Horror Books

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

My biggest problem with this collection is that many of the stories are recently written and from the pages of Asimov's and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. End result, I'd read 80% of these or so in the past several years.

The collection gives a wide variety of viewpoints of apocalypse types and as often as not focuses on life after the apocalypse rather than the actual apocalypse. They run the gamut from the strangeness of Ginny Sweethips Flying Circus and The Last of the O-Forms to the heartbreak of the King and the Bacigalupi works. Paolo Bacigalupi's is perhaps the best portray of the lack of humanity and empathy of a post-apocalypse post-human race. In fact loss of humanity is a theme running through several of the works in this book.

With any collection it can grow wearisome reading of the same subject matter over and over, and despite the varied pieces in this collection that is also true. Perhaps more so given the grim subject matter of this collection.

However most stories are of high quality, and I can highly recommend this collection, particularly if you have not been keeping up with short fiction in the past decade or so.

I must admit I was a little disappointed by this book, a lot of the stories I had already read and the new ones were okay. All in all if buying this make sure you haven't read the stories already then it would probably be a good buy

As with any compilation there is good and bad. More good than bad, and the bad is based on my personal taste. if you enjoy end of the world, or post end of the world stories, this is a must. My only solid compliant is that some of these stories would have made excellent full length novels.

Wastelands is pretty close to the perfect anthology, making just a touch over the magic 4.00 story average.

For an authoritative (the editor does say he is now an expert) look at the sub-genre, it is a bit light on for analytical non-fiction. For readers, less space taken thanking your mates, more time writing about the work would be appreciated, I think.

There is a fairly lengthy bibliography of various written works in and around this particular sub-genre at the back of the book. What is lacking here is one for short fiction, which is a bit odd, for an anthology. There is a good website for the book mentioned here, too, and it is useful, actually lists the contents and authors and other information like reviews. If there wasn't space in the book, then the website would be a natural for this sort of list. Minor issues, but you can't be perfect without 'em.

That said, the more important part is the fiction. This is an extremely strong selection, with a five star story by Doctorow, and several 4.5s to be found. Having many stories of this calibre in one book is not common at all. The pick of the rest include Bacigalupi, Martin, Wells, Barrett and Langan.

Overall this anthology is a great effort.

Wastelands : The End of the Whole Mess - Stephen King
Wastelands : Salvage - Orson Scott Card
Wastelands : The People of Sand and Slag - Paolo Bacigalupi
Wastelands : Bread and Bombs - M. Rickert
Wastelands : How We Got In Town and Out Again - Jonathan Lethem
Wastelands : Dark Dark Were the Tunnels - George R. R. Martin
Wastelands : Waiting for the Zephyr - Tobias S. Buckell
Wastelands : Never Despair - Jack McDevitt
Wastelands : When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth - Cory Doctorow
Wastelands : The Last of the O-Forms - James Van Pelt
Wastelands : Still Life With Apocalypse - Richard Kadrey
Wastelands : Artie's Angels - Catherine Wells
Wastelands : Judgment Passed - Jerry Oltion
Wastelands : Mute - Gene Wolfe
Wastelands : Inertia - Nancy Kress
Wastelands : And the Deep Blue Sea - Elizabeth Bear
Wastelands : Speech Sounds - Octavia E. Butler
Wastelands : Killers - Carol Emshwiller
Wastelands : Ginny Sweethips Flying Circus - Neal BarrettJr
Wastelands : The End of the World as We Know It - Dale Bailey
Wastelands : A Song Before Sunset - David Grigg
Wastelands : Episode Seven Last Stand Against the Pack in the Kingdom of Purple Flowers by John Langan


Calm mind lost.

4 out of 5


Gold
Always believe in your soul
Youve got the power to know

3.5 out of 5


Immortal ruined future's lack of taste for pets.

4.5 out of 5


Bad snow and strange candy.

3 out of 5


Scapeathon.

3 out of 5


Only a rat.
Pretty big, though.

4.5 out of 5


Late ship stress.

3.5 out of 5


Holo advice from Churchill.

