with the chilling undercurrents of secrets and unseen horrors. The protagonist's newfound ability to leave his body and traverse the town in a spectral form unveils a world brimming with demons and concealed evils. The discovery of a century-old serial killer, who shares the protagonist's ability to travel through dreams, adds a terrifying dimension to the story.

Out of Body is quite binge-worthy, and at 176 pages easily consumed in one sitting. The idea here is excellent, and I'm not sure if it just needed to be fleshed out a little more, or if the portion that was written needed to be condensed, and where the story ends becomes the actual taking off point for a really cool adventure, but either way this felt middle of the line for me. There is true talent between the lines though, and I'm looking forward to diving into The Shadow Year and The Twilight Pariah, both of which are on my backlist bookshelf. I'd recommend picking this up for a quick read that dips its toe in the horror genre without getting too scary.

This book was an unfortunate DNF and victim of my 2020 mental health. It was a bit too intense and a bit too creepy/dark for the state of the world at that time for me. It's one I am definitely interested in and would give another try.

-- This review is several years past the release date due to the many issues of 2020, but a huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early copy of the book.

I have elected not to read and review this book due to time constraints. Thank you for the opportunity.

In this book, we follow Owen, a small town librarian who witnesses a murder. He is knocked unconscious and when he wakes up, he discovers he is able to navigate the world while he’s asleep as a kind of spirit. There, he meets a new friend, Melody, who teaches him the rules of this “new world”, where things might not be as innocent as he hoped.

This book had the potential but something got lost on the way. There was not a lot of substance. And the characters were not that interesting. It seemed like nothing was happening for most of the time. When something did happen, it was not good enough to compensate for all the endless dull moments.

All in all, it was just a mediocre read.

De vez en cuando pruebo algunos libros que se salen de mi zona de confort, a veces acierto y otras no. Out of Body, por su corta duración y por la fama del autor parecía una buena oportunidad para hacer una de estas excursiones mías a zonas desconocidas, pero ha resultado ser un fracaso.


El comienzo del libro tiene una premisa a la vez familiar y algo rocambolesca. El protagonista es testigo de un atraco a mano armada y sufre un golpe en la cabeza, que hace que sea capaz de tener experiencias extra corporales mientras duerme. Es un comienzo sorprendente y que puede dar mucho juego. Además, el libro está escrito con mucho oficio y con una prosa elegante, pero lo que empieza casi siendo una novela costumbrista, con las visitas nocturnas de nuestro bibliotecario cotilleando la vida de sus vecinos da un giro al terror que me dejó totalmente descolocada, además de relatar unas escenas de lo más gore con un desapego y una flema que me sorprendió más todavía, como si presenciar el desmembramiento de una persona fuera algo que a un bibliotecario le pasa día sí, día también (las bibliotecas de EE.UU. deben ser lugares peligrosísimos).

Las explicaciones sobre la «vida nocturna» de las personas que tienen este tipo de experiencias también es curiosa, cuando menos, con la amenaza de una miasma capaz de arrancarte de la vida y de la memoria de quienes te conocieron, pero resulta aún más sorprendente que ante semejante amenaza estos viajeros nocturnos no cesen en su afición, atesorando cada momento de sus noches para alejarse de su vida cotidiana.

Tampoco ayuda mucho a que me guste la novela el hecho de que Owen, el protagonista, tenga una personalidad con el atractivo de una ameba reumatoide. Entiendo que quizá sea necesario para darle un aire más onírico a la experiencia, pero es que le falta sangre en las venas.

Siento no poder recomendar esta obra, para mí fallida.

Owen, a small town librarian, witnesses the murder of a young girl during a convenience store robbery and finds himself thereafter having out of body experiences in which he travels the night world and makes some grizzly discoveries. During these OBE's he meets another night walker who teaches him all he needs to know about the night world and its dangers. But even his newfound friend couldn't have warned him about a supernatural serial killer that could mean the end of them all.

Going into this I wasn't sure what to expect but I discovered right away that I liked Ford's style of storytelling. This story was written in a way that kept me interested right from the beginning and I was always curious as to what would happen next. Out of Body definitely took a turn I wasn't expecting and I quite liked it. It turned out to be much more grizzly and dark than I thought it would be and Ford successfully creeped me out and kept me on my toes right through until the end.

