Horror Books

I read this book two summers ago (yes, I unfortunately turned it into the cliched "summer read," but it doesn't have to be that way), and loved it.

I decided, not long ago, to re-read it, and once I did, I picked up so many small facts and witty one-liners that I hadn't picked up on before.

This book is so jam-packed with clear details that it's almost impossible to read them and let them all sink into your mind the first time. Also, in addition to frequent and helpful details, Terri Farley also wrote this book with a lot of similes, metaphors, and symbolism adding key elements to the plot and pace of the book, as well as shaping the main characters into what makes them so peacefully pleasant and so horrifyingly horrendous in their actions.

Like a few other reviewers, I had also read the PHANTOM STALLION series prior to receiving this book. However, I don't think Terri Farley's writing has ever shone more brilliantly or creatively than with this one piece of work.

This book is, above all else, a romance, and should be treated thusly. It isn't a cute, fluffy summer blanket read, which I discovered the first time I read it. I mean, sure, it's set on the beach during the summer and all of that, but I was pleasantly surprised (although admittedly a little disappointed) at the ending. It was definitely a far-cry from how I thought it would end. Hopefully, one day in the future, Terri Farley will continue the story of Gwen and her love interest Jesse, whose mystical secret defined her childhood.

Anyway, I would absolutely recommend this book. Even if beach scenes aren't quite your thing, who knows? Maybe you'll like it for the characters and the quick-paced plot. I know I did.

Seven years ago, Gwen Cooke met a strange boy with dark, slightly titled eyes on the beach. He whispered words in her ears and then disappeared. Soon after, Gwen's family left the beach.

Now seventeen, Gwen is returning since her nana asked her to come. Yet, Gwen knows it's time to go back for a different reasons: She yearns for the sea. Is it the sea itself calling her? Or is it the memory of the boy and his haunting words drawing her back? Either way, it's time for Gwen to find out the truth.

Seven Tears into the Sea by Terri Farley is an enchanting book. It's full of haunting drama, romance, and suspense. The characters fit in easily together and the feelings Gwen has are ones that most girls can relate to, though probably for different reasons. This book is definitely one you'll never want to put down and when you do finish it, you'll want to read it all over again.

I've been a fan of Terri's writing ever since I recieved the first book in her Phantom Stallion series for Christmas a few years back. When she took a break from her horse books to write this celtic fantasy, I wasn't sure I'd like it. It was, after all, very different from what I was used to reading. After reading many good things about it, I finally broke down and bought the book. It definitely did not disappoint. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys celtic fantasy, romance, suspense, or is just ready to read a great book.

I just finished Seven Tears Into The Sea and had to let others know how wonderful this novel is. It is an enchanting story that has left me wanting a sequel. It can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. If you want to lose yourself in a book about the ocean, magic and love, this is worth reading.

I've never read the 'Phantom Stallions' series, but after reading this, I *definitely* think Farley should end it and start writing more things like *this*. Seven Tears was a lovely description of what happens when reality coincides with myth, and I found it to be much more than just an 'enjoyable read'.

This was a really, really, really good book! i am a lover of horse books, so i usually dont read a book unless it has something to do with horses, but when i first saw the cover of this wonderful book, i knew it had something special about it. but if you're a fan of Terri Farley's PHANTOM STALLION books, you may/may not like this book. if you are a die-hard lover of books about horses, you probably wont like this book since it has NOTHING to do with horses at all. but if you like a bit of fantasy, romance and myth, you'll just love this book. Both ways, you should really get it. The reason i gave it four out of five stars, though, is becouse it is a bit predictable, like other people said. but you probably wont guess the beautiful ending, though. All in all, it's a great book and you should read it.

What a tremendous magazine--and I'm not just saying that because I have a story in this issue. :) Shroud is very swiftly becoming one of the best horror magazines in the business. Top notch production values, handsome cover, and some very, very good fiction inside. Well done!

This magazine is chock full of gothic tales of horror. Great introduction to a vast array of writers in this genre that I would have never been exposed to. Can't wait to see how this magazine develops over the years!

Turning horror into an art form. That's the reason to get your copy of Shroud.

After receiving my first copy I upgraded to a charter membership! This is a great companion piece to that "other" dark fiction magazine and I look forward to opening my mailbox and finding the next issue.

In my first issue I read stories by the best contemporary noir authors (Piccirilli, Bruen), fiction by the newest wave of talented dark fiction authors (Vernon, Kenyon) and an interview with one of the biggest names in horror (Lebbon), all presented in a proffesional quality wrapping.

Who could ask for more?

Ttzuma

The ghouls at Shroud Magazine have created a dark and twisted magazine by pumping it full of reviews, interviews, and short stories from some of today's horror masters, as well as newcomers who've entered the genre with their own brand of terror. Shroud isn't just about the gore, it's pages of the macabre are thought provoking and intelligent, which can be deadly for those expecting less. For you horror junkies, Shroud is your new source for things that go bump in the night, and for those who fear the unknown--Shroud is here, so embrace the unknown by opening its blood-filled pages, and let the madness begin.

