Review: "Cabin in the Woods" Kind of Feel
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 10, 2012
I am not a fan of horror (movie or book) so I don't really have a point of reference and couldn't really tell you how this book rates as a horror novel.As a general work of fiction, however, it's a solid piece of work.First off, it is a well written, and well edited book. It's kind of sad that such comment needs to be made about a book but I think we have all come across digital books with great plots executed very poorly by sub-par authors. Jimmy Pudge appears to be a "real" author with real talent. The book is organized well, jumping back and forth from present to past but in a way that keeps the plot moving while helping the reader understand the back story and the character's motivation. I liked that Pudge started with the climax; it was kind of like watching Monk where you see the murder first and the fun is in seeing how it is solved/proved.Secondly, I didn't find the gore too gory. There's lots of violence, to be sure, but I didn't feel that it was too graphic. It's a lot of "He ripped his arm off", "He tore his head off", "He bit him in the neck", "he ate his face" etc. There are some scenes that are quite icky (slurping up intestines while the guy is still alive...) but most of the violence is pretty nondescript. I appreciate that there are no "taboo" violence, nothing against kids, the women get off pretty light (though they still die), no defilement, etc. The incest is about as taboo as it gets. Again, being unfamiliar with horror genres, I'm not sure how it compares with other horror novels. It's not that it's NOT gross, it's just that the tone of the book is kind of light (wouldn't go as far as to say it's comedy like some reviewers) so the gore doesn't seem as gory.I do have to disagree with some of the reviewers who feel that the novel gives great insight into Bad Billy. Most of the focus is on his feeding, not really his motivation. You get a little bit of that towards the end but by then the whole insight seems kind of out of place. Maybe if Pudge had spent more time developing Bad Billy as a real character, someone the reader can feel for, the book would be better. However, in doing so, I think he would compromise the levity. It's almost like he was thinking, "Okay, let's see how much more ridiculous I can get... snicker snicker snicker". One reviewer commented that it's like three novels shoved into one. I disagree but I do see what he means. By the end it's like he's throwing everything in, including the kitchen sink. Have you seen Cabin in the Woods? It's kind of like that. He throws in tons of horror/paranormal cliches. It's so absurd I can only imagine that it's an intentional homage/ha-ha to the genre.My only complaint is that I don't see how a 4'7" person who weighs 500lb can fit through a door frame let alone a pick up truck...