Bird Box

By Josh Malerman

Book Overview

" A] chilling debut . . . Malerman . . keeps us tinglingly on edge with his cool, merciless storytelling. . . . This earns comparisons to Hitchcock's The Birds, as well as the finer efforts of Stephen King and cult sci-fi fantasist Jonathan Carroll."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Written with the narrative tension of The Road and the exquisite terror of classic Stephen King, Bird Box is a propulsive, edge-of-your-seat psychological horror thriller, set in an apocalyptic near-future where an unimaginable, incomprehensible, and invisible foe lurks in the shadows--now available as a Harper Perennial Olive Edition

Something is out there. Something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from. Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remain, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. But the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat--blindfolded--with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children's trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. And something is following them. But is it man, animal, or monster?

Engulfed in darkness, surrounded by sounds both familiar and frightening, Malorie embarks on a harrowing odyssey of survival--a trip that takes her into an unseen world and back into the past, to the companions who once saved her. Malerman's breathtaking debut novel is a horrific and gripping snapshot of a world unraveled that will have you racing to the final page.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0062259660
• ISBN13: 9780062259660
• Release Date: February 2015
• Publisher: Ecco Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

4 stars

BIRD BOX by Josh Malerman This was creepy, and weird, and pretty good! Malorie and her two children are trying to survive in a post apocalyptic world where *something* is making people act violently. Her goal is to make it down a river to a sanctuary with other survivors. She has to do this blindfolded! The fact that these two kids actually listened when told to keep their blindfolds on is a feat in itself. Is it realistic? Not really. That said, I had a number of questions while reading: What is this thing that’s making people act violently? Where did it come from? Who or what started it? What’s the goal? Alas, the book leaves a lot to the imagination and there’s no real resolution or answer in the end. I watched the film adaptation and liked it. However, I prefer the book as the tension and sense of foreboding was done so well. Overall, a solid horror that kept my interest throughout. Recommend if you’re haven’t already read the book and/or watched the movie. Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

Lots of plotholes

This book was a very interesting read, I had high expectations going in due to how great the movie was. However, when reading Bird Box, I was only left with questions. Many plot holes that completely betray how the author set up a scene, like a character suddenly changing opinions on something that five pages ago they were adamant about, things that were never really explained like the birds, and very underwhelming writing. Characters that we spend a lot of time with don't have enough impact to their deaths since we as readers spend barely any time figuring them out or appreciating them besides their dialogue with Malorie. It’s not the worst book Ive ever read, but it’s really unimpressive in comparison to the film.

Best Book

One of the best scary books, that I've read in a long time. So scary, characters stay with you long after reading book.

Bird Box: Fantastic Thriller

This book is a true thriller: filled with suspense and stress over the characters. Fairly short at only 260 pages, the fast pace and intense moments make for a quick read. The ending felt a little rushed but other than that it good. Although there is a movie, the two are absolutely nothing alike and I would encourage people to view them as two separate entities.

Enjoyable

I didn't love it as much as I'd hoped to, but I was still quite pleased by this book. It was haunting and I found myself genuinely scared for the people in this book. I'm glad I read this.

Bird box was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time

I finished it in four hours and let me tell you, I was not disappointed. The characters came to life and I was living their lives and experience if their fears and losses. It was truly a great book.

It was ok

The book was good, but it’s the first time I have ever said I actually liked the movie better than the book.

Scary.

Gives meaning to "Fear the unknown" to say the least.