Horror Books

This is the first Koontz I've read, so I can't compare it to his others. I did find the concept in the book interesting, particularly that the long scene in the main character's office could hold my interest so long. The resolution I found a bit disappointing. I"m not sure if this is parody of horror or an effort at real thrills - I read it as the latter and found it a fast, enjoyable read.
I'll read more of Koontz and am curious about sites by fans that rank his books (beyond the ratings here).
Paul

FOR SOMEONE WHO HASNT ACTUALY READ A BOOK SINCE HIGH SCHOOL THIS BOOK CAUGHT MY EYES. THE LAST BOOK I ACTUALLY READ WAS A DEAN KOONTZ BOOK SO I DECIDED TO STICK WITH WHAT I KNEW. THIS BOOK WILL NOT DISSAPOINT. IT HAS A LOT OF TWIST AND TURN! MY FAVORITE CHARACTER WAS DEL. SHE MADE THE BOOK WORTH READING. IF YOU LIKE SCARY, COMEDY, SUSPENSE WITH A TAD OF ROMANCE THEN THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!

This was very funny - I laughed out loud many times. You don't normally get that in a Koontz book, but I really enjoyed it. I think I've read every one of his books, and this one stands out as number 3 on my list of favorites.

If you have anything better to do, do not read "Tick Tock". It is rather a waste of time. The novel is weak in every respect - the plot is stuttering and banal, the characters one-dimensional, and the language is simple... Not much to enjoy here.

Tuong, or Tommy, as he prefers to call himself, Phan, a Vietnamese-American detective novel writer living in Los Angeles, has just bought himself a new Corvette. Happy, he returns home. On his doorstep, he finds a small rag doll and takes it home (how likely is that?). Then he gets a message on his computer screen "The deadline is dawn. Tick tock". Here his nightmare begins: the doll turns into a monster, who grows more and more scary, trying to kill Tommy. He runs away and the pursuit begins. The doll is undestructable and indefatigable.

Tommy meets on his way Deliverance Payne, a strange waitress-artist who gets with him through this long and tiresome night. He also gets to think about his unresolved family issues and his identity struggle.

Nothing in this novel is unpredictable, nothing surprises, almost at every page I felt the urge to put it down, but I read on hoping it would get better, but it did not. I finished only to write the review. I was not sure even about the genre - horror? Not scary. Satire? Not funny (well, there were a few funny moments, but very few).

Even to pass the time on the airplane you can choose something else. There are too many good books around and too little time.

This book is delightfully quirky and a quick read. Part screwball comedy and part horror story, it will make you laugh and it will make you want to keep the lights on. Filled with rapid, quick fire repartee and lots of non-stop action, I read it in one sitting, as I simply could not put it down, even though it was not at all what I expected.

Tommy Phan is a successful novelist of detective stories. Unfortunately, his Vietnamese mother doesn't see quite it that way. She feels that he is turning his back on his Vietnamese roots, as he has Americanized his name from Tuong to Tommy. He also did not wish to become a doctor or work in the family business, as did the rest of his brothers. Tommy is living the American dream, which his mother simply will not accept.

One evening, shortly after returning home, his doorbell rings. When Tommy answers it, there is no one there. He does, however, find a homemade rag doll on his porch, which bewilders him, as he cannot imagine who would leave him such a thing. Taking the doll into his home, the doll's stitches start popping, and so the fun begins.

It is a little more fun than Tommy bargained for, and he flees his home with something evil in pursuit. Ultimately, he runs into Deliverance Payne, a beautiful seemingly intuitive blonde waitress, who gives him a hand in evading his demonic pursuer. She is certainly more than a sum of her parts and is not what she initially seems. Let the games begin! Tommy's life will simply never again be the same.

Scooby-Doo and the gang are excited about a beach party at Sandy Cove. But rumors of a pirate's hidden treasure have the locals acting fishy. When the pirate's ghost shows up to claim his treasure, the whole town is spooked. Ahoy! It's up to Scooby and friends to catch the greedy ghost!

In this Scooby-Doo Adventure, Scoob and the gang find themselves at Sandy Cove, an ocean resort where Daphne's Aunt Maggie and Uncle Murray live. The gang has come to help Daphne's family with Frye Fest, a local celebration in honor of the pirate Captain Horace P. Frye, to help raise money for the town. A big city developer is in the area and is buying up all sorts of land. Then the Ghost of Captain Frye raises from the sea and threatens to wreck Frye Fest. Something smells fishy, but if Scoob and the gang want to save Sandy Cove, they have to work fast and unmask the ghost. Good story.

