Horror Books

This book was great. If you like Lord of the Rings, you will love this thriller. So suspenseful! I recommend this to any young adult who wants a good thrill! AH! Good job Karl!

Karl Shook did a wonderful job with this book and the delivery of the story. I love the way the characters were introduced. The more you got to know them the more you were eager to know what they'd do next. Each chapter grabs you even more than the last leaving you thinking, "Uh oh, it's getting closer to THE DAY". Of course I don't want to reveal anything, but I love the way the family supports each other and work together to accomplish this "FAMILY THING". It's a must-read. I highly recommend this book! :o)
~TC

A thoroughly "gripping" story that was hard to put down! I highly recommend it! I am eager read any future novels by this author.

I found this book to be very good. the charecter seemed very real and life-like. Mr. Shook has a real talent for drawing the reader into the story, so you can hardly wait to see what happens next. It makes you wish you chould read non-stop. i would love to see a sequel.

An engrossing thriller with solid character development and quick action. The extended family must work together in order to bring an end to a threatening unearthly menace.

I picked this up at the library last night. I did not have it on my list just noticed it in the new books section. My 8-year-old son loved it and even my 15-year-old daughter looked at it with him some. I think our favorite was the Leech-Eel and we all have been slamming the toilet seats just in case. My son was a little worried about the Corner Cat. I would not recommend this for kids that are prone to nightmares or worry about monsters. I would recommend it for ages 8 and up.

A great monster book for kids who aren't too squeamish and love a "scientific" presentation of "facts". A lot of fun.

He absolutely loves this book. Its great for his imagination and he loves trying to remember them all by heart. He even had me buy him an empty book so that he could add his own monsters too. It's one of my favorite things I bought him for christmas.

A fantastic guide for would-be monster hunters in your home. Each creature has a 2 page entry detailing it's likely location, what it likes to eat and most importantly, if it's harmful to people and how to protect yourself against it. Quite a few, if not all, also have some reproduction of a 'historical' sighting of the monster. The distressed pages of the book give it the feel of something you might accidentally find tucked away in the attic.

Most of the critters are funny and harmless, but a few might give the younger ones a fright. In particular, the Bedwolf which lurks under your bed...I always wondered what the thing under the bed looked like and now I'm glad I never knew as a kid! This one will literally have them jumping into bed so their ankles don't come within grabbing distance of the Bedwolf' six arms.

Another favorite is the Corner Cat (felis angulosa), a very skinny kitty that stands on it's hind legs and jumps out from corners to bite your ankles. Perhaps realted to the Lovecraftian Hounds of Tindalos?

All in all, this is a terrific collection of original beasties sure to spark the imagination of monster enthusiasts young and old.

This book is fantastic. My kids are 10 and 8, and they LOVE this book. Especially my 8 year old son. He took it to school and all the boys fought over who got to see it next, resulting in a ripped page and therefore resulting also in an order restricting the book's future visits to school. My kids basically have all the monsters committed to memory at this point, especially those monsters which are dangerous to humans. They both decided that they wanted to send this book to their 10 year old cousin in Florida for his birthday. This is a very creative and very entertaining book. I really love all the pages that look distressed as though they were written while 'out in the field', and I love the illustrations. It's a really, really, good book for kids.

How wonderful is it to see a picture book done in a digital process that does not look like it came out of a Photoshop or Illustrator 101 handbook. This is rich, gorgeous and has tons of soul. As a pretty devout traditional media guy, I must admit that this book is just awesome. Mad Props to the illustrator! Enjoy.

Although Mr. and Mrs. Frank N. Stein love their son, they just can't seem to teach him to be scary. Lessons in how to walk like a monster fail, and they "showered their son with scariness"--but to no avail. In a funny twist, Frankie dresses like a regular boy, gives his parents a hug, and finally achieves his own form of scary. The cartoon-like water color illustrations make the Stein monster family seem gentle, and this tale is perfect for Halloween storytimes since it's comic twists are unlikely to scare even the youngest listeners. Older listeners will be more attuned to the many Frankenstein references, making the story suitable for a wide range of listeners, from preschool through elementary school. Recommended for children three through eight.

great book for young kids. I had to have this one in my
personnal libary

This fun book is a heart-warming Halloween read for the 3 to 7 set. An engaging story with sweet, LOL illustrations. I'm sending this one to my nephews for Halloween and will be a super-star aunt. I always struggle with what to send on Halloween (no candy, no scary stuff); this charming Halloween book was the perfect answer.

