Amy has a cash-flow problem and a desire to transfer to a different Ikea-like furniture store. If she can just stay on the boss' good side for a few more days, she'll be out of here.

So she was on her best behavior while her transfer request made its way through the system. She arrived on time each day. She smiled at customers and didn't blink at last-minute schedule changes. ... She fought her natural tendency to talk back. And, most important, she steered clear of Basil, determined to stay off his radar." pg 17, ebook.

But the store has been under performing and, each morning, things are misplaced, wrecked or smeared with foul-smelling gunk. Someone has been in the store and Basil, the manager, is going to figure out what's going on.

"I've asked you here because I need your help. I have an extra job for tonight. A side project. And I need you to keep quiet about it." pg 27, ebook.

He'll make sure Amy's transfer papers go through if she stays overnight with Basil and a few of her co-workers. What could possibly go wrong?

Horrorstör is elevated from a typical horror novel because of its setting, which is really quite clever, and the way Grady Hendrix, the author, weaves the store manual into the narrative.

The haunting itself is spooky enough to give you chills, but doesn't really cross the line into nightmare territory. At least, it didn't for me.

"Churches are built where saints were martyred. A bridge requires a child in its foundations if it is to hold. All great works must begin with a sacrifice." pg 96, ebook.

Amy is a strong female protagonist. She fights for what she wants, her coworkers and her sanity in this story. I liked how her character develops from entitled to vengeful.

Basil, Ruth Ann and Amy's other coworkers are well-written too. As I read, I could imagine this cast of characters actually working at a store. There's the tightly-strung manager with a heart of gold, the maternal push-over figure who may be tougher than she looks, and more.

Recommended for readers who enjoy some thrills and furniture-related chills. If you're into Ikea, you may never look at your home furnishings the same way again. ...more

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Jan 31, 2015 Sam Quixote rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Here’s the plot summary: haunted Ikea-like store. That’s it.

I love the haunted house subgenre of horror, I’m a big fan of Douglas Coupland (the overall design aesthetic of the book reminded me of novels like Microserfs and jPod), so I really thought Grady Hendrix’s Horrorstor was going to be a good read. My expectation was that it was going to be satirical/funny with a little bit of drama to balance things out. Wrong! It’s all written completely straight - Hendrix is actually trying to be scary Here’s the plot summary: haunted Ikea-like store. That’s it.

I love the haunted house subgenre of horror, I’m a big fan of Douglas Coupland (the overall design aesthetic of the book reminded me of novels like Microserfs and jPod), so I really thought Grady Hendrix’s Horrorstor was going to be a good read. My expectation was that it was going to be satirical/funny with a little bit of drama to balance things out. Wrong! It’s all written completely straight - Hendrix is actually trying to be scary. And, unfortunately, he does a terrible job!

Twenty-something Amy works at a cheap furniture store called Orsk. She gets roped into doing a dusk-til-dawn shift with her middle-aged co-worker Ruth Anne and highly motivated manager Basil (who’s also younger than she is). They’re on the lookout for whoever’s been wiping the display furniture with poo and scrawling graffiti across the walls after-hours. Also, someone is texting “help” to everyone with a store mobile. But they gotta catch whoever’s doing it soon because corporate’s coming down for an inspection, first thing in the morning!

Our cast of characters are extremely dull. Amy is your average drifting young woman who’s treading water until she makes a move towards something she actually wants to do. As it is, she’s very apathetic towards her work, and that’s fine, but it’s not interesting to read - why should we care about her again? Why is she the main character?

Ruth Anne is a wallflower who shows a little bit more character later on, Basil’s a corporate stooge who isn’t as secure as he seems, and there are some others but they’re not worth mentioning. They’re basically all as flat as the flat-pack furniture their store sells.

The story starts slowly as we get to know our unremarkable cast and set up the main story: characters walking around a dark store. I was ready to fall asleep every time a chapter started and they were still stumbling around in the dark. Is this the “scary” part? What am I supposed to be feeling besides boredom?

