Horror Books

Angel and Co. once again comes through in the end. Loved reading this novel that featured Fred, who's one of my favorite characters on the TV show. Such a good story, but trying to imagine what the various demons looked like was truly a challenge. Nonetheless, a good story. Recommend to all fans of the show and the novels.

When Fred is kidnapped, the LA crew are is panic to find her before sunrise or else Angel will burn in exchange for Fred's life. So what follows is a hilarious chase of wacky demons, gang wars, dead leads and cinnamon smells. This Angel is book is refreshingly new and has great characterisation of the newer characters, Fred and Lorne. The highlight is how Lorne is written. It is a basic who-dun-it book with lots of twist and turns that will keep you in suspense because everyone is a suspect. Demonologists will be pleased with the great characterisation and imagination of the demons. Its fast paced and the passages of Lorne questioning each eye witness demon is a definite highlight. Passages with Fred may be a bit slow for some readers though. Overall, this is a great book and will not disappoint anyone. There's suspense, mystery, thrills, comedy and drama!

Party night at Caritas. The team is celebrating their successful return from Pylea, the reconstruction of Lorne's bar, Fred's rescue, and the good life in general when an explosion outside the club interrupts the fun. A fire blazes across the street, then a half-hearted drive by shooting. When the smoke clears, Angel counts heads, and Fred is missing - kidnapped on her first timid foray into Los Angeles.

We quickly find out that, like humans, the demon patrons of Caritas are spotty witnesses. Of course, the fact that everyone was face down on the concrete doesn't help one bit. As a result, the team splits up - doing research, questioning witnesses, and scouring the city. Squeezing every microscopic clue for some element of the truth.

As the story switches from character to character it becomes clear that Fred's kidnappings is more than a 'grab the girl - get the money' action. The story turns into a classic race against sunrise, with much more than Fred's life at stake. But there are additional levels of complexity, as we meet the habitués of Caritas and delve in the demon life style as only Los Angeles could know it.

Jeff Mariotte is an old hand at creating popular fiction out of the world of Buffy, Angel, Charmed, Startrek and others too many to name. His writing style is consistently solid, and he makes an effort to understand and deepen his characters within the context of their shows. His books are often interesting as well as entertaining, and he avoids the temptation to simply go from one fight scene to another. Classic Angel for the vampire addict.

Sanctuary is just wonderful. Here is a preview: The Fang gang is just chilling in the Host club, when an exploshion happens that draws everyone outside. Next a car comes by and starts shooting, but no one is killed or hurt. When everyone gets inside they discover Fred is nowhere to found. The Fang Gang go into detactive mode, but can't find any leads. Lorne talks to all the demons in the club, but each tells a different story of what they saw. Who took Fred and what do they want with her? Will Angel find her before it's too late? Will Lorne figuer out which denons our liying and which our telling the truth? to find out read the book. Mariotte capture's Fred perfectly on the page. Best I've seen to date in the novels. Sanctuary reminded me of the BTVS Eposide 'Choices' in season 3, and the moive Ransome with Mel Gibson. So if like that moive or that Buffy ep you will love Sanctuary. Can't wait for Mariotte's new Angel novel Solitary man, this winter.

This is an in-depth look at Anne Rice's novels from an analytical perspective. Not only did it give me more insight into one of my favorite authors, but it was written in clear-sighted prose by another of my favorite authors.

What a great book. I felt like I was in class taking Anne Rice 101! Great insights on her books especially on "Interview with a vampire". Great reading.

This was an excellent book and couldn't put it down

No serious Rice scholar can miss this thoughtful treatise on the novelist's art, life, and oeuvre. Less serious readers will also enjoy the concise, lively prose and clear-headed insights from Crusie, famous on her own for genre-bending novels of love and life. Highly recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fantasy with its unusual twist. I look forward to reading more works from Ms. Henry

The two most frightening words in the world are WHAT IF?

WHAT IF reality as we know it is not what we've always believed it to be?

WHAT IF the world really IS in the grips of a war between good and evil, but what if the God we've always thought of as 'on our side' really isn't who we think he is?

WHAT IF the Devil has been misrepresented and in reality has mankind's best interests at heart?

These are just some of the questions Ms. Henry addresses in "An Apology For The Devil." The answers she presents will disturb you, make you think, and possibly change the way you look at the world.

Have you ever questioned God's reasons for letting evil exist? Talib, the main character of the story, did just that. For his troubles he was not only banished from heaven, but learned a mind-shattering secret; the God we worship is not who we think he is. The being we preceive as God has his own agenda for mankind. Only Talib holds the key to releasing mankind from the power of a not-so-benign deity.

