Offspring by Jack Ketchum Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Offspring
Book Review: A good 'Ol horror sequel
Summary: 4 Stars
I have read a lot of reviews of people saying "This is the same story as Off-Season!" Well, this is a horror sequel! Just because friday the 13th part 2 was exactly like part one, Doesn't mean I didn't have a great time watching it. There are some new kills and some new characters that I found very interesting( I really dug the kid Luke and how he took care of the baby.) If you enjoyed Off-Season, I highly recommend this sequel. Of coure its not as good as its Predecessor, but it's still a very entertaining,and well written book.Book Review: A quick, dread-laden read
Summary: 4 Stars
I've read some reviews here that mention that Offspring contains the same basic plot as "Off Season", and well yeah, it sure does. But so does about a thousand other horror offerings from Richard Laymon's "Midnight's Lair" and Tobe Hooper's classic "Texas Chainsaw Massacre."
What makes Ketchum's "Off Season" and "Offspring" different is Ketchum's strong prose and great characterizations. Ketchum can make characters come alive with a few simple sentences enough to make an impact when bad things happen to the good people in the novel. And when bad things happen to bad people, you're both satisfied that justice has been served but repulsed by the horrors that happen.
"Offspring" may not blow you away some of Ketchum's other work does (i.e. "Girl Next Door"), but it is an exercise in mounting dread and quickly turned pages. If you enjoyed "Off Season", there's more than enough here to keep you entertained.
Book Review: Another Ride Into Hell
Summary: 4 Stars
While similar to his first book, Off Season, Ketchum delves more deeply into the characters this time around. The events occur over one long and grueling night where our cannibal family of maniacs decide to go on another killing spree. I think this book wasn't as shocking to me as the first simply because I had read Off Season and knew what to expect. But that didn't lessen the enjoyment of joining retired law enforcement officer George Peters once again as he tries to finally put a stop to the madness. The only complaint I really had was the character of Steven, who just decided to visit his ex-wife and son on the same day of this random slaughter. Did I mention that Steven had just murdered his employer earlier that day and is running from the law? Yeah, that felt like too big a coincidence to me, too. But it's still a thrilling read and I wouldn't mind a third book sometime in the future.Book Review: Cannibalistic, Humanoid, Maine-Coast Dwellers
Summary: 4 Stars
They eat your liver, but no fava beans or chianti. They are helped in their murderous rampage for part of the book by the stereotypical Evil Yuppie (a fairly overused, stock villain, but still effective). Between extremely graphic descriptions of human dissection, and some suspenseful moments of chasing, hiding, and hunter-becomes-hunted, there are some ruminations on evil that are quite substantial and complex. Consider how the cannibals are presented in such a way that we never feel any sympathy for them: a less careful author would've succumbed to the temptation to make these monsters more sympathetic, to give them a hint of caring or affection, at least for one another, if not for their victims. And also consider how flat they would've been if they were unregenerately evil, but w/o a glimpse into their inner thoughts (as they would appear in a torture porn movie version of this) - cackling clowns whooping it up around the fire as human entrails bubble away in the pot. But with their inner thoughts revealed, we have a look at what the author considers the essence of evil - selfish, almost solipsistic brutality (and here the use of the Evil Yuppie as comparison is effective).Book Review: Cannibals and slashers
Summary: 4 Stars
I read some good reviews about this one and it did not dissapoint. Some cannibals who live in a cave attack a cabin in the woods and start killing the people who live there. The cannibals even have cannibal kids that eat people! It's pretty gross but fun and I squirmed at times. In their cave they have some insane beast guy they call the Cow who reminded me of something from a Rob Zombie film. Anyway, there's tons of blood and gore and I recommend this if you like gross horror films. Apparently this is a sequel so I still have to read the first book.