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2012: #66 – Blackout (Mira Grant)

0 comments By Jaime Filed in horror; Tagged with , ; December 29th, 2012
blackout

Title: Blackout
Author: Mira Grant
Series: Newsflesh Trilogy #03
Format: Audio
Audio length: 17 hrs 25 min
Release Date: May 22, 2012
Publisher: Orbit
Source: personal copy

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Rise up while you can. -Georgia Mason

The year was 2014. The year we cured cancer. The year we cured the common cold. And the year the dead started to walk. The year of the Rising.

The year was 2039. The world didn’t end when the zombies came, it just got worse. Georgia and Shaun Mason set out on the biggest story of their generation. The uncovered the biggest conspiracy since the Rising and realized that to tell the truth, sacrifices have to be made.

Now, the year is 2041, and the investigation that began with the election of President Ryman is much bigger than anyone had assumed. With too much left to do and not much time left to do it in, the surviving staff of After the End Times must face mad scientists, zombie bears, rogue government agencies-and if there’s one thing they know is true in post-zombie America, it’s this:

Things can always get worse.

BLACKOUT is the conclusion to the epic trilogy that began in the Hugo-nominated FEED and the sequel, DEADLINE.

My thoughts:

If you haven’t read this series and plan to, you might want to skip this review. It’s impossible to talk about this third book without spoiling a major plot point.

With that said …

I did enjoy having Georgia back, even if was only 97% her. I didn’t buy the science behind her cloning one bit.  I also found the way she and Shaun meet again to be more than a little coincidental. And don’t get me started on the EIS’s “plan”.

The problem with conspiracies is that they rarely make sense, and this one was no exception. I think it got a little too big and convoluted for the author to handle correctly.

BUT… What I’ve always liked about this series is the characters and the way they respond to adversity, and that still holds true in this book. I think it could have been a better story if the author had dropped the CDC conspiracy she created and instead made it a story where the world is confronted with the clone they’ve created. At least then, George’s return would have been necessary.

However this book turned out, whatever Mira Grant comes up with next will certainly be on my to-read list.

Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | WorldCat

Other reviews:

  • “The action and suspense is awesome, and I developed a love for a lot of the side characters as well.” — The Well-Read Redhead
  • “Blackout is better than Deadline, but failed to wow, shock or awe.” — The Book Smugglers
  • “But overall I really enjoyed the trilogy. Still one of my favorite zombie worlds!” — My Friend Amy

2012: #54 – The Passage (Justin Cronin)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in horror, science fiction; Tagged with , ; December 6th, 2012
passage

Title: The Passage: A Novel
Author: Justin Cronin
Series: Passage Trilogy #01
Format: Kindle/Audiobook
Pages:  785
Release Date: June 8, 2010
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Source: personal copy

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

“It happened fast. Thirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born.”

First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear—of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.

As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he’s done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. He is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors. But for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey—spanning miles and decades—towards the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun.

With The Passage, award-winning author Justin Cronin has written both a relentlessly suspenseful adventure and an epic chronicle of human endurance in the face of unprecedented catastrophe and unimaginable danger. Its inventive storytelling, masterful prose, and depth of human insight mark it as a crucial and transcendent work of modern fiction.

My thoughts:

This is a book that has been on my “to read” list since it came out and left a plethora of stellar reviews in its wake. So I’m very disappointed to say… I didn’t love it.

Two years past its release, is it a victim of too much hype? Perhaps.

There were certainly parts of the book I liked. You don’t make it through an 800-900 page book without finding something redeemable about it. I thought all of the characters were interesting, even if I didn’t always understand their purpose. Probably 10% of the characters could be cut completely out of the book with absolutely no impact. I liked Wolgast, and one of my favorite parts of the book was when he and Amy were living in the mountains. I also liked Peter, except in his most maudlin moments. My favorite character was actually Sarah, although her role is relatively minor until late in the book.

I also thought the concept was good, if a little extreme. Very apocalyptic. I would have loved to have more information about what happened in-between Wolgast’s time and Peter’s, but I guess that’s what the second book is for. I don’t really agree with its initial characterization as a “vampire” novel, but I guess if you break it down to its simplest form, you can call it that. I enjoyed Cronin’s imagining of a new way of life, where light means life, and government no longer exists.

