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Bird Box

by Josh Malerman (Goodreads Author)

3.96 · Rating Details · 30,758 Ratings · 5,206 Reviews

Something is out there, something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse of it, and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remains, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place w ...more

Hardcover, 262 pages

Published May 13th 2014 by Ecco (first published March 1st 2014)

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Lists with This Book

Best Horror Books of the 21st Century

8th out of 289 books — 789 voters

The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

Horror Novels in 2014

1st out of 49 books — 101 voters

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Community Reviews

(showing 1-30)

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Apr 18, 2016 Jeffrey Keeten rated it really liked it

Recommended to Jeffrey by: Will Byrnes

Shelves: post-apocalyptic

”Creatures…
infinity…
our minds have ceilings, Malorie...
these things...
they are beyond it…
higher than it…
out of reach…
out of--

BUT HERE”

Whatever you do DON’T OPEN YOUR EYES!!

Malorie has just confirmed she is pregnant the very day that people begin killing themselves. News travels so fast now. Something can happen in Cairo. Someone can film it, load it to the internet, and within minutes of the event occurring someone in Des Moines is watching what happened. News, mostly tragic news, from around ...more

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Aug 24, 2016 Raeleen Lemay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of Night Film

Shelves: favorites, own, 2016-reading-challenge

(rating bumped from 4 up to 5 stars after thinking about it more)

A few days ago when I finished this book, initially I was pissed off and disappointed at the ending. It leaves a lot of questions unanswered, but upon a few days' reflection I've realized that it was the only realistic way this could end. SO, if you are wary of reading this because you don't want an open ending, don't be! Malerman made the right choice in leaving some things unknown, because ultimately it works best for this type o (rating bumped from 4 up to 5 stars after thinking about it more)

A few days ago when I finished this book, initially I was pissed off and disappointed at the ending. It leaves a lot of questions unanswered, but upon a few days' reflection I've realized that it was the only realistic way this could end. SO, if you are wary of reading this because you don't want an open ending, don't be! Malerman made the right choice in leaving some things unknown, because ultimately it works best for this type of story.

NOW, THE BOOK. This book was fantastic! The general idea is that there is an unknown force that causes people to become murderous and suicidal when they see it. Nobody knows if it's a race of strange creatures, or any other number of things, but they know that it's out there and it's killing people. This strikes so much fear in the entire population that most people stop leaving their houses, but when they do, they blindfold themselves to prevent themselves from seeing this strange enemy.

In the end, that blindness is what makes this book so terrifying.

Since the characters you're reading about are wandering around in this messed-up, apocalyptic world with only their senses of smell, touch, and hearing essentially, every little unexplainable noise or feeling is horrific. They never know if there could be something right next to them that is capable of killing them, and as a reader, neither do you! It was so scary! The way the book is written is really immersive, and you feel like you're right there along with Malorie, her children, and the rest of the gang.

Another thing that was great about this book was the non-linear timeline. Normally this type of storytelling gets a bit tiresome to me, because it can sometimes be difficult to keep track of what's going on. That was not the case with this book. It skips between a number of time points across a 4-year span, and it never became confusing somehow. I didn't even really realize how well done it was until after I finished the book. This method also added a lot of suspense to the story, and my heart was literally racing throughout most of the book.

So, if you couldn't tell, I really enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it for anybody who wants a really spooky thriller novel. ...more

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Nov 02, 2016 Will Byrnes rated it really liked it

Shelves: horror, science-fiction

Close your eyes and imagine the basso sound of voiceover icon Don LaFontaine intoning, “In a world gone mad…” and that is pretty much where Bird Box begins. Open your eyes and go mad. Kill others, yourself. Can you keep from peeking? For how long? In Josh Malerman’s post-apocalyptic, eye-opening scare-scape, something happened. An invasion? Some natural phenomenon? No one is really certain. But what has become clear is that anyone who steps outside with their eyes open goes insane, not just gibb ...more

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Feb 02, 2016 Mandy Crider rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow! Just wow! Bird Box was amazing! This definitely lived up to the hype that everyone spoke of. I highly recommend this book if you want your mind to be twisted and turned in ways you can't imagine. Creepy, terrifying, horrid, and downright scary! Loved it! Would make an interesting movie......

