Horror Books

Excellent read. I devoured the series and hunger for more. Excellent writing and research. Loved the characters.

This was well written, fast paced, even I didn't want to put it down. That's really saying something. We can not wait untill July 2008 for the new book to come out. We hopee she takes this series out more than 4 books.

I'M NOT AS IMPRESSED WITH HER OTHER BOOKS, BUT HAVE ALL 3 IN THIS SERIES.

Another Kenner demon novel started & finished in a day. Once again, couldn't put it down. I'm waiting for #3 to arrive in the mail any day now, & you can bet that will be devoured in one day, too....leaving me painfully waiting for the 4th....hurry, Julie!!!! :-)

Fifty pages about a normal Mom battling demons in suburbia, add two hundred pages of daily life in suburbia with an occasional foray into the 'supernatural thing.' Finish with thirty pages of supernatural climax where Kate comes off as Saving The Day.

Kate worried about her daughter's new boy crush being demony? Check.
One hundred pages later, he is? Check.
Twenty pages of describing the antics of a two year old? Check.
Suspense heightened by hiding demon evidence in the kitchen? Check.
Her husband's job keeps him conveniently off screen? Check.
Introduction of a family type character connected with forza? Check.
Clueless police briefly mentioned? Good demon body dumping times. Check.
Kate takes no serious injuries in serious situations? Check.

I read this book already. It was called Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom. Kenner changed around a few details, but I essentially read the same book a second time. Once was enough; this series had a neat riff on the Buffy theme, but what made Buffy great is she rose above her cliche. Kate hasn't.

I gave the second a chance after reading the first, and it didn't wow me. I'd rather read good Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfiction, but I have to admit the third novel in this series sounds very interesting. Her daughter learning about the nightlife is actually a new direction (unless her boyfriend in #3 is also inhuman, that would be three strikes, you're out). May try it later, but not high on the reading list.

This is the end of the "Birth Ceremony" chapter that started back in Volume 17. The final battle between Guts and Mozgus takes place and I enjoyed it. I wished it would have been longer and was suprised to see it end in this volume. Mozgus has a final transformation thats cool and resembles an animal the way most of the Apostles do when they turn into their most powerful form. I find the Isidor character childish and lame but I guess hes in the story for comic relief. Farnese, the leader of the Holy Iron Chain Knights is pretty much in love with Guts, I think. If you need a good place to end your run on Beserk this is a good point because alot of things get resolved. As much as they ever are going to like Guts getting back with the one he loves. If your new to Beserk the next Volume, #22 is probably a good start.

I was aiming for a pun there. Kind of cheesy, I know.

Well, after countless volumes of build up and hints out the wazoo, 21 is a key turning point for our heros. Casca is all set to be lit by the mob before the Blood Demons, for lack of a better term, consume them all. Guts is finally engaged with Mozgus, and... for the most part, everyone else is just a spectator as The Demon Egg begins to crack.

Not much character development in this volume (which is why it's a 4 star for me, instead of 5), pretty much just action and denouement. Mozgus' Iron Feather armor is pretty interesting, but in the end he just turns out to be just another apostle-type, justifying his own arrogance as the will of the heavens.

That's not to say, though, that there aren't a few moments here and that make the book worthwhile.... Guts' reunion hug with Casca and, later, when he puts his black cloak around her to still her shivering. The Ladies Club reunion at the end along with the Nina's constant coward conflict making a nice resolution... and poor Isidoro missed his freebie.

Of course, none of that has much to do with the biggest reveal of all, what hatched from the great Demon Egg... as if you couldn't figure it out volumes ago.


All in all, a solid volume, but a bit lacking in the plotting department. Still, the art and action were pretty darn good, just not the greatest Miura has ever done.

Next up: the Aftermath as Guts continues his journey with Casca (and a few others) in tow... back to the adventure drama I love so.

I picked this up after my little brother checked it out from the library. Which is great because this is a teenager book, pure and simple. However, I must say that I really enjoyed it. Nance's whole objective, it seemed, was to praise creative writing and storytelling, and he certainly did his job with this book that tells the tale of five teenagers invited to spend the night in a haunted house telling scary stories. It's better than it sounds and is very reminiscent of some of those old "Fear Street" books. Nance is clearly educated on various authors and folklore and he spreads information throughout the story. The characters are not particularly well-drawn, and some of the drama had me rolling my eyes--but I'm sure teens will fall head-over-heels for the angst. However, it's a scary, imaginative book, and I think any kid who looks scary, imaginative books should read this.

