Horror Books

I purchased this book for my 15 yo who described it as weird and juvenile. I am passing it on to my 13 yo to read, I think it is more suited for that age group!

There is a lot of honesty in this book, although it is sometimes covered up by too much effort to create a parallel world. Once you get past the jargon and the altered realities, you meet a girl who is different enough to be compelling. There are nice touches that made this book stand out for me: her mother is a hard-core military hero (which is different); her father is an alcoholic nutjob who lives in the attic; and the house comes with its very own immaterial servant who ends up nearly stealing our heroine's life force. It could almost be a metaphor of not giving ones self away to easily to please others, but I think I was reading too much in to it. Fun, strange...that about sums it up.

There are a lot of incredibly sad things going on in Flora's world. For one thing her very name, Flora Segunda, refers to the fact that she is the second Flora born to her parents, the first being lost in the war when her and her father were taken hostage by the Huitzil soldiers. Her father spent three years as a prisoner of war, and when he returned his spirits were broken and he now putters around the house a rampant alcoholic who cannot forget the past, nor forgive himself for it. Her mother is the Warlord's Commanding General, the rock of Califa she is called, and she is a workaholic who leaves all of the household responsibility on young Flora's shoulders. And that's a lot of work. In Crackpot hall, as in all grand houses, there is supposed to be a butler to maintain the 11,000 space-shifting rooms but her mother banished him for misdeeds before Flora was born, so now it's Flora's responsibility. Added to that she has the upcoming pressures of her Catorcena speech, her coming-into-the-age-of-maturity ceremony, and that means she won't be able to pursue her dream, to be trained as a Ranger like her idol, Nini Mo.

Things start to look up at Crackpot hall when an overdue library book and a rogue elevator introduce Flora to Valefor, the young magical Denizen who resides in the house as its butler, or rather, former butler as he no longer has the strength to do any real work. At first his appearance is strange to Flora until he acquires some of his rather unique nourishment... the anima breathe from Flora, which he steals in the form of kisses. Then he proves to be a very handsome, and purple, young man. Now Flora can concentrate on other activities while Valefor surreptitiously does the household chores; like spending time with her best friend, Udo (a foppish young dandy who I also suspect to be a bit of a whoopsie), while they try to break Udo's idol (one Dainty Pirate) out of jail just before his scheduled death sentence... Sentenced by Flora's mother, of course... before Flora disappears.

I was amazed and astounded by Wilce's ability to compel the reader. Not only does she have the knack at writing characters that are really interesting, but she has impeccable dialogue and intriguing plotlines that add a freshness to what could be an old hat tale. It reminds me of Diana Wynne Jones, but not in plagiarism kind of way. I adored this. I am buying a copy for everyone I know. It's superb... sublime... splendiferous even!

This enjoyable book includes fantasy, magic, and eccentric, but loveable characters that are very real and that the reader cares about. I didn't want the book to end. This novel defies classification. I thought it would be another "Gormenghast" (it isn't) or a picaresque comedy like "Tristam Shandy" (it's not). It is a young adult novel, as the plot centers around a couple of teens struggling to grow up in trying circumstances. But unlike many YA books, it doesn't talk down to kids and displays a large and varied vocabulary. And sometimes (not always) the teens are wiser than the adults. The audience for this novel isn't limited to teen readers. I'm not young, but I really enjoyed the book. I can't wait for the next book, which I understand will be published in a few months.

Ysabeau Wilce (pronounced Iz-a-bow Wils) has entered the literary scene with a genre-blending and rule-bending story she likes to call Flora Segunda, Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), A House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and A Red Dog. This tongue-twister of a title is just as fun to say as supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, and the story is more fun than a barrel of monkeys . . . unless the monkeys are wearing fashionable clothes, diving into their family's past, learning about their country's military pathways, and attempting to figure out the intentions of a ghostly genie-esque butler, in which case, those monkeys are more than ready to party with the likes of Flora.

The title character, Flora Segunda, is sometimes naive but always spunky. When she finds a mysterious, forgotten room in her gigantic home, she also finds a magical butler who is stuck there. He charms her and begs her for help. This sends Flora on a journey full of twists and turns, mixed with magic, politics, and family secrets.

I recommend this inventive book to adults who like the Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde, as it similarly combines elements of history, comedy, and fantasy, and to kids and teens who like to explore new worlds.

Jesse Harris, former soul-stealing succubus, current exotic dancer; living with her cop-boyfriend Paul, who does not suspect her former `life', just wants to live and enjoy her life. Admittedly, she would like to have a clean slate with Paul, but how do you tell the one you are with that you used to have sex with men, then steal their souls? And you liked it. You just could not take the workplace anymore.

Now Jesse's former co-worker, the incubus Daunuan, keeps showing up in her life. Pushing all the buttons he knows so well. He has brought some other of her former `friends' with him and they just won't leave her or Paul alone. In fact, they want to have a soul-stealing (Paul's soul-, that is) good time.

