Horror Books

The modern vampire genre is largely one intended for light and entertaining reading, and fans do not often make the mistake of "expecting too much" from such fiction. To this end, Harris delivers - she presents readers with quick easy reads without requiring much engagement or consideration.

As the series continues, her skills and confidence as an author continue to improve. However, her established setting is increasingly problematic - though a small town is certainly a charming setting for a novel or two, the height to which Harris has taken the supernatural has likewise increased the absurdity of her books, and becomes a detracting factor.

I never thought I would enjoy this series, but right from the first chapter of book 1, I was hooked!! This is not the kind of book I would ordinarily buy, but book 1 was given to me by a friend. she had not read it & said she bought it by mistake. I happened to open it up when I had nothing else to read & "BAM" I was hooked!!
I find Sookie an absolute delight. I love reading about each & every new & different species she manages to come across. She is serious where she should be & light hearted where it's appropriate.
I'm so happy that Sookie & Eric get together in this book, since I've always been rather partial to him.
I look forward to the other books in this series and I sure hope they all stay as good as the first four.

Love these books. Definitely adult reading..totally entertaining. adult situations are enchanting..makes YOU want to be Sookie! Some hot vamps running around!

Love it, the series is fantastic, Eric the Vamp mmm how can I say just fab.

Of the three books of the series that I've read, "Dead To the World" was the best. I skipped the first book frankly because I figured I got the gist of the storyline. Personally I think she should tell Eric what happened between them and then see how it goes, get over the whole Bill thing already ... move on. Frankly it's just something about Bill's personality that is a little off. At least with Eric she knows what he's all about.

That being said. I have a few problems with the series in general. I have noticed that we get a lot background on characters who are technically irrelevant to the storyline, but who pop up here and there for no particular reason or for filler. Sookie's internal dialogue waffling over various situations, and random thoughts that have nothing to do with whatever danger or situation she's facing are kind of annoying. Also, the "white picket fence" syndrome she seems to suffer from is rather odd considering the "disability" she's had for most of her life. And lastly, Sookie needs put Sam in the "male that's a friend" box and leave him there. often times it feels like she's giving him mixed signals.

Definitely Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 6)
Charlaine Harris really knows how to write a book, if you like your vampire series with a bit of humor you will like these books, if you like your mysteries with a bit of what we call "Woo Woo" (in other words weird stuff)
then you'll like Ms.Harris's Southern Vampire series and if you find you like it find the rest Sookie Stackhouse is a kick and coming in September 2008 on HBO, the series based on this books called "True Blood".

I love this series of books and cannot wait for more to be written.I will be tuning into HBO for the series based on the books can't wait!

This series still hasn't grown stale for me. Actually, this book really moves things along and reveals some important info. This time Sookie Stackhouse has a new boyfriend, finds out a heartbreaking secret about her past love, discovers some surprising facts about her bloodline and heads to New Orleans to go through her dead cousin's things. She finds a new witch friend and winds up embroiled in a big political vampire mess all the while trying her best to push her heartache aside. The characterization, as always, is well done and kept me anxiously turning the pages.

If you haven't picked up the Sookie Stackhouse series - do it now! :) These books are great - entertaining and smart, and they flow very easily from one to the next, leaving you wanting more.

If you like these, you will love the Harper Connelly series, and I recently started the Aurora Teagarden and Lily Bard sets, and am enjoying those as well. I can't believe I just "found" Charlaine Harris this year! :)

I love all of Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire books and eagerly await the next one. Sookie is a very likable character and a complete original. Charlaine's vampires and other supernaturals all have depth and are well thought out.

If you haven't read Charlaine's other books, they are wonderful reads too.

