Brett McBean's The Mother is one of the very best horror novels I read in the two-thousands. It is an allegorical tale of a vengeful mother told in a surrealistic, episodic style. I also enjoyed the other books I read by him, but for some reason it took me a while to get to The Awakening.
Unfortunately Brett, one of the most promising writers of his generation, hasn't published much in the past several years. I've seen it all-too-often in the past. A good writer who didn't seem to make the jump to real success. I'm not sure if this is the case with McBean. I hope not. I'd really like to see more by him.
Like many horror writers, Brett is in close touch with his inner child. The Awakening is a coming-of-age story, but he wrote it well before every Tom, Dick, and Harriet tried to emulate the popularity of Stranger Things. Points to him for that.
The Awakening hit some of the cliches. You have your imaginative suburban teen. He and his buddy love horror movie marathons. There's the school bullies. The seemingly unattainable girl he pines over. And of course the ubiquitous creepy old neighbor guy.
The novel is original in other ways. There is a lot of zombi lore in The Awakening. Not George Romero-inspired flesheaters, but walking Haitian dead. The supernatural aspects are not the real threat in the story.
The Awakening is longer than most contemporary horror stories. That also scores points with me. I like it when a talented author takes his or her time with a story and the characters and allows readers to really know them. I felt like I lived, at least for the few days I was reading the book, on the street with young Toby Fairchild.
This is a vivid and compelling story of suspense, with a paranormal slant. Brett McBean took familiar tropes and managed to do something different with them. I won't put The Awakening at the very top of my 2022 reading list, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Written by Mark Sieber
Unfortunately Brett, one of the most promising writers of his generation, hasn't published much in the past several years. I've seen it all-too-often in the past. A good writer who didn't seem to make the jump to real success. I'm not sure if this is the case with McBean. I hope not. I'd really like to see more by him.
Like many horror writers, Brett is in close touch with his inner child. The Awakening is a coming-of-age story, but he wrote it well before every Tom, Dick, and Harriet tried to emulate the popularity of Stranger Things. Points to him for that.The Awakening hit some of the cliches. You have your imaginative suburban teen. He and his buddy love horror movie marathons. There's the school bullies. The seemingly unattainable girl he pines over. And of course the ubiquitous creepy old neighbor guy.
The novel is original in other ways. There is a lot of zombi lore in The Awakening. Not George Romero-inspired flesheaters, but walking Haitian dead. The supernatural aspects are not the real threat in the story.
The Awakening is longer than most contemporary horror stories. That also scores points with me. I like it when a talented author takes his or her time with a story and the characters and allows readers to really know them. I felt like I lived, at least for the few days I was reading the book, on the street with young Toby Fairchild.
This is a vivid and compelling story of suspense, with a paranormal slant. Brett McBean took familiar tropes and managed to do something different with them. I won't put The Awakening at the very top of my 2022 reading list, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Written by Mark Sieber
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