Horror Books

i admit it.. chuck palahniuk is not for everyone, but for those who can stomach him .. he is brilliant.. borderline sick but over the board genius... lulaby is as good as fight club if not better..

the plot is brilliant, it is fast paced and entertaining with its fair share of the Palahniuk wisdom .. and although the plot is full of clues and giveaways, at least i myself did not see the surprises coming.. and the make perfect sense.. and although lulaby is based on a stretch of fiction, chuck palahniuk makes it very believable...

don't read other people's summary of the plot it will ruin it for you.. if you liked fightclub the movie or the book, you will love lullaby

I don't think much of this book. It is a little scattered. One thing will be going on and then the next it's something different. It's very hard to follow. It was one of those books I thought was never going to end. It was very hard to stay focused and finish reading this book.

Strong words, perhaps, but having seen Fight Club, I believe neither Chuck nor his readers are pansies and can take it

And I'm counting 1, and I'm counting 2, and 3,

This, above, is what passes for showing rising anger in the book. The main character, Carl, stumbles upon an ancient song that kills people. Parents who read this lullaby to their babies kill them, and Carl is determined to find all the copies of the book and destroy them. On the way, he meets a real estate agent who assassinates people from a distance (using the song) in her spare time, a Wiccan, and a nature-loving, human-hating, power-hungry hunk named Oyster (oh and did I mention that Carl has anger management issues and a traumatic past?)

So there you have it: take something horrible, like the death of babies in their cribs, add a weird twist: lethal lullabies!, strange characters, freewheeling prose, miracles, psychopathic killers, environmental destruction... and write in a frenetic, hip way, so as to paper over the fact that you don't have a story, or a plot, or any idea what you want to do with this material

and I'm counting to 4, to 5, and to 6....
hey, I think i'll write a riff on modernity using that formula and no plot... do you think they'll publish me? maybe i'll also recycle that idea of hating humans and of wishing the earth covered in vines, and men returning to the good ol' days of hunting and gathering...rarrr... when we were in harmony with nature, and the neighbor's TV didn't drive us to homicidal anger

this review, if it seems a little disjointed, I apologize (by the way, this is the kind of syntax Chuck uses sometimes)... it's a mirror held to the work, so what it reflects is just the truth

The thing that i liked is that Chuck used some interesting factoids about alien species colonizing America (starlings, carp, etc.) and driving out or sickening the native species; this stuff was just thrown out, though, meant to shock you into hating modern humans and their careless, cruel ways

Final thought: mental killing, in a novel, is an interesting idea that looks good on paper but doesn't really work; first of all, it's not developed; second, once you remove limits from what people can do, things become boring... killing from a distance, yeah, levitation, yeah, occupying other bodies, yeah, whatever... it' the equivalent of saying, i like everybody, all men and women, regardless, and I can sleep with anyone... really, a story needs limits and a sense of the possible and impossible; otherwise it's just an extended 'what if', like when stoners talk...

Sorry for the ramble. Gonna go have a chicken sandwich.

This book grabbed me by the balls until I was done. I normally take a few months to get through a book, like Choke, but this was about a week. I would have only liked more main characters to die.

This my first time reading Palahniuk. To say that he's unique is an understatement. "Lullaby" starts with normal characters but rapidly unfolds into the strangest world imaginable. The pages turn quickly to build a unique place with strange events. Dark humor seeps unexpectedly from aberrant places. The reality presented becomes distorted and twisted, molded into a strange, mystical actuality. At times, as other reviewers mentioned, I felt that I was not be getting the full dramatic effect out of my reading, as if I couldn't grasp what was occurring. Although, by completion, the novel spoke to me with a depth and intensity I have not experienced before. For those who have read the Amazon review, I agree that Chuck Palahniuk expresses potent themes on human control and nature through "Lullaby". I recommend this novel to those seeking impact and an ending you will reflect on.
Thank you for reading,
C.K.

I really like the twists & turns of this feature. This is a definate read.

Good book by a great author. While it is not necessary to read the two previous Odd Thomas books before reading this one, it definitely helps the storyline to go quicker.