An Apology For The Devil is astounding in its depth of perception. Ms. Henry asks questions that we all contemplate, but which few of us have the courage to voice. This is a must-read for anyone who is interested in the entire controversy of good-vs-evil.

An Apology For The Devil gives a whole new twist to the concept of good vs. evil by giving the Devil a chance to voice his side of the story. In this story we meet Talib, a Lucifer who was once a messanger for The Eternal, but was cast out for daring to ask questions. He becomes involved in the history of Earth in ways that are both disturbing and liberating and leads humanity to a climax that leaves us trembling on the edge of our seats.Once you have read An Apology For The Devil you will never view Christianity, or reality for that matter, in quite the same way again.

Words cannot totally express how much this book has helped to define my outlook on life. It covers many important issues, not only of the time it was written but also of today. Cleaver had a clear perspective of life when he wrote this book and it shows greatly. The chapter entitled "Soul on Ice" is a part of the book that I will not allow myself to forget. Eldridge Cleaver was a very evident literary genius and moreover, a gifted prophet of how everything in life "hangs by such thin and whimsical threads."

This is by far the best book I have ever read in my whole life. Once I picked up the book I could not put it down. Eldridge Cleaver talks about the things almost no one else would dare to talk about one of the greatist books of this century. Eldridge talks about the black man's stake in Vietnam, how it really is behind bars, Malcolm's death and offers a real look about Black America. This is one of the greatist men who ever lived who takes a real look at a racist America. A great novel and a real page turner.

Going by this text alone, it would appear that, unfortunately, going to prison is the most enlightening experience that Eldridge Cleaver has ever undergone. The epiphanies and revelations that Cleaver makes from his cell at Folsom State Prison reach deep into the soul and psyche of the African-American male, and uncover many truths here-to-fore considered taboo. A definite must-read!

This is by far the best book I have ever read in my whole life. Once I picked up the book I could not put it down. Eldridge Cleaver talks about the things almost no one else would dare to talk about one of the greatist books of this century. Eldridge talks about the black man's stake in Vietnam, how it really is behind bars, Malcolm's death and offers a real look about Black America. This is one of the greatist men who ever lived who takes a real look at a racist America. A great novel and a real page turner.

absoute evil,this book will slowly but surely curdle your blood.dynamite from start to finish,with an ending you will not forget.

They only let me give it 5 stars, so that's what I'm giving it. There's no product description on this book right now, so from the back cover : "Harrowing tensions explode in a series of events that could happen anywhere, to anyone, just as they do to John Moore - whose days of freedom run out, who is stripped of his possessions, his courage, and his hopes, by the ominous presence of a stranger impossible to resist."

On the acres outside Harlowe that have been owned by several generations of Moores, John and Mim take care of his mother, raise their daughter and live life close to the land they love. One Thursday, when the local law, a one-man force, comes calling for donations to an auction to benefit the police, they laugh but donate. The Auctioneer is Perly Dunsmore, a worldly man who suddenly descends on quiet, sleepy Harlowe. As Thursday after Thursday passes, the requests for donations turn to demands and Harlowe's police force grows along with the power Dunsmore has over the town. What the townspeople end up giving goes far beyond the old furniture and rusty tools of the first auction. How far they have to be pushed before they fight back will shock you.

This book is truly a horror story and, if you begin by thinking this sort of thing could never happen, as you read, you'll be shocked at how easily it unfolds. The cover says "soon to be a major motion picture" - I don't think that ever happened, but it would make a great movie!

I read this book about a year or so ago, and I still get upset when I think about it. I know some people that are like the ones in that little town, That would just sit and let things happen to them. Perfect example is, the Middle East, where the people there have let evil (Alchaida,and the Taliban)come and slowly take over until they became the law that everyone feared. I urge you to read this book, you will never forget it!

Read this book, if you can find a copy. Buy a used copy, borrow it from someone, or obtain a copy of this book at your local library. It's a fairly fast read, and riveting. A novel, yes ... but you can't help but wonder, "Could it happen today? In the 21st Century?" I encourage high school English teachers to not only read this book, but find a way for their class to read it and discuss it. This book is (IMHO) a modern day classic. The implications, lessons, and warnings inherent in this story are applicable, even today ... decades after the story was set in a fictitious small town in New Hampshire in the late '60's. Topics that could be discussed and touched on are: bullies, extortion, and the expression: "All that is needed for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing." For a good scare that will leave you pondering human nature: READ THIS BOOK!