4 out of 5


Biowar makes geekfu and gruntwork a necessary combination afterwards.

5 out of 5


Mutoid zoo show minigirl metamorphosis.

4 out of 5


Author has done it himself :

"Apocalypse is the last gasp of bureaucracy."

4 out of 5


Bike lord's legend.

4.5 out of 5


Mushroom message to heaven's afterlife lockout anecdote answer.

4 out of 5


Tv total dead zone.

3.5 out of 5


Quarantine lack of collapse restraint.

4.5 out of 5


A post-apocalyptic motorbike courier, really, really should have read Ghost Rider in her younger days.

4 out of 5


Literacy despair youth hope glimmer.

4.5 out of 5


He dumped me, but he's still pretty tasty.

3.5 out of 5


Sextape speedup shootout repair hookup.

4.5 out of 5


No Triffids, Kraken, Cuckoos or Lichen.

4 out of 5


I said sing, Piano Man, not strangle.

4 out of 5


Batboy postapocalyptic pregnant prey girl's only chance.

4.5 out of 5

I was disappointed in this book as I was hoping for some pure "end of the world" fun. However, better than half of these stories are not set during an apocalypse or after an apocalypse; they're merely set in some distant dystopian future. Sorry, but dystopian does not equal apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic. Claiming that the stories contained in this volume are of these genres would be like saying that "1984" is post-apocalyptic. There's a few gems in here, whether they're about armageddon or not, but mostly the stories in here are of average quality. A few of them are just bad.

It's not a bad buy, but quite a disappointment for me due to the misrepresentation of content.

I don't know what everone's complaining about! I really liked this book! But just to let you know, it really is a young adults book. I, like all the other Twilight fans, was depressed that the series was over, but now I think I've found something else to get into (a.k.a this book). I really recomend this book.

Set for a younger audience (about college age kids) though some adults seem to enjoy it too.
Follows a young college girl, who is being bullied in her dorm, as she sets out to find a new place to call home, while uncovering what's really going on in town, and who or what is behind the curtain (vampires).
I thought it was a great read..kept my attention..

Fun to read. I already ordered the next one in the series. Can't wait to get it.

Have never read Rachel Caine before. Great writing style. A real page turner. Must start with the first book though or you will get lost. The second book starts exactly where the last book left you and there is little or no explanation to set it up. If you are a Twilight fan, it's a sure bet this is a series for you.

This is a better YA vampire novel than Twilight in my opinion. The characters I actually came to really care about. There is Claire, the sixteen year old genius, in college too early and getting bullied every step of the way. Unfortunately these bullies intend to see Claire dead. This forces Claire out of the dorms and into a shared rental house. The Glass house is owned by Michael Glass a 19 year old with some crazy secrets of his own. The other roommates are Eve, a Gothic girl with a heart and Shane, a young man who is grieving for his sister and mother. With them, Claire finds safety but she also becomes more aware that the entire college town of Morganville is home for vampires. Anyone without the Vampire's trademark "Protection" is fair 'prey'. Claire's already managed to tick off the vampire community multiple times. Logical Claire is now faced with unlogical things and people all around her. Her choices can lead herself and friends to safety or have dire consequences. The action is packed, and the characters are great. I'm a 30-something and I have to say that I didn't have the problems other reviewers had with not really feeling the target age for readers of this series. I had no problem feeling these characters just the way I can feel the Harry Potter character's and as I already said I much preferred this group to Meyer's Twilight characters. My four star review is a actually more like 4 1/2 (Yes, I did enjoy the book THAT much) and I have to take 1/2 star off solely because this ended on a seriously disappointing cliffhanger. I've said in other reviews that I enjoy and anticipate stories that have dangling threads that make me eager for the next volume of the series but ending in the middle of action just isn't cool.

