Obsession by Ramsey Campbell
- Purchase it here
- Published February 1986 (paperback edition)
- Finished reading it on November 16, 1996
- This is a good story. A wish made by four children comes back with a vicious price twenty-five years later. Part of what's scary though is not what is done to the characters but what the characters do to themselves. One event leads to another which leads to something worse. Plus the characters lives are subtlety linked to each other. This is a very enjoyable and also scary/freaky novel.
Off Limits: Tales of Alien Sex edited by Ellen Datlow
- Purchase it here
- 20 short stories by such authors as Neil Gaiman, Joyce Carol Oates, Samuel R. Delany, Elizabeth Hand, and Robert Silverberg
- Published April 1997 (paperback edition)
- Finished reading it on March 25, 1999
- This was a fair collection of stories. I'm not sure if it was my mood while reading it or what but I kept thinking that I should be enjoying it more. I kept feeling like I was just reading the book to finish it and not to enjoy it. It shouldn't have been the story selection since I know that Ellen Datlow has done a good job editing other collections, but for some reason I didn't really feel like I was an active partner in the stories. Instead I was just slogging my way through until the end when I could start a new book. However there were a few stories that woke me up and stuck in my mind. And they are ...
"The Tattooist" by Susan Wade - A woman's life is changed forever by giving a tattoo
"Sextraterrestrials" by Joe Haldeman and Jane Yolen - Actually a series a poems created by each upon challenges by the other
"His Angel" by Roberta Lannes - A man finds an angel in the woods and gets his reward
"Eaten (Scenes From A Moving Picture" by Neil Gaiman - A detective and monster movie boiled down to its elements
Off Season: The Unexpurgated Edition by Jack Ketchum
- Purchase it here
- Published April 2004 (Overlook Connection Press paperback edition)
- Finished reading it on March 25, 2008
- I'm not sure if it's good that I didn't read an earlier edited version of Off Season or not. On the one hand I didn't get the pleasure of reading Ketchum from the very start with his very first novel. On the other hand, since that edition was heavily edited and cut, I can approach reading this version with a clean slate. The copy I read was labeled "the unexpurgated edition." Either way I'm very pleased to read another Ketchum novel and that it turned out just as great as all his other novels. The story is about a bunch of New Yorkers who are in the woods of Maine for some relaxation. However they instead run into some cannibalistic wild men and have to fight for their lives. Definitely violent and fast paced, the story delivers due to strong characters and not following a formula. And like all stories, it is gripping. So much that you'll find yourself reading just one more section, and one more section, and one more until suddenly you are done.
On The Loose by Andrew Coburn
- Purchase it here
- Published February 2006 (Leisure Books paperback edition)
- Finished reading it on September 13, 2007
- This is one of those books that I purchased due to recommendations which I found on the Web and in magazines and which I ended up pleased that I did so. At first though I wasn't too sure. The dialogue seemed choppy and the scenes with the characters seemed clipped. But then at some point the scenes started flowing together. Or maybe it was the snapshots became a story and the story was unfolding before me. Either way, the story being revealed was quietly gripping. There wasn't the intensity or confrontational scenes that you would expect in a suspense novel. Instead the events in the characters' lives worked their way into me and held me captive as they continued to unfold. Their lives were incredibly real; it was almost as if I was experiencing first hand a story from the newspapers. And the dialogue which seemed choppy instead turned real as characters said things exactly how I would expect. And the ending was not quite what I expected but at the same time fit perfectly with each character's motives. Overall I was extremely pleased with the novel and super glad that I picked it up.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
- Purchase it here
- Published 2000 (hardcover edition)
- Finished reading it on May 09, 2002
- As the title suggests, this book contains King's thoughts and ideas about writing. It's not really a How-To book but more of a Things To Realize book. Actually the first half of the book is more or less a bunch of memories and biographical history on King himself. The reason that he gives it is to show how one writer, himself, was formed: the background, ideas in his head and where he came from. His next major section is entitled Toolbox and covers the tools necessary to build your stories. And then he gets into the writing itself. There were a lot of things in this book that I really liked. Reading about some of King's biography is pretty interesting. Finding out some of things that King does while writing was also pretty revealing: where he writes, rules he follows, his daily routine. He also included some pages about the accident he was in when he was hit by a van. All together it gives a better view of the man behind the stories. Yeah, but will it help you, me, whoever with regards to writing the next bestseller? It depends. I did bookmark five different spots in the book which I find heartening, encouraging, important. After finishing the book, I finally found the motivation to create a regular period for myself to write; something that I've been trying to do for years. Will I be having a book hitting the shelves of Border's soon? Only time will tell.
