Strand is the perfect balance of campy horror and straight-up bloodshed. I'm not sure why I find it so comforting, but he's always the author I reach when I need a fun, gory escape from the world. So I was a little surprised when Sick House was more of an all-out horror than a comedy, but it was still the crazy thrill ride I needed.
Sick House starts with the familiar beats of a haunted house story—a family moving in, mysterious illnesses, food rotting faster than it should—but don't let that fool you into thinking you know where this is headed. In typical Strand fashion, he pulls you into an over-the-top spiral that makes you keep saying: 'what the actual fuck' every few pages.
But fair warning: Sick House is a slow burn. The build-up feels a bit disjointed until things click together, but once things pop off, it's nonstop until you slam into the ending. While Strand holds back a little to humor, it's still filled with plenty of one-liners that will make you laugh, sharp dialogue, and gore you almost feel squish against your fingers.
Sick House is perfect for readers who enjoy:
Haunted houses with a twist
Dark humor mixed with scares
Gore, but the fun kind
Quick, intense reads once things pop off
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