“Horror tests limits. Horror shows who we are. When we’re faced with a monster, or a ghost, or a serial killer, what we’re actually made of comes forth.”
I had my first experience of a proper horror escape room a few years back when I went to Fright Nights at Thorpe Park. This was more in an effort to impress certain ‘company’ at the time, rather than being interested in being hounded by all manner of things that go bump in the night, and it was this little experience I found myself constantly thinking about as I was going through our James Han Mattson’s Reprieve book review. Or rather, that’s what I thought was going to happen.
A story centred around an infamous escape room that permits actors to have contact with the guests, Reprieve certainly had a premise that pulled me when I saw it sitting in the bookstore. With that being said, some of the early reviews for the book were a bit more mixed than what we normally see here on What We Reading, so I wasn’t really sure whether or not I would get the adrenaline-pumping experience such a premise promises. Did it live up to my hopes? Let’s put things under the spotlight with our Reprieve book review to find out.
Date Published: 2021
Author: James Han Mattson
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Pages: 403
GoodReads Rating: 3.4/5
Premise
Reprieve’s premise is a fairly easy one to grasp: four people partake in a contact escape room compromising six cells. If they can make it through all six cells without breaking any of the rules or saying their safe word, they win $60,000.
The game is hosted by the enigmatic John Forrester, owner of the large Quigley House, a reportedly haunted estate that houses all of the cells. Whilst there are certainly in-depth descriptions of the rooms and their challenges, the bulk of the book is told via different characters’ perspectives prior to the story’s fateful night, as well as a number of police interrogations held afterwards.
This actually probably balances the scales away from Reprieve being a typical horror story, and more of a social commentary exploring themes of racial prejudice, sexual awakenings and how violence has become embedded in society’s entertainment.
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What Worked
Off the bat, if you love escape rooms or have ever experienced one, Reprieve is well worth a read. It’s not exactly a genre that’s been done to death in the world of literature, so you certainly won’t be scratching your head over trying to remember which ‘full-contact horror survival game’ book Reprieve is.
And, for the most part, the premise does its job pretty well. In an age where technology has forced many entertainment providers to push the boundaries, I wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t already a few Quigley houses set up around the world. The six cells and the tasks involved with them are what the majority of readers are here for, and they certainly feel like the most fleshed parts of the book with incredibly vivid descriptions helping to paint all the horrors unfolding in each room. There are a lot of similarities between Reprieve and Scott Kershaw’s The Game.
We’ll get a bit more on the characters, but Mattson deserves huge plaudits for producing a novel that features a nice and diverse cast of characters. Not only different ages and ethnicities but also pretty wildly different when it comes to their financial status and social attitudes. It leads to some interesting dynamics developing in the house when the tension amps up and, whilst I would have preferred to have had a little bit more focus on them, I’ll chalk it up as a win for Reprieve.
What Didn’t
By far, the hardest thing to look past in doing this Reprieve book review is the characters. With Bryan and possibly John Forrester being the exceptions, every single character in this book is just so infuriating to spend time with. I understand the point in showing they are all flawed (an idea I actually really enjoy and wish writers would do more with), but Mattson just doesn’t let up the brakes when it comes to the book.
The two characters I had the hardest time getting on with were actually the two de facto protagonists: Kendra and Jaidee. I felt parts of their backstory drifted a bit too close to that ‘you’re so edgy and the world doesn’t understand you’ trope that I just couldn’t get on board with them.
However, no Reprieve book review would be complete without me mentioning that the novel’s biggest issue for those expecting a terrifying survival experience is that this really isn’t a horror book. It is much more of an attempt at social commentary than horror, focusing
It’s not any better or worse that it is not outright horror, but the decision to market it as such is a strange one.
Verdict
Full transparency here, this wasn’t my absolute favourite book of the year. The characters make it a tough read at times and, whilst Mattson has done this intentionally, it isn’t as quirky or as interesting as he might have been aiming for. None of them develops much over the course of the story through their various trials, which makes the flipping between times a lot less effective than it could be.
The social commentaries can throw up some interesting dynamics, but I felt overall they didn’t quite pack the punch I think Mattson was hoping for. Whether that’s due to being caught off-guard after expecting a horror fest or the slew of unlikeable characters, I’m still not completely sure.
For a comparison, Reprieve reminded me a bit of Louis Greenberg’s Exposure. There are some glaring issues at play here, but it’s those imperfections that give it a rough character that I can’t help but find really interesting.
Our rating: 3/5
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Views From Around The Reading World
“A full-contact escape room trip ends in horror in this brilliant horror-thriller by James Han Mattson. Narrated by the characters who shared the escape room experience, Reprieve brings social criticism to horror with well-developed characters and taut pacing. Absolutely unputdownable. Jordan Peele, make this your next film!”
Quote supplied by Rosemary Kiladitis, MLIS from MomReadIt
“What can overcome your greatest fears? For most people, nothing. For some, greed. So when an opportunity to try a horrific escape room game with a large cash prize comes up, we meet a cast of characters from varied backgrounds, participating for a slew of reasons.
Reprieve is a horror thriller meets social commentary. It throws horrifying imagery at you and mixes this up with character backstories which mix in themes of loss, sexuality, coming-of-age angst, race struggles and loss of your place in life. Add into this mix manipulation, social engineering, deceit, obsession, and one twisted mind overseeing it all, and you may never look at an escape game the same way again!
I enjoyed this book, with its mix of genres, pacing, and storyline. As you read you also find yourself wondering how you would react in a situation like this….would YOU participate?!”
Quote supplied by Nicole from Mullen Crafts
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