I definitly enjoyed this read. Odd is such a great character and the book sucked me in rght from the beginning. Koontz has a great chartacter here, i just wish the plot of the overall story amongst all his Odd books would have more meaning. I keep wishing for them to mold together into some larger plot but it doesn't appear to be happening. I'd like to understand more of this dark creatures that appear in most every book, where do they come from, what are they? Will there be a bigger picture? I suppose this is my fault for placing my expectaions on the series, but oh well.

With that said this was a fun read. I enjoyed the creepiness of this book more so than in the others. However, i thought the ending was a bit tacky but still worth reading.

If you are into the Odd series that you know as much as i do that you will need to read this book. They are so hard to put down. Overall, enjoyable read, but still left me wishing for a little more.

I love Odd Thomas, I'm in the middle of reading this book and can't wait to get to the end to read "Odd Hours" Dean Koontz latest Odd Thomas book. In this book Odd is taking a much needed break and staying at a monestary only to find trouble knocking on the front door.

Odd Thomas returns in BROTHER ODD, the third book in the great series by Dean Koontz. Odd had found refuge at St. Bartholomew's Abbey after barely escaping with his life at the end of the second book. Odd lives a simple life, but is both cursed and blessed by his ability to see the lingering dead. He sees ghosts who for whatever reason, have not been able to move on to the next world. Odd also sees bodachs. Bodachs are what he calls ghostlike creatures who only show up when before a horrible scene of death and destruction is about to occur. At the monestary, Odd is friends with all the nuns and brothers, suspicious of a few, but over all he enjoys his life at the monestary, helping out when he can.

Everything changes when Odd finds three bodachs in the room of two of the young, handicapped girls who live at the school. Then, Brother Timothy disappeared and the police came out to the monestary to help investigate. To add to the problems, a horrific snow storm has engulfed the grounds. Thomas struggles to find out the truth about the impending disaster. Koontz again delivers a great read filled with interesting characters, including Rodion Romonavich, a Russian who professes to be a librarian from Indianapolis and knows everything about the Hoosier state. There is also Brother Constantine, a monk who committed suicide and whose spirit roams the ground. Brother John is a scientific genius that donated his immense wealth to the school and continues his scientific experiments in an underground lab.

This is a good book and as the third in the series, still contains some of the power and magic from the first book in the series. The series as a whole is captivating, but I found the last two books to be good but not great. That doesn't mean I'm not excited to read the next in the series and eagerly look forward to Koontz writing several more in this series. This book can be read as a stand alone, but I urge you to read the series in order.

Wow, Dark Horse continues the good work with HELLBOY. This second volume, as with the first book, shows us the way this work of art was meant to be enjoyed. The oversized book is handsome, tightly bound and beautifully printed on heavy-stock paper. Sure, the book is expensive but it really is worth every cent. Dark Horse shame larger companies such as Mravel and DC in the presentation, quality and pricing of their product.

Like other readers I was disappointed with the original HELLBOY softcover editions which would fall apart after a few readings due to poor bindings but these new versions are sturdy and will look amazing on your bookshelf. The mistakes of the past have been rectified and the new editions are so different that even old fans will marvel at the way the HELLBOY tales flow across the canvas. The vast pools of black paint now almost resemble liquid velvet. And the reds erupt like pulsating lava. The book throbs in your hands!

Mike Mignola's art has never looked this gorgeous. Absolutely lovely, rich and gothic. Get this baroque horror book now and while away the dark autumn evenings as we head towards All Hallows Eve.

For lovers of horror stories with a well-developed story line and plenty of mystery, this is an excellent read. I especially like the author's vivid descriptions of gruesome details (the evacuated cranium of a victim) but also the elaborate intertwining of ancient history, modern science, and mysticism. I will never forget the images the author painted of police wading in the monster's lair, the sewers beneath the museum, and describing the strong odor of goat's breath as a harbinger of the monster's arrival on scene. I have bought this book as a gift for others because of its excellent story quality.

My buddy of mine turned me on to this book "Relic". Although at the time i wasnt a avid reader. Relic really pulled me in & by then i was hooked! It is a very entertaining read & would recommend this book to anyone. Just to let you guys know. Because of reading this book i am now an avid reader. I read all the Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child books without being disappointed!
Keep up the good work guys. Im waiting for the next!!

