5 Stars
Many people are creeped out by sinister little children, but I think old people are much scarier (cough metaphor for the fear of weakness, helplessness, and our own mortality cough cough) and this book proves it!
Something is happening to the residents in Mercy House retirement home. They’re getting stronger…and are developing a sudden bloodthirsty anger at everyone else.
With multiple POVs we get to experience both the transformation and insanity of the residents, as well as the absolute terror of the staff and visitors who are trying to survive. This is the third Cesare book I’ve read recently and it is my favourite so far (are three books enough to decide to add the author to your list of favourite writers?).
I love a good Zombie horror, and while the old people are closer to Deadites than Zombies (as one of the characters notices as well), the first half of the book feels very much like a zombie story. The survivors are hopelessly outnumbered, they have to try and get through masses of enemies without being seen or heard otherwise they will be attacked. Only these old folks are not mindless killing machines (at least not all of them) but cunning monsters, hellbent on torturing any young person they can get their hands on.
It does lose the Zombie feel towards the end of the book, when there’s less mindless carnage and more scheming, but the gore does not let off. This is the goriest of the three books I’ve read of Cesare. I felt like I needed a shower afterwards because surely all the blood and guts would cling to me after wading through all those mutilations and murders.
I would love to be terrified of a movie adaptation of it, with Clown in a Cornfield being a financial success, perhaps more of his back catalogue will be picked up soon? Until then it seems I have more of his books to find. I’ve come across several new authors who I keep in mind in case I come across more of their work, but Cesare is the first one I will not leave to chance but rather seek out specifically.
Buy or preorder on Bookshop.org UK or Bookshop.org US using my affiliate link.
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