Horror Books

I haven't actually read this book, but I bought it for my 11 year old grandaughter and I can't express how much she loved it. She read and enjoyed the other two in the series, but she can't quit talking about this one. More than one school night, her mother has caught her reading after "lights out" because she couldn't wait to see what happened in the next chapter. I will definitely buy the next one out for her.

The Vampirate Series is excellent. Each book just gets better and better. I would recommend these to everyone. It was delivered in great time, no problems.

Vampirates: Blood Captain by Justin Somper is the third book in this series that mixes vampires and pirates in a heady romp through a world of rising oceans, treasure and mystery. Be warned, when you have read this book you will immediately want to find copies of the previous two books so you can read more about the characters.

In this installment, Connor Tempest and his twin sister Grace are pursuing separate paths, exploring their place in the world. Connor continues cutting a swath in the pirate world. He meets Molucco's brother, Barbarro, and his son, Moonshine, who takes an immediate dislike to Connor. The boys are thrown together as Molucco and Barbarro plan a daring raid.

Grace travels with a blind vampire to a mysterious Sanctuary to learn if Lorcan's blindness can be healed. In the Sanctuary she begins to learn healing from Mosh Zu, a vampire guru, but all is not as it seems. She finds both friendship and betrayal as she learns new skills.

The characters in Blood Pirate are well rounded, believable, and likable. As I read a chapter about Grace, I would be wondering what was happening to Connor. The alternating chapters became a device to keep the reader's interest, and Somper doesn't stick slavishly to them. The other people who populate the book are given the same careful treatment. Some were introduced in earlier books and some are new to this one, but each one is crafted with the care and attention to detail that run through the book. Yet the book is more than just character, it is a wild ride through a fascinating world.

Justin Romper is working on the fourth book of the series. Read this one, and you too will be waiting impatiently for its release.

Armchair Interviews says: Good sci-fi!

Cal Leandros is twenty years old (more or less), half-human, threatened by monsters (related to his non-human-ness) so that he's hardly had a normal life (or time for a love-life), cannot risk being with Georgie the girl he loves because 1) monsters threaten to kill all those he's close to just for the fun of it and 2) if mistakes happen, his part-monster offspring can kill a human mother. So for Cal, getting laid can be a problem.

Cal, along with his brother Nikos, also have to deal with a powerful, blood-thirsty, mass-murdering creature who has somehow been revived from ashes and is now loose in New York, aided by an army of revenants.

And someone is out to kill the nearly unkillable Puck, their friend, Goodfellow. So life's not dull for the Leandros brothers.

I was interested in seeing how Cal would cope with his lack of relationship with George. Also wondered if the Auphe would reappear. The action, dealing with Sawney, the serial-killer, is as wild as always. The assassins and beasties after Goodfellow also provide lots of suspense and action.

I continue to like Cal and Niko. This was a worthy continuation of their adventures. And I'll look forward to reading the next in the series.

This series is oh so difficult to put down. I loved the two previous and I'm still loving the brothers and the reluctant puck, Robin. Like in the previous novel, the boys are on a job when it turns out to be more than they bargained for. Needless to say they just don't get paid enough to do the supernatural things they do. Not to mention they can't seem to walk away from what would be considered the morally "right thing." The underlining theme for me was the fact that the boys have finally found a home and a family in Robin and Precious. My favorite part--when Cal thought Robin was dead and was overcome to find him well and alive. The emotions were practically leaping off the page and Thurman did a great job in portraying them in a masculine way so that Cal didn't loose face. I also like the one liners and verbal jabs they give each other. Very true to nature. This series is a MUST READ!

I fell in love with Cal and Niko. I wasn't looking to get hooked into a new line of books but I couldn't help myself. The brothers' relationship is true to life, touching, and funny. The storylines are riveting. I had a hard time putting down this last book. I am anxiously waiting for number 4.

