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Book Review: Malorie: A Bird Box Novel by Josh Malerman

cover of Malorie: A Bird Box Novel

Malorie: A Bird Box Novel by Josh Malerman ( Bookshop.orgAmazon.com )

Del Rey, 2020

ISBN-13: 978-0593156858

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook

 

In a world where sequels and reboots are plentiful, encountering a followup that actually measures up to the original is rare. Malorie, the eagerly awaited sequel to the smash hit Bird Box, equals that debut novel in story, scope, characters and sheer emotional power.

Josh Malerman enters this summer as horror’s reigning rock star, both figuratively and literally (he’s the star of his own band, The High Strung), although to pigeonhole him in a single genre would be unfair. Take a deep dive into the dark western Unbury Carol or his supernatural thriller Black Mad Wheel to experience the breadth of his talent.

Malorie picks up a dozen years after Bird Box left off, with a chaotic scene at the school for the blind where the original concluded. A woman falls prey to the creatures introduced in the first book, that cause their victims to become violent and commit suicide, with our main characters escaping. Skip forward ten years, and Malorie, Olympia, and Tom are holed up in a summer camp, which they have modified to fit their every need. Yet, as teenagers,  it is only a matter of time before the kids, once named “Boy” and “Girl”, open Pandora’s Box, their curiosity overriding Malorie’s strict “parenting by paranoia”.

To state much of the plot would venture into spoiler territory, but the trio do leave their safe zone when a “census taker” visits and informs them that other survivors exist, possibly some that Malorie might know, and that a “blind train” exists, a haven that can deliver them to others like them. Much like the journey in the first book, the thrill is getting there. There’s no river here, just roads, with little to guide the characters.

What occurs when they reach the destination is mind-blowing and is world-building at its finest. For a short novel, Malerman nails it.

Of course, Malerman had zero idea that the pandemic would coincide with the book’s release, and its relationship to current events renders the story that much more effective. The issues of mask/blindfold wearers and the cult who refuse common sense and wish to face the terrors of the creatures we can’t see– and survive– mirror society today in a frightening way. To learn that staying alive can be thwarted by the ignorance and arrogance of a few is terrifyingly timely. Yet, Malerman also keeps it entertaining, with twists and turns, and the return of the only character who can best Malorie. Her fears of Gary’s arrival lingers, until her nightmares morph into reality.

The other concepts are handled with style and care. Is Malorie a solid mom or a paranoid woman who’s holding back her kids from developing into the people they need to be? Her guilt consumes her– and them–  a sensation to which any parent today can readily relate. Are her actions selfishness or altruistic? Both? Neither? The conflict and balancing act Malerman portrays display the compelling character readers fell for in the first novel. It’s easy to see why Malerman decided to return to Malorie’s world. Her damaged psyche makes the novel resonate. A new element elevates the story to another level here: her children. Olympia travels through her books and holds a secret that can either kill the family or deliver them to salvation. Tom’s fascination with inventions and gadgets is more than that of a boy with his toys; he’s determined to reshape his world into one that includes sight. How the pair battle their conflicts with Malorie and her maternal instincts and fractures, is crushing emotionally, raw and eviscerating. What could have been a rehash of Bird Box is transformed into a higher level tale that deserves a film, which is on the way.

What makes Malerman such a star in the literary world, and not just the horror genre, is his writing. It’s unobstrusive, yet inviting. It’s far from simple, yet feels as though he scrawled it out whilfe sitting out back, eyes closed and immersed in the Malorie’s mind. He becomes her and lulls the reader into her being, for a disturbed, exciting, and thoroughly enjoyable ride. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by David Simms

 

 

Book List: Summer Reading Recommendations from the New York Times

“There’s nothing quite like summer to make me long for horror fiction” writes Danielle Trussoni, in introducing great reads in the horror genre for the New York Times for summer 2019.  It’s an interesting list. Of the eight books, five have been published since April, three nominees on this year’s final ballot for the Stoker Award are included, two are reprints from Grady Hendrix’s Paperbacks in Hell imprint, which is a new imprint that reprints older, out-of-print titles, one is an anthology, and one is a translation from French to English. There are a couple by women, which is nice, since they have often been underrepresented. I’ve provided links to reviews for the books we have already reviewed. Take a look and see what appeals for your next vacation read!

