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She Wakes
While visiting a historic tomb in Greece, Jordan Chase is plagued by nightmarish visions of the future, while a seductive, yet deadly, woman named Lelia, after leading a group of tourists to their deaths, prepares to feed off her human prey. Reprint.
355 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2004
73 people are currently reading
815 people want to read
About the author
Jack Ketchum
198 books3,007 followersDallas William Mayr, better known by his pen name Jack Ketchum, was an American horror fiction author. He was the recipient of four Bram Stoker Awards and three further nominations. His novels included Off Season, Offspring, and Red, which were adapted to film. In 2011, Ketchum received the World Horror Convention Grand Master Award for outstanding contribution to the horror genre.
A onetime actor, teacher, literary agent, lumber salesman, and soda jerk, Ketchum credited his childhood love of Elvis Presley, dinosaurs, and horror for getting him through his formative years. He began making up stories at a young age and explained that he spent much time in his room, or in the woods near his house, down by the brook: "[m]y interests [were] books, comics, movies, rock 'n roll, show tunes, TV, dinosaurs [...] pretty much any activity that didn't demand too much socializing, or where I could easily walk away from socializing." He would make up stories using his plastic soldiers, knights, and dinosaurs as the characters.
Later, in his teen years, Ketchum was befriended by Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, who became his mentor.
Ketchum worked many different jobs before completing his first novel (1980's controversial Off Season), including acting as agent for novelist Henry Miller at Scott Meredith Literary Agency.
His decision to eventually concentrate on novel writing was partly fueled by a preference for work that offered stability and longevity.
Ketchum died of cancer on January 24, 2018, in New York City at the age of 71.
A onetime actor, teacher, literary agent, lumber salesman, and soda jerk, Ketchum credited his childhood love of Elvis Presley, dinosaurs, and horror for getting him through his formative years. He began making up stories at a young age and explained that he spent much time in his room, or in the woods near his house, down by the brook: "[m]y interests [were] books, comics, movies, rock 'n roll, show tunes, TV, dinosaurs [...] pretty much any activity that didn't demand too much socializing, or where I could easily walk away from socializing." He would make up stories using his plastic soldiers, knights, and dinosaurs as the characters.
Later, in his teen years, Ketchum was befriended by Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, who became his mentor.
Ketchum worked many different jobs before completing his first novel (1980's controversial Off Season), including acting as agent for novelist Henry Miller at Scott Meredith Literary Agency.
His decision to eventually concentrate on novel writing was partly fueled by a preference for work that offered stability and longevity.
Ketchum died of cancer on January 24, 2018, in New York City at the age of 71.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
July 2, 2023
Ketchum's only horror novel with supernatural aspects, She Wakes, reads more like a love letter to the Greek islands than something scary. Our main protagonist, Jordan Chase, is a psychic of some sort and at times feels 'compelled' to go certain places; in this case, a Greek island with a historic tomb. Jordan lives in NYC, has made several millions from various businesses, but when the 'call' hits him, he takes off for Athens like a rocket. Meanwhile, Ketchum introduces a variety of tourists in Greece, including the mysterious Lelia, who starts off the novel robbing her hotel mate and leaving her tied to the bed...
She Wakes clearly ties into Greek Mythos, but just what aspect of that takes some time to develop. As we follow the adventures of the tourists (from various nationalities) from island to island, things start to become clearer. The first half of the novel developed the characters via dialogue and multiple POVs, including various romances and so forth. We also follow Jordan Chase as he tries to figure out what exactly he is being compelled to do. You know the tourists and Jordan will meet up somewhere, but for what?
This definitely had its moments for sure, but the denouement left me shaking my head a little. I was never clear on what Lelia was beyond some manifestation of Artemis and what her goals were exactly. Nonetheless, a decent read by Ketchum whose other works I have really enjoyed. Recommended for Ketchum completists. 3 stars!
She Wakes clearly ties into Greek Mythos, but just what aspect of that takes some time to develop. As we follow the adventures of the tourists (from various nationalities) from island to island, things start to become clearer. The first half of the novel developed the characters via dialogue and multiple POVs, including various romances and so forth. We also follow Jordan Chase as he tries to figure out what exactly he is being compelled to do. You know the tourists and Jordan will meet up somewhere, but for what?
This definitely had its moments for sure, but the denouement left me shaking my head a little. I was never clear on what Lelia was beyond some manifestation of Artemis and what her goals were exactly. Nonetheless, a decent read by Ketchum whose other works I have really enjoyed. Recommended for Ketchum completists. 3 stars!
September 20, 2015
As far as I know this is Ketchum's only venture into a supernatural horror, it's very good still, though.
That was my old review of the book. Today I've reread it. Tastes change, mature, evolve. Mine seems to be drifting away from horror slowly but surely and never has it been more evident than reading She Wakes today. This is the book I remember liking, this is the author I've always been a fan of...and yet the story didn't interest me almost at all. Mind you, Ketchum is a very solid writer and all he writes is immensely readable, but this one, his foray into supernatural, was just so over the top with action and sex and under the top with character development and engagement. Greece setting is quite prophetic in the current political and socioeconomic climate, eerily so considering how old the book is. You get what Ketchum's going for here thematically, it sort of makes sense in the way that just didn't interest me as a reader at all. From what I've read and remember of him, he's a much stronger, much more visceral of a storyteller, which is even evident in the rewritten and thus more recent epilogue. Human kind of evil is what Ketchum does so well, this seems like a sort of misfire, a less mature work, maybe an effort to fit in with the rest of genre clichés. It's weirdly not crappy enough to pass for a mindless tripe and not quite strong enough to rise above it. Anthropologically it might hold some interest, just to see how he developed as an author, as a reading experience the nicest thing about the book is its brevity. With Ketchum's customary succinct precise sentences and small to tiny chapters, it only takes a few hours. To paraphrase the well known axiom...sometimes you can't go Ketchum again. Live and learn.
That was my old review of the book. Today I've reread it. Tastes change, mature, evolve. Mine seems to be drifting away from horror slowly but surely and never has it been more evident than reading She Wakes today. This is the book I remember liking, this is the author I've always been a fan of...and yet the story didn't interest me almost at all. Mind you, Ketchum is a very solid writer and all he writes is immensely readable, but this one, his foray into supernatural, was just so over the top with action and sex and under the top with character development and engagement. Greece setting is quite prophetic in the current political and socioeconomic climate, eerily so considering how old the book is. You get what Ketchum's going for here thematically, it sort of makes sense in the way that just didn't interest me as a reader at all. From what I've read and remember of him, he's a much stronger, much more visceral of a storyteller, which is even evident in the rewritten and thus more recent epilogue. Human kind of evil is what Ketchum does so well, this seems like a sort of misfire, a less mature work, maybe an effort to fit in with the rest of genre clichés. It's weirdly not crappy enough to pass for a mindless tripe and not quite strong enough to rise above it. Anthropologically it might hold some interest, just to see how he developed as an author, as a reading experience the nicest thing about the book is its brevity. With Ketchum's customary succinct precise sentences and small to tiny chapters, it only takes a few hours. To paraphrase the well known axiom...sometimes you can't go Ketchum again. Live and learn.
