Bird Box

You saw the movie and thought it was alright? Cool now ignore that and read this book. It's 12 times better. I wasn't a big fan of the movie, like I enjoyed it but I'm not like a huge fan yah know. I read a lot of books and I can't lie, this just stuck with me. It's one of my favorites. The movie does no justice to how good this book is. If you liked the concept of the movie, read this book. The plot given to you in words strikes so much hotter on the pan then the movie did. The nuiances in words and detail do more justice here in the book. Pull that trigger if your interested. Let it happen. It hits on some key points I look for in a story that fits my needs. It's got suspense, survival horror, tactical thoughts to resolve issues. I love stories where the characters in that universe react like intelligent normal humans. Thinking logically to what context they are dealing with. The story is told in an interesting past and present method that is easy to digest. You will predictably grasp it. Read this if your barely interested it's worth it.

Malori finds herself one day pregnant and happy in the world she's always known. The next there's news of people going mad. The safe place she knew would never exist again. She finds herself alone after her sister dies and her parents. She finds an ad for a place to stay and they take her in. Tom is the leader and there is Don, Felix, Cheryl. Olympia. They have boarded up the windows and covered whatever they could with blankets. You could not see the creatures so when you went outside you had to cover your eyes. Olympia was also pregnant. They both managed to have their babies at the same time. Don however tore down the window covering and the only ones to survive were Malori, her son and Olympia's boy. After surviving four years in their house Malori takes the children and they start their journey down the river in search of someplace safer.

When I first watched this movie on Netflix, it terrified me. Years later and the book, despite my prior knowledge, having already seen the movie, had that same effect on me.Bird Box is my third Malerman novel and the best I've read so far. It's an intriguing and creepy read that disturbed me to my core. I loved the writing style and the way the story was told.It made me feel uneasy and, at times, claustrophobic. I also appreciated my sight a lot more when I was reading.It was tense, suspenseful, thrilling, and gory at times. What more can you ask for. We are so used to demons, vengeful ghosts, creatures, zombies, and all the typical horror movie monsters. However, this book really highlights the biggest monster of all... man. "We are the creatures we should fear." I couldn't have said it better myself. Such a unique and terrifying storyline.

I have a lot less time to watch movies these days than I used to, but that doesn’t stop me from keeping up with what’s popular or attracting attention these days. So of course I was aware of Netflix’s Bird Box, even if I never got around to watching it. But what I didn’t realize is that the movie was based first on a book by Josh Malerman - a book that attracted no small amount of praise and interest on its own terms, long before there was a Sandra Bullock movie.And it’s not really hard to understand why. Bird Box has the simplest of hooks for its post-apocalyptic horror tale: there is something out there in the world, and if you see it, you are driven to horrific violence, including against yourself. No one knows what it is; no one knows what it wants, or where it came from, or even if it’s even a physical presence. But the evidence is undeniable - if you see it, you die. Which is why Malorie, a young woman, is traveling down the river with two children while all three of them have their eyes covered. There have been rumors of a safe place down the river aways, but to get there requires a long journey - and it all has to be done without eyesight.That’s a great idea for a book, and Malerman absolutely runs with it, immersing you in the limited perspective of Malorie and building his world through everything except visual images. Sounds, smells, the feel of things - all of it is used to build a world as Malorie and the children do their best to navigate a planet that they can’t look at anymore. What’s worse, though, is when they’re navigating it while something nearby watches them silently, willing them to have a look for themselves…Mixed in with this river journey are flashbacks to the early days of the crisis, as Malorie and some other survivors try to make plans in the face of an entirely unknowable threat. It’s standard post-apocalyptic stuff - arguments about whether we need to take in survivors or fend for ourselves, arguments about surviving versus rebuilding, thoughts of what to do next, etc. - but in some way, Malerman makes it feel richer and newer simply through the conceit of this unknown force, and the realization that the true threat isn’t some creature, but ourselves - and in a more literal sense than in a zombie film or something like that.Bird Box is deceptively simple and focused - it’s a tight read, alternating between the river journey and the flashbacks and giving us just enough information and character depth to understand the events unfolding around us, but not much more. That might lead some to be frustrated with the book’s ending, which doesn’t provide closure so much as it just concludes this part of the story, leaving you feeling like there was more to come. (And there was, in a sequel which I have yet to read.) At its core, it’s just a post-apocalyptic horror novel, and you’ve read those before, I bet - but you’ve never read one where the author has to tell it all without relying on visual images, and yet somehow still builds dread so well.

This book is beyond well written. It is a work of true literary art. The author conveys true suspense and the feelings of dread and a dash of Hope. One reads it and feels as though they are there. I am a very avid reader, so very few authors can impress me with how they really touch a readers heart and mind.Josh Malerman has created a book that deserves the praise it has received. It is truly original, it is truly horrific, it explores the boundaries of The human experience and does an excellent job of creating a world that is both frightening and very believable.The depth that he plums is extraordinary, and his characters, in particular Mallorie, are excellently conceived. The myriad of ideas that he placed into his book are that of a person who is extremely intelligent and perceptive. His imagination gives this book a very good view of the world he created. He is an excellent author.This book is definitely what I consider to be a must-read, even though I am not particularly a fan of post-apocalyptic novels. This is likely because it is so much more than that. It is a very thoughtful and human look and experience. I felt like I was right next to Mallorie the entire time. It explores so many aspects of what it means to be human and how far out instinct for survival will go. It is an extraordinary good novel and one that I fully recommend. And I wait with bated breath for the next novel by Josh Malerman.On a very personal note, having been born in the upper peninsula of Michigan, (hence my usage of the word "Yooper") I have often thought that if there were ever an apocalyptic situation it would be someone from the U.P. who would be one of the survivors. Why, you might ask?Because the Upper Peninsula is nothing like the lower portion. This magnificent homeland of mine is a harsh and beautifully brutal place. This is an untamed place where nature is still in charge. It is a place like no other I have seen, and I miss it mightily living in Suburban Detroit. I fell in love with a Troll (unflattering nickname for those who live south of the Mackinaw Bridge😉) and our marriage of twenty years separates me from my beloved homeland. It's 450 miles and a long 8 hour journey away, sadly.You will find that Yoopers are kind, but children are not coddled and they are taught from a young age how to navigate in such a place. It is beyond beautiful, yet the winters are heavy, long and unforgiving. The weather is capricious in any season and one must be prepared at all times. It is sparsely populated, and Marquette is the largest city with less than 40,000 residents.I grew up right near Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world. It is a place of raw and magnificent power, and the lake is a place we are taught to love and respect. As I wrote earlier, if you ever have the chance to go there, I strongly suggest that you do.I realize that I have reviewed the U.P. as much as I have the novel. I apologise if that's an annoyance. It's just that for a book to be so wonderful featuring a protagonist from my homeland is overwhelmingly touching. So few people know about the U.P. and I want people to know what they are missing. So, with that, I couldn't be more impressed by the way Josh Malerman wrote this brilliant novel. It has so much to offer and it would be a shame not to take the opportunity to enjoy the experience of reading Bird Box. It's too good to miss.As Always, I wish Happy Reads to All from the Unapologetic Book Junkie😉!