Horror writer Ian Tremblin holds a short story writing contest with an unusual prize: the five finalists will get to spend the evening with him in Daemon Hall, and the winner will be published. Wade and the others find much to fear in the haunted mansion, especially with an evening of horror story-telling planned... is Daemon Hall really alive? A tense thriller evolves.

My daughter and I read books such as Darren Shan's Cirque du Freak and Demonata series and all of Amelia Atwater-Rhodes- anything having to do with supernatural or horror anything... we read Andrew Nance's Daemon Hall which is the first in a trilogy, and are impressed to no end. It is scary and very hard to put down. We loved that there are so many stories within the story and that the book is dedicated to one of it's characters... You also must keep in mind that Andrew Nance is a ghost hunter in real life and this inspires his writing. He is an incredible new author and we can't wait for the next book...
You must read this if you like to be scared!!!

I purchased this book for and at the recommendation of my 13 year old daughter.
This book was part of her summer reading for 2007.
It held interest for her well enough that my wife and I had to prompt her very little to read.
Her reply was that she did like the overall book, but seemed disappointed in the format of several stories told by those in the book, as well as the undefined ending.
She said that she would recommend Daemon Hall, but only to her more well read friends.

If you are a fan of scary stories, be sure to get your hands on DAEMON HALL. Andrew Nance uses a unique approach that actually weaves ten scary stories into one already creepy tale.

Wade, Chelsea, Kara, Demarius, and Chris are five teens who have earned their place as finalists in a writing contest. Horror writer Ian Tremblin challenged teens to write their own scary stories. From the finalists he plans to select a winner who will be rewarded by having his or her story published. But there's a catch ...

The five finalists must bring their stories and their bedrolls and spend the night with Tremblin in Daemon Hall. No cell phones, no flashlights, just ten candles to keep the darkness at bay. During the night, a total on ten scary stories will be told, and after each story a candle will be extinguished, leaving the group in complete darkness until morning.

One story after another is told and darkness begins to take control. As the stories get creepier, so does the house. To add to the suspense, the teens begin to disappear one by one and Mr. Tremblin starts acting more bizarre. Who will win the honor of being published? Who will even survive the night in Daemon Hall?

Readers of DAEMON HALL are treated to ten truly frightening tales. Each on their own could entertain listeners around a campfire on a dark night. Andrew Nance's twisted tale will have you looking over your shoulder for many nights to come.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

When he's not hunting vampires, D is an excellent detective.

Ten years ago, 4 children go missing and only 3 return. Now vampires are able to walk in daylight. What happened ten years ago? How are daylight walking vampires and the 3 missing children that returned (now adults) connected? The answer will shock you.

What I liked about this novel is a thin line is drawn between humanity and monsters. You have your monsters killing and hunting people, but then you have people being abusive and cruel. And for a moment. . .for one second, I saw through's D eyes and did not see a difference.

And taking Doris's place as The Girl in Love with D (which I will refer to as GLD, "Girl Loves D"), is Lina. She is annoying at first, I will admit, but she did grow on me through the novel. I don't like her as much as I liked Doris, but I don't hate her either.

This novel is particularly gory and does contain sexual abuse and mentions of violent rape, so definately keep this out of kids' hands and don't read if it offends you.

Another plus about this novel, for Vampire Hunter D fans. . .that a criptic clue is revealed about D's past.

Raiser of Gales is an interesting, and I think introspective and thoughtful adventure. It more firmly establishes the what and why of D's world. Also, the wording in this novel is well written, far less "All your base-" than ended up getting through in the first translation.

My favorite is that an enemy uses a type of trap that was later incorporated into the second D movie, but I've risked spoiling it enough here.

...but when they're victims start moving about and killing people during the day time hours that can be a problem. The people of the village of Tepes are starting to become paranoid, seeing evil in everybody and everything. And they weren't too pure to begin with. Now they have the tall, dark, and handsome Vampire Hunter D in their town. And he is not too sure it is a vampire that is the problem.
Can D solve the mystery before too many people die at the hands of the new type of vampire? Can he solve the mystery before too many people die at the hands of their own protectors?
Great story, great illustrations, great second book to the ongoing Japanese horror series. I will be collecting as many as I can. Get it used or new!

