Horror Books

I picked up "Mirror Murders" on the recommendation of a friend. Psychological thrillers are not my usual choice for reading, so I was skeptical. That soon changed. I was totally mesmerized from the beginning. The characters are so well defined, and you can't help feeling for each and every one of them, even the bad guys. The story line kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. I'm on my way to pick up "Screams from the Furnace" from the brilliant mind of Marjaree Mayne, and can hardly wait. Please keep them coming, Miss Mayne.

One of the best books, I have read in a very long time. Just as
good as Stephen Kings books. Marjaree Mayne is an excellent writer. I hope she keeps them coming.

Mirror Murder is a psychological horror that goes beyond the norm. Ms. Mayne has taken a situation that evokes sympathy, the plight of Siamese (conjoined) twins and spins a tale with so many double backs that it's impossible to know ending. It'll keep a reader up very late at night and the story will stay with the reader. Excellently crafted, the story will enthrall a reader to the very last page. It's so well done that even by reading the ending first, there's no way a reader would know the story. Excellent! I'm a fan of King, Koontz, Straub, Kellerman and McCammon; if you like these readers, you'll love Mayne. Can't wait to read her next book!!!...

VERY suspensful! I received this book at 1 in the morning and needless to say I got no sleep that night. I couldn't put it down! I finished it in under 5 hours!! A record for me! Usually about the 6th or 7th chapter I know who it is that is the bad "guy" but this one had me going! I was surprised to find that I had been wrong all along!! I love it!!

I am a mystery reader. I read Mirror Murder and even when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. Ms. Mayne gets her readers right into the story without a lot of dragging around. She holds their attention and I like the fact that even though the main characters were bad, you still liked them. I would suggest this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

Mokole is a wonderful book detailing the werecrocodiles and weredragons of the World of Darkness. The writing is superb, truly bringing to life the Mokole, and portraying what it is like to posess a racial memory back to the time of the dinosaurs. The feel of incredible antiquity, the weight of ages of Memory and wisdom, keenly permeates this Breedbook. This book does not merely describe the Mokole and their culture, it builds a vivid atmosphere, describing these ancient relics of a distant golden age, and does an excellent job of immersing the reader in their very unique worldview.

The book focuses most on the Australian Aboriginal culture of the Gumagan tribe, although it also describes the other tribes and their cultures. I hardly know anything about Aboriginal culture, but it looks like the authors of Mokole did a good job of respectfully including it in the book without the dreadfulness of Rage Across Australia, and I am glad to see Australia covered in another W:tA book.

The Mokole are an amazing race, and I am eager to play them someday. Their war-form, the Archid, is a dinosaur or dragon, and it is customizable and completely different for each character. The Mokole have all unique totems, rites, gifts, and fetishes, including ghostly totems from extinct species. Although they posess immense physical power - they are weredragons! - they are truly focused on peaceful functions. The are very different in feel and function from the Garou, and should provide many new opportunites for players and STs. Although the Mokole are usually antagonistic toward werewolves, they can work with Garou in the Hengeyokai and the Ahadi, and the book's metaplot provides possibilities for inter-Breed interaction outside of these coalitions.

Every Breedbook includes the Breed's version of the history of the world and their part in it, but the Mokole's story of history spans 200 million years! The Mokole can remember a previous Apocalypse that wiped out the dinosaurs and an earlier intelligent race, the Lizard Kings, and they know of even earlier Apocalypses that came before that one. They believe that Gaia will survive the current crisis. Mokole revolutionizes the history of the World of Darkness. Even among Changing-Breeds, they take an extremely long view, and their insights and stories are interesting to say the least! The Mokole recall the Wars of Rage like they were yesterday, and their tales describe three entire Changing-Breeds that are now exinct. There are even basic rules for constructing games set in the Mesozoic, mostly intended for stories contained in a modern character's Memory.

Finally, although the Mokole are weredinosaurs and speak frankly about evolution and geological Eras, the entire feel of the book is still as fully mystical as the rest of Werewolf, without drifting into genetics or other Weaverish explanations.

The one major problem is the end of the fictional story. The resolution of the story's conflict makes no sense and is silly. Except for that, this is a totally awesome book!

Mokole is a book for an addition to werewolf the apocalypse. You must have the "werewolf: the apocalypse" book in order to use this one to it's fullest ability. Mokole is a book about and how to play a were-alligator, were-crocodile, were-moniter lizards, were-gila monsters, were-caiman, and most importantly... they are all were-dragons! The mokole gives you mnesis, an ability to remember back to the time of the dinosaur kings. If you want to look like a big lizard, godzilla, dinosaur, sea serpent, fire breathing dragon, or oriental dragon.. then this is a book for you. The werewolves are the warriors of gaia, the mokole are her memory.

Out of all the kin books for the Wherewolf The Apocalypse game i like this one the most. It gave the much needed variety in the game and allowed for a great game. Allowing characters with these new and interesting powers is great fun, and by adding new sources and titles to your WW library you can laugh and have more fun with your friends that you play with.
I suggest this book to everyone and hope you take my word on it.
great great fun.