Even though it is less expensive, don't make the mistake of buying the other edition. Six Faces: The Special Edition Version is written much better, and the added sub-chapters give the story better clarity. The main focus of the book has not changed and it didn't need to. Six Faces is an atmospheric horror tale with believable characters who really carry the plot. There is quite a bit of gore, but the author doesn't rely on it. The best scenes were the ones where he utilized suspenseful moments spent in darkness, including the opening scene in the first chapter. The pace picks up well, and does not let up.
As someone else [...]

I didn't know another way to contact you Mr. Cross, and I hope that both of these reviews are deleted before too many people see this page. However, you need to be addressed for your ignorant comments. On Mr. Callaway's website, there is a link to Amazon.com through the "Reader Review Page". The readers of this book have the right to voice their opinions.
Even if many of them have only written one review here, perhaps that is because they are encounraged on the website to do so? You need to look into the facts before you judge. Considering the other... works you have reviewed on amazon, what made you even look into a mystery novel in the first place? Makes me question your motives. Either just being a troll or perhaps nothing better to do. Why else would you check to see if any of the 10 reviewers (I'm not including the note that I made about Lulu, it's not a review) had reviewed anything else?
Anyway, when Mr. Callaway was a teenager he was a fan of the Resident Evil video game. So, like most fans with writing abilities, he wrote fan fictions of them. Is there something wrong with him sharing that fact? And it is cited as an unpublished work, one of many books he has written for fun. Big deal. Go back to the other weird stuff you read, and stay out of Ryan's business.

Hello, just wanted to inform anyone who might stumble onto this page that there is a new edition of Six Faces currently available on Lulu.com. What AuthorHouse published doesn't contain Mr. Callaway's revisions or an additional two scenes. To get the most complete version for 12.00, visit

http://www.lulu.com/content/160368

Ryan will publish a few other titles through LuLu prior to their commercial releases.

Six Faces was one of the best books i've ever read. I hope the author gets the inspiration to write an equally exciting and amazing book. The book kept me on the edge from the second I picked the book up, it took me maybe 4 days to read the whole thing that's just how on the edge it was.

The book "Six Faces" by Ryan Callaway was an awesome book. This book takes place in New Jersey's own Pine Barrens. The story line drew me in and kept me there. Although the detail of the slaughtered bodies almost made me sick,that's what kept me interested. The whole story line was amazing, and i was glad to know that there were some heriones in there. My favorite character happened to be Aya Becker, a bounty hunter who kicked ass! She was the original Laura Croft. So if you like books with mystery, suspense, tiny bit of romance this book is for you! In addition Mr. Callaways description of the "devil" and the slaughtered bodies, was very detailed. So, read it!!!

This story wasn't so much written by King as it was told through him. Rolands world takes on a life of it's own. 20+ years in the making, the journey to the Dark Tower is finally complete. Although more that 20 books that King has written tie into the story in one way or another.

If you are a fan of King's writing, then you owe it to yourself to at least pick up the first book, The Gunslinger and see if it is to your liking. After reading it in the mid 90's, I found myself hooked and longing for the rest of the story. 4000 pages and 6 books later, I have it and now wish to read the rest of his works pertaining to the world of Roland of Gilead, Son of Steven Deschain.

The Dark Tower Sh

The gunslinger is a good book that I would give four stars because it keeps you wanting more and is a whole different world. At the same time the world is the same world we live in today and back when there used to be cowboys that roamed in one world. It gives a different interesting setting and people that are not we as we think of people today. This all involves the gunslinger following a man in black that the gunslinger plans on killing. He does not know why he is following the man in black and why he must kill him, but he continues to do what he was trained to do. He was the last of the gunslingers. This book is not like any other book I have read before. I enjoyed this book and would love to read the rest of the books in the Dark Tower series and I hope you would enjoy to read this book as well.

I read all the Dark Tower series about 2 years ago, I am left hanging after Wizard and Glass!!! When is the next one coming out or is it already? That was #5 I think, where is #6? These are fantastic books, I was shocked to realize that if you havn't read just about all his other books, you won't understand as well. Hurry up and get writing Steven!

I loved the book (The Drawing of the Three)but I didn' quite understand the ending. If anyone can explain it to me please e-mail me.

the dark tower series is one of the reasons im reading at all. they are all excellent. if anyone knows when #5 will be out please email me

it was sweet i encurage peaple to read this because theres diferent monsters like dover demon pendek mingwa and my two favorites the collecter and buru. it even shows pictures of them all!!! and make more books.

With these awesome horror/adventure books are entrily new in a sense there not. It uses peolple, places, and things from the world of Strange Matter. In a word: AWESOME

I like Strange Matter books because they are scary and cool. And because I think "The Last One In" is cool. I like the rest of the books because they are a lot of fun to read. I think when you turn the page you get a new surprise.