I've just finished John Wooley's AWASH IN THE BLOOD, and I'm still feeling tingly and a little numb from the power of this work.

Televangelist Mo Johnson is a bit more interested in being the center of attention than in spreading the Word. Newly divorced, he can't get his mind off his attractive producer as his television ministry travels across Romania into the area known as Transylvania. While he sleeps in an ancient hotel, he is suddenly attacked by a man-like creature that leaves him with a severe bite on the neck. Johnston, knowing a great opportunity for a "show" when he sees one, immediately orders his producer to start taping. He believes he has fought Satan and won!

But, he hasn't won. As the infection from the bite slowly turns Johnston into a vampire, his little true faith is perverted into a belief in himself as the savior of the world. HE can now give the gift of eternal life. All it takes is a little bite on the neck.

Johnson journeys from minister to brutal vampire then ultimately to a struggle toward salvation for those he has hurt and perhaps for himself. Wooley's tale of the fight between good and evil takes mankind's nightmares and makes them terrifyingly believable. I wonder if I can get a cross made out of garlic to hang around my neck when I sleep...

Gary Campbell, author of THE FOUR CONDITIONS

Horror-meister Stephen King tells readers in his autobiographical segment of On Writing that his novels seem to sprout from two unrelated ideas that kind of collide and bang! Pow! Form a new idea. The plot of Tulsa author John Wooley's new novel, Awash in the Blood, seems much like King's signature bricolage, only here it's Vampires and T.V. Preachers. Pow! Bang! With this strange combination, Wooley manages to craft a tale of utmost Gothic realism, a real spine-tingling trip into the macabre and a worthy addition to the vampire genre.

On a vacation-cum-missionary trip to Transylvania, the Reverend Mo Johnston, a second-rate T.V. preacher, saves a lot of souls for his show's "Hallelujah, Not Halloween" series. Unfortunately, on his last night in the Old World, some kind of creature breaks into his room and bites Johnston - yup - on the neck. Sporting some new wounds, Johnston heads home and convinces himself - and his television audience - that he's done battle with the Devil himself and won. Except, he's not so sure that he's won. His sexual attraction to Alicia, his female assistant, and other women, begins to override the more Godly parts of his mind, and Johnston becomes convinced that perhaps his vampirism isn't a Satanic curse, but instead a gift from God.

Wooley's done his research here, both into the glam-and-sham world of T.V. preaching in the evangelical, conservative, Protestant tradition and into vampire myths and other Gothic novels. Unlike what passes as Gothic horror these days, Blood is devoid of stupid kids wearing black makeup, combat boots, and listening to Marilyn Manson and KMFDM. It takes the Gothic horror novel back to its roots, weaving a story of love, passion, religion, and the supernatural that's plausible enough to believe but scary enough to make you turn the lights on. It's a subtle kind of horror, one that comes out in the wee hours of the morning and taps you on the shoulder and, when you turn around, there's nothing there. Creepy stuff indeed.

Blood also draws some interesting parallels between the emotions and passions aroused in Pentecostal-style worship services (or ceremonies in any religion that involve mystic actions, for those who are keeping score), and that's part of what makes Blood such a poignant read: it's a world not so far removed from our own experiences, and if it happens to Mo Johnston, it could happen to us. Sure, he's no Lestat, but Johnston could be his younger brother. Awash in the Blood belongs on the horror connoisseur's shelf right next to literature by Anne Rice and H.P. Lovecraft, and as far away from the repulsive dung that passes as "Gothic" horror these days as it can get.

What if? In a world filled with an abundance of diverse religions there is one thread of commonality that binds them together: The search for eternal life. To be sure there are differing views on how to achieve this goal but eternal life remains the ultimate goal. What if I was to tell you that a man of the cloth had discovered a way to deliver eternal life and that it involved a triumph of dark over light? What if I told you this road to salvation led to Satan disguised as vampires and that which appears to be a satanic curse is really a gift from God? Unbelievable you say? Meet the Reverend Mo Johnston.
Mo Johnston is a televangelist that experiences a rather unusual encounter on his final night in Eastern Europe, Transylvania to be specific, where he has gone to collect materials for his TV ministry. He is attacked by a creature that the local authorities believe to be a vampire. Johnston determines it was Satan and returns home to exhibit the puncture marks in his neck and to convince his followers that he has encountered, and successfully defeated, the Devil. His popularity soars and success is within reach. However, there are some small problems that develop which causes Johnston to question his faith. Problems like his increasing sexual attraction to his young female assistant; like his attraction to a local sex-club and a stripper named Denise; like picking up a famale hithchiker; and the incident with the janitor; and what at first seems to be cold-blooded murder; and his increasing inablility to function in the light and requiring darkness to pursue other urges such as attacking female victims and leaving puncture wounds in their neck. When his victims survive and seem to be immune to death Johnston becomes convinced that his vampire traits are not really a Satanic curse but, given his and his victims seemingly eternal life status, are really a gift from God. To be sure his methods are a little, shall we say, unorthodox, but God does sometimes work in mysterious ways. After all, who can argue with the gift of eternal life, no matter how acquired?
This is a religious horror story that is an absolute must-have for fans of this genre. It is well written and contains all of the elements of a best seller: Love, the supernatural, religion, sex, and a subtle, disquieting thought that keeps running through my mind, What if?
If you are looking for a ringside seat at the internal fight between light and dark and the possibility of another kind of eternal life, this is the book for you. Wooley just keeps getting better and better. Highly recommended.

