The thing about Playground though that I appreciate about it is the way it doesn't shy away from abuse. That's what this book is about. Abuse. Objectively that is what this is about. The writing is great too. Everything, even the things you don't want, is described in such detail that you feel like you're in the room with the characters. The character's actions also feel consistent with how they're depicted too. The ending also feels appropriate for how the story led up to it. If you are at all familiar with Aron's writing, then you should be well prepared for the darkness that lies within his storytelling. But you should also be expecting superb character developement, well developed plots, and unique settings.

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. When we are young, we are impressionable and emotionally malleable before we fully realize the many perils of living. When we reminisce about childhood we might do so with a lens of wonderment. But, in the moment, the pain can seem overwhelming. Fashioned out of fresh faces unable to lie to the camera, “Playground” is a study in human behavior wrapped in equal parts fear and curiosity. With a brilliant new director chaperoning its drama and aware of how every audiovisual element contributes to its power, the film, intimate in scope but grand in its revelations, immerses us in Nora’s crusade to make sense of it all. That this is Wandel’s first feature boggles the mind. And now for the gore and violence. I will say that the book isn't nearly as brutal as I expected going into it. The hardest part for me to read, gore wise, is at the very beginning and involves a slide and zero deaths. Once the bodycount begins, I found that the emotional distress hit me harder than the physical violence, and while the kills are plenty visceral, they aren't so hardcore that they swerve into goofy territory. I honestly found myself so caught up in the story that while the deaths resonated, I couldn't wait to see what was coming next. Nora’s strong sense of justice, still righteous given her inexperience with the unfairness of existence, prevents her from comprehending Abel’s desperation to fit, to not give into what would be perceived a weakness. But she, evidently, isn’t immune to that desire to belong, and when an invitation to a classmate’s birthday party is maliciously revoked, her reaction paints this event as a tragedy. In the context of what matters to her, it most certainly is. Beauregard has set this up as an escape room story for kids – with the only difference being each room is literally live or die – and the dying part is always a carnage filled paragraph of viscera. It also shows how some of the kids will band together and work to survive, while others are singularly focused on themselves and that typically doesn’t work out so well.

With Playground, Aron Beauregard transcends himself, delivering a genuinely chilling, uncomfortable novel that will make even the most jaded horror fan squirm. A harrowing, relentless read that left me breathless." (Brian Keene)

This book is not for the faint of heart - and unfortunately, it has gotten some bad wrap from some Tiktokers who did not research the book before reading. This is a hardcore gore book with very triggering topics. I did, and it became one of my top 5 movies ever. The concept, while simple, was utterly brilliant and superbly executed. This book is an essential read, not just for horror fans but for book readers in general. Mark my words, this book is going to shoot Aron into the stratosphere more than he already is. The narrator hired for the novel was honestly the highlight. Likewise the children in the book are written pretty accurately to their ages. I think those two things are about all the positive things I can say about it though. I think the ending worked really well and followed how the reader sees the events played out. Beauregard does a great job of showcasing the hurt that was created with Geraldine’s actions as well as how this directly impacted the various characters in the novel.What I enjoyed: I mean, just looking at the cover ought to give you a good idea of what you’re getting yourself into. You should probably avoid this one if you need any kind of Trigger Warnings. But if you like the violence Beauregard dishes down, you’ll be grinning from ear to ear over this one.

Three low-income families are invited to test some "state-of-the-art" playground equipment. Geraldine and her team have spent years trying to make this work, all for one day's worth of fun. Fun for whom though? The children have to strategically make their way through multiple playgrounds in the hope of seeing their loving parents once again. Wow, this book is a game changer for Aron Beauregard. I feel like it’s equally as important as his seminal release The Slob, if not a tad bit more so simply for the fact that it has had more “mainstream” success and appeal.

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You will see some parallels with that movie when you read this one, but it is hard to imagine how far the author went with this one. If this was made into a movie, it would never see the light of day. It is SAW on steroids to the AAHHHHH degree. ONCE IN A LIFETIME Three low-income families have been given a handsome retainer to join Geraldine Borden for a day at her cliffside estate. All the parents must do to collect the rest of their money is allow their children to test out the revolutionary playground equipment Geraldine has been working on for decades. But there’s a reason the structures in the bowels of her gothic castle have taken so long to develop—they were never meant to see the light of day. As a much younger man, I could find myself enjoying hardcore gore just for the sake of hardcore gore. Storyline is for the weak. Just give me a 2 hour bloodfest and a case of beer and I was set. Years ago I was going through a movie slump, when I saw the preview for a new movie during a coffee break while doing night shift, which made me sit up and go:

Geraldine and Fuchs are character's that are completely evil and unlikable, disgusting in all their enjoyment they have in living out their dream of watching the suffering of the children. There is a reason Geraldine is doing what she is, and it is somewhat sad, but clearly not justifiable.

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Over the last number of years, Aron Beauregard has emerged as one of Extreme/Splatterpunk Horror’s true Heavy Weights. His books are hotly anticipated by his ever-growing throng of fans and he has been raking up the accolades as well – becoming Splatterpunk Award nominated and Splatterpunk Award winning during that time. This story is what you'd get if you forced children through a series of SAW traps, with all of the tragedy with how you'd expect that to play out. At the heart of this story, one can't help but develop a connection and just feel every gut wrenching punch as each child must make their choices.