Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring wardrobes, shattered Brooka glassware, and vandalized Liripip sofa beds—clearly, someone or something is up to no good. To unravel the mystery, five young employees volunteer for a long dusk-till-dawn shift—and they encounter horrors that defy imagination. Along the way, author Grady Hendrix infuses sly social commentary on the nature of work in the new twenty-first century economy. A traditional haunted house story in a contemporary setting (and full of current fears), Horrorstör comes conveniently packaged in the form of a retail catalog, complete with illustrations of ready-to-assemble furniture and other, more sinister accessories. We promise you’ve never seen anything quite like it!

OK, so what can make a a really good ghost story even more terrifying? Hmmm…. how about being stuck in a ghost story with your co-workers. *Yikes* What could make it even creepier than that? Place it in a big box commercial furniture chain Super Store. *Shudder* Full of corporate propaganda! *Gasp* And a trail of put together furniture featured on a Bright and Shining Path *Screams*

I really had no idea what to expect going in to this, but I was so strangely excited to get it. Well, I will admit, I thought the story was going to have more of a visual aspect to it. I had seen the front and back cover images, and thought, “Wow, how cool and bizarre”. I thought of graphic novels, and some of the books I’ve read my kids (like Huge Cabret) where part of the story is told through images.  This book is not that, but absolutely do not take my misconception as a negative. This book is an insanely fun ghost story that will have you second guessing those fake doors on showroom displays and cringing if you hear of a midnight special, and absolutely dreading any piece of furniture that requires the use of a “magic key”.

And for those wanting a little visual something, each chapter starts with a catalog sketch and marketing blurb selling you on the ultimate furniture addition to complement your lifestyle. These furniture pieces each play a part in the chapter to come (and all contain 666 somewhere in the product number. Yeah, I totally notice these things). And the images get more, shall we say, intriguing and a bit less conventional as the story progresses.

I really loved Amy, our protagonist. A good dose of snark and attitude that seems wholly appropriate for working at a place like Orsk. Highly recommend this one if you are in the mood for something a bit different, something both fun and creepy but only if you don’t have to work any overnight shifts at a Furniture Super Store.