When Chloe's ability to see ghosts draws unwelcome attention, she is deemed to be an at risk adolescent and sent to a group home where she can "be helped." Among the troubled youths there, she makes some instant enemies, but also, some very close friends, some of whom will prove to be vitally important in the days to come. Despite the purported high success rate of Lyle House, not every patient makes it out alive. Moreover, Chloe is not the only teen there who is not really troubled, just has powers. Two boys, Simon and Derek, introduce her to the idea of Supernaturals, beings like her who have something extra, whether it is spellcraft, necromancy, or other powers. Because of this, Lyle House is a very dangerous place for them, for something has been going on there for decades, something that threatens to destroy any Supernatural who walks through its doors. Chloe's admission there might not be a coincidence after all.

***** If you thought Kelley Armstrong to be an awesome writer going on her Women of the Otherworld series, then double your estimation by at least two when you read this. I still love her adult writing, but this really blows you away. Chloe's story is a compelling read that will keep you riveted right from the start, and grow more addictive as you turn the pages. I can hardly wait to see more. *****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore for Huntress Reviews.

I enjoyed this story. I'm a little dissapointed in the ending. I think that if it had been a little more wrapped up, I would have felt a whole lot better waiting on the next in the series.

Now, I feel like I'm left hanging until The Awakening comes out...which I will totally buy. I mean, I have to know what happens to the kids!

This is a very good start for Kelley Armstrong's YA series. I love her other books and this was just as good.

"A banner week for me. Getting short-listed for the director spot. Nate asking me about the dance. My first period. And now my first criminal act. After I fixed myself up, I dug into my backpack for my brush and emerged instead with the tube of hair color. I lifted it. My reflection in the mirror grinned back."

Chloe Saunders is a very special girl. Not just because she has an in-depth and intense obsession with movies, filming, and directing. Not just because of her unusual home life. She is special, because on top of all this, Chloe Saunders can see ghosts.

On the day of her first period, she goes to the bathroom and skips class. She dyes her hair, feeling particularly rebellious. Upon exiting, Chloe sees a strange man wearing an old custodian's uniform, who follows her around school. She thinks she is in trouble for skipping class...

When he starts to talk to her, she ignores him. He gets angry, and deliberately shows her his face... and she sees it is burned so badly she can barely distinguish his features. When he disappears into thin air, she starts making a scene and freaking out, and school officials round her up. When she accidentally punches a teacher, they sedate her and take her to the hospital.

From there she is sent to Lyle House, which is a place for troubled teenagers. There she meets a wide variety of people - a pyromaniac, a girl with a poltergeist, an unusually moody girl, a boy with extremely bad people-skills, and a boy who, strangely, she finds nothing unusual about. As her new friends' stories unfold, Chloe begins to question the
motivation behind Lyle House.

With everything from ghosts and magic to romance, humor, and growing up, THE SUMMONING will have you laughing, wondering, and in disbelief. This book has many plot twists that will keep the reader guessing throughout the course of the novel. Kelley Armstrong uses great characterization and dialogue, which makes THE SUMMONING an overall good read.

Reviewed by: Margaret Waterman

What would you do if you woke up one day and saw a ghost? If you're like 15-year-old Chloe Saunders, you end up in a group home for "troubled" kids. All Chloe wants to do is get back to her normal life, but she keeps seeing ghosts, and is starting to suspect that this isn't a normal group home - and that the doctors might have something sinister in mind for all the kids. This is Kelley Armstrong's first book for young adults, and it is fantastic. With strong, witty characters and danger at every turn, this is the start of a must-read series.

Never expecting Dean Koontz to write a series, I was surprised, but pleased, to see Odd Thomas reappear in more books. While the book sticks to Koontz' mix of scary and bizarre, the characters are normal and enchanting. I never expected to think of a protagonist of his as sweet, but Odd is. He copes with all the strangeness in his life and whatever frightening situation he finds himself in with grace, humor (very important to me), and compassion.

Not worth the paper its printed on. Quantum claptrap already used in dozens of books.
Really thin on character development and please, can someone smack Thomas out of his whining?
I can't believe I will probably read the next one!! but nothing about dogs! enough of the golden retrievers already... about a Pitt or a Chihuaha?

