Creepy, eerie, something that keeps you on the edge of your seat, everything i want in a horror book.
I have not seen the film, but i will definitely check it out.

Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC read!

I've seen the film, long ago, but have only a fuzzy recollection. I'll need to revisit it sometime soon. That being said, I was interested in the novelization. I didn't think I've read a book that was written from a film and not the other way around before.

This was slow and a little difficult to follow the various characters. It definitely felt like a visual would have helped the story along, especially where the sessions themselves were concerned. I didn't feel much creeping sense of dread and felt like I probably should have.

You won't get much action until the last maybe 15% of the book.

Ultimately it's interesting, but didn't grab me or spook me. I think if you're a fan of the movie and know it better than I do, this might be a cool companion to it. It just didn't quite hit for me, but it was quick and well written.

I have not seen the film but i really enjoyed this book any way. It's a ride! Creepy, disturbing and it has a very eerie feeling to it. I received a free eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity.

Session 9 The Official Novelization, is based on the classic 2001 motion picture by acclaimed director Brad Anderson. Released 23 years after the film first haunted audiences, this new novel by horror and dark fantasy author Christian Francis arrives just in time for the spooky season, promising to deliver a wealth of fresh nightmares to a new generation. 

Wow, this was one fun read!
I admit I am not familar with the movie of the same name, but I haven't watched many of the more modern horror movies.

Session 9 has such a slow creeping sense of dread and eeriness. You knew working in an old abandoned insane asylum was going to be trouble especially with everyone on the crew having some issue or other but the way Francis slowly drew you in, making you care about each of them before hitting you with the real scares.

He kept you just enough off balance to make it impossible to put this book down until you found out what happened and what was going to happen. That is true skill.
Definitely a novel that you can devour in one setting. And I know I'll be looking to stream the movie tonight, because it is the perfect scare for this season.

I highly recommend Session 9 for all lovers of good horror novels, and no need to have seen the movie to enjoy this treat.

Thanks to @netgalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I first saw the movie years ago and loved it. As a therapist myself it was so interesting and engaging. When I saw the it was now in a book form, I couldn’t wait to revisit the story! The author did a fantastic job drawing the reader in, describing it so detailed and keeping me wanting to read the next chapter. I highly recommend this creepy read!

I just recently started reading movie novelizations. I’ve seen Session 9, but not for a long time so I didn’t remember a lot of the details. I really enjoyed reading about Danvers Asylum and all the awful things that happened there.

An asbestos team is hired to clean abandoned Danvers Asylum so that it can be repurposed as a town hall. Things start getting weird fairly fast. The head of the asbestos crew, Gordon, seems desperate for the job and his vibe is off. One of the crew members disappears and the others are seeing and hearing strange things. Is the place haunted? Is the asbestos messing with their heads?

Short and brutal read.

I'd like to thank the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. It was atmospheric, creepy, and unsettling, as well as the perfect almost Halloween read. The tension building was very effective. While I generally am more entertained than creeped out by scary books and movies, this one had me on edge a few times with nerves, waiting to see what happened next.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an eARC copy of Session 9 by Christian Francis, Brad Anderson, Stephen Gevedon.

Session 9 The Official Novelization, is based on the classic 2001 motion picture directed by Brad Anderson and comes back 23 years later by writer Christian Francis. The novelization also includes an introduction by Brad Anderson, who goes into detail about how he and his partners found Danvers State Hospital and their exploration leading up to the hospital becoming the backdrop for the film. But, I have to say that Christian Francis did an extraordinary job turning Session 9 into a novelization, especially after 23 years of the films release. He takes the slow-burning suspense and unsettling sense of dread that the film portrayed and makes you feel it alongside the asbestos removal crew, really making you question if you too are joining the crew as they descend into paranoia and madness little by little. The story also wonderfully combines the history with the plot, which really helps build the tension and the fragility of the human mind once something bad has been learned. Those who saw and those who did not, will love this novelization, especially if there is an appreciation of atmospheric and psychological horror.

🐱 Favourite quote:

"It lives in the weak and the wounded."


🐈 My thoughts:

I confess I haven't seen the film, but the promise of a creepy, abandoned asylum was enough to convince me to read the book.

I read this in less than 24 hours, and I really enjoyed it. It is fast-paced and kept me hooked from the beginning. I loved the eerie atmosphere, and the gory details are spot-on. I felt spooked a couple of times.

The details about the extreme medical procedures, the patients' backgrounds, and their misfortunes made this book even creepier. Human nature never ceases to surprise me.

I definitely recommend it! Will have to put my big girl pants on and watch the film now.

This was ok. I must have seen the movie even though I went into this book thinking that I had not. I forgot the ending twist.

It did keep me up late wanting to finish so that's a plus.

The editing in this was sub par. It definitely needs more looking over.

Personally, so much more could have been done with the story given the location.

Session 9 exceeded my expectations, and I absolutely loved it! As a huge fan of the film, I wasn’t sure how the book would compare, but it completely blew me away. The atmosphere was even more intense, and the way the book delves deeper into the characters' minds and the chilling history of the abandoned asylum is masterful. It’s gripping from start to finish, with tension building on every page. The eerie setting and psychological horror were taken to a new level, making the book even better than the film. I couldn't put it down! Highly recommended for horror fans.

This is a very well done novelization of one of my favorite horror films. It manages to capture the wonderfully creepy atmosphere and palpable dread that the movie delivers.

The story follows an asbestos abatement crew whose current project is cleaning up an abandoned insane asylum. As the novel progresses the crew learns more about the hospital's sordid history and that many bad memories still live within its walls.

