Ghost Books

The Dark Horse Book of the Dead is a surprisingly varied collection of creepy tales involving revenants of all stripes. A handsome hardcover volume (with a great cover by Gary Gianni), it contains nine stories ranging from the outright fantastical to the strikingly contemporary.

As is the case with any anthology, the stories contained herein are hit or miss, although there are more hits than misses. Many of you investigating this volume will no doubt be interested in Mike Mignola's "The Ghoul," a Hellboy romp that is entertaining (though not his best work). However, Mignola's tale is not the only standout. Eric Powell's "The Wallace Expedition" imagines a Victorian excursion to the Arctic with dire consequences that is exceptional in its artwork and narrative quality; Pat McEown's "Queen of Darkness" is a dark fantasy tale that finds a young swordsman on a quest to rid his world of the hellish evil that has befallen it; Jamie S. Rich and Guy Davis' "Kago No Tori" is an atmospheric (and explicitly gruesome) ghost story taking place in feudal Japan; and Evan Dorking and Jill Thompson's "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" explores what happens when dogs and the occult mix.

All of these are worthy entries, but the real standout is "Old Garfield's Heart," a "weird" tale by Robert E. Howard with supebly rendered illustrations by Gary Gianni. This yarn - encompassing 1930s Texas society, history, and black magic - may surprise some readers in that it is a Howard story that is not explicitly fantastic, and reads more in the vein of an M. R. James or William Hope Hodgson tale. The virtuoso composition and execution of this story shows just how good Howard was and will make you want to go out and investiagte his westerns.

Overall, The Dark Horse Book of the Dead is highly recommended for lovers of good old-fashioned horror with a grim and gruesome edge.

EC Comics is long gone, a victim of 1950's paranoia run amuck. Horror comics themselves went through a very long lull in the 80's and most of the 90's, taking a backseat to superhero and sci-fi related books. But horror comics have come back in a big way over the past decade or so and leading the charge has been Dark Horse Comics, who have really taken up the mantle of EC Comics both in their tone and inventiveness. Dark Horse has been feeding horror-starved fans everything from modern, gory horror, to books based on classic Universal horror films of the 30's and 40's.

A great example is this fantastic, Hardcover graphic novel, "The Dark Horse Book of the Dead", an anthology of ten stories by a host of talented artists and writers including Mike Mignola, Kelley Jones, Evan Dorkin, Guy Davis, and Jill Thompson. The opening tale by Jones is a truly EC inspired tale called "The Hungry Ghosts". Jones' work conjures up memories of EC greats like Jack Davis and Reed Crandall as a lone hunter ventures into haunted woods, endlessly stalked by a horde of ghoulish ghosts, but the hunter has a secret that will keep him alive and free of the spirits.

Mike Mignola's story is a short, Hellboy adventure as Big Red tracks down a poetry-spouting cannibal who has subsisted for centuries by grave robbing and eating the remains. One of my favorite tales was a comedic piece by Bob Fingerman and Roger Langridge called "Death Boy". This zany, cartoony story finds a young man who was saved after a suicide attempt, only to be given the touch of death by the Grim Reaper who decides he wants to take a holiday from his work.

"The Magicians" takes a look at the conscience of the practitioners of the black arts as a man raises the skeletal remains of his father in order to have a father and son heart-to-heart conversation. A dark and moody tale to be sure...

"Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson is a cautionary tale...Cats should never raise dogs from the dead to use them in their never ending battle with the canines. Dogs just don't like cats, even if the dogs are zombies!

There's also a great short story by Conan creator Robert E. Howard, called"Old Garfield's Heart" which features illustrations by Gary Gianni. While Howard was certainly most well-known for his works of swords and sorcery, he was equally adept at horror as this story will show.

Just a wonderful book of horror tales wrapped up in a gorgeous hardcover edition. Dark Horse continues to be one of the true leaders in modern comic book horror.