January 27, 2016
Ketchum, not one to delve into supernatural too often, goes way out there with a plot that’s as unique as it is odd. The story itself was intriguing, with a multitude of bizarre circumstances and horrid tortures. The ending is a mixture of supernatural elements, old world mythology, ancient battles of good and evil, and the ultimate, get down and dirty, brawl. Even though this book excels in its theme and story, it never gets past the ‘mediocre’ line. It held my interest enough to keep me reading, but my blood never hearted up to the point of perfect bliss either. It’s hard to place a finger on the exact soft spots, but basically the story is a bit lengthy for its kind (even though it’s not a large book to begin with), and could have been wrapped up quicker in a more entertaining manner. The pace keeps up at a rapid pace, so it can’t be faulted, it’s just that the traditional twists of ‘Lelia’ get old quick. New scenarios would have helped, and I didn’t care as much about some of the characters as I should have, causing me to grow impatient with their scenes.
The characters are convincing and enjoyable on different levels, and I enjoyed being able to see through the POVs of each of them. However, Jordan grew thin as his scenes were more boring than anything else. Every one else worked; I can’t find much fault here with Ketchum’s characterization.
Here is an area Ketchum truly shines. The world he paints of Greece is both tragic and appealing at the same time. He truly captures the spirit of the land, while causing it to appear almost alien with the terror that takes place there.
It doesn’t take long to get the story boiling, and by the end of the novel, the water in the fiction pot runs over. While I hold no qualms with the pacing, it just never raised the hairs on my head like I expected it to.
Ketchum uses a multiple point of view, writing short and sweet, filling the pages with a well-done style and obvious enthusiasm.
Overall She Wakes was a decent read, even though at times my interest didn’t stay. Perhaps it was the subject matter, perhaps it was the execution, but whatever it was, the end result is something that’s enjoyed but not too memorable. I have heard excellent things about Ketchum and will eagerly give him another chance; however, I have to admit I was a trifle bit disappointed with the one after all the consistent hype. I will say one thing for sure, and that is that no one exaggerated the brutality of his work, how far out he went with slayings and horrid imagery, not censoring his work.
The characters are convincing and enjoyable on different levels, and I enjoyed being able to see through the POVs of each of them. However, Jordan grew thin as his scenes were more boring than anything else. Every one else worked; I can’t find much fault here with Ketchum’s characterization.
Here is an area Ketchum truly shines. The world he paints of Greece is both tragic and appealing at the same time. He truly captures the spirit of the land, while causing it to appear almost alien with the terror that takes place there.
It doesn’t take long to get the story boiling, and by the end of the novel, the water in the fiction pot runs over. While I hold no qualms with the pacing, it just never raised the hairs on my head like I expected it to.
Ketchum uses a multiple point of view, writing short and sweet, filling the pages with a well-done style and obvious enthusiasm.
Overall She Wakes was a decent read, even though at times my interest didn’t stay. Perhaps it was the subject matter, perhaps it was the execution, but whatever it was, the end result is something that’s enjoyed but not too memorable. I have heard excellent things about Ketchum and will eagerly give him another chance; however, I have to admit I was a trifle bit disappointed with the one after all the consistent hype. I will say one thing for sure, and that is that no one exaggerated the brutality of his work, how far out he went with slayings and horrid imagery, not censoring his work.
November 27, 2011
Don't be fooled by my rating on this one, that's just my personal enjoyment of the genre, but it's actually pretty good. At the end of this edition there's a note where the author criticizes his own work rather harshly, and it was reading that note that I realized how good the book was, mostly because the things he was apologizing for were just little details that didn't affect the overall product at all.
I've been wanting to read something by Ketchum for a while now, and I chose this one over The Girl Next Door for the simple reason that it incorporated the paranormal factor and I thought that that was more my thing than pure horror. Now I'm not so sure that combining these elements is such a good idea.
I liked the way in which he presented all that gore and violence. The crisp language and short sentences really helped to set the mood, giving off a sense of urgency and placing the focus on the important things. However, in the midst of all this, the paranormal component instead of adding to the… horror-y feeling? (I guess you could call it that. That feeling that leaves you at the edge of the seat biting your nails) works more as a escape valve, giving your mind the perfect excuse to stay detached from everything that's going on. I mean, a story where some average Joe that could be your neighbor is a sadistic killer is super creepy and scary since you can't help indulging in a What-ifs questions; a story with a supernatural killer? No matter how gory it is, you know it's fantasy so it doesn't pack the same punch.
Next, I'll try my hand at The Girl Next Door to know for sure whether Horror and I have a future together.
I've been wanting to read something by Ketchum for a while now, and I chose this one over The Girl Next Door for the simple reason that it incorporated the paranormal factor and I thought that that was more my thing than pure horror. Now I'm not so sure that combining these elements is such a good idea.
I liked the way in which he presented all that gore and violence. The crisp language and short sentences really helped to set the mood, giving off a sense of urgency and placing the focus on the important things. However, in the midst of all this, the paranormal component instead of adding to the… horror-y feeling? (I guess you could call it that. That feeling that leaves you at the edge of the seat biting your nails) works more as a escape valve, giving your mind the perfect excuse to stay detached from everything that's going on. I mean, a story where some average Joe that could be your neighbor is a sadistic killer is super creepy and scary since you can't help indulging in a What-ifs questions; a story with a supernatural killer? No matter how gory it is, you know it's fantasy so it doesn't pack the same punch.
Next, I'll try my hand at The Girl Next Door to know for sure whether Horror and I have a future together.
March 25, 2010
Unfairly maligned by many, this book is a nice little thrill ride. Generally, people pick up a Ketchum novel for the shock value and to see just how far he will push the artistic envelope. Many of his books would be pure sleaze if it wasn't for the fact that he is a brilliant writer and capable of mining artistic value out of even the most disturbing subject matter. On that account, She Wakes is a disappointment to many, in that it's a bit more mainstream than his usual fare (still violent as hell, though). This version is also re-worked from the original text, so people reading the old version are probably getting a different, somewhat-less-satisfying experience. Ketchum's writing is crisp and intermittently poetic. The beginning is a bit puzzling, but you figure out what's going on after a couple chapters or so. Lots of violence and sensuality, so not for the faint-of-heart.
July 4, 2023
I struggled with this book. I found it oddly written and did not really enjoy any of the characters. The idea is interesting but it did not deliver well in this book. Loved other Ketchum books but this one is a miss for me.
