Horror Books

I don't know how many people are reading Kirk Scroggs's WILEY AND GRAMPA'S CREATURE FEATURE series. I'm telling everyone about them and no one else seems to have heard of them. But more people need to be reading these books. Or at least corrupting the minds of elementary kids with them!

With the publication of the latest, CURSE OF THE KITTY LITTER, the series is now nine books long. Each tale is chockfull of humor, twists on the supernatural or weird science, short chapters (ideal for reluctant readers), and art (ideal for emerging young artists).

I love these books. My son and I discovered them a few years ago. Though we're both too old for them according to the targeted market, we howl with glee as the author ropes us into another twisted adventure with Wiley, Grampa, Gramma, and loveable pet cat Merle.

In addition to the graphic whackiness throughout, the author also busts zingers and provides additional laughs for the adults indulging in pre-adolescence with their kids. Scroggs has a growing cast of characters and manages to showcase each of them in every adventure.

CURSE OF THE KITTY LITTER starts off with inane hilarity and proceeds to lambast the hoariest of pulp plot shticks, the character's inheritance of wealth from an unknown and distant relative. There's also the "you must stay in the haunted house all night to get the inheritance" clause guaranteed to deliver bloodshed in slasher films and goofiness in comedies like Wiley and Grampa.

I think I would have enjoyed a book solely about the efforts our heroes made to spend the night in Badtable Manor. Scroggs is good enough to pull that off, in my opinion. But I think he's tapped into the pulse of his reading public because he moves the story along so that part - as hilarious and weird as it is - passes in a few short pages. Barry Dunderdirt the ghostly gravedigger and the possessed clowns were great. And the mayonnaise ghost was totally unexpected. I loved the way Merle was lured from the mansion because it was so simple.

The story of Mr. Spittles, the prize family cat that passed on years ago, was interesting and I knew from reading Scroggs's past work that he wasn't through using that particular angle. One of the things I like best about this series is that the author knows how to set up things he keeps returning to for bigger and bigger laughs. Mr. Spittles's story doesn't emerge all at once, and the tale is even better for that. Scroggs has great timing for dropping the other shoe. Or, in the case of the CURSE OF THE KITTY LITTER, dropping the next LOAD of bad news!

The deliberate linking of the cat show judge Simon Yowl to AMERICAN IDOL's Simon Cowl is a hoot. It might be something the younger readers won't get, but it's one of those things Scroggs sticks in for his adult fans that pick the books up and read them when no one's looking.

This book just hit the shelves so you should be able to find it. You don't need to have read the others. Simply pick it up, leaf through it, and see if something catches your eye. I'm betting something will. Then you'll go back and try to get the other books in the series and eagerly look forward to the new ones. Just like my son and I do.

This is by far a must-own collection for the Tales from the Crypt fans.
It features original comic books from 50s and 60s.

I was too young for the originals, but the reprints in the late-80s/early-90s were amazing.

The only issue I have is that the ink is sooo freakin' glossy that you get glare from overhead lighting.

Johnny Craig is the best artist!

There is an overuse of exclamation points in the writing, which can be irritating but the drawing is top notch and it's worthwhile to purchase for the fan of the old comics. Graham Ingels' work is the best of all.

The story of EC Comics really is one of the most intriguing in the lore of comic history. EC's founder, Max Gaines is really the father of the modern comic, having been the first one to devise the idea of printing newspaper comic strip re-prints into a magazine format. Gaines was also co-publisher of All-American Comics, the sister company to National Periodical Publications, AKA DC Comics, which published titles such as All Star Comics, Green Lantern, and The Flash. Gaines was bought out by his partner and eventually formed EC Comics, which then stood for Educational Comics but later would change to Entertaining Comics.

Gaines was killed in a boating accident, leaving his son William Gaines to reluctantly take over the company. Gaines soon changed the focus of the company and began to concentrate on publishing titles with horror, Sci-Fi, war, and suspense themes. Thus, Gaines created a legend. EC had perhaps the finest stable of artists ever assembled in one company that included Al Feldstein and Harvey Kurtzman who also wrote and edited most of the titles, along with other greats such as Johnny Craig, Graham Ingels, Wally Wood, Jack Davis, Al Williamson, Bernie Krigstein, George & Marie Severin, Reed Crandall, Basil Wolverton, Joe Orlando, and Frank Frazetta.

