Title: Horrorstör
Author: Grady Hendrix
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Received via publisher
Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Columbus, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring wardrobes, shattered Brooka glassware, and vandalized Liripip sofa beds clearly, someone or something is up to no good.
To unravel the mystery, five young employees volunteer for a long dusk-till-dawn shift—and they encounter horrors that defy imagination. Along the way, author Grady Hendrix infuses sly social commentary on the nature of work in the new twenty-firstcentury economy.
A traditional haunted house story in a contemporary setting (and full of current fears), Horrorstör comes conveniently packaged in the form of a retail catalog, complete with illustrations of ready-to-assemble furniture and other, more sinister accessories. We promise you’ve never seen anything quite like it!
Okay, seriously. This was such a fascinating concept. A novel, but packaged like an Ikea catalog. A wholly unique and different idea that made the experience of reading this story that much better.
Amy is an employee at Orsk, but she hates it there. Nor does she like her manager, Basil. But one day, Basil asks her and another employee to stay with him and keep a lookout during the night, to figure out what is causing the damage and vandalism that they see every morning. And so it begins...
This is a mystery/horror story. Horror isn't a genre I normally read, but this book, to me, wasn't super scary or anything. I do think that those who may not like horror or creepy things, or may get creeped out easier may not like to read this. I, however, did not lose any sleep over it. But while it didn't make me jump at every noise I heard while home alone, it did keep me on the edge of my seat and wholly immersed in the story.
The characters start out pretty lifeless and unlikable, but they do go through a bit of growth and change, and by the end, they are people that you're rooting for. I didn't really like Amy or Basil at the beginning, but through the events that unfold, you see a different side to them. Trinity was fairly amusing, Ruth Anne was so sweet and nice, and honestly, I still don't know what to make of Matt.
Each chapter starts out with a description of a piece of furniture from Orsk. I mean, down to function and color and item code. Each one has a part in the chapter they preface, but as you go on, you start to notice...this isn't normal furniture anymore...and that's all I'm saying.
This was a great idea, but also a great story. The packaging really added to the story, and made it more intriguing and interesting, and more likely to stand out in my mind. I would highly recommend it.
Amy is an employee at Orsk, but she hates it there. Nor does she like her manager, Basil. But one day, Basil asks her and another employee to stay with him and keep a lookout during the night, to figure out what is causing the damage and vandalism that they see every morning. And so it begins...
This is a mystery/horror story. Horror isn't a genre I normally read, but this book, to me, wasn't super scary or anything. I do think that those who may not like horror or creepy things, or may get creeped out easier may not like to read this. I, however, did not lose any sleep over it. But while it didn't make me jump at every noise I heard while home alone, it did keep me on the edge of my seat and wholly immersed in the story.
The characters start out pretty lifeless and unlikable, but they do go through a bit of growth and change, and by the end, they are people that you're rooting for. I didn't really like Amy or Basil at the beginning, but through the events that unfold, you see a different side to them. Trinity was fairly amusing, Ruth Anne was so sweet and nice, and honestly, I still don't know what to make of Matt.
Each chapter starts out with a description of a piece of furniture from Orsk. I mean, down to function and color and item code. Each one has a part in the chapter they preface, but as you go on, you start to notice...this isn't normal furniture anymore...and that's all I'm saying.
This was a great idea, but also a great story. The packaging really added to the story, and made it more intriguing and interesting, and more likely to stand out in my mind. I would highly recommend it.
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