So what didn’t I like? THE PACING. This book was soooooooooooo slooooooooooow. I’m not a speed reader, but I’m not slow either. I started this book on my Kindle in mid-August, and around the third week of September I hit the 50% mark. At that point, I was so tired of reading it that I knew I had only two choices – give it up, or try to finish it with an audiobook. Turns out, even the audiobook narrator was sloooooooow. Two things saved the rest of the book for me – the ability to play it on double speed on my iPhone, and the fact that things actually started happening in the book. I wish that 90% of the book had been about their journey to Colorado, instead of 25-33%.

So my overall impressions are that I didn’t hate it, but I’m not that excited about it. It did end strong, but it took so long to get to the good that I’m not sure it was worth my time. I may or may not get around to reading the next book.

Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | WorldCat

Other reviews:

  • “So does the book live up to its hype? For the most part, yes. Stephen King isn’t lying in his cover quote when he says, ‘Read this book and the ordinary world disappears.’” — Love Vampires
  • “This book reminds me of the fragility of the human race.“– the well-read wife
  • “Cronin’s sense of place; of time; of timelessness; and his magnificent explorations of memories; of memories folded and unfolded and twisted in time; and of the self and the Shadow self, are examples of his bridges from genre to literature.” — Of Books and Reading

2012: #35 – Deadline (Mira Grant)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in audio, horror; Tagged with , ; September 16th, 2012
deadline

Title: Deadline
Author: Mira Grant
Series: Newsflesh Trilogy #02
Format: Audio
Audiobook length:  15 hrs 06 min
Release Date: June 01, 2011
Publisher: Orbit
Source: personal copy

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Shaun Mason is a man without a mission. Not even running the news organization he built with his sister has the same urgency as it used to. Playing with dead things just doesn’t seem as fun when you’ve lost as much as he has.

But when a CDC researcher fakes her own death and appears on his doorstep with a ravenous pack of zombies in tow, Shaun has a newfound interest in life. Because she brings news-he may have put down the monster who attacked them, but the conspiracy is far from dead.

Now, Shaun hits the road to find what truth can be found at the end of a shotgun.

My thoughts:

I wasn’t sure how I was going to like this book. After all, George was the best character in the first book, and she’s dead! Would I feel the same way about Shaun?

Turns out I didn’t have to worry, because George is still a very large part of this book, if only in Shaun’s head. Rather than being focused on national news events, such as the presidential campaign, this book is focused on the disease that causes the zombies. Turns out, things aren’t quite as they appear, and George’s death may have been orchestrated by more than just one crazy politician.

The events of the first book left everyone in this one more than a little shell-shocked, and the trauma affects many of their actions. I liked that this book gave us a little more of an idea of what things are like in the rest of the country, away from the big cities, when you’re not surrounded by security and RVs.

One of the more interesting aspects of this series is the author’s imagined evolution of bloggers and blogging, where they become the real truth tellers of society. I think it’s become an even more compelling vision in light of what has been accomplished (good and bad) with social media in the last couple of years.

There were big doings at the end of this book, and a major cliff-hanger. I’ll definitely be reading the third.

Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | WorldCat

Other reviews:

  • ” It’s definitely interesting enough that it makes me wonder how Grant is going to follow up on the the plotline she introduces near the end of this book, but if the action doesn’t pick up at peak levels in Book Three, I’m not sure I would be so willing to invest in it.” — Geeks of Doom
  • “In between terror and grief, I found solace in the incomparable relationships of the characters.” — Reading is the Ultimate Aphrodisiac
  • “The first was my favorite so far but as a sequel goes this doesn’t slow down.” — My Seryniti

2011: #67 – Feed (Mira Grant)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in audio, featured reviews, horror; Tagged with , ; December 8th, 2011

feedBook #67 is Feed (paperback, Kindle, audio), the first book in the Newsflesh trilogy by Mira Grant. The back of the book reads:

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beat the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.

NOW, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives-the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.