This book is everything you need to play the Mokole, were-reptiles who remember (and embody) Gaia's past, the days of the Dragon Kings (dinosaurs). As naturally, the book opens with a comic adventure telling of the Garou Peter Ward's quest to Australia to meet with the Mokole themselves and learn of his heritage. The book then gives the typical introduction, lexicon of terms and an explanation of what it is to embody the dragons, dinosaurs and sea serpents of the past through your Rage. From there it goes on to a great history, telling of the Mokole's creation and the reptilian civilizations of prehistoric times. The Mokole can even remember previous Apocalypses (like the one that destroyed the dinosaurs) and fully expect to live through this one. Details on the Wars of Rage and the War of Shame are given, along with lost Fera (were-bulls, boars and bats) known only to the Mokole. In addition, brief mention is made of human times, like ancient Egypt, the Slave Trade and so forth ("western" history doesn't really matter, since most Mokole come from the tropics).

The next chapter covers the four Streams (tribes) of the Mokole: the Gumagan of Australia who share ties to the Dreamtime, the Makara priest-kings of India and neighboring lands, the primordial Mokole-Mbembe of Africa, the American Southeast and the Amazon and the scholarly Zhong Lung of East Asia's Hengeyokai. Specifics are given for each (like how the Gumagan have strong ties to the Umbra, differences in Mnesis and how the Zhong Long and Makara follow different auspices). Views on other Fera, vampires and even stranger factions (like mummies, voodooists, tribal shaman and Egyptian magi) are given, along with details on names and Duties (the Mokole Litany). The next chapter gives the crunchy bits, covering the Mokole solar auspices, new Traits, forms (not all are crocodiles or alligators; gila monsters, Komodo dragons and gharials are also represented) and Crinos traits (their Crinos form consists of various traits borrowed from other reptiles, like horns, armor, wings, frills, venom and so forth). Details on Totems are also given, along with new Totems, Fetishes and Merits/Flaws. All of these fit right in, from the reptile Totems to Fetishes drawn from Aboriginal culture.

The next chapter covers Gifts for the Mokole, including general Gifts, solar/seasonal auspice Gifts and Stream Gifts, many of which are quite interesting. A number of useful (and uniquely Mokole) Rites are also presented. In the following chapter, we are given a look at useful information on Mokole breeding, Mnesis (their racial memory), the "Innocents" (ghosts of dead metis), camps and relationships with the Nagah (were-snakes). We also get the standard templates, like the Native Rights guerilla and the rainforest ethnobotanist, and NPCs, including Uncle Monday (a centuries old Florida Conjure Doctor), Sister Rae (who has True Faith in the sun), Morwangu (who was involved in the story in the book) and Braney (a Wyrm corrupted children's show host). The book closes out nicely with details on RL crocodilians, monitors and gila monsters, the hatred for vampires (particularly Setites), Mnesis spirits, the Dragon Kings, prehistoric birds and marsupials that once served as Mokole kin, and stories set in the final days or the War of Rage.

The end also includes the typical template for creating and running Mokole characters. This can be used just as easily for western Mokole as it can for the eastern Makara/Zhong Lung (who follow slightly different creation rules). Needless to say, this book blew me away. The Mokole are probably my favorite Fera, and this book is invaluable for playing them. I also appreciated the strong focus on Australian Aboriginal culture which permeates much of this book. All in all, I think this book is quite useful for any Mokole Chronicles (and quite a head ache for those who want to try and figure out the World of Darkness's "cosmology").

This is a great book. It helps to portray the true peril that the changing breeds are in and it also shows what those who truly desire to restore the balance, not just destroy the wyrm (dissolver) are capable of. This book has enthralled me since I bought it and now I really want to get an all Mokole game off the ground (too bad that my compadres insist on involving Bastet, Changeling, and Vamps :P). If you're considering buying it to this point, DO!

The stories in this lost treasure are genuinely scary (as in, "will keep you up and night and give you nightmares"). Not semi-scary with scary pictures (Alvin Schwartz's "Scary Stories," I'm talking to you). They are a bit longer than your typical "spooky stories for kids" fare, finely crafted in a technical sense, and fantastically written. (These are no attention-taxing Victorian novellas, however--more moody, condensed epics whose pacing manages to stay, remarkably, almost journalistically efficient.) The downright demented (and, no, I'm not exaggerating) "Wendigo's Child" frightened me most as a kid, but all of the pieces are honest-to-goodness classics. The illustrations, while not as, ah, "earthily" frightening as Stephen Gammell's (peerless illustrator of the "Scary Stories" series), very much have their own unique brand of 1970s-flavored, crazed, nightmare-inspiring creepiness. Most highly recommended.

Like other reviewers, I discovered this book in my grade school library in the late 70s. I remember noticing, aside from the surreal cover, that the size and binding were very similar to two other children's horror anothologies published around the same time... Baleful Beasts and Eerie Creatures and Tales of Terror (Ida Chittum). There was another Elwood anthology called Horror Tales, also the same size and binding.

