Customer Reviews

Sparrow Rock

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In a short period of time, Nate Kenyon has quickly become one of the most respected writers in the field of horror fiction today. What makes Kenyon's novels stand out from the horror fiction pack is his writing style. His characters are always well developed, plot lines are tight and his books are written in the style of classic fiction. Most importantly, his stories are never predictable.

With SPARROW ROCK, his latest effort for the popular Leisure Horror series, Nate Kenyon has produced another well-written tale packed with suspense and surprises. Preying upon the modern fears of terrorism and end-of-the-world scenarios, this novel takes place within a modern-day bomb shelter. A group of High School friends enter the bomb shelter that one of their grand-father's had built on their property. Their search for a place to hang out and kill some time ironically turns into the only safe haven in their world as a nuclear holocaust apparently has wiped out all living beings while they are sheltered beneath the ground.

The High School friends represent the standard stereotypes of modern-day teens: Dan - the unofficial leader and typical jock; Sue - the outspoken, `tough' girl; Pete - the average guy trying too hard to fit in; Tessa - Pete's sister; Jimmie - the slacker and Jay - the smart kid who is full of conspiracy theories. The entire group begins to pay more attention to Jay as some of his wild conspiracy theories about terrorism and plans for global domination appear to have come true. What is even more horrifying is what comes next.

Even though they are stuck down in the bomb shelter and afraid to go outside for fear of contamination from nuclear fallout, this does not prevent everything from getting in. Jimmie begins acting strangely after injuring himself and starts to hear voices in his head and random noises. Upon examination of his wounds, the group realizes the infection he is suffering from is not just a result of his injuries. It turns out that very small, ant-like creatures have entered into the wounds on his body and have begun colonizing his body. One of Jay's theories centered on the creation of intelligent, foreign life-forms that could infiltrate any enemy. Could Jimmie be the victim of just such a scheme and does this have anything to do with the nuclear devastation that has occurred?

Nate Kenyon deftly builds the tension as these `smart' bugs slowly pick off the members of the bomb shelter group one by one. There are many other works that come to mind when reading SPARROW ROCK, most prominent are THE RUINS by Scott Smith and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS by Jack Finney. The end-of-the-world bomb shelter bit also called to mind the classic Twilight Zone episode --- "Time Enough At Last" by Rod Serling.

What sets this novel apart from other post-apocalyptic work is the clever ending that includes a twist I guarantee most readers will not see coming (and may even result in causing the reader to flip back and re-read prior sections of the novel). Kenyon has another winner with SPARROW ROCK --- an intelligent and highly suspenseful horror novel that never lets up and will give the reader something to think about along the way.

I am really picky about books, especially horror novels. If they're not compelling, or if the characters act stupidly or inconsistently, I get highly frustrated. Therefore, I started reading Sparrow Rock with a high degree of trepidation, not expecting much out of it. Boy was I mistaken!

As other reviews have mentioned, the initial premise does suffer from a lack of credibility. That's okay. Once the story gets going, it moves like a freight train and takes you along for the ride. I had a really hard time setting it down and had to ration it out to myself in order to make sure that I didn't ignore daily chores in favor of reading the book.

I enjoyed the characters quite a bit and wished they had been fleshed out even more. The narrator's back story was compelling and raw, and the circumstances the group faced were dreadful. Overall, the tone reminded me a bit of Scott Smith's The Ruins, which I similarly enjoyed. I'm quite glad to have run across this gem and even gladder to recommend it to others.

Having the electronic version of this story was maddening. I am usually a read-in-bed kind of guy and am only now getting into reading stories on my iPhone via Kindle. I'm still not to the point where I'm ready to take my iPhone to bed with me as I still have a TON of books sitting on my nightstand. Anyway, I read this on my PC and by midway through the book, I was mad that I didn't have a paper copy to take to bed so I could see what happened next. This story definitely approaches the "end of the world" scenario from a much different perspective than I'm used to seeing.

For me, the mark of a good story is whether or not it stays with you in some way long after you've put it down; Maybe a scene here or there, maybe the whole thing from beginning to end. This story has quite a few of those scenes that I'll remember for a long time to come. Also, having really enjoyed this book by an author I'm reading for the first time, I'm anxious to pick up some of his other works to read in the future. Now, I just have to start reading off my iPhone in bed.....

I'm a fan of Post Apocalyptic fiction, but lately there seems to be a whole lot of it done poorly.

I'm happy to say Nate Kenyon's Sparrow Rock is an exception.

On its surface, the premise is simple enough:

A group of friends decides to spend a night drinking, smoking and just generally hanging around together in the recently built bomb shelter belonging to the grandfather of one of the group.

As they sit drinking and talking, the world as they know it comes to an abrupt and violent end. And what at first seems like a typical "drop the bomb" book, takes a dark, chilling supernatural turn. Add to this the fact that some of the friends have their own darker sides that emerge in their forced isolation, and you've got a taut, tight story!

Kenyon's characters are compelling and full of depth - no one-dimensional stock characters here. This is definitely worth reading and if you like post-apocalyptic fiction, it deserves a space on your bookshelf.

