The Window

Thank you to the publishers and to Netgalley for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

I didn’t like this book. I enjoy horror, I also enjoy thrillers and I have no problem with lots of sex in a book. For me this novel just didn’t put it all together in a way that I enjoyed.

First off at times I felt that I was reading a teenager’s novel. All the teenage angst between James and his friends just didn’t cut it for me. The reference to Twilight nearly tipped me over the edge. For me Twilight is the epitome of bland, whilst my teenage daughter enjoyed it and loved Edward, I always felt that the story needing a good staking.

The novel has a good vintage feel which I did like. James and his dad Richie go to a Def Leppard gig, and the novel has an 80s nostalgic, end of summer feel to it. But, the demon story I found tedious. Trapped in the window and being able to move buildings just didn’t cut it for me. So much so I started skim reading, I tried to describe this book at home to a horror lover (even more than me) and just couldn’t get a grip on what was meant to be going on.

Maybe without the sexy bits and more aimed at teenagers, or less about the teenagers and keeping the sexy bits would have cut it more for me. As it, for me it just didn’t work or join together and its 2 stars.

I really enjoyed this book. Great page turner which kept me guessing until the very end. Atmospheric and tense in places.

A bit more graphic than I'm used to but I was warned! That said I did enjoy it and wouldn't mind reading some more by this author

I feel like this book leans more towards a 4 star review, but decided to give it 5 stars just because this book was such an easy read. I don't mean that the vocabulary was dumbed down or that the book was super short, just that it was hard to put this book down. I really enjoyed this read. The characters were super likeable and the story had a slight spiritual guidance to it towards the end which I found refreshing. Filled with lot of twists and creepiness, it almost had a Stranger Things vibe to it. A book I would definitely recommend to fans of horror!

WHOA. Hold on your socks. You might get them blown off. This was a book I finished in the light of day. a crazy dysfunctional family at it's best or worse?
When his son, James, comes to stay for the last month of summer, the changes in his father's behavior come to the forefront. What is his father doing staring into the window in the middle of the night? Was the fiery spark in the dark real? Or is Jame's imagination getting the best of him? Is it too late to save Richie?

This is a perfect book for just being creeped out. perfect for fans of the Horror and Supernatural.
*** Warning: This book does contain some scenes of graphic sexual situations and violence. ***
Thanks to NewGalley for an advance copy as well as Glenn Rolfe. A winner.

Publisher: Alien Agenda Publishing
Published: September 28, 2018
Pages: 255


I've read several books by Glenn Rolfe. My favorites are BECOMING and ABRAM'S BRIDGE. He can write with the best of them. His stories are complex and compelling. To me, THE WINDOW is one of the best books Rolfe has ever written.

What kind of demons await you tonight?

That's a loaded question, isn't it? Especially for Richie. He's lost his business and his wife. Richie drinks more than usual as of late and the depression has set in, leaving him susceptible to lustful demons. His soon to be 14 year old son, Richie, is having a rather terrible summer, but he's looking to turn it around by visiting his father. After all, they've missed each other for quite some time.

I will never look at windows or mirrors the same way again. The Window is a coming of age story. The story is filled with friendships, separation of parents, bullies, and so much more. Richie starts acting strange. James notices and takes action, along with his friends, of course. The Window is a tale of possession and good vs. evil.

The setup is awesome. The short chapters and excellent prose make this story sing. Glenn Rolfe does a great job with the demons and young teens. I dig the pop culture strewn throughout, too. There are some scenes that I can't get out of my mind. Rolfe doesn't use a lot of descriptors. He lets the reader see for themselves, which makes for a great reading experience. The characterization is solid. I was fully invested in the characters.

THE WINDOW by Glenn Rolfe will be in my top ten releases for 2018 for sure. This was probably his best horror novel yet.. Great story. Great characters and just plain scary as hell! I completely and whole heartedly recommend this one to fans of the Horror and Supernatural.