EC's horror comics were well ahead of their time and were really the pre-cursor of magazines like Creepy & Eerie. The stories in Tales from the Crypt, Haunt of Fear, and Vault of Horror were often quite gruesome and gory. Because of this, EC became the prime target of Psychiatrist Dr. Fredric Wertham who, in 1954 published Seduction of the Innocent, a book that blamed the violence and horror in comic books for juvenile crime and delinquency. A Congressional investigation resulted in the formation of the Comics Code Authority to censor comic books. Books had to be submitted and receive the stamp of approval and subjects like zombies & vampires were prohibited. While the CCA had no legal authority, most magazine distributors would not carry a comic if it did not have the code stamp. EC was forced to cancel their horror titles and shift it's focus to dramatic titles like "MD" and "Extra!", as well as the humor title Mad which was later changed to magazine format.

Much like it's Crypt Keeper, EC would not stay dead, thanks in large part to zealous fans and the efforts of Russ Cochran and Gemstone publishing that began re-printing the EC Comics in various formats in the 70's with the Complete EC Library, and then actual comics in the 80's and 90's. Among the latest projects are the EC Archives which collects several issues of the original EC comics into gorgeous hardcover editions.


Tales from the Crypt may seem tame by today's standards where blood and gore oozes off the pages, but when these stories were originally published back in the early 1950's, they were well ahead of their time in terms of their subject matter and artwork. While most comic art of the 50's was bland, mass produced house art, EC gave its artists unrivaled creative freedom. It's the reason why those issues are so highly sought after by collectors today.

The stories in Tales From the Crypt rarely deviated from the formula...they almost always ended with a shocking, ironic twist with a character getting their just desserts. Even when following this pattern, the gifted talent always kept things fresh and innovative. Inside these 212 pages you'll find stories featuring werewolves, mad scientists, zombies, animated limbs, ghosts, raving madmen (and women) and a host of other terrors. One of the most ghoulish tales is Johnny Craig's "Midnight Snack" in which a sleep walking man discovers he's been digging up bodies and eating them. This was pretty intense stuff for 1951. This book features the talents of legends Wally Wood, Graham Ingels, Johnny Craig, Jack Davis, Joe Orlando, and colorist Marie Severin.


These editions feature re-mastered color and also include special features such as an interview with Nancy Gaines, the widow of EC Comics founder Bill Gaines. The book lists for $50 but you can definitely find it online much cheaper making it well worth the price. If you've never read EC Comics before it's an experience you must have!

REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON

I just can't get over how nice these EC Archives are. Printed on high quality paper and done with superb color. These books are a great way to get the old EC comics with out going broke. I can't wait for Gemstone to print the rest. A+ 10 out of 10!

This is the first novel I've read by Richard Laymon (based on the recommendation in Horror: Another 100 Best Books). The Cellar is a fast-paced novel. It follows the classic formula: it starts out on a scare and begins the story proper. Donna Hayes gets a terrifying phone call: her ex-husband, Roy, has just been released from jail. Roy is a sociopath who had raped their daughter, Sandy. Donna immediately takes Sandy up the California coast with Roy hot on their heels. Their car breaks down (of course it does) in a small town whose one attraction is "Beast House" - a house "haunted" by an inhuman monster that slaughters anyone who enters after dark. (During the day, there is a guided tour - apparently the "beast" is good about not messing up the furniture.)

There are two horrors in this story - the "beast" and Roy. I found Roy to be more disturbing; so much so that you shouldn't read the book if you are squeamish. Roy is a sadistic rapist and much of his violence is directed at children. At times, I though I might have to skip over passages or stop reading.

The issue of "bad taste" does come up, but it is difficult to discuss bad taste in relation to horror because horror is in some ways all about bad taste. Laymon does not glorify Roy - the opposite, really - but it is just very painful to read what he does. The question of whether or not the scenes in this book belong in an "entertainment" is another, more difficult question.

Then, there is the "beast." Of course, there is more going on there than meets they eye. If you are good you will probably be able to guess where the ending is going before you get there. Depending on your temperament, you will find the resolution disturbing or silly.

