Customer Reviews

The Resort

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Among horror writers, there are the big-league authors: most notably, Stephen King, but also Dean Koontz, Clive Barker and Peter Straub. There are also the B-list authors, not necessarily better or worse than the first-stringers, but not quite as well-known. People I fit into this category include Robert McCammon, Richard Laymon and F. Paul Wilson. To me, however, the best in this group is Bentley Little, who laces his horror novels with just a dash of satire.

In The Resort, Little takes us to the Reata, an isolated desert hotel in Arizona. Lowell Thurman goes there with his wife Rachel and their three kids, Owen, Curtis and Ryan. Superficially, the Reata seems nice (and at discounted off-season rates, the price is right), but soon little things start to disturb the family. Rachel sees strange images in the clouds, the kids see a dead body in the outdoor pool and Lowell feels an invisible hand grab him in the indoor pool. All these things seem to be just illusions, but then other things are not as easy to dismiss: an intruder in their room, openly obscene behavior in the restaurant and violent acts against certain hotel staff.

Worse is the activity coordinator, who forces Lowell and others to participate in games that get increasingly sadistic. Worst of all, however, is how the Reata affects the family's minds. After seeing evil acts, a sort of apathy or amnesia afflicts them, stopping them from taking any proactive action. In addition, Lowell and Rachel both at times find themselves giving in to their own darker sides.

Despite writing that is filled with menace and suspense, this is not one of Little's best efforts, at least compared to his other horror-satires (which include The Policy, The Store, The Ignored and the Association). Certain supporting characters disappear and have undetermined fates. The ending is also kind of weak and a little too muddled.

Nevertheless, overall, the strengths of this book outweigh the weakness and I give it a weak four stars. Even in this lesser work, Little still writes an entertaining page-turner. I wouldn't suggest this book as an introduction to Little's work (I recommend The Policy or The Ignored for that), but it is worth reading.

The Thurman family of five usually take their summer vacation in their homestate of California but this year is different. Lowell and Rachel, along with their three sons, are attracted by brochures of The Reata, an exclusive spa in the Arizona desert that promises luxurious treatment at unbelievable discount rates. At first everything is as promised with a great staff, great swimming pool and luxurious suites. But soon the Thurmans come to realize not everything is well, as a series of bizarre events start to ruin the enjoyment of their stay. As things worsen, the Thurmans want to bail out but what happens when their car mysteriously breaks down? The Reata is completely isolated in the desert and they have nowhere to go. They are trapped in The Reata whether they like it or not...

This is Little's 16th novel and as someone who has read the vast majority of them I must say I'm extremely impressed with this latest one. The formula is the same: a serene peaceful setting that slowly morphs into one of chaos and horror, but it's done better than most of his other works. For one, "The Resort" was extremely funny. His use of modern street jargon through the lens of his horny teenage characters was bang-on and very up-to-date. And not since "The Store" has he thrown so many wild absurdities in his pages. Some of the characters are priceless, especially "The Activities Coordinator" who will remind you of your worst gym teacher from hell. He splits the guests at the resort into three tribes that are to compete against each other in the most sadistic sporting events imaginable. And bailing out of these sporting events is simply not an option...

The horror is accentuated by the sense of isolation that the guests at The Reata experience, as the resort is nowhere near a major town and with their cars tampered with they have nowhere to go. With the three divided tribes, Little turns his novel into a yuppified Lord of the Flies, with middle-aged men and women turning to savagery in a desperate bid to survive amidst the chaos of the resort. All in all, this is one of Little's best and most chaotic novels. The only major problem I had with "The Resort" is a common problem with his other novels in that the supernatural elements of the story seem out of place and awkward within a setting that is meant to be of reality instead of the fantastical. I know that Little's books require a suspension of disbelief but still an explanation as to the origins of the supernatural would help lend his story more credence. Still, "The Resort" kept me entertained right until the end and wanting more. Many have criticized Little's novels as being too similar but I wouldn't have it any other way, especially when they're this good.

The Reata, the resort you are so sure you can't afford, but during the summer it happens to be cheaper in the desert. Lowell and his wife and three children venture to the Reata in search of a little free time. Lowell's main reason to get away from his hometown because his high school reunion is taking place and he doesn't want to be there when it happens.

Once they get to their destination, strange things occur. There is something lirking under the waterslide in the pool, the gardner does a crazy dance for Rachel everytime she sees him, the boys stumble upon a strange abandon building, and crazy games take place during their stay. All in all, this book is like riding a roller coaster, except it doesn't come down, not even at the end!

Few people realize, when picking up any books by Mr. Little, what they are in store for. Most of the time, you won't get what you want at the ending of one of his stories, but by the time the ending actually closes, you really truly don't care. You have been entertained long enough, you went through exactly what every character went through, it was as though you were there too. However, if you are looking for an explanation to the events that happened in this book, you won't find any, it's very vague. It's left to your imagination, which I find intriguing and heck, it's leaves you to ponder what happened. I think that is a great way to close a book.

The Resort is an excellent book. If you are a Bentley Little fan, buy it, you will enjoy it. If you aren't, this should be one of the first of many Little books that you buy. He is an excellent, supreb, genuine, intriguing, captivating writer, and heck, he was friends with the creator of Spongebob!

