Horror Books

The Preacher series is a very well written, unusual graphic novel. I have liked every one of them.

Hilarious background on a major antagonist, detailing the utter and total insanity of their organisation. This is one of the weirdest, most screwed up villains you can imagine. He loses body part after body part, function after function, and has indignity upon indignity heaped upon him and still continues upon his crazed quest and towards his nutjob goals.

The Preacher series is a "must have" for any collector of stories who likes a little extreme in their fantasy. Some of the greatest lines and characters are put forth by the incredible team of Ennis and Dillon. If one suspends disbelief on one's own feelings about God and the devil, one can enjoy lightheartedly this tale of servitude...or something.

John Wayne. God. War in Monument Valley. The Preacher--Jesse Custer. Cannibalism. Irish vampire. Starr. Betrayal. Sex. Cigarettes. Chicks with guns.

This volume is about as good as it gets.

The 6th installement in the 9 volume Preacher series, definitely the most action packed Preacher of them all. Garth Ennis(Punisher, Hellblazer, Hitman) and Steve Dillon(Punisher, Supreme Power:Nighthawk) did a great job, tanks, guns, blood, and violence, what more would you want.

The book starts with an origin story about Starr, telling us about how he got involved with the Grail, and how he took interest in Jesse Custer. Then Starr takes control of the U.S. Army and attepts to capture Jesse Custer and kill the Saint of Killers with the army. Fortunately the Saint of Killers was there doing what he does best, blow things up. Nothing can take that guy down, not machine guns, tanks, not even missiles. Meanwhile, when Jesse falls out of a plane and is presumed dead, Tulip falls into depression and takes refuge in Cassidy. Jesse, somehow survived the fall with only the loss of an eye. He was rescued by an astronaut wannabe called Johnny Wee Wombat. One of the best Preacher stories wirtten by Garth Ennis, showcasing his dark humor(which was superb here in War in the Sun), his bizzare characters and plots, and his ability to write a compelling story.

The art by Steve Dillon was great as usual depicting, in great detail, the faces, expressions, and the graphic violence. After the work Dillon have done in Preacher and the Marvel comic Punisher, also written by Ennis, he has become my favorite artist, his best quality being his abilty to draw faces, and exppressions, it is said that he has never drawn a face twice. The story arc about Starr's origin was not by Dillon, and nothing personal by I just don't really like it, expecially for Preacher.

The most action packed Preacher, one of the best of the series to me. Ennis and Dillon have brought us yet another masterpeice, a must-read if you liked any of the other Preacher books. If you are new to the series, I suggest you read the first volume, Gone to Texas, and see if you like it(I can't imagine why not), if you do, then keep reading until you reach this volume, it's worth it. DO NOT purchase this book or any Preacher book if you can be offended by eccesive violence, gore, extremely bizzare plots, sexual themes, or profanity.

I don't know anything about the background of this book nor anything about the author's other projects as the other reviewers. I'm just judging this at face value based on my own entertainment value. Personally, this one lost me. Maybe my impressions of this volume will change after reading 7 and 8 (the latest volume available at the time of this review.) Volume 5 hit a crescendo ... and I somewhat enjoyed the first half of this book. But then the story telling and the artwork got sloppy. I'm still not sure what's going on, quite honestly ... and then the last few pages were unfinished? What the heck is that? Still, I think that the series (?) as a whole is the best that I've read since I started buying these "graphic novels".

I love the drawings, the characters and the storyline. And even more the questions it brings. Soul, evil, love, destiny, God, "Why am I here?"

It isn't a distraction from the most important things in my life, its a chance to see them through another lens.

Hellboy is one of the stalwarts of comics today - since its creation in the early 1990s, Mignola's work on the book, from his witty, well-researched writing to his deceptively simplistic, blocky artwork, has never dipped in quality. Indeed, in this sixth volume of Hellboy, Strange Places, we find Mignola at the very height of his narrative and artistic powers.

Having left the BPRD (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense), Hellboy travels to Africa, where he eventually ends up in the depths of the sea and runs afoul of the Bog Roosh, a dreaded sea monster, and three mermaids, and is made prisoner. After achieving his freedom (I won't tell you how), Hellboy washes ashore on an island that has become a ship's graveyard and holds a castle harboring dark secrets - secrets related not only to the occult origins of the earth, but also something very close to Hellboy.

