Wildwood Road

This book ultimately can't deliver on a strong setup.

This was so weird and different it was good. One look at the cover and I was hooked. There's a picture of a little ghost girl standing outside a rundown Victorian Mansion that kinda sorta looks like the one at Disney, aaannnd it has my all time favorite place right in the title,(Wildwood). So I gets to thinking and I thinks, "Chad, this very well could be a book about a haunted mansion in Wildwood, you should get it". So I did and was really surprised by how much I liked it, despite the fact it doesn't take place in Wildwood..<br /><br />Micheal and Gillian are a young couple that seem to have it all. Promising careers, lots of friends and popularity, wealth, and most importantly, are very much in love. They attend a Halloween party where both of them get a little tipsy and Micheal attempts to drive home after Gillian passes out in the back seat. While fighting the effects of alcohol and fatigue, Micheal almost runs down a little girl standing along the side of a back country road. After he takes her "home" he awakens something that causes him to become obsessed with said little girl,and changes his wife's personality turning her into a cold and vindictive b*itch. Micheal slowly realizes that he must battle an ancient entity, not just to save the little girl he's become obsessed with, but to save and bring back the woman he loves.

Романът е посветен на Чарлс Л. Грант и е повлиян от неговия стил на писане, но запазва идентичност. Съответно, книгата не е типичен роман, нито за призраци, нито за обитавана къща/зло място, нито за хелоуиин. Вместо това имаме микс от тези три неща и много повече.<br />Запознайте се с Майкъл и Джилиян Дински - млади, успели и много влюбени и щастливи. След едно хелоуинско парти, където май попрекаляват с питиетата и тръгват да се прибират с кола, Майкъл едва не блъска мистериозно момиченце на пътя. След като я закарва до тях, той влиза в странната ѝ ��ъща, където има почти халюциногенно преживяване.<br />Скоро образът на момичето и думите ѝ "Намери ме" започват да го обсебват и да му пречат. Има и видение в което някакви дърти чанти правят нещо на жена му и го предупреждават да не се меси. Видение, след което жена му вече не е същата. Единственото, което остава на Майкъл е да открие въпросната къща и разкрие нейните тайни, ако иска да запази брака и разсъдъка си.

When I see a new novel written by a guy who's mostly known for doing books based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, X-Men, Hellboy, JLA, etc., I usually don't get too excited. Especially if I have sampled his work before and found it severely lacking (in this case, the Buffy novel "Immortal"). But Stephen King vouched for this one, so I figured I'd give it a try. I find King's book recommendations to usually be spot-on, though we seriously differ in musical taste and political opinions. So I gave this one a try...and I'm glad I did. Golden takes what initially seems like typical ghost story fare, and then unexpectedly shifts gears into new territory. The premise of the novel is excellent, but Golden fumbles it just a little, enough so that I wish someone like King--or Koontz, even--had written it and thereby maximized its potential. Golden's writing is good, but very workman-like: He knows how to keep his readers turning pages, but isn't quite able to go any deeper than that. It's a quick, easy read--lighter than cotton candy--but not something that is likely to remain memorable to you years on down the road. Therefore, I wouldn't recommend it to people who read just a few books a year, only to those voracious readers who wouldn't feel their time wasted to read the literary equivalent of a B-movie, albeit a darn good one. There's an awful lot here to like; it's just that Golden leaves a few too many questions unanswered at the end, and I don't really buy into the circumstances of the story. It felt too contrived, and therefore I was never able to fully engross myself in what was happening. The main character doesn't seem very competent at how he deals with the events of the story, and I almost felt that it was pure luck (in addition to the baddies being a lot weaker than I was expecting) that got him through to the end. Golden does a great job of mixing tender scenes in with the morbid ones, but overall the book feels a little too long. Still, its merits outweigh its detriments, and I'll likely be reading Golden again in the near future.

I loved Christopher Golden's prose. He creates great atmosphere, like I was reading some Shirley Jackson. He brings to life on the page a picture of New England. Being from New England myself I may be a little bias. The characters he creates are so memorable. I completely enjoy all his work, and highly recommend his writing.

Not bad, but I had trouble getting into it. Maybe it was just me, because the story really wasn't bad. It definitely had the type of writing that I'm used to from Golden, and the characters were detailed. Although I'm not sure that I actually liked any of them. I didn't dislike them, either. That can be a big problem for me with a book. Indifference is worse than dislike, to me. <br /><br />The horror of the book, the logic of it, it was all entertaining, I just wasn't all that invested in it. His later stuff like Ararat or Snowblind was much more entertaining.<br /><br />Like I said, maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm just in a book rut and can't find the joy of reading lately. It's frustrating. Golden is a fairly talented author and I usually enjoy reading his books, especially when you consider his background with writing Buffy novels. This definitely felt like it could have been one of those.