Love it! Will buy any book illustrated by Kevan Atteberry! Fun to read, for kids or adults!

I loved it, it is such a good book and realy scary to read this book.

I loved it, it is such a good book and realy scary to read this book.

When Andrew Herman and Tyler Herman go to Fright Camp, there were already scares when they were in the bus. When they were really at Fright Camp, Andrew was excited because there were places like "The Cavern of no Return, The Quicksand Pit...". When they meet Alonso, Alonso volunteered Chris to be volunteer from something. R.B Farraday showed, I Forgot to tell you Andrew and Tyler and all those in the camp love him. R.B. Farraday thought something was strangw, because what happened to Chris was the same thing that happened in Revenge of Dr. Cruel. When they were going to ride Spin and Scream, there were also horrors. When Andrew was taking a bath, he saw something underneath and he saw Jack's face pulling Andrew underwater. After that, when they were in they're bunks, somebody was spying on them. They knew it was Alonso. When dinner came, Alonso announced that there was accidentally added some poison on the food. Quickly, Chris and Jack can feel themselves fainting. Is this for real?. After that when Jack woke, he decided to call his mom. When morning came, Jack's mother was in the quicksand pit!. When Alonso let Andrew in the The Mine of Souls, he heard cheefrul voices and clappings. There stood R.B. Farraday and some tall mens clapping for him. When Andrew knew they were tricked he was mad. Alonso, was just Farraday's brother, Ned. The part who played Duffy was just Max. And the part who played Jack's mom was only Margo. When Andrew's brother and Merideth's sister was missing, they decided to in the Cavern because they heard voices. On the ending they found Tyler and Elizabeth but they were stranded with them including R.B. Farraday and Ned!

I liked this book! It was about this boy and his brother go to a camp directed by their favourite horror writer, but the camp isn't just fun and games, its scary. a little too scary... This book is reccomended to all readers!

I love it because it is so scary and very intresting. It look so real when i read it. I feel like i'm really inside. I tell you that, this is the best GOOSEBUMP i ever read.

When I read "Ghost House", I was surpsrised at how great of a book it was. The characters are people you get to know and enjoy. The book was very scary.A year later, I was giving a copy of "Ghost House Revenge". I was expecting the ghost of the man to continue his rampage on the family...but no...It deals with a whole new group of characters.This book scared the hell outta me!If you want a book that will give you nightmares, read "Ghost House Revenge". SCARY!

Very good book, first read it when I was 11.. about fell off the couch when someone knocked at the door.. a MUST to horror fans!

Even though I don't read much. I must say this is the number one book I have read. This is one very good book. It was very terrifying and I could not even put it down. I took it to work to read on my break.

WoW is about all i can really say.I couldnt put the book down it was body tingling, hair raising and bone chilling. Great book

IT HAS BEEN SEVERAL YEARS SINCE I HAVE READ THIS BOOK, BUT IT IS ONE OF THE FEW BOOKS THAT I HAVE READ THAT WII RIVAL ANYTHING THAT STEVEN KING HAS WRITTEN.

What a story! If you like westerns and ghost stories, you'll love this.

... this is a great twist on the genre.
Slow start, but once I got going I couldn't put it down.

Full of myth, legend and strong personalities, this book has all the makings of a great tale. A repeated assault of page-turning hauntings paint a picture of dynamic frenzy. Moments of reflection, romance and tooth-gritting confrentation succeed in illustrating the competing forces pulling Roland Black in different directions. Chases, esacpes, love and bullets: this novel has them all. Highly recommended.

This is a very entertaining book! It has a great mix of the old west and the traditional ghost story.

Full of myth, legend and strong personalities, this book has all the makings of a great tale. A repeated assault of page-turning hauntings paint a picture of dynamic frenzy. Moments of reflection, romance and tooth-gritting confrentation succeed in illustrating the competing forces pulling Roland Black in different directions. Chases, esacpes, love and bullets: this novel has them all. Highly recommended.

