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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wow, Keene is steamy!, June 20, 2008
This review is from: Dark Hollow (Mass Market Paperback)
If you like horror and suspense and reading how books are written then this will be a double treat. The main hero, Adam Senft is a decently successful writer who decided to give up his other job to write that great story that would be his ticked to solidified fame. With his wife Tara he settles into a quiet lifestyle in a home in Pennsylvania. His wife carrying the burden of commuting to work gave him time to sit back, enjoy the quiet, walk the dog and write those hot selling books. Little does he know but that peace is shattered with the arrival of spring. From the very first page the story hits off and then drops the reader back on Earth to catch up. Adam finds his neighbor, an attractive female involved in some strange activity in the LeHorn woods. Embarrassed and freaked out he starts a chain of events that brings upon him strange lust, bad luck and a horrific creature that is after every wife in town. When people start to disappear and those left act strangely little time is left before Adam's wife and his entire life is thrown into a well of chaos. Along with his friends he must get to the bottom of a mysterious nemesis that shakes his reality and to defend his territory from a menacing male - something.
Brian Keene surprised me this time, I didn't particularly like "The Conqueror Worms" and after reading it I was afraid that his style was set in stone; that another story would have random additives and would be scattered, but not so with "Dark Hollow". Was it literary genius? No, but it was darn addictive and enjoyable, it did what a good, gripping fiction book should - it enchanted the reader and gave satisfaction for reading it. I felt my teeth sink into the story until I absorbed its contents. It took me in and hardly ever stopped being great. The reason for 4 stars versus 5 ( since I am gushing about it ) is really simple; as I get older I get little tougher when I judge a book, and really only give 5 stars when it stirs my guts with a stick and makes me obsessed with what I just read - hard task, so 4 stars is not too shabby, trust me. Some of my favorite parts were reading about Adam's preparations and how he did his writing, it felt real and was such a treat.
Before I finish I must just say how proud I am of Keene for making this book steamy; he was very liberal with all sorts of naughty scenarios and wrote his book fulfilling his fantasies about just putting out that salty novel out there into the world. I saw no holding back and hopefully he can always write like this, but obviously only when necessary to the plot, gratuitous use of sex is plain fake, when the story doesn't scream for it; don't include it to avoid embarrassment- unless you're Richard Laymon. He was the king of lascivious books - at least to me and it's hard to knock him of that throne in my head. Like Laymon, Keene tapped into that channel and produced a decent read; I really enjoyed it tremendously and will try to read his other works. I know I criticized him heavily in my last review so I am trying to redeem myself, but it feels right only because this book deserved it. Fun, raunchy and actually interesting, good change from the usual gore and bloody horror, I read it on the bus, after dinner and then in bed; it was good stuff.
- Kasia S.
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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
There's something in the woods...., February 3, 2008
This review is from: Dark Hollow (Mass Market Paperback)
I think it's a safe bet that in the horror section of any bookstore, there are more books under "K" than any other author. It's almost certain given since Stephen King and Dean Koontz are a couple of the biggest selling authors, each with an extensive list of titles that remain in print. According to the back of Dark Hollow, the Horror Review calls Brian Keene the next Stephen King. That may be a bit of hyperbole; more likely, he will be the author next to Stephen King in the bookstore.
Actually, Dark Hollow is a pretty good book and there is a certain King-like quality to it. After all, the main character is a writer (very common to King protagonists) and he likes to throw in rock `n roll references here and there (another King trait). The hero in Dark Hollow is Adam Senft, a writer who is just beginning to be successful enough to be a full-time novelist. He and his wife Tara live in a small Pennsylvania town that abuts a large, old forest. One morning while walking his dog, Adam goes into the forest and stumbles upon a female neighbor indulging in rather kinky acts with what turns out to be a satyr.
Of course, Adam doesn't realize this at first, but soon enough, he realizes that there is a supernatural being living in the forest, one that can play its pipes and hypnotically seduce any woman. As women begin to disappear, and even Tara hears the call of the satyr, Adam recruits his nearby friends to take action. This will involve looking into a decades-old murder case as well as more excursions into the forest, where it will turn out the satyr is not the only strange creature.
Keene may not stylistically be the most original author, but he works well in the horror genre. Dark Hollow is an effective thriller which keeps the pages turning and leads to a satisfying concluding twist. He may not be Stephen King, but Keene is still worth reading.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Keene's best work to date, May 29, 2008
This review is from: Dark Hollow (Mass Market Paperback)
Most people that have read a Brian Keene novel probably associate him with zombies and for good reason. His novels The Rising, City of the Dead, and Dead Sea are among the top novels in the zombie sub-genre. Don't let these three fool you into thinking that Keene is just another guy writing a zombie novel. Dark Hollow one of his three non-zombie horror novel and his best writing to date.
The story of Dark Hollow follows the fledgling writer Adam Senft who accidentally becomes central to a plot steeped in ancient myth and magic. Adam lives in the prototypical all-American neighborhood complete with neighbors who are not just neighbors but good friends. These neighbors join Adam in defending their wives and neighbors against the terror who lives within the dark and shadows of LeHorn's Hollow, while people disappear and suspicion is cast upon them.
First I have to say that if blatant and in your face (no pun intended, OK maybe it was intended) sexual scenes turn you off, you might be done with this book after the first line. That is not to say that this book is all about sex, it most certainly is not, but it most definitely is a part of the story. Since Dark Hollow is centered around an evil Satyr (they are known for their uncontrollable sex drive) it only stands to reason that sex should have a role in the novel. I only mention this so that kids or people who may be offended by sexual content don't mistakenly buy this book.
For the rest of the people like me that have no problem with sexual content, if done well, the Dark Hollow is highly original and entertaining. Keene plays on both mythology and pagan like magic. I found it very interesting that Keene included Pow-wow magic (a folk religion & magic system of the Pennsylvania Dutch) in the story. I have always been interested in folk magic , as I call it, but had yet to read anything on this system. Pow-wow magic added another layer of mystery and something deeper, darker to the story. However, for others it will simply strain their suspension of disbelief even further than finding out that a Satyr is the one responsible for the evil of LeHorn's Hollow.
What Keene really managed to get right is a sense of knowing each and every character involved in the book ,in appropriate depth, given their importance to the plot. You know Adam near as well as yourself by the end of the book, broken down marriage, cowardly dog, insecurities and all. At the other end of the spectrum we don't have characters that are built up and then don't play an important role in the story.
Dark Hollow also points a big red arrow at male insecurity. Something tells me that if you are a man reading this book certain things will ring true with you and others will make you squirm in your seat.
In the end Dark Hollow is great read if you like horror. I started out thinking it might be silly reading a horror book about darn satyr. How could a fictional beast be scary? Well, I was proven wrong. Not only is Dark Hollow scary, it is nightmare inducing and well written to boot.
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