Hype:

1. Totally nonlinear

2. Postmodern

3. Psychological horror

4. Creative typography and text arrangement

Truth:

1. House of Leaves is surprisingly linear, albeit with parallel storylines. In each story, things happen in linear order; and, while you can start to get the idea that Zampano never existed by following them simultaneously, you would get that idea anyway by just reading Johnny's text. Neither the Zampano text nor the Johnny Truant text is a pleasure to read. Zampano's text is a mess of intentionally poor editing; footnotes that break the flow of narrative/discourse; and often multi-page, incredibly pointless, tangents. Johnny's text is, itself, a digression that interrupts and damages Zampano's text; but it's also its own story, so that can be excused. However, the frequent lack of punctuation and extremely train-of-thought style makes it read like a transcript of a 7th grader's video blog.

2. Yes, it is quite postmodern. From my experiences with attempts to be pomo, I have come to understand this to be a bad thing in so many ways...

3. It's really not all that spooky in any way. There is an element of angst to Johnny Truant, somewhat weakened by the two-page-long intentional-run-on, awful-to-read sentences; but the main text and the Navidson story is not very exciting. This is because...

4. 90% of the book is written like a bad LitCrit dissertation that hasn't been edited (or has been mangled in places, to make it annoying to read more than anything else). You can flip through and find the weird parts. They're cute, yet brief. The worst part are the footnotes. Half the story is in the footnotes, and they connect to the Zampano LitCrit dissertation crap in interesting ways... but having to go back and forth to footnotes constantly (and not in that fun _Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell_ way) makes it unpleasant to read, but in a conventional way (overused footnotes) rather than a pomo way (like the infrequent wacky text paralleling twisted or panicked storyline sections).

I really wanted to like this book. All the post-modern literary devices appeal to me, and I was looking forward to the creative typesetting, the story of Johnny Truant told in footnotes, all of it. I am the kind of reader who often finds myself up til the wee hours when I get engrossed in a book. I thought House of Leaves had the potential to be one of those books.

But as it turned out, all this book ever did was put me to sleep. Part of the problem was that the literary devices in this case really got in the way of the story. Being diverted from the narrative of the "main" story by a three-page footnote is disruptive to say the least. And when it happens every chapter, it just starts to get annoying. But the bigger problem for me was that I fundamentally didn't care about any of these characters. Johnny Truant was a compulsive liar with a crush on a stripper. Whoo-hoo. Zampano was hard for me to relate to, since more than half of his "work" was nothing more than fictional scholarly articles. The Navidsons, if we are to believe they were anything but a fiction created by Zampano, were shallow, self-absorbed people who I really couldn't feel much sympathy for. The only characters I ever cared about at all were Johnny's institutionalized mother, and Jed. Unfortunately, these characters only had small parts in the book. About halfway through the story (which was way earlier than halfway through the book), I started skipping the footnotes altogether. I really couldn't get into Johnny's story, because I just didn't care about him. All I wanted was to have the small satisfaction of finding out the end of the story about the house (it was disappointing), and then the greater satisfaction of returning this book to the library. I'm glad to be rid of it, and even more glad that I didn't waste any money on it.

In brief: this book's structure is totally derivative of Kenneth Patchen's "Sleepers Awake" and "Journal of Albion Moonlight." It is as compelling as Stephen King in the sense that it is a satisfactory horror novel and there is a bit more depth to it than what one would expect from the genre. What annoyed me the most about the book wasn't the actual story or storytelling, but the length and the fact that a lot of people seemed to think that his surrealist construction of the book was in some way original.

I picked this up without hearing any reviews of it. It was interesting but I quickly realized that Johnny was not an interesting character. I did like the story about the house, but it was layered in so much other fluff that you definitely lost the continuity of horror that should have been there.

By the end I was exhausted and sick of the story. The pacing felt sonorous and I was skipping or skimming huge chunks just to get to the next section.

The post-modern stuff worked in some places, but I had a hard time seeing what the significance of its use was in several places. Done properly it should have contributed to the sense of disjointedness and horror, but it was so prevalent in the text that it lost much of its umph.

Still I'd recommend it if you're looking for some interesting reading.

House of Leaves is, arguably, Danielewski's greatest and most defining work to date. It is hard to sum up what HoL (as it is known to many fans) is, but it is most definitely not the typical book.

