Horror Books

I have just finishied my first reading of Harbinger of Doom. I found it to be exciting and well written.The characters are unforgetable and the descriptions are remarkable. I could visualize every scene and even can see it as a great movie. It is a story of knights, magic, conflict, adventure and intrigue. I say that it is my first reading because there are many subtlies that one misses the first time around. I will reread to find the ones that I missed. At the end of the book, I found myself questioning many of the things that I always thought were true. I hope to see more work by this author.

This book is great. I just ordered another copy for a friend. Thater takes his fantasy and places it inside your brain. I wasn't reading a book, I was standing in the middle of the action, looking to pick up a sword and jump in. There's lots of great action that almost ends...but, there is just a thin, little thread left dangling...until the next book in the series. Okay, let's have it... (I'm addicted.)

This is a complex but highly entertaining swords and sorcery story, reminiscent of the pulp novels of Robert E. Howard, but with more depth and undercurrents to the plot. Thater's character `Lord Angle Theta' is an almost larger than life hero like Howard's Conan or Kull. And although he's perhaps their equal in brawn, he's far their better in brains. The other characters are all memorable and interesting, especially the grumpy gnome called Ob. Thater's treatment of magic is interesting and original. I checked out his website and he has excerpts from quite a few stories posted there, and it seems there's a whole series of books in progress continuing with the same characters featured in this book. This is reflected in Harbinger of Doom in that the people, places, and events seem highly developed and well-thought out. I can't wait for the next book!

I bought this novel online to get something to read on my next vacation. I was intrigued by the title because I was looking for an adventure/fantasy book--my favorite genre. It took me by surprise because I had never heard of this author and was blown away by how exciting this story and the characters were from the get go. I literally could not put this book down once I started reading it. It was as if I had been magically transported into a medieval, rock-em, sock-em video game with superhuman and supernatural heroes battling evil monsters who are hell bent on destroying the human race. It has all the adventure and excitement of the Star Wars Saga but set in a different world of endless time.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys exciting mythical stories. I am looking forward to a sequel and hope the author will have one out soon

I am the first person to admit it, I love a good book. If I get in a bind, I read junk mail. Well, now I have something I can reread over and over again.

Harbinger of Doom has just shattered everything I knew of the epic fantasy realm and created a sub genre all of its own. With a masterful craft of writing with sly wit you are pulled into an epic tale of of dark portions.

If you are like me, you will scream at the book, and several characters in certain parts as they become like kin folk. The characters own the pages, the story never disappoints, and thank God for this author!

In addition, if you are a Brian Lumley fan, I would suggest you give this book a try. A must for fantasy fans!

I'll keep this simple and short. The story captivated me and keeps me interested, if you are expecting it to match the movie, it doesn't, it's better!!!

As for the construction of the physical book; I think it's well made. I personally like the feel the fabric outer covering, the only downside I've found is how my dogs' hairs stick to the cover. It's not a big deal thou they come off easy.

The 2 Hellboy story arcs this volume contains are classics. The introductions are impressive and enjoyable, especially if you're already a fan of the series. If you ARE a fan, these are a great addition (or replacement, if your trade paperback bindings have gone rotten) to your comic collection.

This "Library Edition" series features a soft cover and glorious blown up art from the originals. It's like comics in Hi-Def and I love it. You have literally never seen Hellboy look this good. These volumes give the impression of an epic tome, holding wonders unceasing within, which is appropriate.

Fantastic content, terricic packaging.

The cloth cover could be a dust catcher (I'll never know).

Just buy the 2.5 gallon Ziploc / Gladlock bags and you will have no problem.
Just treat it like a large 33 dollar sandwich.

Or go down to any Fedex, DHL, UPS, Post Office and pick up a large plastic mailer (non padded) their free (but the Ziploc bags you can see through)

Hellboy art is nicer blow up to larger than comic size. Also in Vol 1 has two story arcks and his first two short storys (one shots) in it.

All in all a great buy.