This book is great! Strange Forces takes all the Strange Matter books and rolls them into one astounding novel. As far as I know, there are four of these books, Strange Forces 1,2,3, and Strange Forces: The Last Buru. People didn't buy these books enough and apparently, the creators went out of buisness. I wish more people had known about them, then the book would have gotten more sales and it would have stayed in buisness. Strange Matter was a great series, and I know quite a few people who want to see Strang Forces, and all the other Strange Matter books, make a comeback. I would reccomend this book to anyone.

This book is one of a kind. It made me literally feel like Iwas in it! Iv'e read it over and over and can't stop. I want to getall the Strang Matter: Strange Forces books and the Last Buru too. I you want a real alien/monster/unknown species THRILLER book, this books would be it! Once you pick it up you can't set it down. Once you finish a chapter you just have to read the next. There are all kinds of strange creatures. For example Burus, Mingwas, Marlaks, Mothman, Pendeks, and all other kinds! Then their is the Collecter. He is the main evil dude in this chilling story. This book is I believe in Indianapolis, Indiana is not for sale anymore. So I need to get the others from here at Amazon. This place has it all, and so do the books.

I too didn't know what to make of the title of this book but I bought it because I really like this author's work. I was very much NOT DISSAPOINTED. This book is great! It keeps you going and makes you wonder what's next. The main character is a very odd woman, but you like her and root for her throughout. Of course, the author is a very odd woman, but to meet her is to like her and root for her throughout as well.

If you like good sci-fi and strong women, buy this book. If you don't know if you like good sci-fi and strong women, buy this book and find out. A lot of entertainment and a little food for thought. It's like getting two books for the price of one. :)

Premise: A serial killer is on the loose, except he is only killing criminals. Frustrated by the system and its tendency to not punish the guilty, Spider and Tommy are reluctant to solve the case, since the "Fry Guy" is cleaning up the streets. But when the SWTF starts sniffing around the case, everything gets a lot more complicated as hints of dark secrets enter the scene.

Review: Thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters are full of life, are multifaceted, and deal with several complex issues and circumstances. Loved how the seemingly simple matter of a serial killer kept enlarging into bigger and bigger things. Fast paced, exciting, exploring relationships and different aspects of life, our goals, and how things don't always work like we think they should. Blackmail, love, trust, secret organizations, psychic powers, politics, and more!

If you like action thrillers, you will love this book. If you like cop stories, you will love this book. If you like sci-fi, you will love this book.

The best thing about this book for me was just how real all the characters were. Even the bad guys were fully rounded out and real. The good guys were the kind of people you want out there protecting you form the bad guys. The writing is wonderful. The plot unwinds in unexpected but plausible ways, and you just cannot put the book down.

Read this book!

This book is a mystery/adventure/near-future thriller about two police detectives on the edge of burnout who are on the trail of a serial killer/vigilante they really don't want to catch -- he's been "frying" the brains of scum of the earth. So Spider Webb and Tommy Chan feel the perp is doing their job for them. When the Strange Weapons Task Force shows up with too many questions, Spider realizes that there is no weapon -- the guy IS the weapon. And now SWTF is interested in her, too.

I really liked the friendly, matter-of-fact partnership between lesbian Spider and straight Tommy -- Tommy has a great marriage, and Spider hasn't found an interesting date in much too long, but they are solid partners in crime fighting. That lack of romance changes in this tale, in realistic scenes showing both a sizzle of a new romance, and how long-married folk can renew their joy in each other. STRANGE ROBBY is gritty, colorful, and full of black humor. It carries you along to new places and people for both Spider and Tommy. They prove you can survive just about anything and learn to love again -- or find out the people you love are even tougher than you knew, and can weather almost anything if with people they love.

Rosen is dynamite on characterization, especially with interesting, strong women, and humor of some kind can always be found. This book is a bit of a breakout for her, and it's not being well supported by the publisher. So if you need a quick gift, pick up this book! You'll surprise your friend, and they'll discover a great writer.

STRANGE ROBBY is one of the wonderful new breed of cross-genre novels, a breathtaking mix of Chris Carter and Joseph Wambaugh laced liberally with a dose of black humor. Selina Rosen has come up with a cop pairing for the ages -- the sharp, funny, and ever so slightly strange Spider Webb, busily trying to juggle her job and an undercover romance with a DA, and her stalwart partner and straight man Tommy Chen. On the verge of burnout, they're secretly cheering on a mysterious serial killer who's systematically ridding the city of dangerous criminals by microwaving their brains, an act that gains him the nickname "The Fry Guy." When a secret government agency get involved in the case, however, Webb and Chen find themselves caught between the Fry Guy and their own government. Meanwhile, Webb finds herself targeted by the agency when she discovers a horrifying secret in her past...