This is quite quick to read, being a novella, so if you're looking for something to read in one or two sittings this is perfect for that. I would have been a bit happier with a more solid ending but it was fine. Out of Body isn't a new favorite or anything but it was fun reading experience and it peaked my interest as far as the author goes so I've picked up another title by Ford called Crackpot Palace, a short story collection that I think I'll really like if the stories are in the same vein as this novella.

This is a book that would be good for a broad group of readers since it fits so many categories: horror, thriller, fantasy, and mystery. It's also a bit weird which I often find that I like in a book so if you like unusual stories this is also for you.

A quick and entertaining read for those looking for a story to transport you elsewhere temporarily and tie up all loose ends neatly before you return. In this novella, Ford provides a good sense of the librarian protagonist and the small town in which he lives, propelling the story forward with action and efficiency. It is a story that is suspenseful, but not scary; interesting, but not enthralling; it provides enough of what is promised for a short yet satisfying read.

This was just a little weird and crazy story. I don't even know if I enjoyed it or not, it just that kind of book that gets you in the middle, you know?

I flew through this book! Not only was it a short read, it also kept me on the edge on the seat. I saw this book around the book community a while back and just had to get my hands on a copy. I finished it in one sitting and really enjoyed it.

Out of Body was such an interesting and subtly creepy little read! In this novella, the town librarian witnesses a traumatic murder and subsequently begins to have out of body experiences. These OBEs happen when he is sleeping and he begins to learn the town and its denizens lives more intimately through these OBEs. In exploring his friends and neighbors lives, one night he finds out about a serial killer who has been preying on the people of the town and now he has to figure out what to do about it.

There were many aspects about Out of Body that I didn’t realize creeped me out until I had read them, like the OBE for instance, and how if your tether to your body is severed while you are wandering around, you’ll be lost forever. I also really enjoyed the murder mystery and adventure aspect to this story. The main character is honestly just so wholesome and just wants to help the people in the town read and learn things, I couldn’t help but be drawn to him! At the heart of this story it’s about a good guy trying to overcome a trauma and save his town from an evil that has been eating away at it for years.

My only qualm with this story was that I wish it hadn’t been just a novella! I think this story could have been really interesting and fleshed out as a novel, but I did really enjoy it all the same.

This book peaked my interest with horror, and small town librarian. But, unfortunately, it fell a bit flat for me. This was easy to breeze through, being such a short work of fiction, but ultimately I do think it could have benefitted from being fleshed out a bit more. I wanted more 3-dimensional characters and story development. I think this one might be a good pick for someone who wants to dip their toes into horror, but didn't want to read anything too terrifying.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor.com for a review copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

The cover of this caught my attention right away, and the premise was so interesting that I knew I had to pick it up. I'd never read the author before, and I figured this would be a good place to start.

While I thought the ideas in this novella were really interesting, they didn't feel fully formed and coherently pieced together, so I got the glimmer of a unique plot but not quite the execution of one.

My Thoughts:

- The premise of this was super interesting in a “there’s more to the world than you know” sort of a way. It really speaks to that primal feeling (or maybe fear?) that there’s a whole world lurking out there at night that’s divorced from the world of the day. One where monsters lurk. I wanted to know more about this world. I loved the idea of the librarian playing detective with a nosy old lady (who was absolutely fabulous, by the way). The introduction of the paranormal, even, and the way that there are older, more mysterious things afoot was really interesting, too. I thought the ideas were absolutely great, even if it seemed a bit lacking in execution. I would’ve loved if the novella had been a bit longer to really get a chance to explore these things.

- This felt a bit like two competing storylines shoved together, and it wasn’t long enough for either to feel entirely complete. The beginning is slow. Certainly not what I expected out of something marked as a thriller. It’s also very introspective, and not particularly scary. I thought it was kind of neat to explore the night world. There are “threats” in the night world, but they seemed rather contrived and convenient to me (and I knew right away that they would obviously play a big role in the end of the story, and they did). But what I particularly loved about the night world is the little secrets of people’s lives that the characters collect. I loved the idea that everyone is someone different at night, in the perceived safety of their own home. It really forced the character to reconsider his judgments of people, and it gave me, as the reader, a lot to think on. The end of this book, though? Felt like an episode of Buffy. There was definitely action, and a bit of murder mystery and secrets and supernatural. Which felt very out of place with the beginning of the book, and it sort of popped up out of nowhere. I think both ideas on their own, separated, might have done well, but they just didn’t quite fit together well enough for me.

