She Wakes

Rating:
Summary: Ketchum Goes Supernatural
Review: Jack Ketchum has quickly become one of my favorite authors, one of the few writers who pulls no punches and consistently manages to truly horrify. In "She Wakes", Ketchum delves into the realm of the supernatural, taking the reader to the Greek Isles and immersing him in a world of ancient goddesses and unearthly power.

Most of Ketchum's other work deals with real-life horrors, no ghosts or spirits (or Greek goddesses)and I think that's where his strength lies. I found the cave-dwelling cannibals in "Off Season", the creepy couple and their dog in "Hide and Seek", and the evil, sadistic aunt in "The Girl Next Door" to be far more terrifying than anything Ketchum concocts in this novel.

It has its moments, for sure (undead rape, hordes of shambling, burnt corpses committing various atrocities) but for the most part this book never gets past "ok". Ketchum's reality-based horrors are where his strength lies and I reccommend "Off Season", "Offspring", "The Girl Next Door", "Hide and Seek" and the short story collection "Peaceable Kingdom" over "She Wakes" any day.

Rating:
Summary: Didn't like it
Review: The story sort of started out of nowhere, and the characters backgrounds seemed insignificant. The plot behind the story was weak. Things didn't really start happening until half way through the book. Granted, some parts of the book were exciting, but overall, it was just o.k. for me.

Rating:
Summary: Eerie supernatural thriller
Review: What could be lovelier than Greece on a beautiful day? Gorgeous sunsets, romantic beaches, awe-inspiring ancient ruins. Oh, and don't forget the shambling, rotting, walking dead who are intent on rending and killing. And you might want to consider the powerful force that seems to be getting back into the swing of taking control and cutting a path of destruction. Other than that, things are just peachy in the land of mythological gods.

I wasn't quite sure how Ketchum would handle a supernatural novel. He is so adept at creating the most heinous and believable--but still very human--monsters. I didn't need to worry. This is an unsettling story with interesting characters, and a villainess who packs a punch. I didn't want to stop reading, and to me, that's always a sign of a good story. Ketchum continues to prove that he is firmly in place as one of America's great horror writers. Bravo!