Fiction Addict

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Del Rey

Publication Date: October 2009

Reviewed by Jake Chism

Scott Mast has returned to his New Hampshire home to bury his father. Scott’s family has always been anything but functional, and it’s hard for him to be back. Granted, all that is waiting in Seattle is a going nowhere writing career, but nevertheless home is as un-sweet as he remembers.

Before leaving town, Scott happens upon an old manuscript that his father had started. Scott never knew his father wrote anything, much less an odd ghost story that has a familiar feel to it. Soon Scott is led to an old abandoned house outside of town, where he comes face to face with a terrifying past that reveals secrets about his family and his hometown. Unable to will himself to leave, Scott moves into the old house and sets out to finish the manuscript his father began. The story has become his obsession, and his obsession might just kill him.

Joe Schreiber recently made a huge splash in the Star Wars universe with the first SW horror novel, Death Troopers. With No Doors, No Windows he goes back to his roots with a more traditional horror tale that is absolutely impossible to put down.

Schreiber’s prose leaps off the page as he paints intoxicating word pictures throughout, dropping us right into the story as if it were happening all around us. Horror, drama, suspense, and mystery are effectively melded together to keep the pages flying and the reader guessing. Each character is fleshed out perfectly as secrets are exposed and fears realized. If you love scary, then there is plenty here to satisfy even the most hardcore horror fan. At the same time, amidst all of the darkness and turmoil there is a sliver of light that comes shining through offering hope when all seems lost.

Fair warning here: this is a dark, disturbing read. The story is laced with strong language and sexual content, but Schreiber somehow manages to keep the mature themes relevant to the plot without going overboard. If you like your stories light and fluffy, by no means is the book for you. But if you are on the prowl for a horror story with depth, then No Doors, No Windows is right up your alley.

Review copy provided by Del Rey Books.