The stories are creepy, the illustrations (black and white) are great. There is one story that depicts in pretty specific detail a character casting a spell to raise demons, which really excited my 3rd grade imagination. Of course I tried to perform the spell myself with the help of a friend. Don't worry---it didn't work, and the experience didn't scar me for life. However, if you are squeamish about such content, consider yourself warned.

Why don't they make books like these anymore?

I read this book when I was a child in the 70's--I checked it out of the Buckley Elementary School library over and over...I have been looking for it forever. I couldn't remember the name of the book, just the creepy, haunting stories about the Lamia, the Wendigo, and the Vrkolak and the story about the boy in the woods with the dogs(see how long it's been!). To this day I remember the scary illustrations and the chills I got from reading it and visualizing the stories in my mind! I am glad to finally have found it and intend to buy a copy right away. This is a haunting book and GREAT for kids (and adults) who like scary stuff.

I read this book also in 4th grade in Quail Hollow Elementary and it had lost it's cover, so it was just a Big Black Book. The stories inside were so chilling I have had nightmares to this day about frog men, wendigos boney feet scratching the floor and weird satanic rituals by people I knew. I am 32 now and finally have a title for my fears. Thanks Mr. Elwood for compiling this casket of terrors. I recommend it highly! I hope to find a copy again soon for my children.

Like a previous reviewer, I first read this book when I was younger...in fourth grade, in fact.

I have always been a fan of monsters and horror films, so this book of short stories particularly held my interest.

Each story is interesting, imaginative, and unique. Although not as explicitly graphic as certain horror novels released today, this is definitely not a "children's book." The stories contain supernatural imagery and suspense that might not sit well with younger (< 10 years) readers. I particularly liked and was scared by "Precious Bodily Fluids" by Mario Martin, Jr. and found myself checking my basement for vampires. The other stories are equally compelling.

Unfortunately, it appears this book is no longer in print. I recommend purchasing it if you happen upon a copy...I know I will.

The nostalgia seems to be for all things psychedelic, especially music between early Pink Floyd up through the Cars.

The language is funky fun and the pacing is fast enough.

The end left me desiring to know more, and yet I know I missed many clues and layers. I hope to get more the second time through.

I admit I first was taken in by the novel because the title of David Bowie song of the same name. I had hoped *and* feared the book would be some sort of Ziggy Stardust type story, but it's nothing like that at all. It's a world of its own. An odd sort of a love story more than anything I'd say.

Futuristic and 60's psychedelic at the same, it's something of a Blade Runner with occult undertones. Like I've read in some of the other reviews, the futuristic language is difficult a bit at first, but if you go with the flow I don't think anyone under age 40 would have a problem with it. Later on the language and use of characters really works to the books advantage:

The main character Isabelle is an AI and as the story progresses one begins to realize her presence is everywhere...even in between the lines of the story...(hard to explain this without spoilers so I'll have to leave it at that.) The quirkiness of the language allows this demonic presence to be felt while reading it. It's almost as if the text on the pages is the "Matrix" dripping letters screen, and when you understand it...the real image of the Matrix...the real vision of "Isabelle" is revealed. This was probably my favorite thing about the book.

The book is a bit of sensory overload, but it works in a book that is a reflection of our own society and all the sensual enticements available to us at every turn. The language for all it's bedazzling imagery is actually fairly lean, and while I'm more into the "flowery" type language usually, the tightness here helps define the main character's mental state and keeps the story flowing along.

I only hope there will be a sequel but I've read somewhere that this is a standalone book. Maybe the author will change his mind though. I'd love to write a lot more about the conclusion of the book, but it will definitely ruin the ending if I do.

This was a great book, good action and a lot of naughty stuff, plus also a lot of interesting hints into a magical world.. and some cool sci-fi stuff. Thank god for the dictionary in the back though. :) I will read it soon again! Yey!

First of all this is a difficult book at the beginning. The language is estranged at first due to the complete newness of the at times baffling slang and lingo, but the highly visceral and panoramic world of Moon Age Daydream soon turns out to be quite accessible when it comes to human emotions, and as much as I enjoyed the language by the end of the book (no longer even needing to look up the words in the Lexicon after about the halfway mark), I feel the strongest point is understanding the male psyche after a break up.

It seems like an intensely personal book. Once I realized that, I warmed up to the language which I at first thought cold and overly-cerebral. But in inverse proportion to the character Celesete's slow transformation from sweet high-school girl into _spoiler here_, the language seems to warm up and congeal and actually seemed perfectly natural by the end of the book.

And believe me, after the first 5 minutes of this book I thought I was going to give it the worst review ever, so I'll just give a heads up to be patient...but because this a book with a lot of edges, both stylistically and emotionally it won't be for everyone. There were some things that were quite beyond me but with whatever flaws I noticed it's a lot more original than anything I've seen in eight or nine years.

Because this books seems to be just that, which really took me by surprise since I expected a fluffier book than it is.