I liked this book as much as I love the first one. This time D finds himself a world he just can't get out of. It keep repeating itself over and over again. The girl in this book as quit a charcter and did not annoyed me as much as Doris Lang. She keeps following D where ever he goes. And he always tell her to "Go Home" Which always made me laugh. The girl he meets is very interested in Vampires and D in the novel finds her strange. WOW that something coming from D. The book was fantasic as always. But it's little sad at the end though.

Many have already commented on the translation, so I will just take a moment to note that it has certainly progressed a bit beyond that of the previous novel. Action sequences in particular seem to have taken on a smoother pace, though the rather spartan and abrupt nature of the original text still causes the occasional coltish wobble.

As with all VHD novels there is a haunting quality to the prose that shines moon bright: D is still more or less at war with his soul, and our plucky coquette-du-livre is enjoyable. The odd coyness about Left-hand (the wise cracking sidekick/parasite) remains; though, since the novels are not particularly linear, this may be less noticeable to those who do not read the books in order or back to back.

My granddaughter, who just had her 8th birthday, enjoyed the book I sent her very much. She began reading it just as soon as she got it as a present for her birthday.

This is one of the few Goosebumps books that we've seen a recording of the television show that was made...and I have to say, in this case, the television episode was actually better than the book version. This The Haunted Mask is the story of Carly Beth just fed up with being wimpy, wimpy, wimpy...tired of constantly being teased, pranked, and scared by her friends Carly Beth is determined to get the scariest Halloween mask ever and show her friends that she's not such a wimp after all. As with all things in the R.L Stine universe, Carly Beth's quest to teach her tormenters a lesson comes with a hefty price.

On the night of Halloween, she just can't bring herself to put on the not-so-scary costume her mother's made for her, instead she runs out to a shop and finds "the perfect mask" in the back room of the store, unfortunately the owner is hesitant to part with it...ultimately she gets the mask and embarks on what she thinks will be the best get even Halloween scare ever...until she realizes that the mask much more than an ugly face to care her friends with and that she may become trapped inside as it begins to change her personality as well. Will Carly Beth get the mask off? You'll have to read to find out!

Not as enjoyable as I'd have liked...The Haunted Mask isn't a "bad" book, for me it boils down to feeling no connection to any of the characters...we don't get to know Carly Beth before we see her pranked, teased and scared constantly and the picture the reader gets is that if these are her friends, she sure doesn't need any enemies...they're downright mean, the goal seems to be to embarrass her more than anything else. I think young readers would enjoy The Haunted Mask, as a whole it is one of the scarier premises of the series but for me personally, this was a flop. I didn't think the interaction between the friends was indicative of "friend" behavior, it felt mean spirited perhaps if the build up to Halloween had been longer and we'd gotten to know the four friends just a bit more, this would have been a better read. Overall, I felt a bit let down, I rate this at three stars because the idea behind it is good, but the execution and character development was really lacking.

Sixth grader Steve Boswell has a problem, a very serious problem. He has been sentenced to coach a 1st grade soccer team as punishment for a prank gone wrong. As if losing every afternoon after school was not enough the team of 6 year olds seem determined to destroy him with their antics. Steve has decided to extract revenge by scaring them with a Halloween prank. His plans call for a particularly frightening costume, like the one a classmate scared him with the previous year. When he asked about the mask, however, his classmate was very reluctant to tell where she had gotten the mask. After Steve did manage to get the information she pleaded with him not to get a mask. Before Halloween was over Steve wished he had listened to her.

This is part of the popular GOOSEBUMPS series targeted to 9 to 12 year olds (Reading level 4th grade). As with the rest of the series this one is rather scary and very gross, totally appealing to it's pre-teen audience. Also attractive to this group is the organization of the story into short cliff-hanger chapters urging the reader to continue. The book itself is quite short, only 124 pages - most adults would be able to finish it in less than an hour - making it likely to hold the interest of even a reluctant reader until the end.

This book in not nearly as good as the first Haunted Mask by the same author. It never tied up the ending of the first book by explaining what happened to Karlie's brother. The rest of the story was too predicteble.

I JUST LOVED THE BOOK. IT ALMOST SUCKED ME INSIDE IT.

My four year old likes this book because he loves spooky, quirky books! The illustrations are awesome. The only negative is that it does not have enough text. If you are looking for one line per page - this book is perfect.
A similar type book that is awesome - with more text - is called Mucumber McGee and the Half-Eaten Hotdog.
My little boy loves that book!

