Horror – Page 4

Book Review: ‘The Dead Zone’ by Stephen King

22nd Jun 2023Leave a comment

I read Stephen King’s ‘The Dead Zone’ as book two of my honeymoon.

As you all know, I’m a massive King fanboy. I went through a phase in my teens/early twenties where I read nothing but King. Somehow, I managed to read every classic book of his except for ‘The Dead Zone’—I guess it slipped under the radar!

Anyway, I tore through this pretty hefty novel in no time. The old-school King style wrapped me in a warm blanket of nostalgia. I love all stages of King’s career, but—man—for a time in the seventies and eighties, he was untouchable.

The story follows John Smith, who has had a life plagued with bad luck. The poor chap conks his noggin as a kid and again as an adult. As a result, when he touches people, he gets a hint of their future. Of course, this labels Johnny as a pariah. I had no idea where the story would end up, and I won’t spoil it here. But let me say this: it’s unsettling how prescient King’s view of the future of America was.

If you still need to read ‘The Dead Zone’, go out and get a copy; it’s King at the height of his powers.

Book Review: ‘The Zombie Survival Guide’ by Max Brooks

21st Jun 2023Leave a comment

So, I better review the books I read on my honeymoon! (Regina and I loved Santorini and had the best time ever.)

For book one of the honeymoon—and book twenty-one of the year—I read ‘The Zombie Survival Guide’ by Max Brooks. I’d read ‘World War Z’ many moons ago and loved it. I’d always meant to get around to ‘The Zombie Survival Guide’ but never found the time. But when waiting around at airports or sunning yourself on a beach, you have time!

I enjoyed ‘The Zombie Survival Guide’ quite a bit, although I prefer ‘World War Z’ if memory serves. This reason isn’t due to any fault on Brooks’s behalf. The book guides the reader through surviving the zombie apocalypse, as advertised. Thus, the book lacks any real story until you reach the end. If you need a narrative to propel you through a book, there might be a better book for you. You’ll have a blast if you like humourous and well-thought-out world-ending scenarios. And, at the end of the book, Brooks regales us with ‘historical’ zombie tales of survival (and death, of course). This part reminded me of ‘World War Z’ and might be the best part of the book for some.

I’m a zombie nut, always have been, and always will be, so even pages on vehicles in the apocalypse interest me. That said, this approach to a book will only please some. If you need a story but like the zombie genre, try Brooks’ ‘World War Z’.

But if—like me—you don’t care how you get your undead meals, ‘The Zombie Survival Guide’ will give you more than a few laughs.

Book Review: “Der Spiegel des Schreckens” by R. L. Stine

1st Jun 2023Leave a comment

R. L. Stine’s “Der Spiegel des Schreckens” is my twentieth book of the year and my third German book ever.

I decided to continue with my run of “Goosebumps”/”Gänsehaut” books—if it works, why change it? Furthermore, R. L. Stine aimed these books for ten-to-twelve–year-olds, and I loved them as a kid. Hence, they are perfect for me in my quest to learn German.

The story follows two boys and their friends as they discover something in the attic. The object is a mirror that grants whoever pulls its lamp cord the power of invisibility. But the longer the kids stay invisible, the stranger they feel.

There’s no death or injury—it’s a kids’ book!—but the implication of the cursed object is quite creepy. Even so, I had a blast with the book, and I look forward to reading my next “Gänsehaut” book on my honeymoon! (Along with my usual stack of English books, of course!)

Each book I read in German gets a bit easier, and I’m having fun reliving my childhood as I do it.

Book Review: “If It Bleeds” by Stephen King

30th May 202330th May 2023Leave a comment

Stephen King’s “If It Bleeds” is my nineteenth read of the year.

“If It Bleeds” is a collection of four short stories—King’s most recent collection. And, to get right to the point, I loved it. Of course, with short story collections, there’s always the tendency for the stories to end up hit or miss. But there’s not a single miss in “If It Bleeds”; every piece fires on all cylinders. I’ve not read a short story collection this strong since King’s own “Full Dark, No Stars”.