The book is a great book to read. It is about a moster that wants the hotel and tries to scare the people off the island...

This book was fabulous! I couldn't put it down! I finished it in 2 days (stupid work! I'd have finished it in 1 day if I didn't have to go!!). I've always seen books about immortals as vampire, gross, bloody books. This one is not that way at all. It's cleverly written, everthing has an underlying meaning. While you read, keep notes on facts...you will have "aha!" moments later!!

My Soul to Keep grabs you and moves with descriptive style as if you are one of the characters. There are several stories within the story that end up intertwined later. The Jazz musician, the slave , the Ethiopian, the professor, the perfect husband and the immortal all of these characters were David also known as Dawit.There are bumps and bruises along the way with murders to cover up his "immortality", David was loved and was "Mr. Perfect" where did it all go wrong? When he fell in love and wanted to give the gift of life to his wife and child? Or when his wife stumbled on the mysterious death of his daughter Rosalie?

There were hints from "Grandpa" who's always eating a Whopper. When looking back on it I think the author used Grandpa to soften the anticipated, almost expected, blow of Kira's death. This was definitely painful to witness. I was frustrated with the speed of the unfolding. I wanted more time with Kira and to offer advice to the characters on how they could save her. Almost yelling at the book! I lost track of time reading the final chapters and couldn't put it down until I was finished.

The story leaves you hanging with several lose ends. What is Jessica doing sharing the living blood with terminal children in Africa? Was she in mourning over Kira and wanted to help as many kids as she could? Why was she so short with David when he came to visit? Will she go after him soon? I think she will. The new child seems even more powerful and superior then his immortal parents. Knowing that there is a sequel is comforting. B/c there are several more stories to be told.....

Overall it's a very good book. I would put it in the top 10 for sure. I can't wait to start the sequel.

Due is an amazing author and I can't wait to see the film adaptation of this book.

Filled with deep spiritual questions, these Tananrive Due horror novels (The Between, My Soul to Keep, and Living Blood) make my blood run cold and give me real goose bumps. It takes alot to make that happen.

I am an avid African American fiction & non-fiction reader. However, I never could get into sci-fi-type novels. My Soul to Keep changed my mind forever. I was hooked before the end of the first chapter, and read it in one night. I wanted more...and got it later. During that first read, I experienced so many different emotions: happiness, fear, anxiety, etc. That's a rare thing for me.

I think the problem with the other books that others would compare M S to K to was that the basis of the stories were unbelievable to me. Tananarive Due did an excellent job of making the story believable (at least to me) and taking me on a journey that had me addicted. I cannot wait for the third installment to come out in June!

This second installment of the berserk series stays true to the name. This book is a gorefest and keeps the reader on his toes for what happens next. This book is ideal for the 16 year old thru 21 Age range for the gore and the Detailed Illustrations inside. Ideal for a Christmas present & I know im getting the rest of the volumes.

I finished the first volume of this manga a few hours ago and could not stop myself, I devoured this installment. Guts continues his quest and the action level goes even higher than in the previous volume. People that have already experienced this manga know that it includes scenes of extreme violence, many involving women and children, and that it has plenty of vivid gore. But, once again there are other facets besides the violence that make this a spectacular series.

Guts is becoming a more interesting character with the turn of each page. We get to see a conflicted psyche, with many layers, and an uncertainty about his humanity and strength to face the challenges that lay ahead. The relevance and meaning of the brand he carries gets further explanation in this volume, and the Behelit surfaces, a key to open the door to a world of monsters and demons.

The mighty Guts will face a tougher challenge this time around, and it is not clear if his mechanical arm and enormous sword, if it can be called that, together with his supernatural skill will be enough to carry him through. Once again, Puck provides the necessary tidbits of humor and a voice that seems to be starting to reach Guts' ears and affect his emotions.

This is another wonderful volume and fans of the series will not be disappointed. One final recommendation, the volume ends with a cliff-hanger, so it would be wise to have the next one handy.

