Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free electronic copy of this novel.
“Session 9: The Official Novelization” by Christian Francis is the novel based on the 2001 screenplay of the same name.
Based at the abandoned Danvers Mental Institution (you need not say anything else…I heard abandoned mental institution and I was all in), it focuses on four abatement workers who are readying the asylum for its conversation into a group of government and other official offices. But, as these things do, strange things start to happen and, by the end of the week, none of the workers are left alive.
I can’t speak to how well the screenplay was transformed to a novel, as I did not read the original screenplay. I can tell you though that this novel is the perfect read for spooky season. The story is told in a single timeline, and moves seamlessly from character to character, as they each start to experience terrifying things.
The entire novel takes place at the abandoned asylum, which sets the ultimate spooky vibe. Each character experiences something different while at the asylum (it even leeches into some of their personal lives) but every page is just as spine-tingling as the one before. One of the abatement workers, Mike, finds cassette tapes of recorded sessions between a psychologist and his patient, a young woman with multiple personalities, one of whom killed her brother and this was the most horrifying thing by far (so, obviously, it was my favourite).
Francis has a good number of novels under his belt, including some novelizations and he was definitely the right person to pen “Session 9”. You don’t have to be familiar with the movie at all to enjoy this novelization, and it is the perfect story to cuddle up with on a dark and stormy night (if you aren’t afraid of the dark, that is).

This was so much better than the film. I had so much fun reading this. Thank you so much, Netgalley!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!!

For as short as this book was, it definitely packs a punch. Very creepy!

I’ll check out more from this author!

I so enjoyed reading Session 9 by Francis,Anderson and Gevedon, especially after watching the movie of the same name and being unable to understand the part that the institution played. The lighting and music added an extra creep-factor, as well as the opening tension of the workers in the movie, but the book is more demonstrative of subtle undercurrents that are vital to the story. I usually recommend reading the book first, but in this case, and when I first watched the movie there was no book, it was fascinating to follow each character as they struggled to complete a dangerous job in an impossibly short time, while all keeping secrets that became deadly. If you are looking for a great Halloween read and/or flick, this would be perfect; one you won’t soon forget.

Thank you Netgalley, Christian Francis, Brad Anderson, Stephen Gevedon and Booksgosocial for the eArc of Session 9.

Who can resist a claustrophobic horror that set in an asylum?! Session 9 book is based on the film on the same title. Having not seen the film ( I'm want to now!) I was very intrigued with this premise. A lot of the time films/series have been based on books so it's interesting that this one is visa versa. It didn't disappoint me either. The atmosphere is very creepy indeed. As most of the book is basically set in and just outside this abandoned asylum. You quickly get a sense of the surroundings and the rooms/tunnels/ corridors that the MC walk around.

Even though there isn't a lot of character building for the MC's, I don't think it's needed. You get a good sense of who these men are, the work they are doing and how working in this sort of place plays with your mind and your psyche. You start to see their personalities start to be effected almost immediately. Strange things starts to happen and as the story unfolds, so the horror of what the patients at this asylum went through. The finale pay off was executed brilliantly and actually left my skin crawling!

if you like that creepy, atmospheric, foreboding horror. This is one for you!

4 stars

I thoroughly appreciated the subtle yet haunting tone of the book. The seamless transitions between characters were a pleasant surprise, as I initially had concerns about potential disruption. The persistent air of uncertainty and uncertainty surrounding the events and characters was masterfully maintained, and the incorporation of sessions throughout the narrative was skillfully executed. Overall, the storytelling was exceptional.

I've seen the movie, and while it was quite good, I have to say the book was so much more chilling. While the movie starts off quite slow, and builds until the really creepy things happen later on (outside the chilling tapes being played), Francis drops you directly into the horror with no pretense. With imagery that evokes a place even more horrifying than the asylum in American Horror Story: Asylum, it is, unfortunately, not too far off from how some asylums ended up shuttering their doors. Even though I was wrapped up in a warm blanket reading this, the further in I got, the more of an icy chill crept down my spine. What started as a fairly good psychological horror movie was transformed into an addicting read. Definitely recommend if you're looking for a spooky season read.

⭐️⭐️1/2 I remember seeing the movie a long time ago but couldn’t remember what it was all about. The plot sounded scary, and in the beginning it was definitely giving a creepy vibe. However, nothing happened. It’s a very short read, but nothing happened until the very end. It went from 0 to 100 just like that without any real explanation as to what was going on. The story jumped from character to character in each paragraph at times, and it just left a very disjointed feel to the whole book. The one good thing I can say about this book is that the writing is very good, and I was able to visualize everything happening, but the plot left a lot to be desired. I got an advance copy from NetGalley. #session9 #christianfrancis #horrorbooks #horrorbookstagram #books #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #netgalley #arc

I was very intrigued by this novelization since the movie is good and spooky but I admit the author made a great job at capturing the essence of the film, making this story on page as atmospheric and creepy as it was on the screen.

Danvers State Hospital is an historic building, that truly is a part of the town. It also is a nightmarish place were patients and inmates were tortured and operated on, Danvers was no place of healing, it was a death sentence, a place of horror and suffering. So, of course, now the town wants to reclaim the valuable edifice and land and re-use it as and official building. Here enter our protagonists, an asbestos abatement crew, that get to job by quoting the cheapest price and promising finishing the job the quickest. Everything starts fine enough, nothing worse than just a big ol' building that's a bit awful but everything goes off the rails when one of the crew members finds a tape of a pacient session in the hospital...