Once... by James Herbert
- Purchase it here
- Published January 2003 (Tor paperback edition)
- Finished reading it on January 30, 2004
- You would think that after all this time that I would read the title pages on books to get a better feel of what I'm about to read. Having read the back cover and knowing the type of stuff that Herbert usually writes, I was looking forward to a good scary book. If I had only read the title page and saw "A Scary Tale of Faerefolks & Evildoers, of Lovers & Erotic Passion, of Horror & Belief." then I would have known better what to expect. It's closer to a faery tale in the modern world than a horror story. Not that it should take away from the book itself because it doesn't. The story of Thom Kindred as he goes to the house of his youth in order to recuperate from a stroke does quickly pull me in and make me interested in the story and into the characters. And I really enjoyed the book. However, I did find the motivation of Nell Quick to be a bit confusing at times. It clears itself up later in the book but it was still slightly off during the reading. All in all though, I was once again very pleased with Herbert's book and would definitely recommend it. On a side note, it seems that Herbert's recent work have been flirting with the edges of horror. Both 48 and The Others had elements of horror but the last true horror was his 1995 The Ghosts of Sleath. Just pointing out an apparent trend.
Once Upon A Halloween by Richard Laymon
- Purchase it here
- Published 2000 (hardcover, signed limited edition)
- Finished reading it on December 29, 2002
- Wow! This is another thrill-a-second, can't put down novel. I started it yesterday afternoon and woke up early this morning to finish it off. It's amazing how Laymon can pack so much story and so much rich characterization into a relatively small book that can be read in nothing flat! The story starts on Halloween with Shannon and Laura who live in a haunted house and are interrupted by Hunter who is being chased by some Satanists who want him for a sacrifice. From there the story pretty much progresses as you would think as the Satanists then proceed after Shannon and Laura, Hunter tries to rescue them but is slowed down by their boyfriends, some neighborhood kids out for trick-or-treating also go missing and a big rescue occurs by an unexpected person. Despite the crazy way that I'm sure it sounds, the novel really comes across as pretty realistic of what you would expect to happen. Not as way far out there as you might think. There were only two smallish regrets. The first was that the rescue seemed to happen a little too easily; not that it was a piece of cake but this is where the credibility was stretched just a bit. The second regret is that the book wasn't longer. It is definitely a great and worthy read but, as always, I just wish that the book didn't have to end so soon.
One Rainy Night by Richard Laymon
- Purchase it here
- Published February 2000 (paperback edition)
- Finished reading it on July 19, 2002
- Richard Laymon has a knack for basing an entire story in a short amount of time. The last book I read by him, Among The Missing, also occurred in a single evening. And Laymon makes it all seem so easy and natural, or unnatural as the case may be. This is another excellent book in that vein. This time a mysterious black rain falls on a town and everyone who is struck by it turns into a enraged killer. As is also normal, a wide number of characters are all involved in the story and each and every one of them seems real. And that tops off what you would expect from a horror novel: a good story, excellent characters and a fast paced read. Definitely a recommendation!
The One Safe Place by Ramsey Campbell
- Purchase it here
- Published May 1997 (Tor paperback edition)
- Finished reading it on February 23, 2005
- Man, oh man, was this a hard book to get through! Normally Campbell's book are not the fastest paced ones out there but what they lack in action, they generally make up in rich characterizations. And normally it does take me about 100 pages to start enjoying his books. But I never quite got to that point with this book. Every time I started reading it, I would fall asleep. Even in scenes where something is happening, I would get tired and bored. Then for some reason, all the dialogue by the characters kept annoying me. No one was really saying what they wanted to say and even the characters were thinking that the conversation was not getting to the point. Rather than getting across a mood, this just annoyed me. The story itself about an American family that moves to London and once there runs into the wrong family was not even that interesting. About the only good thing that I can think to say right now is that I'm glad that I'm finished with the book.
