Horror Books

So Awesome, so horrible, and so refreshingly different. Looking forward to future works by this author.

What better three letter word can describe this book. WOW! I absolutley enjoyed it. While I read it was like watching a movie the one's that make you go "Oh yeah I remember him/her or that from earlier" which makes the movie or in this case book that much more thrilling. Bailey has truley created a piece of artwork as everyone else has previously stated its hard to believe that this was his first book. Kudos on the great book Bailey and the start of a new and promising career.

I can't say enough how wonderful (or should I say wonderfully "horror-ible" ?) this book is! Not only is the cover appealing (great design, by the way) but the 5 stories found inside brilliantly connect to eachother unveiling more secrets from the surrounding stories. Almost written backwards, hence a palindrome, I enjoyed piecing this mysterious, yet unfortunate, puzzle together. It is hard to believe this is the author's first book and I will be looking forward for future books written by Michael Bailey.

Different than anything I have ever read. I love horror books and this one will stay on my shelf for a long time and read more than just once. I can't wait for his next book.

You'll hear Michael Bailey's name up there with Stephen king and Dean Koontz one day soon. Very powerful and well written for being his first book. Deffinately a must read for horror fans!

So great. I just want to know ONE thing. When will Hollywood make this book into a movie? My kids are dying to see it on the big screen. They love the story.

Such a great book. I just want to know ONE thing. When will Hollywood make this book into a movie? My kids are dying to see it on the big screen. They love the story, and so do I (a parent).

so funny and suspenseful and my kids learned about history, to boot

Educational and scary. Kids and adults in our family liked it.

I have read others of G. G. Garth's books, but this one is great. It keeps you on the edge of your seat with terror and excitement!

Middle-school students Courtney, Ming and Orion break into the Carville, Massachusetts Public Library one late spring night. Inside the library's "granite walls, cast-iron grilles, and turreted roof that made it look like a fortress," the children huddle in the cavern-like basement. Under the beam of Orion's flashlight, they recite an incantation from THE COMPLEAT NECROMANCER, an aged book written by former Carville resident Professor Hezekiah T. Osgood, who is now deceased.

Hezekiah, his wife Clara and son Nichodemus spent many years on Ilhas dos Fantasmas --- also known as Prithvideep --- an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, south of the Equator. There, Hezekiah and his family learned about the arora --- spirits that haunted the islands.

THE COMPLEAT NECROMANCER is an ordinary-looking book, "old and heavy as a brick," which chronicles Hezekiah's investigation into the mysteries of the afterlife. According to the book, "three friends must gather in the darkness and conspire to raise the dead." After Courtney, Ming and Orion repeat the incantation, they believe nothing has happened. They scamper from the library, forgetting Orion's flashlight in their haste.

The next morning Alma Parker, the town's librarian, finds the flashlight and notices something else amiss --- and it's not just the books that are out of place. After Alma picks up a book that is also part of the Osgood collection, she sees the profile of a boy pressed between the pages. It is "a filmy, translucent layer...as if traced by air." The image moves and looks at her.

While reading in her bedroom, Courtney also discovers the image of someone moving between the pages of a book "like the pale outline of a fern that might have been pressed inside the book long ago."

Back in school, Ming and Orion are assigned to create a presentation for the Carville World's Fair social studies project. Their teacher, Mrs. Hokum, has a vendetta against Alma Parker and a long list of books she wants banned from the library. Ming and Orion select Ilhas dos Fantasmas as the country for their project. Mrs. Hokum reluctantly approves their selection, but she remains suspicious and continues her campaign to ban "negative" books from the library and remove Alma Parker as librarian.

Joining forces with Alma and her husband, Ted, the three youngsters attempt to rescue the trapped arora while trying to protect the library's books from Mrs. Hokum and her supporters.

THE PHANTOM ISLES is creative and visually appealing, with stories within stories and images of arora watermarked on its pages. Told from several points of view, including the spirits trapped within the pages of obscure texts, THE PHANTOM ISLES succeeds as an entertaining, informative and engaging novel.

--- Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt

A strange old book called The Complete Necromancer holds more than magical instruction - it holds actual ghosts and powerful passages that can bring up the dead - a proposition that intrigues friends Ming, Courtney and Orion. Their quest for knowledge brings the local library's books to life with spooky moving images - and unleashes a storm that could overtake the town. A wonderful, spellbinding story suitable for advanced elementary through middle school grade levels evolves.

I recently bought this book for my nephew who is eleven and an avid reader. He tells me that not only did he love this book but it has inspired him to become a writer in the future. He has shared it with his teacher and classmates at school and it seems that they have all enjoyed it. I am looking forward to reading it now myself.

Three brave children, an amazing librarian and an island of ghosts inhabit THE PHANTOM ISLES. Stephen Alter has created a unique ghost story with a thrilling cast of fascinating characters. This delightful mix of magic, ghosts, haunted books and exotic islands is a winner! It would make a great read aloud for teachers and parents. And the suspenseful chapter endings will keep even the most reluctant readers flipping pages.

I look forward to reading more books by Stephen Alter.

Late one night Ming, Courtney, and Orion sneak into the town library to find a very curious book. The Compleat Necromancer contains a spell that can supposedly conjure the ghosts of the dead. The friends perform the spell and...nothing happens. Or so it seems.

The next day Alma, the librarian, notices books out of place. Stranger still is the face that looks out at her when she opens one of them. It seems to materialize on the page, and it appears to be looking right at her! And it's not the only face stuck in a book.

Slowly a mystery comes to the surface. It seems to center around a place called Ilhas dos Fantasmas, and a professor who went to live there for awhile a long time ago. If Ming, Courtney, Orion, and Alma can solve the mystery, they might be able to free the ghosts from their books. But, the clock is ticking, and the books might be in greater danger than any of them realize.

This is such a fun book, and such an original idea! I love that it tells the stories of the ghosts, as well as has their faces on the page. It makes the story so much more vivid. Plus it has a crazy teacher, who at first is almost funny then turns creepy. It's the fun kind of scary book that is a great story for anyone. It also seems like just the kind of book that parents could read to their kids.

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

The Pictograph Murders by P. G. Karamesines is the story of Alex McKelvey and her desperate struggle to seek happiness by moving to the desert country of Utah with Kit, her Siberian husky. Swiftly carrying readers through a purely captivating tale of mystery and suspense that continues to hold the readers full and unabated attention from first page to last, The Pictograph Murders compels Alex through an investigation involving the archeological study of pots, witchcraft, and murder as the archaeological excavation site-owner disappears, and Alex's only lead is the site itself, and the mysterious arrival of a Coyote-figured stranger. A beautifully crafted mystery thriller, The Pictograph Murders is very highly recommended for mystery buffs as an enthralling tale of murder, archeology, myth, and an eccentric young woman who is determined to discover the truth.

Pictograph Murders pulls you in during its early chapters of character building supported with intriquing Indian folklore story. The read teases your mind as you become more entrenched in both subtle and overt plot and character twists. By half way through the book you want to cancel other plans and keep reading...by two thirds of the way through you DO cancel other plans and keep reading! I can hardly wait for the sequel, Loon Woman, to come out!

Karamesines is an exceptional writer. Her images are vivid and inspirational. Alex, the main character, is wonderful. I was drawn to her and her companion, Kit, instantly. I can't wait to see where Karamesines takes them next.
I was not able to put this book down! I am ready to join an archeological dig today!

I loved this book! I chose this book for my book club to read last month and we all enjoyed it very much and look forward to the sequel. There are many topics of interest and layers to this book so we had a great discussion. I liked how the character of Alex developed through the book. Tony was positively creepy! The author did a great job with him as protagonist. The Indian folklore throughout this book was enchanting, enriching and extremely interesting. You can tell the author really loves the desert, outdoors, and has experienced life which is all to the readers benefit since we are able to revel in her descriptive phraseology - beautiful use of language! All in all an impressive first book.

