Horror Books

After reading most of Dean Koontz's books, I found Lighting to be refreshing from a woman's standpoint. The days that Laura spent in an orphanage, trying to dodge a child predator were alarming. Caught up in Laura's emotional trauma, I was just as horrified when her husband was killed. With mostly every one that she loves taken from her, Karen's life and death battle to protect her son was intense and her guardian popping unexpectedly in and out of her life, altering history, was a great twist. I highly recommend this book. Tamera

I love Koontz in general, but this story really was awesome. I have recommended this book to my wife, daughter and others -- who have subsequently recommended it to others. Read it -- you won't be sorry.

This book started my love affair with Koontz's wrting. Its a wonderful, witty, well written story. Mystery, humour and a rarity for Koontz - a little romance. The characters are perfect and the story beautiful. Read it.... become a Koontz junkie too.

And I was not dissapointed! I understand that this book is a little different than most of his stuff, but that is what makes him such a great author, is that he can transcend genres. I am very intruiged by the concept of time travel, and this is certainly one of the best and smartest time travel books I have read. Also, even though the book is 20 years old, it still reads great. It was kind of fun to have a flashback to my child hood considering I am about the same age as her Laura's son Chris. Great book!

I loved it. It has that Terminator, Sliders, Quantum Leap feel to it. I put this book alongside "Intensity, Hideaway, and Odd Thomas" as one of his best.

If you're a fan of Garth Ennis and Preacher, you can't go wrong with volume 2 Until the End of the World. More sex and violence than vol.1, with all the great social commentary as before. Just watch out because my copy through Amazon was missing the last 24 pages and left the entire story hanging for me.

In this next volume of the successful Preacher series we go back into the past of Jesse Custer and learn of his terrible upbringing under the cruel thump of his fundamentalist grandmother assisted by two inbred ingrates. His father is shot and killed in front of him for not following the rules, while his mother suffers a similar fate later in his young age. Whenever Jesse commits a sin, he spends time in the coffin - sealed airtight and dropped in the river with a narrow breathing tube, in complete darkness. Tulip, his girlfriend, learns all this when they've been captured by said evil family and are to be killed. But the Preacher is now older and stronger while his family is older and feeble and with Tulip's help, the terrible bloodline is ended once and for all.

In the second part of the book, they rejoin with their vampire friend Cassidy who tracks down the murderer of his girlfriend, leading them to a sex-addicted fiend who goes by the name of Jesus De Sade. There is also a sub plot going on here about a secret group who has been protecting the secret of the holy grail for thousands of years and it is in the year 2000 that the end will arrive and they intend to use Jesse Custer as their preacher.

The second volume reaches new levels with the storyline, revealing some important history and back story, keeping the reader rapt and wanting more. Thankfully there are many more volumes in the series to come.

For more book reviews, and other writings, go to www.alexctelander.com

If you are of the squeamish weak stomached sort, do not ever, ever, ever open anything to do with Preacher. The brutality rating is high. The shagging rating is moderate. There is a complete and utter absence of family values from Jesse's extended family, and they destroy his mother and father. He is going to take his revenge.

This comic book, truly is like no other. It goes everywhere no one dares to go. God, religion, spirituality, hypocrisy. It is a very intense book, and anyone who can stomach brutal violence, sex, and blasphemy should pick it up. Despite its over the top violence, it truly is thought provoking. But as I said, this book is very intense, there were many times reading this, I felt uncomfortable, yet at the same time I couldn't put it down.

Vol 2 might just be better than volume one. I mean, there is great art, and we dive into Jesse's past--and that is a great story line. And then there is the Grail. This is great stuff.

I bought this book many years ago and am now back looking for it on audio CD so I can experience this great story again!

Read this book, years ago, and it is just as great, reading it again!! Makes you think about what could happen to our world!!

I bought this book expecting an epic masterpiece akin to "The Stand", and I was let down big time. This book is nowhere near "The Stand". In terms of characters, I never really felt anything special for any of them. And with names like "Artie", "Sister Creep"(who I found very annoying)and a burly Black dude named "Josh", I found myself going "What the hell" many times.

The book is o.k for the first 100 pages, then it goes downhill very fast. And at 900 plus pages, you will find it hard to get through.