While Hellboy is, without question, a sort of postmodern horror comic, Strange Places is especially powerful in its ability to merge and re-interpret fairytale and folk motifs (mermaids, etc.) as well as literary influences (Mignola notes that the latter parts of the volume were inspired by famed horror author William Hope Hodgson). It is by turns moody and jovial, light and heavy, violent and spirited. Not to be missed.

The final Hellboy volume is the weakest of them, so far. It is split into two longer stories. In the first, Hellboy has some submarine work to do, as a seawitch tries to get some mermaids to given him a direct infusion of iron via his cranium.

The second takes him to Africa to deal with a witch doctor.

A little more is seen about his background, as well.

Anyone familiar with Hellboy knows he has been fighting Nazis and demons and other, more bizarre, beasts since his inception back in WW II. The problem with all those battles is that they really had no personal meaning because, in the end, they never really addressed the truth that Hellboy fought inside. He has collided with Rasputin and stopped what Rasputin thought was the end-all, sure, and he has turned aside the temptation to take the world and pave the sky with blood. Still, there are the inner demons within the demon that even he does not understand; the hand and the key, Anung Un Rama/ Sancti Abjura - the true name he wears, Ogdru Eb Jurhad - the seven crawling in their abyssal skyline, and all the fights he has fought do not address the fact that demons keep talking about his future and that he was made - not born. In this lifetime he has been walking in a man's world, too, doing a man's deeds and hoping this was enough to redeem the humankind. He has even been filing his horns and courting the dominion of love, hoping beyond hope that these things could be his. Still, he is no man no matter what he wants and the other books have explained that as they have battled little evils and bigger demons while expunging answers in the aftermaths. Now, it has come to see the broader strokes and this book starts setting up that sight.

The Third Wish
In The Third Wish, Hellboy find himself in Africa seeking answers as to why he exists. He seeks council from a holyman, and in the process he finds himself ensnared in another battled that seeks to claim his soul and, respectively, his hand. This leads him into the depths with three Merfolk, all wanting a wish from a seahag called the Bog Roosh, and it is here, in the cave of the Bog Roosh, that Hellboy finds out how the things he has seen and the other things, Hecate and Baba Yaga amongst those, play out as pieces in a game that can undo the world - and more.

In The Island even more is uncovered, explaining everything that Hellboy is and even more in an attempt to bring fans up to the place they need to be so they can see the coming tide. This is possibly the one story that covers every angle that could be covered with Hellboy, telling of the dragon and the hand and the things that came before. While I cannot say much on the subject without giving something beautifully-conceived away, I can say that this is one of the most important stories made that covers what Hellboy is and what the prophecy is all about.
It also shows that Mignola wants to make things move; he has made things and he has contorted reality and now he is taking the three major stories he has produced and begin the motion of a clock he has always meant to tick.

For anyone that notices something different about this book, it is because there is something starkly different. This book isn't the same "Nazi-fighting" that Hellboy normally finds himself in but is instead the beginning of something new, heralding "the something" coming. While it didn't seem like it at the time, a new series has appeared to continue this, Darkness Calls, and shows that Mignola isn't becoming tired of Hellboy or that he wants to try something different that involves a new character. Mignola has simply been doing other things and has, for some time now, been trying to build Hellboy up to where an audience understands his plight and how much he has at risk. Without his strides into the realm of mortality we wouldn't know about his friendship with Abe or his kinship with other people in the B.P.R.D., or the fact that he really does love Liz Sherman. That took a lot of Nazi-bashing and a lot of demons mentioning who he was to get through to us all, droning at the fact that Hellboy is meant for something bigger.
And now something bigger is at the door, knocking.

For fans of Mignola, you know what you want and you know how Mignola tells a story. He builds pieces upon pieces, hiding things in the open as he layers around them, and he likes to use fairytales to make things seem timeless and beautiful. That was what the Bog Roosh was, and that was something of what The Island reflected. Moreso, however, it was all build, wanting to see how things are set into motion.
For anyone keeping score, Mignola doesn't disappoint and this comes HIGHLY recommended because it really does serve a purpose aside from the stories themselves.

