Little Heaven

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Cutter is obviously inspired by King - but what horror author these days isn't inspired by the Master? I think it simply comes back to the fact that too much of the novel felt like "filler", and there were parts that just bored me completely.

At times though, it seemed like Little Heaven didn't know what it wanted to be-between the main cult story, the interactions of the bounty hunters, the current and past time lines, the things in the woods and in the rock-there was a lot going on.I admit that it took a little bit for me to get really into the story, but once the characters were all established and I got a better sense of what was going on, I fell in love and didn't want to put the book down. My favourite parts were the ones set in the past when the mercenaries are living in the compound working through how they will rescue the boy. The pace did pick up a bit but there were still random thoughts/remembrances the characters have that continued to make it drag to me. Instead, Cutter’s story plunges us deeper and deeper into madness, slowly increasing the level of horror around the characters and never letting up.

The religious retreat seems like any other such encampment created by a bunch of Bible-thumpers led by a charismatic Reverend Jones-type huckster; mostly decent if naive and easily led folks seeking an escape from the sins of Babylon (in this case, appropriately, San Francisco, the city from which they fled).Those that are fans of the gory and gruesome may be entertained though but with not being connected to the story or characters I felt I was just continuing to read only to gross myself out. It's like 1980's era Stephen King merged together with the real life tragedy of the Jonestown Massacre. But it kind of made my heart hurt a bit too much along with the lots and lots of nopes that it bubbled up inside of me. I could go on and on about why I enjoyed this book, but also want to limit what I give away to potential readers. All three of them survive, though unbeknownst to two of the three, a third has a grudge going back to childhood that can only be satisfied by blood.

Although formed adequately to catch the reader's empathy, the characters are secondary to that horror.But there is something old and hungry that lives in the wilderness surrounding the compound of Little Heaven, something that doesn't want anyone to leave. Unfortunately I could see them very well in my mind because they were described so well, and honestly a couple of parts in the book made me gag just thinking about how gross and awful it was! The Deep got by on sheer entertainment value, and I was willing to give it as pass for its knowing tributes to movies like Event Horizon, The Thing, and The Abyss. But what’s going on the compound itself is no less horrific, as children begin disappearing, and people turn the other way, never wanting to acknowledge what’s happening.

This really is one hell of a horror story, it just creeps up on you and sinks it’s claws right into your gut and rips everything out.Normally when I’m really loving a book I devour it in no time but with this one I found myself purposely slowing my reading down so I could really savour each moment and wrap my brain around all the gruesome and devilish details.