This is a great murder mystery. It could be considered reminiscent of Hercule Poirot, but it definitely stands on its own. Pictograph Murders is set in the American southwest and the desert flavor is evident throughout. If you've never experienced the desert with its intense kind of sunlight, then you might wonder what all the serenading in Pictograph Murders is all about. It's right on the mark. Alex, the main character, thrives on sunlight and this serves as a clue that the book works on many levels of symbolism. Sure, there's a crime scene and suspenseful plot twists. The ending is satisfying and atypical of murder musteries, which is part of the reason why I liked the way it played out. The book is also a philosophical debate, sometimes carried out right amongst the characters. It's a distant mythos turned immediate reality. It could be a horror story masking as a murder mystery. Poirot should wear so many hats!
One thing's for sure: you can't make this book be what you want it to be. Let it keep changing right in front of your eyes. It's not a weakness due to inconsistencies or an author who couldn't make up their mind. It's the book.
I enjoyed this book a great deal! It bears rereading, which is my standard for judging a book. I highly reccomend it.

Wilde sees the world more clearly than any writer of fiction in the last century. It is for that reason that his work is so filled with countless paradoxes and contradictions that challenge the mind and titillate the senses. Wilde lived in an infinitely ironic age, when society had grown so influential as to crowd out the individuals that made it up. Today, we have taken for granted this incongruity and so our writers cannot express the kind of irony that Wilde mastered, despite the fact that we all know that something is amiss.

`The Picture of Dorian Gray' is filled with this irony. The plot shows us the ultimate irony of a man giving up his soul for the beauty of youth--the condition that is exalted in the modern age above all else, intellect, truth, justice, life itself. Interspersed are dialogues and epigrams that persist one hundred years later as some of the finest word handling ever recorded. Even a few samples should compel the potential reader:

"The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about."

"Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter."

"A man cannot be too careful in his choice for his enemies."

"The only difference between a caprice and a life-long passion is that the caprice lasts a little bit longer."

"Men marry because they are tired, women marry because they are curious. Both are disappointed."

"I love acting, it is so much more real than life."

- "I am on the side of the Trojans, they fought for a woman."
- "They were defeated."

The mastery of wit that Wilde displays must be seen in its context. He was a decadent as much as the characters he portrays are. Ultimately, the disillusion that the decadent faces comes through in the story and the reader is left with a very uneasy feeling upon completing `Dorian Gray.' Is life as absurd as it seems? Is there a solution? Or are we stuck with a life of paradox? Perhaps our current period of decadence will show us an alternative. Until it does, we can enjoy the astounding word play offered here.

After reading some of the contemporary reviews of this book, I was more than a little curious to see how awful this book really was. I was skeptical that it could be bad, because I'm very familiar with the wit of Wilde. As far as gothic novels go, this book ranks high in the Victorian era. Looking back from a historical perspective, I can see why the critics of the time disliked it. But from today's perspective, it is nothing short of brilliant. Wilde weaves a story like few authors could ever dream of doing, and of course his wit is played out beautifully in this book as well. full of quips and quirks, this book is a must read for anybody who has a love of sharp, intelligent writing.

Oscar Wilde was one of the foremost representatives of Aestheticism, a movement based on the notion that art exists for no other purpose than its existence itself ("l'art pour l'art"), not for the purpose of social and moral enlightenment. Born in Dublin and a graduate of Oxford's Magdalen College, he initially worked primarily as a journalist, editor and lecturer, but gradually turned to writing and produced his most acclaimed works in the six-year span from 1890 to 1895, roughly coinciding with the period of his romantic involvement with Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas, sixteen years his junior. Douglas's strained relationship with his father, John Sholto Douglas, Marquees of Queensberry, eventually resulted in a series of confrontations between Wilde and the Marquees, which first led to a libel suit brought by Wilde against his lover's father (who had openly accused Wilde of "posing as a sodomite" and threatened to disown his son if he didn't give up his acquaintance with the writer) and subsequently to two criminal trials against Wilde for "gross indecencies," based on a law generally interpreted to prohibit homosexual relationships. Sentenced to a two-year term of "hard labor" in Reading Gaol, Wilde emerged from prison in 1897 a spiritually, physically and financially broken man and, unable to continue living in England or Ireland, after three years' wanderings throughout Europe died in 1900 of cerebral meningitis, barely 46 years old.