The Road to Hell is a hell of a good time. Ms. Kessler has written a strong character in Jesse. Jesse knows who she is, where she wants to go and what she is willing to do to get there. Additionally, the reader is drawn into the interplay between all the diverse personalities. The descriptions of Hell and where Hell is headed are perfect. The reader is left satisfied and yet wanting more.

Emma
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Ex-demon succubus-turned-mortal, Jezebel (aka Jesse Harris), is relishing the perks of her new life. She's got a brand-spanking new soul, still dancing as an exotic dancer, and last, but definitely not least, her own personal White Knight, Paul Hamilton - the ubersexy love of her life.
After Jesse decided to give up on Hell and all of its luxury amenities - who can forget the Lake of Fire, roasting eyeballs over the campfires (tasty), and that wonderful aroma of sulfur and brimstone (ah, reminds me of home), all Jesse wants to do is live out her mortal life. Is that too much for one girl to ask? And what is it with all the demons accosting her in the bathroom? Sheesh, a girl can't even get a bit of privacy anymore.

But Hell is now under new management, and He is still smarting after Jesse turned her back on Hell. He's decided that Jesse needs to be made an example of and means to bring her back - no matter the cost! So now Jesse's caught between having to fight off her ex-demon lover who keeps trying to tempt her back into Hell (and hooboy, can he ever do some tempting)and trying to survive the murderous psycho demon, Lilith. But when the demon's all fail in luring Jesse back into the fold, they go after the one thing that really matters to her - Paul.

This second addition to the wonderful Hell on Earth series is an absolute score for Ms. Kessler! Her writing keeps you pinned to your seat with a book you're unable to put down. And while following Jesse through the mundane mortal life is entertaining enough, it's when she goes back to Hell that the real fun begins. It's a wonderful supernatural mixture of wit, romance, and some very hot (no pun intended) scenes. I can honestly say I loved this book and eagerly await the next in the series.
~Mippy Carlson
PNR Reviews

Kessler does it again, only better! If you liked HELL'S BELLES, you'll love THE ROAD TO HELL. And if you think Laurell K. Hamilton is sexy...she's got nothin' on Jackie Kessler.

Hang in there, folks--something tells me that Hell is just gonna get hotter.

Loved the first book, "Hell's Belles", and this sequel is just as magnificent as Book 1. Former succubus, Jesse, is just starting to settle into the mortal life when her friends from the Pit come a knocking for a reunion.

The story is very good but what really drives this tale is what made the first book such a sinful pleasure: the characters and the dialogue. Kessler has created a host of captivating characters and enriches them with scrumptious and witty banter that will make fans of "Buffy: TVS" or the "Juno" movie feel right at home. Plus, Jesse is a wonderful leading lady. There's no way you can resist the charms of that seducer with a soul.

Funny, sexy and exciting is "The Road To Hell". Jackie Kessler is a goddess and this book needs to be in your shopping cart right now.

I really enjoyed this sequel to Hell's Belles, now Human with a soul, Jesse goes to Hell to save her Lover, Paul. Lilith tricked him and stole his soul and sent him to Hell. But his soul is pure and he doesn't belong there and Jesse is out to rock Hell to get her boyfriend back - or lose her soul trying. This is a fast paced enjoyable book that will have you turning the pages at 2 in the morning.

read it when i was a kid and grew up to own this crazy-fun book.

Mark Teague uses catchy characters names like Mona and Leona Fleebish and other poetic and frolicky language that is fun to read with a little attitude. This book contains a great adventure that we go on each time we read it. My kids (ages 7 and 4) love the magic in the story and the delightful twists and turns as Wendell, Mona and Floyd escape from the awful, taunting Leona Fleebish and her nasty friends. Even though this is a halloween book, we read it all year long.

One halloween night Wendell,Floyd,and Mona go trick or treating. And all of the sudden these horrible wichs start going after them.So they go into to a dark allie and so then they go down the allie so they try to hide in there but they duck to late and the witches saw them so yhey get little allice to bay and then floyd does a jump over a fence.
IF YOU LIKE gouls ghosts and witches i recamend this book to you.It has all of that in it .like when Wendell turns them invisable and Mona turns the witches
into frogs .
by mark teauge

The characters in this story are two boys, Wendell, Floyd, and a girl named Mona. The story takes place on Halloween night. Wendell is dressed as a doctor and he has invisible potion that makes him invisible. Then four witches come and call the kids names. I could relate to this story because people have called me names. This book is a good book to read around Halloween time.

This book was a big hit in my kindergarten classroom last Halloween. The illustrations are colorful and vivid and the text simple yet engaging.

