4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping, Nov 16 2004
By A. J Springer "tekende" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Night Cage (Mass Market Paperback)
I picked this up at a bookstore--the cover intrigued me, and I read the description on the back. "Escaped mental patients?" thought I. "I'm there!" You see, I have a fascination with mental illness, particularly psychopathy, sociopathy, etc. I almost majored in psychology, but decided on art instead. Anyway...
This is a great book. I read the whole thing inside two weeks (usually it takes me longer to finish a book since I don't read as often as I used to). Harper really knows how to build suspense, and though this wasn't a *scary* book so to speak, it was quite thrilling and somewhat disturbing in its own way. Suffice to say I really enjoyed it.
The only reason it gets four stars rather than five is the ending--it's not a *bad* ending, it just seems really rushed. I would've liked a little more "wrapping up" time. It's still well worth reading, though.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A sane person would love a book making insanity so much fun, Nov 15 2004
By ThePaperbackStash.com - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Night Cage (Mass Market Paperback)
Andrew Harper is the pseudonym for horror enthusiast Douglas Clegg. Harper’s novels may be labeled as more of a ‘thriller’ by Leisure books, and, while I have not yet red his other novel ‘Red Angel’ and unable to comment on it, Night Cage was, to me, held an utterly terrifying premise.
The plot has to do with insane killers, the branch of psychiatry, what could go wrong with the human mind (particularly when the body is subjected to abuse), and old asylums – come on, what could be creepier??
Within the white walls of this novel, we have a rich atmosphere full of psychology, bizarre motivations, and twisted intentions. All the scenes beneath the asylum were eerie and claustrophobic.
The pace of Night Cage was laid out as well as the blueprints for Darden State; the ending had a nice, drawn out climax, leaving me a little reassured, but also disturbed as hell. Whatever this one ends up ‘labeled’ as, let’s just say it freaked the pants off of me, and that’s not always so easy to do!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice and scary, Dec 1 2004
By Tina "Tina" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Night Cage (Mass Market Paperback)
I picked up this book on a whim.
The basic premise is set in a "State Hospital" with a spooky basement (left over from the days when people with drinking problems were put in asylums).
The story was told in a straightforward manner and the main character was interesting in a generic kind of way. While I could have used more interaction between Trey and Jane, prior to them heading to the basement, the characters worked for me.
This book is fair until you hit about 2/3 of it when the hospital needs to be evacuated and most of the characters find themselves in the dreary, spooky basement. The author describes the action in a quick, precise manner and makes sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.
You can actually picture yourself going through the torture chambers, etc. As a matter of fact, in my opinion, the descriptions of the basement are more interesting than the "bad guys" in this book.
Put it all together and you get a solid, scary story.