In the tradition of Marvel's huge Omnibus collections, and DC's wonderful Absolute Editions, Hellboy is now here in a deluxe hardcover edition from Dark Horse. This first volume of the Hellboy Library Edition encompasses the first two storyarcs in Mike Mignola's spectacular series, Seed of Destruction and Wake the Devil. Both stories are bound in this handsome oversized hardcover, along with a good deal of extras to boot. With the new Hellboy sequel on the way, now has never been a better time to get introduced to, or re-acquainted with, Hellboy, the rest of B.P.R.D., and the wonderful world that Mike Mignola created years ago. All in all, if you've missed out on Hellboy over the past few years, this first Library Edition is an absolute must own, and a perfect introduction to the wonderful world of Mike Mignola's Hellboy.

I really enjoy the movie so i thought i'd give this a read, despite never reading a comic before in my life other than a few glances. not to offend, but really found them to be ridiculous, childish material. that was, before i read this.. THIS has opened my eyes to a whole new world. wow, just wow. this has definitely made me see that i have been way to quick to judge this medium, and that is my fault that will be corrected.

anyhow, i really loved this read and found myself not being able to stop turning pages. completely engrossing on every level, visual and story wise. everyone else has said it much better than i ever could, so I just leave you with my huge thumbs up!

Jay Halpern's writing is excellent! However his subject matter was not the matter I appreciate as much as others. He is an exciting writer and I love how he describes his stories. I rated him 5 stars for the writing not the content.

I remember reading this in 1984 or 1985. My wife worked with Mr. Halpern at a facility for those with some mental and/or physical challenges, in Derby CT. Jay is as unique as his book is. I'd like to get a copy of it as well. I agree with all of the other comments. This would be great on the big screen.

Jay Halpern was my freshman rhetoric teacher during my roughest year of college at Sacred Heart Univ. in Fairfield, CT. He is a great man that tought me how to write and how to handle the hard times that life deals you. Now finishing my junior year, Jay came in to speak to my screenwriting class before finals. For those of you who were saying that this book should be made into a film... good call because it's been optioned and Mark Edwards (another prof. of mine) is currently writing the screenplay. This book nearly scared the life out of me when I first read it. But I can't wait to see it on screen. Keep an eye out for it.

I found the book amonst 1000's in my home had been staring at the cover for years! I think the book choose me instead of me choosing. It is a mind tingling, page gripping story that doesn't let you rest. I have read it over and over and have lent it to numerous friends to read, and they all have the same rating, awesome. The less than perfect characters all coming togther to fight good and evil in a way thats unexpected, and horrid is a wonderful mix. I can't say enough but just read it.

I remember reading this in 1984 or 1985. My wife worked with Mr. Halpern at a facility for those with some mental and/or physical challenges, in Derby CT. Jay is as unique as his book is. I'd like to get a copy of it as well. I agree with all of the other comments. This would be great on the big screen.

Given that much of what most of us know about Charlie Manson and his family comes from the "official", mainstream culture, Harold Jaffe's Jesus Coyote comes across as a breath of fresh air. More than that, it is a smartly crafted novel that gives voice and depth to the "players" of the Tate murders.

What is particularly smart about the work is the docufiction format in which it is written. Such a style is a characteristic of Jaffe's novels and Jesus Coyote makes great of this in a way that those on both sides of the knives not only get a say on the murders, but also the way in which the events and participants have been perceived and received in media and the main culture. In this way, the novel also serves in telling the tale of the implosion of 1960's counterculture, making for a book that is altogether crisp, haunting, enlightening and reflective.

A haunting and unforgettable collage of voices, Harold Jaffe's Jesus Coyote combines fiction and documentary in order to examine the complexities and continued relevance of the Manson "family" murders.

Harold Jaffe is one of the few writers I trust to never disappoint. Readers familiar with his numerous collections (namely his trademark DocuFictions) will be pleased to find all his dark-and-smart tricks in one book (my personal favorite is his question-and-answer un-situated dialogues) as well as a few fresh narrative swirls (telephone transcriptions, formal letters, and the like). And for those not accustomed to his work, you're in for a treat, the darkest of chocolates... and then after there's plenty more where that came from in 15 Serial Killers (recently translated in French!) and Sex For The Millennium.

The multiple voicings, the clean prose, the ongoing play of ambiguities and transparencies all add up to make Harold Jaffe's Jesus Coyote a very smooth book. We expect it to be disturbing of course. No surprise there. What catches us off-guard is how engaging it all is, how easily it goes down. I recently watched a Manson documentary, and was surprised at how trite and dull the behavior of Mansion and his women seems now, almost 40 years later. Jaffe has taken what at this point looks like played out subject matter and made it work as literature. No mean feat.