The premise of Danielewski's work is that a young man, Johnny Truant, finds an unpublished manuscript analyzing a film, that does not exist, about a house which exhibits preternatural phenomena. But that is about where the concrete facts of the work end, and even those facts are up for debate. Danielewski structured his work, and characters, in such a way that readers now theorize that Johnny was a child from the nonexistent film, that Johnny's mother was actually the man whom he recovered the manuscript from, that the house was actually a being that made the story up, and a whole host of other ideas that will not make sense until you read the work.

Though this work is unconventional and very long it is quite worth the investment of time and money. It goes places where few works are able to go and exists almost in its own genre. Many describe this work as a horror, yet it does not fit the typical requirements for a horror novel. It is, most definitely horrifying though, and many readers have experienced minor obsessions and strange feelings (such as unease in the dark, finding references to the book in day-to-day life, and nightmares) while reading the book; it is this which makes the book fall within the horror genre. Yet the book has also inspired many people, such as one user of the fan forum who based her PhD thesis on Danielewski's works.
When it comes down to it, I strongly recommend this book. Though it may, at times, be uncomfortable to read, it also brings forward thoughts and fears, it can begin a revealing process of self-analysis and understanding; but most importantly it can, and will, change you, and so few books can claim that.

Whoaaa. So much worse than the first one, what happened? The only story I actually enjoyed was, surprise, Dawn's, of all peoples, and even there we got basically nothing. I said for the first one that it was just "how much skin can they show", but WHOA, did they push it further this time, to the point of disturbingness. I'm sorry, I'm not reading these for that, or for the action, I'm looking so very hard for plot and I can't find any. This is so unreal. Faith is with Giles all of a sudden, and Buffy is not. Willow is horribly un-Willow, Buffy barely has a role, Xander and Dawn are the only ones with a good story but it's not being told. There's nothing interesting happening. I kind of hate this. I want my old Buffy back!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, Volume 2: No Future For You by Joss Whedon, Brian K. Vaughan, and Georges Jeanty: Buffy and Joss Whedon fans were delighted to discover that there would be a graphic novel version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, continuing on from the end of the show. But fans also know there are two true slayers currently alive in the Buffyverse, and in No Future For You, with help from writer Brian K. Vaughan (of Y: The Last Man) we get the story on what the other slayer has be...more Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, Volume 2: No Future For You by Joss Whedon, Brian K. Vaughan, and Georges Jeanty: Buffy and Joss Whedon fans were delighted to discover that there would be a graphic novel version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, continuing on from the end of the show. But fans also know there are two true slayers currently alive in the Buffyverse, and in No Future For You, with help from writer Brian K. Vaughan (of Y: The Last Man) we get the story on what the other slayer has been up to.

Watcher's Council extraordinaire Rupert Giles needs the help of Faith, the other slayer who has always seen Buffy as the perfect blond who can do no wrong, while she is a convicted murderer, and has always had to fight for everything in her life. But Giles has a mission for her now: to infiltrate the mansion of a rich family in England and take out a girl who is using all her power and resources to kill slayers and anyone with slayer abilities. Faith will have to go through a rigorous training process in being a proper English noble. She will also have her faith tested in being a good person, as she finds she has a lot in common with this girl who wants to put an end to Buffy.

Meanwhile back in the castle where Buffy is, Dawn still has her "giant" problem, Xander is making with the hilarities, while Willow continues to be an awesome witch with a scary amount of power, and there is the strange sigil that continues to have deep and sinister ties. The graphic novel story continues to be an entertaining tale as good as the original TV series.


[...]
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I'm not much of a graphic novel reader, but I have enjoyed this continuation of the BtVS series. I'm intrigued by the idea of some not-so-nice slayers, and how Faith responds to them. I can't wait to get the next set.

No Future For You (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 2)
as a fan of the tv show, i was intregued at the prospect of a comic book of buffy and i was pleasantly surprized. well written, well drawn, intriging stories and i can almost hear their voices as i read it. well done, all around.

