Dreams of Sharp Teeth
Josh's world is crumbling around him. A very sick father, a family on the edge, and he himself hiding a terrifying secret in hopes he can handle it all on his own. He hasn't been on this Earth very long, but he's already accumulated a lifetime's worth of regret, which will in very short order spell the end of him if nothing is done. He's given up, ready to end it all, when he finds an ad that speaks to him. The ad offers up riches beyond anything he could imagine, but those riches come at a price, one that he quickly finds out will test his will and limits beyond anything a person should put themselves through. The only question is, will it be too far for the likes of Josh, or will he find something else within that he never imagined would blossom from his situation.
Brandon takes the reader on a pretty crazy yet straightforward tale of depression, guilt, and trying to find ones way when there is truly nothing left to live for. The writing is solid and the characters are deeply disturbed, but at times the story becomes a little beyond believable, and makes the reader wonder how Josh could pull off what he's doing. It reminded me in a way of the movie The Perfection, and how I kept wondering how the people in the situation they were put in, could do what they did. It's hard to explain without giving away massive spoilers here, so I'll leave it at that. I'm going to stamp this one with a B/B+ because I'm right on the edge.
Plaything
A young boy named Bailey has just gone through the most horrific event in his life, having his best friend perish behind a wall of flames, losing him for all of eternity. He's now in a downward spiral, not knowing what to do with his life, in a family that doesn't know how to even keep itself afloat, let alone deal with his personal problems. In comes Glen, a new boy to the neighborhood, one with his own sordid past. A past that he must keep hidden, unless he wants to never make any friends again. Bailey quickly realizes though, in this small town secrets aren't kept for long, and closets can never be kept shut. Revelations for both boys lead them on a path to destruction, one that neither one will be able to recover from.
Part coming of age story, part horrific tale, this novel by Brandon Ford is very well written, with an extremely vile character at its core. I have read this novel before when I first copy-edited it for Thunderstorm Books, and was asked to review it recently so I wanted to get it fresh in my mind again. I remember very much both enjoying it and being disturbed by it the first time around, and the second reading has not dulled my senses. Not since I had read The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum, have I come across a character someone has put to the page that I've despised this much, and who really got under my skin. Brandon's writing really shines, and I'm definitely giving this one an A.
Dreams of Sharp Teeth is a new release from Brandon! For these and other great titles from Brandon Ford, visit his Amazon author page here.
Written by Kyle Lybeck
Josh's world is crumbling around him. A very sick father, a family on the edge, and he himself hiding a terrifying secret in hopes he can handle it all on his own. He hasn't been on this Earth very long, but he's already accumulated a lifetime's worth of regret, which will in very short order spell the end of him if nothing is done. He's given up, ready to end it all, when he finds an ad that speaks to him. The ad offers up riches beyond anything he could imagine, but those riches come at a price, one that he quickly finds out will test his will and limits beyond anything a person should put themselves through. The only question is, will it be too far for the likes of Josh, or will he find something else within that he never imagined would blossom from his situation.
Brandon takes the reader on a pretty crazy yet straightforward tale of depression, guilt, and trying to find ones way when there is truly nothing left to live for. The writing is solid and the characters are deeply disturbed, but at times the story becomes a little beyond believable, and makes the reader wonder how Josh could pull off what he's doing. It reminded me in a way of the movie The Perfection, and how I kept wondering how the people in the situation they were put in, could do what they did. It's hard to explain without giving away massive spoilers here, so I'll leave it at that. I'm going to stamp this one with a B/B+ because I'm right on the edge.
Plaything
A young boy named Bailey has just gone through the most horrific event in his life, having his best friend perish behind a wall of flames, losing him for all of eternity. He's now in a downward spiral, not knowing what to do with his life, in a family that doesn't know how to even keep itself afloat, let alone deal with his personal problems. In comes Glen, a new boy to the neighborhood, one with his own sordid past. A past that he must keep hidden, unless he wants to never make any friends again. Bailey quickly realizes though, in this small town secrets aren't kept for long, and closets can never be kept shut. Revelations for both boys lead them on a path to destruction, one that neither one will be able to recover from.
Part coming of age story, part horrific tale, this novel by Brandon Ford is very well written, with an extremely vile character at its core. I have read this novel before when I first copy-edited it for Thunderstorm Books, and was asked to review it recently so I wanted to get it fresh in my mind again. I remember very much both enjoying it and being disturbed by it the first time around, and the second reading has not dulled my senses. Not since I had read The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum, have I come across a character someone has put to the page that I've despised this much, and who really got under my skin. Brandon's writing really shines, and I'm definitely giving this one an A.
Dreams of Sharp Teeth is a new release from Brandon! For these and other great titles from Brandon Ford, visit his Amazon author page here.
Written by Kyle Lybeck
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