I haven't finished reading this yet, but I've read enough to know that this is the last of Laymon for me. While the man's concepts are interesting, even promising, his writing is over simplistic and I find myself rolling my eyes at the unrealistic ways in which the characters are acting/reacting to their situations and their surroundings. The book starts with a triple murder at the famed Beast House, a tourist attraction that has been the site of numerous grisly murders over the years by the alleged beast. Jump to Donna Hayes, who receives a phone call informing her that her husband, who has been serving time for the rape of their daughter, has been released from jail.

Fearing that her husband will head straight for her and her daughter, Donna hightails it out of the apartment and makes a run for it, going as far as she can go until the car veers off the road in the fog. She finds herself in the town of Malacasa Point, home of the infamous Beast House. And this is where it takes a detour and never finds its way back.

While in town, she meets Judgement, a mercenary hired by a survivor of a "beast attack" to kill the beast. She is immediately drawn to him. I find this totally unrealistic and almost put the book down at this point. Here is a woman who has been sexually abused by her ex husband in sick and twisted ways, a woman whose daughter has been ravaged by the same man, a woman who fears that her ex husband might be on her very trail, a woman who learns that her sister and brother-in-law have been murdered (thus confirming in her mind that her ex husband knows where she is), and she decides that its time to pursue Judgement and start a relationship. In fact, she beds him shortly after finding out her sister has been murdered. Get real!! Grab your daughter, rent a car if your car isn't ready, and hit the road!!

This is the second Laymon book I have read where I find the characters behaving like they are totally out of touch with their surroundings and the events that are unfolding around them. If this is a sample of his writing style, I'll pass. And if you prefer to read about characters you can identify with, that you can root for and fear for, then I suggest you pass, too.

It's the crappiest piece of work I ever had the displeasure to read. No character development, the writing is woefully dated. I also found the scenes of the child rape absolutely revolting, too detailed and felt it wasnt necessary to the story. Just crappy

I have read all of Richard Laymons books that I could get my hands on and
The Cellar was the first and got me hooked. If your looking for a book that you can read and not have to keep up with hundreds of different stories within a story then this one is for you. I really enjoyed just being able to sit down and read a book tht took no effort to understand and just flat out entertained me by its simple people and page turning plot. Laymons books are not for the sqemish or the faint at heart to say the least. If you love horror and gore with a good story behind it then he is your man. Make sure you read Beast House as it explains why things are the way they are. You wont be sorry you did.

In 'The Cellar', we see all the hallmarks of Richard Layman's unique mix of sadism, sexual deviance, horny girls, priapic males, hairy beasts, messy sex and messier deaths. For all the silliness of the story, Layman revealed, even in his earliest work, an innate genius for writing un-put-down-ably compelling narratives. Reading Layman is like reading those vaguely scandalous and disreputable pulp fiction rags of the 1920s and '30s. He may have written trash, but he was the most satisfying writer of unapologetic trash in the genre.

I have to agree with the guy that wrote the first review. I love a good zombie book and this one is right up there with the best of them. I will most definitely read the rest of these books!

I love the zombie genre and have read about every book under the sun... from David Moody, Z.A. Recht, Travis Adkins, J. L. Bourne, Brian Keene, Max Brooks... to self published writers. A lot of good ones out there but some are really bad... like The Phoenix Gene... of which I couldn't get past the horrible writing after page 5.

Having exhausted the list of popular zombie books, I dicovered Dead End and decided to give it a shot though there are no reviews. This seems to be a self published book so I went in with an open mind.

I'm about two thirds of the way through and so far I really like the book.

This is not a masterpiece... no zombie book is. But this book is among the better ones that I have read so far. Just a good old-fashioned story set in the Romero universe. The writer doesn't try to get cute and tweak the rules in an effort to be original... he's just telling a good story.

Plusses: Good old-school Romero zombies; good characterization where you care about the characters; really good discriptive scenes that are vivid and just gory enough without being over the top. My favorite aspect of the zombie genre is the post apocalyptic world with survivors hiding out in shelters or surviving out in the open... having to deal with the dead or sometimes a more sinister living. This book has that and does it well.