Selina Rosen has been a master storyteller for years; her CHAINS trilogy (CHAINS OF FREEDOM, CHAINS OF DESTRUCTION, and CHAINS OF REDEMPTION) is Asimovian in its SF extrapolation of the rise and fall of governments, and her Drewcila Qwah novels (QUEEN OF DENIAL and RECYCLED) are downright hilarious. With STRANGE ROBBY, she stays closer to home, exploring the themes of individuality and personal autonomy in the face of an ever-encroaching government, while also maintaining a crackerjack of a plot (reminiscent of the best of THE X-FILES) that is guaranteed to keep you turning the page.

This book was awesome. It kept me engaged for several weeks, which is saying alot for a huge reader like I am.

Usually I find a book, a good 300 pages, at least, and I clobber it. It it is any good (I give it 100 pages to be good, or I am done) I will devour it, in a couple of days time. It is is *fairly* good but not too good, it might take me a couple of weeks as I will be doing something other than reading it when I have my late night reading time. For a really good book, though, it might take me a couple of nights to read it. For this book, since it contained 3 novels, it took me a couple of weeks. Honestly I was glad, because that was a couple of weeks where I didn't have to think about my next reading fix!!!!

Buy it... you will not be disappointed!

This made a wonderful gift and it was given to a true fan of Dean Koontz...

This book is probably one of the best I ever had because the novels compiled are all very thrilling and fun to read. I have read it twice and there is nothing else to do than to admire the way Dean R. Koontz writes. If you want to read something out of the ordinary, a bit on the supernatural side, along with a lot of action and twists, this is the one you need.

Wow, Phantoms, Darkfall, and The Servants Of Twilight all in one! I've read 23 Dean Koontz book so far and I can tell you that these are all five star books.

PHANTOMS is about a deserted town in the mountains where a woman and her teenage sister arrive to find most of the residents either missing or brutally murdered-even in locked rooms.

DARKFALL is about a man named Baba Lavelle out for revenge who is using voodoo to terrorize a man named Jack Dawson by sending goblin-like creatures after his two children. It's pretty intense with the things crawling through the air ducts and chasing after the family relentlessly.

THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT is about a cult lead by a crazy old woman named Grace Spivey who is convinced that a six year old boy named Joey is the anti-christ. The family and the private eye struggling to protect them are terrorized and sent on the run, and their lives will never be the same. But wherever they go, Grave and her followers always find them....

You really can't go wrong with this set. I suggest you buy this collection, and then read:

Intensity
Watchers
Whispers
Hideaway
False Memory
Twilight Eyes

This omnibus edition contains nothing apart from the text of the three books; no foreword, no afterword - not even the individual afterwords that Koontz has taken to including with re-issued editions of his older books.

This is a pity, because DARKFALL and SERVANTS were both written under pseudonyms, and Koontz' revised editions often include the story of the original author's tragic end. (There are at least five versions of the fate of "Leigh Nichols", including a tragic limbo accident.)

The individual books in this omnibus share a few characteristics apart from being written around the same time. All three with what might be termed the forces of Satan, though the situation is (of course) more complicated than that at times. Once the action gets rolling, each story occupies a very short timeframe: about 25 hours for DARKFALL, a few days for most of PHANTOMS, and similarly for THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT. Each has a kind of epilogue after the main event to give a little closure (although in DARKFALL's case it's quite short, not even a separate chapter).

THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT was first published in somewhat different form as TWILIGHT under the byline "Leigh Nichols" in 1984. The title role is a well-meaning religious sect, determined to destroy the anti-Christ. But "the anti-Christ", in this case, is a six-year-old boy, a sweet kid being brought up by his single-parent mom. Joey at first seems to be a random selection on the part of the Servants' leader.

When the Servants begin stalking Christine and her son, she hires a private investigator, Charlie Harrison, since everyone has to sleep sometime. Most of the remainder of the book is an extended chase scene, although the object is to flee rather than to catch anyone. Several of Koontz' other books have this kind of structure; SERVANTS falls into the earlier versions' simpler pattern, in which relatively isolated bad guys (rather than vast conspiracies) are chasing the good guys. Like many of Koontz' protagonists, the leads (Charlie and Christine) have troubled family backgrounds like that of the author. The main villain is schizophrenic.

--

DARKFALL was first published under the byline "Owen West" in 1984, prior to THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT. Like several of Koontz' earlier works, DARKFALL wasn't published under Koontz' preferred title (DARKNESS COMES, in this instance, although the story has also been known as THE PIT, which lent itself to some unfortunate jokes at the author's expense).

As in THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT, one of the protagonists of DARKFALL is a single parent, in this case Jack, a straight-arrow cop who is just beginning to take an interest in romance again after losing his wife to cancer. There are some similarities to the dynamic in DRAGON TEARS; Jack's partner is a very tough woman who had a rough childhood, and she's the "bad cop" of their good cop/bad cop act. (Unfortunately, it's *not* a deliberate act by the characters; like Connie in DRAGON TEARS, Rebecca really *does* lack political savvy in dealing with people.)