Whedom continues to impress me with beautiful writing that tugs at my heartstrings and at the same time has me on the edge of my seat. The artwork is beautiful for a comic and captures moments in time that I thought could only be done on film. Both collections are well worth it to any fan of the series.

Charlaine Harris has created some of the most interesting characters you'll ever hope to meet in her Southern Vampire series starring Sookie Stackhouse and a supporting cast as varied as any you could imagine. I was hooked after the first one and eagerly await each installment. You'll laugh out loud on one page and cringe on the next. I recommend this series without hesitation. Entertaining & fun.

I love this series, and I can not wait until the next book is release.

I listened to the audio version of this book and I have to say that Johanna Parker (the reader) adds a lot! She has created a Sookie with the soft southern accent we might expect and with just the right amount of sassiness to truly bring her (and her friends) to life. The books and the plots are superficially pretty lightweight. But I just adore the character of Sookie. She is so real and she makes me laugh and cry. There's some profound wisdom in there, too. The author doesn't hit you over the head with it, but it sneaks in repeatedly - often as Sookie is thinking through things like discrimination and friendship. I owe a big thanks to another reviewer who, like me, did not appreciate "Undead and Unwed" but suggested Sookie Stackhouse as an alternative. Charlaine Harris and Johanna Parker are an awesome team and I'm taking 2 more of these on vacation with me!

I laughed my head off. This is great entertainment. Charlaine Harris is a hoot and I am looking forward to more. thank you.

I became hooked on the Southern Vampire series the moment I picked up the first book. This book was good. I would go so far as to say it was great, but it was not fabulous. I've come to expect fabulous from this author. Not enough appearances by our favorite vampires. I felt as though I had missed reading a book in the series.

This was my first Kresley Cole book and I am now on book #3 within 3 days. I was totally captivated by the characters and the alpha male lead, Lachlain, left me breathless and begging for more..... Erotic, romantic and simply a great ride!!

This is a new series for me. It was a pleasurable read and I look forward to continuing the series.

Finally reading again, for my 29th book this year, I read: "A Hunger Like No Other" By: Kresley Cole. Technically I've read this one before. About 3 times before. It's one of my absolute favorite paranormal romances. I identify a lot with the main character and really really like the werewolf she's with. Meow. Anyway I'm counting this in with my 50 because even though it isn't a "new" book to me, I still read it this year.

I don't really know what to say about this book, giving a basic synopsis won't really explain why it's so great. It's just one of those books you have to read. And I know others before me have probably laid out the plot for you.

The book is just hot. The emotion is spot on. The whole thing is just fantastic and I'll probably read it another three times or more. I kind of want to read it again right now, but I can't exactly count it for book 29 and book 30, that would be weird.

It's a good book that the author told really well, and I'll enjoy reading it numerous times

I have been reading romance novels since I was 15, so a good 20 years now. In my mind nothing like a cup of tea and a good romance novel to escape and unwind at the end of a day.
Just to give a sample of my taste, other authors I enjoy are: Jen Holling, Connie Brockway, Johanna Lindsey, Julie Garwood, Christina Dodd, just to name a few.

This entire series is such a page turner. I had a hard time putting any of the titles down. More evenings than I care to admit I stayed up way to late "just to read one more chapter".

In A Hunger like no other. I found the pull of Lachlain to his mate to be such an amazing draw. Gosh what this guy put himself through to get to her. Yes it was a bit disturbing that he kidnapped her but being tied under the earth in a fire to die over and over and having to take your own leg to escape might tend to make a man less than mannerly once he finds his true love.
The deep love you feel in the main characters not only in this book but in all of this series is truly moving.
I enjoyed the glimpse of supporting characters so you felt that any of them would be enjoyable to read about in their own series. The entire series is fast and there is not a lot of review of what happened in a prior book. You open the book and off you go. These are not slow moving. I laughed, I cried, I blushed. Boy Ms. Cole writes some steamy scenes. Wow! And I am amazed that nothing repeats. Each book is so different, the plots are so different and the way the main characters relate is so different. Yes they do all have hansom men and lovely ladies. But the dynamic relationship between the main characters is simply fire from page 1 to the end. Out of all my years reading romance. I have never read modern romance before. I can say without a doubt that these are the best romance books I have read and that is truly saying a lot considering how many authors works sit on my shelf.