I listened to this way back around Halloween. Between the zombies and the presidential campaign, it was timely in more ways than one.  There was a lot of talk about this book when it was released, and my expectations were met and then some.  As far as zombie stories go, it’s not particularly scary, but there are definitely a lot of tense moments. Georgia and Shaun are very likeable main characters, even if they are  headstrong at times. You grow to respect them, not only as people, but as businesspeople. And she manages to surround them with characters that are interesting and colorful without being stereotypical (with the exception of some of the politicians).

What really grabbed me about this novel was the detailed world Grant has created. I found everything, from the way the outbreak began to the way it spread to the  deterioration of journalism and rise of blogging, to be believable, if not plausible.  The only thing I never really grasped was why Georgia and Shaun’s parents were famous, but it’s very possible I just wasn’t paying close enough attention to the audio book when that was explained. I raked a lot of leaves during this book.

Plot wise, there was a lot to keep your attention. Besides the presidential campaign and the conspiracy/sabotage, there is the constant concern about the virus and infection. There also are a number of plot-twists that I found rather unexpected. I have to respect an author who isn’t afraid to "kill her darlings", quite literally. I was really surprised at the biggest twist, because it was a huge risk, as far as story construction goes.

That’s not to say the story was perfect. The repetitious descriptions of the various testing techniques and scenarios grew quite tiresome, and were something that only needed explaining/describing once, unless it was necessary to move the story forward in some way.

I thought this was a nice change of pace in the zombie oeuvre, because it focuses more on the living than on the gore of the dead. I’ll definitely be continuing the series, because I have no idea what could be coming next.

Audiobook length: 15 hrs 10 min | Approximate word count: 152,000 (’11 total: 6,686,307)

2010: The Anniversary Man (R.J. Ellory)
2009: The Accidental Human (Dakota Cassidy)
2008: Neon Rain (James Lee Burke)
2007: Portrait of a Killer (Patricia Cornwell)
2006: The Grim Grotto (Lemony Snicket)
2005: Hell at the Breech (Tom Franklin)

2011: #51 – Killing My Boss (Colin F. Barnes & Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff)

2 comments By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, horror; Tagged with , ; August 15th, 2011

boss Book #51 was Killing My Boss, an anthology of short stories by Colin F. Barnes and Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff. The back of the book reads:

DELIGHTFULLY TWISTED. LIKE HITCHCOCK MEETS WES CRAVEN.

You hate your horrible boss. You’re not alone. And for good reason. Your boss is a complete jerk and everybody knows it.

If you have ever imagined what it would be like to send your horrible boss to his or her early demise, KILLING MY BOSS is the “Youdunit” book you’ve been waiting for.

From the devious minds of bestselling and award-winning author MARK YOSHIMOTO NEMCOFF, (“The Killing of Osama Bin Laden”, “Where’s My F*cking Latte?”, “Number One with a Bullet”) and talented U.K. writer COLIN F. BARNES, comes KILLING MY BOSS. Featuring six delicious tales of revenge taken on some of the worst bosses you could imagine, “Killing My Boss” is a thrilling symphony of murder and mayhem that will keep you turning pages until each jaw-dropping conclusion.

KILLING MY BOSS is a literary six-shooter that will let you feel the satisfaction of murdering your boss… without ever having to worry about going to jail for it!

This book also makes a wonderful gift. Send it to those you know suffer under the tyranny of horrible bosses everywhere… or even send one to the boss you hate!

This collection of short stories was deliciously deviant, with a level of violence that reminded me of J.A. Konrath writing as Jack Kilborn. It’s a pull-no-punches, brain-splattering level of violence that may seem extreme to some, but that I think fits perfectly with the fantastical nature of the stories. You won’t agree with each protagonist’s reason for the violence, but I think that makes it more interesting. I was especially intrigued by the final story, Nemcoff’s Nemesis, which has appeared before in an audio anthology about a terrorist attack on the U.S. It’s a story that made me think after I was finished, and I actually went back and re-read a few sections to make sure I understood what happened.

This collection is perfect for anyone who has just wanted to go home and scream after a long day at work. Just don’t let your boss catch you reading it at your desk.

Disclaimer: This book was a review copy. I am associated with Colin F. Barnes through a writer’s forum.