A supernatural serial killer is stalking the streets of the city and its up to Cal and his brother Niko to find the killer and fast. There are 2 other subplots, one involving Cal's desire to get laid and another involving a plot to murder their close friend Robin, who is a puck.

I liked the beginning but I quickly grew bored with Sawney (the villain). Not a big fan of serial killers and a serial-killing redcap just seemed a tad meh. Cal's subplot involving his romantic difficulties didn't enteratin, because neither girl was anything more than filler for Cal's 'ordained' love George. Since I'm not a fan of George, and the author didn't present any serious rivals for her, I didn't care for the tease. Yeah, we get it, Cal's trying anything to run away from his destined girl. Can we get back to the main plot please?

The plot involving Robin could've been great, but left me with a: 'that's it?' feeling. I expected a bigger reveal, I guess.

Overall, an ok read but I liked the first 2 better.

Serial killer here didn't do it as a villian. The villian here was just a little too omnipotent... too scary, for too long and there too much of him. And just not enough of Robin Goodfellow for my taste.

The most enjoyable character in the series is Robin Goodfellow, and while he isn't the main character his presence is the salt, the fun and the seasoning. They all are amazing but Robin and his antics are way over the top. Without sufficient Robin there just is a lack of fun and cowbell. Next, the issue driving Robin to distraction, in light of his enormous ego, didn't quite compute with me. Perhaps it was not explained enough to convince.

I'm not that impressed with George, his destined fate with her, and his anguish over her isnt cutting it with me. It was weak. Or rather it didnt in this book. It made more of an impression at the end of book two. I also thought the way book 3 ended was an awful cheap shot to keep us hanging for 1 or 2 years, but what can you do.

The previous two books I liked way better.

What is different here than in earlier books? They introduce concepts that were fairly amazing to us for the first time; eg.,Auphes, how Pucks procreate .eg..its too complex to get into., Auphe homeworld, A lot more detail on Auphes in prior books. There seemed to be a lot less of that in this and the lack of it has an impact. And the lack is missed.

But thats just me. Just note, I will buy the next book.
The troll guy under the bridge was a better villian...



And just not enough of Robin Goodfellow for my taste.

When I read the synopsis of this book, it seemed really cool. Sort of a different take off Buffy, chick slayer, with a larger group of sidekicks.
However, I could not, for the life of me, get into the characters, at all. They did not seem believable. Added to that, their dialogue, their 'lingo' seemed just lacking...and dumb. It felt like the author was trying to hard to be 'hip', trying to hard to get it down, that special dialogue or lingo that really close friends or close co-workers use, that seems to be signature or representation of their world.
If the characters aren't strong enough, they alone cannot carry a weak story. You have to have both. Strong characters intrigue people, and make them interested in the story, and the story carries the reader along as events happen or unfold to the characters.
It's too bad...could have been really hot.
I'd recommend Kim Harrison, Laurell Hamilton, Rob Thurman, or Keri Arthur.

I have a thing for a good vampire novel, so I thought I would go ahead and start this series, the book has been sitting on the shelf for some time...and I now know why I was hesitant to start lol. This book is a pretty good "set up" book. I didn't find it that hard to read, but it was a bit slow..until the end. I hope that the other readers are correct when they say that the second book is far better and maybe...if we are lucky..it gets better with each book. Worth the read, but don't expect to finish in one sitting.

In the interest of accuracy, let me note that the edition of Minion that I have is the "Special Huntress Edition." This is a sort of "director's cut" that contains scenes not in the original edition of the novel. I have not read the first version and do not know which scenes are new.

Minion tells the story of Damali, a young African-American woman, and her friends, who together make up a rap band and, secretly, a vampire-hunting team. Damali has been chosen Buffy-style as the champion of Light against the forces of Darkness, and her friends are the Guardians sworn to protect her until she comes into her full powers. There is a second plot as well, dealing with Damali's ex-boyfriend, Carlos, who was once a Guardian candidate but has fallen into a life of organized crime.