I adore Berserk. It's the most depressing comic I've read, while being action packed and full of memorable characters. I'm grateful Dark Horse picked it up not too long ago, as spending x3 as much on import volumes was becoming a chore. Plus they've been doing a great job on the translation. There were only a few minor errors I noticed, but it's not something the casual reader is going to see. I'm not going to give a summary of the story in each review, as I already did that in my review for the first volume. So just resort to that if you need a backstory. But in Volume 2 here, we continue following Guts, or as he's now known- The Black Swordsman.

In the last volume of the Berserk comics, Guts was looking for the Count of the kingdom he's currently in. No doubt, looking for news of a certain someone he's looking for revenge on. But this time, he runs into someone else who's looking for revenge. A deformed old man who demands vengance, even if it comes at the cost of his life. Guts and Puck don't quite know what to make of him at first, but the old man soon coughs up a lot of details about what's going on in the kingdom, and how everything became the way it is now. Soon, Puck begins to feel sorry for him, and becomes his friend. But at the same time, a man Guts beat the crap out of in the last volume has been revived through the Count's power. It turns out, the Count has a Behelit. This isn't good news, as the monster proceeds to really take it to Guts. If you've seen the animated series, then you know how easily Guts took down almost any opponent that stood in his way. Here, he's almost helpless in a few situations, as the guy (monster actually) he's facing can regenerate. Can Guts stop him? Obviously, he does, thanks to a huge hint from the monster itself. Unfortunately, after the fight's over, the old man is captured, and is soon to be executed. Puck tries to save him because Guts just stands there against a wall, watching the whole thing, but Puck's heart of gold doesn't do much, as he's captured too. What becomes of the old man? You'll just have to read to find out.

In the second half, Guts continues to look for the Count, and finds him after another fight with the monster he thought he killed. The Count is an even bigger challenge, and Guts is basically screwed. I'm not trying to ruin this volume for you, but it ends without either one of them winning, and the fight will continue in the next part. Meanwhile, Puck has been given to the Count's daughter as a present. She has been locked in her room for years, and knows what it's like to be Puck (he's in a bird cage when given to her). She wants to know what it's like to be free, and befriends Puck, and lets him out after telling him more info about the family and what happened to her mom/how her dad snapped. It's all about heretics, which as some of you may know, was a huge deal back in those days. Puck flies off to try and help Guts. We'll see how it all goes in the next volume.

This book is noticably longer than the first one. It has even more violence, and Guts shows off the automatic crossbow yet again, plus his ingenius way of blocking arrows without getting hit. There's not much more I can say about it. If you liked the first one, or the animated series at all, continue reading these books. Especially at the price you can get them for on here.

The only problem I've yet to have with Berserk is how fast they are as a read. I finished volume two in less than a hour. Though I will admit that the manga had me hooked, it wasn't just that that made this manga seem so short despite being over two-hundred pages. A lot of what happens in this manga is presented in imagery, and not in character dialogue. In fact, contrary to today's manga, where everything is over-explained, the Berserk manga under-explains. It lets its action speak for itself. I don't consider this a bad thing, though; it just sucks closing the book for the last time.

In this volume, the battle with the Count continues from the first volume. Helping Guts is a strange man named Vargas, who wants nothing more than to see the count dead, yet is incapable of doing anything himself, as well as Puck, the little elf that constantly annoys/helps Guts throughout the manga. This volume also teaches us a little bit more about the brand on Guts's neck, as well as showing Guts rare, emotional side. And of course, it has heaps of violence, blood, and gore, along with a smidgen of comedy interlaced during some lighter moments.

Though I felt the volume short, it still gets a five from me, and easily so. Berserk continues to get better, especially since I started my little trip through the world of Guts and his many demon enemies through the anime series. It's great getting to know his deeper history, as well as seeing Guts at his worst moments. If you've already started collecting the series, then you obviously shouldn't miss this. And if you've only seen the anime series, then buy this along with volume one and start collecting the series. Just note that the gore in this manga is graphic, and has a few scenes of nudity, which is often followed by some pretty disturbing imagery. I'd recommend following the book's instructions; if you consider yourself a mature reader, then get this.

It pains me to see one of my favorite manga titles get turned into half-assed translated English third rate comic. I have read the Chinese and some of the original Japanese versions of the manga and it seems to have something the english version lacks.

