It seems that you can’t keep a bad animatronic down. The world of Five Nights at Freddy’s (or FNAF) has grown from that scary game to a multimedia empire. Scott Cawthon, wrote a series of books that retold the story for adults. In this new series, Cawthon along with with some other talented writers have now written a series for younger readers, Fazbear Frights. This is not FNAF World type of stories. This is not even Goosebumps. Think back to Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark and you will know what type of story you are getting into. Scott has said that these stories might fill in some gaps from the games. This is not simply just explaining events. You have to look at themes and do a little thinking. What follows is a look at the three stories and how they might relate to the game series.
Bunny Call
Bob is not having a good vacation. He has been dragged by his wife and kids to a crowed camp. All he wants is some time to relax and fish. So when he learns about a wake up call done by an bunny named Ralpho, Bob decides it will would a nice little prank on his family. When Bob decides to cancel it, he finds that Ralpho takes his job very seriously.
This story is basically one man’s fight against something that he created. Bob is in an interesting character, as he seems relatable. He could be seen as a jerk, but he just knows his best years might be behind him. Through his battle with this new character, Bob learns he might be missing out by looking back. The danger is not even fully presented until the end of the story.
In The Flesh
Matt is hard at work developing the AI in the new FNAF game. This seems to be the only good thing in his life, as he has no romantic relationships and his personal life is going to hell. A change to the AI of one Springtrap throws Matt into a nightmare in which he might be starting to take his work home with him.
We now have a timeline where FNAF is just what it is in our world: a video game series. Matt might be working on FNAF Help Wanted. The names of his co-workers seem to be from that game. The main problem with this story is that Matt is such a bastard. He has absolutely no redeeming qualities. Halfway through, you are rooting for Springtrap to go to work on him. I did enjoy how Matt’s fate tied into why his marriage failed.
The Man in Room 1280
Father Arthur has a bit of a mystery on his hands. Called to minster to a strange patient in room 1280, Arthur finds a burned hunk of flesh that should not be alive. A man who wants to go to the Fazbear Distribution Center. Arthur will have to contend with the strong nurses who work the floor and a mysterious boy who seems to guard the man at all times.
This seems like part of a larger story. I will admit it took me a second read to guess who the man is (hint: Custom Night)The boy seemed at first to be Balloon Boy, but the mention of him wearing an alligator mask made me think of one of the ghost children in FNAF 3. I will point out that in a young adult book, there is a long section of the three nurses deciding to end the man’s suffering. Permanently.
Final Thought
No kids in this one. All adults for this section of stories. The timelines are still jumbled up, but it feels as if we are getting close to something. I hope to see more of Ralpho in the next game. The game in the second story sounds like it would be terrifying. I hope that we come back to the characters in the third story another time.
Next: Next book comes out in December.