I am so very glad I found Bentley Little. Since Stephen King announced his retirement and Clive Barker and Anne Rice are no where near as prolific as they were, I needed someone to pick up the slack for my horror addiction. I have read 7 of Bentley Little's books and have been pleased with every one. The Resort was one of the better ones. He has such a knack of just taking common things that each and every one of us do and just put his nightmarish twist on it. The terror in this one just grows and grows. It's a page turner.

For those who are looking for literature: you should probably look elsewhere. If you are looking for a solid popular horror novel: this should definately be on your "to read" list.

I've read several of his books now and I realize that I never really read them for the ending; most of his endings seem like a way for him to bring his long strings of situations and tensions to a close. The fun of Bentley Little lies in his ability to deconstruct Americanisms that we take for granted and skew them into horror. At the same time he scares you Bentley's situations always have a tinge of satire that makes his novels interesting, fun, and though-provoking.

The Resort is no exception, where he plays with situations and enviornments everyone who has ever stayed at a decent hotel has probably experienced. While the ending will let down some, it does tie in much more naturally then some of his other books (The Walking anyone?).

Fans of Bentley Little should definately read this book. For those of you who've never read one, this is definately a good place to start.

The mind of Bentley Little must be a very dark, hellish version of Disney World. The man turns out novel after novel depicting stories of raw, gut-wrenching evil in the most common, everyday places. This leaves one to wonder if such dark places truly exist but most of us don't see it until it's too late. It seems as though that is exactly what happened to the Thurmans.

The Reata is a spacious, exclusive resort and spa located in the middle of the Arizona desert. It is so far off the beaten path, no sign of civilization can be had for miles and miles. It is a place that caters to the filthy rich and over pampered. In the heat of the summer months, which is obviously off season, the Reata opens it's doors to the ordinary, common working class. Thus enters Lowell Thurman, his wife; Rachel, their twins; Owen and Curtis, and their youngest; Ryan. They are vacationing at the Reata with the intention of attending Lowell's twentieth high school reunion. The Reata is a wonder to behold and they can't believe they are actually staying in such a swanky place, but little by little, things begin to change. Screams are heard in the night, employees begging for their lives, sinister Karaoke, flashes and visions of disturbing images make themselves known. In a short period of time, the paradise that is the Reata, turns into a hellish nightmare.

Bentley Little pulls out all the stops and delivers another heart-pounding page turner that will keep you up all night to find out how it ends. You don't want to pass this one up.

This book turned out to be much different then when I had purchased it. I thought it was going to be just another authors version of a haunted house(resort) story but it turned out to be pure entertainment with alot of comedy. I like the way he put us into th mind of each character and what their experiences were and the feelings they have about the place. As with any Little book their are some extreme scenes of violence that can come out of nowhere. I enjoyed this one.

Looking for a good book to read as you hang out by the pool at the resort of your choosing this summer? If you're a horror fan, you could do a whole lot worse than checking out this thriller. A family checks into a 5-star resort and soon finds out that at The Reata, the term "off season" takes on a whole new meaning. Before long, there are supernatural happenings impacting each member of the family (mom, dad and three sons) as well as several other guests. By the end,the book loses a bit of steam as it morphs into something of a hotel version of the classic Burnt Offerings, albiet much more gruesome. This was my first exposure to Bentley Little and while I found a few problems with the book, his writing style and imagry left me intrigued enough that I will be picking up another of his books so as to have something to compare it to. WARNING: This book contains some pretty graphic imagry, both horrific and sexual in nature, and is not for the squimish or prudish...

Sorry..... I really wanted to like this one and was expecting a read as good as Mailman, Association or Policy........where the horror starts out small, almost on an acceptable level and then just keeps spreading like a virus of terror. But folks, this one.....a story of a hotel reviving itself thru blood.......not his typical style, and I was a little bored reading it, reminded me a little of stephen kings shining.....with the old dead employees walking around......etc.
I will keep it in my collection, but probably wont read it again.

A friend of mine has been badgering me for quite a while to read Bentley Little's work. Ok, I finally broke down and read this one. All I can say is, 'What?'

The premise, while owing more than a little to 'The Shining', is fairly decent; I won't give a synopsis, since other reviewers have done that already. All I'll say is that Little seems to be a master of building suspense... and building... and building... and then guess what? Some more building.

And when the resolution, the pay-off, the details of what's really going on at the resort, are finally revealed they are, to say the least, massively disappointing. The ending is too pat, and too sudden - there's no emotional build-up to it, and I was left saying WTF.

The characters seemed wooden and artificial as well. The Thurmans, the family the story revolves around, have the potential to be really in-depth, but they are just stereotypical cut-outs. Other characters, such as a movie critic and a high society couple are introduced, apparently to add atmosphere when they are killed off, but... there is no atmosphere.

This book was just disappointing. That's really all I can say about it. I gave it two stars as a kind of a benefit of the doubt. I'll try another of Little's novels and see if there's any improvement.

I'm just glad the publisher is offering a money-back guarantee 'if you're not completely satisfied'. You can bet I'll be taking advantage of that.