I received a free eARC of Pearl by Josh Malerman from Del Ray via NetGalley. I was very excited to read this book, originally published in a limited release under the title ON THIS, THE DAY OF THE PIG, in its new wide release. Unfortunately I did not enjoy this title as much as I hoped to. In Pearl, the title character (a pig) has telepathic abilities and influences people to do things. Terrible things. I struggled to connect with the premise. While the book did contain some interesting and unsettling scenes, fundamentally I just don’t find pigs to be that scary and had trouble buying into a pig that “sat on its ass” (a FREQUENT description of Pearl’s abnormal behavior) as a creepy villain or monster. Frankly if I had not received this book as an eARC I might have DNF’d it. I’m kind of glad I didn’t because I do think the book picked up a bit as it went, but I think this is far from Malerman’s best. ⭐️⭐️💫✨ (2.75 stars).

Pearl by Josh Malerman
Happy pub day to this book!
You guys wow…just wow. This book took me for a ride.
If you’ve ever thought to yourself “I really want to read a book about a murderous pig” then this is the book for you.
This whole book I just sat there saying wtf to myself and debating both becoming vegan and getting a BLT. Pearl is an even more intense Animal Farm. It’s gruesome, fast paced and I really enjoyed reading it. 🐷
Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I thought this should have been a short story and not a full length novel. Malerman has an issue sometimes where his work gets muddled halfway through and the ending is a little lackluster.

A pig that can take over people's thoughts and make them do evil things to each other. That is a great sell. AND it is well-written, with vivid first-person descriptions of being a victim of malicious mind control! I read Josh Malerman's Unbury Carol and was just blown away by how original and ominous it was. I had heard a lot about the "weird western" genre, and loved the idea of it, but hadn't found one that I loved until I read that one. (Aside from Montana Gothic that is.)

This book was just as ominous and compelling and original. It has a cinematic slasher movie feel to it, with teenage characters sneaking out to the farm at night to find out about this ungodly pig who is causing mayhem, and paying the price for their misdeeds. The mother and son characters are rendered with so much heart that you feel the mother's angst and shame over not giving the boys the life she expected to, and the boys' real sadness at not knowing their dad. You get some trauma horror in there too -- when dad appears, a figment of the boys' imagination projected by Pearl, to taunt and lure them out to the barn. This is a creepy, action-packed, psychologically astute horror novel that reads like a movie -- and for my money I couldn't ask for more than that! Thank you!

Wow! Malerman did it again. Pearl had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning and I knew almost immediately this would be a one-sitting read. Pure horror and perfect for a cool fall day.

5/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished this book a couple of hours ago and I honestly do not know how to judge it. Horror vibes - check. Creepy AF - check. Supernatural - check. Strange - check. Many of the features that I enjoy in a horror book, but yuck. The story is compelling. A farmer, Walt obtains a pig that he names Pearl (a boy) from a farmer who died and Walt realizes that this deformed pig (one eye is blinded), is actually extremely intelligent. Not just animal intelligent, but something more. Walt then decides to teach Pearl. So as the pig grows, Walt essentially raises him with knowledge of the world around him. The story takes several disturbing turns that are best experienced without prior knowledge.
This story was compelling while simultaneously difficult to take due to some of the graphic scenes. I do think that it has a good theme and message that only become evident as you read the direction that this takes.
Not my favorite personally by Malerman, but still a worthwhile and decent horror read. Give it a try.

#Pearl #NetGalley #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantine #DelRay

People in town have always felt uncomfortable around Walter Koppel's farm especially around the pigs maybe one particular pig, Pearl. Pearl is a male pig and you would have to ask Walter why he named him Pearl and Pearl sits all day in his pen on his hind end, just like a chubby toddler boy with his front little legs just dangling in the air in front of him while it seems as if Pearl is just listening and watching, to who or what? Walter has no idea. What an unusual sight to witness.

Walter's own daughter and grandson (Jeff) have always been very afraid of Pearl until the day Jeff decides to confront Pearl in the pen, instead he picks up an axe and kills the largest pig in the pen claiming a voice (Pearl?) told him to do it. Word spreads all.over town and some teens are very curious and excited hoping to see this talking pig and make plans to go out to the farm. Strange events have been occurring to many people who have had any interaction with this pig all leading up to a climatic ending. But for who? Humans or the animals, revenge or justice? You be the judge!

This story was a creepy and page-turning surprise. The excellent writing and storytelling had a tremendous amount of tension throughout the book. This was not a simple story of a telepathic pig as some reviews state, there is so much more backstory involved that will show again how "Humans are the real monsters" not some invisible boogeyman.
Pearl was born with a gift but did that make him evil? How did Pearl learn to use his gift and why were most the townspeople fearful of Walter's farm? Well, I'm not going to be the one to tell you. Horror readers: I highly recommend that you pick up this strange and creepy story to find out what nightmares are really made from and also, maybe, make you think twice the next time when you have your morning BACON!

