Best British Horror Fiction
Something twisted and evil lives in her house, and Adrienne must race to unravel the decades-old mystery… before she becomes Ashburn’s latest victim.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Her cat Wolfgang is super awesome and not only does he play a pretty big role in this story but he also seems like the kind of cat you would want to curl up with and read. This book had me going back and forth on trying to figure out if the recently departed Great Aunt Edith was the big bad of the book or not. I feel the main characters of the book are Addy and Wolfgang. Edith of course plays a pretty big role both in the beginning and towards the end. One of my other favorite things about this book, and all of her books for that matter, is that you can't discount any of the small details."
"Her laptop needs work, and a friend at the vets brother agrees to repair it if she will let him use a shortcut through the land that her aunt would never allow him to use. I was a bit disappointed with this part of the story and thought it would lead to a relationship between the boy and Adrianna, but they never even meet during the entire book."
"We walk around the house with Adrienne, open a cupboard, find a cup, boil water in the kettle, make tea, walk around some more. Adrienne had so little curiosity about the house she'd inherited that I found myself internally yelling for her to look around and discover what might be behind all those doors and inside those drawers she never opened. The woman - whom Adrienne hadn't even known existed - was dead and the house belonged to Adrienne now, yet she didn't seem at all interested in the contents. We spend most of our time with her, in that house, alone with her cat, yet I never got much sense of Adrienne as a person. The only character I found all all interesting or likable was Wolfgang, Adrienne's cat. Adrienne hated those portraits, mentioning how they creeped her out every single time she went upstairs, yet she did not do the simple, logical, intelligent thing a person would do in a home she now lived in and owned, which would be to take those portraits off the wall."
When Mara finally left her family’s home, she vowed she would never allow superstition or false religion into her life again. Doors open by themselves, voices whisper in the night, bloody handprints appear on the walls, and cold spots linger in the basement, where the house’s original owner was murdered.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It was one of the spookier stories I've read and thankfully, it didn't rely on gore to make it scary."
"This book was one fantastic read."
"She was often rude and condescending, and did not deserve her sweet boyfriend, however, she did always apologize for her ugly behavior."
"I gave it 3 stars because it was a good story line and I usually like Darcy Coates books but this is the first time I have not liked a main character and it made the book blah for me."
"I love a good ghost story, and I couldn't read this one fast enough."
"I read A LOT of haunted house books and this was scary."
"This is a classic haunted house story that offers some genuine chills! While there's not much here that you haven't read before, Coates is a good writer and delivers on an absolutely eerie atmosphere."
"I read some other reviews and decided I will read other books by this author as many said this wasn't as good as some of her other novels."
Ramses has reawakened Cleopatra with the same perilous elixir whose unworldly force brings the dead back to life. ... An enthralling story rendered with the full flourish of a classic Rice tale ... a superb, philosophically deep sequel to 1989's The Mummy . "Rice ( Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis , 2016) continues the tale begun almost 30 years ago in The Mummy (1989) with the help of her novelist son, Christopher ( The Heavens Rise , 2013), and it has been worth the wait.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I have read and own every book Anne has written, including a signed First Edition copy of The Mummy. The connection between Sybil and Cleopatra was intriguing and I am interested to see how that might play out if there is another book. journal........" As small as that is...it kind of represents the overall feeling I got while reading TPOC. I can't find the right words, I want to say it lacked the depth/richness of most of Anne's other work but that is not quite it...more like her presence was missing."
"I am a devoted fan of Anne Rice, and this book is an example of why I should be."
"I have to admit to being biased because I love Anne Rice's books."
"A love story, an adventure, a mystery, a paranormal accounting, it was all that and more."
"I won't write any plot spoilers but I will say, you''' enjoy the attention to detail when describing the lifestyle, the locations and the events that unfold."
"Loved this book the writing is superb the flow is smooth I try to stay away from a book that is written by to authors because there writing style don’t always combine but this mother and son does love the story hope for more from these 2."