"The Picture of Dorian Gray," Wilde's only novel besides seven plays as well as several works of short fiction, poetry, nonfiction and two fairy tale collections originally written for his two sons, is critical to an understanding of Wilde's body of work and his personality primarily for two reasons: First, because it constitutes one of his earliest fully accomplished formulations of Aestheticism, and secondly because of its undeniable undercurrent of homoeroticism; an inclination which, after a six-year marriage widely thought to initially have been a true love match, Wilde had begun to explore more openly around the time of the novel's creation (1890). The story's title character is an exceptionally handsome young man who, both in the eyes of the artist tasked to paint his portrait, Basil Hallward, and in those of their somewhat older friend Lord Henry Wotton, epitomizes perfect beauty and is coveted by both men for that very reason. Seduced by hedonistic Lord Henry into believing that beauty can literally justify anything, including any act of immorality, Dorian sells his soul for maintaining his beautiful appearance, letting his portrait age in his stead. (In that, his character resembles Goethe's and Marlowe's Faust.) He then quickly turns from an innocent youth into a cruel and calculating man whom society, in its shallow adherence to appearances, nonetheless never associates with any of the results of his cruelty, never looking beyond the surface of his handsome exterior and assuming that a man so beautiful must necessarily also be good. Ultimately it is Dorian himself who brings about his own downfall when he is no longer able to face the manifestation of his evilness in Basil Hallward's picture.

Upon its initial publication in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine in 1890, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" was widely scorned as immoral by a public neither familiar with nor particularly open to the concepts of Aestheticism and its mockery of middle class morality, and repulsed by the thinly veiled homoerotic relationship of the novel's protagonists. Wilde republished the work the following year, adding a preface designed to explain his views on art. Yet, it was that preface which, along with several of his other publications and his written exchanges with Lord Alfred Douglas, ultimately would play a devastating role in his trials, where Queensberry's attorney would come to use an excerpt from that very preface - "There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written" - to extract from Wilde statements to the effect that any book inspiring a sense of beauty (including, as implied in the attorney's question, an "immoral" book, if "The Picture of Dorian Gray" could be qualified as such) was well-written and therefore commendable; that only Philistines, brutes and illiterates - whose views on art he considered invariably stupid and for which he therefore didn't "care twopence" - could consider this novel "perverted," and that the majority of the reading public would probably not be able to draw a proper distinction between a good and a bad book. It was testimony such as this, as well as the impending confrontation with a number of male witnesses ready to testify as to the nature of their relationship with Wilde, that not only caused the author's attorney to convince his client to drop the libel suit against Queensberry but also opened the door for Wilde's own subsequent prosecution.

If "The Picture of Dorian Gray" has a central theme besides the supremacy of beauty and the depiction of a society primarily interested in appearances, it is a call for individuality: Dorian's cruelty is brought out only after he allows himself to be influenced by Lord Henry's equally seductive and cynical hedonism; and similarly, Basil Hallward's blind idolizing of Dorian eventually proves fatal for the painter. - Wilde's only novel is one of the first and most poignant expressions of his own individualism; but unlike his protagonist, who ultimately pays a ghastly prize for selling his soul and giving up his individuality, Wilde paid as high a price for maintaining his. Like Dorian, he knew that "[e]ach of us has Heaven and Hell in him," and although this novel's preface ends with the provocative statement that "[a]ll art is quite useless," it was the very fact that Wilde put his entire being into his art that ultimately destroyed him. But like beauty, which is finally restored to perfection in Dorian Gray's portrait, Wilde's works have stood the test of time; and not merely for their countless, pricelessly witty epigrams. They're as well worth a read as ever.

