Horror Review // The Pear-Shaped Man by George R.R. Martin

I’m really into the season this year and I hope these reviews are getting you in the mood as well. Today we are reading a tale by an author I didn’t expect and damn did it surprise me.

Title: The Pear-Shaped Man
Author: George R.R. Martin
Genre: Horror / Short Story

The Blurb

Everyone knows a Pear-Shaped Man. Jessie meets hers when she and her friend Angela move into their new apartment. He lives in the rotten-smelling basement apartment, with wet lips, a whiny voice, and a habit of eating Cheez Doodles with warm Coke. He's always waiting for her, inviting her down to his apartment. He has “things” to show her.

When Jessie's obsession with this repulsive man turns to paranoia, it takes over more than just her life.

The Review

Okay, okay, okay. I'm creeped out! I honestly didn't expect to find a George R.R. Martin story popping up on my horror-reading list. Like many people, I attempted to read A Game of Thrones, but ultimately, his writing style in those novels just wasn't for me. I found myself getting bored and never made it through the series. But horror? Now that's something I'm interested in. So I thought I'd give Martin another chance and see what he could do when he stepped away from Westeros and into something a little more disturbing.

Well, DROKK me. This was a delightful read! And yes, I know delightful probably isn't the right word when you're talking about feeling thoroughly creeped out and a little gross in your soul. But here we are, reading about the man you hope you never meet.

What makes The Pear-Shaped Man work so well for me is how familiar the central idea feels. I've lived in a few cities over the years, including Ipswich, London, Birmingham, Norwich, and Ottawa. And while I can't claim to have met this particular Pear-Shaped Man, I can certainly relate to the type of person he represents.

Forget what someone looks like for a moment. It's the behaviour, the mannerisms and the way they make you feel that can set alarm bells ringing. Martin does a brilliant job of making this character deeply uncomfortable to be around, even when you're only reading about him. His habits, his voice, his appearance and his general presence combine to create someone who makes your skin crawl.

And the Cheez Doodles washed down with warm Coke? Come on! There's something about those little details that makes the whole thing feel even more repulsive. It's not just that the man is unpleasant. It's that he seems to have a way of getting under Jessie's skin, making her increasingly aware of him until he starts to dominate her thoughts. As a reader, I found myself practically shouting at Jessie to get away from him!

You know that feeling when a horror film introduces a character and every instinct you have tells you that something is wrong? That's what Martin managed to create here, except I'm sitting there with a book rather than watching someone make terrible decisions on screen. It’s this creeping sense of dread that is the real strength of this story.

Martin takes a character who is already deeply unsettling and gradually builds the tension around him. What starts as an uncomfortable encounter becomes something that takes over Jessie's life, and you find yourself wanting her to escape the situation before things get any worse, and yet, you keep reading. Like you are watching a car crash in slow motion, you know the end result but you have to watch!

That's the clever bit. The story makes you uncomfortable, but you need to know where it's going. You're drawn into Jessie's growing obsession and paranoia, hoping she'll find a way out while suspecting that things aren't going to end well. I found this particularly effective because the horror feels grounded in something recognisable. There are no elaborate haunted houses or masked killers lurking around every corner. Instead, there's a person who makes you deeply uncomfortable, and the growing sense that something is very, very wrong. For me, that was the sweet spot.

I've been exploring modern horror stories recently, and some have left me wrestling with disturbing themes that feel painfully close to real life. The Pear-Shaped Man certainly gets under your skin, but it also delivers the kind of escalating, unsettling experience that I love about horror. I was thoroughly creeped out, and the feeling stayed with me throughout the story. That's an impressive achievement.

The Ending: A Little Less Pear-Shaped, Please

Unfortunately, I wasn't quite as happy with the ending. After all that tension and creeping dread, I felt the story wrapped things up too quickly. The conclusion seemed rushed and, for me, leaned a little too heavily into the supernatural. I think I would have preferred a more traditional killer-or-psychopath approach. Something grounded in the kind of menace Martin had spent the story building would have finished me off completely!

Imagine all that unease culminating in a conclusion that leaves you genuinely afraid of the darkness around you. That's what I was hoping for. Instead, the ending didn't quite deliver the payoff I wanted. It wasn't enough to ruin the story, but it did leave me feeling that Martin had an opportunity to take this from a very creepy read to something truly unforgettable.

But hey, what do I know? I'm just a bloke reading horror stories and occasionally wondering why I put myself through this!

Final Thoughts

The Pear-Shaped Man was a fantastic little surprise. I went into this story with some reservations about George R.R. Martin's writing, based on my previous experience with A Game of Thrones, but I left thoroughly creeped out, impressed by how effectively he built the tension, and reminded me that horror doesn't need a supernatural monster to get under your skin.

The character is repulsive, the atmosphere is uncomfortable, and the growing sense of dread had me willing Jessie to get as far away from him as possible. The ending though didn't quite work for me. I wanted something more grounded and a little less rushed. But that disappointment doesn't take away from how effective the rest of the story was.

So, George R.R. Martin, perhaps I judged you a little too quickly. I'm still not sure I'll be heading back to Westeros anytime soon, but I'm certainly glad I gave this horror story a go.

My verdict: A wonderfully creepy read that builds an excellent sense of dread, even if the ending doesn't quite stick the landing.

Have you read The Pear-Shaped Man? Did the ending work for you, or were you left wanting something different? And what other George R.R. Martin horror stories should I add to my reading list?

Let me know in the comments!

Cheers for reading, and I'll see you on the next adventure!