L.A. Banks draws many parallels, throughout Minion, between vampires and those who prey upon the urban poor in real life: the gang leaders and drug kingpins. On one level, Banks's vampires are a metaphor for these human predators.

The characters speak in urban slang, and whether you like this aspect of the novel will likely depend on whether you like authors to write out their characters' accents.

Minion contains heavy Christian themes. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. The bad news is that the novel feels a little preachy at times. The good news, though, is that it works well within the plot. The characters' deep Christian faith gives them motivation to fight evil, and also gives meaning to the cross-and-holy-water methods of warding off vampires. There are some vamp novels in which religion is never mentioned except when the characters are splattering holy water across the scenery. One might wonder whether it would even work if the wielder didn't actually believe in the deity and was just using the water because "everyone knows" it works against vampires.

What didn't work for me: First, the aforementioned preachiness. This tone isn't limited to religion, but also includes diet and music lyrics. On the positive side, much of the sermonizing comes from a single character and can just be chalked up to her personality.

More importantly, Minion is just too "talky" overall. It starts with some action and some tragedy, but sinks into a morass of endless talk among the characters. Much of this talk is preachy, filled with bickering, or worst of all, info-dumpy. Characters take up a lot of page space telling each other things they already know in order to convey that information to the reader. There was probably a less clumsy way to do this.

I also wish more had been done with the group's musical interests. They theoretically have a band, but we only see Damali perform once (briefly), and never see any of the other characters play music. There is talk about the power of music to help people save their souls, but while jamming together might have helped the group keep up their morale and reinforce their bond, we never see them so much as rehearse.

Finally, I had been told that Minion ended on a cliffhanger. It's more like it screeches to a halt about two miles back at the first sight of the "Caution: Cliff Ahead" sign. There is an event that the entire plot is building toward, and we never get there.

Banks shows promise in this first VAMPIRE HUNTRESS novel, but doesn't do enough with it. The plot may thicken later in the series; however, the first installment is the one that needs to hook the reader.

So, as soon as I finished the anthology "Hotter Than Hell", I had to go out and try some of the authors that were in the book. L. A. Banks was one of them because I loved her sexy, spine tingling story about the Greek Goddess, Artemis. As you can see by my rating, I did not love this book. Actually, I wish I could choose no stars.

I won't bore you with describing the book, many have already done that for me. What I will say is, Banks seems to be trying something out that she has no feel for. I like the story and the plot that she is building, but the dialogue is very lacking. Not only do the characters not have anything special to say, but they repeat themselves WAY too much. Don't even get me started on the slang. Banks makes it feel like George Bush talking about his bling.

I do understand when a writer needs to end on a cliffhanger to get you to read the next book, after all, I am a fan of the Meredith Gentry books. However, this one seemed to stop in the middle of a thought and did not leave me wanting more. Frankly, I don't know how Banks got the funding for a second book.

That is my soapbox speech.

I am reading this book now.. and I have to agree with the majority of people. It's not so great. It seems like it's just an exposition of characters. From what reviews I've read so far, the rest of the series is well worth wading through the first one. So, that's what I'm doing.

The only problem I have is that no matter where I look, I can't seem to find a listing of what order these books go in. I have no idea what book I'm supposed to buy next or third or fourth. I'm not sure what my next move is after this. Anyone know of a listing of the series in the correct order???

As usual, Alan Moore delivers. A story that could easily get lost in it's own ambition is smoothly directed towards conclusion, with all the twists and turns that make Alan Moore the master. When you finish this volume you'll just want to turn around and read the entire series over again. Or explore more of Moore.

This book has Swamp Thing in outer space for a fair part of it, as he encounters various other dc figures in his travels, such as those from the planet Rann, and the odd Green Lantern, and even the New Gods.

He does eventually end up back on Earth, and is a little peeved with some of the bad guys.

