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**Warning**
If you haven't read Mind's Eye (shame on you!) some of the following reviews may contain plot spoilers.
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May 2007
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Author Philip Henry ISBN: 1-84685-297-8 Johnny Knox was that high school kid that every one knew, and no one actively disliked, but no one was friends with. Students are surprised when he dies, in what is first called a suicide and is later deemed natural causes, but life goes on pretty much as normal. Normal that is for everyone except for Steve Norton who has a terrifying experience shortly after the death that makes him realize that there was nothing 'natural' about the cause. In time he finds a few others, outcasts for the most part, that have also had run ins with this monster. Now only a small handful of teenagers stand between something from out of this world and a school full of unsuspecting victims. Mind's Eye is told from the perspective of Steve as an adult, looking over the audio recordings and notes he made as a high school aged aspiring journalist. The result is uncanny and unnerving. As much as this is a full fledged horror story it is also a very gripping coming of age story. Philip Henry tackles those tempestuous years of high school, years which I think are the hardest for adults to remember with any real accuracy. But Henry does it perfectly. As enthralled as I was with the story- while I'm being honest, I have to admit that I stayed up all night and read it cover to cover with no break- I was equally sucked into reminiscing. Mind's Eye made me remember all the little details of growing up that I had forgotten about, the insecurities, the failures, the adults that just couldn't be made to understand. I don't know that I've seen an author capture that age during that time period so well. While some readers may find the ending a little abrupt or the book almost too straight forward (there is very little mystery in Mind's Eye, you know who or what the bad guy is pretty much right from the start) true horror junkies will find much to love. The tension starts right at the beginning and builds subtly straight through to the end keeping you reading to find out what will happen next. Surprisingly, the humor laced throughout the book only adds to the tension. Steve Norton, his friends, and enemies ring so true you can't help but feel a connection to them. These are no high school stereotypes brought to life, the characters are well developed and as sex obsessed and wise cracking as the real thing. A lot of horror stories are held up and compared to the master, Stephen King. Mind's Eye did put me in mind of the early works of King, or Peter Straubs' The Hellfire Club, but it definitely stood on its own. This is no imitation. It is pure unadulterated horror at its finest and it made me a Philip Henry fan in one sitting. Renee Mallett |
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Mind's Eye - Philip Henry
April 2007
We begin with a
bizarre death scene: Johnny Knox, a lonely teenager with a talent for drawing,
is discovered one morning, dressed in his pyjamas, lying in his driveway,
without a mark on him. Suicide, natural causes, or murder? No one knows.
Classmate Steve Norton gets the first clue when leafing through Johnny’s art
folder, where he discovers a portrait of a humanoid reptilian creature. Nothing
strange in that; Johnny had a penchant for fantasy. Except this isn’t the
first time Steve has seen the creature. The first time was in reality, when it
was on his doorstep trying to get in and kill him. Clearly, Steve isn’t the
only one who’s had an encounter with this beast. Where did the creature come
from? What’s its purpose? Can it be stopped? Steve’s next move is to
photocopy Johnny’s drawing and put it on the school’s noticeboard with his
phone number .. and wait to see what happens.
Mind’s Eye
is told from the perspective of Steve Norton as an adult looking back on his
school days. It begins with a catchy hook: Fifteen years ago, the town of
Portstewart was the scene of a series of strange deaths … Only three people
knew the whole story of what really happened. I am one of those three. The
author does a magnificent job capturing what it felt like to be sixteen, in
particular how horny we were! Steve is tossed to and fro between his commitment
to his girlfriend and his desire for other girls. At times, he seems like a
cheating rat, but he never quite gets as far as actual cheating; it’s all in
the intent. Henry handles the character so well that you feel empathy rather
than contempt. I remember myself as a boy of semi-integrity, with a fairly noble
heart, at the mercy of my sex drive. Steve Norton is like that. He reminds me of
myself, and is the sort of friend I would have liked to have had. The sexual
content also injects a great deal of light-hearted humour into the book, and
never seems in bad taste.
The book is set in
the real town of Portstewart, Northern Ireland, circa 1989, which happens to be
the very year that I was sixteen. As such, it allowed me to experience a
heart-warming time capsule that readers of other ages might miss. Bands like Def
Leppard and Bon Jovi get talked about, as well as movies like Rambo, and
such fashions as shell suits and headbands. At one point in the novel, a teacher
responds to Steve’s headband with the remark, “You look like a bloody
Comanche!” For some reason, this cracked me up more than any other line in the
book; there was just something so perfectly Northern Irish about it. One slight
mis-step that I found funny was the mention of the BBC microcomputer as
state-of-the-art. Dude, 1989 was the era of the Commodore Amiga versus Atari ST
war!