Wow, when you find out that there is information left out of this book b/c it's too digusting or horrifying to relate you know you've got a good piece of horror. I read this book in a day, & was completely mesmerized by Ketchum's storytelling. I thought the 1st person point of view was really interesting, you find yourself pulling for him & maybe not really wanting the believe that he acutally participated (passivley anyway).

I would recommend it for any horror lover, the fact that it's rooted in truth makes it even more terrifying!

Good story, very emotional, overall a good read, but I felt Ketchum held back at certain key points of this book where he could have really floored his audiences. Who knows, maybe there will be an uncensored edition.

This is a great book. I am looking forward to seeing the movie and I truly hope it does the book justice. This is one of Jack Ketchum's best.

Sylvia Likens was not killed by her aunt and cousins as many reviewers have stated. Gertrude was just a neighborhood lady who took in Sylvia and her sister because their parents offered to pay her $20 a week while they traveled with a carnival. She was poor, had too many kids and barely supported them. Sylvia's father never bothered to check out Gertrude's home to make sure it was suitable for his children. In his own words he "didn't want to pry" into Gertrude's private life. Unbelievable. Just wanted to clear that up. Might be kind of insulting to the Likens' family to say their own blood was responsible for the death (although some would say the parents were partially to blame for not checking up on their daughters).

I picked this book up on the fly yesterday at Barnes N Noble during my lunch break. Just thought "Hey, that looks interesting"...didn't even know about the movie. I got home at six, read through dinner, and finished this thing at eleven last night while a bad storm was ripping through the northeast. It's the most difficult, challenging, and brutal book I have ever read, the fact that it is inspired by real events making it all the worse.

I generally don't read stuff dealing with the issues you come across in "Girl Next Door", but I felt that I had to sit down and read this thing because stuff like this really happens. It's not just the one case this book is inspired by, but this stuff happens all over the world and more often than people care to imagine. That's what to think about when you get to the meaty, grotesque scenes in the story.

It's not just the plot, but Ketchum's prose is outstanding. You feel what David feels, experience what he experiences, and you keep turning and turning the pages to go deeper into the story.

Read this, it opens your eyes and moves your heart.

Deadwood = Preacher, tv style? This is what happens here, pretty much. New sheriff in town, corrupt business types, etc., etc. Sherlock Holmes had something to say about small country towns and nowheresville type places.

There is an evil meat baron, and corrupt cop, a dominatrix accountant, a one armed relative, and a good looking deputy. So of course Jesse ends up with the sheriff job by default, and a whole pile of problems come with it.

Salvation is the weakest of the nine collections, but that isn't to say it is bad in any way, it's still a darn good book (and really, it is only weak compared to its own work, and not that much weaker). The real problem is that for a while we are taken completely out of Jesse's quest to find God. And Tulip and Cassady are both missing. Maybe for a one shot it would have worked, but we were too far from where we need to be, especially at this point.

I recently became interested in "Preacher" after reading "Gone to Texas," the first collection of issues. I thought it was a really interesting comic and I was retrospectively sad that I had missed out on it the first time around. After reading the second volume and becoming acquainted with the Grail and the inimitable Herr Starr, I was officially hooked. Garth Ennis's crisp, hilarious dialogue juxtaposed against (generally) serious subject matter in the context of a broader story arc made for a compelling combination of narrative elements that must come together in precisely the right way to work.

Unfortunately, in the seventh volume of "Preacher" graphic novels -- "Salvation" -- the combination is less precise and thus the overall work suffers. "Salvation" deviates from the main story arc of the Grail and Jesse Custer's quest to find God and make him answer for some less than stellar decisions. After the literally explosive events of the preceding collection (in which Starr detonates a nuclear bomb in the American desert in an attempt to kill the Saint of Killers, but succeeds only in separating Custer from Cassidy and Tulip) and Custer's shock and depression at seeing his girlfriend Tulip engaged romantically with his former best friend Cassidy, it was a good call on the part of Ennis to move the action of the story away from the main arc; to both build dramatic tension and to explore other sectors of the characters' personalities and motivations.

