Horror Books


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Horror Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Horror
The Monster of Frankenstein
Published in Paperback by Idea Men Productions (2006-07-25)
Author:
List price: $20.99
New price: $20.99

Average review score:

The bodies fly
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-06
How many men and monsters must Frankenstein crush, kill, or destroy before the he can find peace? Well, in Briefer's landmark golden age horror comic, a whole hell-of-a lot! Get this book and you will see the monster cut a blood path into the annals of horror comic history.

The tragedy of Dick Briefer
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-05

If you combined the scripting talents of Stan Lee with the visionary artistic abilities of Jack Cole you would have Dick Briefer. So why have you never heard of him? Briefer had the great misfortune of working for comic companies that went belly-up in the late fifties. If only Dick, and his famous rendition of the Frankenstein Monster, made their way to the offices of DC or Marvel Comics instead of an advertising agency, silver age comic who have been vastly improved.

Continuing were Universal left off...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-31
Briefer's golden age, super-vicious reboot of Mary Shelley's mangled and maligned creation is hands down the best adaptation of Frankenstein for the four color format. If you thought EC comics were the pinnacle of 1950s horror comics, I implore you to purchase this collection and see if Dick Briefer's superb artwork and story plotting might change your mind.

True to his black & white cinematic roots
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-29

Very few comic book writers, past or present, can successfully inject so much original concepts into their stories while simultaneously keeping the integral feel of an iconic character (in this case, the Frankenstein Monster) than Dick Briefer. Ghouls, mummies, zombies, werewolves, hunchbacks, man-eating plants and giant dinos all have places of honor among these tales, creating a visual thrillride for any luck reader who was wise enough to purchase this wonderful collection.

The comic that gave me nightmares has returned!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-11
I was AWESTRUCK when I discovered that this pre-code classic was available! These stories were my first introduction to horror as a kid, and although I did not have the complete set, I was amazed with what Dick Briefer got away with. I am happy to say that age has done nothing to dull the bloody edge of The Monster of Frankenstein.

My favorite story in the Graphic Novel is "The Rebirth of The Monster" where it starts out with two treasure huners have their necks broken by the Monster after one exclaims "There is nothing to fear from dead flesh and bones!"

How wrong he was. A must have GN for all fans of the Monster!!!

Horror
GB: The Haunted School: The Haunted School (GB)
Published in Paperback by Scholastic Paperbacks (2005-08-01)
Author: R L Stine
List price: $1.99
New price: $2.94
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

Mason's Favorite Book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-10
I adore Goosebumps because I like scary books. The best parts are the funny parts. I get frightened and put the book down and stare at the wall, thinking why am I scared. That's why I give this book 5 stars.

Unique! A new style of R.L. stine!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-30
I loved it! It was very interesting, I could'nt put it down! I'm over thirteen years old but i still love it. What i like about the goosebumps series is that every age group usually loves it! This book strayed a little away from what I have known R.L. Stine to write, but it was still good. The title is deceptive though. It says "The Haunted School", but this book wasn't really about ghosts. I think a better title would be "The secret of grayworld"

One of the BEST Goosebumps....
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-04
R.L. Stine is a master of suspense! He once again writes so well it feels as if you are standing there. The details are tremendous and the flow is quick and exciting. This is a GREAT book!

My Favorite Goosebumps Book!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-16
This is my favorite Goosebumps book of all time!

I loved the plot and thought that it was amazing. The story is basically about kids from the school from earlier years to when the book takes place who are trapped inside the wall! How original?

This is the best in the series, and everyone who love(s) this series will love this one.

