Customer Reviews

Pandora's Game

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

 

 

While Christopher Andrews may be an exceptional writer and a master of storytelling, I have a bone to pick with him regarding "Pandora's Game."

The problem begins with the plot. Two friends--a writer and an artist--team up to create a comic book about a vampire, a werewolf, and a zombie (who never walk into a bar). Far from being hackneyed genre stereotypes, these three horror icons have complex and often unexpected character traits that give them a strong emotional resonance.

The way these comic-book characters gain their rich history is through a series of hypnosis sessions, in which the writer and artist "become" the characters. This begins to split the novel's narrative into two alternate worlds: one being reality as we know it, and the other the reality of the characters. Before long these lines begin to blur into a psychological web of paranoia and delusion.

Both alternate worlds are so completely engrossing that I never wanted to leave one for the other. I would be so completely enveloped in a story from the vampire's history that I hated to go back to the present day. Then, twenty pages later, I'd be so involved in the present-day story that I didn't want to jump into the werewolf's back story. Ten pages later, I'd be so interested in that that I didn't want to move on again.

Rarely does a book come along that is so well written that I can't tolerate interruption. A book that's so well written that I can't tolerate it interrupting *itself* is unheard of. To maintain this level of complexity for twenty-one chapters is an incredible storytelling feat.

And that brings me to the aforementioned bone and the picking thereof. While reading "Pandora's Game" on the bus, I became so lost in the world that Christopher Andrews has created that I missed my stop. Never before has a book been so engrossing that it added a mile-long walk to my commute.

That said, I can't wait to see how far I'll have walk for the sequel.

An impressive debut by Christopher Andrews. This dark, chilling tale of Alistaire Bachman, a wealthy, deeply religious vampire who is created by Neil Carpenter. Through hypnosis Neil assumes Alistaire's identity.

A simple game that takes a evil turn.

The scariest part of this horror tale is that it could be real. Too real.

Read "Pandora's Game" with the lights ON!

I picked up a used copy of "Pandora's Game" on my recent book splurge, because the cover caught my eye and the synopsis sounded cool. Is "Pandora's Game" the best book I have ever read? Maybe not. But it IS an EXCELLENT book. I enjoyed it MORE than "The Howling," which, I believe, is now considered a classic horror novel. In fact, with the possible exception of "By the Light of the Moon" by Dean Koontz, I think it is my favorite of the books I've read recently.

Personally, I found "Pandora's Game" to be fresh and different. I liked the characters, especially the werewolf, and I thought the writing style was impressive, especially considering the two "worlds" that it covers. As far as I am concerned, the switching POV alone qualifies this book as "interesting;" it was different from just about any other book I have read, before college or recently. It also had a plot twist near the end that I did NOT see coming, which is always a plus for any novel.

I did feel that a few of the chapters in World #2 could have been combined, but I'm guessing they were broken up to stick with the back and forth elements of the overall story. I liked the first one in the restaurant, and once we started seeing the personal histories of Alastaire and Sean, World #2 got more interesting. I just thought the story of Alastaire and Sean meeting Trey could have been told all at once instead of in four chapters.

But other than that single complaint, I would have been tempted to give this book FIVE stars. I can tell you that I am adding "Paranormals" and "Dream Parlor" to my reading list.

I read Dream Parlor first and was impressed. Pandora's Game solidifies my view that Mr. Andrews' is a brilliant writer and a wonderful storyteller. I started and finished it without putting it down. It's a smooth ride, it's weaving plot keeping you drawn in until the very end. I can't wait to get my hands on Mr. Andrews' next novel!

Andrews keeps you on your toes with every twist and turn of this unforgettable plot. He portrays vampires, werewolves and zombies not always as the bad guys. This is a great story and a must read.

I love this novel; it took me a bit to get into the concept, but in retrospect, it's a really good setup for the next novel in the series. I think it might be because the mashup of genres - I came away from the description thinking horror/alternate universe/superhero and looking back probably just wasn't sure what to expect at the beginning.

While neither the alternate universe or good vampire/werewolf concept are new to fiction, in my opinion, the way these were melded was quite unique. In addition, the zombie character (Trey, who is only shown through what I can only think of as a 'flashback') has very odd origins. Even from the references, and this brief scene, he became my favorite character; I found myself immediately drawn into his history, and desperately wanting to know more about him. I had hoped that we would see more of him, but that was the only aspect of the novel that left me in the least bit disappointed. (And for this to happen in just one scene is pretty amazing. I am very definitely not a big zombie fan, although I am known as the horror go to girl at the bookstore where I work. I was really shocked at how little it took me to want more of this character, and how much I became attached to him in that short period. So kudos on that. I have to say, I think it's the new spin Chris put on the zombie genre.)

This was a purely entertainment novel for me; I just wanted a good story, characters I could get into, and I got it. I actually blew through this, a short story collection to get to the bridge between Pandora's Game, and it's sequel, and the sequel within about a weekend. The writing is nice, smooth, and the concepts and characters kept me wanting more.

This is a wonderful piece of work -- it does an excellent job of taking you into the characters' adventure and the consequences of their actions. Christopher Andrews did an excellent job of making it seem as if all this could really happen. I would love to see this put on the big screen!

This is a amatuer book disguised as a "real" book. Anyone can write, all of us have at least one story in us, but to write it down is not enough. It must be crafted and refined. One must not only have a good idea but have a style, a voice and, if not an interesting thing to say, an interesting way of putting it. This book does not have any of this, for the exception of maybe a good "basic" story idea. It seems that the author actually said to himself, " I've done a couple of drafts and now I am done." It is said that some of the best, most celebrated writers in the world never feel (felt) "done" with their work and only would release their novels into the world after they exhausted all the creative artistry they possessed. - Sorry to the author of this book, and "Dream Parlor". If you wish to truly entertain and shine, you must re-evaluate why you write in the first place. [...] - Thank you for your time - Sorry for the typos.