As The Shadow would say, if Swamp Thing is after you, 'The weeds of crime bear bitter fruit.'

Alan Moore's entire run on Swamp Thing is amazing. But his `Swamp Thing in Space' stories are my favorites as Moore switches from weird horror to weird sci-fi-horror. As remarkable and acclaimed as Watchmen is, for my money, this is where Moore penned his most ground-breaking stuff.

Here is the final installment of Alan Moore's tremendous and groundbreaking run on the Swamp Thing series, collecting original issues #57-64. Moore brings to a precise ending his take on the character and his breathtaking development as an elemental spirit, but with plenty of room for future writers to continue the series. We also see the apotheosis of Moore's strong horror (and increasingly, sci-fi) writing, which both resurrected and revolutionized this comic genre. At the beginning of this particular collection, Swampy's spirit is still drifting in outer space, and Moore takes him on a series of adventures that illustrate his very "fertile" imagination. Swampy restores fertility to Adam Strange's nuclear-damaged planet, accidentally mates with a lonely bio-mechanical space station (in a great example of speculative sci-fi), and accidentally enslaves a sentient plant civilization but amends his misdeed with help from the local Green Lantern associate. Moore brings his run to a close by finally reuniting Swampy with his true love Abby, as he ponders his place as an elemental god on his home world. The artwork continues to astound as well, with Rick Veitch and Alfredo Alcala handling most of the duties during this period, while colorist Tatjana Wood continues her moody and praiseworthy work. This is the stupendous ending to one of the great series in comics history, and also one of the best graphic novel collections. [~doomsdayer520~]

While the title of the final collection of Alan Moore's Swamp Thing work has an obvious meaning to it, the reunion between Alec Holland the Swamp Thing and his wife Abby, the book is also Moore's last work, so it is just as much his departure from a character he changed in so many ways, helping to create what would someday be DC Comic's Vertigo line.

The final collection features some more of Moore's reworking of the DCU with some horrifying results. Adam Strange, hero of Rann, appears, and Moore suggests that Strange may be Rann's hero, but not for the reasons he thinks he is. As Swamp Thing makes his journey home to Earth after his forced severing from the Green as seen in the previous collection, he makes a variety of stops, some of which show how his abilities and such make him one of the more powerful beings, and as such, Alec's reasoning in the end as to why he doesn't just fix the Earth's ecology for humanity makes a good deal of sense.

Of course, Moore never lets you forget Swamp Thing began as a horror book. Alec's revenge against his would-be killers for separating him from Abby for so long (which, as far as Alec is concerned, is the real crime they committed) takes on terrifying aspects as we see just how powerful someone who can control plants really is. His trip to a planet of sentient plants has similar frightening results as he inadvertantly pulls up a body made entirely of the citizens of the city and needs to be stopped by the planet's Green Lantern, but not before his presense causes internal shifts in a few of the planet's inhabitants, most for the worse, seeing what they really are as opposed to what they believe themselves to be.

Most horrifying (and somewhat confusing) is an issue recounted by some kind of alien creature which it seems is part plant, part asteroid, and part machine, and her capture and what appears to be a rape of Alec trying to get home while his consciousness travels across space.

I give this collection four stars for a simple reason, though. In the middle of the book is a single issue Moore didn't write dealing with Alec and the New Gods. Artist Rick Veitch wrote that one. It's not a bad issue, but if you buy this thinking Moore wrote every issue (which may be an impression you get from reading the cover), then you should be warned that this is not the case.

I had heard a lot about "In the Belly of the Beast" and its' author, Jack Henry Abbott when I bought this book a few years back. I finally read it this week and I can see what all the hoopola was about. However, I am challenged as to what to make of it. The impression one gets is that the US prison system is out of control and is manned by psychopathic guards and wardens. Mr. Abbott would have us believe that it is the guards who are the dangerous ones; the cons are merely challenging. The brutality that inmate Abbott suffers seems inhuman. As I read, I kept reminding myself of the adage that there are no guilty inmates; at least not if you ask them. Personally, I'd still feel better if I knew that some agency at least looked into what Mr. Abbott tells us in his book. What he says is hard to fathom.