As for the story-line, nothing ever "grabs" you in this book, in fact a few parts were down right funny! There is this magic stone that is really a crown(so you find out later in the book) for the little whiny bag main character "Swan", who is supposed to be this big "new age" child that is going to usher in the new garden of Eden. Of course this "crown" has the power to heal sickness, makes everybody go on some kind of "dreamland" walk where they can see future things. All in all, a bunch of mixed up crap that left me scratching my head and hoping for something more like "The Stand"(a true epic masterpiece).

Oh, and I have to mention the "Bad guy". Talk about an epic failure, this guy is it. Anyone who compares him to any character Stephen King has ever thought up, is smoking something hard and heavy.


So there you have it. This story may work for some, but it left me wondering why I ever bought into the hype of this book being on the same level as "The Stand".

I did not really enjoy this novel. It seemed uninspired and none of the characters were very interesting.

It started off okay but, to me, got progressively worse as the novel continued.

The first few chapters where the characters were introduced and then those directly following where each character deals with the catastrophe and tries to survive were quickly paced and kept me turning pages.

After that it is almost as if the author stopped trying and just slapped a middle and finish to the plot and called it good. Unfortunately, those last two parts are the majority of this novel.

The science was also quite soft. You can't just crawl out of a hole 10 miles from ground zero a few days after touch down and only suffer slight nausea as a side effect... especially when you continue to drink the water from similarly affected areas throughout the rest of the novel.

I really like the first half of this novel, then, much like it's spiritual half-brother, The Stand, I thought the second half fell apart. For one thing, the evil character is more annoying than scary. He says about ten times that he's going to Watusi on Sister Creep's bones. Nothing evokes horror like repetitious references to sixties fad dances.

However, I was willing to give him slack, despite the magical objects etc. that populate the beginning, but then right in the middle there's a huge break in time. I found this to be distracting, almost jarring. I had trouble relating to the characters after that. They all stopped being people in whose plight I was concerned and became figurative objects to hang some morality on, punctuated by the plot device of Job's Mask, which, falling off, reveals your "true" face. That's not science fiction or even horror, that's straight up fantasy.

I didn't buy it; I didn't believe it. I felt no sympathy for Swan and didn't much care what she did by the end. It all felt hollow and lifeless to me.

OMG!! I absolutely Love this book! Anita FINALLY makes love to richard.. and its so much more with him than it is with jean claude! The details in this book are amazing! I felt as if i were right there with anita.. or i was anita. I liked how she was possessed by raina and demanded richard to claim her once again as his mate.. and she had to ecscape all the other wolves so she wouldnt have been had (raped) by another. and in the end richard gets to her, and they do what ive been wanting them to do for a very long time! oh it was so awesome.. i re-read this book 5 times before i moved on to the next book!

Laurell K. Hamilton, Blue Moon (Jove, 1998)

I've been hearing about how the Anita Blake series is supposed to be falling off a cliff now for the last three books, and I have to say it hasn't happened yet, at least not as far as I'm concerned, and at least not in the way many have made it out. This one definitely does slip in two major ways, but not because of the major argument brought up by the critics. Guess I'll be waiting for that one in the next book.

The plot of this one starts off with Anita getting a late-night notice that Richard has gotten himself arrested in Tennessee-- for, of all things, attempted [censored for Amazon consumption]. As a few different characters say, "I'd believe murder before I'd believe [censored for Amazon consumption]." The local Master refuses Jean-Claude and his cohorts admittance to his territory, which Anita ignores, of course. As a result, the local Master, Colin, considers himself to be at war with Anita and company, and we get a look at a different set of werewolves than the ones we usually see. Which is probably the most interesting part of the novel; there's a lot of stuff with interesting sociological implications. It's like dumping a mound of topsoil onto already fertile ground to see if those tomatoes can get just a little bigger.

Unfortunately, the downsides are two. First, Anita herself, despite being the narrator of the novel, seems lost in the tide for most of it; events happen around her, and she doesn't seem to have much control over them, even when she's the center of the action. (Anita, and thus Hamilton, realizes this; she complains about it more than once.) The second complaint is far more severe, and I've heard it echoed a number of times in other criticisms; Anita, by the end of this book, is far, far removed from the sympathetic heroine with whom we all started the series. In fact, she's become downright unlikable. I hope this is a temporary aberration. I fear it might not be.