Reviewed By Tim Janson

This is the first in the series that I picked up. I was drawn in by Kill Thompson, Mike Mignola, and Kelley Jones, and was delighted to fin some others that I never knew I knew!
The stories overall were great. For he most part they were interesting and engrossing. did find Mignola's a little tough to chew through, since the poetry only seemed to distract from what was actually happening (which in and of itself was pretty neat). But, of course, his gorgeous art style and fun characters made up for it.
My two favorites, though, were unexpected ones. I know some people might not, but I actually really enjoyed the comicky humor of Fingerman and Langridge's piece. It was cute with charming art.
The absolute stunner, however, was Jill Thompson's. I've been a fan of hers for a while, but I didn't expect something this great. It was cute without being sickly sweet. The characters were fun, and the plot was neat.
Overall, this book was really great, and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Anthologies are almost always a mixed bag of tricks, the alchemical products of well-intentioned editors possessed by some inspired thematic vision that compels them to collect a range of exemplary work under a single banner, ideally providing maximum bang for a reader's buck. With 94 pages of content, including an interesting 11-page prose piece from Robert E. Howard lightly seasoned with a handful of illustrations, its bang for the buck factor is pretty high.

"Nine Cautionary Tales of the Risen and Hungry Dead - Told in Words and Pictures; including famously Dead Author and Patriarch of Terrifying Adventure, Robert E. Howard." It's rare that a book's promotional blurb is worth referring to, but in this case it's appropriate thanks to its nailing of the anthology's overall tone: wry and a tad old school, perhaps the kind of thing Max Gaines would be publishing if the Comics Code Authority hadn't castrated his line of horror comics so many years ago. From the clever twist of Kelley Jones' "The Hungry Ghosts" opener, to the waterlogged horror of Jamie S. Rich and Guy Davis' "Kago No Tori," Book of the Dead delivers literate storytelling that doesn't shortchange fans of gore and hanging entrails. Pat McEown's "Queen of Darkness" is the most intriguing entry, hinting at a much larger story that begs for a more elaborate telling, possibly hinted at in the credits which explain this story "marks his return to comics as both writer and artist."

David Crouse and Todd Herman offer up the disturbing "The Ditch;" Eric Powell's "The Wallace Expedition" is a creepy tale with a nice Classics Illustrated-style execution; and Book of the Dead editor Scott Allie himself teams up with Paul Lee and Brian Horton for the surprisingly melancholy "The Magicians." Allie arguably saves the best for last, though, closing out with Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson's "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie," sort of Stephen King's Pet Sematary told from the perspective of the pets themselves. Fans of Grant Morrison's overrated WE3 should check this one out to see a twist on a familiar theme done right.

While there are no outright misses here, there are a couple of questionable entries that keep this worthy project from A+ status. Mike Mignola's "The Ghoul" strikes a dubious balance between pretension and confusion as the BPRD track down a ghoulish fellow who only speaks in poetry while Hellboy beats the stuffing out of him, as annoyed by the stylistic quirk as I was. Perhaps some more familiarity with Hellboy would have improved my opinion of the piece, but if so, in this context, it would still be considered a swing and a miss. The other strike is Bob Fingerman and Roger Langridge's "Death Boy," a cartoony humor piece that brings to mind the old Sesame Street "one of these things is not like the others" segments. It's not bad, per se, just completely jarring in its tone and a bad fit here.

Nevertheless, the whole is far greater than the sum of its unequal parts, and it's an enjoyable collection worth every penny, suitable not just for genre fans but any fan of good writing and artwork. It's also a perfect introduction to comics for anyone that thinks they're just for kids and/or all about superheroes.

I purchased this because it looked mildly interesting and I needed something to complete Amazon's 4 for 3 deal. I was pleasantly surprised by both the charming storyline and artwork. This is not Japanese Manga. It is not even American pretending to be Japanese Manga. This is American Manga establishing itself as a separate genre, and I like what I see. I am eagerly awaiting volume 2.

I found this story to be surprisingly creative for a american manga.
I'm not going to give you a review of the book, you can just read the one above.
This story has creative chracters, altough it doesn't quite break away from the manga mold.
Anyway I did like the story, it was quite charming. With a real (excluding vampires) storyline.
Meaning the characters responded like rational people would, not just turning into insane chibi characters.

Altogether I am hopefully waiting for volume 2. ;)

This manga was very good
fun to read,nice art
i Recommend it to everyone
You get your money's Worth

Hope this helps

I found this "manga" to be unexpectedly entertaining. I'm not a fan of American manga, this is the first I've actually liked. The story is a typical kind of cinderella story, girl loses family, goes to live with her aunt, uncle and bratty cousin only to find out their vampires, and so was her mother. She has to make a lot of adjustments, and has a lot of freak outs, especially over food, the lack of human food actually. It's silly and really cute, and has good humour. I'm looking foward to the second volume if Tokyopop ever feels like releasing it.