Only Child by Andrew Vachss
- Purchase it here
- Published October 2003 (Vintage Crime / Black Lizard paperback edition)
- Finished reading it on September 14, 2004
- Book 14 of the Burke novels
Vachss continues to write excellent hard boiled stories. Here we get the next chapter in Burke's life. He's now made his way back to New York and is once again with his family. As he realizes that his money is running out, he once again gets into the game. His game. Finding someone that has hurt a child. He poses as a casting director in order to get the latest buzz from other teens and discovers a dark underground film maker. Once again we get a sharp, violent thriller that is hard to resist and impossible to put down.
Orangefield by Al Sarrantonio
- Purchase it here
- Published October 2002 (Cemetery Dance Publications hardcover edition)
- Finished reading it on August 25, 2003
- While this was a pleasant story to read, it was a bit on the short side. The story is about the town of Orangefield and something that is trying to use it to come back to this side of reality. Rituals have to be performed and people killed, all of which is being orchestrated through dreams and voices from the other side. A bit predictable at times but still enjoyable. Rather than the length of the story being a fault, I think the problem stems in a different area, a lack of focus. There wasn't really one character we followed around; it was multiple characters. As a result, we don't end up feeling too much for any of them. Additionally the story just seemed too brief in spots. Not that something was missing but more like the story telling went from more detail to very little detail. And that would be acceptable in a long book where we care for the characters and believe in them, but in something that is not even 200 pages there is no reason to not infuse the story with more.
Others by James Herbert
- Purchase it here
- Published November 2000 (paperback edition)
- Finished reading it on June 11, 2002
- James Herbert continues to be one of my favorite authors and unfortunately one of the least recognized. And this book continues his standing as one of my favorite authors. The story is about Nicholas Dismas, a private investigator, who gets hired to find a missing baby that was taken at birth. Part of the problem is that the baby may or may not exist. His investigations lead to death, love, more mysteries and in a spectacular finale a resolution to his own mystery. I very much enjoyed the book and was disappointed when the novel was finished. Like usual, his novels are engrossing, thrilling, and over way too fast. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
Out Of Whack by Jeff Strand
- Purchase it here
- Published March 2004 (Hard Shell Word Factory paperback edition)
- Finished reading it on September 14, 2008
- While most of Strand's books have a ton of comedy in them, I wouldn't necessarily categorize them as pure comedy. Usually it is horror comedy or fantasy comedy. In this case though, it is pure comedy. Nothing else. Just a solid effort to make you laugh. And it works! You're not busting a gut the whole time and there are some parts which I know were supposed to be funny and weren't but I still found myself laughing out loud numerous times. There was also numerous times where I was reading the book with a big smile on my face, enjoying myself the whole time. THe story follows Seth and Travis as they grow up together, go through school and slowly figure out what they want to do for life: succeed as a comedy troupe. Their adventures are off-beat and weird but also amazingly fun. The amount of enjoyment Strand had while writing this book clearly shows. Trust me, you'll enjoy reading it.
The Overnight by Ramsey Campbell
- Purchase it here
- Published April 2006 (Tor Books paperback edition)
- Finished reading it on July 10, 2008
- Campbell is a fantastic author and I will continue to read everything new that he puts out. However in this case, I think he could have done a slightly better job. The story is good. The creepiness of the store is good. The scary things that happen are great. It was the characters that got to me. For the most part they were all interesting and had a good depth to them. Plus they each had different facets that were appealing. Some you liked. Others you were meant to not like but were still sympathetic towards. The thing that killed it for me was the conversations and dialogue. They were so over-the-top "British" that it was annoying. Every conversation was misunderstood as the character heard only what they wanted to hear. They kept sniping at each other but in ineffective ways. And nobody could come right out and say something straight. There was always innuendo and double-speak mixed in. As I said, Campbell is fantastic and I'm still going to buy and read his stuff; this book though is not one that I'm really going to suggest to others.
Send comments or your opinions on these books to mike@kazba.com.