This is a cute little book that both my 3 yr. and 6 yr. old loved. It has a cute little story line and keeps the attention of the reader. I saw it in a local toy store and decided to order it on Amazon.

This book is great for the gothic crowd, or those who love halloween and the macabe. The illustrations are fabulous and my four year old daughter loves the book. The story however is a little lacking, but the pictures make up for it.

I recommend "Skelly the Skeleton Girl" for anyone, of any age who enjoys a well-crafted children's book. The artwork is STUNNING and garners a five star review on its own! I strongly disagree with the previous review saying the story was lacking. This book may be perceived as a book about Halloween, but it is not. Maybe since the main character is a skeleton girl, it is expected to be a Halloween tale, however, it is not. The story is a mystery of a found bone in the home of Skelly, done very cleverly not only in verse, but in highly detailed illustrations as well. I ordered the book for my son and he loves it. He has read it over and over, as well as having every available adult in our home, (visitors included), read it to him. He almost has the whole book memorized and seems to find something new in the illustrations every time he opens the book. I highly recommend this for anyone is looking for a high quality, beautiful children's book.

I enjoyed this book, even though it was nothing like anything that I expected. When I first thought of Frankenstein, I saw a creature that was ten feet tall, had bolts in his neck, and was hideously ugly. As I started reading the book, I soon realized that Frankenstein wasn't the name of the creature at all, it was the inventor. Mary Shelley never gave the creature a name, which I thought was odd. She did give a description of him, but I was surprised that it was nothing like the "classical image of Frankenstein." This book was at times hard to follow, and hard to predict. At times, I wondered if this hideous creature was really so bad. Mary Shelley painted this picture of thoughtfulness and actually gave the creature a heart. He was seen as a monster by society, when in fact he had the heart of a human to the reader. This book puts all the movies that I have ever seen about Frankenstein to shame. I started to wonder where the writers of the movie got their information, because they changed one of the most important elements of the book-the creation and the character names.

Frankenstein is a book for all ages. Frankenstein has shown versatility throughout its life. This book has been adapted by its readers to represent all eras. It offers the reader a look not only into the past but also to the near future. With such things as the Human Gnome project in mid-flourish Frankenstein has yet again opened the eyes of its readers. The horror is not in the story but is in the representation it presents to us today. Technology, science, love, and when you throw in the ambition of "Victor" you can closely relate to this tale. Mary Schelley may have never intended for Frankenstein to be a book into the subconscious, or a representation of Marxist ideologies and various other criticism, but it has lend itself to be a perfect subject for study. Frankenstein is truly a book worthy of reading by the most critical of readers.

Since childhhod I always heard the name Frankenstein, but I never knew the story. Up until I read the novel by Mary Shelley, I thought that Frankenstein was the actual monster. Without seeing any of the movies, I had my own mental images of what "Frankenstein" looked like. I always saw pictures or costumes of "Frankenstein" which made him to be this huge, gross monster. Upon reading this novel, I learned that Victor Frankenstein was a creator interested in science and that the monster was his creation. Even after I concluded my reading I did not have a detailed description of the monster. So, I let my imagination run wild based on Victor's response to his creation, the monster's feelings of himslef, and on my previous images. Mary Shelley lets her audience create the monster mentally and pictorally. I also really like the manner in which the story is told. It is told via letters and via conversations that share emotions and the history of the creation and its consequences. The book kept me at the edge of my bed a few times. I could not believe all the hardships and losses encountered by Victor. I also could not believe his disgust with his own creation which he wanted so badly to create. Throughout many points I felt bad for the monster. My pitty for him and his alienation made me think that I was right in thinking that Frankenstien was the monster. He created something he wanted but when he got the job done he did not end up liking the fruits of his labor. I also really enjoyed the novel because of its contradictions. For example, creating life using "dead" parts. There are many different ways to interpret Victor's story and his relationships as well as his thoughts, feelings, and causes of his actions. I thought that the novel was very touching at the end. I really enjoyed reading it , and I'm glad that I now know the story of Frankenstein, and who the real monster is!

There is a certain image that is attached with the name Frankenstien that just makes people all over think of a mad scientists creation that is 10 feet tall with bolts on his neck, green skin, and viens popping out all over. In reality, Mary Shelley had a much different picture painted for readers in her book Frankenstein. Shelley does an amazing job of depicting her story of the creator whose name is Frankenstein, not the creatures, journey through his own psychological difficulties. Her use of imagrey and detail makes it and easy read for high school, college students, old and young alike. It is a classic tale of what goes around, comes around and in the end, you pay for your decisions 10 fold. There is continuious adventure and mystery learking with each turn of a page, and this keeps the reader on the edge. This novel is one of adventure and drama, and I give it a 10!