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Jun 22, 2014 Trudi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, apocalyptic-types, survive-this, love-the-premise, group-in-peril, science-fiction, epic-creep, horror, 2014

4.5 stars

Whoah. This is some really good shit. Color me very impressed. I'm not sure what I was expecting when I picked this one up, but it totally delivered on tension and suspense, a palpable dread, and a suffocating sense of doom.

Just as a launching off point I'm going to throw two pop culture references at you that I couldn't stop thinking about while reading this book. The first is the music video "Just" by Radiohead. Remember that's the one where there's this guy who just lies down in the 4.5 stars

Whoah. This is some really good shit. Color me very impressed. I'm not sure what I was expecting when I picked this one up, but it totally delivered on tension and suspense, a palpable dread, and a suffocating sense of doom.

Just as a launching off point I'm going to throw two pop culture references at you that I couldn't stop thinking about while reading this book. The first is the music video "Just" by Radiohead. Remember that's the one where there's this guy who just lies down in the street for no apparent reason and when this other guy starts screaming for a reason why he's done this and when the man finally tells him, everyone who is in earshot lies down too, as if whatever he's said is just too huge and overwhelming for the mind to process that the only human response is to collapse.

The second reference I'm going to throw at you is a Twilight Zone episode from the '80s called "Need to Know" where everyone starts going insane in this small town and it's eventually discovered that the source of the problem is not a physical disease, but an idea, a single short phrase, that is being passed from person to person by word of mouth. That horrible phrase is nothing more or less than the purpose and meaning of existence; the moral of the story being -- Knowledge we are not ready to receive will drive us mad.

I freaking love that Radiohead video and I was twelve years old when I saw that Twilight Zone episode and it scared the crap out of me (which is Trudi speak for I loved it). So in a lot of ways I was already primed to love this book where a mysterious pandemic plague is causing the "infected" to go on homicidal killing sprees before killing themselves. In the escalating chaos and confusion, the source of the infection is identified as having seen something the human mind cannot fathom, a creature that is so beyond our comprehension we are literally driven mad by it. But who is to know for sure, since no one has survived to confirm what it is that they saw.

Your only defence is to close your eyes, and keep them closed.

Humans hide in houses behind windows that are painted, covered with blankets or boarded up. They dare not venture outside for water or food unless they are blindfolded. If you thought surviving the end of days was tough with all of your faculties and sight, try doing it completely blind and feeling hunted and watched the entire time.

I love survival stories of all kinds: but an apocalypse scenario where the group must survive together is my favorite. And it's done so well here, I really can't stress that enough. The way the tension builds gradually as the unknowable threat outside the doors of the safe house becomes more menacing and tangible. How so much is implied rather than relying on big gushy scenes of gore and explicit violence. How the daily trek to the well blindfolded to get fresh water becomes an exercise in exquisite pulse-pounding suspense to unnerve the most steely-nerved of all readers.

Did you hear that? Sssshhhhh. I think it came from behind you. Whatever you do, don't open your eyes.

Readers who have a perpetual desire for answers and reasons may find the lack of explanation here troubling. I didn't. I was okay that we really don't know what the hell is going on and can only guess (and imagine our worst fears). If something like this ever goes down for real we'll be just as much in the dark as the characters in Bird Box discovering we are as much at the mercy of our ignorance and fear of the unknown as anything that may or may not be hunting us.
...more

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Nov 27, 2016 Maxine (Booklover Catlady) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: maxine-favourites, could-not-put-down, books-that-made-me-think, creepy-books, scary-books, horror-books-read, books-i-own, favourite-authors, 2015-reading-challenge, 2015-five-star-books, 2015-my-top-ten-reads

Where the hell do I start with reviewing this book? Unlike nothing I've read in a long time this one is a stand out read like no other for me this year. I had wanted to read this for ages and so glad I finally did.

