Dweller - A review

Dweller by Jeff Strand

A soon to be classic in Horror fiction. Mark my words, I said it last year after reading Strand's previous Leisure release, "Pressure", and I'm saying it again. Jeff Strand will soon be recognized with the greats like Stephen King and Dean Koontz as a master. I'll be brief with my plot description: Toby meets the monster as a young boy, then reconnects with him as a teenager where a serious friendship is formed. In the book, we follow Toby as he grows to be a family man and senior citizen while trying to keep his friendship with his best friend, Owen.

There aren't many stories like this anymore. One that truly sucks you in as a reader. When I was reading this book I didn't feel like I was reading a novel, it felt more like a true memoir of a boy and his best friend. There are moments where it's downright scary and others where you want to cry. Some could call it a drama wrapped in a horror package. I call it flawless story-telling. I don't want to give anything away by picking certain scenes and dissecting them, but there is a moment in this book, where Toby has to make the ultimate decision, and at first, I didn't agree with the choice he made, but as the pages turned, I began to realize that Strand was absolutely correct with where he took the story. An amazing read, hands down the best book I've read of 2010, and I've read A LOT! I'll also say this, in a market that's flooded with sexy vampires that are misunderstood and just looking for love, Strand was very brave with writing a story about a monster. This book definitely stands out above many of the other titles flooding the book-shelves. Original in its perspective and finale.

2009 was a good year for me as a reader, I was introduced to many authors that I hadn't previously had the pleasure of reading. Jeff Strand was one of them, and in my opinion one of the best.

Pick up a copy of Dweller at your local bookstore, or anywhere books are sold.