Tense, gripping action with a powerful conclusion from a rising star in the world of suspense-driven horror. What Waits in the Shadows ticks a lot of the boxes I look for in a good, clean, horror fix. Characters that don't feel like we've seen them in every movie ever. Writing that doesn't read like a ChatGPT copy-paste. Set pieces dripping with movielike imagery, which I'd describe as darkly vivid, if that makes any sense - evoking the glory days of hall of fame directors like Wes Craven and John Carpenter. Psychological horror a few dismemberments short of going full splatter without shying away from a healthy, sticky dollop of gore or slime or other offensive substances when called for.
The plot and cast of characters didn't strike me as formulaic, but I /was/ pleased to find my personal favorite horror trope featured, in which innocence and heroism tend to be rewarded while naughtiness tends to be punished in gross, creative and final ways. Pretty much the opposite of real life. But I digress.
Unexpected twists drive to a third act reveal that really got me thinking. Horror is often impersonal - ravening monster butchers a bunch of people until one lucks out and kills it, or dies trying - but Forbis found a way to make it personal: an original take on the concept and motivation of an entity personally seeking to torment the protagonist into the grave...and beyond.
If classic horror from the 80s and 90s gets your brain to make the chemical, you'll feel at right at home in this book. If home was a drafty, creaky house that never let you rest or leave until the time was right to drag you down into oblivion.
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Reviews with images
Shiver-inducing Horror
This was a creative, shiver-inducing read that was truly something else I’ve never seen in the horror genre yet.It was my first read by this author, and for it being his first novel, I think he did a phenomenal job.What Waits in the Shadows only amplified my fear of the dark, and as a 32 year old adult, I’m not afraid to admit I am still afraid of the dark (and now the shadows lurking in the dark). Wil Forbis truly knew how to make you question your own sanity. Did she really see that? Was it all in her head? Is reality breaking apart?The imagery he produces with his writing is sometimes quite grotesque, which I love, and will leave your stomach churning, and leave you feeling queasy.Our MC, Lisa, has quite the character development, going from a timid, scared woman to a badass by the end of the book where you’re rooting for her and cheering her on. I loved seeing her develop into her own being.I truly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read more from this author.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2024
This was a creative, shiver-inducing read that was truly something else I’ve never seen in the horror genre yet.
It was my first read by this author, and for it being his first novel, I think he did a phenomenal job.
What Waits in the Shadows only amplified my fear of the dark, and as a 32 year old adult, I’m not afraid to admit I am still afraid of the dark (and now the shadows lurking in the dark). Wil Forbis truly knew how to make you question your own sanity. Did she really see that? Was it all in her head? Is reality breaking apart?
The imagery he produces with his writing is sometimes quite grotesque, which I love, and will leave your stomach churning, and leave you feeling queasy.
Our MC, Lisa, has quite the character development, going from a timid, scared woman to a badass by the end of the book where you’re rooting for her and cheering her on. I loved seeing her develop into her own being.
I truly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read more from this author.
It was my first read by this author, and for it being his first novel, I think he did a phenomenal job.
What Waits in the Shadows only amplified my fear of the dark, and as a 32 year old adult, I’m not afraid to admit I am still afraid of the dark (and now the shadows lurking in the dark). Wil Forbis truly knew how to make you question your own sanity. Did she really see that? Was it all in her head? Is reality breaking apart?
The imagery he produces with his writing is sometimes quite grotesque, which I love, and will leave your stomach churning, and leave you feeling queasy.
Our MC, Lisa, has quite the character development, going from a timid, scared woman to a badass by the end of the book where you’re rooting for her and cheering her on. I loved seeing her develop into her own being.
I truly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read more from this author.
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