I am disappointed that Goodreads recommended this to me. A piece of garbage. ( )

Having read and really enjoyed several Tom Piccirilli novels, I looked to see what else others had liked. This one seemed to have the highest ratings, but I thought it was terrible. It was not just that conjoined triplets seem creepy, but the plot meandered dreadfully and the central character was inconsistent Then, TP tried using graphic sex scenes to resuscitate reader's interest. Don't let this novel put you off from trying his books -- just choose another one. ( )

All the books that I've read so far of Piccirilli are pretty straight forward with regards to the story and the action that takes place. Events unfold directly and quickly. Until now. With A CHOIR OF ILL CHILDREN, Piccirilli follows a style very similar to Tim Lebbon: there's more symbolism, the sequence of events aren't always obvious and things are a tad surreal. None of that is bad though. Piccirilli presents it all in a method that is very much his own and makes it fun to enjoy. Besides, Piccirilli's Southern Gothic is a long way from Lebbon's UK-based novels.

Thomas and his conjoined triplet brothers who share a single brain live in a house in the swamp-infested county of Kingdom Come. When a Northern film student comes down to make a documentary of his brothers, Thomas finds himself becoming the focus of several granny witches as a wide range of characters make Thomas's life more and more interesting.

I partly want to mention several of the characters but am finding a brief description of them too difficult and not fair to who they are. Some you'll like, others you'll feel sorry for and others will confuse you. The discovery of who they are and the choices they make are what makes this novel great. Piccirilli's writing here is different from his other work such as THE COLD SPOT and HEADSTONE CITY but it is still highly recommended. ( )

All finished. Enjoyed it, but can't really recommend it to anyone except for those seeking a doctoral thesis on metaphors and similes. Quite a fine bit of writing, but horror? Not so much. I found the narrator to be quite jovial in the midst of madness, nary a flicker of fear or dread to be found within these pages. Weird and somewhat disturbing imagery and circumstances, yes. Scary, no. It was a very mentally stimulating read, almost a bit too rich. Even though it was a short book, the thickness of the brew was best enjoyed in small portions. I rate "the writing" four stars (Even though it was a bit too unrelentingly show-offy, we all enjoy a mind-blowing guitar solo, but after a while knock it off and play a few chords, you know?), but the story itself barely rated two stars, thus an average rating of three for the book overall. Interesting cast of characters, promising set-up, but ultimately all these intriguing things end up becoming little more than a static backdrop for an unending display of virtuosic wordsmithy that, while impressive, inevitably numbs one's senses. Tell me a story that gets my heart pounding, makes me feverishly turn the pages. The narrator of the story was just a bit too clever and blase for his own good, and a good story could have compensated for it, but it just wasn't there. Still, I remain in awe of Tom Piccirilli's command of the English language, and will likely return to his writings again at some point in the future, if only to boost my own IQ a few points from time to time. There were quite a few cryptic passages and recurring themes that probably were chock-full of sybolism and life-changing meaning, but to someone of my limited capacity for enlightment and penchant for cracking open a horror novel solely for the purpose of having a good time, these brain-teasers and conundrums struck me as "full of sound and fury, yet signifying nothing." Clearly a lot of work and love went into this book, and it shows on every page.s ( )

One of the important books of our time. A horrifying, lyrical, mind-bending Southern Gothic that both Faulkner and Poe would surely have loved. Certainly the best horror tale of recent years. ( )