This book surprised me; Richelle Mead took the old concept of vampires and built a unique world from it. I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to all fans of fantasy books.

Rosemary Hathaway and her best friend Lissa, a Moroi--the good type of vampires, have been on the run for two years now. Relying on Lissa's magical ability of compulsion and Rose's training as a Dhampir--half human, half Moroi guardians whose duty is to protect Moroi from the Strigoi, the evil and immortal vampires--they've managed to elude the guardians of St. Vladimir's Academy for young Moroi and Dhampir. Rose took Lissa away from St. Vladimir's when strange and dangerous circumstances threatened Lissa's safety...but now, the guardians have caught up with them, whisking the girls back to St. Vlad's.

There, they are regarded with contempt and suspicion. Rose is ordered to stay away from Lissa, and because she is behind in her training, is assigned additional training with the enigmatic Dimitri Belikov. But Rose is not one to take punishment lightly, especially if it means that she is no longer responsible for Lissa's protection. And now that they are back at St. Vladimir's the very reasons they fled come creeping back to haunt them...along with new dangers as well.

Richelle Mead has crafted an edgy, dark, and tantalizing world in Vampire Academy, in which she has embedded the perfect heroine. Rose is charismatic, yet tough and snarky, whose attitude is empowering and appealing, even as her faults become known to the reader. Mead's varied types of vampires will satisfy every reader's preferences, and those who thirst for an action packed, suspenseful, and unflinching paranormal romance will be glad to drink up Vampire Academy.

The mystery behind Rose and Lissa's escape is carefully concealed and let out gradually, which builds up suspense nicely, but may cause some impatience as readers try to piece together that puzzling clues. Rose's sporadic flashbacks to sophomore year and her encounters with a mysterious teacher blend nicely into the novel's many subplots and twists. Though there is a lack of drama as Rose recounts the night she and Lissa ran away, the slight let down is offset by the shocking climax of the book, making Vampire Academy an intoxicating and intriguing foray into a fully developed and very compelling world where danger lurks around every corner.

I picked up this book because I knew it was the first in a series and tend to prefer series to just stand alone novels lately. I was not disappointed in choosing this series, the story is a different take on vampires and there was a lot of information to take in (Moroi vs. Strigoi vs. damphirs and what they all mean and who hates who, etc.) but the story moved fast and I couldn't wait to reach the ending to see what happens. There is cussing so I don't recommend for younger ages despite it being a young adult novel and there is some sexual scenes (non-explicit). I do recommend this book (and series) for anyone who likes books that are just "cookie-cutter" versions of each other.

Though I no longer fit into the YA catergory, I can't help but to dabble every now and then. I was lucky enough to come across this new series. WOW, I have to admit when I first started this book, I couldn't quite make myself like the characters, but no more than 5 pages later I was hooked and the characters fate became my own. That's how you know you're reading a great book, you getted pulled into their world, and that DEFENITLY happens here!! So if you're ready to surrender your day (cause you won't get much done while reading this) grad this book and it's sequel and enjoy!!!

I am a Twilight fan and was recommended by Amazon to read this book. Of course I didn't think it would dazzle me quite as much as the Twilight books, but was very pleasantly suprised how much I liked this book. I read Frostbite as well and it made me love this series even more.
I am not sure I would give this book to my teenager to read because of some of the language, talk about getting naked, and self mutilation (cutting). But since I am 29, it doesn't really matter to me and didn't bother me. In conclusion, I really loved the book and look forward to the third book. I am glad I bought it.

