Customer Reviews

Forever Will You Suffer

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book has a promising start. Rick Summers, the protagonist of this effort from Frank, has just finished visiting the cemetery to mourn his mom and sister. He gets into a cab, and immediately finds that his driver has been replaced by a corpse. A good start, but it's soon downhill from there.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but I will talk about what hurts this book. Most noticably, the dialogue throughout is stilted and mind-numbing. The characters don't seem capable of any discussion that doesn't focus on flirting, and their deepest statements sound like something a 7th-grader might come up with. Even their thoughts are boring, especially those of Rick, who seems to spend most of his time thinking about how much he'd like to get every female character in this novel into the sack. When he's not concentrating on bedding each woman, or thinking about lesbian action, he turns his mind to other important pursuits like drinking. At points, the book seems like some young man's fantasy life - getting drunk and having sex with hot women.

As for the story, there are a couple of problems. The first is that much of it is nonsensible. There are some great ideas, but the author doesn't manage to tie them well together. Added to that is the pacing, which is erratic. Too much time is spent on certain parts, which makes it plodding, while interesting scenes are really glossed over. Again, there are the makings of an interesting story, but they're lost in the clutter.

This one may have been saved had the hero been someone with whom we could sympathize, but he's not. Really, I couldn't have cared less by book's end about his fate. This isn't the worst book I've read, but it's not something I would recommend.

What I've noticed most about all the reviews for this book is that they don't mention the past life aspect of the story. This isn't your typical serial killer out for revenge, but a woman who's been around for a long, long time who's been hurt and is pretty angry about it. I don't recall ever reading a horror novel like this one.

Though the first half of the book could've used more editing both in dialog and storyline, the second half of the book settles in for a great read. The story is entertaining and the entire book reads quick. Yes, there are some horror cliches here, but they take away from the story.

I don't think the dialog is anywhere near as bad as some people suggest, nor does Rick spend every scene wanting to get drunk and have sex. Yes, there are a couple of scenes where Rick oggles women, but it seems that this is who Rick is.

All in all, for a debut novel, I'd say this one's pretty good. Frank has potential to do some great work a long as he remembers to edit and then edit again.

Forever Will You Suffer is unlike most modern horror novels in a way that I truly loved. While it had its share of gore and gross, the story captivates the reader from the very first paragraph. Maybe it's the first person storytelling that pulled me in as a reader, but every step of the way I felt I was experiencing the story at the same time as the protagonist, Rick Summers.

Bottom line, if you're tired of the same old, same old in your reading and want a story that will stay with you long after you've finished reading the last page and closed the book, Forever Will You Suffer will be that book.

Rumor has it that Gary Frank will soon have a new novel out. Me, I'm waiting in line to buy it.

Frank offers a wonderful debut novel here. The storyline is quite original and has great potential.

However it does move but at a horribly, slow pace! The characters are almost cartoonish in nature, and the reader seldom cares what happens to them. Torture, pure torture in trying to get through this novel. There were too many words that could have been left on the editor's desk, or put into another novel.

Maybe I'll give it another read later on down the road. But for right now, I can't handle the pain of sifting through this tome.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book and for the first three-quarters was fairly entertained, but the ending fell apart and I quickly realized that this story would have been better suited as a novella. I also have a problem with horror writers writing in the first person, because you can immediately assume that the protagonist won't die... he can't, because he's telling the story. This isn't always the case, of course, but horror tales in the third person are usually more suspenseful. Horror legends like Richard Laymon and Bentley Little can pull it off successfully, but not many others. First person storytelling is also a sign of a first-time writer, as is the case here.

My other criticism is the heavy use of dialogue pushing the story instead of characters' actions, which are always more interesting. I use the phrase "show, don't tell" to let the reader figure out things on their own in order to make the experience more engaging. That being said, I'm curious to read Gary Frank's next work and see the growth of his writing and storytelling skills.

For a first novel, Forever Will You Suffer offers up some nice chills, and provides some interesting twists on the horror themes that have otherwise become stale. I got this book at a sci-fi convention in Philly late last year and didn't get around to reading it until now. Glad I finally gave it a shot...it was worth it.

Forever Will You Suffer, a first novel by Gary Franks, plays out like a film, with strong and eerie visuals, some genuine shocks, and a lingering feeling of creepiness. I strongly recommend it!

The books jumps right into the action with the main character, Rick, being kidnapped by a corpse. The first part of the book is a bit slow and has suffers from an identity crisis. It doesn't know if it wants to create the horror through gore, supernatural or psychological means and tries to be all three. There were aspects of the book that I wish were elaborated on, especially some of the back stories when the house jumped back in time.

There are aspects of the dialogue that I felt didn't add anything to the story, notably the cursing that punctuates the horror scenes.

About 35% through the book it starts to pick up and find its voice. The pacing gets quicker and it is a more enjoyable read. The ending is different from other horror novels that I have read, almost "Twilight Zonish" and certainly in keeping with the story laid out before us.

For a first time novel, author Gary Frank has done well. The book does have its ups and downs in writing style, but it was definitely an enjoyable read and worth the time.

Forever Will You Suffer was an enjoyable read that I found hard to put down. I really wanted to find out what would happen to Rick and the others, so pages kept turning faster than I thought they would. One of the more enjoyable aspects for me was reading it and hearing Gary's voice in my head, as I had met him back in October. I've read enough horror to know what I like, and I found that I like Gary's voice. I felt pulled into the story, and though some may have voiced opinion of bad dialogue, pacing, whatever, I wasn't dissatisfied in the least. Was this PEN/Faulkner award material? No. Was it written to win that prize? I'm certain it wasn't (although I'm sure the author wouldn't mind a Stoker for first novel). This was written to entertain an audience that appreciates horror novels. I would think that fans of the late Richard Laymon would appreciate this work. And I also think that Gary will continue to grow and improve as a writer. I very much look forward to his next book.

Forever Will You Suffer by Gary Frank is a deeply personal kind of horror story that gets inside the head and heart of the characters. I heard the author speak on a panel discussion in North Jersey and thought he was bright and insightful and finally tracked down his book. It was worth the hunt. An excellent first novel.