Customer Reviews

The Bone Parade

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I didn't think it was possible to laugh out loud with a story about a serial torturer/killer, but this is a special book. Twisted sense of humour on every other page. Stassler is one for the ages. Think Hannibal meets Stephen King. Diamond girl is the hit of the victims list! Man would I like to see her in a movie. I would cast Christina Ricci in a heartbeat...

Very cool book...very funny read!

Lauren an art/sculpting teacher is only lukewarm about famous/infamous scultor Ashley Stassler, yet her prized student Kerry is more than eager to intern and learn from the master who gained fame by sculpting families in mental and physical anguish. Kerry's enthusiasm wanes however when she meets the eccentric sculptor, and disappears completely when she stumbles into the model family for his Family Planning 9 series.

This novel is not for the faint of heart. It is very graphic in its depiction of violence and sex. In fact this was a book, that compelling though I found the writing to be I could only read a few pages at a time so disturbing was some of the imagery conjured by Nykanen. The author did a good job of alternating the narrator's point of view throughout the story from first person point of view to third person (when describing Lauren and reporter's Ry's scenes.) I think this device was more than sleight of hand to make story more interesting no tricks were neccessary to accomplish that feat. It allowed the reader to pull away momentarily from the deranged mentallity of Stassler. The characters could be described as thin in some instances but I found Nyaken to have formed an excellent cast of main characters in the ninth family's young daughter and Stassler, who are what the novel's plot really revolve around. Even after finishing this novel a week ago I still carry around some of the nightmare images and impressions in my skull now that is what I would call art.:)

Of course, while the villain of this piece isn't nearly as urbane and charming as good ol' Hannibal the Cannibal, he does have his moments and while you certainly will look back at yourself and say "why on earth was I laughing at this?" you will none-the-less find yourself laughing at this book a time or two - at least, once you get done untangling your fingers from whatever you are holding onto at the moment, because this book is one dilly of a ride my friends!

Ashley Stassler is a renowned artist who works in bronze and does family groups, always shown in agonizing pain. He refuses to discuss how he does his work. He has done 8 groups - called "Family Planning" 1 through 8 - and is now working on #9. Things start to fall apart when first the daughter of the family he has picked for his ninth group starts to turn things around on him, and secondly when he decides to take on an intern.

I definitely do not want to spoil this book for those who haven't read it yet, so I won't outline any more of the plot. But to say it is a roller coaster ride is about right. Once the rhythm gets rolling, it just doesn't stop. Believe me, you'll be kicking yourself if you don't hurry and get this book!

Enter the world of artistic sculpting. Lauren Reed teaches sculpting at Bandering University in Portland OR, using many structural forms including sandstone, duct tape, wire, and bronze. She is visited by Ry Chambers, a handsome journalist writing a book about the top sculptors, who interviews her for his book. Lauren's student, Kerry, has been chosen to intern with the renowned Ashley Stassler, bronze sculptor of the 'Family Planning' series, and next on Ry's interview list.

Stassler is famous for the twisted and contorted bodies of his bronze work, each series depicting torturous pain. How does he manage such perfect work? By using real models, of course. Ashley Stassler is a serial killer, kidnapping entire families and keeping them caged beneath his barn, where his Bone Parade dances in frozen eternity. He first molds their bodies with special diet combined with built-up tension and terror, then creates his masterpieces.

When Kerry arrives, she is surprised that Stassler puts her up in the huge, empty house on his ranch, informing her that he lives in the guest quarters above the barn. Kerry discovers that Arizona is perfect for her hard-core biking, and meets a young man named Jared who she quickly falls for. Soon, Kerry finds more than she bargained for when she goes hunting for Stassler only to find him busy at work. Now Kerry is in the cage too.

When Lauren hears about Kerry's disappearance, she travels with Ry to Arizona to search the Stassler ranch and find Kerry, for Lauren doesn't believe Stassler's story of Kerry's mishap on a bike path any more than Jared does.

The search is on, and though Stassler is a suspect, there is not a fragment of evidence to support Lauren's claim that he had anything to do with Kerry's disappearance. Will Jared find Kerry? Will Lauren? Or Ry? How is 'Family Planning #9' coming along? Is Stassler really as impenetrable as he thinks he is, or has someone learned how to manipulate him the same way he manipulates his corpses?

