Reading Sick House is like entering a mangled elevator in a blackout, you only have yourself to blame as the cables snap and you are plunged at break-neck speed into the visceral dark recesses, crushing the maimed corpses of previous terrified passengers along the way. Finally you hit the ground feeling nauseous, dazed and violated, screaming, AGAIN, AGAIN!
Jeff Strand is the master of horror-comedy, I laughed out loud often, a necessary reprieve from the relentless tension, which was relieved only by the sudden, visceral violence, followed swiftly by another witty, sarcastic observation. The writing is nimble and flowing, dragging the reader along from one well-crafted scene to the next, and just when you think things couldn’t get any worse for the unfortunate Gardner family, of course, they do.
The Gardners are in the wrong place at the wrong time as their family home is invaded by intruders from beyond the grave, Boney, Chokey, and stretchy, three ghosts, who in life had been ruthless killers for hire, murdered themselves by a witch named Gina in revenge for her sister’s gruesome murder. The Three Stooges of ghosts have returned, from somewhere that is not quite hell to suck the energy from the house and its occupants so they might return to the land of the living.
The fight for survival begins, and it seems the odds are stacked heavily against the Gardners, Boyd, the father, in desperation even finds himself visiting ‘Not Quite Hell’ in his desperate attempt to save his family. It is here that Jeff Strand’s extraordinary talent for description impresses the most, Boyd’s experiences here are both horrifying and very, very funny. I had to choose a quote from this sequence, it was difficult, there were many worthy of repeating, however, I believe this one sums it up:
‘Many people would love to be a severed head. Less responsibility. Nobody telling you to lose weight. No fish heads protruding from your chest.’
If you enjoy horror, a good ghost story, and are prepared to laugh at some very dark subject matter, I cannot recommend this book enough.
Jeff Strand is the master of horror-comedy, I laughed out loud often, a necessary reprieve from the relentless tension, which was relieved only by the sudden, visceral violence, followed swiftly by another witty, sarcastic observation. The writing is nimble and flowing, dragging the reader along from one well-crafted scene to the next, and just when you think things couldn’t get any worse for the unfortunate Gardner family, of course, they do.
The Gardners are in the wrong place at the wrong time as their family home is invaded by intruders from beyond the grave, Boney, Chokey, and stretchy, three ghosts, who in life had been ruthless killers for hire, murdered themselves by a witch named Gina in revenge for her sister’s gruesome murder. The Three Stooges of ghosts have returned, from somewhere that is not quite hell to suck the energy from the house and its occupants so they might return to the land of the living.
The fight for survival begins, and it seems the odds are stacked heavily against the Gardners, Boyd, the father, in desperation even finds himself visiting ‘Not Quite Hell’ in his desperate attempt to save his family. It is here that Jeff Strand’s extraordinary talent for description impresses the most, Boyd’s experiences here are both horrifying and very, very funny. I had to choose a quote from this sequence, it was difficult, there were many worthy of repeating, however, I believe this one sums it up:
‘Many people would love to be a severed head. Less responsibility. Nobody telling you to lose weight. No fish heads protruding from your chest.’
If you enjoy horror, a good ghost story, and are prepared to laugh at some very dark subject matter, I cannot recommend this book enough.
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