I think the quirky Odd Thomas to be the most like-able character in Dean Koontz novels. He's believable & I love the tongue in cheek humor. The story, I found, really bogs down in places. I also thought the plot to be a bit over the top. If not for the humor exuded by Thomas & his Russian ally I think the book would fail. The plot just doesn't cut it. Elvis's history is out of place with Thomas being such a young character as well. Thomas just can't carry the plot in this one

Brother Odd (Odd Thomas Novels)

I love Odd Thomas, Dean Koontz I can take or leave. In his old age, the author is crow baring his wacky right wing politics into the inner voice of a 21 year old. A 21 year old who could not possibly share his conservative views based on the characters life history (and death history). The low point (spoilers ahead) was after a harrowing encounter with an unknown creature that nearly ends in Odds demise, Koontz decides to regale us with a tale of the big bad ACLU and they're determination to undermine social works in our cities tough neighborhoods by insisting on enforcing that Pesky separation of Church and State clause. OoooKay? My favorite, however, was the moment that the "Good Guys" were preparing to battle the "Bad Guys" and it is speculated that Islamo-Facists or Athiest may be behind the plan to murder the nuns, priests and children. Wow, who knew, it was the atheists responsible for all those Holy war / crusades that ended in the deaths of millions over the millennia. Oh, wait.

Koontz is a beautiful writer, and I can forgive the occasional attemp at indoctrination now and again. But this was too much. Give me the story of Odd, leave the politics to the politicians.

I will not be reading any more Odd novels. I already miss him.

As a long time Dean Koontz fan, I can honestly say that his character of Odd Thomas is probably his best creation. I loved the original novel and the quirky sense of humor it introduced. "Brother Odd" takes up right where "Forever Odd" left off. Odd has taken up residence in a monastary to try and sort things out after the events of the last couple novels. Of course, Odd won't get the rest he needs as something is drawing the evil seeking "bodachs" to the school for the special needs kids attached to the monastary. And when the number of the pain loving bodachs increase, it's up to Odd to figure out what disaster is threatening the children, monks & nuns in this wintry and isolated setting.
Koontz introduces some fantastic characters in this novel, Brother Knuckles, a former mob heavy turned Monk is a stand-out favorite of mine. I found quite a few elements of Koontz earlier novels in "Brother Odd", and eagerly went back to re-read such novels as "The Bad Place" & "Dragon Tears" because of similar plot elements. That is not to say "Odd Thomas" is just a rehashing of those things, just that certain elements from earlier novels influenced the action in "Brother Odd".
This is a very quick read as well, perfect for the beach, or for long plane ride. The story and characters are fun, and you will find yourself unable to put the novel down at the end of a chapter. Koontz has a way of filling the novel with multiple cliff-hanger like chapter endings, and you feel compelled to continue reading just to see the outcome. I'm looking forward to the next Odd Thomas book, and hope this series continues to thrive.

I was an avid comic book reader as child during the 70's. It was rare that I had a chance to read these mags as they cost so much more than comics. Luckily my uncles read Creepy and Eerie as well as Heavy Metal and Omni and so I was able to pull these out from under their beds and sit and read for hours. These tales are great and the art is first class all the way. I am glad that Dark Horse decided to reprint this material with the ads and letter pages. It really feels like you are reading through an old Creepy magazine. The reproductions of the first five Creepy magazines are top notch. I highly recommend picking this wonderful volume up. Read it at night, outside on the porch or deck. I will certainly be looking forward to future volumes.

Wow! This is exactly how awesome material should be reprinted, exactly as this beauty of a book. Everything is perfect, beuatiful reproduction on very nice paper with all 5 covers reproduced in color. In A4 format [magazine size], no shrinking of art as it was mistake that DH did with reprint of Savage Sword of Conan, and no use of cheap paper etc...this is the ultimate book to have.

The art is just fantastic by the way...bravo DH and all who were involved in bringing us this book...

Together with Scorchy Smith from IDW, this is my favorite comic album of the year! I can't wait for more volumes.

10/10 stars! Do not hesitate to buy this book.

PS. message to DH: since it seems DH will not print Savage Sword of Conan in this format, then at least if they would at least bring us 3 volumes of Conan done by John Buscema in Creepy HC format ...that would at least make up at least a little for not printing Conan in original magazine size and HC on nice paper.