The Grady, Oklahoma, of 1961 was like hundreds of small towns dotting the Bible Belt. Into this setting Lisa Polisar brings a vivid reality in descibing the outwardly bland lives of her characters, until we feel we live next door to people we either pity, fear or hope will move away. Felt by superb narration, and seen through the eyes of fifteen-year-old Jake Leeds, Polisar's keen observations range from the mundane look of hand-crocheted oven mitts to a fetid basement jail cell where sadistic lawman Blackie Savage orders Jake locked up for snooping too much. The summer starts with an initiation ritual by Jake's best friend, Mikey: sleeping alone in "an empty field of coarse reeds and vile secrets" finds Jake terrorized by the moans and shrieks of a young woman. He runs from a bloody apparition of the murdered victim, sensing that if he does not get away he will end up dead like Mary Prairie. Yet, obsessed with tracking down her killer, Jake gradually uncovers a tangle of unlikely relationships that include his family and even himself. Polisar's genius at characterization and regional dialogue breathes life into the colorful residents whom Jake encounters in his search -- unaware that his dogged persistence begins to endanger his own safety.
By novel's end we are taking more discriminating looks at our own neighbors and acquaintences: what stillborn secrets might we pry out of their intimate worlds?
Albert Noyer / The Getorius and Arcadia Mysteries

Lisa Polisar's style of writing moves the reader through the story of Jake and his adventures so effortlessly that you feel that you are Jake. You will be frightened, confused, humiliated, determined and hurt as he is as he moves through this mystery to fruition.

This is a journey you will never regret taking and may want to return to from time to time for the complete escape and pleasure of the experience.

To say this is simply a mystery novel is not enough. Yes, there is a dynamic and dark plot that spreads out and thickens in a way Arthur Conan Doyle would be proud of. There is a cast of diverse characters that create a web of entertaining combinations that keep the story on the road to the inevitable. There is a foreboding sense of what is to come at every juncture. But the unique thing about this story are the brilliantly woven underlying darker elements of the typical American family.
The central character, Jake, takes this story to shocking depths and his demeanor serves to inspire us all. Jake is a classic specimen of the heartland. He knows his surroundings as well as his people. But like so many searchers, fictional or non, yearns for something fierce, and he finds it. Jake's obssession with solving the mystery Sherlock Holmes style is as much a rite of passage is it is a matter of course. The author brilliantly places Jake's deepening distress with his dysfunctional family as a springboard for his ever developing sleuth skills.
Fascinating characters add to the brilliant and efficient pace of this story, which seems to shift emphasis at various points to take in the all-encompassing supernatural nature of the tale. Much like old horror films, deliberately hiding the monster makes it all the more frightening, and the darkness in this story looms just outside the circus of Jake's life. It calls, and he answers. The author takes you on that journey and you read much about what it is to be alive, through Jake. And you thank him at the end of the story, and Lisa Polisar welcomes you.

One might describe The Ghost of Mary Prairie as a coming-of-age story, but it's much more than that.

The protagonist, Jake Leeds, faces up to the terrifying circumstances of his fifteenth summer. Virtually abandoned by his family and goaded on by friends, he sets off on a night of initiation on the wild Oklahoma prairie. The vision he experiences triggers a chain of events that forces the young man to confront his worst fears and struggle against seemingly overwhelming odds.

Polisar weaves the tale in the first-person narrative voice of a male teenager. Maintaining authenticity of voice while transposing gender from author to character is no mean task, a task that Polisar executes expertly in this tense and captivating tale. As the story unfolds, characters and scenes appear vivid and surreal, and the reader is swept up in tides of rushing adrenaline and adolescent hormones, and, along with Jake, the reader is held hostage till the end.

The suggestion of evil is always more powerful than the dissection of it. So, if you're looking for pulpy, graphic description, look elsewhere. This book overflows with implied metaphors and the powerful insinuation of poetic imagery, rendering it literary.

"It was strange being able to sense the formation of the funnel without actually seeing it. The train was moving about fifty miles per hour, and I kept changing my mind about whether our speed was helping or not....From the aisle seat, I watched a sand flurry fill the air...just like someone had yanked up a giant tablecloth. Then the howl started. The rain pounded onto the east windows with fist-sized hailstones on the other side....The train car shook like an old washing machine now. I couldn't imagine it staying on the track. Women shrieked, babies were crying, and the men all had stone-white faces....The funnel thinned out, branched apart, and then braided itself together again, spraying the empty landscape with a destructive fury of grass, rain, hail, mud, steel, and wood, catching and releasing at the same time, using anything in its path to snowball its size."

As for the "suggestion of evil," our leaders and the press broadcast daily messages of fear and future-fear, with no end in sight. This obsession with fear could well be balanced with a message about personal sacrifice, hope, and courage. For an exploration of these virtues, read The Ghost of Mary Prairie, a novel for our time.