I had heard speak of The Picture of Dorian Gray, but I must admit I did not expect the depth and clarity of thought, the utter honesty to be found in this short novel. It is worth reading. It is worth buying. I wish I had read this when I was younger. This is one book I will give to my children. If I could, I would make this a part of highschool litterature versus many other pieces we were given to read. It is indeed a classic.

Unfortunately I made it through both high school and college without ever having been assigned this book. Over the years I have read plenty of Wilde's works, but for some reason or another, missed this one over and over. I recently sat down, and decided that it was time to give this a read. To be honest, I knew very little about this actual book prior to reading it, other than it involved a picture that aged rather than he in the painting.

I expected to have difficulty reading this book, since it had been such a long time since I had read anything from the Victorian era, however the language was surprisingly simple, and Wilde's wit is as sharp as ever. Almost sharp enough to harm the reader should they not be forewarned or guided through the readings. Should someone of a weaker mind read this book, it would be easy to fall into the trap of Dorian, who himself was poisoned by a book and the words of his friend.

Summary without giving too much away: Dorian Gray is an Adonis-like beauty, young and full of life and innocence at the beginning of our story. His beauty has attracted the obsession of a painter who paints picture after picture of him. Basil (the painter) tries to keep young Dorian pure and in love with life. Henry, a friend of Basil's comes to the studio as Basil paints his master work - a portrait of Doran. Henry fascinates young Dorian in his vile manner of speaking and sarcastic wit. His talk instills in Dorian both a fear of losing his beauty and a lust for all that is selfish and vile in life. Dorian's notable debauchery follows in exquisite detail with Henry always along for the ride to prod young Dorian down the wrong road. Several suicides and a murder or two later, complete madness begins to make its appearance.

Wilde was brilliant in his writing of this book, he captures the time perfectly... the lust of it, the sexuality of it, the debauchery of it... all in the name of truth. In their words they say things that their hearts dare not to believe and their smiles are masks hiding the truth. And what if someone believed in these lies? What if they lived their life according to what they had been told? Then they would be Dorian Gray... and we will see what happens to him. This is a brilliant read, and for those of you who will have to write papers on it... the story is not long, but it is thick with meaning. There are very few stories that I would give 5 stars to, this is one of them.

My husband wrote this book. He worked on it for over five years. Buy it. He'll autograph it for you for free if you ask him to. Besides, I need a new purse, and some matching shoes would be nice.

There's a lot going on in this book. I read it twice just to make sure I didn't miss something. This book makes vampires seem much more real than the gothic-type stories because it takes place in believable places with believable people.

Josh

This is a story about some seriously crazed people chasing down a "sanguivor" in Nebraska. It seems like every time they get a handle on the situation, something else goes wrong, but they always seem to manage to pull their behinds out of the fire at the last minute. The best character is "Digger". He's a treacherous double-dealing guy who manipulates everything without telling anyone what he's doing. There are some hilarious scenes in this book, like when the "sanguivor" is mistakenly taken to a morgue, and when a different "sanguivor" surfs across the desert on the trunk of a Rolls Royce. Read this book. It's really worthwhile, and you sort of lose track of the fact that it's really about vampires.

This book is so much fun! I loved the fact that this normal everyday guy gets turned into a vampire and ends up having to live under his parents front porch! I think vampire fans will really enjoy this weird take on the whole vampire thing. It's well worth reading just because of the funky characters and unusual plot twists.

This book was recommended by a friend of mine. I didn't want to buy it, so I borrowed his. Needless to say, I couldn't put it down. It's a great book to read. It's a great story and never dull!

After reading my friends copy and I bought myself my very own copy. I hope that this author rights more! I'll buy them all.

I am an adult fan of beautifully illustrated children's books and espcially David Catrow. I bought this book just because Catrow illustrated it. I was hooked on him through Cinderalla Skeleton (another highly recommended book).

