Bad Man: A Novel Hardcover – August 7, 2018

I am a fan of dark and genuinely frightening books. Last year, I read Penpal by this author, and I couldn't believe how original, unique, remarkable and scary/creepy it was. And so well-written! In my mind, the author had created a kind of masterpiece, one of the best novels of the fright-type. So I couldn't wait for the author's next book, and I preordered Bad Man. I just finished reading it, and to its credit, I read it through. (This only happens when I am truly appreciating the book.) The characters were exceptionally well done. Their dialog was spot-on. And - The beginning of the story was intriguing with a clear hint of menace as the brothers play a game of hide-and-seek. At the supermarket, menace stalks the two boys. (I kept thinking: "Get OUT of that supermarket!) And oh-no - the bathroom scene - so unnerving. I found that the beginning of the story generated fear and chills: I experienced feelings of terror-to-come .... feelings that were also so strong in Penpal. A fine beginning.As the book went forward, I enjoyed the monstrous workings of the store--almost gothic in its importance to the story. The back "innards" of the supermarket (with the carnivorous potential of the awful bale machine) was giving me goosebumps. The manager, as an evil character who was "in charge" --worked extremely well. (Who hasn't--at one point or another--been under the thumb of a truly nasty boss?)Reading along, I realized that this author knows how to finely manipulate his readers. Tons of talent and a wonderfully dark and creative imagination. (Wow. OK - He is sooooo good.) Still, the story did slow for me as the plot seemed to be padded; the tale seemed to be overly-prolonged and lost some of its impact. I think if the book had been "tightened" and there had been a bit less of some of the scenes and character-chats, I would have enjoyed it much more. As it was, I found myself skimming some of the more familiar conversations, such as Ben and the police detective.When the book ended, I was not sure if I entirely understood what had happened, but usually, that doesn't matter to me so much. (I like open-ended books and don't mind loose-ends at all.) Yet, here, where I had invested in such a long read, I was hoping for a bit more ....Still a good read. And I will again pre-order when the author's next book comes out.

I loved Penpal. I taught the “balloons” chapter from it to my English III class as part of our short story unit, and they loved it too. I was really excited to read “Bad Man” but my excitement faded the more I got into it. Unlike many “bad” reviews on here, I actually read the book cover to cover. There could have easily been 50-100 pages cut out without sacrificing anything plot-wise. The ending is pretty fruitless, sure, but the worst sin this book commits is the pacing until the end. If he comes out with another book I’ll hold off on preordering until I see how many pages it’ll be. --A quick edit here as I will say that if this author releases a collection of short stories, I would buy it in a heart beat. His writing style is better suited for short stories which is exactly what lead to Penpal's great success.

Finished this book in one sitting so it obviously got my attention, but it got too much of my attention in that there were so many loose ends and red herrings that when the book was done I was just left feeling meh about it. Penpal was such an awesome horror story that used minimal words to spin the scariest ideas, but nothing about Bad Man was scary, or even ominous, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop or for the ending to come to a horrifying climax, but nope. Just meh. I was really looking forward to this book as I’ve been following the author since /nosleep but I feel like maybe this book had too much editorial influence, because his unedited works are much better. Either way, keep writing and I’ll keep chasing after the nosleep vibes this book lacked.

Really was blown away from Penpal and had high hopes for this second novel. I have to wonder if it would have been a far better read if the editor had not been involved. His feedback he got during Penpal helped shape a great tale. This one was piled with a mountain of red herrings. It also tried to shift the characterization of Ben in the middle into different light so everything appeared much different on the surface. It didn't work for me. Even at the end if you were supposed to believe what Dathan was leading you to about the bad man the end result didn't get you anywhere with a good resolution. There were other factors outside the bad man himself that negated any possible good resolution and will leave you questioning how or what these things really meant at the end. It's also good to reread the first part as well as reread the small short written in between everything else. I will always be looking for more from Dathan. He's a good writer. This just wasn't the lightning in the bottle he had before.

The book started pretty good. Kinda reminds me of King's novels involving young kids. To some points, it's funny as well.The plot is interesting. Two brothers inside a local store goes inside the bathroom to clean a toy. The younger one exits the bathroom and this is the last time his brother sees him.Then....the obvious. Police, parents searching for the one missing.Years later, the older one gets a job....right at the store where his brother went missing.He never quits on searching for him.The novel goes on and on and i find myself wondering if the book it's ever gonna end.The end itself leaves.....waaay to many unanswered questions . Basically the book has no end.It might be a sequel to it ? Probably.

I'm not going to write a long detailed review about this book as I neither read that much or know much about literature. With that said.I quite enjoyed this book due to the atmosphere the author managed to build. With a pretty unique story I always wanted to get back to and read more. Like Dathan Auerbachs previous book Penpal it keeps a pretty slow pace with very detailed descriptions of everything. I've read some reviews and noticed that some readers did not finish the book due to its slow pace which I can understand. It took over a hundred pages before something happened. I wasn't bothered by it but if you're looking for an action filled book or have a shorter attention span this might not be for you.As for the print it is a high quality product. I really enjoyed the design of the book overall as it was pretty different.Overall I give the book 3.5/5!I recommend it if you're not looking for an action packed or eventful book but more of an suspenseful thriller.

La trama in generale è interessante, il mistero coinvolgente ma, a parte che più che un horror lo definirei un thriller, dato che di veramente spaventoso non c'è nulla, a parte i disturbanti incubi di Ben, è troppo lungo, alcuni capitoli sembrano fini a sé stessi, scollegati dalla trama di fondo, gli spunti migliori (la Blackwood Academy, il passato di Beverly, il ragazzino balbettante) non vengono sviluppati, se non minimamente, altri (le cassette nell'ufficio del direttore, la cicatrice del poliziotto, le motivazioni del colpevole) ignorati, e il finale lascia più domande che risposte. È scritto bene, scorrevole e tutto, ma non mi ha soddisfatta, tre stelle sono più che sufficienti.

El contenido podrá estar bueno, pero al recibirlo tuve la sensación de estar comprando un libro pirata elaborado con foto copias y papel de bajo presupuesto. Espero que no sea así...... y que de ser original, aclaren esto, porque sí me siento algo incómodo de pensar que esto favoreciendo a la piratería ilegal.

I read his first book Penpal a few years ago and the book kept me on the edge of my seat and I was hoping for the same for this book. It isn't quite as fast paced or short as Penpal, but it is just as good with several twists and turns and you're constantly guessing who the kidnapper is until the last few chapters when everything comes together. It has also encouraged me to take more time looking at missing persons posters because no one ever does.

un thriller che fino alle ultimissime pagine tiene il lettore nel dubbio di cosa sia realmente successo.. lo consiglio assolutamente!