I watched the movie ("The Prestige" directed by Christopher Nolan) before reading the novel. They actually differ on several points, and I don't think watching the film spoiled the reading. The novel spans a longer time period and is framed by a story set in today's world (a meeting between descendants of Borden and Angier, the two rival magicians). The plot alternates between different times and persons, like a puzzle where the pieces are different perspectives on basically the same events. In this the novel is really effective: it made me sympathise with the different narrators, although two of them are enemies. Also, even though I had watched the movie the story kept me guessing about some things until the very end. The movie is very good, but I actually like the book a little bit more as I think it makes some things more 'believable'.
The Prestige is very well written and hard to put down, and I will definitely read more novels by Christopher Priest.

the book came in a timely matter and I look forward to my summer reading

The book was a good, enjoyable read. However i believe that the movie (The Prestige) took the book and vastly improved upon it. The book somewhat lacks a climax and could be considered a disappointment. The movie outdid the book, but that doesn't mean it's not a good read.

I bought this book based on its review and was extremely disappointed.

The basic idea and plot of The Prestige was good enough, but I'm not fond of diary-style writing at all, and was unaware that most of the book would consist of this. Priest just droned on and on about details that proved to be quite mundane in the end. The ending would have been satisfying if it was not for the extra 100 pages or so of nothing.

This is an amazing story filled with all the suspense and intrigue you've come to expect from modern thrillers and even more. Priest creates two believable characters and sets them afloat in a self-inflicted storm of revenge and regret. Borden and Angier grab you by the throat and don't let go. Good intro, great build-up, great climax, and an eerily satisfying resolution. As any magic show would, it leaves you gasping for more.

With each volume of this manga we witness how the story grows, the characters gain depth, and the link between the human world and that of the gods / demons become clearer. The main focus of this installment is to show the importance of Griffith; the way he is perceived by the rest of the Hawks, his influence on Guts' life and his thirst for power, are essential pieces of the puzzle. My main question at this point regarding Griffith is if he was already a demon when he met Guts and was acting according to his plan or if he changed later in time.

There are also many enlightening developments relating to Guts personality and relationship with others. He is starting to feel a sense of belonging and to care about others. He still has trouble dealing with affection and admiration. For example, he does not know how to react to a young kid that idolizes him. On the other hand, there are some of the Hawks that despise him and want to see him dead. Casca is a case apart; she is clearly conflicted by the fact that Guts is extraordinary, but she hates him due to his impact on Griffith and for achieving what she cannot.

At this point there is not much more I can say about the graphics, they are simply outstanding. I imagine how hard it is for Miura to improve on the fights volume after volume. This time around, he introduces the Immortal Nosferatu Zodd, a legendary warrior that poses an extremely tough challenge for Guts. Especially since Zodd is a demon, and even though we have seen Guts face demons before, you have to remember that in terms of the storyline, this is the first time guts has to confront one.

The violence and gore of this manga continue to be proficiently complemented by a compelling story. In this volume the author introduces politics into the mix, since as the Hawks gain prestige and become the most feared army of mercenaries in the area, Griffith starts to be respected and considered at the status of a knight, which several nobles do not appreciate. We also get further information regarding the Behelit, which is not only a key to another dimension as we previously thought, but also: "The one who possesses it and sacrifices his own blood is destined to rule the world".

Fans of this series will be rewarded by this volume, and as you probably know by now it will contribute to the addiction.

I have to say right away that the fourth volume of Berserk put a terrible taste in my mouth. The opening chapter had a molestation scene that really stole a lot out of the series for me, and the truth is the series didn't even need it. With the way the third volume ended, we already knew what was going to happen. Here, I think implication is key, yet Kentaro Miura and DMP decided to publish such an ugly scene anyways.

Thankfully, this series gets into the lighter moments and allowed me to forget about the ugly episode in the last volume. What's found here is the beginnings of the anime, and almost everything in that anime is interpreted to the word from the manga. Though I will say that I felt like I was watching a repeat, it was interesting to see some of the characters in manga format as I read. Plus, these are the lightest moments in all of Guts's dark tale, and you can't help but enjoy it as Guts slowly works himself into the Band of the Hawk. And, like always, the scenes of action are as intense and bloody as expected, only in this volume Guts has a little more at stake than he does in the past volumes, which adds some emotion.

Berserk, though now it's in the story well-known to fans, is probably the best fantasy manga around, and though at times it may seem a little too graphic, it does warn you ahead of time with a sticker on the front and an 18+ age suggestion on the back. If you're a fan of fantasy and can handle some very mature situations, then I'd recommend this series for you. Just be careful, because sometimes the content may surprise you.

Berserk (both anime and manga) put me off at first, I didn't think that I would like it; from what pictures I had seen it looked to be a very violent and bloody manga, not that I'm bothered by those things, but I really prefer a good story and the little I had seen of it lead me to believe that it lacked substance. I have never been so happy to be wrong, as Berserk has now become my favorite anime/manga series.

Truth be told Berserk is quite violent and bloody, but that is where it catches you off guard; hidden beneath all of the blood an gore is a great story that you can't help but be caught up in, with characters that are realistic, and have convincing relationships (both platonic and romantic).

I'll be honest if you're looking for a lighthearted adventure Berserk isn't for you, but if you want an intense and well written story with original and intricate characters and plots, and don't mind violence you're bound to love Berserk; you can't help but become engrossed in it.