Jaffe's provocative tour de force pastiche of one of the best-known episodes in popular culture history analyzes and undermines the Manson myth.

As with 15 Serial Killers and other texts in his ouvre, Jaffe neither celebrates nor turns away from the violence or the perpetrators of it but looks beyond the easy responses, the media knee-jerk sanctimony, and cable network fetishization of Manson, intimately re-imagining and making new what miles of newsprint and videotape and collective historical amnesia have turned stale.

And beyond all that, it's an enjoyable read.

This was my first Gord Rollo book, and I loved it all the way through! There were so many things I wasn't expecting, and they gave me giggles and shivers and kept me reading well past time I should have gone to sleep.

Others have posted the details about the plot, and of course, Amazon has the book description, so I won't post them again here, but I will simply recommend Rollo's THE JIGSAW MAN, like everyone before me. It's one of the best books I've read in quite a while.

The book also includes chapters from his next book, which I'm looking forward to.

Of late, it seems that most horror novels focus on just a few subjects: serial killers, vampires and those who intend to summon dark forces from beyond, with an occasional werewolf or zombie thrown into the mix. What's lacking is one of the most traditional of all horror characters, the mad scientist. Fortunately, Gord Rollo has remedied this with The Jigsaw Man.

The narrator of The Jigsaw Man is Michael Fox, who is, quite plainly, a bum. He wasn't always that way, but the car crash death of his wife and son led him on a downward spiral which would lead to him losing his job, his home and custody of his daughter. With nothing left to lose, Fox intends on committing suicide, hopefully in a way that looks like an accident, so his daughter can pick up a double indemnity life insurance benefit. Just moments before he kills himself, however, he is approached by Drake, who offers Michael a strange proposition: two million dollars for his right arm (Michael is left-handed).

Drake works for Dr. Marshall, a surgeon working on limb transplants. Marshall has great wealth, allowing him to operate outside of normal channels and make these offers. Michael is initially wary, but the money is too much to resist, especially when it seems to be for a good cause. He is taken (with three others who are also selling limbs) to Marshall's isolated estate. Eventually, Michael will realize that this is actually a house of horrors and Marshall intends to take more than an arm: he will start with both arms and eventually move on to legs. And then things get bad.

While Rollo had done writing before, The Jigsaw Man is Rollo's debut novel in a mass market format, and he hits the ground running. While most novels in the genre rely more on suspense with healthy doses of violence and gore, this is truly a novel of pure horror. It's not always a pleasant read, but if you're a horror fan, this should be added to your collection.

Hmmm, this is difficult to explain. I liked the book...but I almost laughed in places because it was so "out there!" I would read and think, "oh, that can't happen to the main character" then poof...it would happen! I really can't get into what these "things" are without giving away the best parts. What I can say, is if you don't have a "GOOD" imagination then don't read this! I love horror books, so this was different from the norm which made me like it.

I discovered Gord Rollo thanks to Leisure Horror's book club. If Gord's name doesn't leap out at you, then the title The Jigsaw Man, and the picture of the body sewn back together on the cover, should.

A homeless man named Mike Fox, who Rollow creates as a likeable guy that anyone could sit and have a beer with, down and out and to the point of suicide, gets offered loads of $$$ to have his arm cut off and going ... who knows where?

He is driven to a haunting, castle-like fortress out in the middle of nowhere, which turns out to be a torture factory of medical madness, and then put through a hell no sane person would ever want to experience.

Lots of scumbags in this tale are written very good and wind up navigating this story into the abyss of revenge. And like any good revenge novel, this one delivers in both the writing, descriptions, and excellently developed characters.

Definitely will be one of the best Horror novels written in 2008.


Horrordude

Oh man, what a fun romp through madness, surgeries and mayhem! For those who like the physical horror with blood, gore and all that icky stuff then this will send a few shivers down the spine. Even though this was Rollo's first mass market novel his writing was a smooth flow of ghastly delights as the story engulfed me and demanded to be finished between Saturday night and Sunday morning, nothing else would tear me away and I had a blast reading it.