"Seems like this book was written by Christopher Rice."
"But those are the books that I really love by Anne Rice!"
Best Occult Supernatural
Something twisted and evil lives in her house, and Adrienne must race to unravel the decades-old mystery… before she becomes Ashburn’s latest victim.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Her cat Wolfgang is super awesome and not only does he play a pretty big role in this story but he also seems like the kind of cat you would want to curl up with and read. This book had me going back and forth on trying to figure out if the recently departed Great Aunt Edith was the big bad of the book or not. I feel the main characters of the book are Addy and Wolfgang. Edith of course plays a pretty big role both in the beginning and towards the end. One of my other favorite things about this book, and all of her books for that matter, is that you can't discount any of the small details."
"When I picked it back up to finish it, (or so I intended), a hilarious thing happened. I woke in the early morning hours and could not get back to sleep. The shaking began again along with the doors loudly rattling and my dog freaking out at nothing I could see. Being fully awake now, I realized we were having an earthquake and the haunt of Ashburn House was not in my room. This is what allows us to fall so deeply into the story that we are lost in Ashburn with Addy. There is no sex in this book, the violence/gore level was appropriate for the story and there is some mild adult language for those who are interested."
"We walk around the house with Adrienne, open a cupboard, find a cup, boil water in the kettle, make tea, walk around some more. Adrienne had so little curiosity about the house she'd inherited that I found myself internally yelling for her to look around and discover what might be behind all those doors and inside those drawers she never opened. The woman - whom Adrienne hadn't even known existed - was dead and the house belonged to Adrienne now, yet she didn't seem at all interested in the contents. We spend most of our time with her, in that house, alone with her cat, yet I never got much sense of Adrienne as a person. The only character I found all all interesting or likable was Wolfgang, Adrienne's cat. Adrienne hated those portraits, mentioning how they creeped her out every single time she went upstairs, yet she did not do the simple, logical, intelligent thing a person would do in a home she now lived in and owned, which would be to take those portraits off the wall."
Best Horror Fiction Classics
Brady Hartsfield wants that rush again, but this time he’s going big, with an attack that would take down thousands—unless Hodges and two new unusual allies he picks up along the way can throw a wrench in Hartsfield’s diabolical plans. Hodges’ POV alternates with that of the troubled murderer, a Norman Bates–like ice-cream-truck driver named Brady Hartfield. Both Hodges and Hartfield make mistakes, big ones, leaving this a compelling, small-scale slugfest that plays out in cheery suburban settings. This exists outside of the usual Kingverse (Pennywise the Clown is referred to as fictive); add that to the atypical present-tense prose, and this feels pretty darn fresh. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: No need to rev the engine here; this baby will rocket itself out of libraries with a loud squeal of the tires. Creepy, yet realistic characters that get under your skin and stay there, a compelling story that twists and turns at breakneck speed, and delightful prose that, once again, proves that one of America’s greatest natural storytellers is also one of its finest writers." On another, it is a novel of depth and character enriched throughout by the grace notes King provides in such seemingly effortless profusion. It is a rich, resonant, exceptionally readable accomplishment by a man who can write in whatever genre he chooses." “A literary Van de Graaff generator: tightly paced and parsed with dynamic dialogue and traumatic twists.” ( Columbus Dispatch ).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The last one I read was the awful "Under the Dome," which was long, pointless and ultimately just silly, and I wasn’t thinking of reading anything else by him until I read a couple of reviews by Charles de Lint in a recent Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Recently retired cop Bill Hodges has been drifting since his retirement, regretting that he didn’t catch certain bad guys, including Mr. Mercedes, but when he receives a letter purporting to be from the villain, instead of succumbing to depression as the writer intended, he begins to investigate."