We finally get to the supernatural disturbances and they’re a joke. I mean, they’re played totally real but they’re just a glob of horror story cliches. It’s the Indian burial ground-type setup, tedious monologues about never getting out and being punished forever and ever. Even the villain in this is tedious!

There’s more stumbling around in the dark, some characters die, and it’s over. I was very disappointed/sleepy and not at all scared.

Horrorstor could’ve lent itself well to satire/comedy - the Ikea store as a modern day nightmare, designed to entrap consumers with their never-ending layouts until they empty their wallets, etc. - but Hendrix crapped out and went the banal and wholly unoriginal route of characters being chased by spookies in the dark.

I suppose Hendrix did sort of imply something along those lines by turning Orsk into a ghostly version of the nightmarish prison where people went insane and were tortured. And I did like the Coupland-esque graphics, designed to look like an Ikea catalogue. But generally I felt Hendrix didn’t do enough with the concept and incorporated too many cliches with excessive blood and physical harm, grasping hands from walls, characters separating, and a one-dimensional villain.

Horrorstor is a very unmemorable and uninteresting haunted house story that I wouldn’t recommend to anyone. For good haunted house novels, check out The Shining by Stephen King, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, and Hell House by Richard Matheson instead. ...more

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Oct 12, 2020 Pat (not getting friend updates currently) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Oh that was priceless. Comedy horror - who knew it was such fun (yes Mort, I know you did)? That was a rhetorical question by the way. The story is set in the ORSK store in Cleveland, Ohio. But this particular store is something else. Every morning when the staff arrive they find damage - smashed glassware, wrecked wardrobes, strange and revolting smells in the bathrooms and other inexplicable phenomena. The cameras are not picking anything up. So store manager, Basil, knowing the bigwigs will b ...more

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Apr 02, 2018 Nancy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, library-books, shelf-inflicted, humor

Posted at Shelf Inflicted

“You don’t want to go out on the floor? Tough titty, said the kitty. I don’t want to go on the floor, either, but having a job is all about doing things you don’t want to do. That’s why they pay you money for it. Life doesn’t care what you want, other people don’t care what you want. All that matters is what you do.”

I really enjoyed Paperbacks From Hell, so was eager to read another book by Grady Hendrix. This one appealed to me, because I have a weakness for haunte ...more

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May 22, 2014 Audra (ouija.reads) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: trope-ghosts, horror

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 09, 2020 Kelly (and the Book Boar) rated it it was ok

Shelves: cover-love, liburrrrrry-book, it-s-all-in-the-name, read-in-2020

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

2.5 Stars

Remember back in the olde days of yore when you used to be able to leave your house and go do things that weren’t “essential”???? Yeah, me either. Just kidding. But here’s what I did back in those olden times . . . .

Go inside the IKEA for a book pic? Hell to the motherfuggin nah . . . . .

Or actually buy something from there? Yeesh . . . .

Using only an Allen wrench for 27 hours to assemble something until you ...more

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Sep 18, 2020 Trish rated it really liked it

We’ve all been there. IKEA’s walkabout. Have you ever observed people in there? Those trying shortcuts only to be turned around and looking disoriented when ending up where they began? Everyone following the arrows like zombies? How confused and almost panicky they look when there is no next arrow (because someone stands directly under the projector for example)? The underlying aggression from the fighting couples and the running children annoying all the others thus furthering the cycle of micr We’ve all been there. IKEA’s walkabout. Have you ever observed people in there? Those trying shortcuts only to be turned around and looking disoriented when ending up where they began? Everyone following the arrows like zombies? How confused and almost panicky they look when there is no next arrow (because someone stands directly under the projector for example)? The underlying aggression from the fighting couples and the running children annoying all the others thus furthering the cycle of micro-aggression? It’s almost a natural law that it’s the same in every store of this well-known Swedish chain.