I was not disappointed!! The story is clever and cute, and Catrow's illustrations are wonderful. So many cute little details. My friends and I love this book and I will soon be buying "Plantzilla goes Camping".

I am a huge fan of David Catrow as an illustrator so anything he does that i can get my hands onto i read. This book was quite a pleasure. A cute story about a boy and his love for a class "pet plant" that he fondly refers to as "plantzilla" spreads to the rest of his family after some unseemly events. The pictures really bring this book to life and melt a little spot in the heart. I'm glad i added it to my personal collection. I can't wait to share it with my students during our science unit on plant life cycles.I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! (Ala Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards))

A good story for first graders and up. Lots of reading on some pages that might lose the younger kids. However, the pictures are very good with lots of detail to look at. The story is told through letters from the main character, his parents and a teacher - very cute.

This is a wonderful book in so many ways.

The colorful artwork from David Catrow is charming, wild and vividly exciting. The story, told by letters, is wacky and kids love the premise.

Mortimer writes to ask his science teacher Mr. Lester if he may care for the class plant over the summer. Hilarity ensues when Mr. Lester grants that request. Mortimer's mother writes a few letters herself when Plantzilla gets out of hand.

This is an original tale with beautiful illustrations and a powerful message. My students enjoyed it immensely.

Mortimer Henryson loves Plantzilla. All year, during third grade, he sat next to him, brushing the cilia on his leaves, watering him, and keeping growth charts. "Plantzilla is the only plant I care that much about." Now that summer vacation is right around the corner, Mortimer wants to take Plantzilla home with him. "...he might miss me over the vacation and wonder where I am." Mr Lester, his science teacher is only too happy to find Plantzilla a good home for the summer, and so with his mother's permission, Mortimer brings his unusual potted friend home. And no one was prepared for what happened next..... Jerdine Nolen has authored a heartwarming story with a gentle message, that won't be lost on young children. "When you give a living thing love, you never know where it will lead." Her creative text, written as letters back and forth between Mortimer, his mother, and Mr Lester, is engaging, and filled with twists, turns, and hilarious surprises. David Catrow's bold, bright, and busy illustrations are rich in clever, playful detail, and bring Plantzilla to life in all his glory. Together word and art paint a fun-filled, loving portrait of a boy and his plant, that captures the imagination and sends it soaring. With a satisfying, happily-ever-after ending, Plantzilla is perfect for youngsters 4-8, and a charming, feel-good story that shouldn't be missed.

Pin first witnesses the disappearance of a fellow member of his opera company, then is himself transported into the body of a demon. Mrs. Pa arranges the marriage of her dead daughter, mistakenly sent to Hell, and is suddenly (only days later) gifted with the daughter's living son. An aging water-dragon frees herself and swims to join the other dragons who have gradually abandoned Earth for a section of heaven. And Detective Inspector Chen, together with his demon associate, Zhu Irzh and a heavenly warrior, Qi, is sent to Hell to investigate a possible cultural exchange.

There's no question that the demons are evil--they enjoy blood, backstab one another, seem fixated on war and sex, and play power games all the time. What is less clear is what's up in Heaven. Although Hell and Heaven have long been in balance, at least some of those in Heaven wish to end the balance, eliminate Hell, and cut themselves off from Earth itself. Only in their solitary perfection, they believe, can Heaven be perfect.

In Hell, Qi is kidnapped and Chen and Zhu Irzh have to head to the Ministry of Lust to set her free. Meanwhile, far larger forces are at work--bringing to a head the long-awaited battle between Heaven and Hell.

Author Liz Williams creates an enjoyable world. Zhu Irzh, with his dysfunctional family, dangerous love life, and cynical attitude makes a perfect sidekick to the noble but crafty Chen. I found the early going, as we flipped between point of view characters to be a little distracting, but Williams integrated the story lines into a coherent whole. PRECIOUS DRAGON is an enjoyable story--I'll certainly consider looking for more in the Inspector Chen series.