Page count: 133 (’11 total: 13,758) | Approximate word count: 33,250 (’11 total: 5,041,870)

2010: Back to the Bedroom (Janet Evanovich)
2009: The BFG (Roald Dahl)
2008: Heartbreaker (Julie Garwood)
2007: Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Jeff Lindsay)
2006: The Carnivorous Carnival (Lemony Snicket)
2005: Three to Get Deadly (Janet Evanovich)

Used in these Challenges: 2011 E-book Reading Challenge; ARC Reading Challenge 2011; New Author Challenge 2011; Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2011;

2011: #14 – Diavolino (Steve Emmett)

2 comments By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, horror; Tagged with ; March 4th, 2011

diavolino Book #14 was Diavolino by Steve Emmett. The back of the book reads:

Paradise is just one step from Hell.

The chance to build a dream home on a private island in Italy’s most beautiful lake offers architect Tom Lupton the fresh start he’s been yearning for. But when he arrives with his family on Diavolino, he finds the terrified locals dead set against his arrival. The island, whose very existence has been shrouded in secrecy for half a millennium, has a dark history that no one cares to remember, and as their opposition to Tom grows, so grows a brooding evil that will lead them to the very doors of hell…

I found myself impressed with this debut novel. The Lupton family thinks they’re just living in Italy for a short while as they design a home for a wealthy client. Instead of a pleasant working vacation, they find unwelcoming and suspicious townspeople and a big scary hole in the ground. I liked the Lupton family as characters, and Annamaria, the local schoolmistress. Emmett does a great job of letting the reader know who is good, who is bad, and who you shouldn’t be too sure of. I was also impressed by the description; the bloody lake splashing up against the white hull of the boat was particularly vibrant for me. Also, the Stymphalian birds taking down the planes.

The one thing I wish had been different is the build-up.  I would have a loved another incident or two before the chaos really begins.  Things go bad very quickly, when we’ve barely had a chance to get our bearings on the island and in the town.

Overall, this is a nice piece of horror with religious roots. It also made me think of the Italian "haunted island" of Poveglia, and I always like when I can relate a story to something in real-life.

This book was a review copy.

Other reviews:

Moonlight and Roses: Diavolino | Steve Emmett

Page count: ~336 (’11 total: 3,958) | Word count: 84,070 (’11 total: 1,303,052)

2010: The Kitchen House (Kathleen Grissom)
2009: A Fistful of Charms (Kim Harrison)
2008: Sick Puppy (Carl Hiaasen)
2007: Judge & Jury (James Patterson)
2006: The Killing Dance (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: Rosemary’s Baby (Ira Levin)

Used in these Challenges: Countdown Challenge 2011; 2011 E-book Reading Challenge; ARC Reading Challenge 2011; New Author Challenge 2011; Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2011;

2010: #100 – The Strain (Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan)

2 comments By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, horror, vampires; Tagged with , ; December 10th, 2010

strainBook #100 was The Strain, the first book in the Strain trilogy by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan.  The back of the book reads:

A Boeing 777 arrives at JFK and is on its way across the tarmac, when it suddenly stops dead. All window shades are pulled down. All lights are out. All communication channels have gone quiet. Crews on the ground are lost for answers, but an alert goes out to the CDC. Dr. Eph Goodweather, head of their Canary project, a rapid-response team that investigates biological threats, gets the call and boards the plane. What he finds makes his blood run cold.

In a pawnshop in Spanish Harlem, a former professor and survivor of the Holocaust named Abraham Setrakian knows something is happening. And he knows the time has come, that a war is brewing…

So begins a battle of mammoth proportions as the vampiric virus that has infected New York begins to spill out into the streets. Eph, who is joined by Setrakian and a motley crew of fighters, must now find a way to stop the contagion and save his city–a city that includes his wife and son–before it is too late.

It’s been a few weeks since I finished this, and I’m still not completely sure what I thought about it.  On one hand, it was a interesting, creepy twist on the vampire.  No brooding looks or sparkling skin here, just gore and horror. On the other hand, you could really tell that a screenwriter was one of the authors.  Things jumped around A LOT. There were many times when I just wanted to get back to our main heroes: Eph, Nora, and Setrakian. The reason we were following some of these secondary characters became clear in the end, but I still think some of the other scenes could have been cut. The book does end on a cliffhanger with little to no resolution, so that’s something to keep in mind before you pick it up. I liked our core team of protagonists, so I’ll probably pick up the second book to see what happens to them.  It’s hard to imagine a way for New York to get out of this mess.

