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Great premise! I am a fan of near/post apocalyptic storylines that have an adult tone. This book immediately built the suspense and tension but it sizzled out a little for me during the flashbacks as those events became anti-climatic because of the river journey. But was still anxious to turn the pages to the end. I also enjoy storylines where there are several – what would I do in those situation moments, especially those when there are so many unknowns and this book provided several for me to
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A suspenseful horror thriller that is undermined by some minor inconsistencies in logic. A series of bizarre murder-suicides in Russia pique the media’s interest, but when these horrific incidents begin to proliferate and start striking closer to home, the world descends into a blind panic. Rumour spreads that people are being driven insane by the sight of some mysterious otherworldly entities and, soon, people have retreated into their homes, covering up their windows, refusing to open their ey
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I read this in a single sitting. It's an absorbing read by a pretty good student of the horror genre. My main impression is that the writing is workmanlike, and not distractingly bad, but that Malerman makes good choices, mostly about the types of characters he includes, and the kinds of ideas about society and survival that he explores.
It has a somewhat Walking Dead feel to it ... only instead of zombies, the human race is wiped out by people going insane and suicidal after seeing something .. ...more
It has a somewhat Walking Dead feel to it ... only instead of zombies, the human race is wiped out by people going insane and suicidal after seeing something .. ...more

The publisher's description of this debut novel invokes the page-turning readability of Stephen King with the grim parenting anxiety of Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Although this is obviously a comparison designed to capture maximum eyeballs ("Hey, check this out -- it works as both mass and literary work!), it's also a pretty decent shorthand for the book.
The story revolves around a young woman names Malorie, who has two 4-year-olds. While she was pregnant, some unknown event resulted in the arr ...more
The story revolves around a young woman names Malorie, who has two 4-year-olds. While she was pregnant, some unknown event resulted in the arr ...more

This book was thought provoking and creepy. Seeing something makes you want to harm yourself or others and everyone is trying to figure out how to live with this reality. There are moments where this book really reminds me of Station Eleven because overall it is about humanity and the will to survive.

They say that the book is better than the movie but I think that the movie is a good version of the book. The book didn't have the type of ambivalence about motherhood that Mallory had in the movie. I also liked the moral dilemma in the movie that wasn't in the book. I imagine that it's tricky to make a movie - very visual - about an unseen monster but maybe the movie could have been better at building a feeling of fear, like maybe goosebumps when the creature is near or the fear that the creatu
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I have no idea what to think of this book. It was strange and odd, for sure. The concept was a little interesting but, somehow, I never felt "scared" enough. It wasn't all that scary or horrifying or "hitchcockian" like the cover boasts (which made me buy it). It was original though, so 3 stars.
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Not giving this 5 stars for the depth of the content, but boy I couldn't put it down. It was a terrifying page turner. A short read but I got attached to the characters and definitely felt their fear. Very well done!
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Jul 16, 2014
Rachel
marked it as to-read

Oct 06, 2014
Sam
marked it as to-read

Oct 31, 2014
Vesra (When She Reads)
marked it as to-read
Shelves:
b,
horror,
e-book,
author-m,
fiction,
suspense,
mystery-thrillers,
science-fiction-fantasy,
pc-200-299,
post-apocalyptic

Nov 17, 2014
Katy
marked it as to-read

Jun 23, 2017
Paula
marked it as to-read

Apr 29, 2018
Kathy Jo
marked it as to-read

Jan 09, 2019
Mirja
marked it as to-read

Feb 22, 2020
Kirsty
marked it as to-read