How Hollywood producers could mess up what is essentially an action-packed thrill ride of a novel and turn it into a mediocre horror film with Penelope Ann Miller is beyond me. One of the authors used to work at the Museum of Natural History in New York, and the readers are treated to an insider's view of the museum and what goes on during and after business hours. This book still stands as one of their absolute best novels (although Cabinet of Curiosites and Still Life with Crows come close).

A monster is loose in the Museum of Natural History and scientists and police are trying to figure out how to stop it before a huge exhibition opens. The book introduces my favorite fictional detective, Special Agent Pendergast (who reappears in many of their later novels). He is a decorated agent with a genius-level IQ and Sherlock Holmes would probably fare badly when pitted against him.

If you a looking for something to read at the beach this summer, pick up this book. The premise of the story is a discovery is made in the Amazon and everyone in contact with the discovery has been subsequently killed. The curse seems to have followed the crates to the Museum of Natural History in NYC and the bloodshed has begun.

I like the characters in this book. D'Agosta, Margo Green and Pendergast are well developed and carry the story nicely.


I borrowed this book from the library and it must be the original hard cover. The tag line reads this book is a combination of Alien and Jurrasic Park. While not as good as either of those tales, Relic is an enjoyable read.

After the death of two museum visitors, the museum of Natural History calls in the Police, headed by truculent hard-nosed Lt. D'Agosta, also FBI Agent Pendergast, a quirky and unorthodox investigator from the south. What they discover? They believe a serial killer is on the loose- perhaps intending to derail the museum's new "Superstition" exhibit. What they don't know is something far more sinister lives in the basement of the museum. As the date of the exhibit nears, can the agents and a team of museum scientists get to the bottom of the museum murders before its too late?

I listened to the unabridged audio edition of Relic. The characters were well thought out, the monster interesting and the story exciting. I particularly liked D'Agosta and Dr. Frock. The monster itself was fascinating, and the museum was very cool as the background for this taunt story.

5 stars. Excellent.

Me fascinan los libros de Twilight en inglés, así q' compré los primeros dos en español. El lenguaje en español es vulgar: 'crap' (caquita, popo, algo desagradable) lo traducen como 'mier_a' y 'oh, my' lo ponen como 'oh, Di_s mío'. Siento que es una malrepresentación de los principios de la autora y hace que Bella se vea +/- chafa or ruda, lo que no es en inglés. Estos libros están en listas de literatura para jovencitos y me cae q' los tradujeran de tal forma nociva.

Bella se vuelve aun peor en este libro! Edward se va y ella actua como que si su vida termino! Es una relacion enfermiza y horrible.

Luna Nueva es el segundo libro de la saga por Stephenie Meyer y sin duda una buena y emocionante continuación para todos los amantes de estos libros.
La novela comienza en donde nos quedamos en Crepúsculo, con el noviazgo de Bella Swan y Edward Cullen, sin embargo, parece que las cosas entre ellos no van a funcionar tan bien como antes: un accidente en el cumpleaños de Bella hace que Edward se de cuenta que su presencia y la de su familia, es peligrosa e innecesaria en la vida de Bella. No les voy a decir qué resulta de esto, pero basta mencionar que el peligro sigue latente en la vida de nuestra protagonista y esta vez se van a unir a ella nuevos y viejos personajes que vienen a cambiar su destino de forma radical.
Verdaderamente, les recomiendo este segundo libro porque contiene la dinámica de Crepúsculo y ahora Stephenie nos añade sentimientos nuevos que nos hacen desbordarnos de tristeza, alegría, desesperación, terror y amor por el destino de nuestros personajes favoritos.

I love Vampire Books, I have read a lot of them lately... This book is great and my daughter loved it as well. I like reading books that my teenage daughter likes to read as well. We can talk about what we liked and didn't like in the books. She loved this book as well.

Quick delivery,excellent shape for the book. Good description in reference to what the story in the book is about

I loved this book. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes fantasy and vampire novels. It's the second volume in a series so make sure you read the first one beforehand. I couldn't put it down.

I really really liked the Fury but really didn't get into the Dark Reunion. I think The Dark Reunion left more open doors then if it would have ended at The Fury. Was there more to Meredith...didn't it seem like something was always going to be revealed about her but wasn't? And Damon's character was elvolving since book 1 and in the last he just flatlined. Then the tension between Bonnie & Damon and the human guy(lol can't remember his name)...it got started then never developed. The human story in the beginning of the Dark Reunion was soooo drawn out I couldn't wait till the vampire came into play. Eh, just not a satisifying end all around.