I have been on a kick reading the books of Ellis. I saw this movie first, which in itself was dark but great. The book, as with most books a movie is based on, delves deeper into the psyche of the main character. It also seems to give more of a history. Most of Ellis' books so far really have no beginning and end. They just seem to take a certain time line of a character or characters. Be prepared for that. Also, it is a great but graphic book, so it is not for queasy readers.

If I could rate this book a zero, I would, but the lowest I can rate it is a one. This book is horrible. However, if you are looking for a book that will disgust you, this is the book for you. If you are a reasonably intelligent person, you will hate this book. First of all, it has no point. Secondly, it is so discriptive that it becomes boring really fast. The biggest problem is that it does not make any sense. There is absolutely no psychological disorder that would cause someone to go to such extremes so fast (aside from brain damage but the book does not tell of any reason for this to have occured. A person would not just start acting this way, psychologically, this does not happen.) The person that wrote this obviously did not do any research into psychopaths or psychotic behaviour. It is clear that the purpose of the book was not to be accurate, but simply to push the limits. It is so over the top that it comes off very disorganized and, to put it plainly, poorly written. Some might argue that this is what the writer wanted to portray, but this is hard to beleive. As I said before, the person that wrote this has no idea how true psycopaths act. Therefore, writting it this way to show how psychotic Patrick Bateman is only proves just how bad the book is, because the psychosis is so incorrectly portrayed. If he was trying to be clever, he failed.
One last thing. One thing I liked about the book if the fact that he inserts quotes from real serial killers. However, when Bateman quotes "When I see a pretty girl walking down the street, two things go through my head. Part of me thinks that I would like to take her out, date her. The other part of me wonders what her head would look like on a stick." I am paraphrasing of course. Good quote, but unfortunately, Bateman attributes it to Ed Gein, but it was actually said be Edmond Kemper.

'American Psycho' is a satire of the 1980's (among other subjects) centered around narrator Patrick Bateman who is the yuppie-to-end-all-yuppies. Though the humor is as dark as possible, it's true to Ellis and true to the story. I cannot find any failure whatsoever with this book. For readers who complain parts are "boring" or "gross": I would tell you that this is not accidental. Bret Easton Ellis is such a brilliant writer, he is able to manipulate the reader with very little effort. It is a gift with which very few authors are blessed. If you're reading Ellis and you feel bored: he has duped you. If you're reading Ellis and you find a scene so gruesome you're forced to close your book: he's duped you. Let me assure you Bateman's pages-long ridiculously verbose meditations about things such as a Whitney Houston album were never intended to excite anyone. 'American Psycho' is as beautifully written as it hilarious and disturbing.

'American Psycho' is, by far, my favorite novel of all time. It's also an effective litmus book in that if someone tells me they don't like it/ didn't get it, we're probably not compatible.

American Psycho is Bret Easton Ellis' grotesque comedy about the decadent underbelly of Wall Street culture in the 1980s, as experienced firsthand through protagonist Patrick Bateman. The book is the only example I have read of controlled and literate obscenity. Few books demand their readers to both laugh and cringe in disgust. Ellis accomplishes this by combining a Zeitgeist protagonist (as Fyodor Dostoevsky does in Notes from Underground), a comedy of manners (consider a very twisted Jane Austen), and the 1980s American height of materialism and capitalism.

The novel is not as overwhelming as all of that sounds, because Ellis is a fantastic teacher. He eases you into the themes of the overall satire he is attempting to compose, so that when the first shock comes, at least you have been partially primed for the graphic imagery it conjures.

One of the novel's constant jokes concerns excruciating details about the brand names of the material possessions in Bateman's vicinity and, sometimes, his judgments of the people who own those possessions. Ellis does a great job helping the reader plow through the barrage of high-end designer labels and features of new-fangled gadgets by writing the novel in an exuberant and often manic first person, present tense narrative. Almost all fiction is written in past tense, and it's refreshing for Ellis to try something few attempt, and to do it well.