- Novellas often leave me feeling like I want more, like the story hasn’t had a chance to completely unravel itself, and this was no exception. I didn’t feel like there was time for … well, much of anything, if I’m honest. I didn’t get a good sense of the characters, and the protagonist’s voice was kind of meh. There were hints of interesting quirks about him, but he was at a bit of a humdrum time in his life, and that indifference seemed to seep through to the narrative, which wasn’t all that fun to read. Most things wrapped up fine, I suppose, almost conveniently, but without ever actually resolving anything. It was one of those moments where we’ve taken this journey and by the end, I just sit back and go, “Okay … and?” I enjoyed Ford’s writing style, so it was a pleasant read, but I didn’t get a sense of completeness out of the story. I didn’t sit back and go, “Ah, okay, everything’s come full circle now.”

We're back and better than ever! When a small-town librarian witnesses a murder, he reacts in the oddest possible way: an out-of-body experience. We're talking OUT OF BODY by Jeffrey Ford, set for publication on May 26th! Also featured: throwing down some money for the swear jar, exposition on feelings for The Hunger Games, the ever-pressing question of how you want to be mourned, and much more!

A strange and deliciously creepy little story featuring a relatable introverted small town librarian as its MC. Owen discovers that he can astrally project after an accident. Inside this liminal state - this night world - he gains a greater understanding of people around him. That knowledge comes with far darker aspects and Owen has to decide whether to pay the price. Really enjoyable.

An unusual horror story with a touch of the mystical and undefined. The small-town librarian in this book discovers he can project into...sort of another reality, a parallel universe that's like his, but not. He sleeps, forms and forges deeper connections and understandings with the people around him. But with the knowledge comes a deeper, more malevolent knowledge - and he has to risk himself to save his world.
I liked this book - the connections and ideas were solidly presented, while the characters are interesting. I will look out for more books by this author, for sure.

I think I picked this book for the title. I wasn’t feeling well and wanted to be out of my body, so the concept of having a fictional OBE (out of body experience) was especially appealing. Also, the protagonist is a librarian, in the sort of library that we all imagine but don’t generally see anymore – if they ever really existed – so it felt like kind of a win-win.

And I’ve been flirting with reading a bit more horror, so this looked like it would hit a kind of trifecta. As it did. Even though the blurb doesn’t actually do this one justice. Or describe it terribly well, now that I think about it.

Poor Owen witnesses the death of a young woman while picking up his routine morning coffee and a sweet roll at the mom-and-pop deli where she works. The mom and pop being the victim’s own mom and pop.

The killer pistol whips Owen and shoots her in cold blood for the not nearly enough money in the till to make the whole thing worthwhile as far as a robbery goes. She’s killed while Owen is unconscious after that pistol whipping. So she doesn’t exactly die in his arms.

But once Owen checks himself out of the local hospital he discovers that the incident has left him with more than the nightmares one might expect. He discovers an ability to travel out of his own body while he’s sleeping.

That’s where the real nightmare begins, as Owen discovers that he’s not the only person wandering around outside of his own body, passing through doors and walls and peeping on his neighbors. He finds a mentor who teaches him about, not just the wonders of dream walking, but about the dangers of the things that don’t even make a bump when they terrorize the night.

Escape Rating B: This one gets off to a slow start, not that the murder isn’t a bit of a kickstart. But our protagonist, poor Owen, is not just the local librarian but honestly a cliche of a librarian – except for his being male. He’s shy, introverted, a bit of a milquetoast, thinks of himself as a coward and leads an extremely boring life. In reality, we’re way more interesting and fun than that.

He’s also a bit of a sad sack, as his library and the neighboring libraries, all tiny libraries serving small communities, are being combined into a bigger – and hopefully better – institution serving a wider area. While one’s opinion on whether bigger really IS better, etc., etc., may vary, this is a done deal and Owen’s response is to wallow in his obsolescence. At the grand age of 35.

