House

I wish I had never given this novel a chance. I don't even know how I managed to finish it. There was so much wrong with the story that I don't even know where to start. The characters were terribly developed and played a stereotypical role. There was the hot-headed man, and the rational man, and two women who were meant to act like complete idiots, with no shred of independence. I think what bothered me the most was how the women were depicted in this novel. The authors used one character's "psyche" and showed that underneath it all "[she] was a whore". That enraged me to no end. Why does she have to be portrayed in that way? Is that all a woman is meant to be in a horror story? And how dare you use psychology in that way? So, every show more rational and logical woman who works in the field of psychiatry actually has sexual issues and is a depraved whore on the inside?! Oh, and the other woman is the one who has to take the heat for a failed marriage and a family tragedy? And on top of it, she needs to be completely useless?! To make matters worse, the story kept going around in circles, and there was the sudden introduction of another character, who I actually liked and I wish she had had more to her character. And then this story becomes all about sin and goodness and the battle between darkness and light. And now it is suddenly a Christian story. Now, I had not known that the authors write Christian fiction, and to be quite honest, I don't necessarily care because I will read anything and everything and have no bias towards it. But seriously?! It just took an already ridiculous story to a whole new level of crazy. And not in a good way. I could go on and on about every single thing that I disliked about this novel, but I don't want to waste any more time or energy on it. Just ... don't read it. Seriously. Don't read it. show less

Honstly? I was really disappointed by this one. It doesn't live up to the standards set by neither Ted Dekker nor Frank Peretti, but was more the sort of book I'd expect somebody like Stephen King or Dean Koontz to write. The symbolisms were more heavy-handed than even Narnia (don't get me wrong, I love that series, but subtle it is not). To give the book the benefit of doubt it may just be that it's not a book appropriate for audiobook format, and I might have thought differently if I'd read it myself instead.

Jack and Stephanie find themselves lost on a country road while en route to Montgomery, and as evening creeps closer, the unexpected happens when Jack drives their car over a metal strip hidden in the road, shredding the tires and bringing their drive to a halt. Shaken and their nerves already on edge from their poorly stifled arguments in the car, they head for an inn not too far off the road. No staff seems to notice their arrival so they sign in the register and are surprised when Randy and Leslie, two other guests, make their way down the stairs and ask if they work for the inn.

As the foursome explores the inn, they discover that their host, an older woman named Betty, has dinner almost ready for them. As the dinner progresses, they show more begin to notice that something's not quite right about Betty and her family -- stern husband Stewart and leering son Peter. But it isn't until the lights go out and a tin can smashes through the window that they all realize that coming to the inn was a mistake.

Written on the can are three rules about how all the guests can survive the night or perish before dawn. Jack and the others find themselves in a fight for their lives against not only Betty and her family, but a dark force personified by one Barsidious White and his malevolent house, hoping to discover a way through the darkness and every-changing walls of the basement, a place that feels much larger than the small inn above and that seems to know each of their deepest fears.

"House" is a creepy tale, and my favorite thing about the book is the basement area. The constantly shift walls; doors that are there one moment only to disappear the next; mirrors that don't reflect everything they see; they way the atmosphere toys with the minds of Jack, Stephanie, Leslie, and Randy are all incredibly descriptive and imaginative. I became as frantic as the foursome trying to navigate their ways through that maze. The action moves quickly and makes this a book that you don't want to put down because you have to know how it ends. Good stuff, and I highly recommend it. show less

A thrill ride of a book, Dekker and Peretti's House gains momentum quickly, and then doesn't slow down for more than three hundred pages. This might, though, be the biggest problem with the novel--action, horror, violence, and conflict are so incredibly constant in the work that there's never a chance to savor any suspense or horror. Instead, the pace is kept frantic, ever moving forward--it's no exaggeration to say that I was using so much attention and energy to keep up with the plot that I never really had time to feel any fear or worry, or to get that creeping sensation you find when a horror novel really takes hold of your own reality. Am I complaining that the book moved too quickly to really keep me up at night? Yes, a little.