It tells the story of Guts, a hardened swordsman on a quest for vengeance against a group of demons known as the Godhand that destroyed all he held dear, and marked him for life with a brand that marks him as their sacrifice, a fate which he is determined to escape.
He is accompanied by an elf named Puck, who provides Guts with much annoyance and the manga with a bit of comic relief.

This particular volume is part of the Band of the Hawk arc, which details the story of Guts' past with the legendary mercenary group leading up the events that set him out on his quest for revenge.

Is it "imposter" or "impostor"--that's the question that nagged me while I read The Three Imposters. Which spelling is correct, and which is the imposter/or? The lexicographers need to come down hard on this issue!

That aside, The Three Imposters is a black diamond of a little dark fantasy, told in hypnotic descriptive prose. The book is structured as a series of stories within a frame story, much like the Decameron or Canterbury Tales, only the frame story has its own plot and is the most interesting of all in The Three Imposters. The sub-stories range from the strange to the macabre, to the frankly paranormal, each entertaining in its own right, besides what it contributes to the whole. Moreover, Machen's style glitters with curious flights of thought and characterizations, wellnigh as entertaining as the story itself.

What struck me most of all about The Three Imposters is how panoramically influencial this short book is, as if it were the whole nine muses of twentieth century literature! The Maltese Falcon owes an obvious debt to the Gold Tiberius. I think that the Novel of the Dark Valley is a clear precursor to the Trial, and obviously, Lovecraft derived his entire schtick from the Adventure of the Lost Brother. Machen himself must have been influenced by Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, published about 10 years earlier, but Machen amplifies the original, rather than narrowing it.

Altogether, The Three Imposters is well worth the 150 pages or so of reading time. Dyson and Phillipps are my new literary heroes! I would recommend this Chaosium edition, which includes these several other quality Machen works and sells for nearly the same price as other editions.

First of all, a warning; do NOT read the introduction to Machen by S. T. Joshi strangely placed in the front of the book before you read the stories. The otherwise excellent introduction contains spoilers to all the stories, something I thankfully noticed at an early time. Being part of my effort to "branch out" beyond H. P. Lovecraft, I purchased all the three books by Arthur Machen that has been published by Chaosium. The tales within turned out to be excellent, and I quickly saw why HPL praised Machen so highly. Even though parts of the tales no longer appear as "shocking" as they once did, with their horror being centred on "sex and pagans", they still have a mild discomfort to offer, and the final tale of the book is, as we shall see, quite the masterpiece.

The first tale is "The Great God Pan", a very good tale, but as I've said; time has not been kind to this. A naked God in the forest don't exactly scare or shock people these days, at least not in the way that Machen intended. Although, it should be noted that I'm not the type of "conventional Christian" that Machen had in mind as his audience when he wrote it. The tale details an experiment gone "wrong", where a young girl sees and interacts with the ancient heathen god Pan. The result pops out nine months later, and several horrific incidents spawn from this. A fine tale, but a bit dated.

The second tale is much more to my taste, "The Inmost Light" (and for fans of the marvellous English musical group Current 93, I assume this is where Tibet got his title), also a taste centred around an experiment, where an occultist attempt to capture the essence of the body, "The Inmost Light", in a gem. A wonderful tale with an eerie feeling throughout.

The third tale is "The Shining Pyramid", a tale about the well-known "Little people", and one of the two best tales in the book. It unfolds somewhat like a detective novel, where two men find strange clues to uncanny activities in connection to the disappearance of a young woman in the Welsh countryside. The protagonists suspect the hands of the pre-Aryan inhabitants of Europe, and the tale is an effective weird tale, with Machen's wonderful prose really showing its best side.

The final tale, or I should say "tales", is the title story, "The Three Impostors", which is a strange creation of interlocking tales many in number. The tale is about a young man in London, a wannabe writer, who through random encounters with a few people hears several tales that all contain a few common elements; "a young man with large spectacles" and some weird and horrific incidents involving this young man. But alas all is not as it appears to be, and we are brought to several places in the search for this man, and what it all means is not revealed before the final phrases, where the real evil is revealed. This tale is among the best work I've read in the genre, and it really gives you the creeps at various parts, some of it being simply excellent.

Highly recommended!

This review is only about the title story, or rather, short novel. It is a circular story, as it ends where it begins. Characters have multiple identities and strange coincidences abound. It is a macabre joke, a foundational book of the cosmic horror a la Lovecraft and his Ctulhu mysteries. It is also a peak of the late Victorian era and much more. What makes it more than a genre story is the poetic quality of its literature. There are paragraphs that would make little perfect prose poems.