Emotions stirred reading this book I think covered them all, I noted how on edge I was constantly reading this novel. From early pages to the last I was fixated, addicted and full of tension, bordering on fear at times.

Something is out there, something terrifying that must not be seen. ...more

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Nov 20, 2016 Edward Lorn rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Recommends it for: No one

Shelves: 52-in-52-2014, hardcover

UPDATE 2.0: To tackle the reasoning behind the children's names, I've decided to update this review. If you've read the book and take issue with my criticism, I invite you to click on this spoiler tag to see why I still think Malerman's explanation for the names is bullshit. (view spoiler) ...more

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Sep 28, 2016 Reading Corner rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.5 stars

Wow!This book is incredibly good and quite creepy.The story follows Malorie who is stuck in a post-apocalyptic world where people are killing themselves, in any manner possible and no one knows why.The premise of the book is completely enrapturing and leaves you anxious for the next chapter.I absolutely loved the post-apocalyptic element in this book as it was done so well and was unique.

For the most part, the plot switches between the past and present to reveal the the direction of the ...more

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Jun 08, 2016 Maxwell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, 2016

WOooooOow. This book was thrilling. It was an addictive, (somewhat) scary, fascinating read. I feel like this would be a great book to recommend to people who don't read a lot because it's not too long, it's easy to read, and it is unputdownable. I don't want to say anything else about this book because it's so much more fun going into it with no previous knowledge. Also I imagine this would make a great audiobook too. So if you like creepy thrillers definitely check this one out!

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Sep 17, 2015 mark monday rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horrortime, after-the-fall

fantastic book. there are a bunch of excellent 4-star reviews out there and I'm not sure I have a whole lot more to add.

synopsis: it's the end of the world as we know it. creatures from somewhere roam the streets. to gaze upon them means certain doom, or at least a murderous, suicidal insanity. the world soon realizes that something very wrong is happening everywhere. four years later, our heroine and two children must take a blindfolded river journey to an uncertain destination.

sound is a key ...more

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Mar 07, 2016 Jen rated it really liked it

Shelves: heart-racing-thriller

I should have read this book blindfolded. People are killing themselves and no one knows why. They know whatever is out there, if they should see it, it will cause them to go mad and end in their death. They are being hunted but without sight, they can survive. A quick and easy read but one that will leave you feeling tense and on edge. I don't typically run to these kind of reads and in this case, I was trying to run from it. Not a lot of depth but who needs it when you have a lot of fear.
Go a ...more

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Dec 18, 2015 Carol rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, favorites, suspense, thriller, published-2014, read-2015, detroit, 2015-super-favorites, library-ebook

Holy Shit! Why did I wait so long to read this thriller?

Wonderfully creepy from start to finish, Bird Box made me feel the eerie presence of the mysterious creatures behind my blindfold and hear the sounds of madness! It takes an awful lot to creep me out, but Bird Box succeeded with the suspenseful intenseness of the unknown all the way to the apropos ending.

Be very careful who you trust, but do not miss out on this one! And, oh.....(view spoiler)

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Aug 05, 2014 Maciek rated it it was ok

Shelves: reviewed, post-apocalyptic, read-in-2014

Bird Box offers a well-known premise - the world as we know it suddenly coming to an end, and the few who survived trying to cope with the new reality - but with an interesting twist (certainly a desirable addition to the formula which, much as I enjoy it, is now beginning to resemble a really dead horse). This is both a good, and a bad thing - and the book is also both these things, as it began well but ended up being disappointing.

The hook of Bird Box is, like in much post-apocalyptic fiction, ...more

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Jul 14, 2016 Sh3lly ✨ Bring on the Weird ✨ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, dystopian, sci-fi, horror, gurrrl-power, library, the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it, mystery, paranormal, thriller-suspense, iffy-reviews, read-2016, machalo-2016-july-tbr-challenge

You can't ever look at it or you will go violently insane. That is basically the premise of this book. What is it? What are they? Why are they here? What is it that people see that makes them go crazy? You'll have to read it to find out.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I can't believe it was a first novel either. This guy knocked it out of the park, if you ask me. So creepy. A perfect blend of suspense and horror mixed in with an end-of-the-world dystopian vibe.

