"It was dawn and the zombies were stumbling through the parking lot, streaming toward the massive beige box at the far end."
Review: I have several ARC's in my possession but "point of fact" this is my very first one I'm actually reviewing BEFORE the books is released. When I first got word about this book and to look for it in the mail, I was VERY excited! I mean, just LOOK at that cover. I'm a HUGE fan of the IKEA catalogs. Notice I said of the catalogs and not of the actual store. To be honest, I've only been to IKEA once in my life. And once was enough for me to totally get the feeling Grady was trying to instill in the reader!
I want to first talk about the design of this book before I get into the actual story and sheer "true-to-life" creepiness about it!
It has the look and feel of an IKEA catalog. I know because the second I held it in my hand all I had to do was reach out and grab the Fall Preview IKEA catalog I just received in the mail a few weeks prior to compare the two. The dimensions are the same and for the exception of the stock paper used (IKEA uses magazine-type paper vs ORSK which is a more book-tpe paper) they are identical. I've had several people try to catch a glimpse at the cover of this book as I was reading it, probably wondering the same thing "why does her IKEA catalog look like a book?" I never bothered to correct the thought written all over their faces. Now, delving beyond the cover to the actual pages and chapters within it also has a feel of a catalog. There is the order form and map of the store in the first few pages as well as a blurb on the mission statement of the store. Each chapter is titled as a piece of furniture that makes appearances in the novel as the story progresses. I love the names of the furniture, just as obscure and unpronounceable as that which comes from IKEA itself!
As far as the story goes, I don't normally read thrillers. I prefer to watch them in complete darkness on the big screen. And even then it doesn't happen very often. Perhaps once a year at most! But I was too intrigued by the cover, look and feel of this book! It also helped that it's a short read considering the 400+ page novels I've been reading lately!
The premise is simple: large store is haunted by evil. Yep, that's it. But as simple as that might seem, it's much more complex once the mystery of who the evil is and why they are doing the haunting in this particular store unfolds. I was hooked from beginning to end even though I found myself cringing at certain moments, I had to keep reading to find out what happened next. And as the chapters progressed the pieces of furniture being highlighted as the titles got creepier and creepier, but I didn't care. I found myself wanting to know how they would be used and on whom. But perhaps I'm giving away too much?
If you frequent big box stores then perhaps this might scare you more than you'd like. I know for myself I'm glad I don't have to worry about visiting an IKEA store any time soon. It's 3+ hours away travel time for me to get to it! But from the one time I went I'll tell you, a lot of what Grady describes here as the look and feel of ORSK (the knock-off version of IKEA) is exact. I'm sure there really is a team of people who designed the store in that maze-like fashion specifically for sales purposes? I mean, doesn't anyone who has a store do the same thing? I would just hate to be in a place of that size, with virtually no windows, when the sun goes down, during a black-out! Nuh-uh! Especially not after reading this book!
Thanks for the scare Grady!
And be sure to get your hands on this book when it hits bookshelves Tuesday, September 23rd!
Synopsis: Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.
To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.
A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, Horrorstör comes packaged in the form of a glossy mail order catalog, complete with product illustrations, a home delivery order form, and a map of Orsk’s labyrinthine showroom. It’s “a treat for fans of The Evil Dead or Zombieland, complete with affordable solutions for better living.”—Kirkus Reviews.
Horrorstör
by Grady Hendrix
243 pages
Quirk Books, 2014
Suspense / Thriller
Read in 7 days