What makes "In the Belly of the Beast" so impressive is how articulate Jack Henry Abbott is. His literary style may or may not have benefitted from a good editor; I don't know. However, he is impressively well read and has obviously done a great deal of study in literature, philosophy, politics, etc. He cites many learned men and appears to have comprehended their writings very well. He is a Marxist/Communist which becomes somewhat understandable as he explains his whole life as a victim of oppression. The real question is; who is the victim. Abbott essentially says he has spent his whole teenage and adult life in penal institutions because he shop-lifted one day. It seems that "In the Belly of the Beast" should come with a second opinion attached to it. I rate it high because, even if it turns out to be mostly fiction, it's an incredible story. This is a brutal book but, then, that's what the author meant it to be. Read it with caution.

The only reason to buy this book is that royalties go to the widow of the man Jack Henry Abbott murdered shortly after his infamous parole engineered by Norman Mailer. Sadly, it if wasn't for this book, and Abbott successfully manipulating Mailer's over-inflated ego, Abbott's victim would still be alive.

I spent twelve and a half years in prison, but I have to agree with the correction professionals who have commented previously. The book is interesting in terms of describing what life behind the walls is like, but at some point, you have to take some responsibility for what you have done and where you are at, and Jack never seems to do that.

I read this book during my first year of incarceration and was truly stunned. Heck, I even put him up on a dais. Jack is the MAN! Jack is the MAN! Then, as the years passed (whilst staring at the tops of trees over the prison walls), my perspective moved to something less black and white.

My birth parents abandoned me. I hated the peeps that adopted me. I was smoking coke. I was doing steroids. I hit DYS and schools kicked me out. I was hanging out with the wrong people.

But it wasn't their fault.

I made the decisions that ended me up in prison for the best years of my life (23 to 36 - woot, where did my hairline go??). I decided to smoke base and shoot roids and rebel against that o sooooo terrible system. I made the decision to stick guns in peoples faces and rob them.

Ya dig your grave and, durn it, you have to eventually lie in it.

Prison wasn't nice. I saw men OD, hang themselves, and die right in front of me from multiple knife wounds. I was in riots and brutal fights. I witnessed it all, and it definitely left a whole lot of scars.

But it was me that brought me there. Not the drugs. Not the social inequality. Just my own decisions.

Actions and consequences, Jack, actions and consequences.

And please don't read his second book - it's pathetic.

A good book for describing the day to day life of prison and the attitudes that develop from it (I still don't like cops and have to sit at the far end of the restaurant so no one is behind me). But the whole "It's not my fault - it's the system" theme runs thin rather quickly.

Recommend A Day in the Life (I lived three houses down from Alex Solz prior to the feds catching up with me) or The Hothouse over this.

Finally (and another example of the carry over prison scarring issues), I have heard that Jack turned informant after his return to the Big House (before hanging himself).

Babbling........ shutting up now - just read it.

In general, I found the book to be confusing yet redundant. Abbott's ramblings on philosophy and over-drawn analogies make for a difficult read. His lamentations of the treatments of how prisoners are treated by the prison staff are muddled and made less effective by the way he treats the prison guards and other prisoners. His argument that prison makes someone a hardened violent person is highly debatable: does prison make you bad, or would you have been bad even if you had not gone to prison? This is almost certainly an arguable point that cannot be decided one way or the other.

In short, a person is sent to prison for a crime they have committed. It is not supposed to be enjoyable or pleasant because it punishment for a crime they have committed. While the American penal system is obviously not perfect, I hardly think that it is to blame for the making of career criminals and that some personal accountability must be assigned. Abbott adamantly denies any responsibility for his actions. Even if the prison hierarchy was responsible for his extended stay in prison, he must be held responsible for the overt act which led to his incarceration after being released from the juvenile center.