I read the first three books after finding them at my old school library years ago. And I must admit, I ALMOST didn't read them and that is mainly because I thought the covers looked old and boring. Of course, there is the old rule: "Never judge a book by its cover!" I'm so glad I did decide to read them! I fell in love with "The Vampire Diaries" series after reading them the first time. I reread them again and again, checking them out more than once just to read them over and over!

Later I found the fourth one, and it's just as great as the others! The fact that Bonnie was the main character made it even better, as she is one of my favorite characters.

If I hadn't read "The Vampire Diaries," I would have never known about this great writer and her wonderful books!

It's an ok read. I think I'm older than the intended audience though. However, if you are expecting anything Twilighty, you'll be disappointed.

It's hard to read other vampire series after Twilight ! AND IT'S NOTHING AGAINST THESE BOOKS IT'S JUST THAT THE TWILIGHT SERIES ARE WONDERFUL AND are my favorite books. These books lack depth and it's hard to understand the characters !

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES was probably the best vampire book i've read in a long time. I've read TWILIGHT, but it's just not the same as this series. I love the characters and the plot was great. This is one of those books where i would read it again. But out of the series, i'd have to say that THE FURY was my fave out of the four. Great read and i hope all you TWILIGHT fans will all pick this series up :)

I bought this book right before Breaking Dawn came out, not as a match to the Twilight saga but just something good to read to keep my vampire blood going (lol). And what I found was a pleasing story that dealt with friendship, true love, and the hard work it takes to keep the things you want most in life. I'm not saying that Twilight and The Vampire Diaries are exactly the same, but they do have some closely related areas. I'm not saying that if you read the Twilight saga and then read this one that you wont disappionted if you put to much expectation into the books. Because no matter the similarities The Vampire Diares are not Twilight. But I'm sure if you give it a chance you will fall in love with the characters just as you did with Bella and Edward.

The Vampire Diaries is darker than Smith's other books, but every bit as enjoyable and entertaining. The dark edge actually allows for a wider audience... I vividly recall when, over ten years ago, I noticed my copy of The Awakening was missing from my bookshelf, only to find it in my 27 year old brother's room!

To be quite blunt, IMO, Vampire Diaries is what Twilight wishes it could be (sorry, Twilighters, don't kill me!).

As always, Smith is very skilled at showing the depth of her characters. The lead heroine, Elena, is beautiful and the most popular girl in school, but she silently doubts herself and the life she's made for herself so far. She doesn't know where she belongs. As the story continues, she grows as a character as she realizes how much the people in her life mean to her, and how much she is willing to give up in order to protect them.

Stefan, the vampire and romantic interest of Elena, is self-loathing and blind to his own good heart. He lives off of animals, and even then feels guilty when he accidently kills his prey. This conflict with himself only deepens when Elena enters his life, and he is convinced he doesn't deserve her love. Yet, despite this, Stefan fights for what he believes is right, even if it's against his own brother, Damon.

To complete the little triangle, we have Damon, who is also a vampire (and my favorite character... Damon = *swoon*). Damon is snarky, cold, handsome, and darkly hilarious. He knows what he is and he doesn't apologize for it. He also knows what he wants, and that happens to be Elena. But don't write Damon off as a one-dimensional character... Smith manages to write him as all of the above, while still capturing the reader's sympathy as we begin to see aspects of Damon that he himself refuses to acknowledge.

Just as a warning, these books can get a little scary, though never so much that I had trouble sleeping or anything. However, my older sister (who was around 16 at the time) had to crash in my room one night after reading a scene where Elena and her friends encounter a menacing presence in the local graveyard. So parents of younger readers might want to preview the chapters to make sure their daughter or son can handle it.

As both a teen and now as an adult, I love these books. They are well written and intruiging, especially compared to most of the other young adult books available today. L.J. Smith has yet to disappoint me! I very highly recommend Vampire Diaries.

Dark Lover is the first installment in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.. Each book by JR Ward is a story from each of the warriors. The first starts with the leader and Blind King Wrath. I have to admit that that tho I was skeptical of it... I ended up loving each and every book! A must read!