As in DRAGON TEARS, the partners have run into some odd phenomena on the day the story takes place, which can't be explained by any normal events. In DARKFALL, the partners are investigating a series of brutal murders in which the victims are all involved in organized crime, but the weird phenomena don't tally with a normal gang war or even a revenge killing. But the head of the family arranged for the murder of an investigative reporter some time back, whose brother turns out to be a voodoo priest from the islands...

Of the three stories in this omnibus, organized religion comes off best in DARKFALL. It happens to be the light side of voodoo that gets star treatment, though - does that matter? :) Jack and Rebecca get professional help, as it were, from a local voodoo practitioner; he comes up with an interesting philosophical defence of his religion.

--

PHANTOMS, the last story in the book, was actually published first, in 1983. Although Koontz had written several books in the interim, this was the first book under his own name since WHISPERS, and he was trying deliberately to write a very different book.

PHANTOMS was meant to be an over-the-top horror story, with a full-blown monster *but* with a scientific explanation for everything that takes place. Small town? Check. Everybody missing except a handful of main characters? Check. Gory? You bet. If you read this one alone on a dark night, don't come crying to me if you can't sleep. You've been warned.

--

For more detailed discussion of the contents of this book, I recommend consulting reviews for the three individual books.

Content warnings: Like a number of Koontz' books, these contain a few explicit sex scenes and quite a lot of violence. Organized religion gets somewhat unusual treatment.

But these are Koontz books. Bad things happen, some people are rotten, and organizations may fail to protect people properly, but individual good guys can manage to come through horrific episodes without being turned into monsters, even if they may suffer greatly in the process.

Comfort books. The first two rate about 4 stars, but PHANTOMS brings down the average.

The book name is Uncle written by CYNTHIA D. Vampire and it�s written by CYNTHIA D. GRANT. This book is about two girls name Carolyn and her twin sister name Honey. This book is very entrusting it�s going to make you say �That I want to read more about this book.� It is a funny vampire book. And that�s what I like about this book. In the beginning of the book, there was a quote that grabbed my attention. �It was that when Carolyn and Honey bought a lock from the store to lock on their door, because they thought their uncle was a vampire. And the next day they come from school and found out that the lock was gone.�
The theme of the book was that there uncle wasn�t a vampire he was a Cannibal, And Carolyn learn that If you are In trouble you should tell your parents or somebody older than you about your problem. I totally agree with it, because if you are in trouble you should tell some-one. If you don�t tell anyone then trouble will only get bigger. If you tell your parents or somebody older may-be they could help you. I think it relates to a lot of people life, because they don�t tell other people about there problems. They try to solve there problems by there self.
I would like to recommend this book to people who want to know how to solve there problems. For example in this book Carolyn try to solver her problems by telling her school counselor.

I thought that the book was amazing because you'll be so surprised how the ends.I could never have seen it coming, I really thought it whould end in another way. I think it is a very well written book despite that you don't always know if Carolyn is dreaming, thinking, or if it is the reality....I whould recommend anyone to read it because it isn't like every other book it really surprise you!

It is a very good story that makes the reader go on to see what is going to happen next.

I loved this book very much. I think it teaches a great lesson and will/has encouraged people who go through the same horrors. However - you really didn't understand a lot until the BANG at the end. Then it becomes clear and you relilze what this book is really about. AWSOME BOOK!

I had this book back in 7th grade and I used to read it over and over. It is one of those books that really stick on your mind and tear at you after reading it. I lent it out to friends who passed it around. We made it a thing to sign the book after we read it each time. I had peoples signatures I never even knew. So, now the internets around I figured search for it.So I did. And FINALLY found it here.This book is written beautifully and is wonderfully dark with an underlaying message of hope through even the darkest of times.