Other reviews:

That’s What She Read: REVIEW – The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Fantasy Book Critic: "The Strain" by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan : Book Review
Patricia’s Vampire Notes: The Strain – Vampire Book Review
MariReads: Book Review- The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

Page count: 608 | Approximate word count: 152,000

2009: Practical Demonkeeping (Christopher Moore)
2008: The Dirty Secrets Club (Meg Gardiner)
2007: Fantasy Lover (Sherrilyn Kenyon)
2006: Final Target (Iris Johansen)

Used in these Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Pages Read Challenge Season 2; Four Month Challenge – Part 5; Countdown Challenge 2011;

2010: #48 – Horns (Joe Hill)

0 comments By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, horror; Tagged with ; May 24th, 2010

horns Book #48 was Horns by Joe Hill.  The back of the book reads:

Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with a thunderous hangover, a raging headache . . . and a pair of horns growing from his temples.

At first Ig thought the horns were a hallucination, the product of a mind damaged by rage and grief. He had spent the last year in a lonely, private purgatory, following the death of his beloved, Merrin Williams, who was raped and murdered under inexplicable circumstances. A mental breakdown would have been the most natural thing in the world. But there was nothing natural about the horns, which were all too real.

Once the righteous Ig had enjoyed the life of the blessed: born into privilege, the second son of a renowned musician and younger brother of a rising late-night TV star, he had security, wealth, and a place in his community. Ig had it all, and more—he had Merrin and a love founded on shared daydreams, mutual daring, and unlikely midsummer magic.

But Merrin’s death damned all that. The only suspect in the crime, Ig was never charged or tried. And he was never cleared. In the court of public opinion in Gideon, New Hampshire, Ig is and always will be guilty because his rich and connected parents pulled strings to make the investigation go away. Nothing Ig can do, nothing he can say, matters. Everyone, it seems, including God, has abandoned him. Everyone, that is, but the devil inside. . . .

Now Ig is possessed of a terrible new power to go with his terrible new look—a macabre talent he intends to use to find the monster who killed Merrin and destroyed his life. Being good and praying for the best got him nowhere. It’s time for a little revenge. . . . It’s time the devil had his due. . . .

This was an interesting book about love and how far people will go for it, hate, and the evil that exists within all of us.  Ig’s story is tragic even before the book begins, but you feel like he’s better off in the end. The book jumps back and forth in time, showing us Ig’s past as well as his present transformation.  When people see Ig as the devil, they feel compelled to blurt out their darkest desires, which leads to some very interesting, yet believable, conversations. I liked the concept that the devil can’t make you do anything you aren’t willing to do. Hill does a great job not only with dialogue, but with his description and setting. I could immediately picture the site of the old foundry, including the detritus left behind by years of teenage foolery. I found myself marking passages for later review, something I rarely do in a book in this genre.  A few of the passages that caught my eye were:

The service ended, and conversation rose like water filling a tub, the church a container with a particular volume, its natural quiet quickly displaced by noise.

"It goes against the American storytelling grain to have someone in a situation he can’t get out of, but I think this is very usual in life."

The maiden and the devil walked in the furnace light at the end of the day, and the devil admonished her…

Maybe all the schemes of the devil were nothing compared to what men could think up.

While this book isn’t the type of horror to keep you up at night in fear of what lurks beneath your bed, it is the type to keep you up reading.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to more stories from the mind of Joe Hill.

This book was a review copy.

Other reviews:

Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review: ‘Horns‘ – Joe Hill (Gollancz)
Fantasy Book Critic: “Horns” by Joe Hill (Reviewed by Robert Thompson)
Kay’s Bookshelf » Horns by Joe Hill

Page count: 384 | Approximate word count: 105,600

2009: Bonk (Mary Roach)
2008: Blood Noir (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2007: Ghost Story (Peter Straub)
2006: Seduced by Midnight (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (J.K. Rowling)

Used in these Challenges: Countdown Challenge 2010; ARC Reading Challenge 2010; 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; 2010 Pub Challenge; Second Reading Challenge; Pages Read Challenge Season 2;

2009: #47 – Afraid (Jack Kilborn)

3 comments By Jaime Filed in audio, featured reviews, horror; Tagged with ; May 6th, 2009

Book #47afraid_sm was Afraid, by Jack Kilborn (AKA J.A. Konrath).  The back of the book reads:

ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? YOU WILL BE . . .