It's really nice to see this back in print. The Warren line was always some of my favorite stuff from back in the day. Anyway as previously stated the cover shown here on Amazon is from Creepy #7 and I guess will grace the cover of volume 2. This book has Creepy #5 for it's cover and contains the first five issues of Creepy in their entirety except for a few advertisements. All the greatest horror comic artists of the day are here: Reed Crandall, Jack Davis, George Evans, Frank Frazetta, Gray Morrow, Joe Orlando, Angelo Torres, Alex Toth and Al Williamson. Frazetta illustrates a beautiful six page tale in issue #1 and also has another one-pager (Creepy's Loathsome Lore) in issue #2. He also does the covers for #2 - #5.
Beautifully done with color covers and black and white interiors and very nicely bound. Easily worth a five-star rating.

(Issues #1-5)

#1 "Voodoo!" (**1/2 out of *****)
#1 "H2O World! (**1/2 out of *****)
#1 "Werewolf!" (****1/2 out of *****)
#1 "Bewitched!" (** out of *****)
#1 "The Success Story" (***1/2 out of *****)
#2 Creepy's Loathsome Lore! (Vampires) (**1/2 out of *****)
#2 "Ogre's Castle" (**1/2 out of *****)
#3 Cover Art (**1/2 out of *****)
#3 Dear Uncle Creepy (Rocky & Bullwinkle Parody) (**1/2 out of *****)
#3 "Swamped!" (****1/2 out of *****)
#3 "Tell-Tale Heart!" (**1/2 out of *****)
#3 "Haunted!" (**1/2 out of *****)
#4 Creepy's Loathsome Lore! (Do The Dead Come Back?) (*** out of *****)
#4 "The Damned Thing!" (*** out of *****)
#5 Creepy's Loathsome Lore! (Zombies) (*** out of *****)
#5 "Sand Doom" (**1/2 out of *****)

Bring on vol. 2!

Dark Horse has done an OUTSTANDING job here: The first 5 issues of Warren magazine's CREEPY on super-high quality paper, more readable than the original issues! A must own for any fan of horror comics. I read through half of this in one sitting.

I love long books, but this one is so long, and requires so much time to read it, that the ending was just way too much of a let-down.

Great book. A government-created virus is accidentally released and kills almost everyone in the world except for the very few who are immune to it. King creates an ensemble cast of numerous fully-fleshed, fascinating characters who try to survive and eventually come together to Boulder, where they make a camp and attempt to rebuild society. But, there is another camp that intends to go to war with the others if they are not stopped in time.

If you are expecting The Stand to be an action, explosion and fighting filled novel, you will probably be disapointed. It is very compelling and intelligent, but there is less action than you'd think. The greatness lies in the journey of the characters and the interesting undercurrents such as philosophy, sociology and more. This book has so many genres in it, like adventure, fantasy, horror, even politics.

The character stories are so intriquing as well. Randal Flagg is possibly the coolest villain ever, and all the characters seem real.

It is long, but well worth reading. Recommended to anyone.

This book is one of those cases where shorter is better. Find the first (abridged) edition, it holds its pace better than this larger uncut version, and loses nothing.

Geraldine Brooks' Year of Wonder was an excellent read. For this reason I bought March.While it was also beautifully written the main character, Mr. March was a total dissapointment. After reading all the adoring and eloquent letters written to his wife and daughters while he was at war, I was very disappointed when he had an affair with Grace. I lost my patience and considered him an idiot when he suggested the sheep should be allowed to keep their wool, the cows should be allowed to keep their milk for their calves and I can't remember what the chickens were supposed to do with their eggs. I went to the last page to see if he got shot during the war but allas, he made it home to his loving family. Pity.

There are plenty of pitfalls that drag epic, amibitous novels down; plots that don't hold up for a thousand plus pages, characters that grow tiresome, repetitive themes that feel like a broken record halfway through the book.