November 20, 2015
Garbage. Ketchum's worst by any large unit of measurement you wish to utilise.
1 Terrible Foray into the World of the Supernatural for She Wakes.
1 Terrible Foray into the World of the Supernatural for She Wakes.
January 31, 2016
Was really enjoying it, but then things flipped over to the supernatural and it lost some steam. Still a worthwhile read though.
July 31, 2014
I've read a lot of Jack Ketchum's novels, but this is the first story that dabbled in the supernatural. Everything else I've read has been rooted in gritty reality, so I was curious to see how he'd approach the otherworldly. He didn't let me down. His resurrected antagonist, Lelia, taps into ancient mythological powers, but the magic is rooted in current events (at the time) and fascinating history. It all feels real.
The narrative bounces back and forth thoughtfully between the perspectives of the various protagonists, and we get some great chapters from the POV of the antagonist, Lelia, a deeply disturbed woman. As always, Ketchum brilliantly puts us in the head of a villain in a nonjudgmental way, so that we can see the world through her eyes and understand her maniacal actions.
Another strength of the book is its location. Ketchum sets the book in various locales in Greece, and does a fine job for sharing his passion and love for the land, its people, and its history.
She Wakes. It's a solid read.
The narrative bounces back and forth thoughtfully between the perspectives of the various protagonists, and we get some great chapters from the POV of the antagonist, Lelia, a deeply disturbed woman. As always, Ketchum brilliantly puts us in the head of a villain in a nonjudgmental way, so that we can see the world through her eyes and understand her maniacal actions.
Another strength of the book is its location. Ketchum sets the book in various locales in Greece, and does a fine job for sharing his passion and love for the land, its people, and its history.
She Wakes. It's a solid read.
January 5, 2021
Not my favorite by Jack Ketchum at all. It was still enjoyable and well written. It was a very complicated series of events which is appropriate for anything involving the classic Greek mythology. I did end up learning more about some of the Greek goddesses than I knew, which is always interesting. Not a light read.
October 21, 2017
Not Ketchum’s best. Rather clunky, lacking depth and detail.
November 21, 2019
Jack Ketchum was (and remains) one of my all-time favorite authors. His own personal magic, I believe, was the level of empathy he was able to put into his characters from a reader's perspective. Good, bad, or more often, deeply flawed, you UNDERSTOOD them in a way few other authors are able to convey, which made the horror hurt all the more when it came because you really felt as though these people were genuinely real.
All of this is on display in SHE WAKES, however, it's one of my lesser favorites of the late great Jack Ketchum. I still really enjoyed it, just not quite at the 5-star level. It's also the first time I've read a Ketchum book that had supernatural aspects (and villain). This may be the reason it just didn't quite grab me like his other work has. I love supernatural horror, but Ketchum was known for his "real-world" horror, usually based on real-life events. That was where he really shone, and while I very much enjoyed this supernatural romp through Greece, I look forward to more of Ketchum's comfort zone of real-world baddies and horrors.
There's lots of terrific imagery here and I really enjoyed the connection to ancient Greek gods and godesses, the whole set up. The finale is pretty wild as well. And an interesting note: we get to know a group of characters for a while, long enough to establish that these would be the main focus of the story. Then, out of nowhere, we're introduced to another major player who had yet to appear, pretty close to halfway or even a little past, and it took a while before it became clear what the connection was and why we were spending time with this guy. Ketchum has employed similar tactics in some of his other work, so don't sluff it off when that happens and think it's too convoluted. It all comes together and makes sense in the end.
If you like Ketchum, I think you'll dig this one. If you like supernatural horror more exclusively, you may not get into this one quite as much, though this is all subjective. I'd recommend this to most, but if you are just getting into Ketchum, it would be far from the top of my list of recommendations, though still a worthy read once you're more comfortable with Ketchum.
All of this is on display in SHE WAKES, however, it's one of my lesser favorites of the late great Jack Ketchum. I still really enjoyed it, just not quite at the 5-star level. It's also the first time I've read a Ketchum book that had supernatural aspects (and villain). This may be the reason it just didn't quite grab me like his other work has. I love supernatural horror, but Ketchum was known for his "real-world" horror, usually based on real-life events. That was where he really shone, and while I very much enjoyed this supernatural romp through Greece, I look forward to more of Ketchum's comfort zone of real-world baddies and horrors.
There's lots of terrific imagery here and I really enjoyed the connection to ancient Greek gods and godesses, the whole set up. The finale is pretty wild as well. And an interesting note: we get to know a group of characters for a while, long enough to establish that these would be the main focus of the story. Then, out of nowhere, we're introduced to another major player who had yet to appear, pretty close to halfway or even a little past, and it took a while before it became clear what the connection was and why we were spending time with this guy. Ketchum has employed similar tactics in some of his other work, so don't sluff it off when that happens and think it's too convoluted. It all comes together and makes sense in the end.
If you like Ketchum, I think you'll dig this one. If you like supernatural horror more exclusively, you may not get into this one quite as much, though this is all subjective. I'd recommend this to most, but if you are just getting into Ketchum, it would be far from the top of my list of recommendations, though still a worthy read once you're more comfortable with Ketchum.
November 11, 2014
I disliked this book as soon as I picked it up. I just didn't take to the story, didn't like any of the characters, didn't enjoy the way it was written-just nothing about it appealed to me I'm afraid. So I just abandoned it early on in the story. Not much else I can say really. It happens!
November 27, 2008
I thought it was kind of average compared to The Girl Next Door and The Lost.
August 19, 2014
Όχι το καλύτερο βιβλίο του Κέτσαμ, γράφτηκε ακριβώς πριν το The girl next door.
Με φόντο τα Ελληνικά νησιά (Μάταλα, στην Κρήτη, Μύκονος, Δήλος) γύρω από την περίοδο του Πάσχα, μια (διαταραγμένη) γυναίκα μπλέκει με μια ομάδα τουριστών, ενώ ένας αμερικάνος τηλεπαθητικός νιώθει κάτι να τον καλεί στις Μυκήνες και από εκεί στη Δήλο.
Ο Κέτσαμ εδώ πιάνει τον υπερφυσικό τρόμο με το χαρακτηριστικό ύφος του. Το βιβλίο αργεί να πάρει μπροστά, ξεκινόντας με το γνώριμο συναίσθημα ότι κάτι πάει στραβά, η ένταση κλιμακώνεται, η βία ξεκινάει, μόνο πως, από τη μέση και μετά. αρχίζει ένα απίστευτο μακελειό.