I may be new to the paranormal romance genre, but I've read my fair share. Goin at it like a Lemming, I've read 6 series of the considered top writers in this genre with glee. And the Black Dagger Brotherhood is by far my favorite series. I'm happy with all of the series I've read, just this is a link all on it's Own. With Dark Lover, I was flushed, awed, blown away reading something so, unexpected. I have to admit, I wasn't sure at first. These books & characters were unlike any other I've read. But it quickly turned into passion for these vamp hunters that have it all: looks, brawn & a whole lotta attitude. Every one is different so that's the thrill of each story. I love the comradery, the family, the loyalty, the mission of these men. Their imperfections make them that more lovable. And the storylines... lust, murder & mayhem in the big city. Start with this one and just know it gets better & better!

I'm absolutely in love with this series.
I'm glad I started it after a few books were out because I would've hated not reading one after the other.
W&B's love story is fantastic!!

Before I read this book, I asked myself if I really needed to read another series. I didn't need to, but, I am so glad I did. I initially was not planning on reading J.R. Ward, but this book blew my expectations away. Other than bouncing around for a few scenes and names that I needed to get used to, I am so glad I picked up this book. Once I started, I had a hard time stopping! This book is on the AAR Top 100 list, deservedly so. It was action packed, dark, but full of depth and the romance between Wrath and Beth was wonderful. I can't wait to read the other books in this series.

If you are looking for a romance novel this may not be your flavor. If however, you are looking for MORE than a romance novel, a real paranormal novel then this may be for you. J.R. Ward is fantastic in that the characters are 3-dimensional and recur throughout the entire Black Dagger series. These books are grittier (i.e., with language and sex) but much more realistic than the formulaic romance novels. If you like Matrix-like action and tough men you will probably like these books. I thank God for J.R. Ward for realizing that not all women like men or need men simply to sweep them off their feet...sometimes women can be capable too.

Reliquary, the sequel to Relic, is basically the same story introduced in Relic. We have the monster in the sub level(s), we have the incompetent chief of police making poor decisions, we have the "fool proof plan" that doesn't work and we have the reporter being lead around by a powerful woman who coerces him to tell the story she wants to hear. I did find the parts about the sub levels of Manhattan interesting and I think the ending of Reliquary is better than that of Relic. The authors would have been better served if they made Relic and Reliquary one book. It seems like once they had a hit with Relic they decided to do Reliquary as an afterthought.

While I really enjoyed RELIC, I didn't find myself feeling quite the same about Reliquary. I liked the way the book started out, I liked the premise of the book and thought it was interesting, and as always, I enjoyed Pendergast and D'Agosta. Unfortunately, I felt that there were way too many subplots. There were too many different people doing too many different things. It got distracting at times. If you liked Relic, you will probably like this book, but don't expect it to thrill you quite as much.

While I agree this book wasn't as good as Relic, it certainly was an admirable follow-up to it. Storylines left hanging in Relic were resolved albeit perhaps not in the most exciting of ways. What I read in this book enticed me to purchase The Mole People to find out more about the underground world brought out in the book.

The authors have written another thriller. I had to read the next chapter but neglected my tasks to do so. The authors gave substantiating data on the underground of Manhattan. However the ending was not in the characters' former behavior. Although it was a true page turner it lacked a believable ending. This book was not as good as The Relic nor the Book of the Dead the I have read by the authors.

Recently, I read an interview with Douglas Preston where he commented that RELIQUARY was probably the least successful of the "Agent Pendergast" books that he co-writes with Lincoln Child. After reading this book, I'm inclined to agree with him.

RELIQUARY is the second Pendergast novel and a direct sequel to the first book RELIC. It pretty much re-introduces all the major characters of THE RELIC and many additional ones. And this is the major flaw with RELIQUARY: there are simply too many characters and plot threads in this book, which don't really tie together in a satisfaying manner.

There's also a "been there, done that" quality to RELIQUARY that makes it a rather tiresome read. Preston and Child reuse many of the plot devices from THE RELIC, and there is little in this novel that is particularly original or inspired.