For Richie, life's cheap shots are adding up. When he finds something is watching him, he never dreamed that it would show him everything that he ever wanted. When his son, James, comes to stay for the last month of summer, the changes in his father's behavior come to the forefront. What is his father doing staring into the window in the middle of the night? Was the fiery spark in the dark real? Or is James' imagination getting the best of him?

Summer's almost over. And life is about to change.Will the son be able to save the father? Or is it already too late?

The Window holds the answers...and the key.

I am not so sure about this book. I am not one to be big on possession stories, then again I didn't like the Exorcist. The Window is a unique story where the demons have attainable goals, great characterization all around, and a coming-of-age angle that blends perfectly into the direction of the novel. Rolfe certainly shows his growth as an author with this emotional and action-packed tale.

I'm quickly finding that what other people find terrifying in horror, I just don't. It's probably not so far off from my love of horror movies. While I find them enjoyable, I just don't find that they scare me, which is unfortunate because I love to be scared. The Window falls into that category. While it had some creepy tones to it, I don't love it the way others seem to be.

Essentially a coming of age horror, The Window follows Richie and his son, James. Richie's life hasn't always been easy. Divorced with an unsuccessful job, he's depressed and drinking heavily. Instead of accepting responsibility for his own actions, he falls into the trap of blame. It's everyone's fault but his own. All of this sets him up as a prime target for demonic possession. Richie didn't make a very likable character, but the good thing is he's not supposed to be, though I imagine that the author does mean for you to feel somewhat sympathetic towards him. Instead, I just felt sorry for James.

James is a fairly typical teenager. When his mom moves him away from his hometown after the divorce, James is a bit lost. He misses his friends. He misses his dad. When his mom sends him to summer with his dad, he's thrilled. He quickly discovers that something isn't quite right with his dad.

It's not the usual possession story, although the demons easily seduce the weakest links. There is quite a bit of horror and gore to the story. While it wasn't gore for the sake of gore, it still didn't quite resonate with me. I actually enjoyed the build-up to the horror more: the subtleness of the reflections leering back at Richie, the inner dialogue of the demons tempting and corrupting, and the girlfriend caught in the middle, knowing the changes were occurring but unable to resist. I think the best part of this book has nothing to do with the possession at all but is instead the growth and advancement of James' maturity.

I wanted to love this book more. I've always loved in horror when the reflection is acting independently of the person. It's always been a good bit to further the horror but in this one, it just fell short for me.

I didn't find this book remotely scary. But it was full of suspense, which in some ways is just as good, maybe better.
I loved the first three quarters of this book but the final battle let it down a bit and kind of dragged on too long. I am not into action scenes in books, but for someone who is this is probably going to be a great read. I really liked all the interpersonal drama and the well thought out family dynamics. Overall this is one of the better horror books I have read, but I think I need to stop reading horror as I never really enjoy them. When I was a kid I loved the Goosebumps and Hair Raiser books, so I have this great sense of nostalgia around horror novels, but unfortunately I think i have outgrown them, perhaps?
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!! 😊

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

There was some much here I couldn’t handle. Granted, I doubt I was the ideal reader, but the misogyny and gore was over the top. Hard pass.

The Window by author Glenn Rolfe is a haunting horror novel that is filled with intense moments. You’ll want to read it with the lights on!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of The Window in exchange for an honest review.

A dark, gory and enjoyable story, I enjoyed the Window as my first read of Glenn Rolfe's.
The book is well structured and flows well, never having slow or dragging moments.

The horror elements are satisfactorily horrible and disturbing without ever stepping over the line.
My few criticisms;
<spoiler> I feel like Kevin and James found the 'answer' to what the demons are and how to defeat them online far too quickly It seemed to be the first thing they stumbled upon which just seamed awfully convenient.
They also defeated the demons in the very first encounter. Which suggests they really that threatening.
The children also didn't act like 13 year olds, in my opinion. They seemed far too mature.
</spoiler>

I would recommend this to someone who was looking for a quick scare or a classic kid oriented adventure story with horror themes.
4/5 stars.