I want to thank the author "Josh Malerman", the publisher "Random House Publishing-Ballantine" and Netgalley for the wonderful opportunity to read this terrific novel and any thoughts and opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this eerie, horror book a rating of 4 1/2 DELICIOUSLY CREEPY 🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

Another great read from Josh Malerman. He never disappoints, and each story is quite different. Doesn't keep writing the same thing. Great characters, great pacing, almost movie like. Can't wait for more from Josh Malerman. #Pearl #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved pearl, the pig itself, can't say the same about the book

I really wish I liked this. I think besides The House at the Bottom of the Lake, Josh Malerman is not for me. I like his plots and ideas, but the execution really falls flat for me. There wasn't really a plot, and it didn't really have a moral, so it felt really unnecessary.

This book just wasn't for me. Pigs and horror -- no thanks. I've enjoyed other books by this author, but couldn't bring myself to finish this one.

Pearl is a pig. A very special telepathic pig. The author, Josh Malerman, also wrote Bird Box. Enough said.

If you want a totally original take on horror, pick up Pearl. You won’t be sorry. It’s perfect for a cold autumn evening. 4 stars!

Thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

While Pearl is creepy and gory, I hate to say that I expected more. I have loved every story of Josh Malerman's that I have read and this one just didn't really do it for me. It seemed too rushed, or something. I just can't pinpoint what exactly it was. His other books leave me spooked, but this one was just kind of so-so. Pearl, the pig is for sure scary! I just couldn't really find myself really rooting for any characters, I wasn't attached enough.

Happy Publication Day✨✨

Have you ever stared into the eyes of a pig and wondered what is going on in that little brain?

“Pearl”, by Josh Malerman, was originally released as a limited edition titled “On This, The Day of the Pig”. Since today is release day for “Pearl”, I am going to refer to the book by that name for this review.

In a farming community named Chowder, not far from Goblin, Michigan, there lives a pig on Kopple Farm named Pearl. Does Goblin ring any bells? Josh Malerman’s last book, “Goblin”, was a collection of short stories, which all occurred in Goblin, Michigan. I absolutey love it when an authors previous work shows up in a future book; but I digress.

“Pearl” was a perfectly paced book about an angry telepathic pig that creeps me out. The book started off with slasher filled action sequences and switched to flashbacks that helped build up the characters and their motivations.

The plot at it’s core was a revenge story. Malerman really provides Pearl’s backstory so that the reader can see how the pig becomes Pearl.

I will never look at a pig the same way again. “Pearl was a horror book that has an equal amount of gore and thought provoking parts. The gory sections were visceral and not too overly described, which shows us that they were not there to shock. Instead, it tastefully added to the horror elements in the book.

This book was creepy as hell and I loved it.

Call me a dumbass, but when I picked up (or rather requested) this book, I did not realize that it was a book being republished with a new name. Since I like Josh Malerman, I did not read the description either. So, when I read the title page and authors note I was both surprised and annoyed. Plus, I was wondering how I would get through a book about a killer pig. Thankfully, reading about Pearl, the killer pig, wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. Pearl’s story was intriguing and easy to get through. I read Pearl in just a couple of days. The story is disturbing, weird, gory, creepy, spooky, and gross. All of which I expected from a novel by Josh Malerman. However, there is a scene involving a pigs giant testicles that I neither expected or enjoyed,

Pearl offers social commentary on the meat industry, and how farmers/people treat animals as less than human. As someone who grew up on a farm, I really just wasn’t looking for a story about an evil pig. Someone who grew up in the city, or in a subdivision may like the story more.

Pearl was a fast read, that fans of weird stories or Josh Malerman will probably enjoy.

I reactive this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My favorite part of the book was in the opening, when Malerman mentioned the town of Goblin. I love it when author's write different books set in the same universe.

This is about a pig named Pearl, who is different from the other pigs. Pearl is more aware than the others, and had psychic abilities. He realizes that pigs are kept on farms and slaughtered for food. After seeing his mom killed in front of him, a young Pearl discovers his powers. And his powers keep growing stronger.

Books about mutant animals or nature gone wrong are my favorite genre. Pearl is a formidable opponent, although I was still rooting for the humans to prevail. I liked the way this was written and how everyone knows there is something wrong with Pearl but tries to ignore it. My only complaint is towards the end of the book, it was sometimes hard to tell what was real, and what was a vision designed by Pearl.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

When you dare read this book, you’ll have to decide if Malerman is preaching to you or if he is just telling you a wicked story that takes you from A to B. Is it a slasher? A fairy tale? A morality tale? He’ll leave you rooting around for a nice safe place to make up your own mind.. 

The story is as I imagine Pearl’s skin to be—either too hot and feverish or too cold and clammy. Either way, its coarse bristles prevent even a pleasant feeling from taking hold, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. It might just be my favorite horror of 2021. This grisly tale got inside my brain and has stayed with me. It’s a creepy and strange one about a pig on a Michigan farm who has a kind of telepathy. Pearl can get inside your brain and root around in your thoughts. He learns things while he is in there and then uses them in ways that will savage you. He makes you want to do things and convinces you it was your idea. As I said, Malerman packs a lot into this short book and he left me wanting more.