“Mr Harrigan’s Phone” (now a movie?), “The Life of Chuck” and “Rat” are fantastic short stories. But the book hits its stride with the titular “If It Bleeds”. It’s clear why King chose this to be the collection’s namesake. The story follows Holly Gibney. Holly has starred in “Mr Mercedes”, “The Outsider”, “Finders Keepers”, and “End of Watch”. I have yet to read the last two novels, but I’ll get around to them soon. I aim to do so before Holly’s solo book “Holly” comes out in September.

Without spoiling too much, “If It Bleeds” follows similar lines to “Mr Mercedes” and “The Outsider”. Reading this before I read “Finders Keepers” and “End of Watch” worked fine. Although, it did spoil one thing about those two novels, with which I’m completely okay. It has King’s classic multithread approach, culminating in a thrilling finale. So I’ll summarise it with a single word: brilliant.

If you like King, you’ll like “If It Bleeds”.

And if, like me, you love the man, you’ll feel the same way I do about this short story collection.

Book Review: “The Lost World” by Michael Crichton

22nd May 2023Leave a comment

Book 18 of 2023 is Michael Crichton’s “The Lost World”.

A four-year-old dinosaur-obsessed Joshua saw a movie in ’97. That movie, of course, was the summer blockbuster, “The Lost World: Jurassic Park.” It was everything kid Josh wanted in a movie. Years later, as an adult, although I recognise the first film as superior, I still have a soft spot for the sequel.

I read Crichton’s “Jurassic Park” a while back—sometime during one of the lockdowns—and liked it. I came to the odd conclusion that I preferred the movie. Spielberg refined and focused the book’s ideas and crystallised them. I can say the same about the sequel, for the most part.

But that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the book. I loved it. Crichton’s power lies not in writing but in worldbuilding and storytelling.

A fair few parts differ from the movie. The entire premise has a different angle, as John Hammond dies in the first book. A friend of Ian Malcolm is trying to find out where these strange animal corpses are coming from. Surprise, surprise, these turn out to be dinosaurs. Some parts of the book are better—such as Sarah Harding’s character and the dinosaur variety. Some bits are worse—such as the T. rexes’ attack on the trailer and the velociraptors in the long grass. I also preferred Ian Malcolm in the movie.

But, all in all, I had a great time with “The Lost World”. Crichton might have penned it for the movie sequel, but that’s where the book shines. The best parts are the realistic—ish—ways the plot unfolds and the big, bombastic setpieces.

Much like the book’s tagline, I can say this about my love of dinosaurs:

Something has survived.

Book Review: “Willkommen im Haus der Toten” by R. L. Stine

14th May 2023Leave a comment

R. L. Stine’s “Willkommen im Haus der Toten” is my next read of the year.

I had so much fun with “Das unheimliche Labor” that I read another “Goosebumps” book. And, much like that other “Gänsehaut” book, I had a blast. It’s great to remember how you felt reading this stuff as a kid.

“Willkommen im Haus der Toten” opens with a family moving to a new house called Dark Falls. Ooh, spooky! But things start to feel off for the children, a girl and her younger brother. Their dog runs off and disappears. Other strange children appear in the household at creepy moments. And what of those new friends they’ve made?

Fun and childish, this “Goosebumps” book is what I expected. Like the previous one, some bits were beyond my current German skills. But I always had a general feeling about what was happening, even if I struggled with the odd paragraph.

I’m off to start another “Gänsehaut” book!

Book Review: “The Institute” by Stephen King

10th May 2023Leave a comment

I chose a book that waited a while on my shelf for my next read of 2023, Stephen King’s “The Institute”.