This edition contains several critical essays about Frankenstein (they follow the actual story). Each essay uses a particular literary theory and applies it to the text 9in front of the essay is a description/analysis of the theory being used). For example, one essay applies Freud's Oedipus Complex and Lacan's Mirror Stage to the development of Victor and the monster. Some of the other theories are Feminism, Marxism and New Historicism. It is interesting to see the novel from all these different perspectives. Expect to see contradictions in interruptions from theory to theory. My only complaint is the selection of essays. Half of them are poorly chosen (ex. Psychoanalysis and Feminism). I could have selected a better selection. The essays can be very confusing; jumping all over the place and trying to cover to many ideas at once. It takes awhile simply to figure out exactly what the author's main point is. You would have better luck simply researching the theory and then applying what you know yourself to the text. Either way, it is a fun exercise and makes one appreciate even more just how amazing a book it truly is.

According to someone at Centipede Press (a susbsidiary of Millipede Press), this book is on the boat from Hong Kong as of 8/15/08 and should be available in four weeks. For fans of the film, Cronenberg and author Tim Lucas (publisher of Video Watchdog Magazine), this is The Big Kahuna of books. The New Flesh is trembling right now...

Compared to the first volume of Hack/Slash, this one's pencilling looks like there wasn't much effort putten in work. To make a long story short, most of the drawings looks pretty lame compared to the first book.
But the stories are actually pretty good!, maybe less than the first volume, but good. I really enjoyed reading this book, despite the graphics which you don't really care about after a few pages.
Nevertheless, the trailers part was very thrilling, and I'm looking forward to the next episodes on the way, and also for volume 3.

Enjoy

This, like the first volume, is a collection of "episodes", each one basically a small scale slasher movie. This volume only has two of these stories, they're both just as good as those in the first volume. The characters, writing, dialogue, are all still good, but the artwork is drastically different in this, and in my opinion, not in a good way. Once you get used to it, though, it shouldn't get in the way of your enjoyment too much. I'm surprised that they're actually turning this series into a movie as it doesn't seem to be too widely known, but it should be interesting.

This is not really my thing it appears, and as such, this is a 3 average for me, pretty much. What is cool though is the Creative Commons release, as the chance I would have seen it otherwise is zero. That being said, there are a few worthwhile stories here, but a lot of light and fluffy and very missable, and way too long when they get to part 18 of doing the same thing.

Stranger Things Happen : Carnation Lily Lily Rose - Kelly Link
Stranger Things Happen : Water Off a Black Dog's Back - Kelly Link
Stranger Things Happen : The Specialist's Hat - Kelly Link
Stranger Things Happen : Flying Lessons - Kelly Link
Stranger Things Happen : Travels with the Snow Queen - Kelly Link
Stranger Things Happen : Vanishing Act - Kelly Link
Stranger Things Happen : Survivor's Ball or The Donner Party - Kelly Link
Stranger Things Happen : Shoe and Marriage - Kelly Link
Stranger Things Happen : Most of My Friends Are Two-Thirds Water - Kelly Link
Stranger Things Happen : Louise's Ghost - Kelly Link
Stranger Things Happen : The Girl Detective - Kelly Link


Dead man story.

3.5 out of 5


Evil parents and pooches.

3 out of 5


Noisy munching millinery.

3.5 out of 5


Instructions not very useful.

2.5 out of 5


The geese should complain.

3 out of 5


Insubstantial Ping-Pongers.

2.5 out of 5


Just the leftover people for dinner, I think.

3.5 out of 5


Unrelated pairs in quadruple.

2.5 out of 5


Blonde, smooth and scary.

3 out of 5


Less one Louise.

3 out of 5


Better than reminding you of the mother-in-law, I suppose.

2.5 out of 5




2 out of 5

Some great friends (thank you Greg and Ian) made me a gift of this book in the belief that Kelly Link's playful and haunting fantasies would help see me through the down days of a major operation.

