Beware that bump in the night #birdbox @JoshMalerman #ecco #terror #blindness #destruction #chesapeakepubliclibrary @absltmom

“it’s better to face madness with a plan than to sit still and let it take you in pieces.

Hold onto you hats and even your head for the Bird Box will blow your mind. “In a world where you can’t open your eyes, isn’t a blindfold all you could ever hope for?” It’s an addictive, intoxicating ride that brings you to the edge of madness and then knocks you around in a circle of fear, despair, and foreboding.

I have read some pretty frightening books in my time, but this one was so wonderfully atmospherically scary. I was compelled to keep those pages turning ever so quickly not wanting any distractions to occur till I raced to the conclusion.

Probably most of you know the premise. How could you not when the movie and the “challenge” seems to be on everyone’s mind? Mention Bird Box and eyes open wide and you can see that wow this book and later the movie had on many.

I have to give it to this author. He manages to make the mundane fearsome, creating a world of blindness not brought on by what one could see for that was indeed what killed you, but for the tricks your mind could play on what it never thought of before. A trip to a water well became a walk through hell as blindfolded you never knew what or if the supposed mind monsters were circling about you. An open door or window brought panic so great that you could literally feel the tension of the characters as you too, went to that door or open window. Question everything, don’t assume, and most of all do not open your eyes. “It’s better to face madness with a plan than to sit still and let it take you in pieces.”

It was a thought provoking story, one that made one realize how we are so dependent on our eyes and what they see and tell us. Without our sight, the world is frightening enough (even with sight, it often is), but the thought that out there is something that will take you mind and ultimately your life in the most heinous and cruel ways is beyond horrifying. “You can smell it, too. Death. Dying. Decay. The sky is falling, the sky is dying, the sky is dead.” Chilling words for a chilling story!

So big kudos to Josh Malerman for writing of a nightmare, one we hope never to have. This book, wow!, it was really something. Those who love hair raising and spine chilling books will adore this one. I know I was glued to the pages and squirreled away with a big do not disturb while reading sign firmly in place.

“Your worries only keep you safe long enough to worry some more.”

and here’s the author:

Josh Malerman is an American author and also one of two singer/songwriters for the rock band The High Strung, whose song “The Luck You Got” can be heard as the theme song to the Showtime show “Shameless.” His book Bird Box is also currently being filmed as a feature film starring Sandra Bullock, John Malkovich, and Sarah Paulson. Bird Box was also nominated for the Stoker Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, and the James Herbert Award. His books Black Mad Wheel and Goblin have also been nominated for Stoker Awards.

“The fear she experiences sits firmly upon the center of her soul.”