Rating: 
Summary: GREAT idea - what I've been thinking for years!!
Review: This twisted, entertaining story is about a sinister insurance company that wants higher prices for coverage (sound familiar folks?). However, the coverage is weird, kinky, and everything we've come to expect from Bently Little. Some of the odd insurances are healthy baby coverage, job insurance (can't lose your job), and an odd dental insurance that leaves you with weird teeth. The climax of this book is great and leads us through Mexico looking for the homeoffice. The bad guys are bound by their own rules (which is hardly ever the case in horror novels) and suffice it to say that the ending is a nail bitter. My recommendation - start reading this well before bedtime because you'll want to finish it.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor Policy
Review: Though often overlooked and underrated, author Bentley Little is one of the better writers of modern horror literature. Even his wildly popular contemporary Stephen King calls Little "a master of the macabre." His prose seems to flow effortlessly, making it easy for the reader to become virtually absorbed into his novels and short stories. Combine this with his acerbic wit and keen understanding of the horror genre, and Little is able to weave frightening, gut-wrenching stories that are often satirical jabs at certain aspects of Western society as well. In his previous novels, Little uses horror as a vehicle for examining and satirizing the scarred underbelly of large institutions like the U.S. Postal system and nationwide department-store chains, more localized powermongers like homeowner's associations and schools, and even subtler Western foibles like racial prejudice. With his recently published novel THE POLICY, Little now takes on the insurance industry. The protagonists in THE POLICY find themselves engaged in a deadly battle of wills with a preternatural insurance salesman. When the salesman's offer for a particular type of coverage is rejected, the character unwise enough to pass up the offer often finds himself in the midst of the very tragedy he would have been protected against had he made the insurance purchase. When the primary characters figure this out, they feel the only way to permanently get the salesman off their backs is to blackmail him. And they therefore stealthily delve into the salesman's background and past. But they are not quite prepared for the facts they uncover.... As with his other novels, Little's writing style in THE POLICY is quite polished and flows smoothly. Of course, he exaggerates real-life situations for the sake of both his art and his genre, but he does still capture the innate essence of the nightmarish scenarios that people often face when dealing with insurance companies and their agents. However, the satirical wit generally found in Little's work isn't as sharp or as biting as in his other efforts. The insurance agent is an over-the-top caricature that is just too extreme to be truly believable, funny, or frightening. And unlike his wickedly hilarious book THE STORE--a skillfully honed satire of Wal-Mart and similar department-store chains--THE POLICY quickly devolves into a "one-joke" horror comedy. There is relatively little variation on the danger or evil the protagonists face--if they don't buy a specific insurance policy, they will undoubtedly experience the (sometimes fatal) tragedy against which they would've been protected. And this simply happens over and over again throughout the novel. Yes, the particular tragedy may change every few chapters, but the overall structure of the situation does not. Soon, then, the reader begins to feel like Little is just recycling earlier portions of the book. The premise of THE POLICY would probably work better in a short story, but stretched out over a novel-length plot, it quickly becomes boring. As stated before, Bentley Little is a generally superb writer who is adept at weaving wit and horror into scary but entertaining Juvenalian satire. But his recent book, THE POLICY, is not one of his better novels, and first-time Little readers are therefore advised to consider one of his previous books--especially his magnum opus, THE STORE--as an introduction to the works of this oft undervalued genre writer.
Rating:
Summary: Poor Policy
Review: Though often overlooked and underrated, author Bentley Little is one of the better writers of modern horror literature. Even his wildly popular contemporary Stephen King calls Little "a master of the macabre." His prose seems to flow effortlessly, making it easy for the reader to become virtually absorbed into his novels and short stories. Combine this with his acerbic wit and keen understanding of the horror genre, and Little is able to weave frightening, gut-wrenching stories that are often satirical jabs at certain aspects of Western society as well. In his previous novels, Little uses horror as a vehicle for examining and satirizing the scarred underbelly of large institutions like the U.S. Postal system and nationwide department-store chains, more localized powermongers like homeowner's associations and schools, and even subtler Western foibles like racial prejudice. With his recently published novel THE POLICY, Little now takes on the insurance industry. The protagonists in THE POLICY find themselves engaged in a deadly battle of wills with a preternatural insurance salesman. When the salesman's offer for a particular type of coverage is rejected, the character unwise enough to pass up the offer often finds himself in the midst of the very tragedy he would have been protected against had he made the insurance purchase. When the primary characters figure this out, they feel the only way to permanently get the salesman off their backs is to blackmail him. And they therefore stealthily delve into the salesman's background and past. But they are not quite prepared for the facts they uncover.... As with his other novels, Little's writing style in THE POLICY is quite polished and flows smoothly. Of course, he exaggerates real-life situations for the sake of both his art and his genre, but he does still capture the innate essence of the nightmarish scenarios that people often face when dealing with insurance companies and their agents. However, the satirical wit generally found in Little's work isn't as sharp or as biting as in his other efforts. The insurance agent is an over-the-top caricature that is just too extreme to be truly believable, funny, or frightening. And unlike his wickedly hilarious book THE STORE--a skillfully honed satire of Wal-Mart and similar department-store chains--THE POLICY quickly devolves into a "one-joke" horror comedy. There is relatively little variation on the danger or evil the protagonists face--if they don't buy a specific insurance policy, they will undoubtedly experience the (sometimes fatal) tragedy against which they would've been protected. And this simply happens over and over again throughout the novel. Yes, the particular tragedy may change every few chapters, but the overall structure of the situation does not. Soon, then, the reader begins to feel like Little is just recycling earlier portions of the book. The premise of THE POLICY would probably work better in a short story, but stretched out over a novel-length plot, it quickly becomes boring. As stated before, Bentley Little is a generally superb writer who is adept at weaving wit and horror into scary but entertaining Juvenalian satire. But his recent book, THE POLICY, is not one of his better novels, and first-time Little readers are therefore advised to consider one of his previous books--especially his magnum opus, THE STORE--as an introduction to the works of this oft undervalued genre writer.