I liked this book a lot. Its not the kind of vampire that you want to like but I liked the characters. In his life, the vampire has stayed many places, he was made a vampire while in the intention of commiting adultry but his lady in the night turned out to be a differnt kind of lady of the night than he expected.
Fearing for his life, the vampire flees from Brazil where the inhabitants there have caught on to him. He comes to Florida and inadvertantly encounters a few people who set off his desire for revenge against a man that tried to destroy him while he was in India. The vampire is originally from Germany.
In Florida, the vampire causes much pain. However, he should have gone someplace else instead.

Dark Revenge is a horror vampire novel filled with tension. The same as in real life, the characters don't suspect a vampire is in the works as, the same as in real life, who would suspect such a thing. If someone told them, they would probably laugh, but before this novel is over, no one is laughing.

The vampire has it in for one of the main characters and the vampire does everything he can to destroy this man mentally before attacking him physically.

Worth a read.

I was looking at the vast collection of vampire fiction and was suprised to find a book that has captured the feel of the original works. I've always liked vampire fiction but have found new books trying to change the nature of the beast and am pleased to say that this story still has the beast in original form. Two fangs, controlled with more of the raw lust of blood.

I bought and read this book and really enjoyed it. It was smooth read that kept my interest from beginning to end. I found myself actually afraid of this vampire. Worth a read, no doubt about it!

The guilt of having someone die to protect you can be overwhelming. "Darkness Comprehended" tells of Estelle, who must deal with that fact that her husband gave his life for hers. His sacrifice may be all for naught; she becomes a recluse, isolated almost to the point of being as good as dead. She can't believe the man she loved is gone, and thinks she should have died; unknown to her, there are those who also share their beliefs. If she has the chance of reverting what happened and making it go the other way, can she make herself take it? A riveting psychological thriller to the very end.

A compelling story of one woman's road to redemption, while redeeming people she loves from hell. This is not a genre I usually read because of the violence, but I had to finish it to see how the author would make it all work. And, it did work.

The writing was excellent. Many of the characters are ones that readers will come to care about, which was another reason I had to finish. I had to make sure my favorites would triumph.

The philosophical side of this story was fascinating. I had to stop from time to time to think about what the characters were saying and doing to each other. In my estimation, that is the mark of a good read - something that makes me think outside my normal views. I've always been a bit skeptical of the line from "To Dream the Impossible Dream," that goes "go into hell for a heavenly cause." But, now, after reading Darkness Comprehend, I'll have to rethink that possibility.

I am very pleased that I found this indie title. After reading it, I am torn between two reactions/interpretations. The first, and the one that I am sure the author intended, comports most with the description on the back cover: "Darkness Comprehended" is a love story that explores various existential themes from a mainly Christian perspective--albeit an unorthodox one. All of the characters, major and minor, are forced to grapple with the meaning of death, and its role in shaping their eternal destinies. Most striking to me out of all of that was the ease with which the author helped me contemplate such notions as "a fate worse than death" and death as a reward--and as something not to be feared, but respected.

The second and more mundane way I see this book is as a cosmic Count of Monte Cristo. Only this story had all of the things I've alway wished were in Dumas' tale of revenge. The action sequences (which abound, by the way) are driving, suspenseful, bloody, and satisfying. The involvement of otherworldly characters and realms makes possible an elaborate revenge scheme where wronged heroes are granted the opportunity to undo a tremendous harm inflicted upon them by unambiguously evil individuals. But even more (and better) than that, the heroes assume the role of the Devil's (or maybe God's) executioners, inflicting all that Hell has to offer upon the wicked wretches who made the mistake of hurting them.

Beautifully done, and well worth the time and money that I gave up for it. [...]

