AUTHOR: Anonymous
PUBLISHER: Harper Voyager
PUBLISHING DATE: October 23, 2018
FROM GOODREADS: One man’s search for the truth about one of the most intriguing urban legends ever—the modern bogeyman, Slender Man—leads him down a dark, dangerous path in this creepy supernatural fantasy reminiscent of Night Film, House of Leaves, and Illuminae, that will make you question where the line between legend and fact begins
A young man is desperate to find his missing sister . . . desperate enough to resort to the darkest means. But just how much is he willing to pay the Slender Man in order to save her?
Told through a variety of narrative devices, including photos, journal entries, e-mails, articles, and other artifacts, this unique spine-tingling story is a brilliant and terrifying look at one of the most fascinating—and diabolical—mythical figures in modern times.
MY THOUGHTS: First I have to admit that as intrigued as I am about the entity of Slender Man, I didn't know a whole lot about him going in. So I did some research and basically learned he is a tall, skinny man (I guessed as much) with no facial features and long stretching arms which resemble snakes or tentacles. I also learned that Slender Man is deeply connected to Lovecraft horror which is no surprise given the tentacle concept. Thus it should be of no surprise to my followers my desire to read this book - TENTACLES! Enough of the history lesson.
When the novel starts out, we learn that Matt Barker is a spoiled troubled rich kid attending a private school in New York. He attends counseling and is tasked with keeping a "diary" which is how we learn much of what is happening to Matt and his friends. One night, one of his good friends, Lauren, walks out of her apartment building and then goes missing. Law enforcement gets involved and many are speculating about what has happened to Lauren, but only Matt feels there might be something sinister at hand.
One of the best things about this book is its epistolary format. "Slender Man" is told in diary entries, texts, emails, police interviews, recordings and newspaper clippings. There is also a story within a story here and guess what? It works! Because of the formatting, "Slender Man" is a great quick read and one which I devoured in a few hours. And while I really liked Matt, I wish the story had a little more Slender man appearances. Don't get me wrong, there are a few creepy scenes and I will never look at a flock of birds the same. The ending was also fairly creepy even if I did pretty much see it coming.
So overall, this book has great formatting and an interesting enough story, but I needed a tad bit more horror. I also admit that the fact that it is written anonymously adds to the book's mystic (plus, I'll give a big shout-out to anyone who can tell me who actually wrote this tale - curious minds and all). If you like horror set in urban legends and folklore, then I would recommend "Slender Man" for a fast quick enjoyable read. Plus there are still a few days left until Halloween so what better time!
Thanks to Edelweiss and Harper Voyager for a copy of "Slender Man" in exchange for an honest review.
RATING: 3 PAWS