Okay book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-23
Tommy Frazers dad just got married.now tommy got a new mom.and he going to a new school.tommy gets lost at that school it is very big.also theres a class room with black and white people in there this is a okay book it has a wierd endening

Horror
Green Mile Audio Box Set (Green Mile)
Published in Audio Cassette by Penguin Audio (1996-09-01)
Author: Stephen King
List price: $39.95
New price: $24.99
Used price: $8.00
Collectible price: $40.01

Average review score:

the green mile:coffee on the mile
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-08
as good a work as i have ever read by steven king. suspensful,memorable, attentin grabbing, and poignant. the characters are sobelievable, and full of life that it is as if they are someone that you know. the character paul edgecombe has the compassion of a saint, but is so humanistic that he is like the boy next door.

one of the best works by steven king that i have ever read. an i have read almost all of them

Coffey's Hands
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-05-01
Welcome back to E-block, the deadliest place this side of the electric chair, where assaults are a daily grind and miracles are about to happen. Paul Edgecombe has become increasingly curious about John Coffey, the brutal killer of two girls. But Coffey is about to reveal something extraordinary, and life on the Green Mile may never be the same again.

Summary of The Green Mile and more.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-08
The Green Mile is a book about A nubian man named John Coffey and how he was framed murdering two little girls. The novel makes a later connection between John Coffey and Paul Edgecombe. It is later fond out that John Coffey was innocent because John Cofeey was gifted with showing things that happened and healing people. However the reader at first dosen't recognize this until later in the book when John Coffey heals Paul Edgecombe's Penile inffection. It is also concluded that John Coffey was a soft man but at the same time a very large man. As time progess John Coffey is latet electricuted and sent onto the paths of enlightment.

The Important scene:
The most important scene in the book was when John Coffey had touched Paul Edgecombe and showed him what truly happened.

Recommendations:
i would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery and a book full of action and out burst. This book is full of surprises. I s also better than the movie.

Pretty Swell
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-02-27
In the Green Mile Serial Thriller I love how Stephen King takes so many little stories about love and friendships and adds a twist of evilness and darkness with in each of the characters. From how he builds up the plot not just for the main characters but for everyone of the characters in the novel from the talented Mr. Jingles to the most focused character John Coffey. King kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time while he was building up to the final part, is Coffey gonna live or die and I really loved that but didn't like the outcome. But because of the time period it was set in I can understand reasons for the ending King gave The Green Mile. The book was really great and to any Stephen King fan if I were you I would read it.

Great book!!!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 1999-09-10
I loved this book but I don't think that this Kings best novel but I listend to it three times and it got much better each time. I liked the way King kept making me guess about what was going to happining in the next book. This is a must read!!!!!

Horror
The Takers (Oz Chronicles, Book 1)
Published in Paperback by BookSurge Publishing (2005-07-18)
Author: R.W. Ridley
List price: $14.99
New price: $14.99
Used price: $9.89
Collectible price: $17.99

Average review score:

A book you won't forget
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-18
I became interested in this book when searching for books on werewolves. After the first couple pages I was hooked. I read the entire book in one sitting unable to put it down. The world is laid out very nicely in this book and it's out there. A definite page turner. Once finishing you must read the next book. I've read alot of books and not very many do I truly love and remember always, this is one of those. If you are looking for a dark story with twists, this is for you.

Had me on the edge of my seat
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-14
I read this book several months ago. Well, I read all but the last 2 pages. It had me on edge nearly the entire time, and this sounds silly, as I'm a grown mother of two, but I was too scared to read the last two pages!

Great job, R.W.!

Fast-paced ride in a new author's YA Horror series; winner of the 2006 IPPY for Horror
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-01
We killed the retarded boy. He took his own life, but we killed him just the same.

Thus begins The Takers, the first book in R.W. Ridley's YA Horror series The Oz Chronicles. This debut novel (published in 2005) is well paced, with a great quest/adventure and and several likable characters, including the main protagonist, Osmond (Oz) Griffin. The second in the series, Delon City, is now published and is definitely on my reading list.

Thirteen-year old Oz awakens from a fever induced slumber to find his world dramatically changed, his parents and most of the other people on his block "taken" and seemingly eaten by nightmarish monsters who appear and attack when their name is spoken. His quest begins when he is given responsibility for a baby named Nate, whose mother is taken, so he piles up his wagon, takes a sword from Nate's father's study, and proceeds to the big city. Here, the mystery of the Takers (who are they, where did they come from) begins to unfold, as Oz and his growing army of misfit survivors (including a sign-language speaking gorilla named Ajax who understands more about what is happening with the Takers than he can say) do battle with several of the monsters. A comic book written by the afore mentioned "retarded boy" holds the key to the mysteries and the quest involving Oz, baby Nate and the Takers.