"The Ghost of Mary Prairie" is a mystery that's being solved by 15-year-old Jake Leeds. Jakes spends a night outside as an initiation and meets the ghost of a young girl whose murder was never solved. The encounter devastates Jake and he sets out to solve the murder as a way of coping with the encounter. This comes at a time when his family's disfunctions have broken through the surface and rendered his mom, dad and unmarried, teenage sister -- who has just had a baby -- incapable of support or even kindness. His connection to his best friend Mikey is getting frayed as Jake outgrows his immature childhood pal. And Jake has just met his first almost-girlfriend who provides more confusion than comfort.

So Jake's journey toward solving Mary Prairie's murder is a combination of a search for his soul as his life crumbles -- and an escape from his ambiguous and impossible-to-fulfill responsibilities to his family and Mikey.

This is quite the burden on young Jake. But Jake is smart, inquisitive and self-reliant. Desperation has given him strength, so he's up to the task. We eagerly follow him as he unearths clues amid his broken world.

The magic in this book is Jake's voice. Polisar uses first person to put us right in the heart of Jake's ragged spirit. It's a wonderfully rich voice that tells the truth without flinching. That voice carries us well as Jake moves through painful confusion to understanding and acceptance of his family's rotten secrets as he solves Mary's murder.

It was a very exciting book because it was a mystery and there were more than one murderers. I thought the character devolopment was very well done. The story was worked out very well and the plot had the a very interesting twist that occurred at the ending.

I can't belive what happined In this book . Uncle hoole and zak soposledly died from a haunted library that tash found . tash is devestasted . Forceflow is not who he is soposed to be . rent this book today.

I really enjoyed this book. It's so cool how Forceflow turns out to be Gog! At first, I couldn't believe what I was reading. Now I see that all of those "warnings" he sent were just for keeping Tash, Zak, and Hoole from meddling in Project Starscream. This book is a definate must-have for any Star Wars fan!!

Tash, Zak, Hoole, and droid DV-9 are hiding from the evil scientist Borborygmus Gog on the legendary space station, Nespis 8. On board there are a few treasure seekers looking for a haunted Jedi Library. Tash, being interested in Jedi gets curious and goes searching for the library. But when she finds it, something very strong is telling her to get out! This is definitly a number one book!

This book is a treasure to keep forever. On every page, a surprise awaits. However, I only gave it four stars instead of five. When Tash finally enters the "Jedi Library," the ghost roars at her to "GET OUT!". I do not like this line because many books and movies have that very same line. For example in the movie "The Shining," a character uses those very words. In other words, that line was lame. The line should have been in that same tone, I agree, but the actual words were . . . just too simple. Maybe John Whitman should have described the aura in the library a little more. Anyway, other than this part, the story was an excellent, well written piece.

My 7 year old son loves this whole series of books. They are some of the only books he wants to keep on reading, even after his reading timer goes off. He can't seem to put them down, and he talks about them after reading. He also has picked them a few times to do his book reports on. Highly recommended!

My 9-yr old son LOVES this book, as well as the other Cornelia Funke books in the Ghosthunter series. He read this book nonstop from start to finish in only one day, and he is not the type of child who will read just anything. If you have a son/grandson/nephew who is a picky or reluctant reader, chances are good that this book will be one he will enjoy.

I like the Ghosthunter series. This book was too short though. I liked how they eliminated the ghost. You should get this book!

Ethan age 11

My class of 22 second graders is totally CRAZY for this series. Here are their ratings: Freaky! Cool! Hugo is sooooo funny in this book! Very exciting! Totally wicked! Surprising! Interesting! It's our favorite book so far!

The third part of the series
And a new Ghosthunter book
The saga of the Baroness
Is worth a second look

It's off to Gloomsburg Castle
To meet some folk named Worm
Another tough assignment
For Hetty and her firm

To try to catch the Baroness
They turn off all the power
Because without her energy
She'll wither like a flower

The plan backfires terribly
And she still gets her juice
Astride her horse she draws a sword
And then all hell breaks loose

The Baroness had met her fate
By falling in the moat
The only chance they have to win
Lies hidden 'neath her coat

Action packed and funny too
This is the best so far
So look for more Ghosthunters
If you're into the bizarre



Amanda Richards, January 16, 2007


Ghosthunters And The Gruesome Invincible Lightning Ghost (Ghosthunters)

Ghosthunters And The Totally Moldy Baroness! (Ghosthunters)

Ghosthunters And The Muddy Monster Of Doom! (Ghosthunters)

Author Steve Niles used to live in the D.C. area and then moved to L.A. Like author, like character. Cal McDonald experiences a wake up call after battling a crazed killer and the possibility of a new case drives him to relocate to Los Angeles. His ghoul friend Mo'Lock is not around so Cal sets off on his own to visit the home of another monster hunter.