Hendrix obviously has been there too. But maybe not to pick up an armchair or to buy candles. It might just be that he went there for field studies. Because in this second book I’ve read of his, he creates ORSK - a knock-off store chain in the US with several stores across the country. In one of them, in Ohio, several things go wrong: destroyed furniture, soiled bathrooms, weird e-mails / text messages pleading for help that no IT expert can understand or make stop.
Thus, before management can come and maybe fire everyone, a group of employees are tasked to spend the night in the store and get to the bottom of things. The problem is: they do.

This was not as funny or creepy or did trigger as many emotions as the previous book by this author that I’ve read. But I swear I could see the corridors of the last IKEA I have been in and I’m glad I won’t have to go back there any time soon. *chuckles*

I didn’t like any of the characters so I didn’t really care what (view spoiler) did to them or if they found a way out of (view spoiler). Instead, the star was the setting. Sadly, the resolution of why these things were happening didn’t work 100% for me. Though on several levels it did.
I’m sure it was the author’s intention to some extend that the setting was the main character. It’s why I believe this book works even better when you have the paperback version that looks like an IKEA catalog (I’ve seen it when I visited a fellow bookworm and it’s really wonderfully designed).
Nevertheless, the audiobook still managed to take me on a wild run through bedrooms and dining rooms and bathrooms, following arrows and a clueless store manager. Moreover, the intermissions with the ads and company rules were the creepiest thing ever! :D

So yeah, I enjoyed this creepy satire that invoked Swedish nightmares (I actually encountered them a s a trope in a movie or two before) and definitely also the social commentary on work life and consumerism. ...more

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Nov 29, 2020 Caroline rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: he-wrote-it, supernatural, horror

***SPOILERS HIDDEN***

The haunted-house horror cliché gets modernized in Grady Hendrix's freaky Horrorstör. Anyone who's shopped at Ikea, or even just seen pictures, will be able to picture Hendrix's Ikea twin, Ӧrsk. In Horrorstör, this mega home store, with its numerous staged rooms, doesn’t feel so homey after hours.

Events unfold over the course of 24 hours. The main character is Ӧrsk employee Amy, a cynical college dropout who struggles to pay rent and get along with her uptight boss, Basil. H ***SPOILERS HIDDEN***

The haunted-house horror cliché gets modernized in Grady Hendrix's freaky Horrorstör. Anyone who's shopped at Ikea, or even just seen pictures, will be able to picture Hendrix's Ikea twin, Ӧrsk. In Horrorstör, this mega home store, with its numerous staged rooms, doesn’t feel so homey after hours.

Events unfold over the course of 24 hours. The main character is Ӧrsk employee Amy, a cynical college dropout who struggles to pay rent and get along with her uptight boss, Basil. Hendrix established this basic backstory in the first pages as Amy makes an effort to avoid Basil on this particular day at work. Nevertheless, later that day, Basil finds Amy and recruits her to help him and another employee find the source of troubling events that have been occurring for days.

I wasn't expecting Horrorstör to take the turns it does or to be as bloody and disturbing as it is. Like Hendrix's The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, the book’s summary and cover design belie a story that's straight-up horror. Horrorstör is devoid of comic relief and, although it never scared me, some of its graphic descriptions did make me shudder.

While other horror writers continue to fall back on the same-old gothic, crumbling, overrun-with-weeds, labyrinthine haunted-house setting, Hendrix flipped the script. The genius of the story is in his use of a bright, benign home store as a horror backdrop. His vision is detailed and involved, right down to illustrations of Ӧrsk products (increasingly macabre as the story progresses). With that said, I feel sure that my familiarity with Ikea--its winding layout, its products, and how it stages various living areas--aided me greatly. Those who’ve never shopped at Ikea may find it helpful to at least look at pictures of the store's interior before reading this book. Rounding out his take on the haunted-house cliché, Hendrix threw in a winking reference to another horror cliché: Indian burial grounds as the source of hauntings. Ӧrsk’s backstory concerns an old prison populated with "penitents."