I read The Takers straight through as the action and the quest continue unabated through the book. The ending comes quickly, but sets up the second in the series nicely, leaving some questions to be answered but solving many of the puzzles.

Horror and YA (with the notable exceptions of Potter and Eragon) are usually not my genres of choice, but I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it to fans of both genres.

Great book
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-31
I didn't read this book, but my 14 year old son loved it! That's saying sooo much, since he has never read ( and finished ) a book on his own before. He does not enjoying reading, as I do. He started this book one evening, after I made him, and he couldnt put it down. For the first time ever, I had to tell him to put a book down and go to bed! We have already ordered book 2, and he cant want for it to get here. Hopefully, this will start a joy of reading with him!

A Fast and Fun Ride: Enjoyable YA Horror
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-10
I picked up The Takers upon the recommendation of a friend, and enjoyed it thoroughly. It is definitely targeted at a young-adult audience, and the term 'young' hasn't applied to me for a few decades, so I sometimes felt the story was rushed. On more than one occasion I felt myself wanting more. That said, I couldn't put the book down. It is a horror story, but is not overly scary or gory (again, good for YA) but it satisfies the horror fan with an extra helping of creepy.

The Takers is a gigantic toothy maw of literary fun that is sure to swallow the reader whole. It is full of action, likable characters, intrigue, and (of course) monsters. The plot jumps into high gear from the first page, and doesn't slow until the very end. As the first book of a series, it tells a good story that can stand on its own while at the same time luring the reader into book two (which I now have on order).

My complete review:

Characters: 5 stars. In a fast-paced adventure like this, it is easy to lose character development. Ridley manages to create a cast of interesting characters despite this challenge, including a Silverback Gorilla that speaks with sign language (a mechanism that I was skeptical of when first introduced, but it works).

Plot: 5 stars. The plot evolves well, with sufficient twists to keep the reader's interest peaked. The plot is more complex than many YA horror stories. For example, I found the plot of EPOCH to be relatively flat in comparison.

Pacing: 4 stars. I'm holding back one star here because I would have liked to see more of just about everything along the way: more detail in descriptions, more character interaction, etc. However, as mentioned above I am older than the intended audience by a fair bit. Also, the trade-off results in an exciting roller-coaster ride of a story, and that's not a bad thing.

Genre: 5 stars. While not overly gory or scary, The Takers is creepy, with many classic elements of horror: post-apocalyptic survival; mysterious disappearances; taboos; and lots of monsters. The monsters are described perfectly: just enough detail to inspire the reader's imagination to invent more. There is also a god diversity of monster-types to keep things interesting (and, again, creepy).

First Impression: The opening line "We killed the retarded boy" is brilliant.
Last Impression: This would make a great video game.

Overall Score: 5 stars.


Finally, The Takers is an independently published book, and as a self-published author myself (Cluck: Murder Most Fowl), I'm glad to see another independent author who takes writing seriously: the book is well structured, well written, and free of the typos and grammatical errors that sometimes appear in independent works.

Horror
The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree (Bright & Early Books(R))
Published in Library Binding by Random House Books for Young Readers (1978-10-12)
Authors: Stan Berenstain and Jan Berenstain
List price: $12.99
New price: $7.77
Used price: $0.80
Collectible price: $14.95

Average review score:

kids LOVE this book!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-16
We've always read this book with our kids- the whole extended family does. It is a wonderful book. And because of the repetition in it, kids can read it themselves from young age. The illustrations are fantastic, and just scary enough.

A delightful read!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-12
I had this book when I was little but over the years it "disappeared". When I saw it available on Amazon, I had to get it! I'm creating a collection of books I read as a child so I can pass them on to my children. I've always enjoyed books by the Berenstains! Their illustrations are very vivid and charming. The storylines in the books are very easy for a child to follow. You should also check out Richard Scarry's children's books.

Childhood Classic
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-16
My husband and I both loved this book as children. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they're still being made.

