For fans of Garth Ennis' CROSSED and THE EVIL DEAD comes a new novel of savage terror. There was no warning. No chance to escape. They came suddenly. Naked. Bloodthirsty. Sadistic. They descended upon the Pine Village Apartment Complex, relentlessly torturing and killing anyone they could find. Fearing for their lives, the residents of the complex must band together. A young trans woman, a suicidal middle-aged writer, a lonely Vietnam vet, a newlywed couple, an elderly widow, a single mother and her son, two on-the-run criminals and the serial killer known as The Exit. Eleven strangers. The only thing they have in common is the unstoppable horde that wants to kill them. If they are to make it through the night, they must fight back. From World Horror Grandmaster Award winning author, Brian Keene, comes an ultra-violent and action-packed horror thriller.
Nothing brings a community together like encountering a horde of crazy naked people.
"The Complex" is a solid, dare I say fun, horror novel that follows a group of "ordinary" apartment residents as they try to survive an onslaught of bloodthirsty, deranged killers running amok and apparently being led by an enormous fellow they come to know as "the tick-tock man."
I don't want to say much more since a big part of the "fun" lies in figuring out what's happening as the residents do, and seeing how they handle or bungle the situations they find themselves in while the story unfolds.
There's an interesting, diverse cast of characters that often don't end up being as "ordinary" or predictable as they initially might seem, which I definitely appreciated. I also felt the overall story had a compelling pace and flow to it, and nicely delivered on its intriguing setup and themes.
There were a few minor things that slightly annoyed me, or didn't go the way I was hoping they might, but those largely come down to matters of personal taste and preference, or a handful of occasions where elements of the narrative got a little too convenient or nonsensical for my liking. Still, I found the overall effect of the story very worthwhile, satisfying, and thought-provoking, which is precisely what I crave from any form of speculative fiction.
Bottom line: If you're looking for a quick and intense tale of terror featuring a cool ensemble cast dealing with a dicey, propulsive, and unorthodox situation, I'd definitely recommend paying a visit to "The Complex."