The Mall

At first, I thought this would be another yawn-fest. Kid gets lost, unlikable babysitter needs to find kid, unlikable loser can't remember kid being in the store... blah, blah, blah... You know, the type of books that really shouldn't be categorised under horror/thriller? Well I was wrong. It took me a while to get into the book, but when I was past the first couple of chapters things quickly changed and I was drawn into The Mall's bizarre twists and turns. The spooky atmosphere jumps off of the pages, envelops the reader in its shroud of mystery, and then screws with the reader's mind just for the hell of it. It's bloody brilliant!

Like I said, it takes a while to get into the book, but by golly, once you pushed through the show more introductory chapters, you're going to be in for a ride of your life, coming straight from a seemingly unknown mall situated in Johannesburg. Not to mention, the mannequins (Doctor Who fans will remember how creepy mannequins can be), freaked me out! I'll never look at a mannequin the same way again.

Okay, but The Mall isn't just about a weird horror story with creepy characters. S.L. Grey (a collaboration between Sarah Lotz and Louis Greenberg) actually has more to say than what meets the eye. With consumerism, drugs, violence, and negligence present between the lines, it's obvious that this book is much more intelligently written than similar horror novels. Granted, you don't have to dissect the book to enjoy it though...
So, what did I think? Well, my suggestion is that you push through. It starts off a bit lame (the writing is excellent, the plot just kind of drags on for a while), but when you finish the book you're going to sit there and swear off mall's for quite some time. In other words, horror junkies, this is a definite must-read.

(review originally posted on www.tentaclebooks.com) show less

I really enjoyed this book! It was creepy, gross, and disturbing. I've worked in malls so I understand how they can feel "off" after hours or in the service corridors. The way the characters developed and grew was realistic. I kinda want to go to the mall now.

It was supposed to be a quick trip to the mall, make the deal, score a hit and get back before anyone noticed that she, and the kid she was looking after, were missing. But after returning from her dealer to Only Book, the store she left the kid waiting in while she made her transaction, she discovered the kid had disappeared.

A run in with mall security should have been just what she needed, they would find the kid and she could leave, however they are not as helpful as she hoped. Worse still they are threatening to call the cops and with the stash in her pocket there is no way she is going to risk getting taken in. To find the kid she is going to have to take matters into her own hands.

When he left for work that morning he never show more imagined his day would end being held at knife point by a drugged up girl, forced to search behind the scenes at the mall for a kid that has probably already been found is long home by now. But as the detour through the mall becomes more and more dangerous and surreal, he realises he has more important things to worry about.

The mall became a labyrinth, it shouldn't have been possible, he knew the mall and none of these turns and corridors existed. But here they were being chased by monsters in the dark, stumbling over dismembered mannequins and being confronted by a distorted version of reality. Suddenly getting out is not a question of how by why.

The Mall is a gritty, raw and provocative story that turns society inside out and strips it down to expose its discarded, scared and rotting core. Through drugs, violence, consumerism and days spent in a nightmare world on the run for their lives, Rhoda and Dan discover that the life they once had is no longer the life they wish to lead. A thought provoking and chilling read. show less

Dan is an Emo loser who works in a giant bland mall in Johannesburg and Rhoda (a strung out junky) is about to seriously ruin his day, dragging him through back corridors searching for the lost kid she was babysitting. Which is bad enough, but then they get lost, some psycho keeps sending text messages and the power goes. Then something starts chasing them in the dark...

I don't usually like horror novels, grotesque but dull is my usual impression and this proved no exception (use the fact that I also thought this about Dawn of the Dead as your gauge). However I can see it has positives for fans of the genre. It is a refreshing new take on the consumerism/horror melding and it does have some nice set pieces, particularly the descent into show more hellish mall. Darkness and mannequins sure, but also blinding mirrors and dark water and the lost dregs of society. The other mall with its amusing slogans and grotesque inhabitants, are suitably twisted and eerie.

What I can't forgive is it commits the cardinal sin of the genre: characters that are far too stupid to live. Seriously I nearly threw the book at the wall. They are also unlikeable and, I admit I might be picking holes here, but I didn't find them particularly believable either. Talk about twisting to fit the predictable ending. I could rant on but I won't, I don’t think it’s a terrible book but just a very bad fit for me

I can't recommend it but horror fans might want to check out other reviews. show less

I bought this book for the Kindle as part of Amazon's 12 days of Kindle promo. In a nutshell Rhoda (a tough girl with a bad coke habit) 'loses' a child in a shopping mall and is convinced that Dan the emo assistant in the book shop can help her find him, so she forces him into the back corridors of the mall after it's closed. The corridors make no sense with twists and turns, going deeper and deeper underground. They are chased by a snorting, stinking creature whilst at the same time receiving mysterious text messages even though their phones are out of range.

After a series of near misses with revolting people and creatures, they find themselves back in the mall; only this time it looks different. The shop assistants are chained to show more their counters (unless they are on a 'moist' or a 'victual' break) and the shoppers literally shop 'til they drop. McColon's is the venue of choice for assistants to take their victual break. The poster on the door reads Clog your intestines with crap so that you don't get hungry. Want to know more? You'll have to read it to find out.

I'm not sure if I'd describe this a horror or a very very black commentary on consumerism. Either way I enjoyed it, would not have been disappointed even if I'd paid full price for it and would certainly recommend it. Read it... by the way, would you like starchsticks with that? show less

wish i'd known this was the first of a series before reading this. on its own it's just absurd and pointless.

Please read my full review here: http://realbooks4ever.tumblr.com/post/117489507014.