FAT CAMP

Author: James Sabata
Category: Horror, Thriller, Psycho, Slasher, Serial Killer
Suitable for: Adults
My Rating: 4 Stars
Format Read for Review: Kindle copy provided for judgement in the Indie Horror Book Awards.
Pages: 263

Amazon Blurb:

Since 1985, over 500 overweight teenagers have come to Camp Wašíču, looking to lose weight, gain self-confidence, and turn their lives around.

Phillip McCracken arrives, weighing in at almost 400 pounds; but the baggage he carries from the past affects him much more deeply than the numbers of the scale. When a homicidal maniac hell-bent on revenge attacks, Phillip will be forced to either find the courage to save the people around him or fall victim to his own self-doubt…

… and possibly a machete.

Filled with allusions to the Slasher films of yesteryear, Fat Camp delivers horror, humor, and a little slice of nostalgia for anyone who grew up even slightly afraid of the dark.

In Short:

If you enjoy slashers, this is the book for you. It is full of random violence and gore mixed in with the humor of a crude cast. I recommend this book to people who also like movies like Friday the 13th.

Pros:

I read this book really quickly because the story was fast paced and full of action. I did enjoy the sheer quantity of deaths and lost count toward the end. I liked the elements of psychology and some real advice for improving self-esteem. There were some good anti-bullying themes. It was nice how some good messages got blended with the horror. There were a lot of jokes and humor, even at inappropriate times like while everyone was dying. I liked the main character and thought he was relatable, I definitely rooted for him to not get murdered. Some of the other characters were very likable too so I worried for them. There was a little bit of a sweet love story mixed in there. The story was well told and I enjoyed the amount of detail, it made me feel like I was watching a movie. Definitely a very thrilling and exciting read!

Cons:

• Maybe I received an early copy but there were some typos, and little editing and formatting issues.
• I didn’t like the lack of diversity of the cast, all the males were either obese or jock types and the only female characters were cheerleader types. The beginning of the book encourages body image but after reading the entire story I felt it only applied to men. I thought that was disappointing and a little bit too much like a cliche slasher.
• I don’t know if it was the point (dramatic irony and all that) but I knew who the killer was early on, that took a little bit of the fun out of it for me. At the end the story sort of being retold from the killers perspective seemed redundant but that was the only part I was bored for.

Parent’s Guide/Trigger Warnings:

Contains blood, gore, violence, murder, sexual content, and strong language.