Along several months, or years, Dyson and Phillips meet different persons, who have in common the search for a shy and nervous young man with a little black moustache and big spectacles. Each one of these persons tells his or her story in inserted chilling tales, full of the imagery that would later become cliche. This is no cheap horror: it has a great sense of humor, it is not about axe-grinding nor about phantoms and exorcisms. It is pure cosmic horror, the horror of hidden forces and obscure memories of a remote past. It is a horror of strange gatherings and incognoscible conspiracies. The inserted stories are often compiled independently of their contextual frame: "The novel of the Dark Valley" is an adventure in the loneliness of the Rocky Mountains, with a pre-Kafkian touch that makes you go pale. "The novel of the Black Seal" happens in the Welsh wilderness, with a mad scientist and beings from the past. "The novel of the Iron Maiden" includes a collectionist of instruments of torture. "The novel of the White Powder" is about a substance that transforms humans into something indefinible and horrific. Finally, ""The story of the Spectacled Young Man" closes the circle and "explains" everything.

Like a good Englishman, Machen is a master of the understatement. More than showing, he insinuates to let the readers feel for themselves all the weight of the horror of the world, the mysteries that haunt us, and the strangeness of this life. Little surprise, then, that this was one of Jorge Luis Borges's favorite books, since much of his beloved subjects are here: ancient and undecipherable languages; stories lost in time; mirror games; equivocal identities; implacable gods; and somber mansions. Much recommended.

Other reviews are longer and more in-depth. This is meant as a quickie.

The title story is the heavy-hitter of this collection; it ties several shorter stories together under one title. The other stories are much shorter but have their twists and turns as well.

The language is not as dry as one might expect from stories written a century ago.

Worth four stars out of five.

As the title says, I found this collection so intriguing that I will be buying the next volume (The White People and other Tales). The only work that I had previously known by Arthur Machen was "The Great God Pan", which has shown up in so many anthologies that I am thoroughly sick of it, although it is a good read the first few times through. "The Inmost Light" was quite disturbing to me in terms of plumbing the depravity of the human soul. "The Shining Pyramid" was a good supernatural detective story, in my opinion, although the intuitive leaps made by the protagonist would have made Fox Mulder proud. This clearly inspired quite a few of Robert Howard's stories.

Clearly, the crown jewel of this collection is "The Three Imposters." The deeper I got into this novel, the more engrossed I became. It is made up of 14 short stories, each of which is part of an overarching storyline that involves the protagonist, a golden coin, a man with spectacles, and 3 people who are not who they say they are. Each successive short story drew me in further. Some of the best reading I have done in years!

I Only Have Fangs for You (The Young Brothers, Book 3)

Absolutely loved this book. Recommend the whole series to anyone who loves a good entertaining story. This books gives the final brother the love of his life with a definate twist at the end.

Such a cute story. I can just imagine that women far and wide will fall in love with Sebastian, if they haven't already from the two previous books. He's sweet, funny, sexy, and with a boyish grin to boot. I loved the fact that even those he love (like his family) assume the worst of him...but only in that we love him, anyway sort of way...and he is flabbergasted upon discovering this. He's definitely found his match in Mina. The meetings of super-everythings (given like an AA meetings) were hilarious. I feel this book has definitely surpassed the first two.

This book (the 3rd and last of the Young Brothers)was full of twist and turns. First the heroin was not typical. The bad guy well you just aren't sure to the end. And the end well let's just say it wasn't.
You will enjoy this book and fall for the Young brothers all over again

There is nothing really to say except READ THIS SERIES! The writing flows, the characters have soo much personality and the storyline is great! I have all her books and intend to keep it that way! You should too!!

Sebastian loves being a single vampire. What's not to like? He always looks young and women love him. Sebastian even runs one of the hottest nightclubs, Carfax Abbey. Mina Weiss is working at as a waitress at Carfax Abbey, only being a waitress is not Mina's real job. She and her organization are out to close Carfax Abbey in order to protect the unsuspecting human patrons. When Sebastian finds out Mina's true mission, he's determined to convince her that he's not a monster. He offers her a challenge, he'll refrain from biting anyone for a month if she'll let him show her just how much fun it is to be a vampire. Let the challenge begin!

I Only Have Fangs For You is more than a just a treat, it's a complete four course meal! Constantly the ladies man in his brothers' books, Fangs For The Memories and Fangs But No Fangs, watching Sebastian finally meet his match was hilariously funny. Kathy Love has a true gift for delivering sexy romance with a side of comedy that will keep me coming back again and again for another serving!


Melissa
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

This is a good book. If you like cheap and sleazy werewolf storys (like I do) then you'll like this.

If you have not yet read a Ray Garton book, then you are in for a treat!

Before I read this novel, Animals by John Skipp & Craig Spector was my favorite werewolf novel. . . No longer though. . .
Ray Garton has written the quintessential werewolf novel!

I have always been a fan of the hardcore, violent vampire novels - werewolf novels are generally good, yet I always preferred vampires to werewolves. However, due to this novel, Ray again has changed my preferences - the werewolves in this book could tear a vampire to shreds!! I so hope that Ray chooses to write another werewolf novel - preferably a sequel to this one!

I cannot rave enough about this book, so I am not even going to try.
It is a super fast read with great characters!!
Just go buy it and enjoy it!! You will be glad that you did!