On show more the upside, the characters here are frighteningly believable, and the authors' descriptions are as brutal as they are visual, making this book one heck of a thrill ride. It may well be that they simply tried to fit too much in, though, because this book does have a little bit of everything, and tying it all together in the end felt something like a stretch, even for a horror novel.

All in all, it was a bit messy and chaotic, and it didn't give me the chills I associate with my favorite horror novels, but it was a great piece of entertainment, and more than enough to make me curious about these authors' individual efforts. show less

I have to say, I'm rather tore about this book. On the one hand, I really liked the metaphor here, and I thought it was a really picture of the way we are in sin. On the other hand, it was just a little too lost in fantasy for my tastes (I think horror novels are scarier when they are grounded in reality first, but this one is nothing but wild fantasy that did not connect with me), and I didn't like the characters.

I will say that this is an improvement to the other Dekker novel I have read, where the characters were unlikeable and two-dimensional. At least here they have some depth. But I like Peretti's solo novels a bit better.

This is worth a read as a metaphor for the nature of sin and ourselves, and the freeing power of Christ, but show more as a story I just didn't think it worked. show less

House takes place in the backwoods of Alabama, down a dirt road where only inbreds are really known to reside. When Jack and Stephanie, en route to a marriage counseling session in order to save their failing marriage, take a wrong turn, they quickly find themselves victims of sabotage. Abandoning their care, they walk to the nearest place, an old, rustic inn, where they encounter Randy and Leslie. The four of them soon find themselves caught up in a tale of horror that is best compared to a B-rated horror movie.

I really, really wanted to love this book. It’s no secret that I have a fondness for psychological thrillers and the supernatural, but I was actually hoping for something a bit more on the realistic side of the spectrum. show more Without going into too much detail, I will admit that the resolution for this story probably could have been reached without adding elements of the paranormal. Of course, House is marketed as a supernatural thriller, so its tendency toward the fantastic is expected, even if it does lean a bit on the side of ridiculous.

This book is yet another title with largely flawed and unlovable characters – the sort that are stereotypical for this genre. It’s very easy to imagine characters like Jack, Stephanie, Randy, and Leslie in a movie like Saw because they are, ultimately, a cookie cutter image of horror movie victims. There simply wasn’t much in the way of originality at all.

One of the reasons I absolutely love haunted house/hotel stories is because I like to see the story that has been woven to explain why the locale plays host to the dead. What information we’re given about the house that our quartet encounter is vague. As a result, upon the conclusion of the story, there’s still a few questions left hanging in the air.

At best, this book was meh. As I stated previously, its tale plays out more like a cheesy horror flick than anything truly thrilling. I listened to the audiobook version, and for that reason alone I almost dropped it. The book is narrated by Kevin King, and as a listener with a voice fetish for lack of better words, I found his voice to be extremely grating. I’m glad the audiobook is over and for those who are sensitive to the way certain narrators sound, I recommend simply picking up the book or checking it out at your local library. show less

***SPOILERS***

Entertaining and fast read of yet another "game" in a creepy house with strangers brought together under suspicious circumstances.

The difference with this one is that it's Christian fiction, which gives it a bit of a different flavor and none of the gore, sex, or language that you'd find in a Clive Barker, Joe Hill, or Stephen King book.

With an interesting twist that the horrors in the house are of the guests' own making, with sin directly from their own souls, this delivers frights of the supernatural kind. Angels? Check. Demons? Check. Good vs Evil? Check.

However, it wouldn't be Christian fiction without a salvation message. Of course, in the course of the game, two players see their need for Jesus and it ends well show more for them. The others? Not so much. What happens to the house? Well, I guess you'll have to read it to find out.

It's a very quick and easy read. It probably won't change your life, but it's a recommended read for Halloween month. show less