"When we first meet him he's watching a TV all day, getting fat and contemplating suicide. He was a star detective who solved lots of difficult cases. Along the way he acquires two sidekicks: a smart black high-school kid who mows his lawn and deals with his computer problems, and a middle-aged woman with mental health issues who also knows a lot about computers."
"I know I've read more of King's more recent novels than Palahniuk's and now that I've finished Mr. Mercedes, I can't wait to move on to Finders Keepers. The rest of the characters in the story all feel very real (one character, Holly, gets an in depth background of her childhood in the climax of the story) and I think that's what makes me love King so well. It acts as a jolt leaving the characters that we've followed for 340 pages to learn about "Toody" and "Muldoon" all of the sudden, but no less than 15 pages later you realize why King put in this mini-side-story and the action is rolling full steam ahead again."
Best U.S. Horror Fiction
Now a major motion picture Stephen King’s terrifying, classic #1 New York Times bestseller, “a landmark in American literature” ( Chicago Sun-Times )—about seven adults who return to their hometown to confront a nightmare they had first stumbled on as teenagers…an evil without a name: It . But the promise they made twenty-eight years ago calls them reunite in the same place where, as teenagers, they battled an evil creature that preyed on the city’s children. The amazingly prolific King returns to pure horror, pitting good against evil as in The Stand and The Shining. Moving back and forth between 1958 and 1985, the story tells of seven children in a small Maine town who discover the source of a series of horrifying murders. But there is enough material in this epic for several novels and stories, and the excessive length and numerous interrelated flashbacks eventually become wearying and annoying.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"When I was on a school field trip in the seventh grade, I took Stephen King's "IT" with me to read. I'd gotten into reading Stephen King two years before by way of a trip over the previous summer to my uncle's house. He had a collection of Stephen King novels and I'd started reading them with Pet Sematary, which had been adapted to the big screen two years before. In the intervening time, I'd devoured Salem's Lot, Carrie, Firestarter, and Misery, and The Shining. Whereas as a kid I identified with those elements as mapping directly onto my friends and setting, I did it unconsciously. I appreciated how well King encapsulated the distance between childhood and adulthood and all the roads we travel in between. King doesn't use mere words to tell stories, he uses meanings themselves, woven seemingly seamlessly into shades of context and pigments of innuendo and occasionally bright, obvious splashes of unobfuscated emotion that jar you because...hey...in real life that's how it works. And in getting that right, King manages to make the impossible elements like the supernatural nature of IT and the relationship IT has with the town of Derry and the inhabitants there...normal."
"Seven outcasts form a bond in order to defeat It, deeming themselves The Loser’s Club. Thinking they defeated It as children, they lead a life outside of Derry until the murders start happening again. Twenty-seven years later, The Loser’s Club makes their way back to Derry to defeat the evil once and for all. With the way King goes into details, it’s like you are actually in the book right beside the characters as they go through the horrors of every day life of living in Derry. His style definitely works by making you really feel terrified as you read, as if It could actually reach out and grab you at any minute. “…she took her washcloth and leaned over the basin to get some water and the voice came whispering out of the drain: ‘Help me….’”. -Stephen King, It. I loved the way this book was formatted. The book is split up into 5 parts, alternating between childhood and adulthood in the perspective of every member of The Loser’s Club. “Can an entire city be haunted?”. –Stephen King, It. This novel wouldn’t be what it is without the addition of the Derry Interludes at the end of every part. She wasn’t a major part of the storyline; therefore, I really didn’t care to hear about her life. Also I feel the need to mention one specific scene that just did not sit well with me, mainly because the ages of the characters at this point in the novel."
"I have loved Stephen King since 1978 after reading Salem’s Lot and being so scared I slid my Bible under my pillow in order to fall asleep."
"I love most about this story is the bond between our 7 heroes and how King's writing carries me into the story."
"This book makes you yearn for adventure while taking you back to your childhood and all the nostalgia and emotion associated with it."
"It's nonlinear story isn't even confusing you can follow all of it with no problem."