There are a few minor grammatical issues and a couple mixups with speakers names that could use a bit of quick editing. Also there is one plot addition which wasn't in the movie, that I don't necessarily care for, but it didn't diminish the effectiveness of the story. Overall it was an unsettling and enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend it to those who like horror that quietly creeps under your skin.

Do you ever read a book and you're mad at yourself for believing in people's reviews that said the book was amazing? I don't get the praises. Oh my if I was bored and partially confused, and zero intrigued.
The writing is good and the plot sounds amazing. I guess that as I didn't watch the movie maybe tha was the problem, but a book should be good without the need of watching something before. Now I don't want to watch the movie neither hahaha, sorry.
I wanted a horror story, as promised but hey if you like an extremely light mystery maybe you'd like this one. I don't think it's horror as netgalley said it was. There was nothing horrific, and also 90% of the book is a weird confusing mix of stuff happening.
I repeat, maybe if you watched the movie some years ago then you'll enjoy this book but, personally, I didn't enjoy it. I feel I was lied to.
Thank you netgalley, publisher and authors for my arc of this book. Publication Day October 4 2024

Although I found this slightly slow to get started, it definitely picked up the pace! Creepy and atmospheric, the build up to the final crescendo was well done and very effective. Spooky and insidious, without being deliberately overdone or too gruesome, definitely a good one for horror fans, whether you have seen the original movie or not!

Session 9: The Official Novelization by Christian Francis offers a fresh take on Brad Anderson’s chilling 2001 horror classic. Perfectly timed for Halloween, this adaptation is a must-read for horror fans.

Francis, known for his brilliant novelizations, immerses readers in the eerie world of Danvers State Hospital, building on the film's original atmosphere of dread. His vivid writing adds new depth, offering a closer look at the characters' thoughts and fears. By expanding on the screenplay, he creates a gripping psychological horror that delves deeper than the film, making for an even more unsettling experience.

The novel unearths dark secrets buried within the asylum, pulling readers into a nightmarish spiral that lingers long after the final page. Each chapter builds on the tension, introducing fresh horrors that will grip both fans of the film and newcomers to the story.

In Session 9, Francis expertly honours the iconic film while creating something that stands strong on its own. This book is essential for any horror enthusiast, a journey into madness that will stay with you long after the lights go out.

Usually I enjoy tales about hauntings and asylums and anything spooky but it seemed very...disjointed and the style of writing didn't 'grab' me.
Gave up around 1/4 into the book as I was having to force myself to read and I wasn't enjoying it any more the further I went in.

This book just wasn't for me, but sure it will appeal to many others!

Session 9 had me intrigued from the start. You can sense from the very beginning that things are bound to go wrong—why anyone would commit to a week-long job in an abandoned asylum/hospital is beyond me! The backdrop and psychiatric elements were really interesting, and while it wasn’t exactly scary, the atmosphere and your own imagination do a lot of the work to make it creepy. I mean, who would want to wander alone in an old, empty asylum at night? Not me.

That said, I had a bit of trouble visualizing the characters, and they didn’t feel fully fleshed out. The moments that should have felt tense or scary often played like movie jump-scare scenes but without the same impact. By the 75% mark, it didn’t really feel like a story anymore, more like a series of short scenes clipped together.

The final part? Honestly, a bit all over the place and didn’t feel very realistic. I didn’t expect Gordon to spiral the way he did. All in all, I enjoyed the setting and the DID (dissociative identity disorder) aspect, but the story could’ve used another layer of depth—whether in the characters, atmosphere, or the location. I’ll definitely need to check out the movie.

Christian Francis’ Session 9 novelization is a spine-chilling expansion of Brad Anderson’s 2001 cult classic film, promising a fresh wave of horror for both long-time fans and new readers alike. Released over two decades after the original movie, Francis reimagines the eerie tale of a cleaning crew uncovering dark secrets in the infamous Danvers State Hospital. As a horror author with a track record of effective novelizations (Wishmaster, Vamp), Francis is well-equipped to bring Anderson’s atmospheric dread to the page.

One of the most striking aspects of the novel is how Francis delves deeper into the characters’ psychological unraveling. Fans of the film will recognize the familiar tension and dread, but Francis offers additional layers that provide further insight into each crew member’s descent into madness. His skillful prose captures the oppressive, decaying presence of the hospital itself, making the setting feel even more alive and haunting on the page.

What truly elevates Session 9 as a novelization is the expansion of the film’s themes. Francis doesn’t simply retell the story; he digs into the nuances of fear, trauma, and guilt that underpin the characters’ interactions and their growing paranoia. This new exploration, coupled with Francis’ eerie descriptions, gives the story fresh life while staying faithful to Anderson’s original vision.

For readers who love psychological horror, Session 9 provides the perfect blend of slow-burn tension and mind-bending twists. Francis successfully captures the unsettling ambiguity of the film, leaving readers questioning reality just as much as the characters do. Whether you’re a fan of the movie or a newcomer to the story, this novelization offers a deeply atmospheric and haunting experience that lingers long after the final page.

Overall, Session 9 is a must-read for horror enthusiasts looking to revisit the dread and psychological intensity of one of the genre’s hidden gems. Francis’ respect for the source material, combined with his dark, immersive writing, makes this novelization a fitting tribute to a beloved horror classic.

I saw the movie years ago and thought I'd give the book a try.
A slow burn into utter chaos! What a ride!

#NetGalley

This was a fairly good movie, if I recall, so I was looking forward to reading this novelization expecting to get more meat to the story. Inner monologuing is bare bones here, folks; you are left even less connected to the characters. There was no explorstion of the story and this mostly feels like expanded stage direction. However, it's a good story and much like the movie, I enjoyed my time in it. It is an eerie view of the breakdown of friendships, relationship, and the human mind set in a crumbling, asbestos filled abandoned asylum so what's not to love?