In olden days, when the genre was young, a vampire could be repelled with the trappings of Christianity?a crucifix, a Bible, holy water?and this was taken as a given. In AWASH, Wooley expands the genre by following through on the implications of the Christian element. What if vampirism was truly a manifestation of the devil? What if it put him in opposition to God. And to give the tale a particularly sharp edge, Wooley makes his vampire a televangelist who gets in the neck while taking a little preaching junket through Transylvania. The resulting internal struggle between his longstanding faith and his new, savage appetite proves dangerous, and even deadly, to the innocents who orbit his ministry. How will the struggle resolve itself? How can it? How long can he continue the double-game, masquerading as the preacher he was when in fact he?s turned into a blood predator who lives by night? Will he be destroyed . . . or will the American lust for cult heroes propel him to new heights of success?

And make no mistake about it, this is horror, not theology. The suspense is palpable and the ?horror moments? are among the most effective in this polished novel. Wooley shows he can take a timeworn genre, re-imagine it, and concoct a story that?s fresh, entertaining, and all his own. Recommended!

This has been a good series up til now. Now it is a great one and the turning point is this book. Arcudi's contributions to the writing are special. The characters are now truly characters with concerns, lives, etc. The action is still top otch ad Guy Davis' art continues to be excellent. His work shuffles along just telling the story and then some creature or other appears across a two-page spread and the reaction is, "Wow!" When I get the newest book in this series, I find myself going back to book one and starting over each time enjoying the whole saga.

As a longtime Mike Mignola fan (I've been collecting the single issue Hellboy since the beginning, as well as Mignola's other works), I'm slowing coming to the belief that BPRD is currently the better than the current Hellboy title. I was very disappointed that Mignola wasn't illustrating BPRD when it first got going. But I've been seduced by Guy Davis' artwork. The more I look at Davis' compositions the more I like it. The stories here in BPRD seem to be consistently a bit stronger than the current Hellboy story lines. The collaborative effort in this title seems to be it's strength. This is a fine collection that recounts the teams effort to save a team mate from death. Excellent all around. Strongly recommended.

Mike Mignola writes very differently from the vast majority of comic artists today. His stuff reminds me a lot of H. P. Lovecraft and Edgar Alan Poe. Very rich, detailed stories - -plus the artwork is like looking at a woodcut print.

This continues the years-long story arc of the post-Hellboy BPRD.
If you haven't been reading the previous graphic novels, this
will be almost unintelligible to you. But if you have. . .

we learn more, much more, about Captain Daimio (puzzling, if
intriguing), get some distressing backstory of Dr. Kraus,
get a painfully small reminisce of Abe and HB on assignment
in the Canadian woods, and a touching vignette of Liz's
past.

The main story, so to speak, is Dr. Corrigan in the French Alps,
trying to obtain one of those impossibly rare and eldritch tomes
without which this genre of fiction would seem incomplete. I won't
get into spoilers here, but the moment at which she triumphs over
an adversary is easily the most satisfactory single panel I've
seen in a Hellboy story in quite some time.

And if you want to know what finally happens to Roger - this is
the one to read.

This gripping novel transports a classic fictitious character into the modern world, culture and conscience. Within it's captivating pages, the author exposes the modern man for his monstrously hideous nature in contrast to his natural and timeless capacity for pure compassion. Our flaws, triumphs, aspirations, dignity and motivations are laid on the table before us and brilliantly dissected with a clear eye and a steady pen. It becomes easy to forget we are reading fiction as this tale comes to life in our hands.
Benjamin Underwood Halstead

I must admit, it took a few weeks to get to it, but once I did, I was hooked. A continuation of Shelley's original, and yet considerably more. Fascinating for what does happen, what does not happen, and the play of good and evil in life. Well-drawn characters, great scenes, and mounting suspense ... what readers ought to be looking for.