"This is a solid horror story with well drawn characters, decent chills and engaging plot."
"Needed to read it again, so I might watch the new movie after the read."
Best Horror Comedy
Nate learns that the only way to save his city from these creatures is to murder his best friend…. Nate’s choice will throw the world and his own conscience into cataclysmic chaos: avenge his parents or become a murderer to save his city. Because to do either, he’s going to have to show the world that magic is very, very real, and that monsters are very, very hungry… To survive, he might just need to take a page from the book, How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters. I suggest the following sequence: Obsidian Son Blood Debts Fairy Tale – Prequel (FREE to email subscribers) Grimm Silver Tongue Beast Master Tiny Gods Wild Side. Dark Fantasy Supernatural Thriller Witches & Wizards Urban Fantasy Thriller Supernatural Shifter Angels & Demons Science Fiction & Fantasy Paranormal and Urban Romance Supernatural Mystery and Suspense Vampires and Werewolves. Anticipation abounds while fantasy meets reality in equal measure.The story unfolds as told through the eyes of its hero, the complex and funny wizard-man Nate Temple - intelligent, informed, flawed and a tad eccentric. As if character and magic were not compelling enough, the book spills much more - suspenseful drama, mystery, `spare no expense' fast paced action; it is violent, bloody, erotic, sexy and variously romantic.Harnessing a powerful combination of genres and alter-dimensions, Silvers thrives on attention to detail, and achieves it most elegantly.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Shayne eases us into the idea that there are wizards and magic in our contemporary world. The major characters are developed throughout the book, while the minor ones are painted with swift, deft strokes."
"I started this book and quickly decided what type of story it was."
"I didn't think I could still laugh this hard!"
"Goofy and detailed."
"Fantastic group of side characters that are well developed(in many ways nudge nudge wink wink you know what I mean) Very much a Macho romp thrill ride that is fun to take."
"If you are tired of waiting for the next Harry Dresden book, try this series."
"Pretty good story about a wizard in St Louis who has just lost both of his parents in a lab accident."
"beginning was mildly disjointed but by the end you're sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for the resolution."
Best Occult Horror
Jillian Guthrie, a troubled young journalist, stumbles onto a tantalizing mystery: the same man, unaged, stands alongside Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, and Gandhi in three different photographs spanning eighty-five years of history. Creator of the landmark original miniseries V , he also produced The Six Million Dollar Man and created iconic Emmy-winning shows such as The Bionic Woman , The Incredible Hulk , and Alien Nation . He has presented his unique graduate-level seminar, The Filmmaking Experience , at UCLA, USC, NYU, Loyola, New York Film Academy, the National Film and Television School (UK), Moscow State University (Russia), and many others.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It was intriguing, the writing grabbed me and pulled me through the first 150 pages."
"The author did a masterful job of weaving together the stories of the major characters with those of the minor ones. The main character was condemned to an eternity of wandering the earth, but the author did not reveal the reason until maybe halfway through the book. The true reason this man was being pursued through the centuries and across continents was also revealed in the latter chapters. I enjoyed the tales told by the main character of interactions with famous people throughout history. One last thought -- Although many people are telling their stories throughout this book, I had no trouble keeping them straight."
"Also, I'd like to say up front here that, "the start of this book was boring/confusing/you-have-to-read-past-100-pages", is a common theme, even among five star reviews. After he woke up, he almost immediately gave a description of himself by looking in a mirror--something I absolutely hate since I simply CANNOT connect with a character that way--and after that, the book launched into a literary ocean of frustration, confusion, and boredom. Seriously, I really do hate critical reviews, but at some point around page 60 all I wanted to do was start bashing my head against the wall. Honestly, how many times do you have to observe someone handing out charity money to understand that yes, obviously, he’s a good guy? I had no idea who was actually relevant to the story later on, and who was just a convenient prop for demonstrating bits of information or more of Will’s “character”. Off the top of my head I’d say like Angels and Demons, but that book had me hooked from the first chapter. This one only fed me vague hints about some mysterious darkness, in a manner that was prominent enough it was obvious I should care about said hints, but so vague and with so little information there is no way I could possibly know enough to feel genuinely disturbed as, yes, I so obviously should have. It was the fact that I was 83 pages in, and I still hadn’t been given a single legitimate reason why I should WANT to keep reading. I’m absolutely positive a lot of people will love this book, and that it will get its fair share of glowing reviews."