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I've just started reading "Ravenous" and have encountered a pet peave of mine that too many writers are guilty of: telling the reader everything that's going on every second of every scene; every movement of the character; every detail of a room. It took five pages for the werewolf hunter to get from the lobby to the room the werewolves are in. Flow and economy in writing are wonderful things, and they are both lacking so far in this book. Even if the story itself turns out to be ultimately interesting, it's going to be a chore getting through it with this writing style.

I must say, this will be my first ever, critical review. I thought the idea of werewolfism being a STD was great, brilliant even. And for the most part, the book was a good read. The characters were not as fleshed out as I would have hoped, but it was still pretty good. But then I got to the ending. I have never been so disappointed in my life in the ending of a book. I felt like I got punk'd. The author built up the character of Fargo as being very Van Helsing. He was out for revenge against the main werewolf who killed his family. And when the big fight is about to start, the hero of the story, the sheriff, tells him to go back to his motel room and wait there. And Fargo actually listened to him. I kept expecting him to bust in guns blazing. But he went to his motel to sulk. And the sheriff, the hero, sells Fargo's life for his own, but gets killed anyways in a pure cowardly act on the sheriff's part. And when the main werewolf went to the motel, I couldn't get the idea of the classic SNL "landshark" skit out of my head. The werewolf might as well said, "candy gram", least it would have made me laugh, maybe. I don't mind an ending where the bad guy wins. I actually enjoy those ones. Especially when its unexpected. But I want to see the heroes go down fighting in a blaze of glory and blood. Not "ok, I'll wait at the motel" and giving away the other hero's location so he can save his own hide. I felt like I read a fan fiction more than a book from what I assume is a professional author.

In a sleepy little town, evil is bubbling beneath the surface, waiting to erupt. Women are getting violently raped, dead bodies are rising from their slabs in the morgue to walk out, vicious murders are taking place, and strange creatures, resembling large wolves are stalking the darkening abyss of the night.

Meanwhile, a man named Daniel Fargo has the answer to the riddle; he understands that what the sleepy town of Big Rock is against isn't man made carnage, but something of the supernatural. Yes, Virginia, werewolves do exist. Now it's a race against time as the enigmatic Fargo tracks down the beasts, waiting for the day he might avenge himself. But, he's going to need help. In order to destroy the evil that lurks in the night, he must confide in the ever skeptical sheriff Arlin Hurley. However, Hurley is loath to believe the truth behind the myth and as he disregards Fargo, the murders persist. What will happen to Big Rock if the werewolves are not contained? What will become of our world as their evil seed spreads? Welcome to Big Rock --- population decreasing.


The wonderful world of Ray Garton's self styled horror is back in full force. The usual emphasis on sex, violence, and gory death has not been overturned in favor of the lighter side, but has darkened over the years, presenting the latest Garton, Ravenous with a bleak atmosphere complemented by the description of ever present drizzling rain, cold dark woods, and creaky abandoned houses festooned with mummified corpses. The ceaseless violence and mayhem begin immediately, never allowing the reader to awaken from the nightmare, never giving pause in the tale for a respite. Indeed, Garton has increased his love of mutilation and gore, presenting some scenes that are just too melancholy for modern audiences. For instance, the werewolves are not prey to discrimination as they happily feast on pregnant women and innocent children. Yes Garton, we want the violence, but not the sadness. This time, the horror genre has simply gone too far. Get depressed.

Garton's writing style is conducive to the atmosphere of dread, describing the scenes in vivid detail, entwining the language of horror with the emotions of the characters and the never ending hunger of a beast from legend. Garton chooses to allow his characters to narrate, alternating chapters between the protagonists and villains, giving each a distinctive voice and aura. This is perhaps one of the greatest elements in the story's success, since the language allows the tale to truly come to life, engulfing the reader in a story, that while unrealistic, is more than believable once the vivid language starts to paint a scene of death.

The characters are also a bleak lot, falling into yawning chasms of depression. They act appropriately horrified, saddened, and disgusted, making them become human. Garton even threw in a genuine love story that brings two characters vibrantly alive and grants the audience a much needed dose of sentimentality, allowing these specific characters to become central to the unfolding drama and gain our hearts along the way. Hurley, the disbelieving sheriff also proves to be a likeable, albeit short sited protagonist. Since most of the drama is told through his perspective we get to know and love Hurley as well making him a central character in our circle of protagonists.

However, despite the few characters mentioned above, most of the personalities in this novel only serve a meager purpose: future werewolf chow. Yes folks, they are there to get eaten over the course of several pages and their screams are intended to drag more sleepy eyed werewolf chow from their surprisingly insecure homes. The secondary characters are not totally devoid of humanity, and we, the collective audience, are still able to light the spark of empathy for them. The reader just wishes that before they were eaten, we could get to know them a little better. The human element is not missing, its just not Garton's best interpretation.