Mr. Abbott's writing successfully manipulated many literati into helping him be released from prison, only to murder within a few days of release. His rationalizations are well-written, but now ring totally hollow.

I usually dislike the horror genre in any of its forms, and have no liking for Lovecraftian fantasy. Though _The Atrocity Archives_ could be said to belong to this genre, I found it by turns hilarious, creepy, and tense. In short, I enjoyed it immensely. There's a lot to like about this book, and if you don't like some of the things you encounter in its pages...well, there is still a lot to like. There's the Cthulhu mythos, evil Nazi necromancy, office politics, computer in-jokes, spy novel tropes, all leavened by a refreshing dry wit that is subtle enough to leave you wondering why you are laughing at this stuff.

I particularly like Stross' penchant for strewing about historical and technical allusions so that his narratives are a minefield for the curious. I would have sworn there was never an "Ahnenerbe" SS, dedicated to strengthening the Third Reich by ferreting out ancient Aryan and Teutonic mysteries. I really didn't know that the Nazi party was descended from an organization created by the mystical Thule Society, but apparently it was so. (At least Wikipedia tells me that both are true.)

Of course, Stross cleverly mixes the truth with the not-quite-true and the outright nutty (otherwise this wouldn't be fiction, but a classified government document, and one would have to be shot after reading it). One example of how Stross shades reality is one character's idiosyncratic use of a "Memex" machine (allegedly because it is more secure than a mere electronic computer). The Memex was a proposal made in the 1950s by Vannevar Bush for we would today call an implementation of "hypertext". It was based on the technology of the day--data was to be stored on microfiche, and its operation was entirely mechanical. As I said, this was merely a theoretical proposal--no such machine was ever built. Or so they tell us...

What makes this book particularly delightful is all the accounting and bureaucracy the poor protagonist must deal with before he's allowed to save reality as we know it. Stross makes clear that there are a handful of people in the Laundry who are really good at solving the supernatural problems threatening to destroy the world, a lot of people who are really good at making the first group fill out time cards, and a much-too-large group that really doesn't seem to understand anything that's going on around them, and that should definitely not be allowed to take continuing education credits in demon summoning....

My first exposure to Charles Stross was his short story "A Colder War" ... which he generously makes available for free, on his website. I emailed the author and asked for more of the same, and he took the time to recommend his "Laundry" series, "The Atrocity Archives" and "Jennifer Morgue." I've recently finished reading both, and eagerly await the third which is promised some time in 2010.

The only down side to his books are the inclusion of a lot of geek-speak, especially computerese that only an IT guy would appreciate. As it happens, I am an IT guy, so I caught most of his references! Still, I can see as how they may put off more 'normal' folk. [One mustn't annoy the muggles!]

After that, the books are a treasure trove of originality! His characters are interesting and complex, his plots are unique, the milieu they operate within is dark, in that government bureaucracy/operations group type of way. The main character, Bob Howard, isn't an 'everyman', he's an 'every-geek' and you root for him because he's so out of his element in the world of spies and assassins and action hero's. Yet, in a world in which "math IS magic" and "computational demonology" is a job title, the guy in the know is exactly the kind of hero you want on your side!

Also, the short story after the novel, "Concrete Jungle" is excellent and demonstrates just how twisted intraoffice politics can be, when everyone involved is 'used to' dealing with mind & reality warping technologies.

Finally, the essay at the end really opened my eyes to the reason WHY a horror / spy story cross over is so easy. Charles makes a convincing argument that Lovecraftian horror really is spy fiction - because it's more concerned with uncovering secrets then fighting monsters. And, why cold war era spy stories really are horror fiction - because they have total nuclear annihilation as their backdrop. I appreciated this essay and considered it an 'extra' in the sense that modern DVD's have extra's and interviews with the director's, etc.

