Off Season
by Jack Ketchum
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Book Reviews of Off Season
Book Review: For Blood and Guts Fans Only
Summary: 2 Stars
Jack Ketchum has built his reputation on writing books that take violence and horrors of human depravity to the extreme. "Off Season" is no exception. It was Mr. Ketchum's first novel and at the time of its original publication needed to edited to make it more palatable for a national release.
In Jack Ketchum's novella "Red" I was impressed with his take on a generic revenge story that was more of a commentary regarding the blind eye of justice. "The Girl Next Door" then exposed me to Mr. Ketchum's ability to horrify with the grotesque and his talent for going outside the lines of expectations to make his writing dangerous. However, "Off Season" did not offer anything unique to Mr. Ketchum's resume other than a vehicle to showcase his penchant for shock and gore. I suppose the book was intended to illustrate how man is nothing but an animal underneath his civilized façade, but it read more like a gleeful expose on violence.
The story is a straight forward tale about a group of innocent victims savagely attacked by an uncivilized family who see other humans as food and receptacles for their sexual desires. The novel is driven entirely by its horrific elements with no character development or any attempt at developing an understanding behind anyone's actions.
The first quarter of the book reads like a Cliff Note summary as you are introduced to one-dimensional characters that have no depth. Once the attack at a remote house in the woods of Maine commences, the reader has no connection with the victims and is left with little else than slash and burn gore as horrible atrocities are committed upon the people.
The action moves along swiftly and Ketchum does at times set nice mood with good tension (the escape from the attack is one such scene). The violence is extreme (and must have been much more powerful in the early eighties when it was written) and fans of gore and shock will not be disappointed. The book also should be given credit for pushing the genre into new territory, but it just did not have enough real emotion or character development to make it much more than a gross-out pulp novel.
Book Review: Wait until dark
Summary: 4 Stars
Off Season is (to quote Thomas Hobbes) a nasty, brutal and short thrill ride of a novel. Very, very highly recommended.
It reminded me (in a good way) of going into the living room at midnight, tuning in one of those low budget '80's splatter flicks like The Evil Dead or The Hills Have Eyes (which, like Off Season was based on the Sawney Bean legend).
Ketchum builds the tension slowly and expertly, interchanging chapters between three disparate groups of characters, watching them come together into what you already know will be a very bad night. This is a good example of a thriller where knowing what is coming serves to ratchet up the suspense.
The characters are believable, the explanation and origins of the cannibal clan is well handled and the action is fast paced and exciting while maintaining enough plausibility so you aren't smacking your head saying 'come on!' The violence is extremely graphic and matter-of-fact for those put off by such things.
Overall I was very impressed with this novel. I will be reading the sequel Offspring, though I've heard that like many sequels it doesn't quite hold up.
(My edition (from Leisure Horror) also has a nice afterword where Ketchum explains some of the battles with editors this book underwent, prior to being released in this current uncensored edition.
It also includes a nice tangentially related short story called 'Winter Child' that was originally intended to be a part of She Wakes.)
Book Review: Ketchum at his visceral best!
Summary: 5 Stars
Off Season tells the story of Carla, an editor who retreats to a cabin for a working vacation on the coast of Maine. She'll later be joined by her sister and their four friends. Little do they know that they're being watched by a dysfunctional family of savages and that they're about to go through hell on earth.
I will never stay at a secluded cabin in the woods! That was the first thought that ran through my head upon finishing Off Season. Ketchum's visceral, extreme and brutally plausible tale is downright scary. The characters are realistic, you won't find your typical heroes and tough guys here. These people are your brothers, sisters and friends; folks you can really relate to because you know them. Ketchum masterfully pens a series of escalating events by setting everything up, painting a detailed backdrop and fleshing out believable characters, and once the dominoes start falling, he doesn't pull any punches and doesn't shy away from depicting things with a healthy (or unhealthy) dose of unflinching violence.
When this book was first published in 1980 (over 25 years ago; wow, has it been that long?) it was way too intense for its time. On top of that, it had been toned down; the Leisure version is the uncut version in all its bloody glory. This is one of Jack's top three novels (this was his first book, by the way) but it's not for everybody. There's torture, sex, extremely graphic violence, pints of blood, more extremely graphic violence; you get the idea. I saw a lot of Night in the Living Dead in this one, even more so than what first appears. Read it and you'll find out why. It's a novel you simply won't be able to put down -- and good luck sleeping after you've finished reading it. You might never want to go to a cabin ever again!
Book Review: What's All The Hype About?
Summary: 1 Stars
I've listened to people rave about this book for years, and being a horror junkie, I couldn't help but pick up a copy as soon as Leisure re-released it. I tore the cover open, expecting to be blown away. Did I read the same book that's getting all of the 5 star reviews and adoring cover-blurbs? I feel horribly cheated.
For starters, the story was propelled by the shallowest plot I've read in horror fiction. Who are these cannibals, why are they there, what is their purpose, and what has brought them to such a point of unintelligent animalism? I hope you aren't looking for answers to these questions within the book. Nevermind the fact that there were no psychological elements behind the killings whatsoever. This short, bland novel is the literary equivalent of a slasher b-movie.
The characters here were 2-dimensional. Basically fodder to be sequentially killed off. But that wasn't the worst narrative element. The writing itself was amatuer, sloppy, and just plain laughable. Instead of attempting to depict characters in a unique light, the author chooses to isntead bombard us with so many pronouns that we lost track of which "he", "she", or "child" he's even referring to at most times.
Then we come to the gore. People keep referring to this book as the most extreme horror on the market. Call me psychotic if you will, but I didn't cringe once. If you want graphic depictions of extreme violence, complete with fully developed characters, psychological intruigue, suspense, and plot development, let me suggest Michael Slade's "Headhunter" or J.F. Gonzalez's "Survivor". However, if you still insist on reading this book, save yourself some coin and try finding my copy at my local used book store.
Book Review: Elegant and extreme!
Summary: 5 Stars
This novel was my introduction to Jack Ketchum's fiction, a novel that burned itself directly into my brainpan, and which sent me running to the bookstore for more the moment I finished the last page. Here's how it starts: They watched her cross the meadow and step over the low stone wall, into the woods beyond. She looked awkward. She would be easy to catch. Uh, oh. Here it comes. Out in the woods beyond a quiet little beach community in Maine lurks a horrific family of predators with a taste for warm, living flesh. They stalk their prey with the savage cunning of wild beasts, but their intended victims are their own kind: humans. When three urbane couples from the city decide to vacation at a quaint cabin in the sleepy town of Dead River during the off season, they learn just how primitive that others of their species can be, and how quickly they, too, can descend into savagery when fighting for their lives. This is no-holds-barred, in-your-face horror of the highest order that plunges the reader into the center of a waking nightmare that could, indeed, happen. It is gut-twisting fiction superbly wrought by an author who never pulls his punches. Here's an idea: Stuff a copy of OFF SEASON into a backpack and go for a long hike in the woods, like I did the first time I read it. When you've reached your turnaround point way out in the woods and are very tired, settle down under a big tree and start reading. I can pretty much guarantee you'll make the return hike back to your car in record time... Like I did. OFF SEASON is a powerful and terrifying novel from a celebrated master of the genre, the real deal, horror fans. And here's a bonus--this is the author's new uncut, uncensored edition! Don't say I didn't warn you.