While reading you can feel the characters desperation and how oppressive and sinister the place is, it truly is a good read for all readers that enjoy a nice spooky read.

This is one of those rare cases where the movie exist first and if you’ve seen the movie you semi know what you’re getting yourself into. That said the book builds more upon the world, characters, etc in a more in depth unique way that felt almost more person as my mind developed the picture vs being shown it. This is a long winded way of saying if you like the movie read the book!

This is the first time I read a novelization of a movie so I don't know if it is always like this but I was a little disapointed by the lack of content? The book promised to delve deeper into the mind of the characters yet I felt like it was basically a retelling of the movie save for the last 10 or so pages, where they did add a bit of new content (both thoughts of a character and a bit of extra scenes)

I also feel like despite being a novelization the book tried too hard to be like the movie/like a movie in the sense that they would describe jump scares randomly? I get that in horror movies you see shadows and hear noises at random since the beggining and that's fine! Because that helps create atmosphere and build up tension. But books don't work the same way, it just doesn't translate the same to describe a place or a conversation and then throw something like "a shadow walked fast behind them without anyone noticing". It's honestly comical and it feels like they didn't managed to properly translate the story to a different medium.

With that said, I think the last chapters of the book were VERY good! The way the author jumped from scene to scene between paragraphs describing the situations all at the same time, while all of the characters were experiencing a tense moment was amazing and it rised my tension lol.

I also enjoyed that they built up the ending a bit more than in the movie, because I was honestly confused after watching it, but even with just those little extra scenes I think it rounded the story nicely.

Creepy, eerie, dark - everything horror should be. The movie was good, as oft the case, the book is even better. If you like a good scare, you found it.

Thanks BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for an ARC. Session 9 is the novelization of the movie. I really enjoyed this novelization as it provided me with the option to paint my own picture of what the characters looked like. Session 9 is one of my favorite movies, and it was a fun way to experience this movie again in a new format. I would recommend this to anyone who likes to read something that makes them feel a little unsettled.

Session 9, based on Brad Anderson’s 2001 cult horror film, is a haunting return to the eerie Danvers State Asylum.
The story follows an asbestos abatement crew tasked with clearing out the asylum, with a chilling backstory involving patient Mary Hobbes. Francis captures the tension and dread brilliantly, immersing you in the unsettling atmosphere of the decaying asylum. His writing is straightforward yet descriptive, allowing you to vividly picture every eerie detail without being overly flowery. The smells, the sounds, the creeping unease—they all come to life through Francis' skillful prose, making this a gripping, atmospheric read that’s hard to put down. Perfect for getting into the Halloween spirit!

Session 9 is a seminal horror film for the 21st Century and this novelization does a great job of telling the story in written form. It also digs deeper into the background of the hospital and the backgrounds of the asbestos cleanup crew. Still has a seriously strong power to creep you out.

I was SO excited when I stumbled an arc for Session 9, one of my favorite movies of all time, I have even been to the original site many times. I wasn't sure if the author would do this movie justice with a novelization, but I am happy to say that this was AMAZING. Not only did the author do an incredible job on the writing, but I loved getting a more detailed perspective of the story. One of my favorite things about the book was the blurb in the beginning from the director of the movie talking about how he got the idea for Session 9. This was truly one of my favorite reads this year and I hope to see the book and movie get more recognition! A psychologically thrilling masterpiece.

I'm not a huge fan of books that are adapted from movies. They tend to feel disconnected in a really disjointed way.

However, I recalled loving this movie as a teenager and wanting more of its mind-wobbly sense of dread. Like, the movie was the surface dread, but it always felt like there should be a deeper intenseness involved.
So, when I saw that there was a novel adaption of the film, I jumped in head first.
I got exactly what I was hoping for. Instead of relying on what the actors could convey (which don't get me wrong, they were phenomenal), I got to read what was going on with the characters on a different level, as the madness slowly starts to set in.

It's just as atmospherically spooky as I recalled the movie, but amped up a little. I'm very glad that I read this, and I'm probably due for a rewatch.

I'm not a huge fan of books that are adapted from movies. They tend to feel disconnected in a really disjointed way.

However, I recalled loving this movie as a teenager and wanting more of its mind-wobbly sense of dread. Like, the movie was the surface dread, but it always felt like there should be a deeper intenseness involved.
So, when I saw that there was a novel adaption of the film, I jumped in head first.
I got exactly what I was hoping for. Instead of relying on what the actors could convey (which don't get me wrong, they were phenomenal), I got to read what was going on with the characters on a different level, as the madness slowly starts to set in.

It's just as atmospherically spooky as I recalled the movie, but amped up a little. I'm very glad that I read this, and I'm probably due for a rewatch.

First, I loved this movie. As long as this book had the creepiness of the original movie I was going to be happy. It did and I was. But there’s more. The book built on the movie and each can stand without the other. This is the kind of novelization should be done more often.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. A suspenseful and horrific short horror story surrounding the hazmat clean up of an abandoned sanitarium. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.