Anyway, more then worth the time to read. I highly recommend this book and it's sequel, "Jennifer Morgue."

For those of us who can understand the depth and layers of writing here, it doesn't get much better than this. One need only be steeped in Lovecraft, Howard, Mythos Lore, Newton's Telecom Dictionary, video gaming, techno gadgets and James Bond to begin to scratch the surface of the little gems found in this collection and The Jennifer Morgue. Truly unique, kind of like reading a Brian Lumley / Ian Flemming / Neil Stephenson novel?!

Clever writing highlights this novel. Recommended for those who enjoy well-crafted plots, likable main characters, with references to the grand masters of science fiction, supernatural fiction & spy fiction.

Flora's Dare is the sequel to Flora Segunda and although there are quite a few references to book one, this book is a stand alone. Flora is a typical teenage girl living in the Magikal city of Califa. Her parents expect her to follow the family tradition of joining the Califa army when she comes of age however Flora's secret goal is to become a Ranger. To do this she has to master the Magikal language of Gramatica. Flora is determined to find a teacher so that she can become as powerful as her Ranger hero Nini Mo.

Flora's plans are all changed as she's attacked by tentacle that comes up through the plumbing while attending a concert with her best friend Udo. She narrowly escapes the tentacle and figures out that the creature in the plumbing is the Lolgia monster trapped under the city long ago by a woman threatening to overthrow the government by unleashing the monster. Now Flora has to team up with Lord Axacaya who promises teach Flora Gramatica. Together they can free the monster and save the city. As the story unfolds Flora loses her best friend, gets grounded for passing curfew, travels in time, gets betrayed by someone close to her, discovers the truth about her family and of course saves the city.

At first I was hesitant about reading this book. It's second in a series that I hadn't read and it is 511 pages. However once I started it was hard to put down. Wilce writes a funny story that is great for both YA and adult readers of fantasy books. The magikal city of Califa is very believable and Flora's daring adventures keep you turning pages until the end. I will definitely be reading book one and eagerly awaiting book three in the sequel.

Maybe I should stop right there, with a one-word review. It's not easy to describe a novel that defies comparison to anything else I've ever read in nearly half a century of bookwormery, nor seen, dreamt or even imagined. Ysabeau Wilce's stories are always a weird and wonderful concoction of woolly West and court manners, mosh pits and magic mansions, humor and gore, and Flora's Dare (etc.) is a worthy follow-up to the first book in the series, Flora Segunda (etc.). I had just finished the YA bestseller Twilight when I read this, and wow, what a perfect antidote! You won't find anything insipid about the characters, the plot or the writing style in Flora's Dare. Instead be prepared for a strangely spiced dish that leaves you craving more.

This volume of Swamp Thing comics takes a bit of a different turn. Abby is basically brought up on obscenity charges for a relationship with a vegetable.

I think there would be quite a few people in trouble if this is actually a crime.

Batman, of all people, intervenes in the case.

I've been reading each collection of Alan Moore's run on this book and I have to say I found this to be the best yet. Story strands that have been building since the run began come together to spin the book in a totally unforseen and unpredictable direction. I'm anxious to see what comes next!