And most importantly, Pendergast only plays a supporting role in RELIQUARY, and the novel suffers in every scene where he is absent. Characters like Margot, Smithback and D'Agosta are simply not interesting enough to carry scenes on their own, and all of the other supporting characters are either too bland or cartoonish. I think the smartest move that Preston and Child ever made was to elevate Pendergast as the central character in this series, starting with the next entry, CABINET OF THE CURIOUSITIES.

That being said, I didn't hate RELIQUARY. It's a decent adventure story, and there's no denying that Preston and Child are very intelligent writers. Still, this is far from their best effort, and I wouldn't recommend this to anybody as their first Pendergast book.

"Dracula" was not the first vampire novel, nor was it Bram Stoker's first book.

But after years of research, Stoker managed to craft the ultimate vampire novel, which has spawned countless movies, spinoffs, and books that follow the blueprint of the Transylvanian count. Eerie, horrifying and genuinely mysterious, this is a book that was crying out for the kind of loving annotation that "The New Annotated Dracula" graces it with.

First we have an eloquent introduction by dark fantasy master Neil Gaiman, which serves as the gateway to a longer, densely informative foreword by Leslie S. Klinger. Klinger does some pretty extensive exploration of the origins of vampire literature, the impact of the Dracula character, and his presence in mass media ever since Stoker whipped together this book. It's a nice, meaty intro to the story:

And on to that story: Real estate agent Jonathan Harker arrives in Transylvania, to arrange a London house sale to Count Dracula. But as the days go by, Harker witnesses increasingly horrific events, leading him to believe that Dracula is not actually human. His fiancee Mina arrives in Transylvania, and finds that he has been feverish. Meanwhile the count has vanished -- along with countless boxes filled with dirt.

And soon afterwards, strange things happen: a ship piloted by a dead man crashes on the shore, after a mysterious thing killed the crew. A lunatic talks about "Him" coming. And Mina's pal Lucy dies of mysterious blood loss, only to come back as an undead seductress. Dracula has arrived in England -- then the center of the Western world -- and intends to make it his own...

The entire text is reworked into columns, with EXTENSIVE footnoting off to each side -- Klinger loads the text down with literary interpretations, historical explanations, places, attitudes of the time, clarification (the old woman who gave Harker the rosary, says Klinger, was probably a Hungarian immigrant) and even a bit of nitpicking. At times it gets a bit long-winded, but for sheer volume of explanatory information those footnotes can't be beat. It's a big thick chunk of a book though, so not advises for casual walking-around reading.

"Dracula" is the grandaddy of Lestat and other elegantly alluring bloodsuckers, but that isn't the sole reason why this novel is a classic. It's also incredibly atmospheric, and very well-written. Not only is it very freaky, in an ornate Victorian style, but it is also full of restrained, quiet horror and creepy eroticism. What's more, it's shaped the portrayal of vampires in movies and books, even to this day.

Despite already knowing what's going on for the first half of the book, it's actually kind of creepy to see these people whose lives are being disrupted by Dracula, but don't know about vampires. It's a bit tempting to yell "It's a vampire, you idiots!" every now and then, but you can't really blame them. Then the second half kicks in, with accented professor Van Helsing taking our heroes on a quest to save Mina from Dracula.

And along the way, while our heroes try to figure stuff out, Stoker spins up all these creepy hints of Dracula's arrival. Though he wrote in the late 19th-century manner, very verbose and a bit stuffy, his skill shines through. The book is crammed with intense, evocative language, with moments like Dracula creeping down a wall, or the dead captain found tied to the wheel. Once read, they stick in your mind throughout the book.

It's also a credit to Stoker that he keeps his characters from seeming like idiots or freaks, which they could have easily seemed like. Instead, he puts little moments of humanity in them, like Van Helsing admitting that his wife is in an asylum. Even the letters and diaries are written in different styles; for example, Seward's is restrained and analytical, while Mina's is exuberant and bright.

Even Dracula himself is an overpowering presence despite his small amount of actual screen time, and not just as a vampire -- Stoker presents him as passionate, intense, malignant, and probably the smartest person in the entire book. If Van Helsing hadn't thwarted him, he probably would have taken over the world -- not the Victorian audience's ideal ending.

Intelligent, frightening and very well-written, "Dracula" is the well-deserved godfather of all modern vampire books and movies -- and "The New Annotated Dracula" is a worthy exploration of that book.