Because of the medications, it took me longer than I expected to bounce back but I did enjoy reading some of Kelly's tales of unlikely coincidences and returns from the grave. She must have been through a similar trauma herself to know what it feels like to have everyone peering st you from the land of the living while you're feeling absolutely elsewhere. Her story "Flying Lessons" begins with a piece of advice about going to hell. Make sure you die first! And as Joss Whedon knew so well, when he wrote Season Six of Buffy, sometimes the dead don't want to come back! They have attained a sense finally of belonging that their fractured family relationships and strained romantic affairs never delivered to them when they were here.

In Kelly Link's world, the membrane between heaven and earth is very permeable. In "The Girl Detective" it's right there at the back of your closet, "behind all those racks of clothes that you don't wear any more." On both sides of the grave vocabulary is eliminated to a very few words, which helps to give her fiction that Isak Dinesen edge of having been translated from somewhere absolutely cold and otherworldly. And the second person gives you the feeling of being talked to directly, like an old crone in a fairy tale speaking to you in a gingerbread house, with something of the direct address of one accustomed to "Bolivian Marching Powder" (BRIGHT LIGHTS BIG CITY). I have heard that Link is the warmest of the new writers who are taking over American fiction from the frontier, but her writing emanates the sort of chill you get from looking at dry ice in a Michael Jackson video of the 1980s.

Fan favorites include, "Louise's Ghost," whose "mouth stays open as though he's eating air," and the troubling and melancholy "Vanishing Act," sort of a modernday retelling of the famous JM Barrie play "Mary Rose." Well, it used to be famous, a long time ago.

(Mostly) a collection of classic fairy tales seen through the eyes of a modern person, neurotically and critically at that. Haunting, inspiring and funny.

my life's course was set. i was going to be the next chekhov, or maybe the next john cheever. then i read this book, and the dream was over. kelly link is very very talented, and her talent made me see the light. i really have no talent. next to her stories, mine are merely vomit on unfortunate pages. i might as well get one of those sturdy, all-purpose brushes and go off into a future of scrubbing public toliets for a living. this woman has shown me that i am no writer. why did i ever read this book! why??????????????

In his liner notes to a 2005 CD titled "Back in New York," jazz enthusiast Peter Straub (yes, that Peter Straub), briefly touches on the concept of mastery, stating "What is represented here is mastery of a very particular kind. As a rule, mastery of any kind demands both a rich talent and an utter dedication to its development; in improvised music, only a few obtain mastery of this kind." Although Straub was referring to the great tenor saxaphonist Scott Hamilton with those words, he probably could be persuaded that they also apply to fantasist Kelly Link (heck, he's already dubbed her "the most impressive writer of her generation") , who, for the last decade, has demonstrated an unparalleled mastery of the short story form in every sense of that word. In retrospect, to say she has mastered the form is perhaps an understatement: not only has she tamed this particular beast, she's taught it a few new tricks. Her talent and dedication shine through in each and every tale.

Link's collections are treasure troves of creative storytelling, each volume a celebration of the power of the imagination, each story a unique, glittering gem worthy of careful and repeated inspection. Combining fantastic concepts with familiar elements of the real world, Link's works reveal there are myriad ways of interpreting and portraying "reality". You'll rarely encounter a writer as warm, adventurous, eclectic and sharp witted as Link. Fearless, there is no place she won't go; empathic, she effortlessly conveys to her audience the nuances of her characters' pain, bewilderment, joy and understanding.

Stranger Things Happen contains stories about dead men, newlyweds, twins, thieves, princesses, strange cousins, cannibals, marriage, unrequited love, ghosts, and girl detectives. Magic for Beginners sports stories featuring handbags, zombies, cannons, a haunted house, felines, contingency plans, divorce, a television show, and peacocks. Link writes about each of these topics with equal aplomb and inventiveness. She's aware of the numerous levels of story, of tales within tales, of the many paths she can choose in telling her stories-amazingly, she always picks what seems to be the most entertaining road to travel.

Her titles alone are arresting. Stranger Things Happen (featuring stories written between 1995-2000) contains, among others, "The Specialist's Hat," "Flying Lessons," "Travels with the Snow Queen," "Shoe and Marriage," "Most of My Friends are Two Thirds Water," and "The Girl Detective." Magic for Beginners (with stories written between 2002-2004) boasts the title story, "Catskin," "Some Zombie Contingency Plans," and "The Great Divorce." The titles fulfill their strange promise in surprising ways.

Simply put, these collections are delightful, the stories perfect for engaging your intellect and sense of whimsy and purging yourself of the mundane. Check them out, and learn for yourself that, when it comes to spinning edgy tall tales, the unconventional Link is in a class by herself.