Bird Box - Josh Malerman

Bird Box

By Josh Malerman

  • Release Date: 2014-05-13
  • Genre: Horror
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 2,381 Ratings

Description

“A book that demands to be read in a single sitting, and through the cracks between one’s fingers. There has never been a horror story quite like this. Josh Malerman truly delivers.” — Hugh Howey, New York Times bestselling author of Wool

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 horror thriller, set in an apocalyptic near-future world—a masterpiece of suspense from the brilliantly imaginative Josh Malerman.

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. Now, that the boy and girl are four, it is time to go. 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—a trip that takes her into an unseen world and back into the past, to the companions who once saved her. Under the guidance of the stalwart Tom, a motely group of strangers banded together against the unseen terror, creating order from the chaos. But when supplies ran low, they were forced to venture outside—and confront the ultimate question: in a world gone mad, who can really be trusted?

Interweaving past and present, Malerman’s breathtaking debut is a horrific and gripping snapshot of a world unraveled that will have you racing to the final page.

Reviews

  • You Can’t Not Look!

    5
    By Ozcrome
    This was a great book. It hooked me good and I could not put it down. It has been a while since I felt that way about any book. I can always find something to be critical about, and in this case, it would have been the desire for the author to expand or more fully resolve some more plot events. All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book.
  • Horrifically Beautiful

    5
    By karenindixie
    I know it’s odd to call a horror novel beautiful and lovely, but it’s originates with the strength of the main character and the intensity of the plot. I saw the movie, but as usual, the book delves so much farther into the devastating situation Malorie endures.
  • Watch the movie 🤩

    4
    By Laine Riddle
    I have not read the book but the movie is a big fat four star loved it
  • The emotion makes up for the plot holes

    4
    By Tjovian
    This is definitely worth the read. An interesting take on the apocalyptic survival genre. Avoid the sequel “Malorie” though, as this book stands better on its own.
  • As if blind people didn’t exist?

    3
    By bigbeet
    The premise was hard to embrace. This book ignores that blind people live out full lives, at least until the end of the story. The entities don’t really present a danger unless viewed (though in the movie they’re more menacing) so it was a challenge to buy into the threat. Also, the main character’s relationship with her children bordered on abusive. She didn’t even name them until the end. It had a similar feel to “A Quiet Place”, which was also riddled with big plot holes, by with sight limited rather than sound. Oh, yeah, and both miraculously had electrical power, which was weakly explained.
  • SAMUEL FERLDANA ANDERW MAFFIE

    5
    By SAMUEL MAFFIE
    FRIDAY FEBRUARY 25 (2020)
  • I watched the movie....

    5
    By 👅Honeygrl22❤️💦🍆
    Ok I watched the movie didn’t read the book but the movie was good.Shut up stupid B****es that thought this was boring or gave it 1 star maybe no one likes u
  • The only good thing here is the general premise

    2
    By h_sharp
    Interesting premise and a few tense moments of the "unknown terror", but overall poor execution. Little-to-no character development, uneventful plot, and VERY basic prose. Prepare for a lot of "and the she did this. And then she did that." sentences that are almost always somehow the same length and amount of syllables. The lack of rhythm in the writing makes it frankly tough to endure. Add onto that that the plot isn’t worth enduring, and you’ve got yourself a book that probably isn’t worth your time.
  • Clever and Unique

    4
    By kelliedoll22
    🛑🛑BEYOND THERE BE SPOILERS🛑🛑 This iBook has sat in my library, untouched, since the Netflix movie came out. It was featured in one of iBook’s huge sales, so I was, like, why not. I finally read it, and I’m so impressed, I’m writing a review. Best book I’ve read in awhile. Dialogue flows naturally, the author brings “the roommates” to life effortlessly, and there was even a brief, albeit real love between two characters which would have been so beautiful. Many books boast of unseen plot twists, but this one actually has one!! I absolutely loved that the creatures didn’t hurt/kill/maim/eat people, but caused (probably unknowingly) utter insanity. It’s unique. I was expecting the creature Malorie came face-to-face with to drag her out of the boat & rip off her head or something, but it didn’t even persist in taking off her blindfold after she protested. Are these creatures gentle? Intelligent? Humanoid? Are they horrified at the effect they have on other intelligent life? If a book makes me think or has a great ending, it’s an excellent book, in my opinion. Bird Box accomplishes both.
  • What a thrill ride!

    5
    By steph_fig
    Bravo!