Terminal by Brian Keene Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Terminal
Book Review: Chilling
Summary: 4 Stars
This is an unusual mix. Well-drawn characters, a setting that feels real because it is, a welcome blue-collar sensitivity, clever wit and a way with words, and the ability to gross you out whenever the author damn well feels like it. Keene's won two Bram Stoker awards, and I suppose we classify this novel as horror or something, although it's coming at you from real life. No doubt that's part of why it's so effective.
Okay, that was my first impression. Later on, it moved into suspense. Still later, I noted that the spine said "suspense." Correct! But what made it even better for me was that dark beginning. The author grabs you and makes you care. I love this book, okay?
The tagline: "With one month to live, there's still time for one last horrific mistake." The best ideas seem so simple and obvious, don't they? Not in the hands of a master. The inevitable comparisons to Stephen King -- and I really hate to hear those just on general principle -- might not be wrong. I also concluded early on that he'd read some Elmore Leonard, and he said as much near the end. All in all, a very satisfying read.
Book Review: Chilling Choices
Summary: 5 Stars
Terminal is all about choices, and how we deal with what life hands us. Of course, no Brian Keene novel is ever simple or two-dimensional. As always, his characterization, plot pace, and imagery are extraordinary.
Centered on a 25 year old who finds out he has around one month to live since he has terminal cancer. He is going to leave a wife and child behind in desperate poverty, which he finds unconscionable. The choices he makes thereafter lead him and every one around him down a blood soaked horrific slide into hell. Add into that a good dose of comic book references (one of the things I like best about Keene), and icon imagery, and you have the stage for a truly magnificent novel.
Keene's strong suit is his characters. They come alive in your mind, more so than many modern authors are capable of rendering. Keene has the uncanny talent of offering you enough detail of a character's background without over indulging in the exercise. You find yourself caring about everyone, which makes the end of the book that much more gripping.
Really, the only downside I find in this novel and Keene's other work is it's nearly impossible to put down. So plan ahead and start it on a weekend when you won't have to walk away from this truly magnificent work of suspense fiction.
Highest Recommendations!
Book Review: Compelling But Predictable
Summary: 3 Stars
I have mixed feelings for Brian Keene's Terminal. Selfishly, I originally didn't want to buy this book because I enjoy Brian's horror stories so much, I thought that if Terminal did well, he'd leave the horror genre behind and write straight fiction like Robert McCammon did. We need Brian to continue writing horror! But eventually I caved in and gave Terminal a chance.
The buildup for the first half is quite good and feels very real (except for the clichéd Wallace scene in the alley). However, when the action really starts, the smooth, colorful writing becomes forced with awkward scenes of violence (the coincidence with Kelvin was ridiculous) that made me think Brian was doing what he thought was best for a Terminal action movie and not what's best for the story and characters he so carefully fleshed out. Although I liked the gimmick with Benjy, again, it felt out of place in this story.
The clichéd hostages in the bank bothered me as well. In this small bank with three employees, you have the following customers from all walks of life -- a bible thumper, an undercover cop, a comic book geek, an old man with a heart problem, an old boyfriend of a teller, a woman with a child, etc. If Tommy and his gang were watching the bank and doing their job, why didn't they simply wait until the majority of the customers left the bank? The front window is established as large and the interior clearly visable. Still, Terminal has a few surprises and a likable protagonist. It's definitely worth a look.
On a side note, I don't know why this book was nominated for A Bram Stoker award. It is not that the quality is not there, but simply, it is NOT A HORROR NOVEL.
Book Review: Dog Day Afternoon.... with a Keene twist
Summary: 4 Stars
I read Terminal solely based on the fact that it was written by Brian Keene. I had already read "The Rising," "City of the Dead," and "The Conqueror Worms" by the time I discovered "Terminal" and having enjoyed those three I figured it was necessary to check this one out.
I wasn't disappointed. First off, if you read the back cover you should realize that this isn't the type of Keene story that he's come to be known for. It's not about Zombies or creatures or monsters or cults or anything like that. There IS a supernatural like twist to it but at its heart it's the story of a dying man doing what he can to support his family and a bank robbery gone horribly wrong. It's Dog Day Afternoon if Pacino was dying... with a little Twilight Zone mixed in.
Fans of Keene's splatterpunk Zombie novels will not get the same treatment from this novel but it is a well-written story that stays, for the most part, grounded in a reality we can accept without too much of a stretch. The characters are well-defined if not one-dimensional at times, and the surprise ending caused me to literally say "ohhh DAMN!" although in coarser language.
If you like Brian Keene's style then it's worth checking out. If you like Dog Day Afternoon and The Twilight Zone than pick this up and enjoy the best of both worlds.
Book Review: Engrossing
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an excellent lightning-paced suspense novel. Keene takes on a tone and style that will surprise those who only know his work through the RISING/CITY OF THE DEAD books.
Keene takes about two pages to win you over, as the main character, a hard-luck young man trying to support his family in a PA town with a desolate economy, is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Things then get seriously messed up when he decides to provide for their future by going all out.
The dialouge is dead-on, no plot holes found, this is just a great read. All lovers of dark fiction with heart should check this out.