Michael and Jillian Dansky seem to have it all - a happy marriage, two successful careers, and a bright future. However late one October evening, that changes completely. It's while driving home from a Halloween masquerade that Michael briefly nods off behind the wheel. When he wakes up, he finds a little girl standing beside his car - a little girl who Michael apparently came within a breath of running over.<br /><br />Shaken by her appearance at such a late hour, and concerned that the child isn't wearing the most appropriate clothing for the frigid weather, Michael tries to help her as much as he can. She leads him to a darkened empty house, filled with shadows and haunted by whispers and sends him away with a whisper of her own: "Come find me." With her curious command echoing in his ears, Michael drives back home.<br /><br />In the weeks to come, it's clear that someone - or something - doesn't want the girl found. As much as Michael tries to fulfill the girl's request, he just doesn't seem to be having much luck. And when a cold, cruel, vindictive woman awakens in the guise of his once loving and caring wife, Michael's search shifts slightly. Suddenly his quest isn't just for the missing girl, but for the Jillian he loves and may have lost forever...on Wildwood Road.<br /><br />First of all, let me say that Mareena got this book as a 'just because' gift for herself when she saw that Stephen King had written a blurb for the book, and decided that I could read it as well if I wanted. She knew of Christopher Golden as primarily a young adult author, although she has never read any of his books. So, Mr. Golden is a new author for her to read.<br /><br />In my opinion, this book was very enjoyable and I'm certainly glad to have read it. The story was quite a different treatment of horror from the books that I usually read, and was interesting enough to hold my attention right until the very end. It was well-written and I appreciated that the plot was constantly moving; the pacing never slowed or deteriorated in any way and this story never became dull or boring; at least for me. Overall, I give this book an A!

Golden skillfully manages to blend haunting supernatural imagery, critical human drama, and distressing psychological horror to create a masterpiece that I guarantee will stay with you months after you’ve put Wildwood Road down. <br /> <br />Taking you on a terrifying journey, the plot will sweep you off your feet. The story is original, intense, and erratic. The minute you think you have it all figured out, Golden throws a curve ball you never saw coming, but you’re damn happy to see where it takes you. Also, even though the tale is very detailed, it’s never weighed down with inconsequential page-filler descriptions. In other words, it is simply divine. <br /> <br />The characters are true-to-life personalities filled with doubts, love, and fear, and maintained in honesty. There are no road signs to help them out of their nightmares, they have to rely on their own instincts and intelligence. And that is what makes them stand-out, because you don’t have to question what you would do, it’s already being played out. Golden’s style of writing is, dare I say it, mischievous. He has this ability to convey both repulsiveness and beauty, light and shadow; alternating between pleasure and pain. He is constantly shifting in narration; one minute he is the observer and the next conspirator. But above all that, he is the storyteller. <br /> <br />Burrowing under your skin, the pace is veiled, but constantly active. At first the suspense begins as a minor itch, hardly noticeable. As you go on, the itching becomes more erratic, more painful. By the time you’ve come to the climax of the story, you’ll be half mad. But don’t be fooled, working hand-in-hand with the pace, the atmosphere is the true danger. Oppressive and hostile, the ambience throughout the book will infect you like a virus. The characters’ emotions seem to leak into the air, contaminating it with their fear, hate, and anguish. And I promise, it will get to you. <br /><br />-As posted on Horror-Web.

I've had this book on my shelf for quite a while, and last week I finally decided to give it a try. I've read <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/1178174.Strangewood" title="Strangewood by Christopher Golden" rel="noopener">Strangewood</a>, <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/48428.Straight_On__Til_Morning" title="Straight On 'Til Morning by Christopher Golden" rel="noopener">Straight On 'Til Morning</a>, and <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/536520.The_Myth_Hunters__The_Veil___1_" title="The Myth Hunters (The Veil, #1) by Christopher Golden" rel="noopener">The Myth Hunters</a> by Golden, and loved all three of them, which made me wary of reading this one as I wanted it to measure up to those three, but was unsure if it would. It didn't, but it was still quite an enjoyable read. <br /><br />With Golden's works, one of the thinks I like is that he doesn't let his characters escape from circumstances unscathed. They act in certain ways (whether heroically or not) and there are consequences. Same was true in this story. One character acts out in such a way that made me sorry for him/her, and I felt the emotional pain the actions inflicted on others. And that's why I read dark fantasy/horror--the emotional toll the experience brings to my experiences not just as a reader, but as a husband and father. I find myself asking, "What if that were me? What would I do?" <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/821126.Wildwood_Road" title="Wildwood Road by Christopher Golden" rel="noopener">Wildwood Road</a> had me asking that question over and over. If an author can do that, then they've accomplished most of their mission as far as I'm concerned. <br /><br /><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/821126.Wildwood_Road" title="Wildwood Road by Christopher Golden" rel="noopener">Wildwood Road</a> may not be as good as the other Golden books I've mentioned above (you have to read those, if you enjoy your dark fantasy/horror with lots of emotional punch), but it's a heck of a lot better than most of the stuff out there today. <br /><br />3.5 stars. <br /><br />Keep up the excellent work, Mr. Golden!

Michael and Jillian Dansky have a good life. Their careers are on the rise, they have good friends and family. Most importantly, they have a deep and passionate love for each other. They get each other. All of that's about to change...<br /><br />Driving home from a Halloween party, Michael narrowly misses hitting a little girl. With Jillian sleeping off cocktails in the back seat, Michael drives the little girl home. So why is he seeing her everywhere now? On the side of the road, in his dreams, in the corner of his bedroom at 3am...<br /><br />Everything's changing. Michael becomes obsessed with his lost girl. Jillian has lost everything good inside her. She's not just cranky, she's vile. The venom she puts forth could cost her a marriage, a job, her political aspirations. So why doesn't she care?<br /><br />This is a deeply suspensful thriller. Golden describes the downfall of the Danskys with perfect clarity. He spins a mystical web of lost girls and women. The resolution fell a little short for me, but not enough to spoil my enjoyment of the book. My rating: 4/5