One of my daughter's favorite books
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-21
Most all of the Berenstain Bears books are fun. This one is a favorite. It is a little spooky, but not enough to scare a three year old child. The Bright & Early Berenstain books are fun and quick to read (good books for new readers).

"Spook"tacular
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-15
The storyline itself is a fun adventure for any child to enjoy, and not scary. The book works well for children with low attention spands, and/or for children with a beginner level of reading skills. This book has always been a favorite throughout my family's growth.

Horror
The Darkness: A Vampire Huntress Legend (Vampire Huntress Legends)
Published in Mass Market Paperback by St. Martin's Paperbacks (2008-12-30)
Author: L. A. Banks
List price: $7.99
New price: $7.99

Average review score:

Awesome!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-22
I have been reading the whole series and this one keeps up with the others. I thought it was great. Definitely one to tell otehrs about.

AND SO IT CONTINUES........
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-07
Our favorite Neteru duo is back with their Guardian family....intent on locating the Antichrist and stopping Armageddon. With the help of Yonnie---Carlos's brother, who is acting as a double agent on the dark side--the team is able to gain valuable intel on what is going on with Lucifer and his dark agents in the bowels of Hell. What they have discovered is that councilman Sebastian has used his talents for reanimation to bring back from the dead two of the most evil women in history to fill council seats---giving the Guardian team even more to deal with. But with the help of the Kings and Queens on high, the team is once again able to stem the tide of evil that seems determined to take over the world. Will they be able to find the Antichrist before his birth? Or will Lilith and Lucifer prevail?

This tale shows all once again that Ms. Banks is the reigning Queen of Dark Literature. This novel has been somewhat relieved from the overuse of outdated slang (although, the cliche "fair exchange is not robbery" is still repeatedly used. Why, I must ask???), giving this novel the extra shine it deserves. And I must add...if her affinity for dark tales begins to wane, Ms. Banks most assuredly has a career penning erotica. This series contains some of the hottest sex scenes that I have ever read. A must-read for fans of the series.



DYB

Huntress Series
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-19
I am reading all of her books in the series. I really enjoy them.

L A Banks Scores Again
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-31
THE DARKNESS, the tenth volume in the Vampire Huntress series, is a twisted, socially conscious, erotically charged, violent, and thoroughly fun rollercoaster of a novel that grabs you by the throat and never lets go. Banks' ability to craft convincing characters in a fantastic setting makes both the chills and the romance completely believable, and she writes dialogue as well as anyone in the business.

L. A. Banks is "Storyteller of the Year" for this reason
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-28
THE DARKNESS, book 10 of the 12-book Vampire Huntress Legends (VHL) series, is captivating. Unexpected character cameos and new allies kept me up all night.

With the battle at Masada behind them, the team recoups in San Diego thinking Lilith's spawn has been defeated. Chairwoman Lilith also believes this to be true and expects He Who Shall Remain Unnamed to stomp her into a puddle of oil or worse. The outcome: she is given the daylight bite and the power to make daywalkers. The anti-Christ has survived, and in order to give him time to mature, Lucifer commands her to distract the Neteru team and restore the dark realms' numbers.

Lilith wastes no time. Fallen Nuit, Sebastian, and Yonnie are given the daylight bite. Yonnie's unexpected visit provides the team with much need intell as he walks the line between the Light and the Dark. When Level Seven's most infamous resident goes to church, the guardians reassemble, gather reinforcements, gain a new friend, discover a new talent, and take the fight to the street once again. Even though Carlos and Damali have learned to lead the team, both are in need of further assistance from the Council of Kings and Queens.

The interaction between Carlos and Damali reminded me of THE HUNTED (book three of the VHL series). I stopped reading several times just to catch my breath. Sensual, touching love scenes notwithstanding, Jamal's "balm" really works, and I'm sure readers of the series already know the power of sincere prayer. Restoration is granted. Ultimately convicted by Banks' beautiful words, I eagerly await THE SHADOWS.