What's weak are the characters. They have just one defining trait and no backstories, (view spoiler). Protagonist Amy is an everywoman type, but that characterization is based on very little information. She may dislike her boss, but Hendrix didn't provide much history there for that to mean anything. She may live a cheerless existence, but her personal woes are an afterthought. When she ruminates on her hardships, it's so without feeling or context that whenever she was in danger, I didn't care about her; I cared only about bracing myself for violent description.

With both Horrorstör and The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, Hendrix has proven himself to be supremely talented at dreaming up inventive stories. But with both he's also proven that he's not so talented at fleshing out stories. They’re all vim and vigor with no substance or even, upon finishing, a feeling of completion. This is especially true of Horrorstör. I was left wishing that Hendrix had developed the characters and had fully realized the conflict between Amy and Basil. The opening chapters had me believing that conflict would play a major role in the story, but it's instead a huge red herring. I wanted to know more about the old prison and its “restlessness.” Excepting some inspired scenes and the one-of-a-kind premise, Horrorstör doesn't have anything going for it to make it a really strong, truly terrifying horror read--or even a mildly scary one. ...more

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Sep 27, 2014 Sarah Churchill rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, received-for-review

I'm rounding this up to 5 stars, because anything it lost in predictability it more than made up for in presentation. I'm talking about the overall catalogue look, the product ads that slowly turn sinister... everything down to the ad at the very end, after the epilogue that leaves you hanging without spelling it all out for you.

I was creeped out. Majorly creeped out. I won't be visiting Ikea around closing time, EVER. ...more

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Jul 10, 2019 Justin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Man, I loved We Sold Our Souls, but Horrorstor was more style over substance for me. Hendrix creates a novel that is basically an IKEA catalogue, complete with advertisements, coupons, and product descriptions. Hell, the “About the Author” section on the back flap is written on a nametag and a short employee bio. The book is put together very creatively with plenty of attention to detail, but it just felt like too much work was put into how the book was designed, and not enough time and attentio Man, I loved We Sold Our Souls, but Horrorstor was more style over substance for me. Hendrix creates a novel that is basically an IKEA catalogue, complete with advertisements, coupons, and product descriptions. Hell, the “About the Author” section on the back flap is written on a nametag and a short employee bio. The book is put together very creatively with plenty of attention to detail, but it just felt like too much work was put into how the book was designed, and not enough time and attention was put into actually writing a good story.

As a satire, this is great, and maybe it would have worked better if it just stayed in the same style of the first few chapters. Little pokes at capitalism, a manager whose memorized the company values and rules, al of that was fun. The spooky path the story goes down is fine, and it’s light and not really scary at all, but it just felt like contrived and underdeveloped. All of the extra fluff makes the actual story relatively short though, so it never really overstays its welcome.

I’m glad I started my Grady Hendrix journey with We Sold Our Souls rather than starting here. I think he does a swell job (yes, that’s right, I said “swell”) of combining humor and horror, and he’s demonstrated that in each of the books I’ve read from him. He doesn’t ever seem to take himself too seriously, and I can appreciate what he was trying to do with Horrorstor. There’s just not a lasting impression, and I’ll likely forget most of it except for “oh yeah it’s the haunted IKEA book”. That’s how I will pitch it to people.

“You like IKEA? No?”
“You like Scooby Doo? No?!”
“You like satire? Kind of?!”
“You like ghosts? They aren’t real???”
“Oh my God, maybe this isn’t the book for you after all. Go read Tolstoy or something since you’re so much better than everyone else. I don’t wanna take up any of your precious time with some low brow haunted IKEA book... wait... that sounds interesting to you? Oh, you should read Horrorstor!” ...more

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Feb 11, 2019 destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries] rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-physical, z-2019-reads, adult, rtc, horror

That was absolutely fantastic, delightfully creepy, and most of all, SO MUCH FUN. Wow, Grady Hendrix is a genius. ♥ RTC!