At first I hated it because I didn't know it was written in futuristic slang. Then I got into it anyway because the writing is tight and fast and yet still somehow poetic. Then I fell in love with the AI character Isabelle, and then I realized there were some really freaky subtexts going on which I can't even get into without major spoilers. Definitely pick this up if you are sick of the usual sci-fi and want something with some edge.

Walt's book, Moon Jack, is something that you can hold in your hand and know that you are holding a part of him. The book's story idea, plot, characters and words have all come from his heart, mind and soul. Because of that, a book always reveals something about its author. In Moon Jack, Walt revealed a streak of adventure and a really smart imagination. He also showed an appreciation for the different kinds of people who inhabit our world since the characters in Moon Jack were so multi-dimensional (I especially liked the hero's insecurities). But what I think Moon Jack showed most clearly about Walt is his courage. It takes a lot of courage to publish a work of fiction and send it out into the world, where it can easily be applauded or criticized. I am really glad that Walt took that risk because he was an excellent writer who made me think of ideas that I had never considered before.

Moon Jack is also especially relevant today as the discussion heats up about the privatization and civilian uses of the space industry.

Moon Jack starts with a action in the first pages and builds to an unexpected climax with twists and turns all the way. The writer has a great, easy-to-read, conversational style and a knack for great story-telling. The characters are well-developed, facinating and surprising. You find yourself guessing which one will double-cross the other first and you read on to find out you guessed wrong. I had a lot of fun trying to figure out what Crosby was going to do next. The ending is unexpected and worth the journey. Hopefully, there will be a sequel.

In today's capitalistic society, privatization has proven to yield significant efficiencies that many governmental agencies just can't provide. An example, Russia's modern day bureaucracy is so inefficient it aggressively seeks western investment ranging from Wall Street billionaires to teenie-bop crooner has beens to help float its cosmonaut space program. At the same time, evil terroristic activity is seeping into way too many areas of western society. What happens when a government, in this case the United States, privatizes a program that has always been run by the likes of the National Aeronautic Space Administration...?

Walt Crosby's Moon Jack provides a splendid story about what can happen when these two worlds (Space Privatization & Terroristic Evil) collide. For those Clancy and Ludlum fans, Mr. Crosby provides a story-line that really takes you along for a great ride. Unlike the Jack Ryan and Jason Bourne characters; however, Crosby's hero is not the stereotypical "Bond-like" character that many male readers vicariously place themselves in when absorbed in a read of these well-known novelists. Crosby's John Belaris is a smart guy who uses his street smarts and intellect (vs. braun and martial arts). When Hollywood is lucky enough to have Moon Jack shine on its screens, this sure hit's male lead is more likely to be cast as Kevin Spacey or John Cussak versus Harrison Ford or Matt Damon.

Being uniquely qualified with the challenge that no one, or no god, since the likes of Atlas himself has had to face, Belaris has the daunting task of convincing his own government that he is on the good guys' side and is indeed an integral player in efforts to save the world. The evolution of John's relationship with the story's co-star, Sandra Billing (or as in my mind's eye, Sandra Bullock), provides an excellent deflection to the incredible magnitude of the terrorists threat to Earth. I have heard one comment (from a female reader who asked not to be identified as my wife) regarding this relationship. She suggests that Hollywood producers expand this relationship when it hits the big screen!

Without giving away any of the story's twists and turns, Walt Crosby's Moon Jack is an amazing and fun-filled ride that leaves this reader anxious for the sequel.

In today's capitalistic society, privatization has proven to yield significant efficiencies that many governmental agencies just can't provide. An example, Russia's modern day bureaucracy is so inefficient it aggressively seeks western investment ranging from Wall Street billionaires to teenie-bop crooner has beens to help float its cosmonaut space program. At the same time, evil terroristic activity is seeping into way too many areas of western society. What happens when a government, in this case the United States, privatizes a program that has always been run by the likes of the National Aeronautic Space Administration...?

Walt Crosby's Moon Jack provides a splendid story about what can happen when these two worlds (Space Privatization & Terroristic Evil) collide. For those Clancy and Ludlum fans, Mr. Crosby provides a story-line that really takes you along for a great ride. Unlike the Jack Ryan and Jason Bourne characters; however, Crosby's hero is not the stereotypical "Bond-like" character that many male readers vicariously place themselves in when absorbed in a read of these well-known novelists. Crosby's John Belaris is a smart guy who uses his street smarts and intellect (vs. braun and martial arts). When Hollywood is lucky enough to have Moon Jack shine on its screens, this sure hit's male lead is more likely to be cast as Kevin Spacey or John Cussak versus Harrison Ford or Matt Damon.

Being uniquely qualified with the challenge that no one, or no god, since the likes of Atlas himself has had to face, Belaris has the daunting task of convincing his own government that he is on the good guys' side and is indeed an integral player in efforts to save the world. The evolution of John's relationship with the story's co-star, Sandra Billing (or as in my mind's eye, Sandra Bullock), provides an excellent deflection to the incredible magnitude of the terrorists threat to Earth. I have heard one comment (from a female reader who asked not to be identified as my wife) regarding this relationship. She suggests that Hollywood producers expand this relationship when it hits the big screen!