Welcome to Safe Haven, Wisconsin. Miles from everything, with one road in and out, this peaceful town has never needed a full-time police force. Until now . . .

A helicopter has crashed near Safe Haven and unleashed something horrifying. Now this merciless force is about to do what it does best. Isolate. Terrorize. Annihilate. As residents begin dying in a storm of gory violence, Safe Haven’s only chance for survival will rest with an aging county sheriff, a firefighter, and a single mom. And each will have this harrowing thought: Maybe death hasn’t come to their town by accident . . .

I do read horror every once in a while, and it’s rare that a book freaks me out enough that I have to put it down for a bit.  I think the last book that really scared me was Bag of Bones by Stephen King.  Afraid not only did that, it actually made me nauseous at points.  Which means I think it was pretty freakin’ great. Kilborn pulls no punches with the cruelty of the Red Ops, not even in the beginning, yet everything came off as completely believable.  I especially loved the little twists he throws in at unexpected points, like who Logan is, the doctor’s role, and how Fran is connected to it all. You expect some characters to make it through things unscathed, but you quickly learn that no one is safe, and you can’t predict who is and isn’t going to die. Thankfully, Kilborn has a second book in the works, because I think he has a gift for terror.

Audiobook Length: 9hrs 40min | Approximate word count: 81,056

2008: Never Tell (Karen Young)
2007: Deviant Ways (Chris Mooney)
2006: Into Thin Air (Stan Washburn)
2005: Back Roads (Tawni O’Dell)

Used in these Challenges: 100+ Reading Challenge 2009; The 999 Challenge;

2008: #64 – A Living Nightmare (Darren Shan)

3 comments By Jaime Filed in horror, vampires, young adult; Tagged with ; July 21st, 2008

13959312 Book #64 was A Living Nightmare, the first book in the Cirque du Freak series by Darren Shan.  The back of the book reads:

Darren Shan is just an ordinary schoolboy who enjoys hanging out with his three best friends. Then one day they stumble across as invitation to visit the Cirque du Freak, a mysterious freak show. Only two tickets are available, so they draw straws to see who will go. As if by destiny, Darren wins one, and what follows is his horrifying descent into the dark and bloody world of vampires. This is Darren’s story.

This is a YA story, so it’s not going to be the vampire horror story you expect.  There’s no vampire lust and limited blood here. Darren is a young boy who does young boy things… he plays soccer at lunch-time, he gets into trouble with his best friend, he covets a pet more than anything else… Until he has to make a more adult decision.  His life, or his friend’s?  I thought it was a good story (despite being a little heavy with exclamation points), and I’m going to read at least the next couple of books in the series to see where it goes.

Page count: 257 | Word count: 48,548

2007: The End (Lemony Snicket)
2006: Narcissus in Chains (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: Nora, Nora (Anne Rivers Siddons)

2008: #40 – 20th Century Ghosts (Joe Hill)

0 comments By Jaime Filed in audio, horror; Tagged with ; May 12th, 2008

15187482 Book #40 was 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill.  The back of the book reads:

Imogene is young and beautiful. She kisses like a movie star and knows everything about every film ever made. She’s also dead and waiting in the Rosebud Theater for Alec Sheldon one afternoon in 1945. . . .

Arthur Roth is a lonely kid with big ideas and a gift for attracting abuse. It isn’t easy to make friends when you’re the only inflatable boy in town. . . .

Francis is unhappy. Francis was human once, but that was then. Now he’s an eight-foot-tall locust and everyone in Calliphora will tremble when they hear him sing. . . .

John Finney is locked in a basement that’s stained with the blood of half a dozen other murdered children. In the cellar with him is an antique telephone, long since disconnected, but which rings at night with calls from the dead. . . .

Hill may not be using his father’s name, but he’s certainly inherited his father’s imagination. I thought this was a great collection, and I’m really not a short story fan. They’re not all horror and gore… some of the stories are sweet, touching, even familiar. Though some of them definitely creeped me out. My favorites were 20th Century Ghost, Voluntary Committal, Pop Art, and The Black Phone.