Best Horror Short Stories
Stories include: -Mile 81. -Premium Harmony. -Batman and Robin Have an Altercation. -The Dune. -Bad Little Kid. -A Death. -The Bone Church. -Morality. -Afterlife. -Ur. -Herman Wouk Is Still Alive. -Under the Weather. -Blockade Billy. -Mister Yummy. -Tommy. -The Little Green God of Agony. -Cookie Jar. -That Bus Is Another World. -Obits. -Drunken Fireworks. -Summer Thunder. “Renowned author King’s impressive latest collection wraps 20 stories and poems in fascinating commentary…the stories themselves are meditations on mortality, destiny, and regret, all of which showcase King’s talent for exploring the human condition…this introspective collection, like many of King’s most powerful works, draws on the deepest emotions: love, grief, fear and hope.” ( Publishers Weekly, STARRED review ). "A gathering of short stories by an ascended master of the form... This collection speaks to King's considerable abilities as a writer of genre fiction who manages to expand and improve the genre as he works; certainly no one has invested ordinary reality and ordinary objects with as much creepiness as King... Best of all, lifting the curtain, King prefaces the stories with notes about how they came about. “[King]has always had a wicked (in more ways than one) sense of humor, too, and it'soften on display along with the scary stuff in his new short story collection, THE BAZAAR OF BAD DREAMS…One of the bonuses of Bazaar is that each story is preceded by a note from the author about its genesis… If you're looking for King's paranormal horror side, though, Bazaar has plenty to satisfy you…And if you want King in full funny tall-tale mode, head for Drunken Fireworks .It's the hilarious story of how its narrator, a Maine native named Alden who lives with his mother in a modest cabin on the ‘town side’ of Abenaki Lake,gets into an ever-escalating Fourth of July arms race with a rich guy on the other shore who's rumored to be ‘connected,’ if you know what I mean. “The best stories in THE BAZAAR OF BAD DREAMS are the ones that read like they meant something to King... A Death, which bears the easy, plaintive prose of Kent Haruf, follows a sheriff preparing to go through with the hanging of a man who may have been falsely convicted of murder. His newest short story collection, THE BAZAAR OF BAD DREAMS, continues his tradition of compulsively readable short stories, novellas and narrative poems that will thrill fans looking for scares, surprise critics that write him off as a ‘genre’ author and inform artists about his personal creative process…[the] introductions are a fascinating look into the mind of one of the most popular writers in the world, and much like his writers’ manual “On Writing,” he provides readers with concise and insightful observations about the art of the written word…remarkably resonant… The last story of the collection, ‘Summer Thunder,’ takes the reader through the last days of two survivors of a worldwide nuclear holocaust… the last lines of the story are some of the most emotionally powerful sentences Mr. King has ever committed to paper — they will leave readers weepy, uplifted and satisfied…With THE BAZAAR OF BAD DREAMS, Stephen King has achieved something rare: a short story collection with no weak spots. Not surprisingly, most are classic King page-turners, but the choicest finds in this bazaar are the stories behind the stories or, more correctly, in front of them. You don't need to be a writer — or a King fan — to find these fascinating.Anyone who's ever wondered about the creative process will find the author's path to each story revelatory…Each story is compelling in its own way,though I'm guessing each reader will have favorites and it's doubtful that any two lists will be the same.” ( Cathy Jakicic, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ). “King fans are in for another in a long line of treats…THE BAZAAR OF BAD DREAMS provides a tasty sampler that, like his other short story collections, showcases the master’s array of talents.” ( John Holyoke, Bangor Daily News ).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Unlike past collections, though, these stories more often reveal the monstrosity within the human soul, rather than any outside ghoul. One of his stories, "Ur" contemplates the possibility of alternate realities in a vein similar to his novel 11/22/63, and also throws in a few allusions to his Dark Tower series, which personally thrilled me. Another story, "Afterlife," features a man who suffers a slow, painful death from cancer, but finds himself in a vicious ouroboro, repeating the mistakes of the past in slightly new ways, but with the same ultimate result. My personal favorite among these stories, however, is "The Dune," featuring a state supreme court judge whose attorney discovers the secret of the judge's childhood haunt."