Malorie was amazing. By the end of the book, you ...more

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Feb 15, 2016 Jan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars, paranormal

5 big, bold, humongous stars!!!

I loved every single thing about this book--every creepy, tense, suspenseful, action filled page!!!

I'm not quite sure how to even label this book as there are so many dimensions to it. While it is definitely suspenseful, there is such a haunting quality to the writing that it's not like any thriller I've ever read. While there is death and madness, it's not at a level that I would consider a true horror either. The plot is definitely center stage here, along with t ...more

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Jun 05, 2015 Courtney Wells rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, apocolyptic, horror, survival-horror, emotional-scarring-ensued, why-aren-t-more-people-reading-you, irreconcilable-differences-with-the, creepshow, take-my-money-damnit, murder-and-or-mayhem

A genuinely tense, terrifying read. When I wasn't whipping through pages I had to put the book down to take a break from the suspense.

This is great, gripping story that emphasizes creepiness and primal fear over violence while still proving itself to fans of survival and psychological horror. I'd recommend it to anyone willing to tease their fear of the unknown.

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Aug 18, 2014 Arah-Lynda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: i-said, lets-get-real

Chilling…………………………….

DON’T OPEN YOUR EYES.

You will be fine as long as you do not leave the house. All precautions must be taken. Windows completely covered, doors secured, protocols for any necessary outdoor activity strictly adhered to. PERIOD.

The real danger is out there. But you must not see it. Ever.

The time has come, if they are to survive, Malorie must leave this house and take her four year old boy and girl with her.

They must take the river.

They must go blindfolded.

Just listen.

They must ...more

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Jul 12, 2016 Christine rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Christine by: Picked for me by Jan

4.5 stars

A big thank you to my wonderful book buddy Jan for picking this book for me to read. I had initially marked it, but when I started seeing people place it on their “horror shelves” I backed off. I do not do horror, no way. When I was told this was more “creepy” than “horror(ible)”, I thought I would go ahead and give it a shot. Boy, was I surprised at how much I got into this novel!

Josh Malerman is an author to watch for sure. I was immediately drawn into this strange tale and was totall 4.5 stars

A big thank you to my wonderful book buddy Jan for picking this book for me to read. I had initially marked it, but when I started seeing people place it on their “horror shelves” I backed off. I do not do horror, no way. When I was told this was more “creepy” than “horror(ible)”, I thought I would go ahead and give it a shot. Boy, was I surprised at how much I got into this novel!

Josh Malerman is an author to watch for sure. I was immediately drawn into this strange tale and was totally hooked till the very end. Some reviewers criticize his writing style. I loved it. Not since Mark Edwards’ The Magpies (five-star read for me) have I been subjected to such unrelenting creepiness (a really good thing)!

Something is happening outside. People are seeing “a thing”. When that happens, the person is instantly driven insane and suicidal (relatively nongraphic). Therefore, the survivors are holing up in houses, blanketing the windows, and using blindfolds when forced outside. Not many are surviving. This is the environment of the story, which switches back and forth between 2 time frames approximately 4 years apart.

Things are told from the perspective of Malorie, a woman who is pregnant (not a spoiler) in the earlier time period. We really never find out that much about Malorie’s background or that of any of the other characters for that matter. This would normally bother me as I’m a big fan of excellent characterization, but in this novel it did not seem all that necessary. It seemed to me that the whole setting was a character in and of itself, and I was more interested in that than in the human cast. The pace is steady as it goes, the chapters are short, and the suspense is killer good. Though things are not all laid out nicely at the end and some questions remain, I felt amazingly content with how it all played out. To me, the beauty of the book is in the journey we take with Malorie, taking joy (sorry, Malorie) in the process of her fight for survival, and “surviving the read” along with Malorie, rather than anything else. I understand the author has a second book in the works, and I am hoping it will be a sequel.

