Alan Wake Review

Alan Wake is a great book, a book which is filled with; drama, suspense and a hint of horror. It is loosely based on a Finish video game, which is also called (un-surprisingly) Alan Wake. It's a novel which takes inspiration from the likes of Twin Peaks, The Shinning, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, quite a combination if I might add. But why is it so great?

The characters are Alan Wake's most redeeming feature. Each character has their own unique personality; ranging from the crazy lamp lady, Cynthia, to the cocky ignorant Agent Nightingale. The characters, on their own, may sound a bit generic, but add them all together you get some of the best character interactions I have read, in any novel. A great example is the way Alice and Alan talk about their all-time worst fear(s) over a camp fire above the clouds, or the touching moment when Alan tries to comfort Alice, as the monsters are invading their home. It is moments like these that truly define Alan Wake and make it something special. My favourite character would definitely be Barry Wheeler, mainly for his originality and cheesy sense of humour. An example of this sense of humour in action: is the scene when he mocks Alan with a card-board cut out of Alice, going into any further details about this scene in this personal response, I believe would be inappropriate! Despite his sense of humour, Barry as a character has the potential to annoy his audiences; thankfully I was not one of those people. I loved Barry, along with most of the other the other characters, I thought he was a great addition to the already excellent book.

Alan wake also boasts one of the best story-lines to touch a novel.... period. It contains a twisty plot, where you are not sure what is going to happen next. One minute Alan is on a beach, next he is in a mental clinic participating in a lobotomy. The unpredictable nature of the novel was definitely one of the books strengths. The ending, however left much to be desired, I thought it was too vague, and left so many questions un-answered. But I believe it was just trying to set the book up for a sequel, which I am ok with!

Yes, the plot structure and strong unique characters are great and all, but what really sells the book is the setting. It is set in a fictional town called Bright Falls, with plenty of dark forests and deep cold lakes no good horror story should be without. My favourite setting of them all would definitely have to be the forest. It made me scared of going outside at night in the same way Jaws scared people away from water. It was definitely a clear stand out, and set Alan Wake apart from other books sharing the same genre (horror). And the way the book described the forest as almost a character itself, definitely creped me out a little. Living so close to a forest also did not help!

The way the book handles the horror is excellent. Rather than go for the modern, usually cheesy horror feel, it went for