Horror
The Man Who Laughs
Published in Kindle Edition by LeClue (2008-01-13)
Author: Victor Hugo
List price: $0.99
New price: $0.99

Average review score:

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-15
I come to the conclussion that The Man Who Laughs is the most descriptive, saddest, romantic and most beautifully written book that Victor Hugo has written. It is unfortunate that this book doesn't have the standing that Les Miserables or Our Lady of Notre Dame occupies. Also, it is a very hard to find book, specially in Spanish, which is my first language. The traduction is done extremely well (I have verified it with a Russian version I have). It is highly recommended.

For those who want more from a novel
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-01
This is a difficult and demanding read, but entirely worth it for those who want more from a novel. The story is of a confrontation of moral opposites set in England in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, as a deliberately disfigured outcast named Gwynplaine faces a powerful conflict between the simple life of a mountebank, with the love of a pure-hearted blind girl, and the power, glamor, and corruption of nobility, with the love of a depraved, self-loathing noblewoman. Gwynplaine's disfigurement hides his true identity from all, including himself; and out of the eventual revelation of this truth, Hugo constructs a magnificent and heart-wrenching symbolic drama that is as filled with meaning as anything you'll find in literature. Again, this is not light reading, and it is not made for those who prefer to breeze through an action thriller in an afternoon.

Hugo has much to say about the destructive nature of political power, as well as the envy and injustice that conspire to keep the high and low in their respective places. The Mohawk Club of the nobility exemplifies these themes through their vicious and destructive pranks, victimizing the helpless in the name of "fun."

Hugo's contempt for the period's institutions of power is evident throughout the novel; on the wicked Barkilphedro's rise to prominence, he writes: "He had crawled where he wanted. Flat beasts can get in everywhere. Louis XIV had bugs in his bed and Jesuits in his policy. The incompatibility is nil." Clearly this is a novel of ideas, written by one who had a great deal to say and knew how to express it. Even so, I must acknowledge that Hugo's expository passages, although witty, impassioned, and eloquent, occasionally become a distraction from the story.

Hugo's style is astonishingly lofty, in a way that just doesn't happen in the present day. It is an ambitious and demanding discipline, now so far gone that we scarcely even know to miss it. As such, it may strike today's readers as unnatural and overdone; or so it did to me, at first. But by the finish, I was fully seduced into Hugo's stylistic world, and left unable to choose what to read next -- for what is there today that is even conscious of this standard of craftsmanship? I can only imagine how much of the effect of this high language is lost in translation from the original French.

If you are interested in this book, I strongly recommend the Paper Tiger edition, with its afterword by Shoshana Milgram. This afterword was of great use in understanding the book's ending, which to me was difficult; it clarified how the ending was necessitated by the novel's overall theme -- and it made the extent of Hugo's achievement that much more evident.

Quality Literature
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-30
This is extremely well written and the story is easy to follow. The story had me smile and cry. The method that Victor Hugo collected the sections of this book is similiar to the style Ayn Rand used in writing Atlas Shrugged-my favorite book. The Man Who Laughs is one I think every Victor Hugo fan would want to read and read again--I loved it!

Timeless classic...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-21
I read this book as a teenager, along with "Toilers of the Sea," Ninety Three" and "Hunchback of Notre Dame."
I have re-read only "Toilers of the Sea" and found it as riveting now as were all of Hugo's book then. I can't imagine a library system not containing these timeless classics or their being out of print.