I strongly recommend this book to everyone who wishes to be really creeped out. Do not believe the “horror” label that is attached to this book—non-horror fans are encouraged to give it a go. This is different, and I loved it.
...more

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Nov 09, 2015 ✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, books-i-own, horror, read-2015, set-sail-for-disappointment, not-even-scared, this-is-karen-s-fault

Before writing this review I had planned to give this book a 3.5 rating. See my actual rating? Oops.

Where I'm from we don't celebrate Halloween. What can I say, we're weird like that. Well we do have some kind of celebration. Yes, we do. We put pots of depressing-looking chrysanthemum on tombstones. Yay! Think of it as Día de los Muertos without the cool stuff. So instead of getting this:

We get something like this:

Party on. I'm telling you, we know how to have a good time. Anyway, the point is ( ...more

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May 05, 2016 Crystal Craig rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015, owned-print, owned-kobo, recommended, sweeter-reads

If I used one word to describe Josh Malerman's, Bird Box it would be eerie. It's a story of survival. The plot is original too, and anyone who reads as much as I do knows the more novels you devour, the harder it becomes in finding something different. Immediately, right from the first page, I felt Malorie's fear, and I felt a real sense of danger.

I kept wondering why Malorie never named the children. She always refers to them as "The Boy" and "The Girl". Yes, their birth was chaotic, but four ...more

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Jun 19, 2014 Jennifer Masterson rated it it was amazing

4 1/2 stars but I'm rounding it to 5 for originality. I could not put this book down for the last 100 pages. If you like the Walking Dead, horror or just a good scary thriller than this is the book for you. I hope there is a sequel and a movie!

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Oct 21, 2015 Dianne rated it really liked it

Shelves: best-of-2015

I WANT MORE!!! I WANT MORE!!! I WANT MORE!!! {{bangs first repeatedly while screaming}}

This is a rarity for me – a book I JUST. DID. NOT. WANT. TO. END.

I dragged it out as long as I could because I didn’t want to finish it, even though it could easily be read in a day or two. It’s only 260 pages and honestly, it could have been much longer. There were plenty of opportunities for Malerman to play more with the world and situations he created, but the book is pretty spare and just cuts to the chas I WANT MORE!!! I WANT MORE!!! I WANT MORE!!! {{bangs first repeatedly while screaming}}

This is a rarity for me – a book I JUST. DID. NOT. WANT. TO. END.

I dragged it out as long as I could because I didn’t want to finish it, even though it could easily be read in a day or two. It’s only 260 pages and honestly, it could have been much longer. There were plenty of opportunities for Malerman to play more with the world and situations he created, but the book is pretty spare and just cuts to the chase.

So – not going to bother recounting the plot in detail because the fun is experiencing it yourself. In a nutshell, there is “something out there” that, if viewed, causes people to go insane and kill themselves in a pretty spectacular fashion. Consequently, survivors have to protect themselves by covering windows and wearing blindfolds when in unprotected areas – like outside. And….you kind of have to go outside occasionally, right? To find food? To get water from a well when there are no essential services like running water? To dispose of waste? Imagine having to do that blindfolded, all the time listening….imagining….are you being watched? Is “it” standing beside you? Is “it” going to slip inside the house with you when you re-enter it? And what the hell IS “it?”

I didn’t think the book was particularly scary but it was very suspenseful and engaging. Good tension. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next, even though I dreaded it at the same time.

This is not a work of great literature with complex and nuanced characters….it is what it is…..a really entertaining and highly imaginative horror thriller. Maybe a little bit of a letdown at the end, but I almost always feel that way with horror books, especially the really good ones like Stephen King. The authors build up the suspense and tension so well and then at the big climax at the end…….a whimper. COME ON, that’s all you got??? But it’s okay because the ride is so darned fun!

Interesting that this book seems to have caught on like wildfire on Goodreads recently, even though it was published in 2014. I walked right into my library and picked it up off the shelf, so it doesn’t appear to be a big deal outside of Goodreads yet. I think it will be – and I hope there is a sequel forthcoming. Malerman definitely left an opening for one!