The problem is the manner in which Ennis went about this. Salvation, Texas, is a town where things fall into place all too conveniently in the context of the "Preacher" universe. Custer finds his long-lost mother as well as Lorrie, the sister of his one-eyed inbred childhood friend Billy Bob. Custer shakes the town up and quickly becomes sheriff, enraging Odin Quincannon, the more-than-slightly unhinged owner of a meat-processing plant in the neighboring town. The battle between Custer and Quincannon eventually envelops the entire town of Salvation and brings in the Ku Klux Klan, a sadomasochistic female neo-[...] lawyer (who, like every other woman in the "Preacher" saga, finds Jesse Custer irresistable), and sees Odin Quincannon repeatedly have sex with a statue made of meat. In other words, it's something of a jumble that goes on for entirely too long and introduces a ton of rather purposeless characters that we never see again in any meaningful sense (some of them reappear in an issue collected in the final "Preacher" volume called "Alamo"). I think a friend of mine summed it up really well when he said that "Salvation" read more like someone trying really, really hard to sound like Garth Ennis than Garth Ennis himself. Another non-writing complaint is that since this collection is the largest of the bunch, it was printed on stock paper instead of the better looking and more durable glossy paper of the other collections.

This collection isn't bad, but is vastly inferior to the ones that came before it. For the most part, it's skippable, but every "Preacher" completist probably already has it.

Garth Ennis, Preacher: Salvation (DC Comics, 1999)

If you've not yet found your way into the ever-growing cult of Preacher-worship, I'd advise you to do so at your earliest convenience by picking up a copy of Preacher: Gone to Texas. Ignore the wannabe rabblerousers and the like who will tell you how blasphemous the thing is and get yourself hooked.

As with most stuff the unthinking crowd denounces as blasphemy without having read it, there's a great deal of spiritual benefit to be found under the surface. In this seventh episode of the nine-book series, Jesse, now separated from Cassidy and Tulip, finds himself back in Texas, in a little town called Salvation. Through various machinations, he finds himself the sheriff of the town, and immediately at loggerheads with Odin Quincannon, owner of the local meatpacking industry. You've been reading. You know what's gonna happen.

Under all the grease and grime, Jesse Custer is the classic good guy. He stands for what's right, opposes what's wrong, and tries to get everything back on an even keel (though granted, lots of stuff blows up in the process). And what could possibly be blasphemous about that?

No surprise that, once again, Ennis and Dillon have put out a winner. Some folks seem to have missed a minor part of the point (here's a hint: the name of the book, and the name of the town, point the way to figuring out why "coincidences" pop up here). Another solid entry in an exceptionally solid series.

For the first time in the series, the Jesse-Cassidy-Tulip team is broken up, where Tulip and Cassidy are pushed completely into the background. "Salvation" focuses solely on Jesse Custer's experiences immediately after the cataclysmic events as depicted in "Tears in the Sun." Describing, appropriately enough, Jesse's stay in the racially polarized Salvation, Texas, Jesse's brawling talents land him the peachy job of town sheriff. Of course, being on the right side of the law for once only further encourages young Jesse to reach out and touch somebody. His rough and tumble ways seem to work, though, as his good conscience guides him to physically discipline only those who `deserve' it. Salvation eventually becomes a more just and humane town. Ennis is to be saluted for introducing the politics of race, here, and exploring small-town interracial relationships. As is unfortunately too often the case with other comic titles, African-Americans either don't exist or are the bad guys.

One thing I didn't like about this book was Ennis' excessive use of deus ex machina that makes the narrative creak - some of the volume's tenser moments are resolved rather dubiously (a fortuitous bolt of lightening, Jesse's dog Skeeter does his best impression of Lassie on several occasions). Also, there is one rather amazing coincidence/revelation that occurs soon after Jesse rolls into town involving one of Salvation's citizens. The sheer improbability of it really rubbed me the wrong way, and seemed like lazy, overly sentimental writing (which Ennis is almost never guilty of). Even more amazing was how this coincidence wasn't realized by the person even earlier than it was.

However, as always, this is immensely likeable reading. Ennis keeps churning out the freak show characters that demonstrate the diversity of the human condition. Although the stories have been better, Ennis nevertheless manages to confound, amuse, and perturb.

Nora Roberts' Circle Trilogy is entertaining. I am not usually a fan of vampire stories, but the interesting mix of characters, as she develops them in the first book, caused me to want to read on. Because the first book seems to be filled with so much character information, it feels slow. Frankly, I might not have finished the first book as quickly as I did, except my daughter was insistent that I read the entire trilogy. She assured me that "it gets better". And, it did. The story began to flow in the second book and I couldn't put it or the third book down. An entire summer weekend was spent with an unending promise to myself of "just one more chapter." Book two and three are worthy of the time spent on book one. Again, once past the first book, which sets up books two and three, I can promise you an enjoyable read.