Everybody Hates Hugo
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-29
I have now read four books by Victor Hugo. The Last Day Of A Condemned Man, Les Miserables, Hunchback of Notre Dame, and recently I finished The Man Who Laughs.
I will spare the usual props I throw Hugo's way about him being the greatest author and yada yada yada. Although, as far as classics are concerned, I was dissappointed to go to my local library and in the Hugo novel section there were only two books (and a small gap where Hunchback was). Walking over to the D's for Dickens. There were at least 50 books, multiple copies.
I love Dickens and Hugo, but I don't think Hugo gets near enough attention for the quality he puts out. Dickens can fill just as many pages as the French master, but it seems that the substance is lacking in comparison. What a shame. Does America hate the French that much?
The Man Who Laughs or By Order Of The King was a very fast read. Considering she was 550 pages, I made it through in a couple of weeks, which says a lot for me, I am extremely slow at reading. An excellent plot and a strong mystery involving many characters keeps you interested. If he were alive today, Hugo would no doubt be a writer on Lost. Although, as one reviewer noted with a bright red mark, that you don't find out the lead characters name till almost 200 pages into the book, I found the back story behind the character one of the most fascinating aspects of the book. Homo and Ursus, a mountebank and his aide/wolf introduce the book, and shortly you are introduced to a group of strangers who abandon a boy on a shore. First it follows the boat and its destination then it retraces its steps and tells the story of this boy.
Many lengthy passages are devoted to writing about nobility and lands, and law officers of the day, and there's enough death and deceit and debauchery to keep you entertained (the seduction scene with Gwynplaine and the lady he is to be betrothed to is intense and hilarious). Hugo is still Hugo, and apparently this books was written while he was in exile. So there aren't the usual 30 page essays in the midst of his tales, but it's just a wonderful story.
The ending of Hugo's books are something wonderful, and you can guess and you can guess, but you never can tell. I thought I had the ending figured out, but alas, I was wrong and it took me a good half an hour while the ending sank in.
I think my favorite book of Hugo's so far has been Hunchback, but this story does not dissappoint, and I recommend it over any Dickens or Hardy any day. It's twenty bucks for the paperback, forty for the hardback, but I'd say for anyone who likes a classic, it's worth the price.

Horror
Pet Shop of Horrors 10
Published in Library Binding by Topeka Bindery (2005-01)
Author: Matsuri Akino
List price: $19.30
New price: $15.05

Average review score:

Graphic SF Reader
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-03
Count D, the androgynous, keen on the tranvestite clobber owns a very strange, supernatural pet shop, where you want to be careful what you wish for when you ask him for a recommendation. Apart from that, the first part he is on holiday with a detective and his kid brother, and they run across a man who claims to have seen a mermaid 50 years ago, and has been obsessively hunting it ever since.

Thrown in a volcanic eruption, to make it more interesting.


Welcome to the Shop
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-11
I picked up Pet Shop of Horrors on the strength of it's reputation as both one of the best josei (women's) manga and one of the best horror manga. It's a reputation well earned.

The primary setting is San Francisco's Chinatown, where the mysterious, effeminate Count D (we don't in fact learn his real name, as Count D is actually his globetrotting grandfather, but for the purposes of the story we'll call him D) runs a petshop with a seedy reputation and whose clients have an alarmingly high death statistic. Detective Leon Orcot vows to close the shop and put D behind bars for murder and whatever else he can pin on him. More on that in future volumes - for now we're just getting accustomed to the format of the series.

Each volume generally tells the tale of four pets and their owners and what happens to them after the sale. In the premiere, we meet a gentle, empathetic Bird of Paradise trying to lighten his mistress' depression; a monstrous rabbit who is both her new owners' desperate dream and worst nightmare; a Basilisk who falls in love with her master; and a noble, heroic Doberman determined to protect his blind mistress from the still-at-large murderer of her parents who might be after her next. Of course, this is Pet Shop of Horrors, not Lassie, and when their tales are told, things will only have turned out well for one of the four...

The pet shop scenario allows D and Leon to be a point of reference throughout the series so that new situations don't have to continuously be set up. The banter between them is often amusing, and D himself is fascinatingly ambiguous. In some ways the stories are somewhat predictable (although the ending of one gave me quite a whallop), but that's not always a bad thing, and some have rather deep things to say about treating not only our animal companions but fellow man well. The animals themselves are diverse enough to keep things from getting stale.

It is worth addressing the manner in which the animals are presented here. Throughout the series, they appear to their owners as humans, which anthromorphizes them (think the ballet Swan Lake, the musical Cats, or the anime Wolf's Rain). An interesting aspect is that the animals reflect the human cultures of their indigenous area. The Bird of Paradise, for instance, appears as a beautiful androgynous youth in the traditional dancing garb of Bali to represent his plumage, while the Doberman appears as a handsome young man in a German military uniform.