Ravenous is surprisingly imaginative in its modern retelling of the old wolf man themes. Garton, in a desperate attempt to get sex into all of his novels, has made lycanthropy transmittable only by sexual contact and since most of his characters are surprisingly licentious, it doesn't take the virus long to spread. See, you should always practice safe sex! Likewise, the werewolves are not just monsters baying at the moon (although there is a lot of that) nor are they the sympathetic souls who chain themselves alone in a room for the protection of mankind. They are cold, hard blooded killers that tell a surprisingly good story as they are allowed to narrate their own chapters, disclosing the secret thoughts of a lycanthrope for the reader's entertainment. As with all of his tales, Garton takes an ancient legend and gives it a modern twist making the familiar take on new dimensions.

As with Garton's preoccupation with violence, the sex scenes in this book have gone beyond traditional Garton and have become disturbingly violent taking the aura of despair to whole new levels. However, these scenes are not as frequent as the scenes of death and carnage, but nonetheless, they make the entire atmosphere a little too disturbing to be entirely enjoyable.

The plot is well structured and tension-filled, keeping the readers on the edges of their collective seats, forever trying to guess the woeful ending. But, to no avail! The plot twists, following shadowed corridors of violence, death, and lycanthropy leading the reader on a dangerous journey through a what-if scenario of gnashing fangs and great, silver lupine eyes staring out of the dark, rain soaked night. The conclusion races forward, delivering a shocking ending and more than one death leaving the reader to gasp as the very last sentence says it all, delivering a somber prediction for the future. The reader will be more than satisfied and will feel a prickling of curiosity, wondering just what will happen to the world after the last page.

Conclusion: Despite a few flaws, such as the rampant gore and some shallow characterization, Ravenous proves, in the end, to be worth the minor irritations. The protagonists grab our hearts and attention, the drama is all consuming, and the tension is rather addicting. The story will leave the reader breathless, waiting for more, staying awake all night, blood shot eyes riveted to the page, cups of discarded coffee strewn over the room, dawn seeping in around the window curtains. Fast paced, riveting, and entertaining, Ravenous is a novel to die for. Sweet dreams. To sleep, perchance to die.

- Ravenova

An interesting blend of ingredients: a dash of history, a pinch of the occult, and a healthy cuff of murder. This novel is an ambitious literary soufle. Most authors would flatten it into fare thinner than an IHOP pancake.

Connolly however manages to raise our expectation.

Suspend your disbelief. Savor this mystery with the lights turned low and silence your surroundings.

I love Connolly's books. First, they are always filled with great mysteries and suspense. Second, there is always a small dose of the paranormal mixed into it. And finally, his writing is so poetic and so beautiful that it makes the reading experience all that more entertaining. Bad Men does not disappoint. Although it is a rare book that doesn't feature detective Charlie Parker, it is still an intricate novel filled with great characters and incredible twists and turns.

The small island of Sanctuary, Maine, has a dark past. Its history is full of murders, traitors and deceptions. The island has been dormant for some time now, the inhabitants having been left alone to live their every day life without fear or pain. But when a group of Bad Men arrive on the island, things change quite dramatically.

Joe Dupree, the island's Sheriff, is somewhat of a legend for Sanctuary. Called the giant because of his towering height, he is in love with
Marianne, a young mother who has just moved to the island. Little does he know that Marianne holds some secrets she isn't ready to share, secrets that will undoubtedly threaten the very existence of the island. Secrets that will awaken the dark side of the island.

Although the first half of the novel is a bit too slow moving, the author taking his time to tell the tale of the island and of the Bad Men in question, its second half is well worth the wait. As the story progresses, you never know where it will take you. No one in this story is safe. No one in this story is fully good or fully bad. These are flawed humans with secrets, secrets that might very spell their doom.

This is one of my favourite Connellys. I couldn't put it down. When the novel ends, I actually wanted more out of the story. It's still amazing to me that Connolly, and Irishman living in Europe, can capture the essence of small-town coastal Maine.

I can't wait for Connolly to write another stand alone novel. I love his Charlie Parker mysteries, but Bad Men prove that he has much more to offer.

This is a top notch book if you like thrillers. The bad guys were pure evil and richly developed characters. This was my first Connolly book and it lead me to read the entire Charlie Parker series which were also very enjoyable.

Bad Men by John Connolly is a dark, disturbing book about the worst kind of evil: the sort men are capable of doing to other men. Some authors write about evil in order to demonstrate the ultimate power of good; others, like Stephen King, use evil as a tool in telling a story about the supernatural. Mr. Connolly, by contrast, appears to enjoy writing about evil simply for the sake of writing about evil.

