Insylum

I’ve had the opportunity to read SUCKERS by Z. Rider earlier this year, and I marked it as one of my favourite books. So obviously, when I saw INSYLUM (and its insane cover) I just had to read it. I was not disappointed. WOAH!

As with SUCKERS, the amount of pure horror in this book is insane. On top of that there is a lot of blood and gore and I absolutely loved it! There is, however, more to this book than just the horror. It’s a fast read, and I was sitting on the edge of my seat for most of it. It’s exciting, thrilling, fast-paced and it will give you chills at some points. There are some plot twists and the ending left me baffled (and somewhat confused, but I think I’ve figured it out).

Overall I very much enjoyed INSYLUM. It was well written, a fast read and it contained a lot of elements I really liked: an asylum/funhouse, loads of blood and gore, weird zombies and horrifying creatures, and enough other freaky horror parts. So,so, so good! I would definitely recommend this to any fan of a good horror novel. And while you’re at it, have a look at SUCKERS!

When I first started Insylum by Z. Rider I thought I was in for a return to splatterpunk. The story starts off great, with atmospheric unease, blood and gore, and some truly disturbing imagery - 'Cherry Bomb Babe' is gonna pop up in my nightmares, I'm sure. The changing points of view from first person to third were interesting, and the slight character development at least let me know what was up with each main character. However, by the end of the book I was feeling rather let down by the denouement. The twist ending undercut the absolute horror of the interactions in the haunted house and gutted what was until then a terrifically insane story.

Still, I would recommend this for fans of horror, and will be reading other books by this author.

This is one of those books that if you read it and then let it digest for a while, it becomes much more than it originally appears. Unfortunately, as this is quite a short story, I can’t go into much detail without giving the game away but I would suggest that if you want to get the most out of it, you don’t take it at face value.

The premise of the story is simple, two friends (Nate and AJ) spend their last night together in a “funhouse” before AJ gets shipped off to Afghanistan. The “funhouse” is not what you would find at Blackpool Pleasure Beach; there is no fun involved. From the entrance, Nate and AJ need to discard all their possessions in exchange for a pair of pyjamas and paper shoes and once inside, they are not allowed to go back - they become inmates/patients.

It doesn’t take long for the shenanigans to begin and we are “treated” to some pretty graphic descriptions of what befalls the participants. I’m quite a hardened horror reader but even some of the “treatments” made me squirm. There were a couple of “tutting” moments though as is usual with horror books (and films) whereby the characters do things that you really wouldn't do in real life but, on the whole, it’s pretty good.

I’m not sure that I can say that the main characters of Nate and AJ are particularly likeable as I didn’t feel myself warming to them at all or particularly caring about what happened to them but they are believable and well developed for such a short story.

I have read another book by Z Rider - Suckers: A Horror Novel - which was thoroughly engrossing and, like this book, has more to it than first meets the eye and I would recommend them both to anyone who enjoys this genre.

Thank you to the publisher, Dark Ride Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in return for an honest review.

This novel is poetically written, the characters are deep, however, this novel failed to excite me throughout its craxy journey. A good little book though

Horrible, awful, the worst nightmare you ever had... these are the words I would use to describe Insylum and I mean them as a big, fat, compliment. Nate and AJ, childhood friends, go to an insane funhouse the night before AJ flies to Afghanistan. Now, I have a love-hate relationship with scary funhouses: they scare me to death but I love them. Insylum is simply crazy! I was terrified of what was coming next, but I couldn’t stop reading (Cherry Bomb Babe, please don’t show up in my nightmares). There is a prologue and an epilogue (both called "bookends"). At first I didn't see how the first part related to the story, but once I read the second bookend it all makes sense. I love Insylum (the book, thank Goodness it is not a real funhouse or I'd go and I'd regret it!). If you're not squeamish and love being scared half to death, this is the book for you. Everybody else beware, it will give you nightmares!