I don't know if it was the fact that I used to go wild for medical thrillers and while growing up I would devour Robin Cook's books only to stop for a rare breather and read some solid horror but this book reminded me of all the great nail gripping times I sat in my dad's library and read those medical thrillers. This of course goes even deeper than most stories that Cook wrote, adding extra spice with some whacky bad guys and some gut wrenching and chillingly disturbing unpleasant medical scenarios. I certainly enjoyed the mad doctor on a rampage through people and their bodies, on a quest to complete an insane medical act. What that act is I cannot tell, one must read the book to find out, but I promise that the story starts rolling and there is no getting of, this baby was great!

The hero is flawed but not lacking a shiny golden heart deep within himself. Michael Fox has more of a Hamlet complex, the inability to act in time! Well that certainly has its up and downs through the book but when a homeless man ready to commit suicide gets stopped with people who have power and money he has no idea that the blissful prosperity with a heavy price isn't as pure as it seems. Ready for death yet without the slightest idea of what waits at a hidden castle deep in the woods where surgery is daily bread for the mad man who runs it, Michael discovers that not all that was told is true, at least not for his benefit.

This starts off as an intense ride and the story only gets more and more desperate and absolutely horrific for Michael, there are no easy hero choices here, this book has some teeth and books such as this one remind me how much more fun they are than TV, great job Mr. Rollo, you made me forget the remote exist, even if only for two days.

- Kasia S.

I remember reading this as a little girl and LOVING it. I searched forever for this book -- I couldn't remember the title, and had to email lots of used booksellers asking for help. I finally found a used copy and purchased it a few years ago, and immediately fell in love all over again. I love the story of the sad little witch who is homesick, and who takes her feelings out on the Doon family through anger and disobedience. The Doons treat her lovingly anyway and soon she becomes recognizable as a real human little girl. A beautiful story!!

I, too, found this book when I was about 7 years old, at Hudlow Elementary in Tucson, AZ. I read it over and over, delighting in the tale of Little Felina. Imagine my surprise when I found in the author's biography that SHE LIVED IN TUCSON, TOO!

My mother suggested that I write to her and tell her how much I enjoyed her book. I did, and she wrote me back! I wrote her again and again -- and she wrote me back, always interested in my stories about school, my family, my pets and my desire to be a writer like her some day.

Fast forward 35 years... I haven't become a writer (at least not yet!), but I have led a very blessed life, made all the richer by people like Ms. Laughlin - who made me believe that anything was possible.

When I was 7 years old, I found the Little Leftover Witch at my local public library. I took it out so many times that the librarians began to hide it from me so that others could take it out. As I got older, I always looked for it on the shelf to make sure it was still there and to check the signature card with my name on it over and over again. When I became a mother, I went back to the library to see if it was still there. I was flooded with memories when I found it. I asked if I could purchase the book (there wasn't an Amazon.com yet)but was told that it could not be sold. I was sad but knew I would be able to find it when my daughter became old enough to read. A few years later I received a call from that library asking me if I was still interested in owning the book. They were planning to discard it because it was very worn (all the more better since I was the one who caused the wear). My daughter loves the Little Leftover Witch and we read it together every fall even though she is now 13. This is a wonderful book about love and family and the beauty of the book lies in its simplicity.

There's something truly magical about this book, which is what makes it so special to the people who read it when they were children. I'm now reading it to my 5-year-old daughter, and it's a great bribery tool to get her to clean her room, put up the dishes, etc., because all I have to say is, "We can read an extra chapter of Little Leftover Witch tonight..." and she's all over it! If you haven't read this book, find a copy and join the (huge) club of people who are willing to search high and low to track down a copy of something they read 30 years ago!

Sometimes when you revisit a childhood favorite you discover that much of what made it wonderful is "between the lines" and not there at all, just images you invested in it. But The Little Leftover Witch is really just as wonderful, funny, vivid and haunting as I thought at the time.

This was my FAVORITE book when I was seven, and took it just as a literal fairytale about what would happen if a little witch girl got left on a tree outside a human family's window on Halloween. At the time I much preferred mischievous Felina to sweet Lucinda. It's surprisng to read it again at this distance and see just how perfectly Laughlin captured the behavior of small girls without either fudging on their maturity or condescending to them!

I also found myself entirely in love with the world of the Doons. In fact, I reread the book as soon as I finished. This family is nice-- and yet, still believable. Mrs. Doon loses her temper (well, only after severe provocation when Felina brings the cat to the supermarket!)... and there are family traditions and little bits of individuality everywhere.