Οι χαρακτήρες είναι καλογραμμένοι, αν και η γραφή σε σημεία έχει σκαμπανεβάσματα, αν και, μόλις ο τρόμος ξεκινήσει, αυτό ελάχιστο ρόλο παίζει. Ιδιαίτερη μνεία πρέπει να δώσω στο πόσο πετυχημένα ο συγγραφέας παίρνει μια ξένη για αυτόν κουλτούρα και γράφει βασισμένος πάνω σε αυτή (έχει ζήσει εξάλλου στην Ελλάδα και αυτό φαίνεται από το πόσο πετυχημένα χρησιμοποιεί τα διάσπαρτα Ελληνικά, ακόμα και τον τρόπο με τον οποίο οι Έλληνες μιλάνε Αγγλικά) και για το λόγο αυτό πιστεύω αξίζει να διαβαστεί από έναν συγγραφέα ως ένα καλό δείγμα του πως μπορείς να γράψεις για μια κουλτούρα διαφορετική από τη δικιά σου.
Με φόντο τα Ελληνικά νησιά (Μάταλα, στην Κρήτη, Μύκονος, Δήλος) γύρω από την περίοδο του Πάσχα, μια (διαταραγμένη) γυναίκα μπλέκει με μια ομάδα τουριστών, ενώ ένας αμερικάνος τηλεπαθητικός νιώθει κάτι να τον καλεί στις Μυκήνες και από εκεί στη Δήλο.
Ο Κέτσαμ εδώ πιάνει τον υπερφυσικό τρόμο με το χαρακτηριστικό ύφος του. Το βιβλίο αργεί να πάρει μπροστά, ξεκινόντας με το γνώριμο συναίσθημα ότι κάτι πάει στραβά, η ένταση κλιμακώνεται, η βία ξεκινάει, μόνο πως, από τη μέση και μετά. αρχίζει ένα απίστευτο μακελειό.
Οι χαρακτήρες είναι καλογραμμένοι, αν και η γραφή σε σημεία έχει σκαμπανεβάσματα, αν και, μόλις ο τρόμος ξεκινήσει, αυτό ελάχιστο ρόλο παίζει. Ιδιαίτερη μνεία πρέπει να δώσω στο πόσο πετυχημένα ο συγγραφέας παίρνει μια ξένη για αυτόν κουλτούρα και γράφει βασισμένος πάνω σε αυτή (έχει ζήσει εξάλλου στην Ελλάδα και αυτό φαίνεται από το πόσο πετυχημένα χρησιμοποιεί τα διάσπαρτα Ελληνικά, ακόμα και τον τρόπο με τον οποίο οι Έλληνες μιλάνε Αγγλικά) και για το λόγο αυτό πιστεύω αξίζει να διαβαστεί από έναν συγγραφέα ως ένα καλό δείγμα του πως μπορείς να γράψεις για μια κουλτούρα διαφορετική από τη δικιά σου.
July 23, 2015
Having enjoyed the first three Ketchum books I read, this was seriously disappointing and had none of the elements I enjoyed in his previous works. The 'voice' of the author was dull and contained none of the texture I'd appreciated so much in 'The Girl Next Door' and 'Red'. None of the characters felt real or drew me in. I hated the way the chapters were short, to the point that some could have fitted into a 'Tweet'! I didn't feel excited and thought the first half to two thirds of the book were superfluous and it felt like a padded out short story.
In the authors notes he mentions this was his first (and I believe I read elsewhere, his only) foray into the supernatural and it was written while he was in a slump and was probably trying for a "Stephen King" story to reinvigorate his career. While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, it is very rarely ever any where near as good as the real thing and this is a case where the aim was painfully wide of the mark.
Ah well, nobody has a 100% hit rate so I'll not let this deter me from reading more Ketchum in the future.
In the authors notes he mentions this was his first (and I believe I read elsewhere, his only) foray into the supernatural and it was written while he was in a slump and was probably trying for a "Stephen King" story to reinvigorate his career. While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, it is very rarely ever any where near as good as the real thing and this is a case where the aim was painfully wide of the mark.
Ah well, nobody has a 100% hit rate so I'll not let this deter me from reading more Ketchum in the future.
July 11, 2023
I’m a huge fan of Ketchum’s work, but this? This was drivel. As far as I’m aware, this is the only time Ketchum has dabbled with super natural elements in his work and I’m glad, because if this is anything to go by, it’s not his strong suit.
What I found even more frustrating than the less than appealing plot was the one dimensional characters with the personalities of dead goldfish. I didn’t like any of them. And there were a lot of them. At points it felt like Game of Thrones as new characters were being introduced left, right & centre.
I listened to the audio version of this book and I’ll give credit to the narrator as he did a great job of taking on the role of so many characters. I did zone out more than once though as the story wasn’t gripping me and at some points I was flat out bored.
I’m sure there’ll be people out there who loved this book, but it really wasn’t for me.
What I found even more frustrating than the less than appealing plot was the one dimensional characters with the personalities of dead goldfish. I didn’t like any of them. And there were a lot of them. At points it felt like Game of Thrones as new characters were being introduced left, right & centre.
I listened to the audio version of this book and I’ll give credit to the narrator as he did a great job of taking on the role of so many characters. I did zone out more than once though as the story wasn’t gripping me and at some points I was flat out bored.
I’m sure there’ll be people out there who loved this book, but it really wasn’t for me.
June 21, 2020
I like Jack Ketchum’s books but honestly I didn’t think much of this one. I’m the type of reader that finds it hard to focus when a lot of characters are being introduced at once. There was Danny, Michelle, Dodgson, and then Lelia. And suddenly there’s also Rob, who happens to actually be Dodgson. Then there’s Jordon Chase, Tasos, Elaine, French guy and his posse, Xenia, Eduardo, etc etc. I really had a hard time following.
As if there’s not confusing enough, there were lots of perspective switches between Dodgson, Lelia, Chase, and Billie. It was really annoying and it really stopped me from enjoying the story.
The only perspective I looked forward to was Lelia’s which towards the end of the book was mostly non existent.
As if there’s not confusing enough, there were lots of perspective switches between Dodgson, Lelia, Chase, and Billie. It was really annoying and it really stopped me from enjoying the story.
The only perspective I looked forward to was Lelia’s which towards the end of the book was mostly non existent.
October 13, 2016
As far as I know, this is Ketchum's first and only foray into supernatural horror. Judging by the way this one fell apart at the seams, that's a good thing. Ketchum's writing is best when he's ruthlessly documenting events rooted in reality. When he starts going supernatural, those razors fail him, making the narrative spin off uncontrollably into bizarre innuendo. There's much better Ketchum out there. This one's only for completionists.
February 22, 2025
Kniha odehravajici se v mem milovanem Recku, jedina kniha Ketchuma s nadprirozenymi prvky. A neni to spatne, bohuzel je ale pomerne komplikovana - caste zmeny osob, snove vyjevy... ten konec je takovy nejaky divny a vlastne by kniha potrebovala asi jeste jednu kapitolu, aspon.