Rating:
Summary: Poor Policy
Review: Though often overlooked and underrated, author Bentley Little is one of the better writers of modern horror literature. Even his wildly popular contemporary Stephen King calls Little "a master of the macabre." His prose seems to flow effortlessly, making it easy for the reader to become virtually absorbed into his novels and short stories. Combine this with his acerbic wit and keen understanding of the horror genre, and Little is able to weave frightening, gut-wrenching stories that are often satirical jabs at certain aspects of Western society as well. In his previous novels, Little uses horror as a vehicle for examining and satirizing the scarred underbelly of large institutions like the U.S. Postal system and nationwide department-store chains, more localized powermongers like homeowner's associations and schools, and even subtler Western foibles like racial prejudice. With his recently published novel THE POLICY, Little now takes on the insurance industry. The protagonists in THE POLICY find themselves engaged in a deadly battle of wills with a preternatural insurance salesman. When the salesman's offer for a particular type of coverage is rejected, the character unwise enough to pass up the offer often finds himself in the midst of the very tragedy he would have been protected against had he made the insurance purchase. When the primary characters figure this out, they feel the only way to permanently get the salesman off their backs is to blackmail him. And they therefore stealthily delve into the salesman's background and past. But they are not quite prepared for the facts they uncover.... As with his other novels, Little's writing style in THE POLICY is quite polished and flows smoothly. Of course, he exaggerates real-life situations for the sake of both his art and his genre, but he does still capture the innate essence of the nightmarish scenarios that people often face when dealing with insurance companies and their agents. However, the satirical wit generally found in Little's work isn't as sharp or as biting as in his other efforts. The insurance agent is an over-the-top caricature that is just too extreme to be truly believable, funny, or frightening. And unlike his wickedly hilarious book THE STORE--a skillfully honed satire of Wal-Mart and similar department-store chains--THE POLICY quickly devolves into a "one-joke" horror comedy. There is relatively little variation on the danger or evil the protagonists face--if they don't buy a specific insurance policy, they will undoubtedly experience the (sometimes fatal) tragedy against which they would've been protected. And this simply happens over and over again throughout the novel. Yes, the particular tragedy may change every few chapters, but the overall structure of the situation does not. Soon, then, the reader begins to feel like Little is just recycling earlier portions of the book. The premise of THE POLICY would probably work better in a short story, but stretched out over a novel-length plot, it quickly becomes boring. As stated before, Bentley Little is a generally superb writer who is adept at weaving wit and horror into scary but entertaining Juvenalian satire. But his recent book, THE POLICY, is not one of his better novels, and first-time Little readers are therefore advised to consider one of his previous books--especially his magnum opus, THE STORE--as an introduction to the works of this oft undervalued genre writer.
Rating:
Summary: Clever Idea, Disappointing Ending
Review: Using the disturbing fact that insurance companies wield a horrible amount of control over our lives was a brilliant idea for a story. Once it got going, it really grabbed your attention. However, it seemed at the end of the story, Little just lost interest, ran out of gas, or just plain couldn't come up with a satisfying conclusion to the plot he had developed. I think he took his idea to such an over-the-top extreme, that he was unable to come up with a satisfying and reasonable conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: Ludicrous yet frightening
Review: What is the scariest thing a horror author can conjure out of his imagination? A vicious extraterrestrial monster, a vengeful phantom, the boogeyman under the bed? According to Bentley Little, it is an insurance agent! However, this insurance agent doesn't just bother people with a few phone calls or glossy brochures. He also strongly suggests to his clients that if they turn down his policies, some ghastly events will occur, helped along by a group of supernatural insurance company enforcers. The characters in "The Policy" are caught up with just such an insurance agent, forced to take more and more insurance coverage until they are faced with making the most Faustian of contracts to stay secure. Eventually, overinsured Hunt Jackson and his friends have had enough, and they set out to destroy the insurance company. As with other Little novels, this one takes an ordinary organization and turns it into all-powerful and horrific evil. But this story is more outrageous than the rest, to the point where it has more than one foot into spoof territory. The author does build up a lot of suspense, although it is interspersed with off-the-wall insurance claim handling and policy fine print. I would have given the book 4 stars were it not for the ending, which was silly and surreal. All in all, though, this was an entertaining read.
Rating:
Summary: Great Story!
Review: While this one does not quite match "The Association" or "The Collection", it does come pretty close.
Some reviewers whine that the story is not believable, well, WHAT DID YOU EXPECT!? Don't you read the back before you buy, or at least some excerpts? Bentley Little novels are exaggerated, and poke fun at many institutions that we take for granted like the POstal Service, INsurance Companies, Corporate America, Homeowner Associations, etc.
To be sure, the story does have some flaws. I didn't understand what was up with the haunted guestroom, and I can't believe that they never consider calling in the FEDS on this company, but, this is Bentley Little, and his world is twisted, reality is bended...he takes you on a wild ride.
There is one scene that nearly made me puke, involving a baby being delivered by a doctor in a cherub mask...you'll know what I mean once you get there...brace yourself!
The "good guy" characters, as usual are just your average joes, the villian(s) really stand out, I thought Little's wicked gung-ho insurance agent was freaky.
This one is worth checking out by all horror fans who have a sense of humor.
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