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Sep 18, 2020 Bradley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, 2020-shelf

My initial impression of this novel and my post-reading impression are perfectly aligned. :)

A cool idea of setting a soul-less Ikea with a massive haunting and a crazy satire about the modern-day service industry is EXACTLY what I got.

In other words, I enjoyed my B-Movie experience. I chortled, groaned, and felt like I was One with the Corporate Narrative which is One with the batshit crazy Experimental Prison Culture.

I really enjoyed it for what it is. :)

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May 01, 2014 Kimberly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

4.5 stars, rounded up for sheer originality in layout/concept!

I won an advance copy of this book through the Goodreads "First-Reads" giveaway.

Horrorstor has an incredibly unique layout that immediately drew my attention. It is meant to look like a furniture store catalog, complete with diagrams of the available furniture, and write-ups about the functions, colors available, and positive ways each item could be utilized in your home. What impressed me the most with the use of this concept, is how ...more

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Aug 29, 2019 Ellen Gail rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, horror, read-in-a-day

Another 5 star read! My definition of a productive week.

Look, I will totally admit to being worried about this book being too gimmicky. Sure, it intrigued me. But an author I hadn't read before, writing a book styled like an Ikea catalogue? Fun gimmick, sure, but an actual quality read? What were the odds?

Okay, so it's pretty fucking gimmicky. But so were movies with sound when they were first introduced nearly 100 years ago. A gimmick doesn't mean something's bad. Matter of fact, I'll argue tha ...more

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Dec 09, 2014 Sesana rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

There were a few things that drew me to this book. A haunted house that's really an Ikea-like store is an interestingly unique idea. The idea alone appeals to me. I also liked the idea that it would take visual cues from Ikea catalogs (each chapter is headed with an item description). I did my time in retail. And it's set in Cuyahoga County, near where I grew up.

Hendrix uses his retail setting very well. If you've worked retail, you'll recognize the store, the displays, the corporate doublespea ...more

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Jan 14, 2019 Latasha rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror, tosh-s-picks-2019, library-books, ghosties-haunted-house

Oh Grady Hendrix!! 😍😘😉 I loved this book! Who knew a furniture store could be so scary? Well, it is! The characters were real & believable. The story is great and could easily be read in one sitting. The illustrations are fun. I think I have 1 more by this author left to read but I’m right on top of that Rose! I can not wait to see what’s next!

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Lettori sui generis: Mini GdL: Horrorstör di Grady Hendrix	17	14	Dec 01, 2020 01:39AM
YA Buddy Readers'...: Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix - Starting October 10th, 2020	6	15	Oct 19, 2020 09:27AM
Challenge Corner: Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix --> Starting October 9th, 2020	9	7	Oct 18, 2020 03:09PM
Madison County NC...: Ikea CAN be terrifying.....	1	3	Aug 06, 2020 07:15AM
Horror Aficionados : Horrorstor- Grady Hendrix Buddy Read	36	69	Feb 06, 2019 09:36AM

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About Grady Hendrix

Grady Hendrix

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Grady Hendrix is the author of the novels Horrorstör, about a haunted IKEA, and My Best Friend's Exorcism, which is like Beaches meets The Exorcist, only it's set in the Eighties. He's also the author of We Sold Our Souls, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, and the upcoming (July 13!) Final Girl Support Group!

He's also the jerk behind the Stoker award-winning Paperbacks from Hell, ...more

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“Let's make sure it's really raining before we worry about floods.” — 35 likes

“The problem was the liars. They said she could do anything she set her mind to, they told her she should shoot for the moon because if she missed she’d be among the stars, they made movies tricking her into thinking she could achieve heroic things. All lies. Because she was born to answer phones in call centers, to carry bags to customers’ cars, to punch a clock, to measure her life in smoke breaks. To think otherwise was insane.” — 16 likes

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