The Stand avoids all of these. The cast is large and varied enough to keep multiple plot threads going, but not too large to become confusing. And as many as there are, none are superfluous to the plot, all serve a purpose that is revealed before the finale. The plot is intense and ambitious, but divided into segments it is managable and sustainable. Daunting certainly at 1200+ pages, but always building towards the inevitable conclusion. The theme is as old as storytelling; the ultimate battle between good and evil, the eternal cycle of death and rebirth. But King manages to present these timeless themes with mythic, Biblical imagery melded with a down-to-earth humanity that makes them fresh and exciting.

This book is a chilling, thrilling home-run. At the end of the book (and at many places throughout) I felt as though I'd been completely wrung out. The amount of emotion the reader invests in this book is one of the greatest of any book I've read. Its exhausting and exhilirating at the same time. One for the ages, truly not to be missed.

This woman cannot write. The story drags. Bella is so selfish and immature and the whole story follows her shallow thoughts and feelings. Ugh!

Soy una adulta mayor y adoro las historias que me hagan soñar. Mi hija me regalo el primer volumen en ingles y es fantastica; pero la traduccion al español es muy pobre. Al parecer la persona encargada de ella, no encontro realmente el alma de la novela, duele ver que aquellos lectores de lengua hispana que no puedan leer en ingles,pierdan un 50% de lo esperado.

I own this book in English and Spanish - This is my favorite book after the bible. The story is amazing!

This is one of the most entertaining books I have ever read. At some point you actually forget you are reading and begin to see the movie in your head! (No wonder it is being released in Dec 2008)
An impossible love story, a humble quest and a magnificent adventure make this book a most have in your collection, even if you cannot bring yourself to read any other book, there is NO WAY you won't enjoy the wonder if this story...

TwilightGeek

Las historias con personajes fantasticos que luchan contra sus lados mas oscuros son siempre muy entretenidas,agregenle una historia de amor, dosis de humor y ademas de intriga y suspenso, esto ultimo son una serie de interrogantes que han venido surgiendo de la saga completa; Crepusculo, Luna nueva y Eclipse. deberian de ser respondidas o aclaradas en el ultimo libro Breaking Dawn que muy pronto vera la luz. Estas interrogantes se han visto ofuscadas tal vez por la misma historia de amor, pero es en ellas, en donde veremos un desenlace inesperado, las que he podido captar son: La singularidad de Bella, inmune a los poderes extrasensoriales de algunos vampiros, el por que de esto puede ser muy importante en este libro, ya hemos visto vampiros, hombres lobos, sera que veremos algun otro ser de fabula, tengo idea que Bella es una mestiza de Hada, su madre tan despistada y aerea me da la sospecha que se las trae, otra cosa que dudo es en la transformacion de Bella en vampiro, mas bien creo que ella sera la redencion de Edward, el menciona que si se pudiera transformar en humano lo haria a cualquier costo, el hecho de que la sangre de Bella tuviera semejante tentacion para el me parece parte de ese proceso, despues de todo las tentaciones son parte de todo proceso depurativo y evolutivo. De Jacob solo espero que logre superar su amor por Bella, seria ironico una imprimacion con Leah, Seth sera el eslabon de un proceso de acercamiento entre ambos bandos y veremos tambien al clan del norte en conflictos con los lobos, en fin, que predicciones aparte, la saga es interesante y la lectura muy amena, ampliamente recomendada para todas las edades.

I bought the book in an airport, wanting to be entertained for the whole flight. It took me months to finish because it was NOT a page turner. The whole plot was an interesting concept. B-U-T it was S--L--O--W. The characters jumped from modern day, to 1477, to 1940's, character to character, and hard to figure out whose story you were reading at the time. I really like this type of story, but it is not a book that I kept after reading it, and didn't recommend it to any of my friends.

This book had the potential to be a terrific read. It had its moments, but getting to those moments was hard. If I wanted a Fodor's tavel book with dry, detailed descriptions, I would have got one. It also read at times like a thesis. It should have been edited down more.

I loved this book! Great pace, kept me going and I couldn't get to the ending soon enough!

