From the iconic science fiction author of Fahrenheit 451, a chilling dystopian short story that became a classic episode of TV’s Ray Bradbury Theater.

What I didn’t like: You’ll need to go into this fully allowing yourself to just believe. Sure the scope/scale of these indoor rooms is insane. And so are the elaborate punishment devices that have been booby-trapped within each one to decimate the participants, but that’s part of the joy of reading something to just read and have fun. If you struggle to suspend belief for any amount of time, you’ll most likely want to stay clear of this one. This just in: it turns out that kids can be monstrously terrible to each other. Feel free to take a moment to integrate this revelation into your heretofore innocent worldview. I can say I didn’t expect his choice. But parenting can be difficult especially if you weren’t parented well yourself - just a side comment - it may or may not have had anything to do with the story. Ray Bradbury’s short story left us with questions. The more I write this the more I liked the story. Aron Beauregard as everyone know is a master in term of Splatterpunk. I love his book, but this one hit differently, yes it's disgusting, yes its gore, everything you expect from him, but I felt connected to the characters, I wanted them to survive (and I don't even like kids). The story is more heartfelt, more psychological than most book I read from him. And without a doubt I loved it. I think you need this book. Some of the subject matter, especially with domestic violence, is too vividly described for me and made those parts difficult to stomach.

The sounds I made when this book arrived in my mailbox exactly a month before release date - let’s just say they should be illegal. Well, they shove and push like little Gestapos," said Underhill. "It’d be like sending a boy to a flour-mill to be crushed into meal by a couple of two-ton grinders! Every time I think of Jim playing in that barbaric pit, I freeze." And remembering all of that, painful as it was to let go and watch the child learn to navigate the big scary world, I feel all the sympathy for Bradbury's Mr. Underhill - and wishing that I could tell him that it would all be okay, that we all need to eventually face the world and, painful as it may be, let the ones we love face it, too. That ultimately it will all be okay. The children have been chosen for a reason. Geraldine feels that the parents are undeserving of the lives they are living and the children they have. Somewhat broken families, the daily life struggles of parenthood, and the product the children are becoming because of those parental choices. I get wanting to give your kids some freedom, especially when you have 2+ acres of woods to run around in, but you can’t do that with a two year old! Tweens/early teens, not a big deal, but they also shouldn’t have to keep a constant eye on younger siblings.

Others who suffered in childhood use their experience to strive to make sure the next generation do not suffer in the same way. As the weeks go by, the couples become very close; there are barbecues, garden parties, a holiday at a country villa in Greece. Resentments flare. An affair begins. Unnoticed, the children run wild. The couples are busily watching each other, so distracted and self-absorbed that they forget to watch their children. No one sees the five children at their secret games or realize how much their family dynamics are changing until tragedy strikes. This book was tough to get through. It feels like it may have been a self-published, straight-to-print-skip-the-editor job. The author was way too worried about clever, alliterative anecdotes and allegedly amusing adjectives to be able to write a really well-written story. My eyes haven't rolled so hard or so often since I was a teenage girl trying to understand why my parents were so lame.Jane is a general practitioner who completed a post graduate diploma in Creative Writing at Bristol university and went on to study for a M.A in Creative writing at Bath Spa. She was shortlisted for the Janklow and Nesbitt award and the Lucy Cavendish fiction prize for Daughter, her first novel. This is a place for all readers of extreme horror & splatterpunk. Fans of the grotesque and disturbing. Playground takes readers on a harrowing journey as they witness the desperate struggle for survival of a group of children trapped in a nightmarish realm. Aron Beauregard weaves a story filled with tension, gore, and a touch of redemption. The novel explores the dark side of human nature and tests the limits of the characters as they confront their fears and navigate the dangerous playground. Synopsis The boy was smiling high in the misty air, and now, jostled by other yelling children, rushed shrieking down the slide.

Aron Beauregard, hailing from Central Falls, Rhode Island, is an accomplished horror writer with over 20 books to his name. He has a passion for horror art and illustration, which is reflected in his work. Beauregard’s writing is dark and boundary-pushing, earning him recognition and awards in the horror genre, including a Splatterpunk Award. Characters I went into this book feeling very excited. The blurb had me expecting something with twists, turns, some heat, some intrigue. What I got, though, was a lot less exciting.I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this novel. It sounded like a mix of a normal family/friendship drama and a creepy thriller. There are definitely dark undertones throughout the book, but wasn’t until the last third that the sinister actions came to light.

I will say that it was interesting to watch how the mystery played out. I figured it out early, but one character made it especially intriguing! Too bad, more of this character wasn’t featured. Overall, I can't say I would recommend The Playground. It has some interesting moments, but the narrative style combined with vile characters makes this a miss for me. I remember how scary it was then years later, he found the unexpected steel in his spine to stand up for what he thinks is right regardless of whether his views were shared by his classmates, and treating the schoolyard bullied with strength and dignity that suddenly showed all of my family what an amazing young man he's growing up to be. I remember how I always wanted to shield him from the world that has teeth - and how beautifully he has done without our protection, how he did not need a well-intentioned guiding hand, how he used the meanness of the world to grow up to be a very decent man. The Playground is part drama, part mystery, and part psychological thriller about 3 couples so caught up in the drama of their relationships that they become blind to the extremely dangerous games their children are playing. When a tragedy occurs, their lives implode.

Customer reviews

Over the course of the summer, the six adults all become closer and even go to Greece on vacation. The unsupervised children also grow close but what is really going on with the kids. Is it simple hide and seek or is there something much more sinister going on? The story twists and turns while the three families search for answers. It’s only as they begin to unravel the truth of what happened over the summer that they realize evil has crept quietly into their world while they weren't paying attention.