Page count: 336 | Approximate word count: 91,490

2007: Plum Lovin’ (Janet Evanovich)
2006: All the Flowers Are Dying (Lawrence Block)
2005: A Kiss of Shadows (Laurell K. Hamilton)

2007: #91 – Black Creek Crossing (John Saul)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in horror; Tagged with ; August 21st, 2007

Book #91 was Black Creek Crossing by John Saul. The back of the book reads:

The dark history and dire secrets of a peaceful small town are summoned from the shadows of the past. Unholy forces are stirred from long slumber to monstrous new life. And two young misfits discover the chilling art of turning persecution into retribution. With these eerie ingredients, bestselling master John Saul once again works his unique brand of sinister magic to conjure an unforgettable tale of unspeakable terror.

For most of her young life, thirteen-year-old Angel Sullivan has been on the outside looking in, enduring the taunts of cruel schoolmates and the angry abuse of a bitter father. Then Angel’s family moves to the quaint town of Roundtree, Massachusetts—where a charming home is available, a promising job awaits Angel’s unemployed father, and most of all, the chance to make a new start beckons to the shy, hopeful teenager. But when she is shunned by her new classmates, Angel falls deeper into despair. Until she meets Seth Baker, a fellow outcast—and a fateful kinship is forged.

It’s Seth who tells Angel the unspoken truth about the legacy of murder that hangs over her family’s home—and the whispered rumors that something supernatural still dwells there. Uncertain whether the stories are true, and desperate to escape the torment of their daily lives, Angel and Seth devote themselves to contacting whatever restless soul haunts the dark recesses of Black Creek Crossing. But once they have begun, there is no turning back.

Guided by an anguished and vengeful spirit, they uncover the shocking events and centuries-old horrors that lay buried beneath the placid veneer of Roundtree. And along with the ghastly revelations comes a terrifying power—one that feeds upon the rage of the victimized, turning the basest impulses and most dangerous desires into devastating weapons. Now, the closer Angel and Seth are pushed toward the edge by their tormentors, the deeper they descend into the maelstrom of dark forces they’ve unleashed . . . and the more unspeakable the hour of reckoning will be.

This was just ok for me. I felt like it was 75% set-up, and by the time the action started it was over. I also don’t really understand why Angel and Seth did what they did at the very end. Also, because I don’t read a lot of horror, it took me quite a while to convince my brain that weird, unbelievable stuff is *supposed* to be happening.

Page count: 358 | Word count: 120,328

2006 – Year Zero (Jeff Long)

2007: #76 – Body Rides (Richard Laymon)

2 comments By Jaime Filed in horror; Tagged with ; July 13th, 2007

Book #76 was Body Rides by Richard Laymon. The back of the book reads:

Neal has been carrying a gun in his car lately — just to be safe. And it looks like it’s a good thing he has. When he spots a woman tied naked to a tree and a man ready to kill her, he has no choice but to shoot the attacker. As a reward, the woman gives Neal something unimaginable.

Neal’s reward is a bracelet. A very special bracelet. It enables the wearer to step inside other people, to see through their eyes, to feel whatever they feel. To take “body rides”. But Neal has a bit problem. The man he shot isn’t dead. And he wants revenge. First he’s going to finish what he started with the woman. Then he’s going after Neal…

This was more entertaining than I expected. Some parts are somewhat unbelievable (I rolled my eyes when Marta accepts Sue into their lives so easily), but since the concept of “body rides” itself is so unbelievable, you just have to roll with it. The end is somewhat predictable, especially since one of the characters gives it away (worst foreshadowing evah).

Page count: 534 | Approximate word count: 146,850

2006 – Dragonfly in Amber (Diana Gabaldon)
2005 – We Need To Talk About Kevin (Lionel Shriver)

2007: #48 – Ghost Story (Peter Straub)

4 comments By Jaime Filed in horror; Tagged with ; May 7th, 2007

Book #48 was Ghost Story by Peter Straub. The back of the book reads:

For four aging men in the terror-stricken town of Milburn, New York, an act inadvertently carried out in their youth has come back to haunt them. Now they are about to learn what happens to those who believe they can bury the past — and get away with murder.