Even if you have no interest in Dracula or are not a fan of Bram Stoker this book will enthrall you the entire time you are reading and will call you back when you put it down. Just to read of the majesty of the old monasteries and the mystery of travelling through communist countries before and after the war will astound, confuse and intrigue even the most timid of readers. This author weaves a tale between generations and holds you in an intense grip of fear and anticipation until you fall back in relief when the story is finished - but wish you could wait to conclude - and then she hits you with a final fear on the last page. This is a wonderful read and I am so glad to be the owner of this collectible. One word of warning is that the binding on the book is severely bad and has a tendency to pull apart. The pages have a rip-torn appearance and the book itself is not a pleasure to hold - but a dear pleasure to read.

This book is amazing. I bought this book for a friend after having listened to it on audio. You will find yourself captivated by the story and wondering if the "history" of it is actually taken from true events. If you listen to this story on audio there are numerous readers and the voices are spellbinding. I normally read "light" fun mystery books and this is not something I would normally have been interested in. However, This is now one of my favorite books of all time. Please do yourself a favor and either read it or listen to it. You will not want to put it down for a second.

I really enjoy Lilith Saintcrow's writing, and this book is no exception. The story in the second book of the Jill Kismet series has more twists and turns than Night Shift (the first of the series). More is revealed about Jill, and her relationship with Pericles becomes slightly more blurred. I look forward to the next one, hoping to learn more about Saul.

I really enjoyed this book. I tried to read slowly but finished it in a few days. I liked the first book in the series but this was much better, more plot twists. Highly recommend it.

Jill Kismet is a hunter; a human who kills the creatures of the nightside; evil beings who wish to destroy mankind. The local police are not equipped to deal with such beasts so they hire her when it looks like the supernatural committed a heinous crime.

She is called in to examine a body of a prostitute in which all the internal organs are gone and it looks like someone took out chunks of the victim to eat. Jill learns that others were found in the same condition. In between looking at dead bodies and trying to figure who or what killed them, Father Guillermo calls her to do an exorcism on seminary student Oscar. She is successful in pulling the demon of his body, but she later learns he is a Sorrow; a human who worships the Chaldean Elder Gods. If Sorrows are in Kismet's city, she is prepared to deal with them because she uses a hellbreed's mark, which gives her powers that originate in Hell. Jill discovers an old enemy is in town; the Sorrow who killed her mentor and she learns that a rebel Sorrow is performing a ritual that will allow the Nameless, Destroyer of Babies and Eaters of Worlds God to cross into our real unless she can locate and stop the evocation.

As usual, Lilith Saintcrow writes an entertaining, action-packed urban fantasy loaded with strange dark and evil monsters. Her Hunter world is grim yet hopeful as creatures of myths, legend and the night roam the earth. The heroine uses evil powers to fight for the better good and protect the innocent in a sort of fight fire with fire manner. Jill's romantic feelings for a were-cougar embellish an enjoyable paranormal thriller.

Harriet Klausner

It was a great product. I was very happy that there were four books in the box set, it was very cheap, it got here in excellent time, and everything was in perfect condition.

same as the title...even this is an international shipment.

amazon, thank you!

Overall you can see and judge for yourself which of the stories work and which don't. In Queen of the Damned (which was a so-so movie by the way), the author moved away from the first person point-of-view (POV) which added a richness to the story to the omniscient POV.

She recovers nicely in other stories!

Overall a great series if you like vampires. Nice to get them all in one shot!!

Recommended.

got to be the worst book i ever read, read the first one, half of second couldnt take it anymore,so slow and stupid, what a waste of paper, if your a vampire fan, do yourself a favor read something else, like midnight mass, from fpaul wilson, this is way to out there, complicated, and stupid

For any Anne Rice Vampire fans you cannot go past this beautiful Box Set with modern artwork cover designs. My only complaint is why on earth isn't the Fifth and final volume of the central plot Vampire Chronicles (before all those spin-offs) included??? The fifth and final volume "Memnoch the Devil" should definitely be included in the Box Set without which it is simply NOT complete when the finale ends nicely with Lestat's famous last words:

I am the Vampire Lestat. Let me pass now from fiction into legend.

THE END

9:43 February 28, 1994 Adieu, mon amour.