The legend of the blood-sucking vampire is a very old one with many facets, although the modern version has established many of the qualities that vampires are supposed to possess. Bram Stoker, the author of the book "Dracula", based it on Vlad Dracul III (the Impaler) a Romanian nobleman who lived in the Transylvanian section of the country. Vlad lived in the fifteenth century and eventually ascended to the throne some time after his father was murdered. His kingdom was a buffer state between the Ottoman Turks and the Hungarians, so Vlad's kingdom was constantly at risk of invasion from both sides. He was known as the Impaler because that was his preferred method of dealing with those perceived as his enemies. Sharpened stakes were slowly inserted into their bodies, and after they were dead their bodies were left to rot. It is claimed that an invading Turkish army once was sent into full retreat at the sight of thousands of decaying bodies of Turkish prisoners hanging from poles.
In Romanian legends, Vlad is remembered as a just and fair prince who defended the common people against the local nobility and the forces of the Ottoman Turks. He was also known as a fierce defender of public morality; crimes such as adultery and petty theft were punishable by death. Legends state that a bag of gold could be dropped in the street at night and it would still be there in the morning.
In this book, Dougan starts with the actual character of Vlad when he receives the news that his wife has died. She killed herself rather than suffer capture at the hands of the Turks. Dougan also uses some of the vampire legend and drops some of the others. For example, the crucifix is no longer a weapon against vampires, they do not have to avoid the sun and they do not have to sleep in their coffins during the day. While the vampires still must satisfy their voracious hunger for human blood, they are able to interact with humans, even to the point of mating and producing half-breed offspring. Such an offspring is called a Dhampir and the blood of a Dhampir is fatal to a vampire.
Isabella is a young girl who had a joyless childhood; her father rejected her because her mother died when she was born. Isabella travels to the ancient castle and meets the ancient Vlad, a handsome vampire. Isabella soon becomes a vampire and even though she has the lust for blood, she vows to protect the Slovaks from harm. This vow holds throughout the centuries as Isabella and Vlad carry out a bizarre love hate relationship. Since both are essentially immortal, they can part for decades and then meet again physically unchanged. They can pound each other unmercifully, yet with no real danger to each other.
Their dual adventure, with other vampires thrown in, lasts for centuries. There are jealousies between vampires, interactions with humans, many of which leave them dead and they help the course of history. During the book, Isabella comes into contact with historical figures such as Bram Stoker, Lord Byron, Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers. She is in Tombstone during the famous battle at the OK Corral.
After centuries of vampire-human interactions and infighting, the ending is weak. The story ends with Isabella getting a message in her mind that she believes is from the long-dead Vlad. He entreats her to build a nation of vampires, as she is the most powerful vampire that has ever lived.
Dougan is to be commended for having the vampires in this book conform more to the Transylvanian legends than the portrayals in the movies. Despite their lust for blood, the vampires protect their chosen people and can function during the day. Even though their true nature is known, they live among the people and are tolerated as long as they don't kill the "wrong kind." I enjoyed the book; it is a vampire story that is based a great deal on the traditional Eastern European legends of the undead.

Vrolok
by Nolene-Patricia Dougan
Author House 1163 Liberty Dr., Ste. 200, Bloomington, IN 47403 9/28/06
[...]
ISBN: 1-4208-8163-9

Do you love a good vampire story? Do you find yourself sucked into the tale? Love adventure of the dark side?

The setting takes place in historic Eastern Europe Transylvania.

The story begins as Vlad Dracula having fought a battle with his enemies, and a young girl's curiosity ignites her. A historic vampire tale, occurring over a time span of five hundred years. The story follows the protagonist, Isabella, as a young vampire. Isabella is rebelling as her father rejects her; he is unable to overcome the loss of his wife while giving birth to their daughter Isabella. Isabella travels to the castle of Vlad Dracula, where Vlad develops strong feelings, and falls in love with her. What else would a vampire who is in love do? Vlad turns Isabella into a vampire, his mate for life. Do not be fooled this is not a loving match, it is the opposite, they have a long love-hate relationship, spending more time apart than together. Over time Isabella can no longer deny her love for Vlad and upon his demise she vows revenge and to bring his killers down with the help of Nicolae. Isabella and Nicolae leave America and travel back to England to bring down the English Vampire hunters and avenge Vlad's death.

Isabella struggles with her guilt and makes a vow to only kill those who deserve to die. She never allows anyone to hinder her revenge against those who have wronged her throughout time. Over the centuries of her existence she meets many famous historical figures. She encounters such historical figures as Napoleon, Bram Stroker, to the western figures of Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp, as well as many other figures throughout the selected eras. She travels throughout Europe and America. Nolene-Patricia Dougan has performed vast research and the historical figures mentioned in her book are remarkable.

Vrolok is a compelling and gripping tale of a young beautiful vampire's dark journey through the centuries. Vrolok has a strong plot throughout, and the characters are so well developed and intensely interesting. This is no traditional vampire story; you may think well the story involves Vlad Dracula, it is like all the other stories, it is so very different, do not be fooled. This is a superior spine tingling dark fantasy written be a very imaginative author, her work embraces hundreds of years of history and maintains vivid descriptions of various people, places and events.

This book will hold your attention to the very end, and you will find it is very difficult to put down, a definite page turner well until the late night. I could find no fault in this tale. I highly recommend this story, it is unlike any other vampire story I have ever read. So if you are looking for a different twist from the norm, are seeking a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable read, look no further. All vampire enthusiasts as well as all Anne Rice fans will not want to miss this one, you will get lost in this adventure, and you will not be disappointed. I am looking forward to Dougan's new release with anticipation. A definite 5 star read!

The novel, Vrolok, chronicles the journey of a young vampire by the name of Isabella. As a child, Isabella lives in a harsh and cruel world, rejected by her father who cannot see past his wife's death while giving birth to Isabella. Isabella grows up with a rebellious and independent spirit that leads her to the Castle of Vampire Vlad Dracula. Vlad falls in love with her and turns her into a vampire. For about five centuries, Vlad and Isabella suffer a love-hate relationship, remaining loyal and protecting each other from their own death.

