Customer Reviews

Affinity

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The book starts off promisingly with a young man waking up to discover that he can't remember the first part of his life, his parents and that many of his habits seem somehow unfamiliar to him as if he's living two lives. But from a teasingly interesting beginning the novel quickly goes downhill into a poorly developed plot which involves ghosts, crazy generals, personality switches, psychic powers, amnesia and generally ludicrous behavior from every character involved.

I was shocked to read that J.N. Williamson is a veteran author of over fifty novels (including guides on how to write horror!!) because of the poor quality of writing and character development in this book. I was laughing out loud at some of the redundant and superficial descriptions of characters in the book.

The main villain is so pompously and stupidly ineffective, I could never take him seriously even though he is responsible for the cold blooded murder of thousands of innocent people and supposedly involved a deal to make him the most powerful man in the world. I never felt an ounce of suspense over his fate. Used car salesmen seem much more menacing and intelligent.

There's a section of the book where the ghost of the mother of one of the main characters is thinking more about her daughter's job performance than her daughter's predicament of living with a cold blooded killer who wants to rape her.

As for the protagonists, they seem blandly underdeveloped and without interest (at least the villain is ludicrous which is more personality than the main characters seem to have) and strangely inconsistent.

I could go on and on about the atrocities of bad writing that occur in this book but it is better to end with the recommendation that this book is a good example about how not to write a horror novel. Read it in that light and there maybe some purpose to its existence.

Although an orphan, college freshman Quent Wilcox appears to be an average young man, living quietly with his aunt and uncle in their Indiana home. Like many of his peers, his main concerns are making the Indian University basketball team and hanging out with his friends. As the new school year, begins, however, Quent's quiet life is disrupted by terrible nightmares in which he is a force of evil, reeking havoc all over the world. He also begins to experience huge gaps in his long term memory which leave him feeling like he's somehow been shoehorned into his present existence, that he is literally a man without a past.

Adding to his disorientation, Quent begins sharing the dreams and memories of a woman whose identity is not clear, but whose presence nevertheless feels familiar. Also, in stark contrast to his nightmares of death and destruction, he has inexplicably developed the ability to heal his fellow man. Quent's tortuous quest for answers leads him to discover other powers, true love, and an evil conspiracy so mind boggling it threatens his sanity.

Despite his near-icon status in the genre, Williamson's novels are a real study in contrasts. For every winner like Don't Take Away the Light, where Williamson's writing really pulled the plow, there's a clunker like The Evil One, which was disappointing in the extreme. Unfortunately, Affinity falls into the second category. The characters are one-dimensional, the dialogue is forced and unrealistic (way too much exposition!) and the pacing is choppy. The novel reads like an early draft, something that could have been profoundly improved by some judicious editing and another polish or two.

I got this selection sent to me by Leisure horror book club because it's not a book I would purchase in a bookstore. The whole premise is okay, but this is a perfect book for people who have trouble sleeping. If you keep reading, it is very possible you will fall asleep.

I hate to knock writers, because I know how hard it is to write a good novel. This book is just bad and I almost gave it a lower rating, but there are some decent parts. However what makes it so bad are the cardboard characters and the plot doesn't flow very smoothly.

This is not a book Williamson wants to add to his resume as part of his documented writing history.

Quent is an ordinary college student in Indiana. But what about the nightmares? What about the things that he sees and the extraordinary things that he can do? Who is he? What is he? Why can't he remember events that happened more than two years ago? Fun read for those rainy days.