Still, as far as the writing, it's your typical Anita Blake novel, which means it's a good, solid quick read. So I'm still a fan, even if a number of others I know weren't by this point. *** ½

Blue Moon is my 5th anita blake novel. i think she is a unique and wonderful character...but. This book starts with anita in a sexual quandry over her vampire and werewolf lovers and somehow manages to work a story about rescueing Richard in there somewhere.
I guess i am wanting less time describing how some mans hair looks and what color it is and how his silk pants hug his manhood and more time spent on the actual story. i love laurel hamilton and her writing and her characters . It seems to me that too much time is spent on the sex and sexual stuff than on what anita is up to.
I would like maybe 300 pages of story and 100 pages of description of wolfen emotions and satin shirts.

It seems repetitous on the story also. seems anita gathers a group of vamps and werepersons and has trouble relating to them, runs into bad guys, fights, then a big shoot out scene. sure it is different people but still same story line.

laurel hamilton sure does not need me to tell her how to write but she creates such unique and real characters that i would like more about what they do rather than feel.
I will continue to read anita stories but i have the feeling she is headed for disaster and maybe the best thing would be to "kill every one" and start over with just anita.

Having spent the last book almost exclusively on vampires, after the visit from the council, this book moves more to the lycanthrope side, which was nice. I enjoy the three main influences on Anita, her human life, the vampires, and the wereanimals; it's good to see the interplay between them. I'll bet the next book focuses on the human aspects more than either of the supernaturals.

I liked that this one left St. Louis, though honestly, I thought the reason Anita was drawn to Tennessee was a little bit lame. I mean, Richard's in trouble, she has to go help; I had no problem with that, especially since the reason Richard needs her help made perfect sense with his character -- the truth will set you free, yeah right; he already knew the cops were corrupt, the big dumb knight-in-shining-armor -- and I liked that the Master of the City told Anita no, and wouldn't back down from that, and tried to fight her off when she came and came pretty close to succeeding before she kicked his butt. I liked the vampire politics and such here; it seemed real, that Colin would be so afraid of people who managed to cow the Council, and who would, logically, be looking to expand into a territory they thought they could take over -- and why not his, since Richard has been spending so much time there getting in good with the local werewolves who resent Colin's control, anyway. I liked Richard's family, especially their relationship with their mother -- she was a great character -- and I liked the way Anita handled it all.

My problem was with the conservationist aspect. As much as I love nature and believe that it should be preserved and kept safe from human depredations, I am not willing to take up arms and fight people who are more careless and cold-hearted than necessarily evil, in my eyes. I mean, poachers are one thing, but the bad guys here were not after the trolls that Richard wanted to protect, and while I thought Niley should definitely be kept away from the land and richly deserved what he got in the end, I just don't agree with fighting quite that hard for it. So I thought Richard shouldn't have gone to the lengths he did, nor forced Anita and company to the lengths they had to go to, just to protect trolls from someone who, while evil, wasn't really a threat to them. Basically I thought Niley should have shown up as evil earlier than he did, because there wasn't enough motivation for everyone to stay in town and fight Colin until we discover who nasty Niley was -- and then, when we found out the truth about Niley's treasure hunt, it all got pointless again. So I didn't like that.

But thank God, Richard and Anita had sex. I prefer Jean-Claude as a character and as a boyfriend for Anita, because Richard is way too goddamned petty and arrogant, but I'm so very glad we got past that sexual tension crap. I know, I know, it won't ever go away, especially not since Richard insists on banging other women who then feel the need to come after Anita to fight her for Richard's love -- and if one more goddamned supercreature tells Anita she wouldn't be so tough without her guns, I'm gonna start screaming -- but at least Anita and Richard should be able to cool their ardor, I hope. Maybe they can move towards some kind of resolution now.

I hate the munin, which means it is a very good subplot because I'm supposed to hate them and what they do to Anita, and I liked all of the interplay with the lycanthropes, especially between Anita and the wereleopards. It made them more fully-fleshed characters, and I like that. I liked that Jason got to kick a little redneck butt, and I hope to see more of Shang-Da and Jamil; both strong characters, I think. An excellent book.