I've read hundreds of books, if not thousands, in my short life and I can honestly say 'Darkness Comprehended' has a truly unique storyline. They say there are, what, only like 37 original plots and everything ever written is either a combination of or twist on one or more? Something like that. Anyways, if that's true, then Kate Jeffries's book might just be the 38th original plot line. At the very least, it felt that way. She explores very complex issues - death, God, salvation, betrayal, the relationship between a woman and her parents, grief, true happiness, etc. there's a little something in here for everyone. You may or may not agree with what appear to be her theological conclusions - and I can't say that I do - but there's no question that her exploration of these deep issues leave the reader contemplating. And if a book can leave you thinking, the author has accomplished a lot, if you ask me. A big thumb's up, raised high above my head while standing on my tippy toes.

The work here reminds me a lot of Simic: edgy, quirky, funny, but always honest and insightful. Randall is someone who has looked inside the dark corners of her own life, and found what makes us all human, and lovable. No matter what style of poetry you enjoy, you'll appreciate this book.

Here's an extraordinary collection that takes us from a young girl's coming-of-age through the pratfalls of dating, climaxing with a hard-earned affirmation of love. Along the way, Randall keeps us laughing, much more so than most contemporary poets I've read. We're reminded how serious it is to have a sense of humor.

Randall's voice is honest, witty, and altogether wonderful; she opens doors to worlds you're glad to enter. The collection is thoughtfully laid out and will leave you gasping with delight. You wish she'd do us all a favor and keep talking.

I've never read anything like it--a unique voice--sometimes funny, often frank and sexy, always smart.

If you like scary stories with twists, turns, and even a moral, you'll like this book. It's reminds me of the Twilight Zone a little, but in a southwestern setting. I especially liked the "Not too Spicy" story. With the authors' description of the setting and living in Arizona myself, I found it a bit too close to home, envisioning these things happening in my own back yard, so to speak. "Dead Coyotes" would be great to read at a slumber-party or hiding in a tree house, high above the scary things that may lurk below. Thank you.

"Get ready for a generous helping of fearful tales from a couple of up and comers in the field of speculative fiction. 'Dead Coyotes' will introduce you to maniacal cowboys, temptresses with a deadly secret, and a cook with a nasty recipe that will give you more than a bad case of gas. These stories will keep your head spinning while you double check the locks on your windows and doors. The tales are well-written, imaginative, and sure to live on in the dark recesses of your mind long after you have finished the book. Enjoy-if you dare!"--Bill Wilson, freelance writer and book reviewer (as quoted directly from the reviews page inside the book).

"Blistering days and bone-chilling nights are common on the desert, but 'Dead Coyotes' will bring chills to even the steamiest daylight hours, and downright shivers to nighttime readers. A twisted blend of murder, madness, and mayhem...and you'll never dismiss a doll again!"--Rie Sheridan...

"A delectably dislikeable cast of dark and demonic characters populates the Southwestern deserts in these chilling tales. A dancing coyote goddess, a harmonica-playing cowboy with a devil of a surprise for his victim, and a clever cook who serves the meal of a lifetime to an obnoxious food critic make for spine-tingling reading. Dead Coyotes will leave you howling for more!"--April Chase, freelance writer and book reviewer (as quoted directly from the reviews page inside the book)

Deep in the Jungle of Doom is a great book! You go on a weird jungle adventure. In one end, you are hypnotized by a troll, in another, you get eaten. It is one great book.

This book was cool it had so many things to do in it. I liked the part where thr troll was giving you goosebumps trivias the bes

When you go on a nature tour,strange things happen! You could battle a dragon or turn into a sea monster! Read this scary book with 20 different endings!

the shiny special cover drove them nuts alone. This book was one of a set i bought for my son's birthday. We read it within one sunday afternoon....and for my boys that says alot. I don't believe in giving away details of a story, but buy it for your kids. they will love it. My boys are 5 & 9, and they go nuts over goosebump stories.

The story takes place in the not too distant future. A time when technology is advanced, maybe too far advanced. The book shows what the reliance of technology can do to humanities existence. One person or the wrong persons having too much power and not putting into place any safeguards, etc...

The female lead character is strong, but not to the point of being another Wonder Woman. She is tough, yet the story shows her weaknesses.

You will find a lot of symbolism and irony throughout the book. The book reads fast, however, you will be thinking about it long after you've read the last page.

This book is filled with action and danger and in the middle of Newark, New Jersey, the military attacks civilians in order to create a new world and the streets are a battlefield as the soldiers try to overpower the criminals of the state. But one soldier knows the truth behind the chaos. Now Corp.Skye must stop the President's evil deed, but at the same time, she can trust no one. But time is running out, as a highly powerful chemical bomb is about to be launch onto the un-expecting world.

