The release of Birdbox in 2015 heralded one of the most original literary talents of the last decade and in the subsequent five years Josh Malerman’s creativity has dazzled the horror world. But did Birdbox genuinely need a sequel or is it simply a cash-in following the hugely successful Netflix film of the same name? Malerman has said Malorie’s story was unfinished business and so we head back to the postapocalyptic world, with sequel Malorie, where strange creatures roam freely and if sighted make the majority of those who see them go mad, kill themselves, those around them, or all three.

I read Birdbox when it was brand new and over the years have used it twice for my senior school book club, where we held both our discussion blindfolded. Hell, as far as I know, I might even have invented the ‘Bird Box Challenge’ which was hyped when the film was released! Over the past few years, I have enjoyed watching the novel spread out from being a cult horror story into a bestseller and Josh Malerman, who is an aimable and charming guy, deserves every success the book and film brings. But the million-dollar question is a big one: is Malorie any good?

First up, it is impossible to recreate the freshness, fear factor or sheer freshness of Birdbox, and to be fair to Malorie does not attempt to, it merely continues the story of Malorie a couple of years later. Interestingly, it seems to have been written in such a way that if you have only seen the film then you could probably follow the thread of this story easily enough. It goes without saying though, reading this without having devoured the predecessor would be the height of stupidity. There are countless references to the characters in Birdbox and what happened, so Malorie is a much richer experience for having read book one. Another notable difference is that this new book only has one linear narrative, rather than the narratives which were split over two time periods in the original, this fact alone makes Birdbox a more complex and challenging read.

Although Malorie was an entertaining page-turner, ultimately it lacked the ambition of Birdbox and seemed rather short, with quite a simple storyline which was not much more than a journey. Most of the action is set ten years after the conclusion of the previous book, seventeen years after the initial appearance of the creatures, Malorie is living in an isolated summer camp and they rarely see any other people. She lives with her two children Olympia and Tom who are now sixteen who know nothing of the world except what she has told them. But they are teenagers, not exactly rebellious, but want to branch out, Tom especially, longs for freedom.

For Malorie things take a scary turn when a census-taker turns up at their camp and although they refuse to talk to him he leaves a list of notes and names which detail recorded encounters with the creatures and other information, which leads to Malorie having to make a decision which will change their lives forever. This symbolised the first seed of a possible return to civilisation and the census guy reminded by of the conman pretending to deliver letters in David Brin’s post-apocalyptic masterpiece The Postman. And the fact that a long sequence of the novel is set on a train reinforces that fact, reminding me of Alden Bell’s zombie classic The Reapers are the Angels, where teenage Temple sees her first train, symbolising something similar, the possible return of the old ways.

Malorie just does not do enough. The creatures are no longer genuinely scary as this time out we realise all they ever do is going to lurk in the background, benign, and rather dull. The mounting dread of Birdbox is sadly lacking. Also, if you are looking for any resolution about the creatures, their motives, origins, or anything else, you are going to be sadly disappointed. I think this was a missed opportunity and the opportunity to take the story in a new direction, instead Malerman opted to play it safe.

The story is told in the third person from Malorie, Tom and Olympia’s point of view, with a couple of smaller characters thrown in. One of the strongest aspects of the book is the contrast between Malorie and the two teenagers, who see their mother as the equivalent of an old granny from a different world. They have grown up in the world full of creatures and have almost superhuman hearing, Malorie on the other hand not only wears a blindfold, but a hood also. Her children rebel against this regime which they see as over the top. These contrasts were fascinating; as for them survival is not enough, they want to live.

I am sure many readers will be delighted with this return to the Birdbox world, but we are talking about Josh Malerman here, an unpredictable author renowned for taking chances with his fiction. I have read everything he has published except Pig, and even if I have not connected with everything he has written, one cannot fault his vision and originality. Malorie is a decent sequel, but it lacks the qualities the qualities which attracted me to Josh Malerman in the first place. It is too ‘safe’, not a word I ever expected to use when referring to an author known for pushing boundaries.

3/5

#Malorie #NetGalley
A masterpiece sequel to Bird Box.
Malorie has raised her two children - Olympia and Tom - on the run or in hiding. Now nearly teenagers, survival is no longer enough. They want freedom.
When a census-taker stops by their refuge, he is not welcome. But he leaves a list of names - of survivors building a future beyond the darkness - and on that list are two names Malorie knows.
I loved each and every subplot of this. Narration of the story is brilliant.
Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for giving me an advanced copy.