Without giving away any of the story's twists and turns, Walt Crosby's Moon Jack is an amazing and fun-filled ride that leaves this reader anxious for the sequel.

I truly enjoyed reading Moon Jack. The book is set upon a very plausable terrorist threat that could affect all life on earth. It's charecters area all well developed and very believable. The settings for the various scenes / chapters are described in great detail, it is like you are right there. The book builds momentum throughout, and grips the reader as it races towards the climax. The writer's style is very similar to Clive Cussler's voice of Dirk Pitt. The techno-thriller has a new ace, and his name is Walt Crosby!

Mother Julian and the Gentle Vampire is filled with original ideas you'll never have encountered anywhere else. And it's fun to read - it compells you forward right to the finish. The author's ideas on spirituality, and on good and evil, are particularly thought provoking. Definitely worth your time and money to read.

Jack Pantaleo combines a page-turning story with spiritual insights - an unusual combination. Highly recommended!

Jack Pantaleo has crafted an original horror story, that of a Christian vampire, Lesbiana, who tries, throughout Mother Julian and The Gentle Vampire, to find some way of redeeming herself. Pantaleo illustrates in an easy-to-read and entertaining fashion how good and evil are closely related. After reading the book, I was struck with his exploration of how good and evil exist on the same continuum, so that at some point the two forces intersect, and the way in which Pantaleo arranges for them to meet is intriguing. He has given us the gift of an ethical vampire, Lesbiana, we can sympathize with. The story is replete with spiritual themes, rarely covered so creatively in a typical vampire tale. Don't miss reading Mother Julian. I truly enjoyed it!

Jack Pantaleo's Mother Julian and the Gentle Vampire captivated all my senses as I floated through the centuries reading his engrossing story. From the first chapter, he takes the reader on an odyssey from present day San Francisco to 14th century England. And the vampires within this story are nothing like the vampires of Stoker and Rice. Here goodness and evil battle one another with humorous and unforgettable dialogue as well as characters who come alive on the page. The stark contrasts between light and dark and good and evil have never been so delineated nor brought so close together. Christianity's endless fight with the dark side becomes a tension-filled ride made even more enjoyable by the human and humorous characters created so artfully by Mr. Panteleo.

Who would have imagined a Christian Vampire? Pantaleo has done a remarkable job of telling a story that is not only spiritual, erotic, and thought-provoking, but also incredibly funny! Do you ever read a book while riding the bus, and you have to stop because you are afraid you will embarrass yourself in front of your fellow passengers with a loud guffaw? Well, that's what happened to me while reading this book. Yet, I had to keep reading to find out what would happening to Lesbiana, the book's main character and heroine. I had to know if she would find a cure for her gift/curse of empowering others by giving--rather than taking--blood and thus giving back courage, self-esteem, and self-love. This book has a little something for everyone. You will regret passing this one up--so don't!

Already being a fan of Ito's work through titles such as Gyo & Uzumaki, I'd heard about the infamous Tomie manga he'd created. I have to admit that my expectations were high since not only was Ito's other works so great, but this was a character who spawned countless movie adaptations of the work. I was not dissapointed.

Much like the men that Tomie & her progeny lure in, the reader is drawn into the rich storytelling & artwork in this volume. Comprising solely of the first half of the Tomie manga, this volume does a very good job of displaying not only the character of Tomie, but also drawing all of the stories together. What I found interesting was that even as I saw Tomie as a villain, at times you couldn't help but feel sorry for a girl who was so beautiful that her lovers would eventually end up killing her. Even when she reforms herself, she is eventually doomed to die at the hands of one who loves her. It's an interesting scenario, basing a story such as this around an ultimately spoiled young lady who keeps dying & being reborn from any pieces of her that remain. Can the reader truly despise her? After all, even the ones of us that have the nicest personalities would eventually begin to sour to the idea of all humanity.

Would I recommend this to a friend? Most definately. Not only if Junji Ito one of the greatest manga authors around, but this is by far the best work he's ever put out.

I love the Tomie movies and i'm a huge fan of her! So, when I found this I was alittle skeptacle. I'm not a fan of manga, I haven't tried it before. I thought it was stupid reading a book full of comics, but haha that's defiantly different now. I loved reading this book! Tomie was great, and there are about 9 different stories. I loved them all, and I'm looking forward to buying the other Tomie Books also.

Tomie is the object of everyone's desires. Obsession would find her attractive, and desire would covet her hand. The problem with Tomie is that she's not only beautiful but she's also cruel, becoming the proverbial barb that claws at the skin of every one of this flower's bearers. Not able to part with - or even share - her, the men (and sometimes women) in Tomie's life are drawn not only into love but also into a cycle that hopes to possess her - even to the point of killing her and not really understanding why. Sometimes this leads to some really gruesome points, with some people not only dismembering her but also grinding her to pulp or becoming stagehands in even more novel acts of morbidity. The thing about that is that Tomie doesn't really take to being dead long - killing her only gives rise to more Tomies and they are never happy with each other or the offending party involved.

