Interesting

I don't know why I put off reading this book for so long, in my mind I imagined this to be some standard gothic horror with a monster chasing civilians but the reality was much different. The book is far more complex, the characters more complicated and the idea of creation rebelling against creator throwing up various allegories. The book does admittedly take some getting into, but it is worth persevering with as it rapidly gets better.

This is where the saga really kicks off!

After the slightly slow first three books, these three really crank up the action!
They're true page-turners with plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked.
And don't worry, the book just keep getting better!
These books see Darren enter the heart of the vampire world, battle for his life, and meet the vampires' arch-enemies!
Great books, I highly recommend them.

A spooky little novella

I agree with other reviewers that this book was not up to the standard of The Woman in Black but it is still well worth a read.
It is well written and atmospheric; set in the ancient college rooms of Cambridge, Venice on a dark night and a crumbling Victorian mansion.
The characters are well formed for such a brief novella and the art work that the story revolves around is suitably chilling.
And there is a clever twist at the end of the tale.

I admire this genre of appropriately short stories, not padded out with unnecessary detail.

A conclusion worthy of the Death Note series.

This is fan fiction and crime fiction so certain allowances must be made; a few clichés are to be expected, errors in narration can be forgiven and poor use of punctuation (particularly exclamation marks and ellipsis) can be put aside. These things are annoying, but Another Note made up for them with an excellent plot, an amazingly original new character and a conclusion worthy of the Death Note series.

Roland of Gilead looks for companions for his quest ...

No quest should be made alone. Every hero gets companions brought to him by the fate and the quest of the Dark Tower is no exception. Roland of Gilead, the last gunslinger of the fast dying world needs to find three companions who were predestined for him - and if he fails, his quest will also fail. But the fate tips often the balance against the hero and Roland starts this challenge with a very serious handicap. No more details will be provided but this book is possibly the most upsetting (in the good sense of the world) in the whole series. The feeling of emergency and the run against the clock is described by Stephen King in a masterly way - as well as the suffering of the main hero, who really pays for every step forward with his blood, especially when trying to bring to his world the first of the companions, who is also possibly the most unlikely.... This book also has great humour moments, especially Roland's comments on our world. It is not frequent to find such a good and exciting read.

Best Gothic novel yet written.

For he who has seen the movies, yet never read the novel, I truly pity that person. The 1931 movie was quite a disgrace to the novel, and although I am certain that Stoker is not rolling in his grave ever since the early thirties, I am sure that the novel is nothing like any of the many movies you might have seen.
Written in 1897 by one of the greatest authors, Dracula is a timeless masterpiece that can only be enjoyed to its maximum when read, and not listened to by another reader (i.e. audiobook etc.)
Each character, from John, Lucy, Jonathan, Van Helsing, and the many other characters have their own personalities entirely, and each have their own thoughts.
The book is written as a collection of each character's journal entries, (other than Dracula and Reinfield's,) and begins much more interestingly than any movie.
For the most part, I think the reader should know that it was Jonathan Harker who first went to see Dracula, not Reinfield as the 1931 movie portrays.
Dracula did not actually wear a cape in the book, but that does not mean he wasn't as Gothic as the movies portray.
One must wonder how vampires are associated with erotica in modern times, for the book did not contain any such. I presume that idea only came from the head of one Ann Rice.
One might start reading the book being on Dracula's side, and hoping Dracula will win in the end, but by the time you are on the last few chapters you will despise Dracula.
Stoker knew how to make anything sound morbid and frightening; snow, for example, in this novel, like in the short story `Dracula's guest' also by Stoker, seemed to get the reader into a feeling of terror and clusterphobia.
I had read this novel for five hours strait without knowing the exact hour, and the whole time I had not one dull moment.
Of the many novels I have read, I think few compare to the brilliancy of this particular one.
When one is done with this book, they will ask themselves `is this story fiction, or not? It seemed so real, so sorrowful, and so macabre.'
Stoker obviously did much research on many things such as zoophugus' and such.
A great novel by a great author.
Recommended for fans of Poe, Shelley, Konstantinos, and any Gothic literature admirer.
If you have still not seen any Dracula movie, I suggest read the novel, then watch the movie. You shall probably not enjoy the movie at all after such a great novel.
I give this ten out of five stars.

Genuinely Terrifying

I've read 20+ of Koontz's books, and this has got to be one of, if not THE best of his works. The moments of suspense are like in no other book I've read. There're some truly terrifying moments that left me pretty scared to go to sleep! The action is well paced and all leads to a thrilling climax, that forms a satisfying conclusion. Maybe that's the only slight criticism of Koontz's writing - everything does usually end up neatly wrapped up by the last page. Still, excellent read.

Relentlessly depressing - for the 4th time out in Morganville

I like this series - if not I wouldn't be on book 4 of it - but they are such a downer. At the end of each you feel that surely things can't get worse - but they always can. I stick with them because I like some of the characters and I am always hoping, Pollyanna-style, that something good will happen.
As regards the specifics of Feast of Fools, Clare is pretty much the same geek, lusting after Shane (who nobly turns her down) and falling out with college-girl Monica and her gang as usual. Her life is complicated by the fact that her parents have moved into Morganville and thus get dragged into the vampires plots. Michael, killed by Shane's dad, is now a vampire and there are some good scenes where he is trying to deal with his need for blood which he is somewhat shamed by. Eve, the goth barista is still in love with Michael but her psycho brother Jason (the one that stabbed Shane nearly to death) has a bigger role. Actually Jason is one of the most credible characters as is the mad vampire Myrnin, locked up in a basement so he doesn't slaughter Clare, while they work on dealing with the vampire disease that is killing all the Morganville Vampires through the bars. Amelie, former top dog of Morganville is now threatened by the arrival of her father, Bishop, plus his 2 vamp cronies (one of whom takes a shine to Shane) which actually serves to make Amelie more interesting, as she is vulnerable for the first time.
Where this series is going I have no idea - will the vampire disease be cured? Will the humans get to leave Morganville? I enjoy this series but there needs to be some light to contrast with the dark, or it just gets too same-y with all the gloom and doom. And did I mention that there is yet another cliffhanger at the end that leaves Shane as bait for Bishop?