The only slight deviation to the romero zombie in this book is how the zombies tend to hide out from the sun during the day and really come out in strength at night (the explanation is interesting and makes sense.) So while in the book, the characters can travel during the day with fewer zombie encounters, they face other dangers such as other living pwople who are into raping and killing. So, I don't mind the deviation.

I'm giving this book four stars because I haven't finished it yet and there are some minor spelling errors (i.e. use of "then" instead of "than") But this book is very well written and the spelling errors are minor and don't detract from the story. I've never written a review before and I'm doing so now because I was surprised that there were no reviews for this book eventhough it came out a year ago. It was a good find to take a chance on. Also, this writer has several zombie books published around the same time last year... apparently he had written several and published them all at the same time.

I really like this book so I just ordered all his other books. If they're as good as this one, I've got my zombie fix taken care of for quite a while.

****** UPDATE 7/25/08

I've become a fan of this author after discovering his numerous self published books. They have all been picked up by Permuted Press which is THE best and largest post apocalyptic/zombie publishing house. This author is good and I had wondered why they hadn't already picked him up. Now they have and describe his as a prolific writer. The author had noted that DeadWater will be released as a greatly expanded story. All of these books I have reviewed are good enough for me to pick up the re-releases just to see what's been added to each. I have a feeling the books out now will be collector's items. Thanks to this author for the hours of good reading.

****** END UPDATE

Giangregorio seems to have a whole slew of zombie novels here on Amazon, none of which had any reviews before the first reviewer took a chance on this one. I was a little leery with numerous titles and no reviews, worried that somehow I was not privy to some sort of self publishing joke. There are plenty of bad zombie novels out there and I have read quite a few. I am not one to avoid anything with a zombie in it, so I was bound to try this author out. I am just glad to have had someone else take the leap before I did.

This is definitely a self published work (I have not heard of the company Xlibris before, but I am guessing that they are much like I Universe and others giving an author a chance to print their own stuff). There are definitely typos in this story, a lot of too for to and vice versa, some misplaced " marks, etc. but really one of the better self published efforts. A good editor could have really sharpened this story up and tightened the errors and a few awkward phrases here and there but the author has done a good job of creating a vivid story with characters you can appreciate as real and grow attached to through the story.

Our main character is Adam, who is coping with the death of his parents at the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. He is taken in by his neighbors, Paul and Josey, who are hiding out in their cellar as the world around them crumbles. After a few weeks stuck underground they begin to run out of food and start to search for other survivors.

Don't expect any major twists on the Romero zombie formula. For me that is not a problem, as I enjoy the traditional stuff as well as the variations that are out there. For me, zombie stories are about the scares and the character development. Give me the gore and the emotions that go along with a worldwide apocalypse where the dead have come back to eat the living. We get a healthy dose of slimy humans reminding us of how much worse we are than the undead who cannot help being what they are. The depravity of mankind is fully on display in this tale.

Again, nothing shocking here but a solid story by an author I am certain I will be checking out again. If you like your zombie stories traditional, with a side order of wretched humanity thrown in, this is a good book to pick up.

Not everyone deals with a Worm at breakfast time, but athlete and inventor Matt Daniels gets a visit from one every morning. Worm is actually the neighbor kid, Bradley Wormser, known far and wide as "Worm" for good reason. He's so tall and skinny that he looks just like an enormous worm with glasses. He's also a mooch, who eats up everything left on the breakfast table.

Bradley will go to any lengths to get food, including dropping a dead fly into someone else's cereal ...and then eating the cereal (he spits the fly out!) Pretty disturbing, to say the least. Just to complicate matters, Bradley and Matt's moms are partners in a party catering business. So it's not like Matt can ever get rid of him.

One morning, Bradley is being particularly annoying. He pulls a can out of his backpack, daring Matt to open it. The can is empty, but it emits a stench like you wouldn't believe. It's so bad that it nauseates both Matt and his sister, Livvy. But later, Bradley shows Matt something intriguing. It's supposedly a rock from Venus that he bought off the Internet, hoping to win the big prize for the most original science project.

Matt knows it can't be a Venusian rock, especially since it, uh, is actually labeled "Made in China." Bradley chucks the rock, which hits their science teacher's car --- and then he blames Matt. It can't get any worse, right? Oh, yes, it does. Bradley cheats off Matt but makes it look like they're both cheating. Of course, they get caught.