If you've never seen the work that Ito does, he is masterful with horror scripts and illustrates with a macabre sense of delight as shadow and depth crawl through a world of both light and dark and make something - beautiful. Few really seem to do black and white well but Ito excels at it, putting together a portrait of strange happenstance that are sometimes amazingly bleak and sometimes just amazing. I've been a fan of his work for a while now, really enjoying the three Uzumaki books he did, and I thought that I'd actually seen everything he had to offer when The Museum of Horror bombshells went off by me.
I was stunned, to say the least.

For anyone that read the older English collections of Tomie (myself included), you only found yourself reading partial variations of a much larger story. Ito himself attempts to explain this in the back of the 1st new book, saying that the old books had been put together by grouping what the Tomie stories were about more than when they came out. This led to many a confabulated look and many an incomplete piece of work, with stories not meeting in sequential order and whole panels missing. The variety of mistakes was huge, too, and might have been somewhat funny if not for the fact that, along with the missing pieces, there were also missing stories.
When I say missing stories I mean a missing volume; when you take the 1st collection of books and hold it to the new editions you can tell that both of the original Tomie books could fit into the first book. So, the Museum of Horror books are good buys.

The 1st book is basically a sequential volume that tells tale after tale of Tomie, beginning with a really twisted story and ending with some rather twisted means. The tales included in this volume are: Tomie, Tomie Vol. 2, Basement, Photo, Kiss, Mansion, Revenge, Waterfall Basin, and Painter.
While many of these connect outright, some connect in more subtle fashions and follow characters that are, for a lack of better wording, caught in the web that is Tomie. Of these stories I found myself really liking the beginning and perhaps Kiss the most, but really just enjoying the read all the way through. I also liked the fact that this was linear as a concept this time around, giving the reader what Ito was thinking as he was thinking it. That explained a lot - and disturbed a little more.

For people who enjoy stories with twisted spines, horror that could pass both as Pulp and as terror, and works that are different in a way and beautiful in black and white then this is something for you. The first two books, all Tomie, paint a picture of something that would be, in a word, quite terrible.
With the new work almost making these new stories, they are really worth the buy.

One has to wonder after reading anything created by the brilliant mind of Junji Ito just how stable that mind really is. Having been turned on to his work first through his Uzumaki series (which by the way is a fully engrossing and rewarding read) I was only too happy to by chance stumble into this, the first book in Dark Horse's Museum of Terror series.

Within these pages lurks the story of Tomie, a high school aged girl whose striking beauty is only matched by her vanity and lust for attention. The horror begins after Tomie is brutally murdered and dismembered when, only a few short days later, she suddenly reappears at school acting as though nothing had happened. What starts as a macabre mystery gradually descends into something much more gruesome as the chapters progress, and the secrets of Tomie's strange character are revealed. Many of the chapters have very little to do with each other save for Tomie's relentless reoccurrence, and you can almost guarrentee that, 4 times out of 5, you'll see her die (usually a more hideous death than the one before), regenerate, and come back again to torture all those whom she comes across.

Apart from the complexity of the stories as well as that of Tomie's sinister character herself, it is also a treat to see how Ito's illustrations evolve as he develops his own signature style. This development seems almost charted by Tomie's own physical transformation throughout the book. She evolves as Ito's illustrations do so that, by the final chapter, we are able to see Tomie in the way that Ito wants us to see her; as a hauntingly beautiful young woman.

Over all, it became clear to me after reading Museum of Terror that it is not just Ito's objective to write good horror; Ito it seems has striven to break our stereotypical assertions as to what the horror genre is. In fact, he's done something nearly unheard of. He's taken the blood-and-gore factor and made it genuinely scary again.

This collection includes most of the original Tomie stories, and gives a really amazing peek at Junji Ito's earlier art style. The lines are clear, and the characters are depicted in a deceptively simple and beautiful manner. But the story itself is a twisted virus-meets-vengeful ghost tale about a girl (Tomie) that never dies. More than that, she provokes the intense desire and fixation of the men she meets, which invariably ends in them murdering and mutilating her.

It's an amazing manga full of SICK STUFF and the plot and scares are very visceral; The story also hints at and vaguely throws around some gender politics (and gender violence!) in the subtext. With Tomie, Junji Ito doesn't just spin one linear tale, but a sortof MYTHOS around Tomie that unfurls with each chapter. Like, hmmmm-- is she like a parasite that encourages being killed and mutilated as a form of her own propagation? Is she more like a virus that infects and changes to suit the weaknesses of her 'hosts'?

Admittedly, it can get repetitive, but especially with the first volume, it's really effective in a big dose. The last panel of the final story in this volume is SO. SO. CREEPY. I yelped like a scared kitten and just threw the damn thing on the floor.