Once Owen starts night walking, he discovers a fascinating new world with the help of his mentor Melody. Who he has never met in person and has no plans to meet. But the world she introduces him to has wonders and terrors in equal measure, from the fun of bounding across the landscape in giant steps that seem to reach the moon, to the terror of discovering that there are beings who walk the night that can kill them. For reals.

But the true terror comes on them slowly. At first they believe that an old man is being targeted by the same gang that killed the girl in the deli. That’s bad enough. Then they learn that the old man is a monster out of legend, and that he’s been picking off the townspeople for miles around. For at least a century. And storing them in his basement.

And that they are next.

While the descriptions of the basement storage are horrific and gruesome and send chills up the spine, what really stands out is the terror of the cat and mouse game Owen and Melody play with the monster. They each plan to end the other. The winner survives. The loser will die quietly in their sleep. Or worse.

In spite of that slow beginning, this is what I was expecting horror to be. For someone who doesn’t read a lot of horror, the short length worked extremely well. I got just enough to be truly chilled without having it go on so long that I either gave up or turned away.

A chilling time was definitely had by all!

I found that the synopsis was rather misleading.

I found it didn't exactly meet my expectations.  Yes, it was atmospheric, but it also felt longer than it was.  If you've ever read Richard Bachman, you may find this to be of similar style.  I found this book picked up at about the 60% mark.

Unfortunately, the story let me down.  I'm wondering if I hadn't read the synopsis if I would have been better off - enjoyed it more.  It's a good story that had a lot of potential. I will try Jeffrey's writing again in the future to see what he comes up with.

Full review:
http://youngatheartreader.blog/2020/05/25/review-out-of-body-by-jeffrey-ford/

3.5 stars

Given the ratings, I was surprised at how much in enjoyed this slim novel about dream walking and monsters. It’s a odd one.

Concept: ★★★★
Pacing: ★★★
Memorability: ★★★

Out of Body comes out on May 26!

Out of Body is definitely a polarizing novella. For me, it was a clear winner—but that's because it felt like the darker, grown up version of one of my favorite young reads. This reminds me SO MUCH of Scott Westerfeld's The Midnighters.

Owen is a librarian living out his days of monotony in a haze of repetition. He's 35, but he feels both ancient and young. (He dresses like an old-school businessman, yet survives on boxed mac and cheese and frozen pizza.)

One day, Owen witnesses a robbery-turned-murder at his local gas station, where he's viciously knocked out with a head injury. After his head injury, Owen discovers that something about his reality has changed.

Now, he can dream walk. But other things also walk the nights...and not all of them are friendly.

The novel's so short I have to stop there - spoilers!

What I loved:
I LOVED the similarity in concept between this novel and Scott Westerfeld's The Midnighters. Both involve a select group of people who are active during the nighttime due to speculative circumstance. (Beyond that, the concepts are very different.) I loved Owen's bland character—yes, I know that sounds like a negative, but hear me out. Owen's lack of character distinction perfectly represents the feeling of detachment that a surrealist dreamscape requires. It was the perfect amount of distance vs. Other.

What I didn't love:
I can see why others didn't enjoy the pacing of this novel. It was slightly odd, and slow for the beginning bits. However, I think that is also an intentional part of the distanced narrative, so this "negative" was neutral at best for me.

Thank you to TOR via NetGalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this quiet, normcore-horror novella. It isn’t splashy, there isn’t a huge OMG!! moment. It’s creepy. It’s atmospheric. It’s mysterious. The kind of classic-feeling story (it really feels like a long short story? I can’t explain it) where you can really believe in the author’s premise.

Oh, maybe that’s just me, because I’ve definitely experienced sleep paralysis! I know the feeling of mentally and physically jerking yourself awake and out of it - it’s not really that much of a stretch to me that you could potentially jerk yourself into an out of body experience! So the premise really worked for me.

I’m not sure why some readers didn’t find this satisfying - I admit that building the sandbox was the most fun, but playing around in it was fun too! It’s not a fast-paced story, but I didn’t mind wandering around with our main character at all.

I would definitely read more by the author. I’ll keep my eye out.