Maybe it's the atmosphere, or the asian pop culture, all I know is that something is missing from the English verison compared to the Japanese and Chinese versions. If any of you have read the manga, you would know that Puck "the fairy" companion of Gutz is suppose to take on the role of comic relief but when I read what Puck had to say I was confused on how they translated it into english.

Even though Berserk takes place in medieval european setting, it is suppose to emanate an aura of bushido-ism. In the Japanese and Chinese versions this can be felt, but it seems missing in the English translation.

Be wary if you are to purchase the english version if you are a person who doesn't like to wait for a hard copy (unless you just read it off the fan site translations). Even the Chinese version of volume 27 as of now (October 1, 2004) is already out and has already been imported to many of the chinese book stores in California. While the english volumes haven't seem to be progressing at all.

Also in this comic, there are scenes that contain (within the 27 volumes so far): the killing of women and children, pedophelia, depictions of gratuitous gore and violence, rape, animal cruelty, cannabalism, orgies, occult related activities, and almost all the taboos I can think of.

But again, I love the content because berserk is about war turned into a personal vendetta so all those things listed above I feel gives it a sense of realism. What I don't like is the translations of Berserk into English. Because I feel the english language is too limited in it's pool of descriptive vocabulary.

Just got a few of this series for my 8 year old and he is reading about 1 a day and has asked for more of them. They are admittedly short but my son has been a resistant reader and loves these!! So keep them coming!!

Kirk! I finally got some of your books. Don't ask me why it took so long. I have no idea, but my daughter is reading now (not yet this advanced) and it reminded me that you were publishing some. These are fantastic! I will be scrutinizing every detail in search of familiar cameos. Hope you are doing well and I am honored to have learned so much from you so long ago. -Brian

My three sons love to read books filled with humor and this book delivered many laughs.

Grampa and Wiley have a wild adventure when they decide to attend a monster truck show, starring Dracula (a man who resembles a 'red-neck' Elvis) and his amazing 'Mudsucker.' It just so happens that the day of the monster truck show is Halloween and the weather is expected to be fierce- with an F5 tornado fast approaching. Not only will the two have to fear the tornado and the sary creatures at the truck show, but also Gramma's wrath. Which is worse? They soon find out.

This book is filled with many laughs and a great adventure. Just when you think it's gonna get scary, things start to surprise you! Very cute. Can't wait to read #2.

Grade A, prime cut chapter book material for your kid. We LOVE all 4.

I love the Wiley & Grampa series by Kirk Scroggs. Dracula vs. Grammpa at the Monster Truck Rally is great for the Christmas season. It's the first in the series. So, be sure to check out the rest. These books are a lot of fun for boys who might be picky about what they read. If your child loves the Captain Underpants books, then turn him on to these.

Author of "Hobo Finds A Home" editor "Of A Predatory Heart"

My 6-year old son is certainly capable of reading but never wanted to do so on his own. He was happy browsing the multitude of dinosaur reference books that populate his room. He brought this book home from school and whipped through it in a few days. I was shocked since he never read anything beyond the level of the Magic Tree House books, and not without severe prompting. (This series is rated at reading levels from 4th - 5th grade, by the way.) I immediately purchased the other three books in this series -- he finished them in a week. My older daughter has enjoyed many of Cornelia Funk's books for older readers (Thief Lord, Inkheart, Dragonrider), and I'm pleased that she has brought out shorter books aimed at younger kids. The books include simple illustrations, and a flip-o-rama "flying ghost". I have purchased many books that never leave the shelf (sigh). I believe this book (and series) was intellectually engaging enough for my gifted son, beyond what most stories typically offer for this age group, with a format that was friendly to his emotional age.

I think it's a very good book because of how it says how to defeat the ghosts the people have to fight. Also, I like how the ghosts look. The book wasn't scary at all and it only took me two days to read it. The book was exciting because you know when they're about to fight the monsters.

I thought it was an excellent book.

