maybe the mannequins were the friends we made along the way

this was fun though I found not as substantial as some of SGJ’s other works. the more I read of his, the more impressed I am by his ability to keep the reader aka me guessing. this was silly at first but turned shocking and disturbing until the intense final sequence. it also left me feeling sad and the main plot point (a fear of growing up and growing distant from your friends) was relatable although (view spoiler)[ I didn’t kill my friends lol (hide spoiler)]

if you're dumb enough to mess with a creepy mannequin this is what you get

Creepy, disturbing, sad

What did I just read

Expected more mannequin action. Disappointing.

This was one wild and weird novella and I absolutely loved it. Remember that Doctor Who episode "Rose" where Rose and the Doctor were chased by mannequins and how creepy that was? Now imagine if those mannequins were murders hell bent on killing you and your friends. What would you do? This is the position Sawyer Grimes finds himself in at the start of Night of the Mannequins. Sawyer Grimes is one of five bored teens who decide to pose a discarded store mannequin as though it’s a real patron in a movie theater in a suburb of Dallas, Tex. They all think it’s a funny prank—until Sawyer sees the mannequin walk out of the theater at the movie’s end. When one of the friends is killed, along with her entire family, in a freak accident shortly thereafter, Sawyer becomes convinced that the mannequin’s to blame. Believing “Manny” has morphed into a Frankenstein-style monster bent on offing its creators with no regard for who else gets hurt in the process, Sawyer decides that it’s his responsibility to kill his fellow pranksters before Manny can get to them, and thus lessen the collateral damage for their families. As the story unfolds the border between the supernatural and psychological blends. Sawyer's innocence unravels before us as he weighs his options and plans and justifies his kills, trying to stay one step ahead of Manny. is there a supernatural cause, a psychopath on the loose, or both? Did Sawyer Grimes really see the Mannequin walk out of the theater on that fateful night? Stephen Graham Jones never provides a clear answer. The reader is left to answer this question on their own. Night of the Mannequins is a twisted, wild ride about the loss of innocence, the metamorphosis of the teenage psyche, and the pain of growing up. It is also a tender story about friendship and protecting others. You can tell Jones had a blast writing this novel, cared about his characters, and really enjoyed employing and messing with the tropes found within the horror genre. I'm eager to read more of his work and highly recommend this novella. Thanks to Netgalley and Tor for the arc.

This book was so uncomfortable to read!! At first you’re like…laughing—this guy can’t really be jumping to these conclusions, right? But then you’re on this wild ride of delusions that keep getting worse as the book progresses, and you want it to end but you know it’s only heading in one direction 😩. Wild wild time.

A teen prank sparks unexpected repercussions. I thought this novella was going to go one way. It didn't. It went another way, with a sad and horrifying inevitability that's almost heart-breaking. SGJ just does not disappoint. Wow.

SGJ said "I'm going to write the most fucked up story about a bunch of teenagers in less than 150 pages" and then he did just that. I am not a horror or thriller reader. The opposite in fact, I read primarily romance. But I picked this up on audio for October to get into the spooky spirit and on the recommendation of a friend who is an avid reader of horror and love SGJ. The audiobook is 2 hours long (and I listen on 2x speed) and in such a short time I was left feeling anxious, paranoid, and a little bit sick. Which, I suppose, is the point of horror. What really impressed me was just how much plot, characterization, and fear was packed into such a short story without it feeling "cramped" or rushed so to speak. I also really enjoyed Sawyer as a narrator. I feel often when I read books from the POV of a teenager or child that isn't written by a YA author that the characters voice is either too young or too mature for the age they are supposed to be. Jones really hits the nail on the head of a teenage voice telling this story from the diversions from the story to share a point about a sibling or a time when he was a kid, to the inclusion of "my dad's saying" and "my saying" it just sounds like a conversation you might actually have with a 17 year old boy (ya know, minus the murder) Overall I was super impressed and interested in reading more from Stephen Graham Jones. Though maybe not back to back as I have a feeling the anxiety I get from reading horror may last longer than it does for other readers.

4 stars Short, fun, really weird, and a solid 3 hour audiobook. Had a fun time with this one

What a wild fucking ride

I absolutely loved the story (which wasn't at all what I was expecting). As much as I love horror, I haven't read much that has created an actual sense of dread like this one did - all while maintaining a certain sense of humour. However, as much as I liked the sort of off-beat/minimalist writing style, I genuinely struggled to make out what was happening at certain points. I don't necessarily want to dock points for that because I don't know how much of that is down to me being a dumbass. It's one that will stick with me, that's for sure. It may not be for everyone but I'd suggest checking it out as it's a quick read! Can't wait to try more from this author.

2.5/5 Very mixed feelings. Turns out I'm not a fan of "realistic" horror, give me supernatural killer mannequins!!

My favourite SGJ story to date. The movie theatre backdrop was a nice touch.

Ahhhh...okay... don't know how to feel about this book...just giving it 3⭐

This is my first Stephen Graham Jones but it definitely won't be my last. As soon as I realized where this story was going, I knew I would love it. It's fascinating to be in Sawyer's head. The commentary on growing up is phenomenal and the writing is top tier.

3.5 rounded up

What a wonderfully strange little novella. I don't want to say anything about the plot because I would just spoil the whole thing because it's so short. I read SGJ's other 2020 release, The Only Good Indians, a few weeks ago, and I definitely saw some common themes. I wish this book had been a tad longer just so we had more time to get to know the characters, since they sort of felt like stereotypical teen slasher cardboard cutouts, but other than that I found this riveting. A good, quick scare!

4 stars. Psychological horror at its finest. Small group of friends ✔️ Weird unexplained event at the beginning ✔️ killings ✔️ All I can safely say is that this novella is unique, compact, and griping. From line one I was hooked and I read this in one sitting (audiobook). I will mention that the ending wasn’t as satisfying as I’d hoped. I’m noticing that is a common complaint here with the author. However, the abruptness feels better since it’s a short novella and not a 400 page novel. Also, there is a revelation that makes the story even darker and twisted! Lol. The writing at times felt clunky and scattered but it fits with the way the murders were described. I very much recommend picking this up! TW: some gory death description

I didn’t read the synopsis for this book and I’m soooo glad I didn’t. If there’s any chance you’re at this point in goodreads and haven’t read the blurb, then save yourselves, don’t read it and instead bask in the shock at the turn this book takes. I had no idea what was coming, it was totally unexpected and I loved it. I devoured it. I was only going to read a few chapters before going to bed but instead I managed to finish it!

This was not for me at all. I didn't like the writing style, I didn't connect to any of the characters or really like them at all. The books seemed kind of disjointed like we were in one scene one minute and then suddenly in another. The mannequin was creepy but honestly it doesn't as big of a part in this book as I thought it would. I still want to read more from this author though.

The characters in this are undeveloped. We should probably feel more for them but just hearing from the narrator, we don’t. The writing was bland and just boring, I kept skimming. The plot was really interesting but there’s still a ton of loose ends. This was a lot more psychological than I expected but I enjoyed that bit. Full thoughts in this video: https://youtu.be/S21BsN9ONiA

Should have been a longer novel. That's it. That's my only complaint.