The City of Angels also seems to be the city of monsters as Cal has to deal with all sorts of unusual activity while waiting for his West-Coast counterpart. But if werewolves and vampires aren't enough, Cal finds out that a predicted and feared Day of Monsters might actually be about to happen. Most of the world does not know about the strange things that also inhabit our world but they are about to get a dose of reality if Cal can not figure out what is going on and put a stop to it right away.

This is a short book made shorter by having a number of adventures. It is a little more disjointed than the first novel but it reads better. The action and pacing are fast. While Cal complains about not getting a chance to take a breath the reader may feel the same way as the action races along. Fast, furious, and a lot of fun. Check it out.

Loaded with clever plot twists, witty dialogue and awesome monster on monster battles this is sure to please

This is the best in the Cal McDonald series. It had some great action sequences, some truly funny and well-worded dialogue, an interesting plot and great characters including our old friends Cal and his partner Mo' Lock as well as Sam Burnett a fellow monster hunter and old friend of Cal's, who spends most of the story as an understandably PO'd animated severed head who spends most of his time screaming obscenities, and a new love interest of Cal's a women who runs a Magazine called Speculator (mentioned once or twice in Savage Membrane) from her apartment. For villains we have a big boss Vampire named Dave, a werewolf duo and a satanic teenager.

Like Savage Membrane this is a great quick read. The short chapters hold your interest and make it easy to read the whole thing in one sitting.

Overall this book has allot of clever twists and turns allot of over the top and interesting characters allot of cool action sequences allot of smart witty dialogue and last but not least allot of crazy monsters. Sure to please fans of cal McDonald, fans of monsters and fans of noir.

Steve Niles wrote a hard core novel that I just couldn't put down for anything. Guns, Drugs and Monsters is full of creativity, energy, wit and charm in every chapter. I found myself savoring every page of this book, often turning away to laugh and collect myself after being stunned by the incredible energy of the prose. This book was filled with nothing but "hardcore super stuff."

Not once I could of put the book down, it got my attention and held it in. (Guns, Drugs and monsters, A Cal McDonald mystery.) Cal McDonald has made a career helping and hunting the dark creatures that haunt the world and has made as many friends as he has enemies. to some he is friend and protector. but to most- those who prey on innocent humans lives- Cal is a sworn enemy.

I recommend you read this book because once you have a taste of Steve Niles style, you never want to get it out of your system.

Though Niles does not write great literature, he does write a great satire. This book is filled with hilarious characters, weird monsters, and some great plot twists. Cal McDonald is a lovable anti-hero who is not afraid of getting himself arrested, maimed, or even transformed into various unholy beings. The book is fun and a great read, especially is you have read Dashal Hammet or Raymond Chandler. If You enjoy this book, I also recommend "Savage Membrane" (the first Cal McDonald book), "Dial M for Monster" (a collection of Cal McDonald short stories), "Criminal Macabre" (Cal McDonald's first graphic novel, illustrated by Ben Templesmith), and "Love Me Tenderloin" (The new Cal McDonald comic currently on issue #1). I hope you all enjoy this wonderful adventure in the supernatural underworld of Los Angeles.

Guns, Drugs, and Monsters isn't going to place among this century's "great" novels--it just doesn't aim for a mainstream audience. What the book does have, however, is more creativity, wit, and charm in one chapter than most books have in their entirety. Steve Niles has one of the most high-energy and witty writing styles I've ever encountered. I found myself savoring every page of this book, often turning away to laugh and collect myself after being stunned by the incredible energy of the prose. The creative turns of phrase, and the sheer quantity of fun ideas make this book something special. It's as if Steve Niles just decided to compile a book full of nothing but the "good stuff."

This may sound like hyperbole, and not everyone may have my reaction to it, but just trust that Guns, Drugs, and Monsters reads like nothing else you've encountered. I had already picked up the trade paperback of 30 Days of Night, also by Steve Niles, but have yet to read it. Now that I've read Guns, Drugs, and Monsters, not only am I positive that 30 Days of Night will live up to its hype, but I fully intend to check out as many Niles creations as I can find.

I am now a full-fledged Steve Niles fan, and sincerely hope that this second entry into the adventures of Cal McDonald will not be the last (at least I still have the first book to enjoy, Savage Membrane).