But that's just the beginning of Matt's problems, because when Bradley uses Matt's laptop, he leaves a page open called MONSTER BLOOD. Matt can't close the page, and a creepy voice whispers over and over, "Enjoy your Monster Blood..." Matt panics, yanking the cord and then the battery from the laptop. But nothing closes the page or stops the voice.

Matt's life continues to nose-dive, with science project setbacks, strange men demanding he return "it" and a silly putty type of plastic egg that turns out to be anything but "silly." Author R. L. Stine pitches us some cool plot curveballs in this enjoyably creepy thriller, ending with the next chapter in the continuing HorrorLand theme park saga, in which Matt is thrilled with his surprise invite to the park, where he meets Billy and Sheena Deep.

Two girls have disappeared, and Sheena becomes invisible. And no matter how many times Matt tries to reassure himself that the horror theme park staff is just playing tricks on customers, he can't help being terrified. Billy is scared to death, too. But when they attempt to get help from two park MPs ("Monster Police"), the cops seem to believe that Matt and Billy are trying to play games with them. Soon, the two boys find themselves in the worst predicament of all. Will they live long enough to find the vanished girls? Will they be able to help Sheena?

This installment ends with an irresistible cliffhanger, leaving readers with the urgent question "When can I get my hands on Book #4?"

--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon

We have a summer book club, all boys ages 8-10. The boys voted to read this book. They are enjoying the book. It is full of suspense and some humor too. My 8-1/2 yr old, laughs as he reads and is so excited to read this book. Gets an A+ from our group of kids!

The tape was not operable. The tape was twisted.

No use to me.

Karen K. Lee

This one is a fun dark ride along with Laura as she looks for the killer's of her family. It's exciting, makes you think, and satisfying. It was a great place to escape to. Wish there was a sequel.

After being contacted by the author on myspace, I bought the book. I read it all the way through and was confused half the time. It was a very weird plot, if you could call it a plot. I just think Aleman had a really good idea and it did not come out the way it was meant to. I did not like it.

Cold Streak is darker than what I'm use to reading but it's characters are what pulled me into it. They're realistic and they stay with you even after finishing the book. The writing is great. Some descriptions are gory and others are beautiful. The ending is amazing. Haven;t been abel to stop thinking about it.

Started out as a good story line, however it could have been told in one third of the length of the book. When the main character didn't "die" in the first attempt, I cried. Couldn't finish it which is very rare for me.

This is easily the best book I've read this year, and I read thrillers, horror, classics, biographies, and just about anything else that grabs my interest. Cold Streak starts off with a bang and keeps a fast pace all the way to the last line. It's very well written with lots of vivid descriptions that bring the scenes to life. The characters are awesome. Laura is the main character chasing after the murderers of her husband and two daughters. She gets pulled between her obsession to catch the killers and trying to keep herself from becoming just as bad as they are. The two detectives Paul and Irene are after the murderers of Laura's family and herself. Their relationship is the most realistic love story I've read inside of a thriller.

I loved the metaphors and comparisons in this book. This has to be the most literary thriller story that I've come across, and I'm a bit ashamed to admit it sent me to a dictionary once or twice.

As an insomniac myself I related to Paul a lot. As a musician I loved the scenes that took place at the local concerts. Those are exactly what it's like to play a local show in a rough bar. Brought back a lot of memories of my own gigs.

If you like Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, or literary books, check out Cold Streak. Can't recommend this one highly enough.

I'm didn't like the audio levels, I had to turn it up to hear some of what the narrators were saying, but then other times it would be too loud.

A must have for Poe lovers. Excellent audio collection. Rathbone and Price are the perfect match. The audios are based on the quality of their voices and the writings. No sound effects are needed due to the talent of these two individuals.

I was looking forward to listening to this on a recent trip but found the experience less then hoped for.

I feel that the problem is the material. The readers, Basil Rathbone & Vincent Price, have great voices. They are part narrator part voice acting and that can add a great deal. But, it makes it difficult sometimes as the sound levels are variable; sometimes almost a whisper then shouting. That makes listening while driving difficult.

