Ghost Books

Creep is a surprisingly fast read, and a truly terrifying one. I still don't know if this is a work of fiction or the confessions of some truly sick and brutal individual. I had trouble sleeping after reading this book.

I found Creep to be well-written and convincing with many graphic descriptions and extensive development of the main character.
However, a word of warning to anyone who prefers to read books that are uplifting. Creep is anything but. In fact, it's quite depressing in places. The central character is deeply disturbed and I do hope Creep is truly a novel and not the autobiography of some sicko. That said, Creep is an interesting and provocative book, well worth a read.

I only hope Creep is a work of fiction and not some psycho's truly disturbing autobiography.
Creep has a way of getting under your skin. I was immediately drawn into this book and couldn't put it down for one moment. The story is absolutely gripping - and brilliant. The reader is actually one of the central characters. The reader is an individual who mocked the Creep character and is now being tracked down for a "hit."
This book is unusual, downright weird and I highly recommend it.

Few books ever actually frighten me, especially works of fiction that you know aren't real. But is Creep really a work of fiction or is it just what it presents itself to be: The psychotic ramblings of a vicious killer? In either case, the detailed descriptions of the various kills sent chills down my spine. I truly hope this madness isn't for real. So here's my challenge to horror and true crime fans - read Creep if you dare!

In the near future, student Jay finds Cory, a strange boy abandoned near a road. This boy appears androgynous and very alien; that's because he's a real alien, of an humanoid species that can change gender at will. Humorous, fast, and pleasant to read, this novel is eminently readable and fun. Il like the prefaces to the chapters, excerpts from a wacky DJ 's radio transmission,too.
Read them, they're a worthy addition to you cross-gendered books' library section!

I really enjoyed reading Crossing Infinity. As someone who usually gets distracted and doesn't finish books, I found this one fun and easy to get through. It also delves into some interesting issues, arising from one of the protagonists being a poly-gendered alien. The characters are endearing, real, very human (even when they're not actually humans), and easy to relate to.
Karen Haber, a friend of mine, is a talented author who addresses interesting issues in a way that keeps the story fun and fresh.

What can you say about a book that transcends multiple genres to tell a story with both profound sweetness while really pushing the edge -- multiple edges in fact?

Karen Haber, who is known as the First Lady of Science Fiction and a good friend to many, myself included, has the rare ability to say something so true and so well that she changes the very way you see the world -- or worlds.

"Cory liked the cats for their silken grace, immense vanity, and playful carnivorous impulses. What charming quirk of nature had made these elegant little killing machines?"

Adults as well as the right kind of kid should buy this and read this for an experience of kind and honest bravery in facing a strange, sometimes hostile, sometimes indecipherable world for a really delicious reading experience, an experience you simply won't be able to find anywhere else. Bravo!

This is a science fiction novel of gender confusions across worlds, a fact that goes unmentioned in the above book description. You neglect to observe the main plot point of CROSSING INFINITY: that the alien refugee, Corylanus, is able to shift gender, and does so under extreme emotional pressure, from male to female, and back again. This book explores notions of gender identity -- and through that exploration underscores the beauty of unconditional love.

I had waited to read this book for a long time. And I was certainly not disappointed. Bumpy Sheffeld is an undercover DEA agent who is currently acting as the pilot for the head of a drug cartel. When this kingpin is killed by an insect-like monster mid-flight into the U.S., Bumpy is forced to crash the plane. Suddenly, he is wanted for murder, as he knows that nobody will believe what happened on that flight. A fellow DEA agent and a beautiful archaeologist set out to help him bring the beast down in an effort to clear his name.

The book does an amazing job of developing the characters. I could really get into the heads of Savannah, Bumpy, Johnny and the creatures. Yes, we even get to see what makes the monsters tick (or click, as the case would be). They are not evil creatures that would have made this book so unrealistic. They are large animals, with the intelligence and biological functions of animals. They are hunting us for food. This is always a device that works well, considering man's preoccupation with assuming that we are at the top of the food chain. We are most certainly not, and this realization has a tendency to terrify us when we are reminded of it.

As far as religion goes, the book isn't billed as religious fiction. But the author does mention prayer and show a couple of Christian characters (priests). Their faith is never seen as an excuse for some deviancy or character flaw. On another point, the background of the book basically shows what happens when man tries to play God. Even though the background is from the distant past, it is still poignant today, with our fetal stem cell research, abortions and cloning.

David L. Kilpatrick has written a marvelous page-turner that will keep you riveted from the beginning. I highly recommend it.

