Let me start this review with full disclosure up front: I’ve known Brian Keene fairly well for a number of years. Like many lovers of horror fiction, I became a fan of his after reading The Rising when it first came out, and over years, have developed a friendship with him. Hell, we even made a movie or two when I lived back East, so it’s safe to say that we know each other pretty well. However, don’t take that as a sign of sugarcoating: if something is terrible, I’m going to say as much, friendship or not.

When his latest novel, The Complex, came across my desk from Deadite Press, I was intrigued. I had heard of the novel for awhile, probably way back when he first had the idea for it, and here it was, finally complete. I hadn’t read anything of Keene’s in some time, so I was anxious to dive into this.

While being friends with a writer can often be hard when it comes time to review, in this case, it’s incredibly easy.

The Complex is one of the most entertaining, visceral, and horrifying books that Keene has ever written. On top of that, it’s a sort of throwback in a way to his earlier work, and it’s fantastic to see that again.

The story of The Complex is pretty damn simple: a group of neighbors, who barely know each other, living within a ratty apartment complex, are forced to work together in order to survive when a horde of insane, naked people attack.

That description is pretty ridiculous, but it plays out extremely well on the page.

The book, written in present tense (an interesting but well done choice), introduces its characters by visiting them all within their respective apartments as the madness begins to pan out. It was a great and gripping way start off the action. The depressed horror writer, the grizzled Vietnam vet, the elderly woman, the transgender woman, and more, are all introduced flawlessly, and made us connect with them instantly.

A personal favorite of mine, The Exit, also is a main character. Keene fans will recognize the name from some of his other work, so it was interesting to see a bit more layers of the character at work here.

While most of the action is retained within the titular complex itself, it is pretty intense. There are tense moments and plenty of blood spilled as the naked folks tear the characters to pieces. One of the things I liked most about the book is that Keene shied away from explaining WHY everything was happening.
Too often there is an overly-complicated reason for the proceedings, but here it just…is. Some may find issue with that, but it allowed us to focus more on the characters themselves then on the events taking place.

I loved the villain of the piece as well, the Tick Tock man, the burly, frightening man with a Hello, Kitty tattoo and mechanical head movements that stalks our heroes. His appearances make for some of the best moments of the book.

Of course, Keene regulars may also take issue with the type of ending he kind of known for. However, I found it pitch perfect for the novel itself, and fitting for the story.

If you’re a fan of horror and gore, than The Complex is for you. It really is a return to form for Keene, and a really good time. Check it out!