Also the material, Edgar Allan Poe, is rather densely written. The stories are convoluted and the words Poe used are intentionally obscure sometimes - all that makes it harder to follow in audio book form rather then in the actual reading.

Not a bad production and I may listen to it at work, but it was not very good for travel listening.

Edgar Allan Poe on audio is a perfect selection for the haunts of October. Who better to read his work aloud than Basil Rathbone and Vincent Price? In theory this is a wonderful collection. Unfortunately, it requires one to turn their speakers up near full volume in order to hear the replication. There are a couple of tracks when Rathbone exclaims a sentence very loudly, which, compared to the remainder of the stories, is excruciating on the ear drums once the speakers are full blast. I thoroughly enjoyed the collection and do recommend it. But, be forewarned, it is quite soft in volume.

Basil Rathbone was born to play Sherlock Holmes (in the films of the stories written by Conan Doyle, not the other spurious stuff) and to read the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
My vinyl recordings were worn out long years ago. This set is more than I could have hoped for. Now in my 73rd year, these performances carry me back to a time well before my own... magic, indeed.
For his part, Vincent Price delivers characteristically fine performances, but Rathbone's readings have been my delight. Rare excellence is here.

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.

Billy Deep (known to his friends as the "Undersea Mutant") is into adventure. He lives for danger, so he's excited to be fighting underwater terrors (at least in his imagination) from the boat owned by his uncle, "Dr. D," in the Caribbean Sea. Dr. D is a marine biologist, and his boat, the Cassandra, is a floating sea lab. Billy's 10-year-old sister, Sheena, is also aboard.

Sheena fancies herself as quite the adventurer as well, so both kids are excited when Dr. D informs them that they are searching for a sunken pirate ship called the Scarlet Skull and that they are close to the spot where the ship sunk. Supposedly the ship was loaded with millions of dollars worth of treasure when it sunk in the 1780s. Dr. D plans to donate any found treasure to a dolphin rescue fund --- slightly disappointing to Billy, who hoped to return home a millionaire. Still, the siblings are plenty excited.

They are even more intrigued when they learn that two pirate ships were spotted on the long-ago day when the Scarlet Skull vanished. Although it was a pleasant, calm day, the ship, which was owned by the infamous Long Ben One-Leg, disappeared into a spinning dark cloud, never to be seen again. In fact, Dr. D tells his nephew and niece, people say that the Scarlet Skull is actually haunted, with the zombie ghost of the evil captain patrolling the ship at all times in order to keep his treasure.

When Dr. D believes they are right above the sunken ship, the three dive down in a small submarine to investigate. As they approach, the submarine engine dies and a black wave engulfs them. GULP. And yet, Billy and Sheena's day takes an even worse turn when Dr. D vanishes! Now they are all alone in the bottom of the ocean in a submarine with engine problems. Billy manages to get the motor going, and they blast right into the sunken pirate ship, where a horde of horrors awaits them. Just when they think they've managed a daring escape, they stumble onto an even more dire situation. Is there any hope for Billy and Sheena, as the plot twists and turns?

R. L. Stine's CREEP FROM THE DEEP is another glorious goryfest with lots of chills and thrills as Billy and Sheena battle the impossible. At the end of the story, the Horrorland series continues with episode two, as Billy and Sheena accept a mysterious invitation to the intriguing HorrorLand amusement park. After all, how could they possibly resist the Hungry Crocs Piggyback Ride or the 20-Mile Swim-For-Your-Life Ride? But after they arrive, what are they to make of the incredible stories that two strange girls, Britney Crosby and Molly Molloy, tell them?

Readers will be breathlessly waiting for the next book in the Goosebumps Horrorland series, fueled by the cliffhanger at the end of this installment.

--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon

My son who is developmentally delayed and 10 yrs old, hates reading but loves the Goosebumps books. He's picky about the ones he reads cause some of them do scare him. He reviews them at the library at school and them comes home with the ones he wants to read. My 25 yr old when he was younger, loved them too. As a mom of 9 kids, and an avid reader, they wouldn't be my choice but I would prefer they read these over nothing.

This book is about Billy and his annoying sister Sheena finding a shunken ship in the sea.They accidently run into it and the dead pirates in the boat come alive and try to get them.It will have you reading until you get to the final page.You will not be dissapointed!