Review: The Other Side by Faraaz Kazi & Vivek Banerjee *8.5/10 stars*
11:30 PM
The Other Side
by Faraaz Kazi and Vivek Banerjee
Release Date: October 31st 2013
Publisher: Mahaveer Publishers
Source: I received a copy for review from the author (Thanks Faraaz!)
My Rating: 8.5/10 Stars
Summary
"A slow rasping sound made me turn. I jumped back, the cell phone leaving my hands and smashing against the concrete floor. Someone was seated on the chair, rocking back and forth. Through the fallen light, I could see those hands placed on the arms of the chair, two gruesome wrinkled limbs with ugly boils plastered over the black skin. The red bangles on its wrists shone in my eyes, momentarily blinding me. That thing and I call it a thing because I could sense it wasn't human as no human could have such a hideous form, as vile an existence as the one seated opposite to my horrified self."
From a honeymoon in the hill that goes horribly wrong to an obsessed lover who wants his first love in life and in death; From a mentally deranged man who collects body parts of various women to stitch together his dream girl to a skeptic who enters a mansion of horrors to win a bet and much more, this book is filled with scenarios that are guaranteed to give you goosebumps and sleepless nights.
'The Other Side' is a collection of thirteen tales of the paranormal; a world that our eyes refuse to see, our ears deny hearing and our senses ignore the feel of. This is a book for someone who is brave enough to take up this invitation to journey through uncharted waters along with the authors, who were inspired by some bizarre experiences to pen down this work where the lines of reality have been blurred by the footsteps of imagination.
Each story takes you on a tour de force of unadulterated horror and draws upon the deepest fear in the human mind- the fear of the UNKNOWN!
From a honeymoon in the hill that goes horribly wrong to an obsessed lover who wants his first love in life and in death; From a mentally deranged man who collects body parts of various women to stitch together his dream girl to a skeptic who enters a mansion of horrors to win a bet and much more, this book is filled with scenarios that are guaranteed to give you goosebumps and sleepless nights.
'The Other Side' is a collection of thirteen tales of the paranormal; a world that our eyes refuse to see, our ears deny hearing and our senses ignore the feel of. This is a book for someone who is brave enough to take up this invitation to journey through uncharted waters along with the authors, who were inspired by some bizarre experiences to pen down this work where the lines of reality have been blurred by the footsteps of imagination.
Each story takes you on a tour de force of unadulterated horror and draws upon the deepest fear in the human mind- the fear of the UNKNOWN!
My verdict
First of all, who doesn't like a good looking cover? I know, I know they say don't judge a book by it's cover, and I try not to, but who isn't tempted by a pretty cover?
Guilty.
So, the cover is great. It's all dark and spooky and it definitely drew me in.
Now for the matter inside the book.
The Other Side is a collection of thirteen paranormal stories, written by the two authors. I say paranormal, because, yes the cover and the summary conveys 'horror stories inside', not all stories are horror ones. Some are pretty spooky, enough to have given me a nightmare or two, but many are tales of the paranormal. From benevolent spirits, cursed beasts, horror-fiction characters come alive for revenge on their author, churails (witches) and psychopaths to killer ghosts with their characteristic feet facing backwards (my personal favorite), you see it all. So, its a pretty diverse collection of paranormal stories, some that gave me goosebumps (I usually read at night) and a few that seemed quite cliche and dragged and made me skim over the paragraphs.
The characters seemed relatable and felt real enough. Most stories have a good detailing of the plot and setting that drew me in and had me intrigued throughout.
All, yes all stories end with an unexpected twist. In some cases, the climax with a twist fit perfectly like a lost piece of puzzle finally clicking together and making the story spookier than it already was. In a few others, the unexpected final sentence was like a glass of tepid water poured on a serving of hot, delicious, freshly out of the oven chocolate souffle. Those stories could have done better without the unnecessary addition.
Overall, I found The Other Side to be an engaging read. It was a refreshing change from all the full length YA Dystopian novels I'd been gobbling the past year. I would definitely put it in my list of top ten paranormal/horror books (if I sit and make a list that is). A recommended read for all fans of the paranormal genre.
Guilty.
So, the cover is great. It's all dark and spooky and it definitely drew me in.
Now for the matter inside the book.
The Other Side is a collection of thirteen paranormal stories, written by the two authors. I say paranormal, because, yes the cover and the summary conveys 'horror stories inside', not all stories are horror ones. Some are pretty spooky, enough to have given me a nightmare or two, but many are tales of the paranormal. From benevolent spirits, cursed beasts, horror-fiction characters come alive for revenge on their author, churails (witches) and psychopaths to killer ghosts with their characteristic feet facing backwards (my personal favorite), you see it all. So, its a pretty diverse collection of paranormal stories, some that gave me goosebumps (I usually read at night) and a few that seemed quite cliche and dragged and made me skim over the paragraphs.
The characters seemed relatable and felt real enough. Most stories have a good detailing of the plot and setting that drew me in and had me intrigued throughout.
All, yes all stories end with an unexpected twist. In some cases, the climax with a twist fit perfectly like a lost piece of puzzle finally clicking together and making the story spookier than it already was. In a few others, the unexpected final sentence was like a glass of tepid water poured on a serving of hot, delicious, freshly out of the oven chocolate souffle. Those stories could have done better without the unnecessary addition.
Overall, I found The Other Side to be an engaging read. It was a refreshing change from all the full length YA Dystopian novels I'd been gobbling the past year. I would definitely put it in my list of top ten paranormal/horror books (if I sit and make a list that is). A recommended read for all fans of the paranormal genre.
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