What I missed, reading this as a child, was the metaphor for adoption-- and the metaphor of how love can truly change a person. In the world of the Doon's, Felina's witchiness is a fact-- not a delusion-- and everyone in the town buys into it. But in the hands of the adult reader, Felina's witchiness is every lonely child's feeling of not belonging. No wonder all kinds of children love this book! It has everything-- terrific writing (brief enough for early-ish readers), memorable characters, humor, adventure-- and a terrific depiction of the power of love.

One of the best books I have read in a long time. Could not put it down. I have always thought I could figure out the plot. Not this time. Hope to see more from the author real soon.

I couldn't put this book down! I was so wrapped up in the characters and what would happen next that when I had to stop reading for a while it stayed with me and kept those wheels turning trying to figure out "who dunnit". I truly enjoyed this book. I hope we get to read more about Cody, he really comes to life.

I read "Night Whispers" through in one sitting. The plot was compelling, the characters real and the dialogue natural. It kept me turning the pages, and I was unable to second-guess the plot. How do I rate the book to someone who hasn't read it? Let me put it this way, I gave my copy to my Mother to read after I finished it.

Really couldn't put this book down. Colorful and real characters, accurate spy-tech, loads of insight (some so deep it will go right over most readers' heads) along with plenty of humor, excitement, suspense and lots of twists. Cloak-and-dagger combined with deep woods and southern culture(s) powered together in four wheel drive! Ingenious!

Emmett Clifford brings readers to the edge of their seats in his mystery novel, Night Whispers.

In this contemporary mystery, detective Cody Rainwalker leads the reader on a mission to solve the devious crimes of Scanner, a psychopath who chooses his victims by cell phone. Every page becomes a piece in solving the puzzle, but also a dreaded step in discovering who will become the next victim.

Clifford fans are sure to insist Night Whispers is only the beginning of Cody Rainwalker's detective career.

Wow. I was in my school library with my best friend Gisselle (which is a coincidence since a girl in the book is named Giselle) picking out a book to keep. I came across this book and it looked so interesting so I kept it. She had the same book. We both absoloutely love to read. Ever since that day Diane Hoh has been my favorite author. I read the book and I loved it! It's so mysterious. She makes me think something like that could happen to me.

I would not want to be Jess, the girl who gets haunted by Giselle.

I really like this book it was one of the most awsome books I've read in a while. Diane Hoh is a great author i think she's better then R.L. Stine! I don't understand why this books are out of print? Can anyone tell me?

This book is about a girl name Jess, she is student at Salem Universitiy, but she is in a off-campus dorm, but, a very strange one. Her room is very cold and there rumors about a girl that comited suicide in that same room are intimidating... No one in the campus likes to pass near it, everybody that knows they are there and is awere of what happened there, looks at Jess and her mates with petty in the eyes and comments that they hate passing by that place, it's freaky and weird. Who the wrote letter? Did Giselle really comited suicide?
Have a try to know the answers to the questions above, because it's worth it. It's very well written and the book totally absorves you since the begining... Diane Hoh, makes a perfect mix of suspence, horror and romance in a very thrilling way.... DO NOT MISS IT. YOU ARE THE ONE LOSING IT ANYWAY!

This book is about a girl name Jess, she is on a dorm off-campus. Her room is very cold and there rumors about a girl that comited suicide in that same room... Who the letter? Did Giselle really comited suicide?
Have a try, because it's worth it. It's very well written and the book totally absorves you since the begining... Diane Hoh, makes a perfect mix of suspence, horro and romance in a very thrilling way....

The Silent Scream strats the ball for Diane Hoh's Nightmare Hall series. The Silent Scream is a good way to do this> It tell's you of this beautiful girl who committed sucide but is that really true? Diane Hoh tells the story brilliantly and I love her books however I feel the ending was disappointing and unbelievable!

Mr. Lansdale is by far and away my favorite horror writter. I am a devout follower of his work and srongly suggest this book to anyone who has yet to meet his aquantance.