I found that reading the book out loud makes the humor rise from the page, especially during the scenes when Bateman endlessly catalogues the contents of his purchases from an upscale store or the respective entrées of his friends while they dine at a trendy restaurant. I did not read the gruesome scenes of rape, torture, and murder out loud, however. I admit that I didn't want to get too close to those words.

I initially thought that the book was too long. Almost everything that is going to happen occurs within the first 250 pages of the book, and the rest of the novel (with the exception of the final 30 pages) is comprised largely of variations on the themes. In short, I started to get slightly bored, and I thought maybe the book wasn't as well written as I had thought. Then I realized that Bateman, too, was getting bored and it hit me: I've become as desensitized as the protagonist. It's then that I understood clearly one of the novel's powerful understatements: Any of us has the potential to be Patrick Bateman. Certainly, such a notion isn't likely to be rendered real, but it does mean that Bateman is operating within the scope of humanity; granted, he's at the division between human and demon. It also means that the length of the text is perfect.

In the end, Ellis wants his readers to understand that life reduced to overpriced suits and food, designer drugs and bottled water, un-spendable amounts of wealth, ultra metrosexuality and obsessive health consciousness, and mind-numbing and soul-crushing careers are in fact the polite and fashionably correct equivalents of rape, torture, and murder. The reader is left to decide what to do about it.

I'm guessing that this book was suppose to be about Bateman living in a society where everyone is fake. But all I got out of it was whole chapters on Whintey Huston and several pages out of fashion magazines. Along with the graphic scences and odd writing style, this book is very hard to get into.

i read this book right after dracula and well, it's definitely a good read and an edge of your seat thriller. it has stood the test of time in terms of it's theme and lesson.

for the people who hated this book and gave it poor reviews. Really missed out on what may be the greatest novel of all time. For me it's hard to put down. And the themes are deep and everlasting ones that humans will forever struggle with. Life and death, God vs science, good and evil, spiritual themes, and social ones also, all wrapped up in a GREAT story. Oh well, you can't expect everyone to get it and resonate with it.

One thing about this Rieger version: it says it "reproduces for the first time in more than a century the text of the first edition published in 1818". Not true. Donohue produced at least three editions (I have them) around 1895 that are all the 1818 text.
Just an FYI.

Believe the hype! This book is hard to surpass. I virtually never give 5 stars to ANYTHING. This deserves it.

Once you read Shelley's classic you're going to scratch your head and wonder: Is this really the book that gave us the Karloff movie? Not to mention Herman Munster and Frankenberry. For over a century and half people have been cannibalizing this book for ideas, movies, other books, and products of every size, shape and type that our modern concept of Frankenstein holds little to no resemblence to the master work. While occasionally these bastardizations have had enjoyable results, like Young Frankenstein, it's criminal that so few people are unfamiliar with the source. Do yourself a favor and find out where it all came from. It's not nearly as creepy as you may think, but it's infinitely more thought provoking and it certainly doesn't hurt that this version is beautifully published at a very reasonable price.

It is pretty surprising that something come up with almost on a whim to
provide a diversion has come to be such an important text for two
genres, both horror and science fiction.

Victor Frankenstein's obsession with the creation of life ultimately ends in tragedy and death for those around him.

Most editions of Mary Shelley's landmark book available today follow the heavily revised 1831 version. The impulse behind this trend is an honorable one (to present what is seemingly an author's "final revision"),but the 1818 version is preferable for many reasons. Looking back on her creation in later life, Shelley felt obliged to alter the book's focus in significant ways, adding what critic Marilyn Butler accurately describes as "long passages in which her main narrator, [Victor] Frankenstein, expresses religious remorse for making a creature..." The author sought to make the 1831 edition less controversial and thereby more palatable to the tastes of the reading public. The 1818 version is closer to Mary Shelley's original intentions, though it too, unfortunately, was filtered through the sensibilities of her husband, the poet Percy Shelley, who took many of his wife's rather straightforward passages and rendered them into his own more ornate and Ciceronian style. Still, the 1818 version remains more vital, more original, and less constrained by what the author believed would be acceptable to readers in 1830s England.