If you have read the previous two Inspector Chen, this one will be enjoyed also. Plenty of action and surprises.

In Precious Dragon, Liz Williams continues her fascinating amalgam of traditional Chinese style stories with modern detective tales. Mixing the celestial, demonic and middle world freely, her writing provides fascinating characters that strongly reflect oriental mythologies. Inspector Chen joins us again for a larger role in this book, and Precious Dragon and his grandmother are wonderful characters. We also get to see the badger-teapot demon again together with Inspector Chen's demon, but not very demonic, wife. I enjoyed her first book and this book more than Demon and the City, but all are fun and require the reader to stretch their brain (and suspend disbelief) more than just a bit.

This is one of the best books I have read so far this year. This is the third book of the series. If you are looking for an alternative modern/urban fantasy, you should read this book. The fantasy aspect of this series is based on Chinese mythology. It is a fresh change from all the vampire and were wolf fantasy books.

This is the third in the Inspector Chen series by Liz Williams and certainly they get better every time. She has a marvelous way with words and weaves them together to make each paragraph and chapter a pleasure to read. As much as you may want to, this is not a book to rush through. It is a book to savor and cherish because it will probably be a while until the next one. Rushing through it could also cause the reader to miss some beautifully written and rather important parts. Based in Chinese mythology these novels paint a unique picture of a futuristic world where the worlds of heaven and hell bleed into earth and mess about with daily human routine. You honestly can't get better than this. I've read some of Liz's other stories and while they were good, none of them hold a candle to these novels. She has truly found her world here and I hope she produces many more of these brilliant and exquisitely written books.

Jeff is sort-of a cross between Jack Ketchum and Ted Dekker, yet with his own unique style - amidst the intensity of this novel, he is still able to inject just enough humor to keep your heart from bursting from the anticipation of what is going to happen next. This book was outstanding!

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This is a strong book that always keeps yo guessing and on the edge of your seat. I think that this author writes some nice pieces of written masterpiece!

This book pulls you in and doesn't let go. I didn't mind the typical flight delays on my recent trip because it let me read this book! It really shows you the cruelty inside people, and their love/hate relationship with those they think of as friends/enemies. Great read!

Another GREAT book by Strand. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. I had to keep taking short breaks reading this book to keep from having a stroke, lol. I am a huge fan of Strand and again he came through with a WINNER!

Like the best of Jack Ketchum, Ed Lee, or Richard Laymon, PRESSURE has some scenes that will make you wince and squirm. But it also makes you think, makes you feel, and most of all, makes you keep reading.

Nerve-wracking, well-written, and deceptively touching, this is an exhilarating, jaw-dropping thrillride that you'll remember for a long, long time.

Yeah, I liked it a lot. Here are some other appropriate modifiers: scary, funny, creepy, and fast-paced.

What's it about? Two childhood friends, and their relationship on into adulthood. The main problem is that one of them is a stone cold psychopath, and bent on destroying the other, body and soul. Think Fatal Attraction meets Stand By Me.

Strand's earlier Andrew Mayhem novels were a clever mix of gruesome and amusing. This has its light touches, but overall it is a much darker work than Strand has ever attempted. In fact, it's darker than most books I've ever read.

Pick up a copy. You won't be disappointed.

A twisted little short story. Everything takes place during a brief summer vacation. Love traingle, which brings upon unprecedented mayhem. A good spine tingler to read.

A twisted little short story. Everything takes place during a brief summer vacation. Love traingle, which brings upon unprecedented mayhem. A good spine tingler to read.

