Tag: Horror

Book Review: ‘Pet Sematary’ by Stephen King

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For the next book of 2024, I decided to reread Stephen King’s ‘Pet Sematary’.

I first read ‘Pet Sematary’ between thirteen and fifteen. Around the same time, I read ”Salem’s Lot’, and the two books moved me unlike anything else. ‘The Shining’ was my first King book, but these two novels marked the point where I fell in love with his writing. They showed me that horror books for adults can be vibrant yet grim, full of hope and fear. It was the first time I ached for characters when tragedy befell them. I’ve always maintained that these two books are my favourite.

So, with that said, does the book live up to the hype I’ve had in my head for half of my life?

One hundred per cent.

The story follows Louis Creed, a doctor who moves – with his young family – into an old house in Maine. Across the street, a kind old couple, Jud and Norma, live. And up the hill, into the woods, there’s an odd place where generations of kids buried their deceased pets.

The book is beautiful and horrific. The pages rip by, and before you know it, you’re deep in the woods of the novel. The terror is palpable – there’s a reason why King thinks this is his scariest book. And the sorrows are so deep. Even though I already knew the events of the book, they struck me as hard as they did seventeen or so years ago. I was a little scared – in more than one way – to reread ‘Pet Sematary’. I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to the book I had made it out to be in my mind. What a silly notion; this is Stephen King, after all.

‘Pet Sematary’ is one of the best from the best, and it is an absolute must-read.

Book Review: ‘The Near Witch’ by V. E. Schwab

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For my next book of 2024, I read V. E. Schwab’s ‘The Near Witch’.

My wife gifted me this book (along with many others) for Christmas, and I’d wanted to read it for a while. It has a beautiful cover, and anything with ‘witch’ in the title always piques my interest.

The book follows Lexi, a young woman living in the town of Near with her mother and younger sister. In the neighbouring house resides the imposing figure of her overbearing uncle. Some witches live on the outskirts of town, but most people avoid them. There is also an old nursery rhyme about the Near Witch, but everyone thinks this is a fairytale. That is, until a mysterious stranger appears, and the children start to disappear.

I had a good time with ‘The Near Witch’. The pages flew by, and the simple story was engaging. I appreciated the family dynamics, with the friction between our hero and her uncle. But I adored Lexi’s relationship with the witches, who were the show’s true stars. While the budding teen romance didn’t resonate with me, I can see how it would captivate other readers. The creepiness of the titular witch was well executed, although the ending felt a bit rushed.

All in all, I enjoyed Schwab’s debut book. As an aspiring author, reading ‘The Near Witch’ was entertaining and inspiring. The book has its shortcomings, but these imperfections are manageable. It was a good story that shows you don’t need to be perfect to hold the readers’ attention; you only need to entertain.

The best part of ‘The Near Witch’ is that it shows an author with plenty of talent beginning to master her craft.

Book Review: ‘The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, #2)’ by Stephen King

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I read Stephen King’s ‘The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, )’ as my next book for 2024.

I’m continuing along with my revisit to the world of the Dark Tower. Book two, in my previous opinion, was where the series started in earnest. The first book was necessary to kickstart the story, but it always felt like the black sheep of the family to me. It wasn’t until I got to book two that I thought, ‘Yeah, I can see why this gets so much love.’

Does the book still stand up in my estimations?

If you know me, you can guess my answer: without a doubt.

The story follows Roland, the last gunslinger, as he reaches the coast, following the end of book one. An encounter with a sea creature leaves him wounded. Struggling with blood poisoning, staggering along the beach, he finds a door in the sand. From there, the story rockets off into the stratosphere. ‘The Drawing…’ is King in his prime, firing on all cylinders. The action gets so intense that it’s unbelievable. I won’t spoil the events, but if you struggled with ‘The Gunslinger’, your payoff begins here.

I first read ‘The Drawing…’ when I was a teen passionate about books. King spellbound me then. I have now reread the book as an adult who also writes as a hobby. King has me in awe – this is a master of his craft flexing his muscles.

Flawless.

Book Review: ‘The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye’ by Robert Kirkman

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Robert Kirkman’s ‘The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye’ is book three of 2024.

