Terminal by Brian Keene Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Terminal
Book Review: Focus on Fear
Summary: 5 Stars
In his excellent zombie novels Brian Keene showed that he knows how to write a sprawling, fast-paced epic story with multiple viewpoints. In "Terminal," he shows that he's equally adept at delivering a tight, single-viewpoint story that will tear at your heart as quickly as you can turn the pages.
This book is very reminiscent of the best of Stephen King's early years. Tommy O'Brian is your average American blue-collar worker ... except that he's young and has just learned he has terminal cancer. Then he loses his job. With no way to provide for his wife and son and his days running out quickly, Tommy and his friends Sherm and John decide on a desperate act. And everything goes wrong.
The book is incredibly moving in an emotional sense. The pace is fast, the turns unpredictable and the ending is very satisfying. You won't regret reading this one.
Book Review: Get ready to suspend your disbelief
Summary: 2 Stars
I recently bought a random selection of non-mainstream horror novels, and Terminal happened to be packed on top of the stack in the box. I'm not the type who feels compelled to finish every book I start, so the fact that I made it through all 300+ pages garners an automatic two stars. However, once finished, this book went directly into my "donate to Goodwill" pile--it's not worthy of space on a bookshelf. I had two main problems with Terminal:
1. Tommy O'Brien - Despite one of the quoted accolades on the back cover, Brian Keene's "working-class voice" leads me to believe that Brian Keene has not ever had a conversation with an actual working-class twenty-something. Ultimately, I thought Tommy was a sympathetic main character, but Keene did just about everything he could to prevent readers from identifying with him, from the ridiculous internal monologues full of cliched pop culture references to the endless string of terrible decision-making. In particular, one decision Tommy makes near the climax of the story was especially egregious and nonsensical, almost ruining all of the good-will Keene built for the character in the previous 275 pages.
2. Plot holes - It takes a lot for me to complain about plot holes in a horror story, but when the entire premise of your novel is based on a young man with a wife and child who learns he has terminal, advanced cancer and only a few weeks to live and manages to HIDE this from his family... well, it's hard to recover from that rocky of a start. Perhaps, had his doctor attempted to follow up with him after breaking the devastating news of his impending death... but no, apparently life in a blue-collar Pennsylvania town is so bleak that doctors just wish their terminal patients best of luck and move on. And I think anyone who has had the misfortune and heart-break of seeing a loved one in the last stages of cancer will find his wife's acceptance of his claim that it's just a flu borderline offensive. Unfortunately, the plot holes don't end there, particularly in the actions of one character who goes from "troubled" to "Ted Bundy" in 4 seconds flat. I also felt like the supernatural element was a throw-away, an unnecessary twist that just kind of flew in from left field with no real purpose.
All in all, the action is fast-paced enough to keep me turning the pages, and I don't necessarily feel like I was robbed of hours of my life in reading this book, but there's not a whole lot more positive to say.
Book Review: Good Story Line
Summary: 5 Stars
Another great book from Brian Keene. However, I did notice that he used two of bits of story line and situation with friends in a newer book called ghoul. Overall it was a good story line with a ending that fit the situation.Book Review: Great ending
Summary: 4 Stars
A surprisingly fast read with a melancholy, but highly effective, ending. The overuse of pop culture gets a little annoy and at times dulls the story telling, and some times the hip-hop lingo gets irritating, dog. The pros outweigh the cons, making them easy to look over. I found myself caring for the main character--something that made the ending that much more powerful. It's not monumental, but still a good novel. I recommend it.Book Review: Honest fiction....finally.
Summary: 5 Stars
Brian Keene's TERMINAL is a unique piece of horror/thriller fiction..IT COULD BE REAL....and I beleive most of it to have happened. Powerful is a great description. Mr. Keene shows us the dark human heart...and can relate with what the author shows us...because it is real.
No purple prose..no zombies...no vampires...no witches.
Just pure honest dreading-the-next-page-but-I-have-to-read-it writing.
Brilliant.