An intense book if you like end of the world stories.

The year is 2027, America is a sh*thole with gangs and the goverment is just as evil. The President is fed-up with how the world is turning out, and has a brillent plan to wipe out mankind. Only keeping people who may help the new america instead of destorying it, his army goes into violent cities and weeds out the good from the bad. But one soldier is against the Preident's plan in destroying the world with a newly formed chemical and tries with the help of a powerful druglord to stop him.
A Must Read!!!

Desert Dawn is an exciting look at how our world could become and the possiblities for its destruction. From the exciting fight scenes to the clever way Paine uses the secret of Niagra Falls to weave his tale of corruption, greed and power. A book I could not put down! Cannot wait for the story to continue.

Diary of a Ghost (1)
This is a a great book! It kept me in suspense throughout. Just when I thought I had it figured out, there was a twist. Samantha's character inspires the reader to care what happens to her. I loved the historical references that were the meat of the book. The author did a great job of making the ghost and his history real. I kept forgetting that I don't believe in ghosts!

As with most avid readers, I read more than one book at a time. The major book remains in the living room and the secondary is designated to the bathroom. This book moved quickly into the Living room. It was an interesting book that quickly drew me in. It leaves you constantly wondering what was going to come next. Drawing inspiration from the actual diary of Mr. Forbes gave the Civil War battle scenes an air of authenticity that really gives the reader a hint of what it might have been like to live through the war. Finally, the ending totally surprised me. A great book from a first time author!

The authors description of the places visited are fantastic and a few I have visited which makes it all the more interesting. This is a book that is difficult to put down and I read most of it in one day. The book is very well written and sentences seem to flow together. Usually I skip many sentences but read every word in this book as I was afraid of missing some important aspect to the story.

Diary of a ghost has all the elements of a great novel. The battles that are revisited by the characters in the story are amazingly described by the author. Her character development overall is remarkable. The heroine will have you laughing as well as crying because of her realistic portrayal in the story. There are other colorful characters as well. While reading this historic novel,the reader is lured into a Union soldier's mysterious past that concludes with a surprising revelation.

I have read Jeremy Kay's portrait of Dr. Victor Frankenstein's diary and I must emphatically declare that Ering and Cooper's diary is FAR better! Every aspect of this book, including the introduction, plays off a story in which the very book that is in your hand was formulated by the actual journal itself. The introduction claims to have received this ancient diary from an inheritance over a hundred years ago, from whom it was discovered on a voyage in Europe. From there, the author had the journal's pages photographed and published into the form of a book that we (the readers) can read. Thus, like any history book today that photocopies ancient manuscripts onto textbook paper, we see the pages with all their discoloration from 200 years of decay. The handwriting, at times, is difficult to read, which makes it all the more realistic. There are dark, gothic like scetches, that are highly convincing of being drawn by some random human being (unlike an obvious artist as is seen in Jeremy Kay's depiction).

This is an absolute must for any fan of Frankenstein. If an ancient journal was found today and was to be duplicated for public use/entertainment, this is exactly how it would be published.

Five stars all the way.

Okay, the text is hard to read as it is handwritten, but once you open the book, you are immediately transported to the deep, dark laboratory where the monster was created. It's like the actual diary with pencil-sketched illustrations on ancient looking paper, scrawly handwriting. THose who read Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics will love this book for the art alone.

Fabulous art! why, why, why!is this book out of print! put this masterpiece back into print- everyone should be able to see this wonderful,rich work of art. The entire book in itself is a piece of art to own. I am going to research artist Timothy Basil Ering, he has an incredible sensitive touch. His textures, colors and drawings are exquisit. One thinks of Da Vinci or Michaelangelo when exploring this ancient feeling, hand crafted diary. Great story. Bravo!

this is a great book that doesnt act like it will tell you exactly about dr victor's creation... It IS Dr. Victor's sketchbook and that is a great idea! Timothy B. Ering has made the drawings be exactly like how Dr. Frankenstien would have had them lots of detailed anatomy drawings and charts of his medical work in making his monster. Timothy's art turns frankenstien from a fiction into a real study into making a monsters. I would like to find more about timothy erings art work and what other books he has illistrated?