It is a rare thing to find a book that will literally keep me awake at night. CUQUI is just such a book. The only real disappointment is that the author is not really a "horror" writer. In fact, this is his only "horror" novel.

Magnificent story, maginificent Bumpy, Jhony,Savana and Steve even magnificent Cuqui! I loved the story since the beginning. This writer rocks and I can't wait for other stories of him to come.
It is a fun tale, with lots of gore( in spanish) and American fun.
So to the author of
In the way that elepahts do, I say you rock!

I just finished reading Cuqui and enjoyed it immensely. It starts off a little slow, but if you hang with it, you will find you can't turn the last few pages quickly enough to end the suspense.

I continue to be astounded by the versatility of this author.
From the deeply researched, and very well written In The Way That Elephants Do, to the hilarious Undercover White Trash, and now to Cuqui, a terrifying, gory, but fascinating tale of grotesque monsters.

I anxiously await Mr. Kilpatrick's next book!

Alex is 12 and wants to be a Med-jai. Ardeth Bay thinks it's time to send Alex on his "lone walk". But Alex doesn't expect the Scorpion King to come back wanting revenge and Alex's only help is a 13 year old girl.

Twelve-year-old Alex O'Connell, the son of Rick and Evelyn from the movie The Mummy, who are now married, is living in Egypt in the year 1937. He wants to grow up and be a member of Medjai, who work to keep the dark forces from being reawakened. But before he can be a Medjai, he must prove himself. When he notices some shifty-looking Nazi soldiers, he decides to follow them to discover what they are up to. What he discovers blows him away. The Germans have made a deal with the Scorpion King - the evil creature Alex thought his father destroyed for good four years ago. In exchange for a human soul, the Scorpion King's master, Anubis - the God of the Dead - will allow the Nazis to rule to world for a thousand years. Now, it's up to Alex, along with a girl named Rachel who has her own reasons for hating the Nazis, to stop this evil bargain before it's too late. This was a thrilling read for fans of the movie The Mummy and was based on characters from the soon-to-be released movie sequel titled The Mummy Returns.

Twelve-year-old Alex O'Connell, the son of Rick and Evelyn from the movie The Mummy, who are now married, is living in Egypt in the year 1937. He wants to grow up and be a member of Medjai, who work to keep the dark forces from being reawakened. But before he can be a Medjai, he must prove himself. When he notices some shifty-looking Nazi soldiers, he decides to follow them to discover what they are up to. What he discovers blows him away. The Germans have made a deal with the Scorpion King - the evil creature Alex thought his father destroyed for good four years ago. In exchange for a human soul, the Scorpion King's master, Anubis - the God of the Dead - will allow the Nazis to rule to world for a thousand years. Now, it's up to Alex, along with a girl named Rachel who has her own reasons for hating the Nazis, to stop this evil bargain before it's too late. This was a thrilling read for fans of the movie The Mummy and was based on characters from the soon-to-be released movie sequel titled The Mummy Returns.

Even though he's had plenty of dangerous adventures recently, twelve-year-old Alex O'Connell thought a cruise down the Nile to find the lost temple of Osiris would be relatively safe. But the journey becomes dangerous when kidnappers through Alex overboard. He's about to be devoured by crocodiles when he finds an amulet. In his mind, he wishes he would swim faster than the crocodiles, and suddenly, he is. Returning to Cairo, he shows the amulet to his friends Matt and Rachel. They discover that the amulet will grant any wish thought or spoken by the one who holds it. They also discover that an evil sorcerer is imprisoned in the amulet, and will be released if anyone uses it to make three wishes. They also discover that their enemy Ungricht wants the amulet. Alex, Matt, and Rachel have to escape Ungricht and find a way to destroy the amulet without releasing the sorcerer. This thrilling book will be enjoyed by all readers who liked the first two Mummy Chronicles books.

My son read this book straight through on our recent road trip. He recommends it highly, saying it was one of the best he's read (and he reads a ton.) We had "spook" upddates along the way, which were fun to hear. Five stars.

I am glad I am not Dario Figg, but this book is scary and very fun to read. I will read it again sometime.

This book is cool. I especially like the dog. It also has an annoying sister, so that's realistic. The monsters are cool, too. This is the second book I've read by Mark Harris and I can't wait for the next one. My friends always want to borrow these books when I'm done.

The story turns upside-down, with a normal boy like yours and mine finding himself befriending oddball characters and fleeing from goblins and ghouls. Our kids found themselves enmeshed in an imaginative plot filled with both dark and funny characters, wondering how Dario would get out of ... or into ... his next escapade. That it keeps a youngster reading avidly while it creatively depicts the battle between evil and good is what a parent likes. That it is an intriguing, engrossing story is what the kids liked! Best for older pre-teens.

