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The Loop (Jeremy Robert Johnson)
Jan. 5th, 2026 12:20 pmA small group of outsiders in a Pacific Northwest town try to survive and fight back against a sudden onslaught of rage-and-violence that appears to be related to some new biotech being tested in the area.
I don’t read a ton of horror but as with horror movies, this isn’t because I dislike the genre, it’s because I have very particular things I want from horror and most horror isn’t doing that.
This book is pretty action-heavy and high gore. Neither of those things is bad, per se, but I am always looking for things that would be described as “atmospheric” and “tense”, which is just orthogonal to that at best.
Pros: I enjoyed the characters, and the story kept moving along at a good pace. The threat escalated nicely and felt ever present.
Cons: I read another review that said the motive was underexplained and I don’t think that’s true, but I do think it is unsatisfying and demystified a bit too much. All of our questions get answered, which sounds good, but ultimately, it would be good for this story to leave us with some questions to ponder.
I don’t read a ton of horror but as with horror movies, this isn’t because I dislike the genre, it’s because I have very particular things I want from horror and most horror isn’t doing that.
This book is pretty action-heavy and high gore. Neither of those things is bad, per se, but I am always looking for things that would be described as “atmospheric” and “tense”, which is just orthogonal to that at best.
Pros: I enjoyed the characters, and the story kept moving along at a good pace. The threat escalated nicely and felt ever present.
Cons: I read another review that said the motive was underexplained and I don’t think that’s true, but I do think it is unsatisfying and demystified a bit too much. All of our questions get answered, which sounds good, but ultimately, it would be good for this story to leave us with some questions to ponder.