"It’s a nice bonus knowing the mind of the writer as he “finds the handle to round out the cup.”. On the whole, Bazaar of bad Dreams was an excellent read for this Constant Reader. King just gets better with each decade and although some of his endings and character deaths can truly frustrate and upset me (a la The Dark Tower, Duma Key, Cell, The Stand), I still have much respect and affection for the way the author has engaged and entranced me with his writing."
"Some stories are absolutely great and classic King..."Dune" "Obits"...others seem in his newer vein...."Summer Thunder"."
"As all Stephen King books He leaves you wanting to read page after page."
"It is always great to read King."
Best Dark Fantasy Horror
This box set includes all five books in the USA Today recommended Elementals series and is over 1,400 pages of magic, adventure, mythology, and romance. Nicole Cassidy is a witch descended from the Greek gods... but she doesn't know it until she moves to a new town and discovers a dangerous world of magic and monsters that she never knew existed. When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole and four others -- including mysterious bad-boy Blake -- are gifted with elemental powers. After an ancient monster escapes, it's up to Nicole and the others to follow a cryptic prophecy in time to save the town... and possibly the world. Now, for a limited time, save 50% compared to buying the individual books by reading the entire Elementals series in this special bundle deal! -Kaye, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★. "Michelle Madow has taken us on an enthralling adventure, revisiting the old myths in a modern context. Percy Jackson fans will love this series." "I didn't think anything could compare with the Percy Jackson series, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that Elementals is on the same level!" "The Elementals series gripped me from start to finish! The way she incorporates mythology into the everyday life of a group of teenagers takes me back to falling in love with the Percy Jackson series. "I loved every one of the Elementals books and recommend them to anyone who enjoys YA fantasy!"
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great book!"
"Great story line."
"On the night the Olympian Comet crosses the sky for the first time in 3000 years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle and two other witches happen to get mysterious powers that might be the key to close the portal prison that has opened and where the Titans lay for centuries. After Nicole and Blake were attacked by an ancient monster that escaped it's prison, it turns out that it's up to the five witches to follow the clues of mysterious prophecy so they can save ther world of falling into the Titan's claws. Nicole is a very awesome main characther and the way she devepos through this first volume of the story is very unique, you get to see her while she discovers little bits and pieces about her true identity and about her personality."
"Hard to put down, I did figure out the climax."
"This series is a page turner and if I didn't have to prepare our house for Hurricane Irma then I would of been done reading this a lot sooner!!! I was also hoping that they might have found a way to bring Chris back since his soul was in the Underworld, because of all the sacrifices they made to save the world, if there was a way to restore him, so that Kate could live happily ever after, maybe he could come back as a god, since Kate is a goddess. 🆘🚨 SPOILER ALERTS 🚨SPOILER ALERTS 🚨SPOILER ALERTS 🚨 SPOILER ALERTS 🚨 SPOILER ALERTS 🚨 🆘. I definitely recommend this series because the books are amazing, full of excitement, tears, definitely a page turner, you will not be disappointed 😔☺️😊 so grab your books today!!!"
"I highly recommend this book if you're interested in magick, Greek dieties, and we'll written characters."