For some reason ive never really liked this clan maybe i just didnt understand them well enough to be interested in playing one but having read this book makes me more inclinced to do so in the future. At first i found the book a little dull but soon, with the introduction of Sir Hugh the Ventrue with True Faith things soon hotted up. I felt that this book was an excellent clan novel with very interesting themes, Christanity against Muslim, East against West...but i felt that the assamite characters where over shadowed by the Presence of Sir Hugh and that it wasnt so much as a Assamite novel,but more of a Ventrue one. My original statement is still true but after the indepth development of the character of Sir Hugh im more inclinded to want to play more Ventrue.

I thoroughly enjoyed this particular novel very much. It deals with three sects of the Assamite clan who call themselves Children of Haqim. I was amazed at how he put one of each of the sects together. I have always thought that the children of Haqim were more than the stereotypical assassin. Initially there is some conflict between their different points of view. How Stefan works it out is simply amazing. He even introduces a character with True Faith and how it affects the kindred around him. I liked how Sir Hugh, a kindred himself has a very strong sense of faith. All in all I will have to say that Stefan Petrucha is a master storyteller!

Many years ago I was introduced briefly to WoD Vampire lore by a friend who actually participated in the roleplaying game. As a layman I only retained a fraction of the information I was exposed to .... however a one of the things I remembered was that the Assamites were a clan of Vampire assassins. Period. End of lesson. Well, in this installment of the Vampire Dark Ages Clan series - you will learn that they are much more than simple killers for hire. You will learn that Assamite sorcerors exist and they are given a grudging level of respect as well as suspicion by their own clanmates. There are viziers, who appear to be the scholars of Alamut. Then there are the commonly known warriors, of which there are further classifications within this caste that denote status and level of skill in the deadly arts. Another interesting element of this book, is a Ventrue knight who struggles to reconcile his devout faith and chivalry with his vampiric nature. Gifted with the charisma and presence of his bloodline, this Cainite Crusader builds an army destined to reclaim the Holy Land. A group of Assamites are dispatched to ensure this does not happen. Paths cross and the unexpected results. It is a well-written story that could be used as a template for any genre, but uses the threads of human history, the struggle to find meaning and faith, and compelling characters to weave a story that is engaging and illuminating. In my opinion, these novels far surpass the previous series in quality and content. Do not let your experience with those books prevent you from reading these. If you are interested in Medieval history, this book and the other in the series will definitely prove worthwhile.

It never fails that, just when I think a Masquersade series is going to be all data and little play, along comes a book that surprises me with both a high level of action (for a World of Darkness book) and a well written and novel story line. Assamite is a notch above the norm on several accounts - far enough so that the book can pretty well stand on its own.

The Assamite in the center is called Amala, on of the deadly assassins who lair at Alumet. These vampires have strong ties with the Muslim faith and thus are the natural enemies of the Crusade. Amala, her companion Sihr Haddad, and Fajr, an itinerant of Amala's clan join to spy on the recent events at Constantinople and take whatever action will protect the faithful. You will also encounter the redoubtable Fatima al-Faqadi, who was th main character of the the previous Assamite volume in the first clan series.

This story could have also been titled Ventrue, after the clan of the vampire Knight Templar who draws Amala's attention and even manages to penetrate her discipline far enough to bring her to the edge of faltering. Sir Hugh of Clairvaux is of precisely the opposite disposition of faith than Amala. Not only is he deeply religious, but an encounter under Constantinople with a Lamia has left him convinced he is privy to Mary's own confidences. He has been inspired to take the Crusade to Egypt, which was the original target.

The relationshi between these two throws both into a crisis of faith as Amala finds Hugh quoting the Quran in his sleep, and Amala's pose as a simple vampire maid proves overwhelmingly attractive to Hugh. This creates tensions among both their followers, and the resulting novel is both complex and rich in character development. Expect more than a few surprising developments as well.

We have had two novels in a row that turn on religious issues in a time when spiritual belief was far more important to vampire society and the Masquerade was still a twinkling in the eyes of the clans. I hope the story develops in other directions as well, but I have to confess that this intensity serves as a reminder that, whatever else they are, most vampires still have a lot of human nature left to them. The players in this volume are very much children of their times as well as spooky creatures with beast centers.

There is a lot to enjoy and be intrigued by in this effort by Stefan Petrucha. If you are considering reading the series, this is probably a better start than Nosferatu, which is harder book to read.

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.