This review's title might not mean anything to you, so, for reference, an ASG is an Averagely Spooky Ghost, and, if you haven't guessed, the IRG is an Incredibly Revolting Ghost. As another book by the German author Cornelia Funke rolls off the presses, people might be lining up out the door, but this is an attempt at a book for younger people. Don't get me wrong, it is a nice book, but hardcore fantasy fans may not enjoy it as much as other books by Cornelia Funke.
If that paragraph didn't put you off this book, then happy reading! The book is about a boy who finds two ghosts in his cellar. Having discovered that, he teams up with a friend of his grandmother and an ASG (for those of you who don't remember, that's Averagely Spooky Ghost) to get rid of the IRG (Incredibly Revolting Ghost or Irreversably Ridiculous Ghost, it doesn't matter) forever.
Like I said before, if you are too old for an 150 page book, or if you think you wouldn't like it, or if you just outright hate fantasy (you poor, deprived child) this might not be the book for you. If I'm wrong, this is your book on a silver platter. No, wait, this would be your book on a diamond studded gold platter, with text to match. If you are craving a supernatural, short, not-very-articulate fantasy, this is the book for you.

My son has read several Cornelia Funke books and this is by far the worst. I can't imagine a series of books like this. It was very childish, it should be for kids around 5 years old and had a very weak plot, all of which is unlike the other Funke books I and my son have read.

For those who haven't read Roald Dahl's BFG, please do to see where Cornelia Funk got the ideas for IRGs and ASGs etc. Dahl's is a story of Giants and Funke's is a story of Ghosts. Dahl does a much better job at storytelling than Funke, and that's the crux of the problem. I've read all the stories with my children and found them to be weak on plot and not always believable. The stories tend to rely heavily on the "idea" of ghosts and haunted houses being scary. There's not much of a plot.

Ghosthunters And The Incredibly Revolting Ghost is the first book in the series. 9 year old Tom has just discovered an Average Spooky Ghost in the cellar of his apartment building. Tom is a klutz and his behavior worries his parents. Tom's grandmother to the rescue she knows one of the best ghosthunters around so Tom can learn the tools of the ghosthunting trade to rid his cellar of the ASG. Tom later learns the ASG has been kicked out of his normal haunting grounds by an Incredibly Revolting Ghost and the ASG would really like to go back home.

Although the plot is weak, young readers should enjoy the story. It is a fairly good beginner chapter book for ages 7 to 9 and given a choice between the Junie B. Jones books and the Magic Treehouse books (which are also for ages 7 to 9 and also don't have much plot), this book certainly is more fun.

This Graphic Novel is decent, but doesn't compare to The Sandman Series. It is still worth a read.

For me, as for many fans of the "Sandman" series, the best character is Death. Gaiman conceives her not as a frightening figure in a cowl and carrying a scythe, but as an exceedingly perky young woman who wears black jeans and leotards and sports rather Goth-y makeup. She likes people -- she meets everyone eventually -- and for one day per century she takes human form, just to keep in touch. This time, under the name of Didi, she hooks up with a depressed sixteen-year-old named Sexton, who is contemplating suicide. Sexton witnesses her interaction with Mad Hettie, who is 250 years old and wants her heart back, and with the Eremite, who tries to gain power over her, and with Hazel, the pregnant lesbian who appears in volume 5 of "Sandman." Sexton observes that Didi somehow never has to pay for anything, not even cab fares. Death is particularly winning in this outing, taking job in everything and pronouncing it "Neat!" At the end of the volume is a reprinting of the groundbreaking six-page comic, "Death Talks about Life," a straight-up warning about AIDS and STDs generally, with a brief lesson (using a banana) on condoms. I don't know if it won awards, but it should have.

Death is really a sweetheart. Gaiman did great portraying her in the way he did. Now, I wasn't a huge fan of this book, though I like the characters. It's not a bad story, but just didn't leap out at me the way that Gaiman's work usually does.

I decided to check out this book because I love Sandman and was intrigued to see what Gaiman would do with more of a focus on Death, and I must say I really enjoyed it. The events that happen to Death as she takes on a mortal life for a day are really interesting, at times humorous, at other times scary, and always original and fun. Sandman lovers have got to check this book out.

For all that I adore Neil Gaiman, I've never gotten into 'Sandman'. It's mostly that graphic novels have never done anything for me. I don't mind them, per se, but they've never been interesting or captivating for me. I can't get into the differences between different pencillers and letterers and artists. Aside from the big obvious things, I just don't see a difference. I started to read this only because I've enjoyed all of his novels and short stories.

It's fair to say that I enjoyed the story. It's a day-in-the-life story of Death's centennial 24-hour mortal holiday. Along the way, she meets three people who are looking for Death, but only two of them know that they are dealing with Death.