Great book. I seem to have a difficult time finding a good book, one that I love to read. And, even then, I rarely finish it in a day. But this one I did. Lots of fun. Thank god my husband was home that day to entertain my children, I was literally walking around the house with it in my hands and started to question my role as a mother... anyway, pick it up, you won't be disappointed:)

OH MY GOD!!!!! I wouldn't lessen this book by using only the short hand version! I received my free book what else!?! "Sparrow Rock", earlier this evening and just got finished with it. It was phenomenal to say the least. Except for stopping for supper(which I ate at my computer) and a bathroom break, I couldn't stop reading it. I absolutely LOVED it! The plot line only stopped long enough for you to catch your breath before it hit you with another surprise. I kept my hand over my open mouth the majority of the time!!! The sub plot was also heart wrenching that it had me crying at the end. Without giving anything away, if you read only one book once in a blue moon, Check the color of the moon and read it!!!!! I am still on a high from it! I plan to buy a copy ASAP and add it to my book collection! This is a re-read waiting to happen and I'm sure I'll love it just as much the second and third time around. GET IT! BUY IT! READ IT!!! You'll be glad you did! Love the art as well!

Five friends (Dan, Jimmie, Sue, Pete, Tessa & Jay) are just looking for someplace to hang-out and party for the night, when Sue has a brainstorm. She suggests her uncle's bomb shelter, and while down there, the world ends. Somebody has started a nuclear war and has wiped out the world.

This causes some tension among the group of friends, and after a while they start hear noises in walls. Searching, they find that there is a tunnel behind the refrigerator in the kitchen area, and something is trying to get in. Evidently, never having seen a horror movie, they decide to open the door and see what's there, and it will be no surprise that it is nothing good. What they find there, and has found them, is what will be the foundation for the novel's plot. They manage to get the door closed, but only through some great expense to their small numbers. Nobody is immediately killed, but the damage is down, and one by one the friends will fall prey to an ugly fate until the survivors decide that it is time to leave their shelter only to find . . .

Most of the characters are here to mostly represent certain types. The brain, the jock, the survivalist, etc. As such, few are really developed, although the character development gets better as the cast shrinks, in what is this mostly one-act play. However the stand-out character is Pete, who is to be the novel's central character, and the novel's middle-the-road everyman for whom the novel's events revolve around. It also through him that this novel becomes a quasi-sequel to "Bloodstone", as not only are the incidents in White Falls referenced, but we can speculate that Pete's, unnamed, parents might even be Billy & Angel from that novel.

By accident or by intent, Kenyon eschews all, except for one, cultural references, and this prevents this novel from becoming instantly dated. This means that this novel will probably be just as entertaining ten years from now as it is today, giving it across the border appeal to more readers than it would have otherwise.

After Kenyon's "The Bone Factory", a disappointment that was nothing more than a slow-motion mad slasher/psycho killer Friday The Thirteenth rip-off, I was hesitant to read Kenyon's next novel. But, I had already bought "Sparrow Rock" and decided to read to give it a try. I'm glad that I did, as Kenyon seems to falling into a pattern. His first novel ("Bloodstone") was slow moving and short on thrills, his second novel ("The Reach") was fine entertainment, it's follow-up ("The Bone Factory") blew chunks, and this novel was near classic. I fear for the next novel, but I can only recommend that all horror fans buy and read this one, as the twists and turns never let up, and the suspense they generate will keep readers on the edge of their chairs, and there is one major twist at the end that I didn't see coming. This would make a great movie.

As a bonus, "Sparrow Rock" also has an atypically great cover for a Leisure book.

For this site I have also reviewed the following Nate Kenyon novels:

Bloodstone (Leisure Fiction)
The Reach (Leisure Fiction)
The Bone Factory (Leisure Fiction)

Nate keeps getting better and better. From his amazing debut, Bloodstone, to the John Farris-esque The Reach, to The Bone Factory, Kenyon has proven his talent and subject matter is vast. Sparrow Rock is a claustrophobic, paranoid, scary, all too plausible novel that has big screen written all over it. Can't wait to see what Nate writes next....
Craig Davis

4 AND 1/2 STARS.

Sparrow Rock is one of top releases in horror for 2010. It has crawled its way into my top 5 books for the year and is, so far, the crowning achievement of author Nate Kenyon. While Kenyon's past work was always technically well written, I always thought his weakness was the story, which for me, is the most important. I was thrilled to discover that the story of Sparrow Rock succeeded on almost every level.

With tremendous conviction, originality, and chock full of scares, author Kenyon throws the reader right into a literal apocalypse, where six youth are trapped in a bomb shelter after barely escaping the effects of a nuclear holocaust. Claustrophobia, paranoia, and some hideous discoveries inform the small group something more sinister is at work than just the bombs going off. Kenyon packs each short chapter with enough violence, gore, scares, and cool concepts to thrill even the most jaded horror aficionado.

For some, the story might contain a couple too many coincidences, but everything eventually makes sense, even if you have to suspend a little disbelief at times. While the characters might not make the same decisions as the reader would if in their shoes, I was pleased that their actions were at least consistent throughout the story. You could also argue that the story, at times, could have been longer and that some events happened too quickly, but I didn't have a problem with that. For me, the faster pace keeps you on your toes with an unsettling feeling. New readers interested in Kenyon's books should definitely pick this title up as their starting point, since it is without question his best work to date. I am very much looking forward to what he does next. This one will be tough to beat.

I picked up Sparrow Rock on a friend's suggestion and I'm very glad I did. I don't consider myself the typical horror fiction reader, but Nate Kenyon's writing style--more literary suspense than shock-value gore--had me hooked from the very beginning. That's not to say there weren't some creepy, make-your-skin-itchy scenes! However, Kenyon never resorts to gruesome tactics to hold the reader's attention, and the deeper themes of loss and self-understanding are what really make this story stand out. In short, Sparrow Rock had everything I look for in a book: well-rounded characters, a meaty plot, and some genuine surprises. I can't wait to read more from Nate Kenyon.