April 30, 2025
3.5
This was one that I flew through, but it still wasn’t Jack Ketchum’s best.
I really liked the characters of Chase, and Dodgson was fine. But the rest where eh. I felt that Ketchum writes realistic horror a lot better than supernatural horror and all in all. This was an alright read.
This was one that I flew through, but it still wasn’t Jack Ketchum’s best.
I really liked the characters of Chase, and Dodgson was fine. But the rest where eh. I felt that Ketchum writes realistic horror a lot better than supernatural horror and all in all. This was an alright read.
February 1, 2016
Definitely not Ketchum's strongest work, but interesting enough to keep me reading.
April 24, 2016
Really mediocre horror story wrapped around some really nice writing. Hard to ignore the silly plot and lack lustre characterization of the secondary characters.
August 30, 2024
Far from his finest, it still packs more wallop than many of its contemporaries of the time and today, for that matter.
February 18, 2017
Jack Ketchum's fourth novel (fifth to be published), She Wakes, has all the hallmarks of a burgeoning writer. Mostly the bad ones.
Let's start with style. I read a revised version, different from the originally published one, and with it was an Afterword written by Ketchum. In it, he mentions that he no longer lets editors force commas and semicolons into his writing. While I agree that long, gratuitous sentences and most structures involve semicolons do not belong in fiction, honestly, Ketchum could have used some. He. Is very fond. Of fragments. And yes, obviously I'm exaggerating. But. Really not that much. There are entire pages of this book that read like prose-poems. Which would be really nice! If the content wasn't about boiling eyeballs or evisceration or zombie rape.
If this review had to be one word long, the word I would choose for this novel is "truncated." The style, the characterization, the plot, all of it--truncated. Half of the pages in the book are white space, because each scene takes place on a new right hand side page, so that a 300+ page novel only has about 250 pages of content in it, and that certainly wasn't long enough to tell this story. The scenes are short and fleeting, so that we don't get to spend very long in anyone's head. There are tons of characters, but only a handful of them are relevant to the plot.
Speaking of which, I didn't care about any of the characters, probably because I never really got to know them. I know they're couples, I know Chase is a psychic, and that's about it. Part of that can be attributed to the fact that, again, the novel is so truncated.
The plot is pretty weak, owing mostly to the lackluster villainess. Lelia is relatively unremarkable as a human, and as a goddess/vessel/thing, she's even more boring. I'm not sold on the mythology and the backstory the novel is trying to sell, partly because it lacks focus. (Too many goddesses. Pick just one and stick with it.) Also because Lelia's really not that awful except that she's very violent and jealous. I don't mean I'd like to be friends with her...I mean she's a single young woman of color. She doesn't have any power in the world. She expresses herself via sex and violence because that is the only way she can, given her stature in the world. Is she a horrible human being? Absolutely. Am I afraid of her? Not really.
And I think that leads into a smaller issue I had with the novel which may or may not be due to the period in which it was written (1980s) or the writer himself. In this struggle between violent, dangerous woman and sacrificial male, there is an underlying taint of misogyny. It's not just the painting of the female as dangerous, insane, jealous, and petty, but the fact that the symbolic themes of the novel are "man versus woman," "good versus evil," "light versus dark," etc. If Lelia was a singular evil person regardless of her gender, fine, but this is a gendered fight. If you don't see that, you only have to look at the way Lelia is eventually vanquished I could overlook this if the book was otherwise excellent, but it just isn't.
Although this is absolutely a horror novel, I was never really scared while reading it. All horror writers know that gore is the weakest route, the thing you do only if you can't figure out some other way to scare them. Jack Ketchum either never got this memo or heartily enjoys ignoring it, because his novels are rife with detailed descriptions of disgusting, horrible gore. I'm not complaining because I've read enough Ketchum novels by now to know what I'm getting into, but I wish he'd been able to bring some of the same ominous tone and creepiness from his other novels into this one.
It's obvious that Ketchum has been to and loves Greece, and that was probably my favorite part of the novel. The detailed descriptions of beaches, sunsets, villages, and monuments was extremely enjoyable. So, there's that.
Overall, the book was unfocused, short, and generally not enjoyable. She Wakes nearly put me to sleep.
Let's start with style. I read a revised version, different from the originally published one, and with it was an Afterword written by Ketchum. In it, he mentions that he no longer lets editors force commas and semicolons into his writing. While I agree that long, gratuitous sentences and most structures involve semicolons do not belong in fiction, honestly, Ketchum could have used some. He. Is very fond. Of fragments. And yes, obviously I'm exaggerating. But. Really not that much. There are entire pages of this book that read like prose-poems. Which would be really nice! If the content wasn't about boiling eyeballs or evisceration or zombie rape.
If this review had to be one word long, the word I would choose for this novel is "truncated." The style, the characterization, the plot, all of it--truncated. Half of the pages in the book are white space, because each scene takes place on a new right hand side page, so that a 300+ page novel only has about 250 pages of content in it, and that certainly wasn't long enough to tell this story. The scenes are short and fleeting, so that we don't get to spend very long in anyone's head. There are tons of characters, but only a handful of them are relevant to the plot.
Speaking of which, I didn't care about any of the characters, probably because I never really got to know them. I know they're couples, I know Chase is a psychic, and that's about it. Part of that can be attributed to the fact that, again, the novel is so truncated.
The plot is pretty weak, owing mostly to the lackluster villainess. Lelia is relatively unremarkable as a human, and as a goddess/vessel/thing, she's even more boring. I'm not sold on the mythology and the backstory the novel is trying to sell, partly because it lacks focus. (Too many goddesses. Pick just one and stick with it.) Also because Lelia's really not that awful except that she's very violent and jealous. I don't mean I'd like to be friends with her...I mean she's a single young woman of color. She doesn't have any power in the world. She expresses herself via sex and violence because that is the only way she can, given her stature in the world. Is she a horrible human being? Absolutely. Am I afraid of her? Not really.
And I think that leads into a smaller issue I had with the novel which may or may not be due to the period in which it was written (1980s) or the writer himself. In this struggle between violent, dangerous woman and sacrificial male, there is an underlying taint of misogyny. It's not just the painting of the female as dangerous, insane, jealous, and petty, but the fact that the symbolic themes of the novel are "man versus woman," "good versus evil," "light versus dark," etc. If Lelia was a singular evil person regardless of her gender, fine, but this is a gendered fight. If you don't see that, you only have to look at the way Lelia is eventually vanquished I could overlook this if the book was otherwise excellent, but it just isn't.