This is Lansdale's first, and finest, work -- unfortunately, it's long been out of print and collectible prices are astronomical. Apparently now that Joe has gone onto bigger and "better" things (like his bestselling series about a gay Black southern civilian detective-hobbyist), he'd prefer to forget about his past. Woe be unto any fan of his mainstream novels who stumbles upon this nasty little secret by "that nice Mister Lansdale."

I'd never heard of this book before -- nor had a friend, who is a huge Lansdale fan. Looking up "splatterpunk" on Wikipedia I was surprised to see mention of the same Joe Lansdale I'm familiar with -- and the amazon reviews convinced me that this was going to be page after page of gratuitous and highly explicit violence, so I just had to add it to my Inter Library Loan queue.

If you're familiar with the splatterpunk sub-genre, or "extreme horror" as it's nowadays called, you'll probably find the violence somewhat tame. Yes, it is violent, but Lansdale is a skilled writer who doesn't need to linger unnecessarily on the description of said violence for the titillation of freaks attracted to such. Not a mainstream book by any stretch of the imagination . . . but it really should be.

Like King, Lansdale knows that it is not spooks and monsters that terrify us, but the atrocities of which humankind is oh so capable. The casual violence of the sociopath -- which degrades into rape and slow torture when he realizes that, hey, he's got a few hours to kill and ain't no-one gonna interrupt. This is what the goblins lurking outside our civilized society like to do. They are sadistic, they are vile, and they are REAL. Like the boogyman, wussified liberal dingbats want to deny their existance -- until, like the protagonists -- they come face to face with their worst nightmare . . . and Officer Friendly ain't there to save the day (or he's rapidly cooling on the front lawn with a bullet in his head -- several cop-killings in this story).

One thing that surprised me was the startlingly accurate depiction of demonic possession portrayed within. I've studied Comparative Demonology for years (accounts and legends from all cultures throughout recorded history), and folks, it ain't anything like "The Exorcist". The typical possession involves a malevolent entity taking near total control of a human host almost like slipping into a skin suit. They appear to be "normal", but the perceptive can see the malice in their eyes, hear it in their voice, and note it in their actions. Most sadistic sociopaths seem to have much in common with the demonically possessed. "The God of the Razor" takes possession of a youth gang leader -- and when he dies, transfers the leader's mind to his lieutenant in a form of dual possession. The astral/oneric interaction with "The God of the Razor" seemed quite authentic to me.

This novel was very well written, sensitive to the delicate subject matter (without going into lurid detail), and an utterly absorbing read. The motivation of the sociopathic gang members is consistant with that of goblins I've met in the past (Clyde sodomizes a former teacher because, "She was nice to me once, and I've been thinking about that *** ever since"). This book should be more widely read: there are genuinely evil creatures walking amongst us, and that fact is ignored at your peril.

I had read more recent Lansdale books (A Fine Dark Line, The Bottoms, etc.), so when I read this book I was little behind the times. Nightrunners is a show of the extreme dark side of human nature and what happens when light and dark begin to mix unwittingly. Lansdale is a master with the articulation of how good must fight the murky veil of evil without falling into the same mindset or abyss of an incredibly chaotic and insane situation that he draws so well in his story. The story compels one to reevalute the weakness of a person that when confronted with nightmarish horrors, as presented in this book, that person will not only rise to the ocassion, but can find a hidden strengh that may well take the breath away. Some books have to be read between the lines, not just as horror stories; i.e. The Drive-In: A Double Feature Omnibus, but as studies of human nature. When you read Nightrunners and are immediately plunged into the depth and degradation of the human spirit, you are also reading about the characters who are regular people who battle their own, albeit well-hidden, dark side. But when really examined, both are chasing their own demons and their own side of weaknesses and strengths. The big question is, which side will win out. Like the movies, we all want a happy ending. Just dont't go to the triple feature at the Orbit Drive-In.
I purchased a hardbound copy in excellent condition and it is on its way to Lansdale right now to be signed.

Here's a book that should NOT be read in the young adult circle. "The Nightrunners" is my stock answer to the question, "What's the most extreme horror novel you've ever read?" In the hands of most other writers, it would be dismissable as sick, even pornographic, with its hyper-violent storyline, sex-driven villains, and the whole "riding the razor" thing ... However, this was written by Joe Lansdale, and he's both talented and empathetic. His characters don't just force stories along. They resonate.

