Slasher Summer is a horror novel about a group who were once friends in high school, now reunited in the remote cabin where their cult favourite slasher film movie was filmed. Patrick has invited his old group of friends, all of whom came together to watch horror films, back together to stay in the cabin in their hometown where the film Slasher was made. Things between them haven’t been the same since high school, but this is their chance to come back together. However, when they spot the slasher from the film in the woods, suddenly their reunion is more than just a chance to remember the horror films they used to watch.
This book is one of the many love letters to slasher stories that have been released in recent years, featuring many references to classic slasher films and characters. The book doesn’t get too bogged down in the references though, and it really builds up the characterisation of the group as the focus rather than just ticking off tropes. I loved the way that it plays with some of the more dated elements of slasher tropes, particularly around race and sexuality, and questions who is allowed to play which role in the genre. At the same time, the narrative has a slow build up and then a gory second half, so it doesn’t lack the kind of excitement you’d expect from the genre. I worked out the twist partway through, but it was still a satisfying ending that felt decently set up.
If you’re a fan of fun slasher stories, but also want a version that takes characters who are slightly older than the usual teens and has them wonder if they really want to stay who they were in high school, then Slasher Summer is one to look out for. There’s definitely a few characters whose deaths make you feel like you wished they could’ve had longer, which I think is a testament to the characterisation as in many slashers you can often struggle to tell the initial deaths apart.
Fiendfully Reading 
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