'The Bone Parade' is a great serial-killer thriller, but definitely bloodier and more descriptive than the average thriller, leaving itself a lovely red notch in the horror genre. I found Mark Nykanen's prose to be more stilted than it was in his previous novel, 'Hush', which works well for the psychopathic Stassler but not so well with Lauren or Kerry. This tendency of Nykanen's had me skipping pretty quickly through the third-person telling of Lauren and Kerry, rushing to the first-person POV chapters of Stassler. Kind of like pulling the cheese out of your sandwich and eating it first.

Overall, I really enjoyed 'The Bone Parade' and didn't feel much need to compare Nykanen's work with Harris's. Stassler is as psychotic as you could ask a villain to be, and his methods of madness are graphically portrayed and uniquely frightful. Enjoy!

I just loved this book. I've been reading horror novels for the last 20 years and haven't been this knocked over by a book in a very long time. I read the whole book in 2 days. Mark Nykanen is a true dark horror writer, and has given me hope since the passing of my next favorite author, the late great Richard Laymon. Mr. Nykanen gives such spine tingling descriptions of the most torturous, achingly painful and fear-inducing physical and mental trials, I actually felt some of the victim's fear. My breathing became quicker, and my heart rate increased parallel in time with the characters' fear, his writing is that crisp. His villian is suave, intelligent, and very much an everyday person on the outside-always the best "monster" in books, for real people are indeed the scariest monsters of all. Great analogies between perception and reality in art and life, fantastic sexual imagery, and some true surprises and twists I couldn't have predicted. Do yourself a favor, if you're seeking a real creepy trip into a world so bizarre it seems real, buy this book. It is one of the best I've read in years. His other book "Hush" is also incredible, with one of the cruelest psychopaths ever invented.

I have been around some, two tours in vietnam, police officer, government security, etc., and thought there wasn't an author out there who could get to me. Wrong. Mark Nykanen's Bone Parade is simply wonderful in it's genre. Phooey on the comparisons to Red Dragon, etc., this one stands in it's own spotlight as a truly literate, frightening and original (yes, original - rare these days)tale of madness, obsession, art, love, courage and other worthwhile traits in his characters.
Buy this book now and keep the lights on and the doors locked while you read......better yet, hide all the statues, graven images, etc. Maybe they are looking at you.

See book summary above.

Mark Nykanen's villian loves to torture his subjects, though in the villians eyes, it's not torture, it's to create great art.
Nykanen does a good job setting up the story and laying down the suspense. This novel contains both explicit violence and sex.
The first person perspective of the villian gives great depth to that character and shows you just how crazy he is.
A dark and entertaining read.

Nykanen's writing has been favourably compared to that of Thomas Harris, and after reading "The Bone Parade", I can see why. Nykanen has written a tightly paced,deeply disturbing, and brilliantly constructed story, and Ashley Stassler stands shoulder to shoulder with Hannibal Lecter as one of the darkest (yet strangely enduring) psychopaths ever conceived. Lauren Reed is a strong, intelligent protagonist, and Diamond Girl will no doubt go down as of the most repulsive, fascinating, and unique characters ever imagined by an author. While "The Bone Parade" is definately not for the faint of heart (one chapter in particular is absolutely terrifying), it gives a fascinating insight into one man's "heart of darkness". A dark, hugely entertaing read - I cannot recommend it enough!

This book was an ok read. The plot was good, but I had a hard time fitting the characters together at the beginning. Towards the middle, I was thinking enough already I get how weird you are, get on with it already. I ended up skipping the last 75 or so pages to get to the outcome because it got redundant for me. Recommend as entertaining but not the best that I've read.

Not a bad book, but not great either. Half way through I was getting bored with the Sculptor hoping he would hurry up and get to the point because you know what is coming. this book is predictable,there were no surprises waiting around any corner. I was hoping the sculptor would do in "Diamond Girl" but that was not to be. In the end I was rooting for a Daisy Cutter to drop on the mine and oblitterate all the characters in one glorious ending. I do like Mark Nykanen's style though and will venture further into his other work. I don't recomend this one though.