Read this and thank me later. I would be interested to hear what you readers think, especially about the ending. PLEASE WATCH OUT FOR SPOILERS IN COMMENTS, I DON’T WANT TO RUIN THIS FOR ANYONE! I had a whole theory of what was going on, but I was wrong, wrong, wrong. Shocking, I know.

Super fun read, looking forward to more by this author. ...more

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Aug 05, 2016 Jess ❈Harbinger of Blood-Soaked Rainbows❈ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, top-100, scary-scary-scary, sci-fi-post-apoc, paranormal-horror-supernatural, own-it, karen-says-so, summer-of-karen, popsugar-2016, 2016-summer-challenge, best-ever-favorites

HOLY SHITCAKES THIS BOOK WAS GREAT!

Welcome to my blown mind, everybody. Welcome to one of the fucking scariest books I have ever read. DUDE! JOSH MALERMAN IS MY GOD. I am downloading his music on Spotify as we speak. Because he is the fucking man. ~~Not Joe Hill.~~

Welcome to my third five-starred book of the year. Welcome to the book I would not change one stinking thing about. Welcome to Jess's big fat book hangover.

Welcome to the book I would have finished one day if I hadn't been too creeped out ...more

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Nov 05, 2014 Kelly (and the Book Boar) rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2014

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

3.5 Stars

I hope not, ‘cause that’s how you’re going to be living out the rest of your days. The world as we knew it no longer exists. First, the people started dying – then the internet, phones, power, and water systems all went down. Then we all learned to barricade our doors, cover our windows, and stop going outside except when absolutely necessary. Of course, when obtaining water means venturing down to the creek behind your house ...more

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Aug 30, 2014 Robin Hobb rated it really liked it

It was really hard to decide on stars for this one.

I read it obsessively, finishing it very quickly. The story pulled me in and swept me along.

But in various places in the book, I found myself exclaiming, "But that's such a stupid thing to do!" Or "No one I know would do that! What is wrong with these people!?"

But at the end of the book, when I was still fuming a bit, I realized that all my growling was due to my deep involvement with the characters. So I'm giving it four stars, because I have t ...more

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May 18, 2014 Diane S ☔ rated it really liked it

Very, very creepy. I love that the author leaves so much unsaid, she shows through the character's actions and thoughts. What is going on? For most of the book I was never quite sure and the strength in some of these characters were amazing. What a woman would do to save her children, the courage it takes to navigate a world literally blind. It could be any disaster, but the integrity of people, the trust between people coming together for survival and how one person with his own motives can put ...more

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Jan 07, 2015 Giselle rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult, horror

I was up til 3am to finish this. Holy fuuuuuu...! This was one hell of a crazy ride. I love horror and thriller novels, and this one kept me on the edge of insanity from beginning to end.

It began with strange news stories of sudden killing sprees ending in suicide. A LOT of suicides. From people who were good, happy, full of life. When more and more stories started to pop up, Malorie, once skeptical, started to get very very nervous. She only knows one thing, and it's that it's all caused by so I was up til 3am to finish this. Holy fuuuuuu...! This was one hell of a crazy ride. I love horror and thriller novels, and this one kept me on the edge of insanity from beginning to end.

It began with strange news stories of sudden killing sprees ending in suicide. A LOT of suicides. From people who were good, happy, full of life. When more and more stories started to pop up, Malorie, once skeptical, started to get very very nervous. She only knows one thing, and it's that it's all caused by something you see. Something that your mind either can't process or understand to such a degree that you lose your sanity. Which means to survive, you need to learn how to live without eyesight. I found this incredibly frightening. There's nothing more terrifying than the unknown, and this book utilizes this concept to perfection. Blindfolded throughout most of the story, we walk through this ravaged world with nothing but eerie noises and gut feelings that something is terribly wrong. That danger is RIGHT THERE, watching you. It plays with our imaginations in a wild, horrifying way. It's easy to understand how people died, even knowing how to protect themselves. Not taking a peek would be so hard in that scenario - either fear or plain curiosity would be the end of many. I was even trying to mentally coax our protagonist to just look, just for a second. GAH!