I'm sad because this series was great in its first two books. Now the series is nothing better than badly written porn. The characters are uninteresting. Those that are featured are either one-dimentional or completely unappealing. The reason for the decline is the fact that the author apparently projects too much of her personal life onto Anita Blake, thus the dropping of Jean Claude for Richard after the author's divorce.

If you're into rotting-vampires raping shapeshifters, this book is for you. And you should be locked up.

This series has devolved into a pornographic soap opera. 1 star.

This is one of the best series I have read. I would recomend it to anyone who needs to escape reality.

i actually did not like the main character Rachael in the first book (Dead Witch Walking)...in fact i remember thinking i had no interest in reading a sequel...the plot seemed silly and the character relationships were really weird...i accidentally bought the second book and only realized after a couple of chapters, this was the same ditzy heroine i had vowed never to read again...however, i was wrong, wrong...this time the story line is cleaner, clearer, darker and the magic sizzles...Rachael is still her impulsive, unpredictable self, but she becomes smarter, and it's fun to watch her change in her relationship to the demon and how this subplot evolves. I plan on doing Book 3.

After having read the first two books of this series I must say that I am hooked. This is fast becoming one of my favorite series and author to read. This the second book picked up roughly where the first left off, so you have a fluid connection from the first book to the next. Right from the beginning I was greedily reading as much as I could, loving everything about Rachel Morgan's world.

We see a couple of aspects explored that I had hoped would be from the first. Namely, Harrison goes in deeper with vampires as well as, and this I loved, demons. She explores both much more in depth, in addition to the typical pixie and witches and warlocks from the first book, which only rounded out and made the Hollows world that much more real. Additionally, an aspect (left unspoken here so as not to spoil anything for someone) that I had hoped and predicted from the first was explored in this installment as well. Very vague, but... I hate spoilers, so I will leave it at that.

Harrison does have a tendency to repeat herself (such as Rachel always saying about every character practically, "I forced myself not to flinch", "I stood my ground so as not to show my fear" and so on), but when the world she is creating is so rich and vibrant, who really cares? We see much more of Trent and Quen, more of Ivy and Piscary, and, just as important, more of Nick and his warlock skills. Oh, and the important character, Rachel explores her powers a lot more. We are also given little treats to feast our imagination, such as a troll swimming in the creek playing with ducks by pulling them underwater. Small, and unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but nonetheless an important part of how Harrison writes.

All around a right rousing read. I would whole heartedly recommend this book, series and author to anyone asking.

5 stars.

Book 2 in the Kim Harrison Hollows series continues with excellent character developement, plot and enough twists and turns to make you think you just stepped off a roller coaster.

Kim has created the type of story and characters that will have you thinking about them long after you've finished reading the book. I personally love the fact that she doesn't over play sex in her books. If I wanted to read about that, I'd pick up a paranormal romance

Kim gives you a story you can sink your teeth into. It's a good read that will have you coming back to the Hollows for another visit. Pick up her first book Dead Witch Walking and go from there. You won't be disappointed. Melissa NC

I admit that, while it has its flaws, I really enjoy this series. It's just so much fun. It's not high literature, or full of deep meanings, and there's nothing spectacular about the writing (if I hear one more description of Jenks's wings `blurring to nothing' I might scream!), but it's so enjoyable to let yourself get lost in this world among these characters that it's high on my list of favorite series so far. Rachel is not the perfect heroine, and yes, she's a bit on the edge, but she's basically a nice person... er, witch, and I find myself rooting for her. There's plenty of action and interesting side characters, good dialogue and a touch of mystery. With each mystery that is put to rest, another situation crops up.

In this book, we learn the mystery of Trent but gain even more complications of a demon...

I might get blasted for this, but in a lot of ways this series reminds me of the Harry Potter series, slightly grown up. It has the same fluid writing that drags you into the story, the same type of action-packed storyline with twists and turns, the same brand of main character (the main character bumbles through on luck and with the help of friends), and the same enjoyable supporting cast. The writing isn't high-brow and I'm sure there are plenty of plot holes, but it's just so... addicting. The story is plain fun to read, and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one.

And a note on the audiobook: the reading isn't as smooth as it could be, with some odd pauses mid-sentence that were occasionally distracting, but the vocal work was good and it's still one I'd say is good to listen to.