If you feel like you've seen Tomie around before, it's probably because the now-defunct publisher ComicsOne originally released some of Tomie in a two volume set. Yeah, previous to the Museum of Terror edition, the Tomie comics were VERY out of print, and cost a ridiculous amount to track down secondhand. Like a lot of ComicsOne editions, their printing of Tomie was shoddily translated, edited and the visual touch-up (signs in English, sound effects) were really awful. The company basically (as the rumor goes) packed up shop, stopped paying their bills and disappeared. The pieces and rights were later acquired by DR.Master and some of their more successful stuff got assimilated into the new company's catalogue.

As for the second volume: The SECOND volume is also entirely Tomie stories, but it's mostly previously unpublished stories from when Junji Ito revisited the character in 1999 & 2000. You can feel him really escalating the limits of the Tomie 'mythos' here, with the depravity hitting really nasty levels... Making SAKE out of Tomie's mashed up flesh? Slashing her face over and over with a RAZOR? It gets ugly, but I found it really fascinating to see him draw these stories in his later style-- the more detailed, shakier line style he explored in Uzumaki and his newer comics. I am ready for a new subject after hundreds of pages (and more than a dozen variations) on the Tomie tale, but it's pretty sweet to have the entire story in 2 hefty volumes.

As a final note note, the ordering of the stories in these two volumes reflect Junji Ito's own choice of how he wanted the chapters to be presented, as another reviewer has noted.

I was laughing my assets off!

I was in the music business for about two years, and these stories really capture the grit. Anyone who thinks the business runs on ART and that anyone in it is an instant millionaire, has been reading WAY TOO MUCH of the fodder from the promo department!

This book is the most fun I've had with music since taking piano lessons at 12 from a beautiful older woman of 18 -- but that's ANOTHER Horror Story -- which is GREAT, as this book invites you to ENTER YOUR OWN STORY at the end! PERFECT -- I only hope I am not limited to one.

J. Berry

It is a great book without a doubt, and in a way an unique too. The book stores are piling up with great-career books, "success in music business", "music business in plain English" ecc. This one is the "music business in true words". The stories, bitter and funny, angry and sarcastic, are exposing the every day musicians brotherhood as it is in real life. Excellent reading !

Janet wasn't kidding when she said " Don't read this book before going to bed". It's hard to sleep while laughing and crying at the same time. Once you start reading you won't be able to put the book down. Some of the stories are hilarious, some are tragic, but all are entertaining. The book provides a good insight into the world of musicians and how silly little things can make or break a career. It tells it like it is, from the people who have been there..

This is one great book..I about died myself, reading about the funeral singer... some of the stories are horrible, some funny, some outrageous, all are riveting! If you are a musician, know a musician, or always wanted to be a professional musician, get this one..can't wait for the sequels.

As bad as things may have gone in your music career, you'll find at least one story that tops your worst! Reading this book will make any musician feel a bit better, whether a full-time studio singer or weekend warrior clubdate/wedding band player - because YOU ARE NOT ALONE! My favorite stories are the ones about getting ripped off (which most musicians can relate to) and the one about the songwriter lured to a meeting with a music publisher, only to find out that it was a sales pitch presentation for AMWAY!? And then there's the one about SINGING AT THE FUNERAL...

T. Anthony Truax is a master storyteller. He grabs you from the first page and swiftly cascades you on a rollecoaster journey until its journey. I suspect we shall be hearing much more from this author in the near future.

PSGifford

Through this unexpected, yet well choreographed, explanation of the adventures of one college student, Truax provides a sympathetic perspective on something that the film industry has long considered a topic of horror. Carefully researched legends are woven throughout the story in order to create a more interesting and well-developed storyline that defies Hollywood's overused depictions of the characters. This is one nail-biting adventure that can't be missed.

You're young; with your whole life in front of you are you ready to fight for everything that you believe in? Begin to believe in things that you thought were fiction? Someone has to, take a read and enter a world that begins a fight between two very distinct worlds. Who's stronger and smarter? Take this book home and find out what two worlds exist in the dark that will begin a fight for control. Truax's research and ability to create great pictures in the readers mind help the reader become involved in the lives and the fighting of the characters- feel their discovery, transformation, pain and live their efforts in the pages as the story begins to unfold. Who will triumph? Who will be standing when the fight is over? This book falls outside my traditional realm of reading but captured my imagination and had me turning pages to find out the end only to be teased with the subtle hint that story/battle had just started. Thank you for introducing me to a new genera of book that I might not have considered before. I look forward to the next chapter. Truax asks the reader a question at the end, what will your answer be? Here is mine- What an interesting possibility/thought you propose.

A Whole New Breed is a great start for new author T. Anthony Truax. The book was filled with excitement and thorough descriptions throughout the text. Although the story is a part of the horror genre, the story is also a coming of age tale. The hero of the story is slowly learning what his path in life holds for him. The novel reads like a comic book with splashes of action in every turn of the page. The conclusion of the book wraps up with you still wanting more.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read! This werewolf story is wrapped in folklore at its finest. Read along to find out what happens when a college student finds out about his true nature and the death of his sister. Mark Collins will embark on a journey to not only find out about his true self but also for the killer. His friends will want to help but danger is in store for everyone.