Surviving Vlad's attack and becoming a Vampire herself, Isabella, horrified at what she has turned into, embarks on a journey spanning generations. As Isabella becomes a powerful vampire, she integrates within each historical period that consists of various bloody wars, disease outbreaks, and religious persecution. Embedded in Man's bloody events, Isabella challenges the demons that haunt her. As she struggles with justifying her actions, she strives inwardly to come to terms with what she is. Her resistance to the magnetic hold Vlad has over her always leads her back to him. She fights against her fate and the love she feels for Vlad, which compels her to justify killing through her own moral reasoning

Vrolok is a well-plotted and compelling work of historical fiction. Isabella's historical journey not only reveals the demons and struggles in her own mind, but also plots the dark history of humanity entwined in such events as torture and murder in the name of religion. The brutal struggle for dominance and power, and the extent one is driven to in pursuit of eternal youth and beauty, clearly resides within the story.

As a powerful fictional account, Vrolok unveils a tale of humanity's ruthless struggle for survival that is dark and cruel, as well as the blood curdling results when both Vampire and Mankind collide.

In the eyes of a vampire struggling with her own dismal past, Vrolok tells a story of humanity's innermost demons and its moral justifications for shaping a world with such brutal and sinister events. Vrolok incorporates the techniques of early Gothic Writers but goes beyond traditional Vampire tales to produce a macabre account of humanity that delves into love, obsession, greed, paranoia, and the blind quest for eternal youth and beauty.

I highly recommend this well plotted work of Gothic historical fiction to readers who enjoy spine-chilling suspense wrapped in an outstanding vampire tale.

Tracy Roberts, Write Field Services

VROLOK is an ambitious, wildly entertaining romp through history which manages to rewrite vampiric lore in the process. The story begins with Vlad Dracula, but that's where the similarity with virtually every other vampire novel you've ever read ends. The world borne of author Nolene-Patricia Dougan's imagination is like some alternate universe in which history and legend merge into a world that feels much like our own - until we see the true causes of each seemingly familiar effect. Dougan makes some fairly audacious changes to traditional vampire lore, including a rather brilliant recasting of Van Helsing, forcefully disproving the argument that there is nothing new under the sun in the vampire genre. Dougan's sense of playfulness with the story stretches a tad bit thin for me personally when she puts vampires alongside Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp in the American West, but this is quickly forgotten as she puts a deliciously evil bite into the novel's climactic final chapters. Isabella, the story's vampire protagonist, is a wonderfully developed character, and, like some of her temporary companions, it's sometimes easy to forget that she is something far removed from a charming and beautiful young woman, but Isabella has a way of reminding us all of exactly who and what she is.

A Slovak girl growing up in the shadow of Vlad's looming castle, it is Isabella's forthright curiosity that leads to her encounters with the legendary prince and her turning from human to vampire. Unable to face a family who believes her to be dead, she initially stays with Vlad, but theirs is a love-hate relationship from the very start. Although it gravitates over time to love, Isabella and Vlad seemed destined to spend most of their many, many years apart. Isabella's travels will take her far and wide in the centuries to come, but a part of her remains forever bound to her native Transylvania and her Slovak people. Always a woman of her word, she lives up to her commitment to protect the family of her best friend - and ultimately all of the Slovak people - even if it means overthrowing a government. Like most vampires, Isabella struggles at times with a guilty conscience, vowing to kill only those who deserve such a fate, but she never lets that get in the way of her feeding. And she lets nothing and no one stand between her and revenge against those who have wronged her. Isabella, to put it lightly, is quite a woman.

What makes Isabella's story truly fascinating, though, is the interweaving of so many legendary and historical characters into her centuries of existence. She is intimately connected (but not in the manner you might expect) with the legendary evil of Countess Bathory, hears Nostradamus' final prophecy (which refers to the important part she goes on to play in the French Revolution), saves the life of a young man named Napoleon Bonaparte, fights in several European wars as well as the War Between the States in America, befriends the aforementioned Doc Holliday, meets Bram Stoker (and a number of other famous historical figures), and ultimately exacts a cold, calculated, and vicious revenge upon the subjects of Stoker's novel Dracula, namely the Harkers, Dr. Seward, and Van Helsing. I really loved the way Dougan set everything up for such a momentous ending, especially in terms of Isabella's rather startling relationship with Van Helsing. Like a spider spinning her web, Dougan brings disparate story lines together in the end to make the story's climax particularly momentous and poignant - and, of course, rather vicious. If I were to tell you how Dougan connects all of these characters together, you might think it sounds like a joke, but Dougan pulls it all off with remarkable aplomb and effectiveness. Few writers would have the audacity to even make the effort, and only a few could actually pull it off so effectively. By the time you finish VROLOK, you will have gained a new perspective on everything you ever knew about vampires.