Stuart Land's book, Back from the Dead, is a book that I would recommend to other readers who are looking for a novel that is compelling, intriguing, and filled with adventure from the beginning to the end. The characters personalities unfold in a way that I felt as if I was in a relationship with them. When the book began they were like new neighbors, living next door. As I continued to get deeper into the story I got deeper into their hearts and souls. He brought the story together in a fashion that was unpredictable, keeping me awake at night.

Grab this book before taking off for your summer vacation, and take along the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's book, "Frankenstein", too.

I just finished the book so the ending is fresh in my mind, and I'll share it with you. No, I'll not ruin the ending, but will say that little has separated us from the time of Shelley's writing 200 hundred years ago and what we must conclude today. As a society, we are still not ready to be creators, parents, yes, but creators of life, no. And in the world of cloning (sheep, why sheep when you can have so many so easily....)

Now how the conclusion comes at you is why you should read this book. You will be hooked in the first chapter, which sets the stage of why you should beleive what comes in the following chapters, and beleive, you will. As chapters develop the plot, you will recognize the American society of today and why the conclusion is both surprising and not surprising. From the perspective of America today and the society we have built, this picture of life after resurrection is a tale to be understood.

OK, there were two typos, one on page 207, and another page, too, which you will have to find. I mention this because I'm sure that this book will go into a second printing, so here is a change to catch it.

Enjoy

Plot: It is about a boy named Michael Bailey who has a lot of trouble at school and then he is never seen again. But then a new girl arrives and the bullying starts again. Does it get out of hand like it did the last time or will it stop before it gets really serious? Somebody really needs to do something about it, but can they?
Highlights: My favourite character is Alex becuase she is kind to the new girl and really sticks up for her.
Jasmine, Year 7, Wallingford

Plot: It's about a boy who gets bullied terribly by the Bridge Boys. That was a long time ago though. A new girl comes from Australia. She finds it hard to settle in. Will Alex help her?
Highlights: Alex is my favourite character because she is kind and friendly. My favourite part of the book is when we find out what happens to Bailey.
Weaknesses: I think the ending could be stronger.
This book is aimed at about 10-13 year olds and I think the book is fantastic!
Amber, Year 7, Wallingford

Plot: Michael Bailey suffered harsh bullying but that was one year ago and someone new is in town!
Setting: This is set in a primary school.
Hightlight: This book is brilliant how the author sets the mysterious feeling of what happened to Michael Bailey and how she puts you right in the middle of the situation.
Weaknesses: This book is great! But it takes a long time until you can find out the mystery.
It is fantastic when you find out the end, so I recommend this book to someone who likes Scooby Doo or Inspector Morse.
Kit, Year 7, Wallingford

A game. it started as a game. When a boy with the surname 'Bailey' arrived, he was different. A class of children picked up on this, and so was born, the Bailey game. A game of predudice. This game almost meant the end to the boys life. When he moved on, all settled.
Until...

...a new girl starts. Now, History is repeating itself, and it is up to one girl to save her new friend from the terrible fate of Robert Bailey, as a whole class of children, powered by predudice start the game again...

I havent red this book but it souns cool

this was a wonderful collection of interviews of Stephen King. It would be interesting to see another collection done, with some of the more recent interviews and thoughts from him.

In this collection of essays, both new Stephen King fans, and SK'ers alike can enjoy a unique, indepth and personal view into the mind of the world's greatest horror writer. In Bare Bones King does just that -- he Bares his Bones, showing us the reader what really goes on inside his head. You are taken down into a dark cavern that few men have traveled into and survived. (Well, at least literarily -- not literally). As stated above, I was so impressed and intrigued by these works that I bought all three copies available: the 1st edition paperback, the first edition hardcover, and number 588 of 1152 limited handnumbered copies. Truly a "missing link" in any King collection. If nothing else, Bare Bones is a "must-read".

This is maybe the most interesting book about Stephen King available. If you want to know something about him, you have to read it, because you won't learn more anywhere else. Not even in his own 'On Writing' by the way.

Maybe it would be interesting too to read more actual interviews, but these one help a lot. Okay, it's not always that interesting, like in the conversation about his radio station and sometimes weird, like in the one about 'Maximum Overdrive' if you have seen it. And of course a lot of things are repeated.

But it's really a must for King-fans.