Ever since I watched the show – which, for all its flaws, I love – I’ve been curious about the comic. Yet, I never got around to it because I was too busy reading non-graphic books. I craved something visual after finishing Junji Ito’s ‘Tomie’ last year. A perfect chance to check out ‘The Walking Dead’.

The writing is faster-paced than the TV show. This pace was jarring because I expected a slow introduction and build-up. But it makes sense – this is a comic, after all. It’s a different medium. Once I got used to that, I got into the rhythm of each issue. I miss including some of the show’s characters – Daryl – but if I want the show, I can go and watch the show. The comic is its own thing, and it’s bloody good!

The art style is gorgeous and gruesome in equal measure. I often paused at some nastier scenes and found myself whispering, ‘Wow!’ I love the black and white choice; it reminds me of ‘Night of the Living Dead’, one of my favourites. If you love the aesthetics of zombie apocalypse media, there is a lot to love in these comics.

On to ‘The Walking Dead, Vol. 2: Miles Behind Us’!

Book Review: ‘Sour Candy’ by Kealan Patrick Burke

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Kealan Patrick Burke’s ‘Sour Candy’ is the penultimate book on my 2023 reading list.

After devouring Hill’s gargantuan ‘NOS4A2’, I wanted something short and sharp. Burke’s novella fit the bill; others in horror book groups had recommended it all year.

The story follows a divorced, child-free man in a relationship with his girlfriend. One chance encounter in a supermarket and things soon go awry. The man finds himself in charge of a young child, who everyone insists is his son. This universal gaslighting terrified me, and Burke uses it to good effect. And it turns out that there is more to this child than screaming fits and a taste for strange candy brands.

‘Sour Candy’ uses its short length and does not overstay its welcome. Burke packs a lot into these eighty-or-so pages. A lot of it made me uncomfortable and squeamish. You’ll ask yourself throughout the book: can he get out of this alive?

Burke’s ‘Sour Candy’ works well if you need a quick, powerful slice of horror.

Book Review: ‘NOS4A2’ by Joe Hill

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I tackled Joe Hill’s ‘NOS4A2’ for my forty-third read of the year.

This book is epic with a capital ‘E’. It comes in shy of 1,000 pages. I started this a month ago, so it took me a while to get through it. With a reading goal of forty-five books this year, it wasn’t the smartest choice to tackle a few epics like this. But I couldn’t help it; they looked like fun reads! And they proved me right.

‘NOS4A2’ deals with a vampire who takes children to a place he calls ‘Christmasland’. You can see why I chose this time of year to tackle this behemoth. The title comes from the creature’s license plate on his old-fashioned Rolls Royce. Our protagonist, Vic, encounters the vampire as a child and survives. But later, when she is grown and has a child, the monster awakens from its slumber.

I adored this book. It reminded me of Stephen King’s epics, such as ‘It’. That makes sense, considering that Hill is King’s son. There are a few nods to his father’s works, but this is no mimicry or cheap copy. Joe Hill is himself, and ‘NOS4A2’ is a shining example of his creative powers. Considering the book is roughly 1,000 pages, it felt shorter. I read and liked Hill’s debut, ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ a few years back. As a writer, Hill has come on leaps and bounds since then.

I will look out for more of Hill’s work; this was a modern-day masterpiece.

Book Review: ‘Horrorstör’ by Grady Hendrix

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Grady Hendrix’s ‘Horrorstör’ is book thirty-nine of 2023.

I’ve read one book from Hendrix before, and I loved it—’My Best Friend’s Exorcism’. ‘Horrorstör’ is more of a novella than a novel, coming in at under 200 pages. The short length means that this book was perfect, as the previous book I read was a 700+ page mammoth.

‘Horrorstör’ follows Amy, a poor, down-on-her-luck employee of Orsk. Orsk is Ikea, but Hendrix has changed the name to avoid a lawsuit. It’s a massive store with many departments, each designed to look like a section of a house. We all know how Ikea works. Well, it turns out that things are going bump in the night, and Amy’s boss, Basil, is set on finding an explanation. It’s a haunted house story set in a furniture store—a pretty cool idea.