I’m a King fanboy; everyone who knows me knows that. So let me cut right to the chase: this book is brilliant. It is absurd that the man is still pumping out books of this calibre at this stage in his career. King has written so many classics that he could get away with phoning it in at 75. But that’s not King’s style. Instead, he has added another masterpiece to his long list of masterpieces.

The book follows two characters. The first is a shamed policeman on the search for something new. The second—and most important—is a boy, kidnapped in the middle of the night and taken to a detention centre in Maine. Where else would King set it?

It’s, of course, less horror than some of King’s other works. But it recalls his other pieces, such as “Firestarter”. If you’re a fan of his kids-with-psychic-powers books, you’ll adore “The Institute”. Hell, even if you’re not, I’d still recommend it. It’s that good.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat it, King is king.

Book Review: “Some Will Not Sleep” by Adam Nevill

26th Apr 2023Leave a comment

Adam Nevill’s “Some Will Not Sleep” is book 14 of 2023.

Nevill’s is a name I’d heard of in horror circles. He penned “The Ritual”, which others have recommended to me. Alas, I have yet to read the book or see the movie. But, based on “Some Will Not Sleep”, I will give it a shot at some point.

“Some Will Not Sleep” is, as the subtitle suggests, a collection of “selected horrors” from Nevill. The stories—from various points in his career—cover many horror subgenres.

As with Clive Barker’s “Books of Blood Volume 1”, not every story is solid gold. But there are far more hits than misses in Nevill’s collection. And when the horror hits, boy, does it hit. Some tales within are absolute fire and disturbing in imagery, plot, and implication. I particularly enjoyed his unique twists on tried-and-true horror formulas.

Give “Some Will Not Sleep” a shot if you are on the fence about Nevill’s work. The man’s shorter fiction is easy to read and packs a punch.

I want to read more from Nevill, which is the best compliment I can give.

Book Review: “Books of Blood Volume 1” by Clive Barker

10th Apr 2023Leave a comment

Book 11 of 2023 comes from an author I’ve always meant to read: Clive Barker.

“Books of Blood Volume 1″—the first in a six-book series—contains Barker’s various short stories. I’d always loved 1987’s “Hellraiser”, adapted by Barker from one of his books, “The Hellbound Heart”. So a collection of his shorter fiction seemed like a decent place to start. Having finished the short “Volume 1”, I still think it was a good idea.

Considering that “Books of Blood” was Barker’s first published work, it’s pretty good. In general, the quality of the stories is uneven, but the highs far outshine the lows. ‘The Midnight Meat Train’ and ‘Pig Blood Blues’ are exceptional horror tales. The other pieces also have something to offer. At its worst, “Volume 1” is okay, but at its best, it’s spellbinding. I see why it made such a splash when it arrived in the eighties; it signals more excellent works to come.

I recommend “Volume 1” and look forward to reading Barker’s follow-up books.

Book Review: “Dreamcatcher” by Stephen King

6th Apr 2023Leave a comment

For book ten of 2023, I took on Stephen King’s Dreamcatcher.

I’d heard in circles—and from King himself—that Dreamcatcher wasn’t anything special. Some considered it poor, as far as King’s standards go.

The story revolves around a group of boys/men (it bounces forward and backwards in time). This group once did something heroic as children, and that action now affects them as adults. In the present, they are on their yearly hunting trip when a bewildered man stumbles out of the forest. In the snowy stillness, the man rants and raves about lights in the sky and clutches his bloated gut.

Having demolished it in a few days, all I can say in response to the criticisms of this book is: “Huh?” I adored Dreamcatcher. It had everything that made me fall in love with King’s writing in the first place. Excellent horror, gross-out scenes, unpredictable twists and turns? Check. Fantastic characters, unpulled gut punches, and incredible tension? Check. Sure, the middle slows down the action, but it’s so King can weave the threads together for the finale.

The ending hit me like a ten-tonne truck, and I dare anyone to read the last 20 pages or so and not have goosebumps.

Undeserving of its less-than-stellar reputation, I can give Dreamcatcher two thumbs up.