Douglas Clegg is an author that one can easily become addicted to. He has a rather unique style of writing that slowly lures the reader in with its insight into humanity's mixed emotions and with carefully drawn characters that literally reach out for compassion and understanding. There's no better example of this than in Mr. Clegg's novella, PURITY, which has been printed in a beautifully designed, autographed, limited edition by Cemetery Dance Publications. PURITY is the tragic story of eighteen-year-old Owen Crites, the son of the Montgomery estate's gardener and caretaker. The estate is located off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts on Outerbridge Island. Every year, the Montgomery family spends the summer at their estate, bringing their young daughter, Jena, with them. Suffice it to say that Owen has loved Jena with (as Poe would write) a love that is more than a love for many years. Though he comes from a low-to-middle income family, Owen believes that he has a chance to win Jena's heart before she goes off to college. He has trained his mind and conditioned his body to make himself more attractive and appealing to her, but is it enough? Owen doesn't think so. Years before, at the age of twelve, he found an ancient statue of a god while exploring one of the many caverns on the island. He named the statue Dagon, after the Fish-God of the Philistines from the Bible, and hid it amongst the rocks in a small pond on the estate's property, waiting until the time came when he would finally need the ancient God's help in acquiring an obtainable goal. When Jena arrives on the island, by way of a sailboat, accompanied by her new boyfriend, Jimmy, our lovelorn teenager realizes that the moment has come to ask Dagon to give him the person of his dreams, no matter what the cost. If he can't compete against Jimmy for Jena's affections, then he'll find another way to win her heart, even if it means murder. Though only 118 pages in length, PURITY is rich in scope as the reader enters the mind of a young man and discovers how painful rejected love can be, more so when your rival is caught making love to the object of your affection. Mr. Clegg brilliantly captures the complexity of emotions that teenagers are filled with. He writes about the purity and innocence of love that only the young can know, while at the same time examining how the structure of marriage can nurture the lack of passion and romance as it does between Owen's parents and Jena's. Life is seldom easy, or viewed with a clarity that can only come with personal growth and maturity. It is certainly less so when you're a teenager with no social standing, trying to win the heart of a wealthy debutante. Subtle, yet poignant, PURITY is a tale that offers a brief glimpse into a world that might have been, reminding us of memories best forgotten, and of a longing that could never be filled. Though different from Douglas Clegg's other works and with less supernatural overtones, it nevertheless displays his remarkable talent as a writer and his ability to create characters that are but a reflection of who we are as human beings. The cover design and artwork by Gail Cross on this limited edition is beautiful to behold with its tapestry of greens and gold that perfectly depict the essence of the story and the approaching storm of tragedy about to unfold within. This Cemetery Dance edition of PURITY would definitely make an ideal gift for someone who loves books and is an avid fan of Douglas Clegg!

PURITY is a slim novella by one of the best writers in the horror genre. It is a character study of Owen Crites, a misfit who falls in love with a society girl and will do anything to have her. If it is her lover, mother, father...Owen does not care. Clegg defines the limits this Owen will go...there aren't any. A very nasty work of fiction. Very personable and will make your skin crawl. The surprise ending is one of the best in the last few years. Great stuff!

Because I had not yet read a novel by Douglas Clegg, I took on "Purity" as a way to introduce myself to a new horror author, something I find myself reluctant to do these days considering the amount of trash that is published. At just shy of 120 pages and as suspenceful as it is, "Purity" probably shouldn't be classified as a true horror story even with it's use of H.P. Lovecraft's "Dagon."

"Purity," the short story of a misunderstood boy in love with the girl he could never have, evokes such incredible imagery and emotion that I was left wanting more. It's not often that an author has an ability tap into every character's head as well as Douglas Clegg has. It's difficult for one to find much fault with the main character, Owen, despite his admitted obsession for Jenna or because of his manipulation of other characters. Even his worshipping of an ugly fish-like statue, Dagon, isn't as creepy as it should be only because we've been given a chance to feel sorry for him. On the other hand, the reader grows to despise his love interest, Jenna, for the spoiled rich kid that she is. And the love triangle that unravels between Owen, Jenna and her new boyfriend is convincingly real, filled with just the right amount of tiwsts and an explosive climax.

"Purity" is a highly recommended book, even at a hefty $30 price tag for it's limited edition run.