I wasn't sure about them when i started the first book, but then, about 15 pages in I couldn't put them down!!!

Fantastic, Superb! Can I say more. Devoured Ann Rices's Vampire Chronicles, & these also! Love NR romantic/susoense thrillers! Hated to see it end!

Thank you for making that comment, because I just ordered the set believing it to be different from the Circle Trilogy and now I've ended up with books I've got home already! I'm disappointed by the confusing information.

Ilove Nora Roberts but these books were a bit "out there" and not as entertaining as previous books.

Loomis just gets better and better! Our friend Lang Reilly returns in this book with his keen intellect and biting wit. He is joined by his good friend Father Francis who provides ongoing reality checks for Lang. The story takes us on a fast track, globe hopping journey to places and possibilities that only a master story teller could dream of. Loomis' talent in combining the mysteries of antiquity with contemporary reality makes him one of the best authors in this genre. Loomis' recipe is filled with the factual ingredients of historic events, locations and todays scientific understanding which he combines to cook up excitement and intrigue that leaves us wondering if Lang is his alter ego. Highly recommended as a beach book for this season but you won't want to wait to get to the beach to read it.The Julian Secret

The star of this Gregg Loomis book is once again Lang Reilly. He still
heads up the foundation. He is a noted attorney in Atlanta, Georgia who
is defending the Mayor of Atlanta on corruption charges. The story begins when a scientest is murdered in Amsterdam. Then a scientest is murdered
in Atlanta anf his records journal is stolen. Both of these scientists work for the foundation. They are researching fossil fuels alternatives.
While at lunch someone takes a shot at Reilly. Reilly begins an investigation of the situation. He travels to Brussels,Cairo,Vienna, and
Tel Aviv. He discovers that an ancient parchment has been unearthed. He
discovers that a powerful group named Essenes is willing to commit murder
to keep this process a secret. This book is action packed and does not
have many halts in the action. Be sure to read this book.

I will simply say that anyone who is a fan of Gregg Loomis, and there are many out there, this will not disappoint. This is quite possibly one of, if not, the best he has produced to date. If you are a fan of the whole "secret knowledge/lost wisdom/arcane knowledge tale" ala Dan Brown/Steve Berry/James Rollins/Matthew Reilly...then this book is definately up your alley...Gregg Loomis would fit right in there with these guys, and I highly recommend this and all of his books.

The president of the United States is awakened in the middle of the night to meet with his top security advisors in the bunker because Iran fired nuclear missiles at Israel. However, as the missiles seemingly just vanish into thin air, the Israeli President calls his American counterpart to tell him not to worry and go back to sleep as he has no need to retaliate. The US president and his staff struggle with what happened.

Meanwhile Dutch scientist Dr. Yadish is visiting Bruges, Belgium when he is murdered just before another scientist Dr. Lewis is killed in Atlanta. The two have in common research into alternatives to fossil fuel funded by a foundation run by Lang Reilly. Trying to understand what is going on, Lang flies charter to Amsterdam, but is cleverly abducted at the airport. He escapes even as his kidnappers try to kill him. He continues to investigate with clues taking him to Tel Aviv as he finds another link involving a biblical era parchment that has people willing to kill to hide what has been unearthed.

The third Lang Reilly international thriller (see THE PEGASUS SECRET and THE JULIAN SECRET) is an action-packed tale that hooks readers from the moment the Americans realize the Israelis have some secret weapon that they imply comes from God. Although Reilly is too good at Houdini like escapes although they are exhilaratingly entertaining, readers will admire his dedication as he risks his life to uncover the truth and to prevent anymore of his grant scientists from being murdered. Thriller fans will appreciate Greg Loomis as it is no secret that he provides breathtaking novels.

Harriet Klausner

I picked up this book after finishing "Pegasus Secret" and "Gates of Hades", hoping to discover another thriller that would be just as entertaining and exciting as its predecessors. Well, that's exactly what I got with "Sinai Secret"! Not only does the story showcase the author's intellect, but it also takes you, with many twists and turns, on an action-packed ride. Like all of the other Loomis books, this is a book I would recommend to all.

