The Elementals

The Elementals - Michael Rowe, Michael McDowell

First things first, props to Char for recommending this! (Fun fact: I saw that I started writing this review around the time I read this in 2017 so yeahh)

 

I don't read horror much; I'm one of those people that get scared really easily, a fact that lots of people that know me take advantage of. 

 

 

 

 

yeah kinda like that - doesn't matter if the scare makes sense or how elaborate it is, I will scream.

(show spoiler)

 

 

 

A little bit of background: when I was younger I read Stephen King and that dude haunted my dreams turning them into nightmares to the point that I can't for the life of me look at St. Bernard dogs and not think of Cujo. Mind you I was too young to have been reading this. Fast forward: I started 'The Elementals' pretty much at random, I wanted a good horror book to read around Halloween and that was in my kindle. Even though the plot boils down to a haunted house story, this is so much more than that.

 

It's an evenly paced out horror book where an ominous presence is felt when you read it. McDowell takes his time developing the characters and the setting. The result? You are transported in Beldame, Alabama vacationing with an ancient southern family. The whole vibe was reminiscent of 'The Woman in Black', a gothic horror novella that was the basis of the movie with the same name. I really enjoyed reading this as it felt quite like the opposite of Stephen King; Cujo was a wild ride full of suspense but I realized that I relished more the slow unfolding of evil as it was in this book.

 

Since now I'm a proud owner of most of Micheal McDowell's books, which one do you recommend next?