I never really got into it the story here. It was pretty light and fluffy. It's not a story that will stick with me. It won't stop me from giving 'Sandman' another go in the future, but it definitely hasn't convinced me to move it up in my to-read queue either. As far as Neil's work goes, I would recommend Stardust long before I recommended reading this.

This book was a little childish and choppy but it was good. It was a total speed-read and it only took me about an hour to read it. It was cool that it was about animals and the author used pretty good personification. The kids were really annoying though. Good book.

It was a very good book to read.I liked the book,eventhough i didn't finish the story.The story was about two dogs and one cat the cats name was Chester. The dogs name was Howie and Harold

As much as Harold would love to put mystery, horror, and suspense behind him, and spend his days lounging about the kitchen waiting for his next chocolate treat; with Chester the neurotic, hare-brained, paranoid kitty quickly dashes those dreams, and does the unthinkable - drags Harold into his next crazy scheme. While Harold, Howie, and Chester are accompanying the Monroe family on an impromptu camping trip, Chester announces to his canine comrades that May 5 - Saint George's Day - is upon them; thus, spirits will be hovering about the moment the clock strikes midnight. Harold instantly knows that this is the worst possible time to be camping in the creepy woods, especially with such inexperienced campers such as Mr. and Mrs. Monroe, and their budding Boy Scouts, Toby and Pete. But when the Monroe's run into two bumbling men - Bud and Spud - along with their scruffy dog, Dawg, the Monroe pets know that something fishy is surrounding them. Howie is instantly mesmerized by Dawg, and becomes his bosom buddy; Harold is trying to accept the stubby-legged pooch simply as a new friend; but Chester is convinced that Dawg is nothing but trouble, set-up to lure them away from the Monroe's so that Bud and Spud can do all sorts of evil things to the unsuspecting humans. When Dawg suggests a trip through the woods to show the Monroe pets something interesting, Howie, Harold, and Chester are only too eager to go. But when they discover that they seem to be lost in the woods, they begin to wonder whether Dawg intentionally lured them away from their owners, or if there was simply a glitch in his tracking. When they're unable to find their way back to the campsite, Chester is the first to freak out, and finds himself worrying about leaving the Monroe's overnight, in the hands of spirits run amok, not to mention the bizarre Bud and Spud. But the boys find it difficult to lose Dawg, and make their way back to camp before it's too late, and they never see the Monroe's again. Chester is convinced that the only possible way to escape from Dawg's clutches is to tell him a bedtime story that will, hopefully, lull him to sleep, and create the perfect escape plan for the Monroe pets. But as soon as Chester begins the tale, it turns into a horrific, hare-raising story about the origins of their bunny brother, Bunnicula, and his life as a vampire amongst human vampires in both Transylvania and England. The trouble with Chester's story, is that, while it is a spooky tale that many would love to hear around the campfire; it poses many frightening thoughts, and serves to give each of the four-legged creatures nightmares, as opposed to a peaceful doze. Now Chester and Harold have no idea whether Dawg will be able to get some shut-eye, or find himself on edge all night, all thanks to Chester's creepy creation. And without Dawg falling asleep, the end could be quite near for the Monroe's.

While I never read anything by James Howe when I was younger; over the past couple of years, I have found myself drawn to his BUNNICULA series, making me incapable of resisting any of his stories about the Monroe family pets. NIGHTY-NIGHTMARE proves the same. As with the previous books, Chester seems to be the most neurotic character in the tale - which isn't that unusual for a feline. His constant musings about horror stories, and creepy legends set the reader on edge; while his ability to cause paranoia in his canine brothers is humorous, and really lends a laugh to the story. Harold is his usual self, thinking about nothing more than tasty S'mores, long naps, and dinner. His narration is enjoyable; while his easy-going, laid-back attitude provides a more relaxed edge to the story. Howie, on the other hand, is as rambunctious as ever. The little pup seems to go a mile a minute with his rapid thoughts; and his trusting nature can sometimes make the reader worry about his safety, as he manages to get himself into all sorts of trouble. Howie truly embodies the spirit of a puppy, and I have to give Howe credit for managing to get inside a pup's head, and giving him a unique, playful, voice of a youngster. While Bunnicula is not really present throughout NIGHTY-NIGHTMARE - except for the role he plays during Chester's scary story - he is replaced by Dawg, a country dog with an attitude. Dawg is a fun addition to the story. His oft-times clueless nature, and ability to bring out the panic in Chester is humorous; while his kind treatment of Howie makes you instantly like him. While Dawg often comes off as shady, or being up-to-something, he easily redeems himself many times, so that the reader has mixed feelings about his character. Howe has woven another delightful tale from THE HOUSE OF BUNNICULA that will keep readers occupied long into the night. A word of advice, if you're headed on a camping trip, leave NIGHTY-NIGHTMARE at home.