Although this is absolutely a horror novel, I was never really scared while reading it. All horror writers know that gore is the weakest route, the thing you do only if you can't figure out some other way to scare them. Jack Ketchum either never got this memo or heartily enjoys ignoring it, because his novels are rife with detailed descriptions of disgusting, horrible gore. I'm not complaining because I've read enough Ketchum novels by now to know what I'm getting into, but I wish he'd been able to bring some of the same ominous tone and creepiness from his other novels into this one.
It's obvious that Ketchum has been to and loves Greece, and that was probably my favorite part of the novel. The detailed descriptions of beaches, sunsets, villages, and monuments was extremely enjoyable. So, there's that.
Overall, the book was unfocused, short, and generally not enjoyable. She Wakes nearly put me to sleep.
October 11, 2023
OVERALL RATING: 3.5🌟
Immediate Thoughts
For not having read any other books written by the late Jack Ketcum/Dallas Mayr, I found this book to be quite good. I enjoyed the ancient Greece aspect very much, and I liked the set up of the book as a whole. It read like I was watching a horror film. I think this would make a great paranormal horror film in fact! I have stated this before in other reviews; I am not well versed in the world of thrillers/horrors/mysteries, so my opinions on this may change as I read more.
Plot 3.75🌟
The plot of the story isn’t exactly the most identifiable, but for the sake of it being a horror I am okay with that. Lelia is your main villain and she seems to have a connection to many of the characters throughout the book. The plot set-up reminded me so much of the movie Mother where things just got super unhinged and crazy at one point. It turned into fantasy in a way and I was enjoying the ride! I liked the paranormal side of things, the walking dead/army of dead people was entertaining. As someone who is a big fan of Greek mythology, I was very into the story!
Characters 3.75🌟
There are so many characters throughout this book, and one of my biggest criticisms would be that there were too many actually. But the main characters Dodgson and Billie I really liked. I liked their little love story, and their epilogue was kind of funny too. They both have troubling backgrounds that haunt them at the end of the book. Jordan Chase is another main character, and his story is crazy! He isn’t in the book much in comparison, but he has a wicked ending. Lelia was a great villain; I hated her haha.
Pacing 3🌟
I thought the pacing of this was good, however I did find myself really wanting to finish it after a few days. I think some parts could have moved a bit faster.
Writing 3🌟
I actually thought the writing was decent, but it was difficult for me to read at times. I had to reread multiple parts because I didn’t understand what had happened. The writing was too poetic and not straight forward enough at times. The way he set this book up was interesting. Multiple POV’s and then some chapters captured the POV of some insignificant characters, but folks that would cross paths with Lelia or the group. It did get confusing at times, but overall it was okay.
Plot to smut ratio N/A
Smut Quality N/A
I don’t want to call it smut, but there is some explicit sex throughout the book. Male authors often get criticized for writing sex, especially from a female POV. But I thought this was well written, it was simple yet capturing of the moment. I will not include this into my rating simply because this isn’t a romance novel, but I did want it known that there is sex throughout the book.
Overall Entertainment or Emotional Reactions 3.5🌟
I enjoyed this! I did find myself wanting to finish the book about halfway, which doesn’t usually happen to me. Again, without having read any of this other work, I cannot really compare. Overall, I did like this!
BONUS Description Accuracy
The description of the book is vague and mysterious, and frankly I like it that way. The book itself is weird and mysterious!
Final Thoughts
I would say I liked it! I’m glad I picked up when I did, it feels like a random treasure I found. It was super weird, but I was glued to it a good chunk of the time. I also liked Jack Ketchum’s “Afterward.” He explained the rewrite and the things he did differently, and it made me appreciate the book more!
Trope(s): N/A
Immediate Thoughts
For not having read any other books written by the late Jack Ketcum/Dallas Mayr, I found this book to be quite good. I enjoyed the ancient Greece aspect very much, and I liked the set up of the book as a whole. It read like I was watching a horror film. I think this would make a great paranormal horror film in fact! I have stated this before in other reviews; I am not well versed in the world of thrillers/horrors/mysteries, so my opinions on this may change as I read more.
Plot 3.75🌟
The plot of the story isn’t exactly the most identifiable, but for the sake of it being a horror I am okay with that. Lelia is your main villain and she seems to have a connection to many of the characters throughout the book. The plot set-up reminded me so much of the movie Mother where things just got super unhinged and crazy at one point. It turned into fantasy in a way and I was enjoying the ride! I liked the paranormal side of things, the walking dead/army of dead people was entertaining. As someone who is a big fan of Greek mythology, I was very into the story!
Characters 3.75🌟
There are so many characters throughout this book, and one of my biggest criticisms would be that there were too many actually. But the main characters Dodgson and Billie I really liked. I liked their little love story, and their epilogue was kind of funny too. They both have troubling backgrounds that haunt them at the end of the book. Jordan Chase is another main character, and his story is crazy! He isn’t in the book much in comparison, but he has a wicked ending. Lelia was a great villain; I hated her haha.
Pacing 3🌟
I thought the pacing of this was good, however I did find myself really wanting to finish it after a few days. I think some parts could have moved a bit faster.
Writing 3🌟
I actually thought the writing was decent, but it was difficult for me to read at times. I had to reread multiple parts because I didn’t understand what had happened. The writing was too poetic and not straight forward enough at times. The way he set this book up was interesting. Multiple POV’s and then some chapters captured the POV of some insignificant characters, but folks that would cross paths with Lelia or the group. It did get confusing at times, but overall it was okay.
Plot to smut ratio N/A
Smut Quality N/A
I don’t want to call it smut, but there is some explicit sex throughout the book. Male authors often get criticized for writing sex, especially from a female POV. But I thought this was well written, it was simple yet capturing of the moment. I will not include this into my rating simply because this isn’t a romance novel, but I did want it known that there is sex throughout the book.
Overall Entertainment or Emotional Reactions 3.5🌟
I enjoyed this! I did find myself wanting to finish the book about halfway, which doesn’t usually happen to me. Again, without having read any of this other work, I cannot really compare. Overall, I did like this!
BONUS Description Accuracy
The description of the book is vague and mysterious, and frankly I like it that way. The book itself is weird and mysterious!
Final Thoughts
I would say I liked it! I’m glad I picked up when I did, it feels like a random treasure I found. It was super weird, but I was glued to it a good chunk of the time. I also liked Jack Ketchum’s “Afterward.” He explained the rewrite and the things he did differently, and it made me appreciate the book more!
Trope(s): N/A
June 20, 2019
Funny enough, the afterward in this book, a mere five pages out of 363, was by far the most engaging and intriguing part.
Set in Greece, She Wakes follows Bob dodgson, Danny, Michelle, and a few others as they enjoy a vacation. Bob meets Lelia, a beautiful but wild and dangerously unpredictable young woman who becomes obsessed with the group. Things take a turn for the dark, then the absurd, then the absurdly dark, then the violent, then the laughably dumb in the climax.
