Ghoul by Brian Keene Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Ghoul
Book Review: Best Keene Novel
Summary: 4 Stars
I've read many of Brian Keene's novels and I think this one is his best. The number one reason: the characters. The second reason: the setting. Think of the movie Stand By Me--and then add a pinch of the 1980's--and finally add a pulpy monster: the ancient ghoul. With a mostly adolescent cast--this one's got that YA feel. As a result, the novel also has a YA sensibility. Great story here--and a surprisingly emotional story. As a character-driven tale, it's really one of the few Keene novels that will actually tug at your heart.Book Review: Brian Keene's BEST WORK
Summary: 5 Stars
Ghoul is a fantastic horror story told in a manner that allows the reader to play it out in his mind like a movie. The plot is such that you can picture every moment of the tale as it is being told by Brian Keene. It is set in 1984 and Keene does a great job of capturing the feel of that summer. It is a coming of age story of three 12 year old boys who find out that everything they have been told by adults about monsters is a lie. They also find out that not all monsters live in the graveyard...some live in the same house with them.
It's "Stand By Me" meets "Night of the Living Dead". Funny, Sad and Scarry as Hell. I am a Zombie guy by nature, but Ghoul is just good old fasion story telling that will work for any type of horror fan.
Book Review: Brian Keene's ode to A Boys'Life
Summary: 3 Stars
welcome to the summer before adulthood everybody! Three pre-teen boys,one hot summer,and adventure abounds! No, not really. Three teen-boys the summer of 1984,add an alcoholic incestous mother and a drunken physically abusive father and now youre cooking. The ghoul is almost a secondary character. A very light explanation as to what it really is but thats about it. very low gore factor. It mostly is about the boys summer before they grow up --a good vs evil scenario if you will. A little dragged out i thought and very cliched. The adults dont belive,blah,blah,blah...and so on and so on. Lets just put it this way --- if it wasnt classified as an horror novel and it didnt have the ghoul in it at all, even as a minor character, it would have sucked balls. Sorry Mr.Keene youre losing me. But hey look on the bright side-- at least it wasnt about the end of the world!Book Review: Character Driven Horror Abroad
Summary: 3 Stars
Ghoul is Brian Keene's first novel I've read. Most say I should have started with The Rising, moved onto City of the Dead, and then went with Ghouls and following that with The Conqueror Worms. Do I agree? I'm fine with the order I've decided. And why?
Because I was quite surprised when I sat down to read Ghoul. After coming off of reading two fast paced horror novels, I expected the same from Ghoul. I didn't get that. Within the first half of the book, all I got was character development of three pre-teen kids who want nothing but an amazing summer and instead have to deal with monsters; monsters of the supernatural and of the natural kind.
Am I actually complaining, though? Absolutely not. I really begin to delve into our three main protagonists' lives. Their summer began to be taken away by murder, mystery, and the worst of all, dealing with parents (the metaphorical monsters in Ghoul) who do the worst to and for their kids. I felt like these kids were my own pals by the middle of the book, and some of the things that happened to them literally broke my heart.
As for the story of the titular ghoul, I loved the lore that Keene created for it. It was a vicious creature. It's ability to speak and control was a great contrast to the parental monsters the kids dealt with. And Keene didn't hold back with the ghoul. It was a pretty straight forward heartless (aside from his womens) character.
I really liked Keene's way of storytelling. His characters are fully developed and brought me into the story even more. One thing that I could have done without were the many many references to the 80s - the time when the story takes place. It was neat to read some of them, but during the first half of the book they just kept coming. I do appreciate Keene for making a note in the beginning of the book that some references to the 80s may not be a timeological order. I do smile thinking about the nostalgic feeling that i was given, though.
In the vein of 80s classics like The Monster Squad, The Goonies, and The Lost Boys, Keene captured the very essence of 12 year old souls wanting to enjoy an amazing summer only to discover monsters living under the feet, and in their own house.
Book Review: Coming of Age in a Terrifying Way
Summary: 5 Stars
Ever since he penned "The Rising", a now legendary piece of zombie fiction, Brian Keene has been at the top of my must-read list. He's shown us in the past that he excels at writing post-apocalyptic horror on a grand scale. With "Ghoul", Keene manages to prove that he has far more talent in store for us.
In the same way that King reminisced on youth with "It" and "The Body", here the author masterfully takes the reader back to 1984. To anyone who was a boy at this time, it will feel as if your memories have been poured out onto the page. Keene not only captures the culture of the era, but also tells it through the eyes of three vivid young boys who come to life as you read.
Three boyhood friends. One summer that promises never to end. And a series of nightmares, both natural and supernatural in variety. This is a story that goes far beyond suspesnse and gore (although both appear in healthy doses), proving that sometimes the greatest horrors in life are the ones we live with every day. The abandonment of youth. The transition from boy to man. The horrors of secrets kept, and the scars they leave behind.
Horror fans rejoice, for The King has found a worthy heir to the throne.