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

Anyway!!,this novel is written by Howard the dog.(no really)and he tells of his scary adventure in the woods,with 2 strange fellas and their ugly dog with an attitude problem.
Cons..The story one of the dogs was telling was boring and took up too much space.

This one was just alright. It's the second sequel to the classic original BUNNICULA. It's not really bad but it's boring in part; like I found the whole first chapter to be a bore.

It does get sort of scary in parts, but nothing major. Read it if you want. It's fun. But, for really good BUNNICULA bookds, I recommend: BUNNICULA, THE CELERY STALKS AT MIDNIGHT, HOWLIDAY INN, RETURN TO HOWLIDAY INN, CREEPY CRAWLY BIRTHDAY, THE FRIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HOT FUDGE, RABBIT-KADABRA, and BUNNICULA STRIKES AGAIN.

If you are a fan of these movies, then this book is definately for you. Lots of detail about each movie, and loads of cool pictures. Don't be scared buy it !!!

Having grown up on the Friday the 13th movies I had been wanting this book for a while. I decided to throw don the $$$ and I'm glad I did.

This is an excellent book and a true must have for any fans of the series. You can see why and how they ended up making both the good (Jason Lives) and bad moves (Jason Goes to Manhattan) in the series.

I do wish they had more pictures of the cast though. I had to keep looking up names to go with the little images they had. But still a great book!

Wow! This is one amazing book. If you have any interest at all in the Friday the 13th movies, you have to buy this book. If you have a friend or relative who loves horror movies, you have to buy this book. This would make one hell of a gift for a horror freak. The book covers absolutely everything on every single Friday the 13th movie! Every aspect of each film and the entire filming process is in this book. A great book about a great franchise of the horror genre.

Friday the 13th was my favourite horror series as a kid and nothing has been made since to take its place. This book takes the reader back to where it all began and gives us an insight into each subsequent sequel made after, even the controversial taking Jason away from Camp Crystal Lake direction films such as Jason X and the changing body snatcher style killer for most of the film Jason Goes to Hell where you'd think those responsible wouldn't want to talk about, but no there's plenty of stuff on both. The final film covered is Freddy verse Jason which at the time of this review was also the latest movie in the franchise (although on the movie timeline Jason X is set later).

My main problem with this book is that although obviously well researched (the hard part for the writer) it isn't well written. All we've basically got is a cut and paste job of transcripts from interviews with the cast and crew. It's almost as if Peter Bracke and the publishing company Titan Books had taken a while to gather their information, were getting a lot of "when is this book going to be published" type demands from hardcore fan and instead of telling them to be patient and actually writing the book they just gave in and said, well they'll buy it anyway and published the quotes instead of writing an account of each film and including the quotes in the articles. This theory also would explain the more than you'd expect amount of typos and obvious grammatical errors, you'd expect any editor who spent any time would have picked up.

A further downside is that a lot of these quotes are exactly the same as on the DVD commentaries, or which have appeared in other mediums such as magazine articles and no further elaboration or going back and asking the quoter further unanswered on points they've made questions have been done. But even without additional material having to delve through quotes to find information you are after is not the easiest way to read a book.

There are a lot of great photographs and a lot of good and interesting information on the making of and marketing of each film is in here, just the finding that info is sometimes a bit difficult. The book is good for reliving the memories from the films or Jason killing certain characters especially if you were having a conversation with someone and you want to be certain which sequel such and such occurred in.

It also only very briefly (just talks about four young adult novels) delves into the massive Friday the 13th world outside of the films. It doesn't mention the growing number of Jason Voorhees action dioramas and figures on the market or the inspired by the films adult fiction novels out there at all.