If you let him, Malerman will take your imagination and carry it (you) into the barn and hang it from a hook. He will leave it (you) there dangling, waiting for a savior to release you before the damage is done. But he won’t allow that. Like Pearl, he casts a dark shadow where your fears live. Some of those fears might have been planted by Orwell years ago with Animal Farm. I suspect it was no coincidence that one of the farmers was also named Jones. But Pearl is not Napoleon, and he certainly is not Snowflake. Pearl is a new kind of horror and it will have you singing for him before the end of the story. And speaking of the end of the story, I am at a loss. Was that the end? Or was it what Pearl wanted us to think was the end? 

I don’t quite understand people getting triggered by bloodshed and violence toward animals—but not people. However, for those of you who are the former, this twisty little tale has buckets of blood and gore heaped upon the animals—and people, but that’s partly why you’ll be reading this novel, right?

I’d love to hear your thoughts, Occasional Reader. Sing for me.

Pearl, by Josh Malerman

Short Take: Everyone can stop now. We’ve achieved peak weirdness.

(*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*)

Hello my beloved nerdlings! Today is a great day for me, because there’s a Stephen King movie marathon on AMC. Yes, I know that I can stream everything, but you know something? I’m old enough to remember the days before streaming, before on-demand, and even before VCR’s. Back then, it was genuinely exciting for there to be a full day of good movies, and even commercials had their purpose. In those Olden Times, there was no pause button, so if you needed a snack or bathroom break, you waited for a commercial. Crazy, right? True, I’ll probably get annoyed with the ads soon, or want to watch something I haven’t already seen fifty times, but right now, I’m enjoying this the way I did as a kid. But with alcohol.

I’m taking advantage of the current commercial break to talk about the craziest book I’ve read in a bit. You guys, I usually write a marvelously clever plot description in this space, but when it comes to Pearl, I’m kind of at a loss, but I’ll give it a try. Pearl is a pig - not the kind who takes the last slice of cake at an office birthday party, or the guy who says he’ll call and never does. He’s got the pink skin and stubby snout and curly tail and all that. But Pearl is a little bit different. He’s also got one bad eye, and telepathy, and a big old grudge against humanity. So when he figures out that he can control humans’ brains, well, things can only go further into Crazytown from there.

And believe me, things move all the way into Crazytown and take up permanent residence real fast.

The good news, my beloved nerdlings, is that Pearl is hella fun. It’s got the goofy goriness of our favorite lesser-rated 80’s slashers, and some genuinely creepy moments besides. Pearl, as a character, is horrifying. The eye thing is freaky, and his memories as a piglet are deeply upsetting.

I’d also like to note that Pearl feels like a clever homage to Orwell’s classic Animal Farm, and I definitely can dig that.

I just wish the human characters had been better-developed. There’s the struggling single mom, the pretty high school cheerleader type girl, the outcast high school boys who call themselves Satanists but mostly just smoke a lot of weed, the big-business for a small-town bad guy who’s a dead ringer for Boss Hogg (heh). For all the glorious insanity of its premise, I’m not sure if Mr. Malerman was trying to write something genuinely scary & thought-provoking, or just a fun little throwback slasher cliche.

The Nerd’s Rating: FOUR HAPPY NEURONS (and some barbecue chicken, I’m never eating pork again.)

THIS BOOK IS LIKE ANIMAL FARM ON BATH SALTS.

It is an extra deranged horror story featuring…DUN DUN DUUUN:

pigs. 🐷

Or, one pig, specifically. —> Pearl.

I’ve honestly never been so fearful of a barnyard animal until I read this book. It was like the game version of The Shining.

I don’t know how to tell you that a story about a murderous telepathic pig is scary, but IT IS.

Pearl is intelligent, he has a strange power over humans and the other pigs around him, and he is ruthless. 👀

Right from this start, this book pulled me in and terrified me. - Mallerman really knows how to tell a scary story. DAMN!

Like, he totally could bust this out around a camp fire and have everyone hanging on each word. The tension was perfect. It never really lets off the gas.

I thought Bunny was the strangest book I’ve ever read, but this might have taken the cake…and you just may think twice before enjoying your next serving of bacon. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 🥓

If you want full body chills and cold sweats at the thought of a pigpen, then read this book.

Pearl by Josh Malerman was previously published with a different title.

"Pearl is not like other pigs. He can get into your head and not only make you do things - but make you want to do them. Pearl decides that today is the day that everything will change..."

Malerman is great at making a reader feel the wrongness of a place. Pearl is a terrifying pig and the farm is to be avoided at all costs. Several characters carry the damage of being close to Pearl. And everytime you hear Pearl's voice you're creeped out a little more. The story mostly takes place during one day - with a couple of flashbacks - so it moves quickly. The visuals of Pearl sitting in the barn are nuts.

You will never look at bacon the same way.

Nice re-release from Malerman.