16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bentley Little Returns, September 13, 2002
"The Return" is the newest novel from horror author Bentley Little. Little, who also occasionally cranks out a social satire novel attacking such American institutions as chain stores or homeowner's associations, delivers a full-frontal assault on the horror genre with this book. "The Return" closely resembles "The Walking" and "The House," in that the gore and scares come fast and furious. This may be Little's eeriest book to date, quite an accomplishment for a man whose imagination explores the darkest depths of human fear and depravity.
Once again, Little sets his story in the American Southwest, specifically Arizona. We are introduced to Glen, a techie visiting Arizona to clear up the affairs of his recently deceased mother. Glen decides he needs to change his life, and he begins to do so by volunteering to work on an archeological expedition for the summer. It is there that he meets Melanie, a teacher who likes to spend her summers digging up Indian artifacts. Regrettably for Glen and Melanie, they soon find themselves in the center of an ancient evil that is reawakening after years of dark slumber. This evil involves the Anasazi people, a race that disappeared along with the Mayans nearly 1000 years ago. With the reappearance of this force in modern times, cities start to disappear, people turn to murder and cannibalism, Indian artifacts become animated, and apocalyptic signs start to occur. The consequences of these activities are both horrific and gory.
While Little creates a story that is scary, and consistently scary at that, he tends to bite off more than he can chew as the story progresses. Too many events are occurring, and too many people are wandering around in the story. Little has a tough time weaving all of these threads into a neat conclusion.
Little sets a dark tone early on as he builds towards what should be a thrilling climax. But like other Little books, the conclusion tends to be somewhat of a letdown. The showdown between Glen and the creatures is so brief that one wonders what the fuss is all about. Since this is a phenomenon that occurs in other Bentley Little books, it seems that Little enjoys writing the body of the story more than he likes ending his books. Ultimately, there is nothing wrong with this, because Little always creates an awesome build up in his books. This build up often leads to chills and wariness about strolling about in a dark house. If achieving those effects requires the sacrifice of a brilliant ending, so be it.
For Bentley Little fans, "The Return" is, well, a welcome return for Bentley Little. For those yet to experience this dark genius, "The Return" is a good place to start before you devour the rest of his catalog (although be sure to check out "The Store," one of Little's best books).
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Scary!, June 6, 2003
By A Customer
This is the scariest novel I have read in ages. Bentley Little takes a hoary old cliche like the haunted indian burial grounds and breathes new life into it by turning the concept on its head and throwing in a host of imaginative horrors. Quite a few people seem to have had trouble understanding the nature of the evil in this novel, but I don't understand why. Mr. Little certainly doesn't spoonfeed his readers, but everything's there if one takes the time to read carefully. This is one great book.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
'Boo..' are you scared now? yes? then read this book!, January 28, 2003
By A Customer
This starts as a great book but fall flat after couple of pages. There are too many loose threads and very confusing book. Now a days writing confusing horror book is a fashion or what? I will tell you, if you HAVE to read this book, keep store receipt handy to return this book. Most of the matirial in this book is laughable! LOL. If someone says 'boo' to you in day light, in front of 1000 people,telling you that he is going to tell you 'boo' and if you get scared after that,then you will love this book.
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