It's not a bad idea in theory- Greece is rich in history, an unknowable power I guess you just have to see for yourself. I haven't been to Greece, but I cant see why such a historical place would posess a man like Ketchum to step out of his comfort zone and try something new. In this case, supernatural horror.
I admire him for trying that- almost all of his long fiction is about the atrocities people commit on one another, the darkest and absolutely worst parts of the human brain and soul. He shows time and again in his best novels that he knows why people do the horrible things they do, or at least has a good inkling of why. So a story that has some supernatural elements is an interesting change of pace.
Here's the problem- and pardon my French (or Greek if you prefer): this book is fucking boring.
The core cast of characters are just not very interesting, and Lelia, the character with the most POTENTIAL to be really interesting, is given no context for why she is the way she is and it is in that kind of subject matter that Ketchum shows his strengths. Dodgson is a borderline womanizer, his friend Danny is a jokester with nothing else going for him, Danny's wife Michelle is just window dressing, and an English woman named Billie is completely flat (and an eventual romance between dodgson and Billie comes across as extremely forced which isn't good since it is supposed to be the emotional heart of the story).
The whole first half is just shenanigans, with plenty of graphic sex that somehow feels to stimulate, until the halfway point where anything resembling a plot starts. Then it's some more wheel spinning as the main threat is slowly, slooooooowly, sloooooooooooooooooooooowly revealed, at which point the last third is everything people who don't get Ketchum might theoretically criticize him for: filled with gratuitous violence that mingles with uncomfortable sexuality, particularly in one scene near the end that feels thrown in for no other reason than to try and shock the reader.
What you're left with is a novel that could have been an okay 150 page novella had it had a better editor. There are some Okay themes at play, but they ultimately fall flat since it's tough to connect with the wet sticky note thin characters. If all you're looking for is mountains of sex and then some sex mixed with violence, I guess give it a shot. But really, you can probably find better stuff with that lind of content elsewhere. For Ketchum completionists, I guess you should read it, but know what you're getting into. And for everyone else, skip it and read his other stuff instead. It's much more effective and well executed.
Set in Greece, She Wakes follows Bob dodgson, Danny, Michelle, and a few others as they enjoy a vacation. Bob meets Lelia, a beautiful but wild and dangerously unpredictable young woman who becomes obsessed with the group. Things take a turn for the dark, then the absurd, then the absurdly dark, then the violent, then the laughably dumb in the climax.
It's not a bad idea in theory- Greece is rich in history, an unknowable power I guess you just have to see for yourself. I haven't been to Greece, but I cant see why such a historical place would posess a man like Ketchum to step out of his comfort zone and try something new. In this case, supernatural horror.
I admire him for trying that- almost all of his long fiction is about the atrocities people commit on one another, the darkest and absolutely worst parts of the human brain and soul. He shows time and again in his best novels that he knows why people do the horrible things they do, or at least has a good inkling of why. So a story that has some supernatural elements is an interesting change of pace.
Here's the problem- and pardon my French (or Greek if you prefer): this book is fucking boring.
The core cast of characters are just not very interesting, and Lelia, the character with the most POTENTIAL to be really interesting, is given no context for why she is the way she is and it is in that kind of subject matter that Ketchum shows his strengths. Dodgson is a borderline womanizer, his friend Danny is a jokester with nothing else going for him, Danny's wife Michelle is just window dressing, and an English woman named Billie is completely flat (and an eventual romance between dodgson and Billie comes across as extremely forced which isn't good since it is supposed to be the emotional heart of the story).
The whole first half is just shenanigans, with plenty of graphic sex that somehow feels to stimulate, until the halfway point where anything resembling a plot starts. Then it's some more wheel spinning as the main threat is slowly, slooooooowly, sloooooooooooooooooooooowly revealed, at which point the last third is everything people who don't get Ketchum might theoretically criticize him for: filled with gratuitous violence that mingles with uncomfortable sexuality, particularly in one scene near the end that feels thrown in for no other reason than to try and shock the reader.
What you're left with is a novel that could have been an okay 150 page novella had it had a better editor. There are some Okay themes at play, but they ultimately fall flat since it's tough to connect with the wet sticky note thin characters. If all you're looking for is mountains of sex and then some sex mixed with violence, I guess give it a shot. But really, you can probably find better stuff with that lind of content elsewhere. For Ketchum completionists, I guess you should read it, but know what you're getting into. And for everyone else, skip it and read his other stuff instead. It's much more effective and well executed.
July 29, 2016
She Wakes is, apparently, an oddity in Ketchum's body of work. It's his only attempt at a supernatural novel, for starters. For all the violence and poignancy of his previous two works, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to join that voice with a different sort of subject matter. In the end, though, the novel failed in so many different ways. And the fact that it failed so spectacularly is another oddity of this book.
The story is about a writer, Dodgson, between projects, visiting Greece for an extended stay. He meets and makes friends there, and gets involved with a woman named Lelia. She turns out to be a highly disturbed individual, stalking and threatening Dodgson and his group of friends. That obsession is paired with the resurrection of one of the goddesses of the country, and that combination begins the story of one woman's revenge.
What set Hide and Seek and Cover above other thrillers was Ketchum's characterization skills. I've heard that the best way to structure a story is to start with your characters, and that's where Ketchum shined in those two books. Those skills seem to be lacking completely here. There's a lengthy prologue that meanders, and then once the story gets underway, we have shells of characters. Our main character has a bit of history to give him some semblance of complexity, but it's still not enough to define him. There are a ton of characters in this story, too, mostly introduced as was necessary for the story, and while it wasn't difficult to keep track of them all, it limited the amount of time Ketchum could develop any of them.
The supernatural aspect of the story didn't work, either. The key to writing about the supernatural is to use a firm set of rules, and make them clear to the reader, even if they don't know them all at the start. She Wakes didn't seem to have a sense of what those rules were, to the point that when the conclusion finally came, I couldn't understand why something like that would be what ended the terror. It felt anticlimactic, especially after all that the characters had been through over the course of the story.
I wanted to like this book, especially after finding out what Ketchum could do in his previous two books. I've since found out that Peter Straub once said that readers tend to go to Ketchum's books for the wrong reasons, but stay for the right ones, and I understand that sentiment. In the afterword, Ketchum tells us that he felt like he wrote this book because he wanted to write his own Stephen King story; I kind of wish he had just told another Jack Ketchum story.
The story is about a writer, Dodgson, between projects, visiting Greece for an extended stay. He meets and makes friends there, and gets involved with a woman named Lelia. She turns out to be a highly disturbed individual, stalking and threatening Dodgson and his group of friends. That obsession is paired with the resurrection of one of the goddesses of the country, and that combination begins the story of one woman's revenge.