There are four main characters in this book: three of them are people; one of them is an island. All of them are tortured, complex souls. Moloch is the tortured bad man, a convicted spouse abuser who escapes prison and goes on a murder spree. Bent on enacting revenge on his betraying wife, he is unable to understand why he is plagued by visions from the ancient past. Marianne is Moloch's tortured wife. She turned her husband over to the law years ago and lives in fear of his eventual release from prison. She lives under a new identity with her son on Dutch Island, Maine, as far away from Moloch as she can get. Joe DuPree is Dutch Island's tortured policeman. He is a giant of a man and has lived with resultant ridicule his entire life. He comes from a long line of Dutch Island DuPrees, and he is is love with Marianne, though he is unaware of her secret past. The fourth character is Dutch Island itself. The little island lies so far out in the Atlantic that it is virtually cut off from the mainland except for a twice-a-day ferry that doesn't run in foul weather--which in the winter turns out to be more days than not. The island used to be called Sanctuary, back in the dark past of which Moloch dreams without knowing why. And it has a past of its own, and it is tortured too, in its own way.

Strange spirits move deep within the woods of Dutch Island. Things happen here that no one can quite explain. Old paths through the forest become overgrown and nearly impossible to find overnight. The ancient watchtower on the coast sometimes seems to be inhabited, though not by anyone who can ever be seen. Something terrible happened here centuries ago, and the island has not forgotten. And now, with Moloch and his band of evil men making their way across the country toward Dutch Island and Marianne, the ancient spirits of the island are beginning to wake up.

It is not clear from reading the book what Connolly intended his readers to get out of it. There is no discernable moral, none of the characters undergoes an epiphany, and by the end of the book, the reader feels so oppressed by Moloch's criminal insanity that without any positive message to offset the horrible crimes described in such great detail, one wonders exactly what the author was trying to get across. Nevertheless, Connolly writes about the criminal mind brilliantly, though whether or not that is a commendable attribute may be open to debate. We get an all-too-clear picture of what's happening in Moloch's mind as he bounces back and forth between his dreams of ancient evil and his participation in present crimes.

Connolly portrays his villains (Moloch is not the only evil man in the story; he is the leader of a whole group of murderous thugs) in an almost sympathetic way. At no point in the book does the reader begin to root for the evildoers, or even identify with them, but the author does give them individual personalities and motivations for their actions. As the book's title might suggest, the bulk of the narrative and most of the action follows Moloch's gang as they make their way toward Dutch Island. The author covers the other characters thoroughly and doesn't leave any loose ends, but his heart never quite seems to be in the writing when he's not examining the criminals and their crimes. The romance between the hulking Joe DuPree and Marianne, for example, is sweet but almost entirely without substance. Their developing relationship is never quite convincing, and their single sexual encounter is, while happily not described in great detail, also devoid of feeling and seems utterly shallow. Compare this with the emotion and depth with which Connolly describes one character's murder of an innocent man because he was talking too loud on a cell phone, and it's not difficult to see why the law-abiding characters tend to come off as dry and almost boring.

The central idea behind the story--a place that seeks revenge for horrors perpetrated there--is not an original one, but it works for Connolly every bit as well as it has worked for others in the past. Connolly employs a haunted island instead of a haunted house or a graveyard, and the touch of originality gives the story just enough of a chill factor to keep readers guessing. The ghosts manage to be creepy without being ridiculous, and the islanders' encounters with them are part scary and part curious, leading to a real anticipation of what will happen when the spirits of the dead get their hands on the present-day murderers when they finally get to the island.

The story climaxes when Moloch and his band of merry murderers get to Dutch Island and seek out Marianne so that Moloch can pay her back for her treachery. As expected, the island comes alive with a horrible response to the evil that has reached its shores. Unfortunately, the book's finale is rather unsatisfying, and the end comes abruptly. Nothing is left unsettled, but the reader puts the book down feeling a little bit bewildered by how suddenly the story has come to an end.

Bad Men is enjoyable in some respects, but it's enjoyable in the same way that some people enjoy watching a scary movie: it's so terrible that it somehow rings true. The writing is good enough to keep readers going through the horrific descriptions of awful crimes, though it's not quite good enough to justify not having any central message or theme other than the evil that truly insane men can sometimes commit. Christians will find little to latch onto in the story. While it is certainly true that evil of the kind John Connolly writes about exists in the world, it's best to discuss it while keeping in mind that God has already conquered all evil. Evil men still do horrible things, but God has already secured the ultimate victory. In Bad Men, triumph over evil comes from the vengeful spirits of the ancient dead. In real life, triumph over evil comes from the blood of Jesus Christ. John Connolly is very good at what he does, but this novel would have been far better if he had focused less on the things bad men are capable of and more on the goodness that the rest of us cling to every day.

...didn't dissapoint me.I "discovered" Connolly,searching some used books at the library.I've now read all of the Charlie Parker books. Being he's Irish,Connolly shows his knowledge/history(study) of Maine and the local towns,I find real interesting. Bad Men,part mystery/supenmatural....are some bad people.He goes back to the old myths,to today real smooth. I really enjoyed Connolly describing how Marianne,ran away from her scary/abusive/controlling husband(Moloch).Sherrif Joe Dupree,a giant of a man,living in a "normal" world,was easy to feel for him.Molochs "companions",(which you wouldn't want to look at wrong) were some real mean individuals. This was a good quick read from a gifted thriller writer....I can't wait for the next Parker book!!!