If you've read the prior collections in this series and you thought things couldn't get any better, well you ain't seen nothing yet. This installment of the Swamp Thing graphic novel series contains just six issues from Alan Moore's run (#51-56), but that does include the double-sized blockbuster issue #53. In any case, quantity is meaningless here because Moore and his artistic team have reached the dizzying heights of their powers, unleashing the most mindboggling and gutwrenching stories in comic history. The basic subplot running through the series at this point is Abby's arrest for immoral conduct while Swamp Thing was off saving the universe, and her escape to Gotham City. As Swampy is searching for his true love, she is being held by the authorities in Gotham. In the overwhelming "Garden of Earthly Delights" (issue #53) Swamp Thing unleashes his full elemental powers on the uncaring city that imprisons his lover, and even temporarily defeats Batman in the process. Sadly, Swampy is supposedly assassinated by government agents, and finds his spirit floating in outer space. This is where Moore's imagination really goes into overdrive, giving us the highly unique and moving story "My Blue Heaven" (issue #56), a tremendous tale of loneliness and soul-searching, where Swamp Thing is blue in more ways than one. This episode is also another pinnacle for the artistic team, and much credit must go to colorist Tatjana Wood for her moody and unconventional work. By this point regular artists Stephen Bissette and John Totleben had mostly moved on - Bissette was only doing the covers and Totleben's only major contribution is "Garden of Earthly Delights." The artistic torch had been passed to the outstanding team of Rick Veitch and Alfredo Alcala, who barely miss a beat in keeping the series' haunting and lovely artwork rolling. The only sad thing about this edition of the Swamp Thing series is that fact that Moore's run would soon come to a close.

Ever since the Alan Moore's Swamp Thing Graphic Novels have been coming out I've been making sure to get every one. I like the EC horror feeling to them. Most of the time though something bad happens to ordinary mortels and Swamp Thing shows up and is the means to an end. This time things are different.

Abby Cable, after being accused of "hugging vegstibles" flees to Gotham City. There she is picked up again and put on trial. Swamp things returns from the "American Gothic" tour and looks everywhere for his beloved. When he finds out she's in jail in Gotham needless to say he's [angry] and rips Gotham a new one. Now Swamp Thing is the agressor terrorizing all those innocent mortals untill he gets his love back and not even Batman can stop him (Yeah, Batman can kick anyone ..., but swampy is now on a God level. He turns Gotham into a jungle on a whim)
Trying not to give too much away my favorite Swamp thing story in the book (Perhaps the whole series) is "My Blue Heaven". It's a beautiful, exotic, weird and engrossing tale. It's about the human condition set in a weird alien world. Jonathan Lethem would be impressed. He's the writer of "Girl in Landscape" and "Amnisia Moon". Check him out too.

A pot-pouri of gods, some strong, some decayed, some adapted, some hanging on; and depicted in the cultural melting pot that's America. Its this depiction of the melting pot that's the most engaging part of the novel - few writers capture it so well. It's an aspect of America that outsiders don't grasp, leading to so many misunderstandings of this country's soul. Gaiman seems much the same to me - a melting pot of styles & literary voice that's made cohesive. He's strong because of this diversity and brilliant because he holds it together to form a uniqueness. Impressive.

Neil Gaiman is an amazing storyteller. His characters simply ARE whoever he says they are, no matter how outlandish a premise he starts off with.

A Ndebele lady with a click in her last name and twelve gold rings about her neck is an instant New Yorker, all she needs is a cab license. This phenonmena is kind of what's going on in the book. I totally love it, especially since most of the novel takes place in the American midwest during winter, and the protagonist drives a beater. Each one of these elements are something just about anyone in the US can identify with.

It's got a schizophrenic and humble quality to it, because the characters are from everywhere, which is kind of how the US really is.

Not bad for a Minnesotan with a British accent.

This is one of the few books that I couldn't finish. Discussed it with my friends. They couldn't finish it either. It was hard to read, the plot (what plot?) was incomprehensible. Didn't care about any of the characters. I read about 3/4 of the book before giving up. I dislike not finishing a book I started but this one wasn't worth my time.

I picked up this book after eying it twice. It was a large book so it was prefect for work( btw i sit at work for 11 hours straight, so i read....alot)

I am so glad I picked up this book. It's not the style of books I normal go for, but i couldn't put this book down. This is a great book, I think everyone should read this!

This book/author is amazing!! He weaves an intricate, spooky, thought provoking page-turner unlike anyone else I've ever read. I'm hooked. I'm now reading "Fragile Things".