Suffer the Children by Craig DiLouie – Review

A perfect read for October.

WHAT’S THE BOOK ABOUT

Suffer the Children presents a terrifying tale of apocalyptic fiction, as readers are introduced to Herod’s Syndrome, a devastating illness that suddenly and swiftly kills all young children across the globe.

Soon, they return from the grave… and ask for something unimaginable. Without that, they remain listless, vacant eyes staring at their parents. As soon as the children receive it, they become themselves again… But only for a short while.

As that commodity becomes scarce, the inevitable question for parents everywhere becomes: How far would you go to bring your child back?

Summary paraphrased from Goodreads.

Suffer the Children by Craig DiLouie – Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK

Suffer the Children by Craig DiLouie is a delicious blend of science fiction and dystopia resulting in a terrifying novel.

DiLouie builds on a fantastic premise to craft an unsettling story and a book of pure madness. The madness begins one little step at a time until the entire humanity hurtles down the path to the final calamity: the creation of monsters.

Don’t Judge a book by its cover. If the cover is creepy, wait till you read the book. The book is creepier, wicked, and dark.

It is also chaotic and moves at a frenetic pace. Everything happens so fast; it is difficult to wrap your head around it. One moment, we are being introduced to all the characters (absolutely no information dump) and their backstories. The next moment, shit hits the ceiling. But that is the absurdity of the event. The book is strange but so relatable.

“His large eyes shined like carved glass. He looked like a poorly stuffed child. An insane taxidermist’s gift to a grieving mother.”

Suffer the Children by Craig DiLouie

The horror in the novel stems from the actions of the parents, rather than the resurrection of the dead children. Further, the vivid descriptions of the children’s and the parents’ antics enhance the chill factor of this book.

Despite being so dark, it is an oddly satisfying read due to the rich worldbuilding and the sense of foreboding that loomed throughout the novel. Moreover, it is thought-provoking. It made me ponder – how far is someone willing to satiate her child?

I do have a minor quibble with the book – there is no explanation offered about how the Herod’s syndrome came into being. But that does not detract from the reading experience at all.

Craig DiLouie’s Suffer the Children is recommended for lovers of apocalyptic fiction and horror.

Trigger warning – lots of gory scenes, loss of a child.

Suffer the Children by Craig DiLouie

BOOK DETAILS

Genre: Horror/paranormal, Science Fiction/dystopia/apocalypse || Pages: 343 || Published on May 20th 2014 by Gallery/Permuted Press

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Many thanks to the publisher for my copy of the book. This does not affect my opinion on the book. I opted to provide an honest review on my blog.

AUTHOR BIO

Craig DiLouie

Craig DiLouie is an author of popular thriller, apocalyptic/horror, and sci-fi/fantasy fiction.

In hundreds of reviews, Craig’s novels have been praised for their strong characters, action, and gritty realism. Each book promises an exciting experience with people you’ll care about in a world that feels real.

These works have been nominated for major literary awards such as the Bram Stoker Award and Audie Award, translated into multiple languages, and optioned for film. He is a member of the HWA, International Thriller Writers, and IFWA.

Author Links: Website

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