What set Hide and Seek and Cover above other thrillers was Ketchum's characterization skills. I've heard that the best way to structure a story is to start with your characters, and that's where Ketchum shined in those two books. Those skills seem to be lacking completely here. There's a lengthy prologue that meanders, and then once the story gets underway, we have shells of characters. Our main character has a bit of history to give him some semblance of complexity, but it's still not enough to define him. There are a ton of characters in this story, too, mostly introduced as was necessary for the story, and while it wasn't difficult to keep track of them all, it limited the amount of time Ketchum could develop any of them.
The supernatural aspect of the story didn't work, either. The key to writing about the supernatural is to use a firm set of rules, and make them clear to the reader, even if they don't know them all at the start. She Wakes didn't seem to have a sense of what those rules were, to the point that when the conclusion finally came, I couldn't understand why something like that would be what ended the terror. It felt anticlimactic, especially after all that the characters had been through over the course of the story.
I wanted to like this book, especially after finding out what Ketchum could do in his previous two books. I've since found out that Peter Straub once said that readers tend to go to Ketchum's books for the wrong reasons, but stay for the right ones, and I understand that sentiment. In the afterword, Ketchum tells us that he felt like he wrote this book because he wanted to write his own Stephen King story; I kind of wish he had just told another Jack Ketchum story.
June 23, 2023
Jack Ketchum is another author along the lines of Edward Lee and Richard Laymon who also wrote for the splatterpunk subgenre of horror that I really admire. His way of going about horror however is that he would tell realistic stories with very down-to-earth situations and terrifying villains. So when I heard he'd attempted a supernatural novel with She Wakes, I immediately went out of my way and snatched it up, curious to see how it turned out. I will say though the edition I read is essentially the complete and uncut edition of his original novel with some changes.
Greece is an ancient but beautiful paradise being torn apart by terrorists, the economy, and the lack of faith in its people, and yet the tourists still come. However, when Jordan Chase arrives on an unknown mission even to him, he soon realizes that he's finally come to the end of the road. A mysterious woman by the name of Lelia has become obsessed over a man named Dodgson and his soon-to-be girlfriend Billie and in a fit of rage she is willing to destroy everything around her, even her beloved Greece itself, for she is connected to its ancient myths and soon a goddess will be reborn.
Jack Ketchum despite being better at depicting realistic horror has actually much to my own surprise, written a really thrilling, violent, unforgiving, and brutal novel using themes of Greek mythology to put together an engaging supernatural novel with some really high stakes. The world-building in this is beautiful, with a lovely understanding and love for Greece. The characterization whilst far from the sheer heights of 'The Girl Next Door' is still pretty solid with some really likable characters and a terrifying, demented villain.
It's a novel with some fantastic themes such as renewal, regeneration, and how change can both be a good or bad thing. It does have a lot of gruesome depictions of violence however with descriptions of mutilations, rape, torture, and so on. If you are easily upset by such disturbing imagery, again I know it's splatterpunk so we should expect it by now, but stay away!
Overall: Whilst not quite as amazing as say Off Season or The Girl Next Door, for Ketchum's first and I believe only Supernatural novel it's a damned great attempt with a lot of heart and soul put into it. A very underrated novel. 8.5/10
Greece is an ancient but beautiful paradise being torn apart by terrorists, the economy, and the lack of faith in its people, and yet the tourists still come. However, when Jordan Chase arrives on an unknown mission even to him, he soon realizes that he's finally come to the end of the road. A mysterious woman by the name of Lelia has become obsessed over a man named Dodgson and his soon-to-be girlfriend Billie and in a fit of rage she is willing to destroy everything around her, even her beloved Greece itself, for she is connected to its ancient myths and soon a goddess will be reborn.
Jack Ketchum despite being better at depicting realistic horror has actually much to my own surprise, written a really thrilling, violent, unforgiving, and brutal novel using themes of Greek mythology to put together an engaging supernatural novel with some really high stakes. The world-building in this is beautiful, with a lovely understanding and love for Greece. The characterization whilst far from the sheer heights of 'The Girl Next Door' is still pretty solid with some really likable characters and a terrifying, demented villain.
It's a novel with some fantastic themes such as renewal, regeneration, and how change can both be a good or bad thing. It does have a lot of gruesome depictions of violence however with descriptions of mutilations, rape, torture, and so on. If you are easily upset by such disturbing imagery, again I know it's splatterpunk so we should expect it by now, but stay away!
Overall: Whilst not quite as amazing as say Off Season or The Girl Next Door, for Ketchum's first and I believe only Supernatural novel it's a damned great attempt with a lot of heart and soul put into it. A very underrated novel. 8.5/10
September 1, 2024
Nazwisko autora obiło mi się o uszy nie raz. Tego, że podobno pisze jak King, raczej nie zweryfikuję, bo tego drugiego unikam jak ognia, jednak rekomendację, że Jack Ketchum jest jednym z współczesnych mistrzów grozy, suspensu i horroru, wystarczyły mi, by sięgnąć po Przebudzenie. No i zadziałała magia Grecji i jej dawnej mitologii, jako bardzo znaczące wątki tej powieści. Ale przyznam się na początku, a w zasadzie do połowy książki nie wiedziałem o co tu chodzi. Była grupa przyjaciół, bajeczne wyspy, romans i facet, który może uchodzić za współczesne medium. Tyle i aż tyle. Fabuła przypominała mi trochę Maga Johna Fowlesa, który jest z resztą wymieniony w Przebudzeniu, a średnio się lubię z tym "arcydziełem", więc i tu miałem obawy. Jednak druga połowa je rozwiała i powieść Ketchuma nabrała nagle dla mnie sensu, doceniłem jej klimat i pomysł. Po przeczytaniu całości mogę powiedzieć, że to bardzo dobra książka. Z niesamowitą atmosferą, pełna tajemnic, legend i mitów, o krajobrazach nie wspomnę. Wszystko ułożyło się w spójną całość, akcja nabrała tempa, nawet niektórzy irytujący bohaterowie przestali mnie wkurzać i mogłem cieszyć się z lektury, mimo że nie jest to gatunek literacki, po który często sięgam i jakoś wielkim fanem nie jestem. Podobno autor rzadko zapuszcza się w supernaturalne regiony, a może szkoda, bo w Przebudzeniu wyszło mu to bardzo dobrze i z chęcią sięgnąłbym po inną książkę autora, gdybym wiedział, że zawiera elementy metafizyki czy fantastyki. Jak będzie? Zobaczę. Przebudzenie jest godne polecenia, choć uważam, że trzeba mieć do tej powieści cierpliwość, dać jej wybrzmieć, no chyba że trafia na fanów pisarza, a ci już lepiej ode mnie wiedzą, czego mogą się po nim spodziewać!
Za książkę dziękuję @skarpawarszawska
Za książkę dziękuję @skarpawarszawska
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