Angel Fire East isn't an appropriate name for this book. It should have been named something else because there's one small reference to the title which has nothing to do with the story. Whatever. However, it is a great book. Here we get a glimpse into the life of John Ross once more and Nest Freemark as well. They join forces to save the Gypsy Morph from the Void and it's demons. It's riveting through it all. I've read it once before and still couldn't put it down. I can't wait for the next book coming out in August. Highly, highly recommend this book as well as the rest of the series!!

I am a huge Terry Brooks fan. This book does not disappoint. I have introduced my grandson to Terry Brooks, and he enjoyed this book as much as I did.

A group of demons stake out Nest's hometown waiting for John Ross to seek her out. The conclusion of 'The Word and the Void' series.

I have to admit, I enjoyed the first book in this series "Running with the Demon" the most, this third installment brings the series to a satisfactory close. The second book, "A Knight of the Word", seemed more of an interlude, but "Angel Fire East" brings the story back to its origins: the small town of Sinnissippi. Something about demons running around a small town (as opposed to a large city like Seattle, the setting in "A Knight of the Word") seems to be more frightening. Enjoyed it, but I felt the main characters made some foolish choices obviously meant to increase the suspense. Overall, however, glad I finished it.

I haven't had time to start this trilogy yet but the other Terry Brooks books I have read were very good. I,m trying to read all his books.

When John Ross dreams of a crucified man telling him the location of a rare gypsy morph, and that the loss of that magic led to the downfall of the human race - then glimpses his own face upon that crucified man - he determines to find the gypsy morph and solve the secrets of its magic no matter what. Finding it will be the first task - although he knows it will be in a cave on the Oregon coast and what town it will be near, that doesn't necessarily narrow it down. Then capturing it will be a problem. Then the hardest part will be maintaining his hold on it without it being captured by demons, who will be attracted to it like bees to honey.

He finds the cave with the help of a resident of the area who knew all the caves around. He captures the morph with a net provided by the Lady. And he keeps one step ahead of the demons by remaining constantly on the run. Discovering what the secret of the gypsy morph is, and what it wants to become, however, seems to be impossible - until it finally assumes the form of a little boy and utters the word "Nest" and nothing more.

Nest is warned of their impending arrival by a demon named Findo Gask, who shows up on her doorstep and warns her to not help John Ross or take in the gypsy morph, or she will have only herself to blame for the results. Nest is unaware of this, but Findo did not come to town alone - he brought along three more demons because he has been thwarted repeatedly in his attempts to capture John Ross and the gypsy morph over the past weeks.

To complicate matters more, Bennett Harper - whom Nest had once saved from the feeders on the cliffs overlooking the river - turns up on her doorsteps with her daughter. Bennett is an addict and is looking for help and a place to stay. Of course Nest takes her in - but the demons see Bennett as a way to get to Nest.

By the time John Ross arrives with the gypsy morph in the form of a little boy, Nest has a full house.

What happens over the course of the next few days is alternately terrifying, horrifying, heart-rending and heart-warming. It shows the depths to which people can sink, as well as the heights to which they can ascend, all the while doing their best to pull others up with them. This made a satisfying end-cap to the trilogy, while leaving enough of an open end for additional books set in this world if the mood should strike Mr. Brooks (and we all know how he is!).

I can definitely recommend this trilogy to anyone who enjoys classic themes of good vs. evil, especially those with particularly thought-provoking ideas involved. These were very good books - read them!

I am currently reading Stephen King's memoir "On Writing". In it he describes "The Long Walk" as probably the best of his early books. He is absolutely correct.

This book gives just another example of what he is able to do with character development. He doesn't use them as simple plot tools, but creates actual people that we develop a relationship with while reading their story.

In this book the main characters are a group of young men who have entered a contest that sounds ridiculously heinous to us, but has become the norm to them. (the story is unofficially set in a future and place not too far from where we now live)

When I first heard the premise of this book I was immediately interested. The author did not fail to exceed the expectations of this "constant reader". Whether you are a Stephen King fan or not I would recommend this book to you. It's brief, to the point, and extremely good.