This is not your typical ghost story. More creepy than outright scary, though it has its moments. Sometimes the weather is the scariest thing. I can see why it’s considered a horror classic. The book nicely comes full circle, though I had forgotten the strange beginning by the time I got to the end.

Page count: 483 | Word count: 170,406

2006 – Seduced by Midnight (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005 – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (J.K. Rowling)

2006: #112 – Under the Overtree (James A. Moore)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in horror; Tagged with ; December 30th, 2006

overtree.gifBook #112 was Under the Overtree by James A. Moore. The back of the book reads:

Can you hear it? The whispered laughter carried by the wind?

Can you see Them? The faint shadowy forms that move through the woods near Lake Overtree. The ones whose very presence is silencing the wild life?

Can you feel the changes in the air? The changes taking place in one young man whose entire world is shifting, changing to accommodate his desires. The girl of his dreams is his for the taking, the kids who bullied him are going away one by one, and even his worst enemies are seeing him in a different light. His body, once soft and flabby, has grown strong and lean, something he never expected would happen. His stepfather, Joe, has finally stopped looking at him like garbage and started treating him like a real son. Every hope, every wish that Mark Howell has known in his lonely life is coming true.

Can you hear it? The mournful wails of families torn apart by the loss of their loved ones? The faint screams of the damned, of those foolish enough to cross his path?

Listen carefully.
It’s happening.
Mark’s world is changing, regardless of the cost.
It’s happening.

It’s been a while since I read a true horror novel, so it took me a bit to talk myself into suspending belief. However, once I got into the book, it was pretty good. The story felt original to me, and the way things wove together in the end was interesting. There’s one detail that I don’t quite understand, but I’m not sure it’s truly important to the story. For a horror, this wasn’t particularly scary, but I think it does qualify as creepy.

Book count: 112 | Page count: 490 | Word count: 179,340

2005: #19 – The Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson)

By Jaime Filed in horror; Tagged with ; March 8th, 2005
hillhouse

Title: The Haunting of Hill House
Author: Shirley Jackson
Pages: 246

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House has been horrifying readers since it’s original publication in 1959. A tale of subtle, psychological terror, it has earned its place as the epitome of haunted house tales of all time. The story concerns several people brought together to investigate paranormal phenomena in a country mansion. The dark energies of the house focus on Eleanor Vance–an odd, lonely 32-year-old woman. Despite the terrifying events that begin to occur, Eleanor feels–for the first time in her life–a sense of belonging and happiness in the house. As supernatural events unfold, neither the characters nor readers are quite sure what they experience in Hill House–and some may never make it out alive. Who will the house claim for it’s own?

Book 19 was Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, part of the Stephen King Horror Library (same way I got Rosemary’s Baby).

Another great horror story. I loved how Jackson portrayed the slow unraveling of Eleanor’s mind, with those little bursts of clarity. It’s no surprise that this is considered a classic. Another interesting thing about reading these classics, is that the style of writing is so different. Maybe that’s just part of what makes it a classic.

Book count: 19/50 — 38%
Page count: 5,587/15,000 — 37.24%

2005: #14 – Rosemary’s Baby (Ira Levin)

By Jaime Filed in horror; Tagged with ; February 20th, 2005
rosemary

Title: Rosemary’s Baby
Author: Ira Levin
Pages: 245

Rating: ★★★★★ 

In 1967, when Rosemary’s Baby was first published, Ira Levin’s masterpiece gave horror an innocent new face. It startled critics, stunned readers with its unique and deceptively calm voice, and caused a worldwide sensation. It found fear where we never thought to look before, and dared to bring it into the sunlight. To this day, Rosemary’s Baby is as disquieting as shattering glass in an empty basement, and as unsettling as the cry of a newborn coming from behind a newly plastered wall.

Book #14 was the incredible Rosemary’s Baby, by Ira Levin.

Like most people, I at least knew the basic premise behind Rosemary’s Baby, but I had never read the book or even seen the movie. “Disquieting” is perhaps the perfect word to describe this book. There is just this subtle thread of dread throughout the entire story that is amazing. I highly, highly recommend it. I’m looking forward to picking up some other books written by Levin.

Page count: 3,961/15,000

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