Dark Hollow by Brian Keene Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Dark Hollow
Book Review: Keene is Not
Summary: 1 Stars
This book begins with a brilliant conceit. Pan is back and he is spreading tumescent terror. Suburbia with sex as the boogey man, this time for real. All who hear the horns become horny with horrible consequences.
Then Brian Keene blows it completely with dialog and characters that have absolutely no business finding their way into print, let alone a book in my hands.
I put this down after 80 pages. I did so reluctantly. I still wanted to know where this strange and provocative story was going. But the cliches were beginning to make my teeth ache.
Book Review: Keene's Ability
Summary: 3 Stars
Here's what I've come to expect from Briane Keene after reading The Rising, City of the Dead, Ghoul, and Dead Sea; Keene really knows how to grasp his characters and their reactions to what is going on to them and around them. Dark Hollow is definitely no exception. He gives our main character, Adam, many soft spots and much determination to understand the mystery that is taking over his town.
Another ingredient that I expect from Keene is a very good explanation as to what is happening in his books. There is always enough of a backstory to his books' "villians" so that we are not left wondering why or how this is happening. He gives an interesting backstory to the going ons here, and at times I found it more interesting than the present parts of the novel.
On the only sour note that I have for Dark Hollow, it seemed as if Keene rushed the ending. I've also found this a constant in his novels (aside from Ghoul and Dead Sea) where the endings come at you fast and hard only to leave you hanging or leave you with a sort of empty feeling. Dark Hollow left me with one of those empty feelings. It's a very dark ending that made all the hope for what happened die away. It's the author's choice to end it this way, and I respect his decision, but I just walked away from the novel feeling a little dissapointed after massively enjoying the beginning and middle.
As a fan of Keene, I would put Dark Hollow at the bottom of my list of his novels, but that doesn't make it a horrible book. It makes it a great book on a list of awesome novels by Brian Keene.
Book Review: Keene's First Miss
Summary: 2 Stars
I am a big fan of Keene. I truly believe that he will soon become one of the most important faces in the horror field. That's why it saddens me to give Dark Hollow a bad review. The book feels rushed, incomplete and some sections are so silly that I had trouble finishing it.
The Hollow has always been the heart of horror stories, ever since a man killed his wife and then disappeared 20 years ago. And now, after a series of strange events, something in the woods has come alive and threatens the existence of a small, idealistic town.
Adam Sneft, a mystery writer, has been unable to conceive a child with his wife, the problem now a cloud darkening their relationship. When the neighbourhood women disappear, Adam is scared for his wife's well-being, especially since he's seen what lives in those woods; a satyr. That's right, a beast that's half man, half horse. He takes women and uses them for his own pleasure. Soon enough, Sneft has to team up with other men from the neighbourhood in order to try and stop the beast.
Honestly, I didn't really enjoy this book. I kept rolling my eyes and hoping that the story would go somewhere tangible. I have no problem with horror mixed with fantasy, but when the whole thing feels like good idea trapped in bad prose and even worse development, then the whole narratives becomes annoying.
Keene brings new idea to the genre; new thrills, new stories. He reinvigorated the zombie genre with his novels and gave the mystery novel a great, paranormal twist. But Keene's mix of fantasy and horror simply doesn't work this time around. Dark Hollow is Keene's first subpar novel, but I'm sure it will be his last.
Book Review: Keene's Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
I read "Dark Hollow" when it was published under the earlier title "The Rutting Season." Of Keene's novels that I've read (and I've read most of them), this one is not only his personal best, it's one of the best "traditional horror" novels I have read this decade, period. "Dark Hollow" contains everything yo want in this kind of novel - excellent characters, an ominous atmosphere, and supernatural events that escalate in a way that make them completely plausible. Keene has built up a legion of fans, but that fanbase could explode anytime. This guy is the real deal.Book Review: Keene's best work to date
Summary: 5 Stars
Most people that have read a Brian Keene novel probably associate him with zombies and for good reason. His novels The Rising, City of the Dead, and Dead Sea are among the top novels in the zombie sub-genre. Don't let these three fool you into thinking that Keene is just another guy writing a zombie novel. Dark Hollow one of his three non-zombie horror novel and his best writing to date.
The story of Dark Hollow follows the fledgling writer Adam Senft who accidentally becomes central to a plot steeped in ancient myth and magic. Adam lives in the prototypical all-American neighborhood complete with neighbors who are not just neighbors but good friends. These neighbors join Adam in defending their wives and neighbors against the terror who lives within the dark and shadows of LeHorn's Hollow, while people disappear and suspicion is cast upon them.
First I have to say that if blatant and in your face (no pun intended, OK maybe it was intended) sexual scenes turn you off, you might be done with this book after the first line. That is not to say that this book is all about sex, it most certainly is not, but it most definitely is a part of the story. Since Dark Hollow is centered around an evil Satyr (they are known for their uncontrollable sex drive) it only stands to reason that sex should have a role in the novel. I only mention this so that kids or people who may be offended by sexual content don't mistakenly buy this book.
For the rest of the people like me that have no problem with sexual content, if done well, the Dark Hollow is highly original and entertaining. Keene plays on both mythology and pagan like magic. I found it very interesting that Keene included Pow-wow magic (a folk religion & magic system of the Pennsylvania Dutch) in the story. I have always been interested in folk magic , as I call it, but had yet to read anything on this system. Pow-wow magic added another layer of mystery and something deeper, darker to the story. However, for others it will simply strain their suspension of disbelief even further than finding out that a Satyr is the one responsible for the evil of LeHorn's Hollow.
What Keene really managed to get right is a sense of knowing each and every character involved in the book ,in appropriate depth, given their importance to the plot. You know Adam near as well as yourself by the end of the book, broken down marriage, cowardly dog, insecurities and all. At the other end of the spectrum we don't have characters that are built up and then don't play an important role in the story.
Dark Hollow also points a big red arrow at male insecurity. Something tells me that if you are a man reading this book certain things will ring true with you and others will make you squirm in your seat.
In the end Dark Hollow is great read if you like horror. I started out thinking it might be silly reading a horror book about darn satyr. How could a fictional beast be scary? Well, I was proven wrong. Not only is Dark Hollow scary, it is nightmare inducing and well written to boot.