Rating: 
Summary: The devil is in the details.
Review: J. Knight, Risen (2001, Warner/iPublish)Fifty pages into Risen, I was ready to throw it to the dustbunnies. But I kept going, and I'm glad I did. I think. There's nothing overly original here-- the inhabitants of a small town in the middle of nowhere find, one morning, that the recently deceased are, in the words of a now-famous newscaster, returning to life. (No eating of the living this time, however.) The recently-deceased have one goal, to convert their still-living friends and neighbors to their own state of Risen-hood (thus the book's title), thus making the town one big happy recently deceased family. It's a beautiful metaphor, and one that is simple enough to be used for any mindless process of conversion. Knigth gives a number of strong implications he's looking at organized religion, but it doesn't take much stretching to put it into other contexts. There is a good deal to be said for the zombie-as-metaphor line, and all of it can be said about this book. There's also enough scenes of sheer gross-out to keep the horror reader happy, especially once the ball gets rolling (which happens about seventy pages in). Knight also has a deft enough hand at plot twists, especially the wonderful ones where the reader knows more than the characters in the novel. Where Risen falters is in Knight's writing style. The book has been rather aggressively marketed (via email) as "if you like Stephen King..." Every avid reader knows that "if you like..." is second only to "in the tradition of..." for setting off warning bells. In this case, blatant comparisons to Stephen King only serve to highlight the differences (some subtle, some not so) that put King firmly in the pantheon of genre fiction writers. Most of them can be encapsulated in the statement that King regularly transcends genre with his writing ability, while Knight does not. This is not a bad thing in and of itself; genre writing is certainly capable of being good work, and it is (for
the most part) in this case. Just don't let the marketing campaign get to you. In any case, I have digressed. There are a number of places where Knight's style jars, small errors in judgment which add up over time. The one that sticks with me (I finished the book about a week ago) is Kngiht's inability to gauge where to stop in drawing a simile for maximum effectiveness. If you say something's like a diamond, let the reader draw the proper conclusions; no need to write out the ways in which the simile works. It's not a big thing if it happens once or twice in the span of a novel, especially one that runs four hundred pages, but the repetition drives the point home. A good editor would
be able to fix such problems with minimal effort. It's a good read if you're a hardcore fan of the horror genre. Others should probably approach with caution. ** 1/2
Rating: 
Summary: Gripping tale of terror!
Review: Page one had me riveted, and it didn't stop until I had turned the last page. The beginning can be a little troublesome as it introduces quite a dramatis personae. Once you get all the characters straight, it takes you on a wild ride of sinister life after death experiences. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the writings of King, Koontz or Straub. Five chilling stars!
Rating:
Summary: This one's a keeper
Review: I try out a lot of new authors every year, and follow up with maybe 1 in 50 of them. J. Knight, the author of Risen, is one I will make a point of reading in the future. The basic plot of Risen isn't breathtakingly original--zombies--but the way he handles it is. This guy is a truly great storyteller. When I read for entertainment I'm not so much worried about plot or character as I am about voice--is the writer fun to read? In this case the answer is an emphatic 'yes.' I love the way this guy writes--it's quick, it's often very funny, and just generally a lot fun to read. Very highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Review by Peter LeRoux - Author
Review: The overall quality of the work speaks of an accomplished writer, the writing style is that of a professional. The plot is unique in my experience and the pacing is exactly right to let the "orneryness" of a small-town community act and react to the occurrence of some spine-chilling goings-on in their midst. The characters are very well developed and they perform exactly in context and character in the excerpt. People speak as they would if they were those people in those circumstances without any waste of verbage, mouthing things that can be said in other ways. The settings are as they should be in a small town like Anderson; I'm sure I've been there before! Very well done, JKnight!
Rating:
Summary: Make This One Your Next Book
Review: Risen is a genre I don't ordinarily read, but I have to "plead guilty" to reading this book from cover to cover. It is expertly executed and flawlessly written. I didn't sense a single false word, a single unnecessary sentence. The book is tight and maintains a constant state of suspense. The characters are as believable as the family next door. In fact, you might wonder if the author knows your neighbors more intimately than you do. As for the plot, it is original and clever. If you are a reader of this genre and can find a single flaw in Risen, you are a better person than I. This is, quite simply, an exquisite horror novel. ______________________
Rating:
Summary: Bone Chilling Novel
Review: J. Knight's "Risen" is a bone chilling! I found myself reading for hours on the edge of my seat. The writing grabs your attention,reeling you into the lives of the people of Anderson. If you enjoy Stephen King, like I do, you will love this novel. The writing beats like your heart as you wait for what will come next ;-)There is nothing ordindary in the town of Anderson!
Rating:
Summary: Bone Chilling!
Review: A fantastic nail biter that will chill you to the bone. Anderson is an ordinary town with an unusal problem. The dead won't stay dead! When I read the prologue to Risen, I was hooked. I couldn't stop reading! If you love Stephen King, you will love this novel ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Bone Chilling!!!!
Review: "Risen" is a griping novel, a bone chilling nail biter that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Stephen King lovers will gobble this novel up. The setting, a small town in Anderson, an ordinary town, until the not so ordinary happens.... the dead rise. I kept reading for two days unable to put this book down ;-)
Rating:
Summary: It kept me up. Not reading it, but THINKING about it!
Review: Anderson was a small town. It was mostly peaceful. Then Madge Duffy was battered one time too many by her drunk husband. She took a knife to his throat as he slept. But he did not stay dead. As the local church bell tolled at midnight, he came back to life. That was the beginning of the horror. Those who died came back, compliments of an evil one called Seth. Those who had risen killed others in town so they too, at midnight, could rise with Seth's blessing. ***** This one will put major chills all through the bodies of it readers! Pure Horror at its finest! *****
Rating:
Summary: I don't have time to enjoy myself
Review: I bought a PDA to keep my busy life organised (Jornada 545). I discovered e-books. I discovered Risen - free!! I discovered that I had even less spare time. I discovered that I was reading a piece of fiction for the first time in years and years. This book is superb. The humour, the word pictures, the excitement, the twists and turns, the immediate involvement in the storyline and the characters.... Everything is just so beautifully crafted. Jan please no more!! - I simply do not have time to enjoy myself. But many, many thanks for the experience.
| 