 

The Hunger by Alma Katsu (2018, nominee for the 2019 Bram Stoker Award, reviewed here)

Little Darlings by Melanie Goldberg (April 2019)

Song for the Unraveling of the World by Brian Evenson (June 2019)

The Nest by Gregory A. Douglas (April 2019, reprint from the Paperbacks in Hell imprint) The original 1987 novel is reviewed here. Side note: unless you are a real thrill-seeker, this might not be the best choice for your island vacation. However, my husband saw Jaws just before a day of scuba diving, so I know it’ll be a perfect beach read for some of you…

When Darkness Loves Us by Elizabeth Engstrom ( May 2019, also a reprint from Paperbacks in Hell. We reviewed the 2009 book here)

The Laws of the Skies by Gregoire Courtois (May 2019)

Inspection by Josh Malerman (2018, nominee for the 2019 Bram Stoker Award, reviewed here)

Flight or Fright edited by Stephen King and Bev Vincent (2018. Joe Hill’s story in this anthology was a nominee on the final ballot for the  2019 Bram Stoker Award) Side note: I don’t recommend reading this one on a plane.

 

Well, there you have it. All kinds of horror, with something for nearly everyone. This is a great list for starting your summer reading, and whatever you choose, whether it’s from this list or a different resource, I wish you a summer of enjoyable reading!

 

Book Review: Unbury Carol by Josh Malerman

Unbury Carol by Josh Malerman

Del Rey Books, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-0399180163

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook

 

Josh Malerman is arguably the best new writer horror has witnessed in the past decade. His debut novel, Bird Box, was truly original and was recently made into an outstanding movie by Netflix. Black Mad Wheel added a musical touch to the weird and supernatural, Goblin tied six mind-bending tales together into a town that Ray Bradbury and Charles Grant would love, and the recently released Inspection is an intriguing dystopian look at gender roles, education, and parenting.

Unbury Carol takes a sharp left turn into a world familiar to Joe Lansdale and John Wayne. The plot of this Gothic-tinged historical horror novel with a hint of romance whisks readers back to the Old West in the 1800’s, complete with cowboys, stagecoaches, and saloons filled with whiskey, cards, and women.

Carol Evers has a unique medical condition. She can’t stop dying. Literally. She periodically falls into a coma so deep that doctors believe she’s dead. Only a few people are aware of the illness: her awful husband, Dwight; her two friends; and her long-lost love, the outlaw James Moxie.

When the coma hits, Carol freefalls into a dark world she’s named Howltown, a place where she’s not alone, but as in life, cannot move. Dwight decides to go after her fortune and declare her dead. A telegram makes its way to Moxie, twenty years gone from Carol’s life but still pining for her. Moxie hits the infamous Trail, where unspeakable, legendary horrors occur daily, blazing his own path, to save Carol before she is covered by six feet of fresh dirt. He is unaware that a deadly hired gun is hot on his tail, a sadistic man who leaves a path of burned destruction behind him. Meanwhile, Carol fights her own battle within Howltown, struggling to awaken, to move, to let the world know of her husband’s diabolical plans. On the periphery, Rot, an intriguing supernatural character, taunts both Moxie and Carol in their efforts to remain in the land of the living.

This novel begins as a slow burn like the best Western films of the sixties, and slowly catches fire, grasping hold of readers with a strong narrative that feels like what you’d get in a Clint Eastwood movie, if he traded drinks with Stephen King. This book will likely draw some comparisons to some of the greats, but deserves its own category and acclaim.

Unbury Carol is easily one of the best and most original novels readers will love in 2018.

Editor’s note: Unbury Carol is a candidate on the final ballot for the 2018 Bram Stoker Award in the category of Superior Achievement in a Novel.