Told using past and present perspectives, we learn how it all began, how Malorie made it to this point, and how she's now surviving - merely existing, really - with two small children, trying to figure out how to make a better life for them in a seemingly dying world. The character building is excellent. You get to know Malorie through and through. She also grows quite a lot from the skeptical, average young woman to a strong, determined survivor throughout this story. She raised these kids in a harsh, yet necessary way for them to survive. It really broke my heart, but I understood its necessity. It's easy to put ourselves in her shoes. When she was terrified, I was terrified along with her. When she felt something watching her, I found myself covered in goosebumps. It was some fantastic writing! We also meet a bunch of secondary characters who end up being a sort of family unit, getting through this tragedy together. The group dynamic is soon shaken, though, when a new guy arrives with crazy stories and a weird vibe. No matter what the end brings, there will always be humans who end up being just as threatening, it seems. We can be our own worst enemy, sometimes.

For my one minor complaint, there were a couple of events in the book that had me question its realism. Events that were maybe added for shock or emotional value, but appeared a bit too easy or simply unlikely. This wasn't a big deal overall, though, especially how everything else - the fear, the desperation, the reactions - felt incredibly genuine. The ending could be a hit or miss for some. Don't expect to get many answers to the "why" of it all - you can only know what your characters know. I would definitely recommend this to fans of horror, especially those who enjoy post-apocalyptic/survival stories.

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An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

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Dec 28, 2015 Justin rated it really liked it

Maybe I'm being a little too critical with this book. I really want to give it four stars. Maybe I will later. I don't know.

I loved the way the book was written. The short, choppy sentences. Sentence fragments. It really gave the story a nice pace and added to the bleak, helpless tone of the novel. It also made the pages keep turning for me to find out what would happen next. The tone really reminded me of "The Handmaid's Tale" for some reason.

I thought the author did a great job of making me f ...more

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Sep 10, 2014 Becky rated it liked it

Shelves: horror, dystopias, mystery-and-thrillers, apocalyptic-types, reviewed, audiobook, 2014

This book has gotten such great reviews from friends that I knew I was going to read it, and sooner rather than later. And so, when one of the groups that I mod gave me ~~ALL THE POWER!!!~~ the chance to select a group read because my birthday is this month, I chose Bird Box for our horror selection.

And so, I snagged the audio from Audible and listened to it. I'm not sure if that was the best option. I didn't really love the reader of this one. But I'll talk about that in a bit.

There's a lot that This book has gotten such great reviews from friends that I knew I was going to read it, and sooner rather than later. And so, when one of the groups that I mod gave me ~~ALL THE POWER!!!~~ the chance to select a group read because my birthday is this month, I chose Bird Box for our horror selection.

And so, I snagged the audio from Audible and listened to it. I'm not sure if that was the best option. I didn't really love the reader of this one. But I'll talk about that in a bit.

There's a lot that I did like about this though. I really liked the FEEL of this book... the uncertainty and the sense of dread and the way that we were shown events via flashback interspersed with current time... it really ratcheted up the tension and heightened the sense of terror with every little bit that we learned. The way that the events were described by sound, the rustling of leaves, soft breathing, footsteps, silence... all these things really worked beautifully for me and I loved the feel of it.

But there were several things that I felt were... off. There's probably going to be spoilers going forward, so... you know, stop reading now if you don't wanna see something you can't unsee. ;)

First, I want to talk about the reader. I feel like she took a very different direction with some of the situations than I would have. She read so much of the female characters' dialogue in a weak and panicky whiny tone that it just... didn't mesh well with the characters. Or at least the main character, who's tough and a survivor... reading her in a cringing whine doesn't work for me.

"Stay away from me!" In my head, given what I know of the character, this is a firm command, not a pleading whine. And that makes a difference to me. That's NOT to say that the main character isn't afraid, or doesn't have moments of weakness - but I just felt like, as a whole, it was just too weak for the character. And it bothered me. I know that it's maybe not fair of me to judge the book based on the reading of it, but in this case, it just really got in the way of my enjoyment. These women had to brave the dangerous unknown, alone, while pregnant, and BLIND, just to make it to their refuge house. That takes guts and determination and no small amount of raw fucking courage. And yet, this reader reads them as though without the hand of a man guiding them somewhere, they'll just fall to pieces. It IRKED me.