A mixture of fantasy and horror, this is worth a read for anyone old enough to handle the fact that it is a horror series with some frames which earn it a 16+ rating.

One of the best volumes in PetShop of Horrors series
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-24
Pet Shop of Horrors has a lot of magic and insight in its stories.
Count D, with his love for nature and animals, webs a mystical tapestry in which mankind is another thread, that constantly menaces to rip the cloth of Life apart.
I recoment this manga for anyone who likes magic and animals, and sweets.

Lovely dark art and storylines
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-08
I really enjoyed this series and the artwork is definetly some of the best! ^.^ Also get the DVD version of this. Unfourtunately they only did one dvd of this manga but that was excellent also.

For You AND Your Evil Twin! (Full series review. No spoilers.)
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-25
Affectingly humanistic AND gleefully misanthropic all at once, PET SHOP OF HORRORS is a 10-volume series revolving around a Chinatown pet shop, the highly unusual animals it sells, and the (often unpleasant) fates which befall its patrons. Running the shop is "Count D", a young Chinese man with a charming smile. Trying to run him in is Leon Orcot, a grumpy police detective who is convinced D is behind all those nasty, animal-related incidents.

Each volume contains three or four clever, creepy, well-characterized stories focusing on an individual customer. Meanwhile, the series as a whole gradually unveils the story of Count D, and his quasi-adversarial relationship with the dogged-but-dense detective.

A lot of reviewers here explain the "rules" of the series to you. But I really enjoyed reading Book One "cold" and figuring it out for myself. The confusion is half the fun, and the real charm of the series is the way the stories subversively mess with our perceptions.

Some stories are better than others, of course. I was briefly alarmed at a dip in quality at Book 4, but Book 6 bounced the series back. Even so, Books 4 and 5 each contain one first-rate story, and overall work just fine as a brief change of pace. Book 10 concludes the series with four interconnected tales focused on the recurring characters. It is one of the best final books of a manga series that I have yet come across.

The "rating" jumps from T13 to T16 after Book 3. But I think that Book 1 gives you a good idea what you are in for content-wise. The detective does not watch his language, mermaids don't wear tops, many of the stories, uh, don't end well, and there is gore and extreme weirdness. But it is never gratuitous or stupid, and risque content is clever rather than crass. My local library has the full series, but it is STILL at the top of my To-Get List. It is that good.

Horror
The Dead Lifeguard (Fear Street Super Chillers, No. 6)
Published in School & Library Binding by Topeka Bindery (1994-06)
Author: R. L. Stine
List price: $12.10

Average review score:

The Dead Lifeguard
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-12-17
Lifeguards in this book are never safe. This book is about a lifeguard club with teenagers who come every summer to the club house.One by one teenagers start to die.This one teenager,who thinks she's Lindsay,keeps finding her friends dead in parts of the club house.
I recommend this book to people of all ages who like stories.I think this book is to pruve to people that being a lifeguard is very hard.This book will wrap you in and never let you go.R.L. Stine has very good ideas for scary stories.His books are all different and interesting.

Super Great Super chiller!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2003-04-24
This Is one of my favorites i have a lot of favorites right now i am reading lights out and so far so good.

This Book is about lindsay who was a past life guard that shows up with a 2 year old i.d. card for lifguarding and cant remember why she has it instead of her new one, then mysteryious murders start to accurr and to life guards die. Some of the other charecters are danny cassie arnie may-ann spencer and another person whos name i cant remember. It is suspenceful and a very good fear street book!

lifegaurds
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-16
this is one of the most suspenceful books I have ever read. I read the book all at once! this book is about lifegaurds who do work at a so called "haunted resort". one by one the lifgaurds start to die horrible deaths. one of the lifgaurs wants revenge on all the rest.the main character in this book is probably lindsay everthimg happens to her. there is also mouse he is the killer. mouse is the nickname of the killer lifgaurd.

good book.
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-10
The dead lifeguard is about a group of teens that sign up to be lifeguards for the summer. Everything is going fine at first until lifeguards start being killed.......