I adore Goosebumps because I like scary books. The best parts are the funny parts. I get frightened and put the book down and stare at the wall, thinking why am I scared. That's why I give this book 5 stars.

I loved it! It was very interesting, I could'nt put it down! I'm over thirteen years old but i still love it. What i like about the goosebumps series is that every age group usually loves it! This book strayed a little away from what I have known R.L. Stine to write, but it was still good. The title is deceptive though. It says "The Haunted School", but this book wasn't really about ghosts. I think a better title would be "The secret of grayworld"

R.L. Stine is a master of suspense! He once again writes so well it feels as if you are standing there. The details are tremendous and the flow is quick and exciting. This is a GREAT book!

This is my favorite Goosebumps book of all time!

I loved the plot and thought that it was amazing. The story is basically about kids from the school from earlier years to when the book takes place who are trapped inside the wall! How original?

This is the best in the series, and everyone who love(s) this series will love this one.

Tommy Frazers dad just got married.now tommy got a new mom.and he going to a new school.tommy gets lost at that school it is very big.also theres a class room with black and white people in there this is a okay book it has a wierd endening

The book is over sized with with a removable box dust cover. The binding is gorgeous and cryptic. Truly inspired by Gaimans work. The pages are thick and colorful... filled with beautiful art and Gaimans amazing stories of his Endless characters.

Well, I was expecting quite a bit after reading the first Absolute Sandman, and this one delivers on all accounts. The stories are amazing (somehow, A Game of You, the one I thought I'd hate, I loved the most) and this book overall was even better than the first.

The price here is magnificent, way cheaper than store price and the price is a very small price to pay for the content. Veteran readers will, I think, be pleased with the extra content.

They took some great stories and provided them a proper packaging. A great way to read and reread the series.

If you like sandman, just a little, so you MUST have this absolute, its needless to say that it is unworldly beautyful, the kind of item that any sandman fan have (they don't have the option: "not to have", if (s)he don't have, (s)he isn't a real fan). It's full with Extras more than 100 pages of mindblowing Sandman's extras.
Really a Top "Must Have" I already have garanteed tne other 2.

I always love Mr Gaiman;'s work. Sandman is probably his opus given the size and the eclectic nature of the themes. The Endless as interpreted by a Master like Gaiman represent an amazing world that weaves the deepest recesses of the collective consciousness, mythology, history and keep it living enough to be interesting. Aesthetically, the books are great and the artwork is just as eclectic as the are the themes. I wish I was exposed to this stuff as a kid...

The book was hard to put down when I started reading it, it was awesome. But then I had to put the book down. It became boring in the middle, too much fluff. Kept dragging on about Jean-Claude. I picked the book back up with nothing else to do and was Amazed at the ending. Nothing I was expecting. Kind of wished I had not put the book down. It was totally awesome!

I have read and own all the books in the Anita Blake series. While I love to recommend them to all my friends I hate to actually loan out my copies. That is what I call a Keeper Series. Too good to give away!!

Geez, I'm running out of things to say about these books. Let's see: Anita has stopped seeing Jean-Claude as a monster, because she had yet another direct contrast between Jean-Claude and some real monsters -- several of them, in fact, and each was nastier and more gruesome than the last. We start with Xavier, the vampire pedophile who likes to kidnap young boys, rape and torture them, and then turn them into vampires so he can keep doing it presumably forever; right after him we get Janos and his twin rotting beauties -- and oh MAN was that one of the most horrible things I've ever read -- and then Serephina and her damned evil arrogance and thirst for power, and finally we see Rawhead and Bloody Bones, who kills children who have been naughty because that's who he is -- that's what he does. And then on the other hand we have Jean-Claude. Who is really -- annoying. Suddenly he doesn't seem that bad.

