Customer Reviews

The Place (Tor horor)

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

 

 

I recently discovered T.W. Wright while browsing for books at a used book store. I came across Nursery Tale and read it within a couple of days. He is an amazing writing that mixes fantasy and horror very well.

The Place is a very engaging novel. As with Nursery Tales, Wright does not just tell the story from one point-of-view, but several intertwining ones. You get to read about what each character is thinking and why they are doing what they are doing. The plot, yes there is one, has to do with how two highly intelligent individuals (the little girl and the crazed murderer) handle their unique `gifts'.

The story starts with a man and his wife and son driving on an unkempt side road. They get stuck and encounter a man with a gun. The wife and son disappear and the rest of the story is about finding them. I can understand why certain aspects of this story may seem a bit out there. However, this is easily forgiven because the story is so well written.

Overall, highly recommended.

This book was quite a find, I got it in an ebay auction when it came in a box of horror books, that happened years ago and suddenly one day I just picked this up had had to read it. My first time reading T.M Wright was a blast, I laughed at some of the scenes and shook my head in surprise, this author certainly has skill and some wild imagination, that's for sure. I absolutely loved the characters of Greta and Mrs. Thompson, my eyes followed their every move and word like a set of puppy dogs, I couldn't ever predict what would be said next. Imagine your family on a trip to their potential new home, gone off the road in search of a short cut, stalked and harassed by a silent stranger that makes the wife and son disappear, now you are the father, you hide and stalk to find your kidnapper and potential killer that might be next to you, hiding and waiting in the familiar dark forest, playing a game of sorts, one that you don't know the rules to. This is what happens to the King's, their nine year old Greta is on a school bus but pretty soon something happens, they don't come back, something snap inside of Greta and she knows, something is wrong, what happens next is just wild, but also a lot of fun.

The Place is a real phenomenon in this book, once the reader starts they get an introduction to it and later some more insight, it's a wild and twisted journey but one that I have enjoyed, it's best to simply pick it up and read it, it's different from most books out there, more reminiscent of my favorite 80's horror with no apologies and full of force of some good, intense writing. This is story is like a fusion of Agatha Christie, Stephen King and Salvador Dali all in print form, strange and mysterious at the same time, you can't wait to find what happens next.

- Kasia S.

I almost skipped this one. A "Publishers Weekly" reviewer called this book hallucinatory, episodic, and almost plotless. However, I eventually took a shot and read the book because I liked many of Wright's other books. I'm glad I changed my mind. I wouldn't call "The Place" plotless (or even "hallucinatory," though some of his books are). It's actually pretty suspenseful.

One of the Amazon customers indicated that the second half of the book is pretty bad. I don't agree. It's a great story up to about page 220. The final 58 pages *are* a slight disappointment. I think the ending was drawn out a little too much.

Otherwise the book is great, except for the bland and generic title. (Good cover art, though.)

I also recommend Wright's other books, particularly "Goodlow's Ghosts," "Sleepeasy," and "The Devouring." (This last one was written under the pseudonym F.W. Armstrong.)

I loved this book sooo much. I couldn't help but finish it within 3-4 days after picking it up. Definately worth getting without a doubt! (as long as you like books with silly psychic fantisy stuff to tie together the story :)

I don't know what the previous reviewer is talking about. This story makes no sense whatsoever. Don't get me wrong, it starts off with a promising plot, and keeps it going until about halfway though. Then, it dives into complete nonsense. I love horror novels and have enjoyed the majority of the books by this author, but this one doesn't hack it. The story dissolves into unrelated flashes of sub plots that never quite tie together. And the end???? It makes no sense whatsoever. It seems like the author got tired of the story around page 200 and just sort of threw something together to get it to the publisher. The plot is forgotten and the story suffers greatly from it. If possible, I would give this novel zero stars.