But then there's the... conveniences and the inconsistencies of plot. There were many, many times when a character was near what is assumed to be a creature. Blindfolded, but still within touching distance. The characters were petrified... and why not? They don't know what they are, they don't know what they can do, or whether they are dangerous or not. But then they are near them several times and NOTHING HAPPENS. The only danger seems to be when you see one and go mad. They don't attack, they don't interact in any way, they don't even touch people... At least not until the very end, when one apparently tries to knowingly remove a blindfold... and then stops doing so when she tells them to. Really? After 90+% of the book with zero monster/human touch interaction, why would one all of a sudden decide to maliciously act upon someone? It doesn't make sense to me. It seems like it was just inserted to ratchet up the tension, and it was unnecessary. In fact, it made me a little mad, because the inconsistency of behavior was ridiculous and took me right out of the moment. I would have really preferred the tension to be centered around the possibility of there being a creature near, and the knowledge that in order to not miss their river exit, they'd have to see where they were going. The touch - no, not just the touch, but the attempted removal of the blindfold -just ruined that moment for me.

And then there's Gary and Rick. Neither of them worked for me at all, and both of them seemed like constructs of plot necessity rather than real characters. Gary had to be introduced because the story needed a more tangible "villain", while Rick has to be introduced as a last-minute savior. Neither one really fit into the story for me, and they both felt awkward and out of place, in my opinion.

And the pregnancies. Really? REALLY? Two women, in the greater Detroit area, finding themselves in this horrific world-gone-mad situation, both happening to make it to the same exact refuge, and both happening to be the exact same amount pregnant, and both go into labor at the same time? Because living with another level 9 pregnant woman would cause your LABOR to synchronize? Come on. For real? That's not how that works. And then that delivery? I can't even... First of all, I really doubt that anyone in labor would give two thoughts to argument noises from downstairs. They have tiny humans trying to eject themselves from their lady parts. Pretty sure the ruckus going on two floors below is not on the radar compared to that... but then both delivering mothers are just left alone while EVERY OTHER HOUSEMEMBER GOES TO INVESTIGATE? Really? Sorry... but I don't get that. SOMEONE would have stayed. SOMEONE would have been like "Shit's going down, probably not a great situation, but let me lock the door and stay with these two people who kinda might need some assistance right now... the argument below can wait." But no... because then Mallory wouldn't have been the hero she got to be in rescuing the other baby and raising them both alone in a crazy world gone mad.

Likewise the ending felt... weak and kind of like a cop out. Honestly, I would have preferred and ending where everyone died, or someone went mad, or they found another lone survivor and survived together... or something like that, to the too-perfect ending that actually happened. It just didn't work for me. And especially not with the kids' names. Ugh. So predictable. Even more so when I realize at the end that calling the kids "Girl" and "Boy" the entire book was just to not give away hints about their namesakes. When asked, she acts surprised at the question because "Suddenly there is room in her life for such luxuries as names." Because "Girl" and "Boy" is really so much easier than calling them by their names. Because little kids don't learn their names based on what you call them. *sigh*

Blah. I feel like my review has turned all grouchy, and I don't really mean for it to be. I DID like this overall... but mainly for the uncertainty and the feel and tone of it, more than the plot and some of the details. Those didn't really do it for me, but I would definitely check out Malerman's work again just for the quality of the writing and the feel of the story he told here. ...more

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Jan 16, 2016 Karen rated it really liked it

Wow, a tense read for sure!! I really don't usually read books like this but there was so much buzz here on Goodreads about it, and also this author is from a neighboring city here in Michigan..the story is also taking place in Michigan.
It was very entertaining, kept me very interested all up until the end.. the end left many unanswered questions.

I must add, what about the whole birthing chapters?!so intense... Yikes!!!

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Josh Malerman is the author of BIRD BOX and the singer/songwriter for the band THE HIGH STRUNG.

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