We're introduced to James, a teenager who has been forced to move towns to live with his mother and her boyfriend after she and his father divorce. James is less than enthused about being forced to spend the rest of his summer with the pair, instead of with his much more lenient father Richie, and the father's girlfriend Alison. We then find out that Richie is feeling much of the same. Having been left by his wife, and then suffering the loss of his business, he decides that he's not going to let his ex dictate the remaining time left during the summer that he could be spending with his son. We also get a bit more insight into Richie's shortcomings with both lack of work and in the bedroom, which have led to depression and a slight drinking problem. His weaknesses are ultimately what make him the perfect target to be manipulated by demonic forces.

My favorite aspect of The Window was the adolescent friendship. James isn't only coming home to spend time with his father, but to enjoy the remaining summer days with his two best friends and his crush. When things start to go awry, the five young teens take matters into their own hands, not at all aware of the true horrors which await them all.

I honestly had the hardest time putting this one down. I believe it took me all of two days to finish, which given my day to day life and how slow of a reader I am, speaks volumes about this book. I took an immediate liking to all of the characters (except Garrett.) and was definitely invested in the plot within the first few pages. At times I thought it to be oddly erotic, sad, hilarious, sweet; It gave me everything I'd want and more. I now find myself needing to know what's going on with certain characters after the fact, and hoping that one day we may even get a follow up. I highly recommend The Window to anyone with eyes and the ability to read. Just be sure to avoid staring into any reflective surfaces after; you never know who, or what, may be looking back.

I'll start by saying thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this and review.
This is the first book I have read by Glenn Rolfe, and I can tell you right away it won't be my last.
This was a great read.
I do enjoy a good coming-of-age story with plenty horror and suspense added in to the mix. This one pretty much hit all the right spots: fast paced, good characterisation.
Definitely worthy of five stars from me.
Thoroughly enjoyed this, Glenn.

Richie has been having a tough time. First his business fails. Then his wife leaves him for the man who sold him his car and moves an hour away with their son, James. Now he’s sitting in his trailer while his current girlfriend works third shifts for extra money, wallowing in despair and booze. Things begin looking up when James comes to stay with him for the summer, but it’s too late for poor Richie. He has been spotted by a pair of demons who want to take advantage of his depression and hopelessness. Pretty soon, that movement at the corner of his eye in the window will show him that his wildest dreams can come true. But everything has a price – and this one won’t be cheap.

This is by no means your typical possession story. Our hero is not an old priest, but a 13-year-old boy and his friends who are just trying to help him through something no one truly understands. Really different way of telling a story that has become worn out since The Exorcist. Just remember to refrain from staring out the window…

I don't even know where to start with this book. From the hokey beginning to the poorly written end, it's reminiscent of a teenagers attempt to be spooky. It fails at every count.
I'd highly recommend going back to the drawing board and just starting over, after looking up common horror clichés and basic writing skills.
Did not finish.

Man, I'll tell ya' what. What? Well, I'll tell ya'! I've been a Rolfe fan for as long as I've been doing this Kindle thing. This damn story made me nauseous, tense and just down right worried. Glenn is getting much better at characterization. Unfortunately, he's getting much better at characterization! Yeah, I know! Mr. Man made me feel in this story. Too many people bite the dust. This is not giving the story away, as most folk will know immediately who. That doesn't make it hurt any less. My only complaint is all the demon sex. For shit's sake! I usually think of it as a crutch. I also happen to believe that sometimes crutches such as this are unnecessary. A story device, if you will! I think this book would have been much better if the "demon" storyline had been developed more. Theirs would have been an interesting tale to start off with. When they were human. Just my opinion. Still, excluding all the gross, bloody demon sex crap. Eh, this might be my second or third favorite of Glenn's. What I'm ready for is to see Glenn let loose, and let out that 800 page whopper that he has inside of him. Yep, I'm ready to get ROLFED!!