Overall, I liked ‘Horrorstör’, but I didn’t love it. The premise is better than the execution. It doesn’t mean it’s terrible. It’s fun; the pages breeze by. There are a few fun pokes at capitalism and corporate culture. It didn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does the job fine. The shorter length is a plus because it’s a fun little fling.

I’d read more from Hendrix in the future, but I hope they are more like ‘My Best Friend’s Exorcism’.

Book Review: ‘Der Gruselbus’ by Paul van Loon

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Paul van Loon’s ‘Der Gruselbus’ is my next read of the year.

I started reading this in time for Halloween, in my quest to better my German skills. The German in this book was trickier than in R. L. Stine’s ‘Goosebumps/Gänsehaut’ books. But it wasn’t too difficult to the point of incomprehension.

The story follows a class of children and their teacher as they embark upon the titular bus. A driver in a skeleton costume and a strange man on this bus greet them. The stranger is a writer with ten strange objects and a short story to go along with them. Between each tale, the tale of the children on the bus—hearing these stories—progresses. It’s all quite meta, especially for a children’s book.

I had a blast with this book. It’s the most entertaining book I’ve read in German so far. Despite the intended audience, some tales are bleak and gruesome. They had me on the edge of my seat—quite a feat for a kid’s book. The fact that the book consists of several stories, each about ten pages or so, keeps the book feeling fresh. It helps when reading a book in a foreign language.

I would read other books from Paul van Loon in the future.

On to the next German book!

Book Review: ‘A Night in the Lonesome October’ by Roger Zelazny

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Roger Zelazny’s ‘A Night in the Lonesome October’ is my thirty-sixth read of 2023.

People in the horror book communities had recommended Zelazny’s book a few times. Several people read ‘A Night…’ every October. Zelazny has divided the book into day-by-day diary entries leading up to Halloween. The idea is to read a chapter every day in the countdown to Halloween.

‘A Night…’ gives the reader excellent autumn vibes. The book follows Snuff, a dog who belongs to Jack the Ripper. Along the way, we meet all the classic monsters, such as vampires, werewolves, etc. We also meet their familiars—other animals with whom Snuff converses. We keep hearing about “openers” and “closers”, but Zelazny holds his cards to his chest. He drip-feeds us information in a way that is intriguing without being frustrating. All becomes clear by the time that final dawn comes to pass.

I won’t spoil much here, but I loved this story. It’s horror, sure. But it’s also wholesome. It’s not scary, per se. It’s more akin to a cosy murder mystery. Most chapters are short (the book is under 300 pages), so it’s easy to read. If you have less time to read than you’d like, ‘A Night…’ might be the perfect book.

I can see why ‘A Night…’ has such a cult following, and I imagine that I will reread it one Halloween in the future.

Book Review: ‘The Mist’ by Stephen King

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After my previous read, I reread Stephen King’s ‘The Mist’ as a palette cleanser for my next book of the year.

‘The Mist’ is a shorter book, perfect for my current mood. I needed something to remind me that I can enjoy reading when the writing style matches my reading style. Some things click with you; some things don’t.

And King very much clicks with me.

The story follows Dave and his son, “Big” Bill, in the wake of a storm for the ages. Trees have fallen, and wooden piers have sunk. Cars and garages have suffered damage. And an odd mist is creeping in over the lake. Dave heads a small group into town to pick up supplies for the next few days without power. They leave Dave’s wife and Bill’s mother alone at the house, which has suffered a smashed-in window. But whilst in the local supermarket, the mist closes in and traps them inside.

And there’s something awful in the mist.

I will keep the details of the story secret. You should read it (or watch the movie—it’s fantastic) and find out for yourself. But I recommend starting with the book and moving on to the film. I will say this for the film: it surpasses King’s ending on paper here. (Although that’s not to say that King stumbles on the landing.)

King’s style makes the short novella—a little under 200 pages—feel like a pamphlet. The pages fly by, making you wish he’d turned it into a full-length novel. He has the gift, after all. But, then again, King might have chosen this format for a reason.

‘The Mist’ is a short, sharp jab to the dome; it packs a punch.