Kim Deister
Written on Jun 1, 2011
Hitchhiker is the first installment of the As Darkness Falls series, a short novella full of horror and action. It was an interesting twist on the genre, with not just one bad guy, but two, who have met in an unlikely coicidence. There was a bit of a "story within a story" with one of the main characters, Ron, which was told in a very disjointed way, but intentionally so. That disjointed style definately enhanced the feeling of madness within the character and I thought it was a creative technique. As much as I appreciated the technique and the style, it just didn't really grab me as much as I wanted it to. I think maybe in this case, it was just too short. I think having some more back story on the other main character, David, would have filled out the story. I just wanted to know more about him and how he got to where he was. I think this would make a fabulous full size novel.
For Intoxication: 4 stars
Intoxication is the second installment in the series, and my favorite. It was once again filled with madness and horror, complete with twists and turns and an unexpected ending. I really liked the way the author created Leslie. She was always just a little over the top in her behavior, her thoughts, and her actions and that truly developed her as just a bit insane. I liked that she was developed to be right at the edge of her sanity, poised to fall off the edge. It made the book that much more suspenseful and added to the "creepy" factor. I also enjoyed Karen's characters and almost identified with her and her actions. I won't say more on that so as not to give a spoiler! I really enjoyed this novella!