Offspring by Jack Ketchum Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Offspring
Book Review: For all of those who read Off Season and wanted some more
Summary: 4 Stars
I really like this book. Ketchum has a way shocking a reader like no one else in the business. Just when you think you have him figured out, he' throws a changeup. Offspring is an excellent follow up to the gore and violence of Off Season. There are great horror writers and then there is Jack Ketchum - head and shoulders above the rest!Book Review: Good effort...
Summary: 3 Stars
...but ultimately it's nothing more than a rehashed version of the original. This sequel is way too similar to the original novel to merit much attention. Not to be misunderstood because I feel that Jack Ketchum is a gifted storyteller and as was the case with Off Season, he writes an intelligent, cogent and fast paced novel that never fails to either excite and/or repulse. However, when all is said and done, the reader is left with a feeling of deja vu. The story is completely devoid of any element of surprise or originality. If you enjoyed Off Season, you may want to check out Off Spring because it remains a good idea and the story is, again, expertly written but just be cognizant of the fact that you're treading down a very familiar road.Book Review: Impressively gut-churning sequel
Summary: 4 Stars
Follow-up to Ketchum's first gut-churning novel OFF SEASON, OFFSPRING goes into even greater detail of a cannibal, feral family in the wilds of Maine grilling up whatever campers they can find. Unlike the original novel, which starts off slowly before veering into tension-filled, horrific territory, the sequel is just a full-throttle thriller as a group of folks try to survive their encounter with said family. The most impressive part of the book is how much effort Ketchum puts into giving the reader an inside view of the family's animalistic understanding of the world and their struggle to survive in it.Book Review: Loved it, loved it, loved it!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't even begin to say how much I loved this book. Jack Ketchum is fantastic. I'm not going to go into details of the story, like a lot of "reviewers" do. I'm simply going to say that Ketchum is one of the best horror writers I've ever read. The thing that I like most about his writing is that you actually care what happens to the people in his tales. Other writers, Bryan Smith for example, have such shallow, one-dimensional characters who are totally unrealistic...you really can't cheer for any of them. And that doesn't make for an exciting read. Do yourself a favor. Get into Ketchum.Book Review: Maybe I'm missing something...
Summary: 2 Stars
I admit I make a mistake by reading a sequel as the first book I read by Ketchum. The reviews had been good on other novels, and I picked up the first I could find at the bookstore. I've already got a copy of "The Girl Next Door" so I'm willing to give him another chance, but this one did little for me.
While it may not be necessary to read the first one, I'd suggest it would be a great idea. It does take a while to get a feel for what has happened, and that is not a good thing for a book less than 300 pages in length. The narration is downright sparse, sometimes feeling oversimplified. Some characters are fairly well-developed, while others are glossed over, and their fate does not seem contingent upon how much history we have about them. It's like Ketchum couldn't decide who was important, or that he simply got in a hurry. The idea of having names of the children as "First Stolen" or "Second Stolen", man, woman (these are how the children are referred to) simply got old and difficult to follow after a short while. There were a few well-defined scenes that had some shock value, but they were not enough to hold the story together.
Overall, disappointing because of my expectations. Maybe the next one will be an improvement.