School life is quite
dramatic in Mind’s Eye. There are a lot of sexual shennanigans and
bullying going on. Class divisions are quite prevalent, with jocks and
cheerleader types at the top, lording it over the common folk. This is the only
aspect that didn’t ring true to life in Northern Ireland - at least in my neck
of the woods. But I don’t want that to read like a criticism. Henry simply
chose to portray school life in a fashion that seems more American (no offense
to the Americans!). And it works just fine. If anything, it feels like the
literary form of one of those teen horror flicks that emerge from the US every
once in a while. In fact, I’ll go further: it feels like everything you wish
those teen horror flicks were. Let’s face it, there are a lot of crappy teen
flicks out there. Mind’s Eye would make a great one.
I haven’t said a
great deal about the supernatural side of the story. That’s on purpose. I
don’t want to spoil too much. The book is 233 pages long, divided into ten
fairly evenly spaced chapters, each one a month in the life of Steve Norton. I
found myself looking forward to each chapter, as each carried the story to
somewhere new and unexpected; there was never a dull moment, and pacing was
spot-on. What you get is a thoroughly enjoyable B-movie-esque monster mystery
that is both serious and funny, filled with believable characters.
The novel has been
self-published by the author. Grammar and punctuation (that ol’
self-publishing headache) are close to professional, needing just a little more
work. No one but a hawkeye grammar-hound like me will spot anything amiss! I
will, however, slap Henry’s wrist on the amateurish cover art. This also
affords me an opportunity to ask you, dear reader, to overlook such
considerations and get stuck into a great read. Someday, I’ll put together an
official top ten list of self-published fiction that I’ve read. I can tell you
right now, though, that this one occupies the number two slot. In fact, I had a
lot more fun with this than with many a Stephen King novel. And if that
doesn’t validate self-publishing, I don’t know what does.
Darryl Sloan
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Mind's Eye - Philip Henry
January 2007
Mind’s Eye is an effective tale of high school horror, successfully recreating the high school atmosphere of the 1980s. High school student Steve Norton finds himself thrust into a nightmare after an encounter with a creature who can take illusionary form. The creature goes on a rampage, killing several students in the town. Steve and two other students who have survived the monster try to solve its mystery and stop it before it kills again. Reading the story is like watching a train wreck in slow motion as Steve goes from being a generally liked, good student with a girlfriend to that of a social pariah. The female characters have this habit for being used or abused by men, which can be frustrating to witness in the book. An overall good read, with an original plot, Mind’s Eye is a good choice for an afternoon’s reading. There is a minor plot point that could use further elaboration, yet overall Philip Henry does a fine job developing his characters and one truly feels bad for Steve as his life goes from bad to worse. Mind’s Eye is written for an adult audience, but young adults might find it interesting as well. Recommended. Contains: violence, minor sexual situations.
Dylan Kowalewski
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MIND'S
EYE - Philip Henry
Coral Moon
ISBN: 978-1-84685-297-8
August 2006
Horror
Northern Ireland, 1989-1990
The death of a student at the start of a new school year is never an uplifting
event. Initially, the death is ruled a suicide, but that is quickly
revised to 'natural causes'. Come on! What teenager dies of natural
causes? Steve Norton didn't really know Johnny Knox all that well.
Truth be told, Steve had only ever spoken to Johnny once before, so the event is
more interesting than depressing. When Steve is attacked and narrowly
escapes being killed, he realizes what really happened to Johnny. Can
Steve and a few friends stop the monster before it claims more lives?
MIND'S EYE is listed as a horror story, and there are some paranormal elements
and a scary monster. However, to be honest, for me the horror was more
about remembering the high school years than the actual monster killing the
students. This is a coming of age tale told through the memory
and tape-recordings of aspiring juvenile author Steve Norton. High school
is never the easiest of times, especially if you're not a member of one of the
popular cliques. But when your fellow students are being killed and you
know that the perpetrator is not human, things are a bit more alarming.
For Steve Norton it's even worse. Somehow connected to all of the victims,
Steve is caught in a web of suspicion that, unfortunately, has him at a
disadvantage as well as at the receiving end of quite a few fists.
Mr. Henry has truly captured the angst-ridden atmosphere of high school that,
while quite humorous in retrospect, does inspire a nightmare or two. Steve
is an engaging character who will have readers cheering and chuckling until the
very end of the story. His thoughts on a boy's path to sexual maturity are
absolutely hilarious, as are his fantasies of what his life would be like if it
were a Hollywood movie. The plot is well-developed and executed with a dry
wit that tempers the suspense. It is told from Steve's point of view as a
married man looking back on a childhood event that few knew or understood the
resolution of. Secondary characters are comprised of Steve's family,
friends, enemies, and teachers (that might be a bit redundant with the enemies
). Each adds a bit of spice to the joy and pain of Steve's journey into
manhood.
I highly recommend this captivating tale, but do warn that if you haven't
successfully recovered from your high school experience, seek a therapist before
picking up this book!
Kathy Samuels
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