A Tale of Three Characters

I read this book a long time ago and have recently re-read it for a book group. My opinion of it has changed dramatically now that I am older.

I find Lord Henry Wooton one of the most wicked, selfish, egotistical and self-absorbed characters in English literature. Hypothetically if ever I dined with him I would probably stab him in the hand with the dessert fork. The one slightly redeeming section for him is at the end of the book where he appears a bit naive in response to the intensity of Dorian's despair.

I do think that Dorian is inherantly wicked due to his vanity. However, Basil Hallward has no small part to play in his downfall as he encouraged this by his obsession with his handsome looks.

I love one of the comments in my version of the book. It said that Oscar Wilde was quoted as saying that the world thought that he was Lord Henry Wooton, he, however, saw himself has Basil Hallward, but would like to have been Dorian Gray in other circumstances.

Very Inventive!

I am a confirmed Neil Gaiman fan and so had no qualms about picking up this book - even though it is more for younger readers - and I wasn't disappointed! I thought it worked hard to build up quirky characters and a genuinely creepy atmosphere. In fact, the description of the Other Mother was enough to give me nightmares - and I'm in my twenties! Enjoyable for readers of all ages, though perhaps a little too scary for some small children.

Info. for Prospective Buyers

For anyone who doesn't know Hellboy - imagine Sam Spade as a demon superhero investigating supernatural threats H.P. Lovecraft might have written and you're somewhere close.

Admittedly this is not the best of the Hellboy stories - Mike Mignola admits in an afterword that he lost control of the plot (the comic originally appeared monthly) - and if I were only marking the story I'd probably have wanted to give it 3.5 stars. Nonetheless, it is definitely worth reading with the trademark Hellboy mix of humour, action and horror, and the noir art as ever is wonderful (pushing it from 3.5 to a deserved 4).

A word of warning: although this is marked as vol.2 of the Hellboy series, there are stories in vol.3 'The Chained Coffin and Others' which precede 'Wake the Devil' chronologically.

Captivating Carpathians

Like the reader from Scotland, this was my first Carpathian novel and I'm hooked. However, although it inspired me to read all the others, I have to say that this is the best of the series. It works well as a stand alone novel, although I defy anyone not to want to read more. It has quickly become a favourite, must-have and I thoroughly recommend it to every one.

Not the best but still a bloody good read

I have read most of Stephen King's books and as I enjoyed The Regulators I thought I'd give another Bachman a try. The story of the Walk is very easy to get involved in; I read the whole thing really quickly cos I was wrapped up in the characters and the very simple premise of if you get three warnings you die. The ending is dark but I think it tells a lot about life in general and the nature of reality"entertainment" (though I hope even the godawful Big Brother isn't headed this way to gain viewers!!) and the ending does appear quicker than I thought it would!

I would recommend this as it's a decent read but it's definately not the same standard as my favourites (The Shining, Christine etc).

Spook's Battle: A Winner? Maybe Not

I keep trying to really like the Wardstone Series, but every time I finish one I'm sure I won't bother with another. I have actually read them all, at least to this one. The world that Delaney creates/recreates is potentially great fun, exciting and interesting. The same for the characters. But I always end up feeling disappointed. The problem is, unfortunately, the writing. There is something about Delaney's prose which is pedestrian if not edging on boring. He also violates a big issue for me regarding children's books. The main character, whether 12, 13 or whatever, never changes and is not identifiably a kid. If someone didn't tell you, you would never know the main character isn't an adult. As a minor pick at this one specifically: Spook's Battle? The Spook hardily figures in this book, so it's misnamed, more the Apprentice's Battle. The stories are great, it's the delivery I have a problem with, so that the series has been bought for filming is fine. It can potentially make a great film, given the right treatment, of course. As I said, I really wish I could like these books more than I do. Their appeal, or lack of, is also echoed by husband and 11 year old. If you want a really good read, I'd recommend Jenny Nimmo's Charlie Bone series or Paver's Wolf Brother series. Now there are some excellent series.

Breathtaking

This was my very first book from Christine Feehan, and I was definitely very pleasantly surprised. From the first page it has your full attention.
Beautifully written, creative and romantic !!!

Funny, Sexy and Completely Heartfelt!

This book was bought to me by mistake and after 1 year of it collecting dust in my bedroom i decided to give it a read before donating it to my local library. I have to say that i have red this book 4 times now and bought another set for my library so that others can enjoy it as much as i did. I related to the death in sookies family so much i cried a little.

I loved the funny moments between eric and bill!

Buy This Book

This is the third Hellboy Graphic Novel. The art by Mike Mignola is excellent. It is a collection of Hellboy stories. A blend of action, adventure, humour and gripping horror. Many tales are classic myths from celtic and eastern europe, and a passing nod to Frankenstein. It features the Origin of Roger the Homunculus, and explores hellboy's past. Hellboy takes on Baba Yaga and evil fairies. It contains the story of the Wolves of St August, an excellent tale later released as a graphic novel. The two issuse mini series Almost colossus, another excellent tale. All in all an excellent graphic novel.

Wow

What ever people say about this book being bad in any way. They are completly wrong, its a masterfully beautifull book by itself. It doesnt loose the plot at all. This is the plot, this is the history of Roland, why he is like he is.

King excells himself this book is amazing, beautifull and tear jerking. Go out and buy it its a fabulous book.