I read this book so many times because I liked it so much I bet you or your kid will to if you are into horror/spense books. R.L Stine did a great job.

dont forget how to swim, never know whats lurking behind you
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2004-02-14
I enjoyed reading the dead lifeguard. This is a very captivating book. It's alot like the normal horrors that you would see on television but it has a twist to it. I would recommed this book to people who like a good story of suspense and horror.
The Dead Lifeguard is about a group of strangers who spend the summer together lifeguarding at shady acres country club. One by one lifeguards disappear and no one can explain what's going on; but someone who knows is out to get revenge on the lifeguards... read the the book and find out what happens.

Horror
Goblins in the Castle (Minstrel Book)
Published in Paperback by Aladdin (1992-10-01)
Author: Bruce Coville
List price: $5.99
New price: $2.07
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $10.00

Average review score:

Fantastic Story!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-10
I read this book to my fourth grade students every year. The storyline is exciting and enjoyable for students of all backgrounds. Bruce Coville writes this novel in a way that keeps the children engaged and always wanting more. Each chapter ends with a "cliffhanger", leading to choruses of "Read more! Read more!" The characters in this story are well-loved by myself, and my current and former students. They are all able to sing Igor's bear bopping song long after the last word is read. This is an absolutely fantastic book~one of Bruce Coville's best!

Goblins in the Castle
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-20
Goblins In the Castle

What would you do if you found a secret passage in your room that led down to a dungeon filled with evil marauding goblins?

Goblins in the Castle is about a boy who does just that. He opens a door he shouldn't, letting out the spirits of a Goblin army. Now he needs to leave the castle and take down the goblins for good. During his adventure he meets people and asks if they will join in his great adventure to defeat the goblins. Oh, did I mention his best friend is a hunchback who whacks people with his teddy bear?

Goblins in the Castle was written by Bruce Coville and illustrated by Katherine Coville. Bruce has written many books you might know like: "Space Brat" and "My Teacher is An Alien."

The Goblins in the Castle
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2004-11-21
THE GOBLINS IN THE CASTLE

By: Bruce Coville
The book I'm doing this report on is The Goblins in the Castle. It's about a boy named William, a girl named Fuana, and a thing named Igor. In the book William lived in a castle and finds a hidden passage and meets Igor. On Halloween he accidentally let the goblins out of the north tower. Igor said they needed to see Granny Pinch Bottoms. They go and on the way Igor was stolen by goblins and William falls in a pit and meets Fuana, then goes to Granny Pinch Bottom, she gives him items to save the goblin's land. He went and did what she told him and saves goblin land.
I think William is the kind of kid that just wants some attention. He is brave to do what he's told. He's friendly to his friends. He's kind of crazy.
The problem was William opened the north tower door and let the goblins out. Another one is that he doesn't know what to do. The most important one is trying to find the courage to save the goblins.
The solution was the goblins roamed free because William made them good. He finds out what to do from Granny Pinch Bottom. He finds the courage by figuring out what at stake.
I would recommend this book to people that likes a good mystery. I would rate it at a five star book and because it's cool.


14 Year Later, Still A Great Tale
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-31
I first purchased this book when I was seven years old at a school book fair because I was raised by my father on The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings and the cover, title and description looked cool.

I remember vividly being in second grade and being absolutely tantalized by the day or two it took for me to finish it. It was just a wonderful tale of charming adventure that immediately struck the right chord with me. I'm 21 years old now and I still find myself taking time every year or so to pick up the very copy of the book I purchased when I was 7 to re-aquaint myself with the characters and the adventure and the feeling of being so completely absorbed with a story that can't really be captured beyond grammar school levels that the rest of the world doesn't matter.

This book has stood the test of time for me. It served as a fantastical escape when I was a wee lad and can still provide that exact same charm now as I finish college that I don't believe I'll ever be able to find anywhere else.

Stellar book that will do nothing but encourage young people to read; it's something that's really needed today.

Goblins in the Castle
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2004-01-08
This is a great book. I have read it to my 4th and 5th grade students and to my own children and they have all loved it. It has just the right mix of "scary" and funny to keep the reader's (or listener's!) interest. This book is not one of Bruce Coville's best known stories, but once you read it, it WILL be one of your favorites!


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