Isabella is not the kind of brooding, self-absorbed vampire you will find in the work of Anne Rice, even though her personal story is chock full of brood-worthy material - from the sister who betrayed her in life to her rather tragic relationship with Vlad to the descendant she mistakenly turns into a vampire to her extraordinary relationship with Van Helsing. I haven't even mentioned the vampiric enemies who attempt to kill her on several occasions or expounded upon the only means by which she can be killed (which makes for an integral part of the story). As you can see, there is a true abundance of riches worked into the plot of this extraordinary novel. It's unlike any vampire story I've ever read, and that is why I found VROLOK to be such an immensely enjoyable, fascinating read.

Vrolok is a different type of vampire saga, and although it is a fairly long read, it never ceases to be entertaining. The author skillfully weaves in all sorts of historical characters that you never before associated with vampire lore, and crazy as this may sound, it really works.

The story revolves around Isabella, a headstrong girl who becomes a vrolok or vampire because of her thirst for knowledge, and follows her around the world as she satisfies her thirst for a different type of sustenance.

Vampires live an awfully long time once they can go out for a bite ever so often, and as a result, Isabella's story spans many centuries. From time to time, she switches between being a remorseless killer and having a conscience, and when she loves someone, it's always until death do they part. Fiercely loyal to her people and to one family in particular, Isabel does her best to protect those under her wing, but unfortunately things don't always go according to plan.

This book is recommended not only for bloodthirsty readers, but also for fans of romance novels, thrillers and historical fiction. History may have been subjected to some artistic license here, but unlike the main characters, this one certainly doesn't suck.

(To the tune of Hall & Oates "Maneater")

She'll only eat out at night
The mean and bloody type
Nothing you do will keep her from your spoor
Watching and waiting
Ooh, she's bitin' your neck, but her lips will want some gore
So many have paid her fee
Watch her drink, she's gettin' it free
The woman is wild, a she-wolf stained by the blood of those before

Blood's gonna splatter
If you're looking for love, you ain't gonna get too far
(Oh-oh, here she comes) Watch out boy she'll drink you up
(Oh-oh, here she comes) She's a bloodsucker
(Oh-oh, here she comes) Watch out boy she'll drink you up
(Oh-oh, here she comes) She's a bloodsucker
I wouldn't if I were you
I know what she can do
She's deadly man; she could really rip your throat apart

Mind over matter
Ooh, the beauty is there but a beast is in the heart
(Oh-oh, here she comes) Watch out boy she'll drink you up
(Oh-oh, here she comes) She's a bloodsucker
(Oh-oh, here she comes) Watch out boy she'll drink you up
(Oh-oh, here she comes) She's a bloodsucker

Rated: 4.5 stars



Amanda Richards, June 30, 2007

Now THIS is what I'm talking about! I don't know how the movie will be, but this book was great. If you love vampire and/or zombie novels, you'll truly enjoy this. This is the first book I've read by author Tim Lebbon, but if he writes this well in all of his books, it won't be my last!

This is probably one of the best movie tie-in novelizations I have ever read. Usually books based on the movies are rather watered down and pale in comparison to the movie. Strangely enough, the power of the written word in this case wins out. The novel moved at a fast pace and was difficult to put down; the author did a fantastic job of fleshing out the main characers and I thoroughly enjoyed it reading it within two days.

The story revolves around the sleepy secluded town of Barrow, Alaska, battening down the hatches and preparing for the annual 30 days and nights of darkness. Sheriff Eben Oleson and his estanged wife, Deputy Stella Oleson are struggling to keep the threads of their marriage together but soon discover that their marriage is not the only thing they are soon fighting for, because this time, something is hiding under the cover of the Dark, which begins with the mysterious arrival of the Stranger and his portent of an impending evil, then suddenly the Olesons find they are cut off from civilization and the townsfolk are being hunted and savagely and swiftly slaughtered by an evil horde of vampires who have decided to make this their feasting ground....can the survivors last the remaining days til daylight??? Great storytelling and better than the movie! Tim Lebbon has outdone himself!

I just want to start off by saying do not start this book unless you have plenty of time to finish it! This is the first book in a long time that I have actually read all the way through. I am very easily distracted and most books just do not have enough story to them to keep me interested. With this book once I started reading I could not put it down. I ended up staying up all night reading it. I was a little disappointed in the ending, but it also was because I did not want it to end. A great read for any fan of a horror/suspense.

Wow, this book is truly spectacular. Although I haven't seen the film itself, Mr. Lebbon does a fantastic job bringing the people and the fear of being hunted to life. Though these aren't your classic vampires, they are terrifying nonetheless.

I would recommend the novel to readers of vampire novels and fans of books based on graphic novel.

PARTY ON, DUDES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I could not put this book down. And, I don't recommend reading it at night, either! What a vampire book. Wew! Vampires that not only drink blood, but eat flesh. I was lifting my legs to help "the good guys" escape and run faster! I would have preferred it to end differently and that's all I'll say about that. Barrow, Alaska oh my...