Rogue is the latest work of horror fiction by Greg Gifune. The author has always been a talented writer, creating horror and speculative fiction tales that are multilayered – sometimes literally as protagonists must address childhood trauma to make sense of adult horrors. While I have not read all of his works, I do believe Rogue is the best of those I have read.

Cameron Horne’s life begins spinning out of control one morning when he spots a mysterious young man sitting in his backyard by a fire pit. The young man cannot explain his presence or reason for trespassing on Horne’s property. His comments are both chilling and confusing – much like you would expect if you found a deranged person violating your personal space. Soon afterwards, Horne’s behavior becomes erratic and troubling. Disturbing visions, uncontrollable behavior, and lost chunks of time are just the beginning. Horne begins to wonder if he is developing a severe mental illness or if he is being stalked by some evil entity.

Gifune’s tale is seamless in its construction. The pace is dramatic and swift, and the sequence of events is precisely drawn and consistent with the characterizations. The descent into the haunting atmosphere of Rogue is quite unsettling. I could not turn myself away. Gifune’s prose is relentless and I had no clue how it was going to end. And, the ending was very satisfying in a clever Twilight Zone-kind of way. A wonderful read.

Aaron Holbrook, in his mid-thirties, returns to his home town after twenty years. Aaron has had a difficult time – his young son was killed in an auto accident during the previous year and Aaron and his wife separated due to his difficulty coping with grief. Aaron holds himself responsible for Ryder’s death since he did not connect the boy’s car seat correctly. On the advice of his therapist he moves from Oregon to his home town in Arkansas to renovate the family home. The trouble with this course of action is the house – his uncle and aunt died tragically there. The couple was raising him after Aaron’s mother committed suicide. So, the place is not a center of happy memories. More importantly, however, is the ghost who haunts the place – a brutally aggressive teenage boy who has the tendency to capture and eat live birds and otherwise torment, and even momentarily possess, those poor souls inhabiting the house.

This is a great set up for the novel, The Bird Eater, authored by Ania Ahlborn who wastes no time creating an atmosphere of malevolent horror. From the opening chapter which details the gruesome death of Aaron’s aunt, the scares are quite unusual and deftly described. The ghost boy makes his appearance early, and every passage with him drips with creepiness.

Unfortunately, the author struggles with maintaining the intense unnerving tone. One significant reason is an unnecessary shift in points of view. When we read the account from Aaron’s perspective, the story is rich with the inner turmoil of the main character – and this elevates the sense of dread. However, for some reason, the author changes points of view to other characters (some quite minor – which prompted some head scratching on my part), and these characters are not well developed. Their perspective does not add anything to the story, and at times brings the suspense to a halt because their views are redundant. In fact, there were times that I could not tell whose head I was in. So, an unfortunate choice.   

Interestingly enough, the story line that stretched credibility was the love angle. Aaron reunites with his old middle school friends, one his old girlfriend. Evidently, the woman has been carrying a torch for Aaron for twenty years. Did I mention that they were 14 when they last saw one another? The intensity of her emotions is way out of perspective for something that occurred two decades earlier among middle schoolers. When the point of view shifts to the woman, the narration becomes implausible.

Another issue is the lack of a story arc. While the scenes are chilling when the ghost is present, there is no movement in the plot. What you learn in the first 25% of the book is essentially the story. Similarly, many characters “know” the story and all it would take is for someone to talk about the “elephant in the room” or for someone to ask a question. But that doesn’t happen, sadly enough.

Overall, despite the problems within, I liked The Bird Eater for the chilling ghost depictions and the emotional travails of Aaron Holbrook. I actually liked the ambiguity concerning the ghost and his backstory. That made things even a bit more unsettling. So, a strong 3 star read.  

Stephen King certainly doesn’t need my review, but since I just finished Revival, I thought I’d pass along my thoughts.

The characterizations are effective. The characters evolve believably over 6 decades. They are complex individuals and internally consistent - no actions are taken in service of the plot.

The plot is outstanding. Details of the decades and timely references place you in the moment. King is good at this – he either has a great memory for these details or a great research staff (or both). You know what it is like to be in any particular decade – and if you’re sixty like the narrator (and I am right now), you believe every second of the tale

The story is more than just a horror romp. The process of character development and story development take precedent over cheap thrills.  Regarding the latter, there are none.  Oh, occasional chills appear fairly often to remind you that you’re reading Stephen King, after all. But the development of the tale is the important feature. Does this make the read boring? Not at all, because you care about these people who populate the tale.

Clearly, King is setting the reader up for something explosive, and he does not disappoint. The ending is unnerving, shocking, troubling – but believable because King has done an expert job preparing you for the final denouement.

Some reviewers have complained about the lack of chills throughout the majority of the book. This was not an issue for me. What I experienced was a master at the top of his game. The plot is riveting, the characters or emotionally engaging, and the sense of doom wafts its way through the story. When the shocker finale begins taking shape, you are drawn helplessly into the nightmare. There’s no gore, nothing gruesome, just a haunting ride.