Blood and Rain
Blood for the Masses

The Long Walk
By
Stephen King

Reviewed By
B.L.Morgan

5 Stars

The Long Walk was a novel that I read as a part of a collection of four ealier books written by Stephen King and released as The Bachman Books. I hadn't read a Stephen King book for some years and actually forgot how good he really is.

This is the story of the ultimate marathon and what happens to the contestants on that marathon.

The rules are simple: You keep walking until you cannot go on. When you stop soldiers shoot you. The winner gets whatever his heart desires.

Sounds simple right? Well, in the hands of an author of the calibre of Stephen King he makes it into an epic of human endurance and shows just how far a man will go to to survive.

I highly reccomnd this book. It is STRONG! If you don't like gross scenes you should stay at least ten miles away from it. But King uses the greusomeness of some of the death scenes to illustrate just how high the stakes are in this contest to the death.

I absolutely loved this book. It was almost hynotic in its ability to keep me abosorbed in the characters struggle to survive. If you want to read a novel that is guaranteed to keep you glued to the pages this is the one to grab.

Long live The King!!!

This book is about a contest in an alternate world where young boys start walking once a year, and basically whomever is left standing at the end is the winner. This details one specific contestant as he is about to begin his trek along with the other boys. It is a great read, a very easy book to pick up and finish, and the whole concept of the thing will stick in your brain. If you like Mr. King's books than I would highly recommend this one.

I think King's greatest gift as a writer is that he often comes across as a good buddy telling you a wild story. The Long Walk is a perfect example of this. He excels at the detail level of character carmaraderie which pulls you into the story regardless of where it is headed. Here, it seems pretty clear, but we still don't want to stop listening.

Having grown up without the allowance of Stephen King within my household, I have only recently discovered the sheer genius of his writing. This one, written as an alter ego by the name of Richard Bachman (in the edition I read, there is an intro by King explaining this), strikes me as brilliant.
First, the way that King creates his character profiles ever so slowly, with foreshadowing of what is to come of each of them based on their personality but never revealing everything at once, is the perfect way to intrigue a reader and draw him or her into the story from the beginning.
King himself admits to having a dark side that he often represses when writing because in real life, so many things do have happy endings, and he wants his work to reflect real life. In reading this novel, which goes on and on at such a pace that you can't stand the thought of putting it down, you can see that happy ending from the very beginning.
The Long Walk can have only one winner, and since the story is told through the eyes of Ray, a single individual, you know who is going to win from the first, despite a couple of really good scares when you think you are wrong.
But remember, this isn't a King novel, it's a Bachman novel, and Bachman throws in a strange and incomprehensible surprise at the end. Well written as a King novel with the twist of a more morbid alter ego, The Long Walk is gripping and delightfully fear inspiring, and by far my favorite King read yet.

I won't write a summary of the book, as that's already been done in countless reviews, but I will leave you with this: If you enjoyed the first book, then you will also enjoy this second installment in the series.

Day Watch was a fantastic read that I couldn't put down. The book gives you perspective into the Dark ones; you soon realize that the Light ones aren't "good" and the Dark Ones aren't "evil", there are hints of good and evil in both factions.

Can't wait to get my hands on Twilight Watch.

As with Twilight Watch, this is an excellent book to own and read. My Wife, ReynaVoop recommended this as well as Twilight watch, and she's never been wrong about the quality of the books.

Day Watch is the second greatest story created the first would be Night Watch. The books are pheononminal!

This is a pleasant, enjoyable read if your a fan of urban fantasy.

But what really sets it apart is the insight into Russia, given that the author is russian.

So its a fun read, but then it makes you wonder...

It seems as though any author whose prose are at least grammatically sound can receive fawning praise in the modern fantasy ghetto. Sergei Lukyanenko's 'sequel' to The Nightwatch is simply put a very poor novel. Its characters are flat, its plot structure mind-numbingly repetitive (particularly when considered in light of the previous novel) and it's fantastic mechanisms lacking in both originality and credibility.

Sadly, the first story in the three-story book shows real promise. The character, a charismatic young witch, is credible, thoughtful and thought-provoking. Her actions are realistic, sufficiently selfish to have an edge of reprehensibility. Her occasional cruelty is justifiable in the context of her life and story, and the tale of her downfall is all the more poignant due to the fact that her characterization and even her own internal monologue make it clear that she is not actually evil. She is, in a word, a great anti-hero. Suffice it to say she does not show up again.