Michelle Shealy
Reviewer for Myshelf.com

A story about two related families meeting together in the summer at a legendary Gull Island in the south. The protagonist is a child Beau, and tells of the stories kids play when they are young. And the stories are realistic and mean; killing rats, stealing, swearing, smoking and drinking a beer. These are all things many of us have done when we were kids, stealing a cigarette from your parents, et cetera, but they are not usually described in books. So this made for a believable story as the children get into trouble in their fort called Neverland, and spearheaded by the kid Sumter.

Not only are the kids believable, so is the setting. Douglas really comes up with a good believable background to Gull Island, and brings in a local character Julianne who is a Gullah. I have no idea if a Gullah is real or not but I believed it, and her background which is similar to a New Orleans' type of background. Supposedly they know voodoo.. Anyway, considering these strong setting and believable characters I thought it started off a little slow, but when the supernatural elements started kicking in, and especially the last 150 or so pages, I started turning the pages faster and faster as the book went along. Overall I've read better Clegg books, but this was still a real good book. Spooky..

Clegg does it again. He is one of the most consistently effective horror writers I have ever read. In Never Land, we meet cousins Beau and Sumter summering at their grandmother's home on Gull Island. While the grown-ups drink and fight amongst themselves, the kids explore the island in search of adventure. Unfortunately, Sumter isn't exactly the most mentally healthy child, and he drags his cousins into some bizarre, frightening and dangerous games in his secret hideaway called Neverland. Communicating with another world, Sumter calls forth evil forces that threaten to destroy the family and the island. In the process, family secrets are dragged into the open, and Beau finds himself as the single person who may be able to save his family. Clegg has a knack for creating believable child characters who act in ways and say things that you would expect from a child. I absolutely could not put this book down until I finished it. It's creepy, suspenseful, and wickedly fun to read. Do what you must to track down these out-of-print Clegg novels; you won't be disappointed.

Douglas Clegg is a master of fantasy and imagination. THIS plot is nothing simple; it turns out to be creative ,and unpredictable as hell, and I stand with applause for the hours he must have spent brainstorming this one.

Neverland is fun, twisted, gripping. I fell in love with the characters, I weeped with them, I feared for them. The setting with the old house, the creepy shack, the woods - all amazing, beautiful, unnerving. The pace is quick when it should be, slower when its appropriate, and overall ends with a stunning conclusion. Clegg writes with a hand that holds talent, knowing how to work its stuff.

Read Neverland for a good time, an imaginative roll in the hay. You won't be dissapointed.

Other reviews before this one have summarized the plot better than I can, but in a nutshell, the book is about creepy children. Creepy, creepy children. Beau (a bit creepy) and his sisters (not so creepy) visit their grandmother (kind of creepy in her own right) on Gull Island every summer. Their cousin Sumter (way creepy) visits at the same time. Beau and Sumter form a friendship mostly based on their secret place, Neverland, where they perform rituals and play increasingly bizarre games, and where Sumter grows ... well ... creepier and creepier.
This novel was chilling and very good. I'll admit, I'm a sucker for creepy-children-coming-of-age-stories, and this one does not disappoint. Sumter is an absolute little freak, so if you also like creepy children stories, then Sumter is your boy. A very worthy addition to the creepy, out-of-control children sub-genre of horror stories.

I'm a sucker for coming of age stories, where the main character (usually a young boy) steps out of childhood to enter manhood through a series of traumatic events that will leave him changed forever. This is exactly what happens to Beau in Douglas Clegg's brilliantly imaginative Neverland, a book that will leave you breathless and in complete awe.

Beau, his parents, his infant brother and his twin sisters leave for their annual summer trip down to the family island, where they will stay with Beau's aunt and her family and his grandmother for the following month. When he arrives, his cousin Sumter is already waiting for him. Sumter is a strange boy who has discovered something magical and yet terrifying in the old shack behind the house. A crate with something - or someone - trapped inside. Something that calls itself Lucy.

Soon enough, Beau finds himself trapped in a nightmare he can't get himself out of. They nickname the shack Neverland, the place where imagination runs free, a place where pain and sadness does not exist. But Neverland grows to be an entity of its own, and it wants something more than mere company. It wants blood.

Douglas Clegg's imgination is amazing, and he puts it to full use in this book. The things we used to dream as children - both good dreams and nightmares - come alive in this book. You soon find yourself trapped in playground from hell, where there are very few rules.

Beau will have to face his own personal demons as he will be pushed to the very limits of sanity by Sumter and Neverland. The last 150 pages of the book are a real roller coster ride, where everything goes to hell, and where Clegg really shows how great and brilliant his imagination truly is.

Not only is Neverland a great horror novel, it is one you won't soon forget. Douglas Clegg is the master of suspense, no dout about it. So do yourself a favor and pick on of his book up. I promise, you won't be disappointed.