I will say, I read this book when I was much younger, and I still recall how disturbing, upsetting, and riveting the book was. It had a lasting hold and influence on me. That reason, more than any other, is why I include the caviat FOR ADULTS ONLY, that to date I have not put on any other book I've reviewed. Great stuff, but not for everyone.

(This review posted by Marcus Damanda, author of the vampire book "Teeth: A Horror Fantasy.")

I got into Joe Landsdale through his comic book work and I thank G-d that he took those jobs because it lead me to this twisted nasty little edge of Hell. A nice liberal couple comes face to face with hell when the wife is raped and the husband must confront his notions about human goodness head-on and ponder whether or not he is a coward instead of a pacifist. Meanwhile the rapist, hanging in his cell, isn't completely dead as his compatriots are alive and well and one of them is possessed. The car is racing towards them ready for more death. This book brings you face to face with pure evil.

There are rough portions. The teenagers are just nasty and evil, while you can see the husband's transformation from weakling to ravenous fighter coming a mile away. But this is an amazing book on its own merits and shouldn't be read if you are expecting a deep philosophical treatise on human nature. It's just fast, evil and damn good.

Olivia Kidney is a first-rate kid in a first-rate book. Everyone feels lonely from time to time but Olivia's got it bad. Her father's job is working as a superintendent for apartment buildings. The problem is he's not very good at fixing things. So they're always moving. And since her mom left, things are especially hard.

Now they've moved to another new place. At her new school, Olivia hasn't made any friends AND she has to go see the school psychiatrist. It couldn't get worse, right? Wrong? When Olivia comes home, she can't find her key. Luckily a neighbor lets her into the building. But she still can't get into her apartment and that's when all the trouble really starts.

The author, Ellen Potter has done an excellent job in creating a wild ride through Olivia's adventure. The characters are fun, funny and bit freaky too. At first, I was a bit trepidacious as Olivia started adventuring from apartment to apartment. But she always landed on her feet, so I felt more comfortable as I suspended belief while Olivia met one character odder than the next. Finally all is well as - with a splash and a buzz - the story is brought full circle with a thoroughly wonderful and satisfying ending.

Olivia Kidney is an exciting book that I would recommend to kids of all ages.
Olivia Kidney is a girl that is constantly moving from apartment to apartment
because of her dad's job as a superintendent at the apartment. She meets this
woman in her apartment that has glass floors and walls, and she can see through
above, beside and below into the other rooms. Then Olivia goes to Master Clive
and he tells her a story. The story is about these ships hearing a beautiful sound.
They follow it and it turns out that its really a trap that lizards set up to kill the
people on the ship and steal all of there money. Olivia, ends up on the island of
lizards and finds the shell. Do the lizards kill her or not?
The setting in this book are very interesting. There are a lot of different
places she goes to. The first one is her new apartment. It has twenty-three floors
and she lives on the fourteenth floor. Everyone is annoyed with her because she is
too loud. The second place is Master Clive's house. She lives in a wooden, kind of
tree house thing. Its really dirty. Last but not least she ends up on the Beach. The
lizards are in charge of the beach.
This is for sure one of the funnest books I have ever read.

I thought this book was really cool and interesting because of all the scenes and problems she had faced. I thought the glass apartment was awesome i even read this book for my book repost for school and made a diarama of the glass apartment.!!! i recommened this book to any adventure lover.

Olivia Kidney


If you lost your apartment keys would you search all over for them? You probably would.
Well it all started one day when this girl named Olivia kidney lost her apartment keys at school. She had just moved into a new apartment and a new school, so as you would expect she didn't know her way around. As she was looking for her keys she ran into many strange things such as talking lizards, a rainforest apartment, ghosts that only she could see, and even an apartment made entirely of glass!!
Olivia Kidney is a shy and open girl, she is ready for anything coming her way as she is looking for her apartment keys she has to face almost death. My favorite character in this book is Olivia. She is an intelligent little girl who is on a mission and nothing can get in the way.
I would defiantly recommend this book to girls. I would also recommend this book to someone who likes adventurous, dramatic, and funny books.

Olivia Kidney is a great book about a girl that needs a friend. She has a good imagination and is a very good listener. She is able in just an ordinary everyday apartment house to use her skills and find herself in her own amazing adventures. She is like a good friend I would have if I knew her in real life! Check it out!

Maya, age 8