The rest of the stories are chock-full of deus ex machina, horrendously thin exposition and a storytelling style that is best described as 'plot-by-coincidence'. It's simply not acceptable as a second novel from a writer who has, if anything, taken a step backward from his first.

If you like zombies and you like Kirkman, you'll enjoy the walking dead.

This series is very similar in tone to 28 days later. So, it isn't totally original, but i think it is well done.

This is book two of the hit zombie comic series. It collects issues 13 through 24 of the ongoing series. Kirkman doesnt shy from being frank and honest in his storytelling, and suprisingly, the focus of the stories are not the zombies, but the human survivors. Dont be surprised if this is made into a movie soon.

If you bought this book or are considering buying it, you've likely read the first volume (which collects the first and second story arcs). Furthermore, you were probably entertained or at least intrigued by what you read in Volume One. However, if you're at all like me, you probably noticed that the first six issues of the series are of a much higher quality than the next six. Well, seeing as this book collects the NEXT twelve issues, the main question of this review is if this book is better or worse than the first volume?

Worse. Ever since Issue 7, this series has been on a steady ride down to the pits of mediocrity, but as you trudge through the book, you'll notice that it's quickly surpassing mediocrity and heading for "just plan bad." I'll break it down with a list of problems and then a list of positives, and you can decide if those problems are enough to keep you from buying this or not.

NEGATIVES
- The characters are one-dimensional, mostly because of the wooden dialogue. The characters that might have had a bit of promise in the first volume are reduced to exposition machines. "Character-driven," Kirkman? Yeah. Right.
- The art is pretty bad. There are times when it gets good, but it just seems really rush. The fact that the series started with the much superior artist Tony Moore makes it feel like a tease.
- The story doesn't really go anywhere, but it does pick up a bit in the latter half of this edition.
- The sexism is ludicrous. And it's blatantly shoved in your face, so if you can ignore it... I would say "good for you," but really, if you can ignore such blatant and disgusting sexism, it's really not good for you at all.

POSITIVES
+ There are some good ideas thrown about. If they ever come to fruition, this series may become worth reading again. Not sure if I can stick it out long enough to find out, but only time will tell.
+ Rick is pushed into a pretty bad place, and its interesting to see his reaction.
+ There are glimmers of good story underneath the piles of bad dialogue.

Overall, you choose. I'd say buy the trade paperbacks just to see if you like where Kirkman is taking the story, because this volume costs a lot for a story that's more likely to anger you than entertain you.

4/10

This is my new fave series. Can't get enough. If you love romero, things undead, or just character based work, you'll really dig this. I've gotten all 3 hardcovers and now mope about till the new issue hits newsstands. Recommend getting the hc for easy access to all the gooey stuff inbetween. Cover art in the back is a plus. Just go ahead and order it already.

Our band of survivors has found a prison that looks like an ideal shelter for them. Unfortunately, it's infested with zombies and it has to be cleared out. In the process, they find an unexpected pocket of survivors in the form of four former prisoners. Rick and the rest of his crew struggle to make the prison safe and have to face both the threat of death from the zombies and the more insidious threat of harm from each other.

This volume reprints issues 13-24 of the ongoing comic book series. The same material can also be found reprinted in the paperback compilations The Walking Dead Vol. 3: Safety Behind Bars and The Walking Dead Vol. 4: The Heart's Desire. Much of the drama in this volume focuses on the struggle between surviving humans rather than battles with the zombies. After Rick's group of survivors moves into the prison, two young girls are murdered but the culprit is unknown. Suspicion falls on the prisoners, but there's no evidence against them. In addition, all of the survivors face incredible stress each and every day and the author goes to some lengths to show the effects. Relationships fray, some come apart at the seams, and the group struggles to decide what rules they should live by, if any. It's pretty weighty stuff, but the author does a good job of weaving it into the story.

The Walking Dead continues to be a no-brainer for any fans of the zombie horror genre but others should not turn away without giving it a chance. The characters seem both real and distinct from each other. The story is packed with dramatic tension and I give it my highest recommendation. I certainly wouldn't recommend starting with this volume, read The Walking Dead Book 1 (Walking Dead) first. But if you've read the first part of the story, then go ahead and keep reading.