I have this book, at the time of this review it has more information than any other non fiction Friday the 13th book out there. I recommend it for any fan of the greatest slasher horror films ever made. I don't plan on getting rid of it until something better comes along but that's the point. The author and publishers have left the door wide open for something better to come along. If they'd spent a little bit more time and effort on this project there would be no need for Friday the 13th fans to be looking for something better.

I ordered this book because I am a major fan of the genre. Obtaining these kind of books in Belgium (Europe) is pretty hard, so Amazon was an obvious choice for me. What baffled me the most was the fact that this book was way heavier and bigger than I ever imagined it would be.

The book starts off with a foreword by Sean cunnigham, director of the original Friday 13th, and then an introduction by the writer Peter Bracke. Both the foreword and introduction are very intersting to read and they explain briefly the why's,who's and when's of the book and the movies.

After that it only gets more interesting. They analyze every Friday 13th film (inclusive Jason X and Freddy Vs Jason) by telling stories about how some scenes were brought to life and how the general atmosphere was during the shooting. Combined with tons of wonderful pictures it gives you a very good idea of how the series came to life!

I can recommend this book for every fan of the genre. It's the most complete history of the Friday 13th films to date!

Maarten Lemey

Almost as entertaining as reading gothic fiction is reading
the introductions. Someone is *paying* these
academics, but they act as if they've been forced to
become circus geeks, biting the heads off chickens
for booze. You wonder if they signed their real name
to the article. The editor of "The Oxford Book of
Gothic Fiction" explains that, yes, gothic has a
particular meaning with regard to art and
architecture, but Horace Walpole didn't know that, and
used it to mean creepy and medieval, and she's
horribly embarrassed to have to call it "Gothic"
fiction for the next ten pages. She also tells you
that if you have a historical interest in this
fiction, you should start from page one, but if you
want to read GOOD literature, start on page 245 (i.e., with
Edgar Allen Poe). You wonder what the publisher thought of that advice.

Even worse is the author of the preface of the Dover edition
of "The Monk" by Matthew Gregory Lewis, who says right out in
the first paragraph that this is a terrible book ("It may
be admitted at once that this erst belauded romance has
little claim to perpetuation on its own merits."), and then
spends the entire preface suggesting other gothic
novels you'd be better off reading, although he really thinks
they're all a waste of your time. He works himself up
into such a high dudgeon, you can practically feel the
spittle hitting your face.

I don't know what he's talking about. "The Monk" is
one of the most splendid books I've read in a long time. It
has everything you'd want: A crumbling Abbey with a
monastery and a convent connected by a series of
vaults and caverns that contain mouldering skeletons,
the ghost of "the bleeding nun" who appears every 5
years at the stroke of midnight, a screech owl in the
cemetary, a pregnant nun, the Spanish Inquisition, a
naked woman cavorting with a bird, highwaymen, a
sadistic Prioress, a lustful Abbot, dead babies,
hollow statues, a mob riot and lynching, sleeping
potions and spells, and cameo appearances by the
Wandering Jew and Lucifer. The plot concerns an
innocent young virgin whose mother.... oh, never mind:
you'll never keep the plot straight anyway, not to
mention which one is Don Lorenzo and which is Don
Raymond. It's the nonstop action that will hook you.
It's amazing that the plot *can* zip along, given
that, at any given moment, at least one character is
near death because of convulsions brought on by terror
or love. It makes you wonder about the economy of
midieval Spain, if 1 in 10 people was bedridden at any
given time.

Did I mention the sex scenes? They're doozies! When
the lustful Abbott is holding a vigil at the bedside
of a woman pretending to be a monk who is dying of a
centipede bite, except the centipede didn't bite her,
it bit the abbott (never mind), the woman shakes off
delirium long enough to seduce the Abbott! At least,
I think she did. The writing gets vague at points,
since Lewis can't bring himself to mention female
body parts, instead using the word "charms" as a
blanket noun in sentences like "Through a
disarrangement of the bed covers, he could witness her
charms" or "thus he could disport himself upon his
mistress's charms". I'm not sure I'll ever be able to
use the word "charm" again, much less eat "Lucky
Charms".

Perhaps this is only worth reading for its historical
importance, or perhaps it's a lot of fun: I advise skipping
the insulting prologue by a professor who clearly
wishes he was a fraction as famous as M.G. Lewis
became by writing this book at the age of 19 in ten
weeks in 1795.