The characterization still progresses; Anita steps back from her changing self, horrified about what she may be becoming, and returns somewhat to her former self who doesn't really want to marry Richard and who has enough faith to use a cross against vampires and prays when she has the chance. In the meantime, Jean-Claude seems to mellow in his obnoxious pursuit of Anita; I think since he had some evidence that it isn't truly hopeless, that she can have feelings for him apart from lust -- she is willing to save his life, which is a big improvement from when she sold him out in Circus of the Damned -- he is willing to slow down and be patient; it seems the worst parts of his wooing were because he was desperate for something, anything, that would give him the will to continue. I was glad to see Larry, the new animator and apprentice Anita, turning into a person of his own, strong enough to disagree with Anita along with intelligent enough to listen to her when she makes sense; it was fun to watch their changing relationship. I didn't care for the Bouviers, but not because they were badly done characters, just because Magnus was a scumbag and Dorcas was irritating and has a terrible name. Rawhead and Bloody Bones was extremely cool, as was his place in the plot.

But it seems to me now that the strongest part of these books, apart from the evolving characters, is not the plots, as good as those are; it's the memorable moments. I don't think I've read another series that has so many scenes that strike me and stick with me. In past books it has been the murder scenes in The Laughing Corpse, along with the uber-zombies in that one; the lamia-in-the-cave scene and the child vampire working for Alejandro in Circus of the Damned, and the snuff film in Lunatic Cafe. Oh yeah -- and the swarm of stuffed penguins. Gotta love that. Now this book adds two to the list: the scene with the sheriff and his wife, which almost killed me, and the scene when Pallas and Bettina (worst . . . name . . . EVER) raped Jason, which has definitely ruined the sexiness of vampires for me. Larry asked Anita how she can kiss and touch Jean-Claude after seeing that, and I know it's because she sees him as something other, as somehow alive despite being dead, but I'm on Larry's side. If that's what happens when you get snuggly with vampires, then that is the end of that fantasy. Forever and ever. Luckily for me, the vampires in these books other than Jean-Claude and Willie McCoy are so freaking unbelievably obnoxious with their jaded cruelty and their impossible arrogance that there was never much fantasy to begin with.

We'll see where they go from here.

If you like to read about vampire slayers, there's none better than Anita Blake the main character!!!

I really enjoyed the first few chapters of the book. I liked the character of Larry, the idea of him being Anita's apprentice. Where the book started to take a nosedive was when Serephina and her cohorts joined the picture. There were too many plot threads that she tried to tie in. If the book had continued in the same vein as it started, it would have been at least a 3 1/2 maybe a 4 star review. Instead, it fizzled out.

This book was very good, I have every one of John Saul's books, and this is one of the best by far. The characters were different, this is a must read!!!!!

Another great book by John Saul. A quick read, very hard to put down!

EXCELLENT FAST READ, GRIPPING, DIDN'T WANT TO STOP READING IT. JOHN SAUL IS AN EXCELLENT WRITER, KEEPS YOU ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.

John saul is one of the best horror writers of our time and I look forward to each new book

I have read every single John Saul book since the beginning. His early works were amazing chillers that sent shivers up your spine. They were usually told through the perspective of a teenage main character and were quite believable. I think that in the latter half of his work each book is a hit or miss. I remember loving PERFECT NIGHTMARE but thought his last few just didn't hit the mark. Characters seemed unbelievable, plots formulaic and very overblown. THE DEVIL'S LABYRINTH was just so over the top for me I can't believe I finished it.

Now to the good news. John Saul is back to form!! FACES OF FEAR is an amazing read and has all the positive John Saul touches that show his unique style. Beauty, inner and outer is explored here. The story is told through the eyes of many different characters and it more than works. The main character is a teenage girl - Alison Shaw but her mother and father - Rita and Michael are also fully realized characters. They get divorced but remain best friends both getting into new relationships. (I must say that John Saul's inclusion of some more modern touches like having gay characters, cell phones, MySpace etc. is a great comfortable move forward and shows this author is a part of today's times and not resting on his laurels.)

I am not going to go into great depth on the plot here as many have for I find the very well written story chilling, with many entertaining gruesome scenes that add thrills galore. The very suspenseful plot is what carries this novel. I wasn't able to put it down as the story drew my in. I was chilled, scared, thrilled and creeped out. Most importantly I was entertained.

For me, I was aware of part of the whodunnit but not all of it. Even figuring some things out does not make this book boring or predictable. Part of the ending was a little expected but it didn't take away from the superb journey to get there. Interesting, well developed characters and a great story excellently told.

Give yourself a treat and dim the lights and devour this excellent book. I am very glad John Saul is still writing.