The Children of Red Peak by DiLouie

"Dark and disturbing, in true Dilouie fashion, he deals with death, pain, guilt and survival in a gritty and horrifying way. He has a great gift for blending the paranormal with the normal, so much so that everything seems plausible when you're immersed in the story. This one will stick with me for awhile. "

3 Stars

Pros: It was definitely an interesting idea and Dilouie did a great job at making all the MCs frail and broken by what happened to them and completely human as to how some deal with the trauma and others don't. Everyone has a different coping mechanism.

Cons: At the same time that the ending didn't really give anything away, it also didn't really answer. or solve anything, though, in a way did it did. It's all a matter of perspective. I think Dilouie did the best he could with what he was working with. Which when you're dealing with a religious cult and mass suicide, the answers at the end of that riddle might not be ones you actually want to hear.

Full Review:

Beth, Deacon, David and Angela are the last surviving members of The Family of the Living Spirit, a religious cult that committed mass suicide on the slopes of Red Peak in the Sierra Nevada Mountains during the Summer of 2005. Brought together again after 15 years apart, David, Deacon and Beth attend the funeral of one of the other survivors, Emily. She sent them all a note that said, "She couldn't fight it anymore" and committed suicide.

Understandably, Beth, Deacon and David are all shocked and horrified at Emily's death. What happened at Red Peak was horrible and it's affected them all in so many different ways but they've all seemingly found a way to cope, or to at least pretend like they're functioning human beings. But the truth is, what happened during that last month before the "ascension" has scarred them forever.

Some hurts go too deep to heal and such is the case with Red Peak. But still, thrust back into that nightmare life by the death of Emily, they each decide that it's time they go back to Red Peak and see if they can't figure out what really happened that night. In order to find answers, they're willing to walk the same blood stained path they did that night 15 years ago.

Though the book took a good 120 pages to hit its stride, once it did, I was both horrified and amazed, I had to know how it ended. And since he's dealing with God, death, mortality and the meaning of life, Dilouie did it in a realistic, logical way that really sat heavy in my chest and made me think. This book was not for the faint of heart and in true Dilouie form, this one will stick with me for awhile.

Comments

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

"Obviously targeted to writers but honestly, anyone could benefit from Bradbury's practical yet poetic advice, this was a collection of esasys by Bradbury about his writing process and reflections on some of his greatest works." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: Bradbury, duh, though I'm biased, to me, the man's prose is pure poetry, every word beautiful/Since writing is not my career, it was an interesting way to view Bradbury's life. Writing was his job and he was the only income. If he did not produce material, he would not get paid. It help put things into perspective. Cons: The man can go on for a bit 😂/Bradbury's insane work ethic and endless endurance to just produce story after story seems insane and overwhelming but then again, this was his livelihood, so I'm sure it was insane and overwhelming. If he didn't write and get paid, they'd starve, so, it was a life or death situation. Full Review: This was essentially a collection of essays written by Bra...

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

“The tale of Andy Dufresne and how he served his time at Shawshank prison, as told through the eyes of his friend and fellow inmate, Red. Dark and disturbing but also compulsively readbale. I finished it in 2 days. Also enjoyable is Frank Darabont's 1994 film adaptation, "The Shawshank Redemption." ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros : Red has a soothing, drawl, making the reading easy and flowing/Since I saw the film first, I couldn't help but compare the book though I was pleased to find that the two were very similar. Cons : Things got a bit rambling a bit at the beginning/Since I saw the film first I couldn't help but compare the book but this ended up not being a con. Full Review: The state of Maine has a prison. Shawshank Redemption. And Red is the guy that can get you things. He also happens to be the only guilty man in Shawshank but that's netiher here nor there. He meets Andy Dufresne for business purposes at first and he finds him to be a calm, cool man and Red likes him i...

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

“Rick Deckard is a Bounty Hunter who's on the trail of six "Andys" (Androids) who have come to Earth illegally. His job is to track them down and "retire" them. Something he found easy to do until he met her, Rachael Rosen. The Android that does the impossible, passes the "Voight-Kampff" test. The story quickly devolves into a slow, drawn out and frankly boring mystery that was putting me to sleep by the end." ⭐⭐ Pros: I was more interested in comparing it to the film, "Bladerunner."/At first I kind of liked the drab, dreary atmostphere but it soon became soporific. Cons: I had no real idea what was going on with Mercerism/The end there had me blinking in bewilderment, like with Herbert's 29th Dune Book/There was a lot of idle chit-chat while they were in murderous/intense situations, it just seemed odd. Full Review: Rick Deckard, a Bounty Hunter, contracted with the San Francisco Police Department hunts down and retires rogue ...

All the Books.

Search This Blog