en-US Wed, 03 Apr 2019 09:22:58 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 5196764 The stunning new novel from the internationally bestselling author of The Shadow of the Wind.

In an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man - David Martin - makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he has taken refuge in the world of books, and spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city's underworld. But perhaps his dark imaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deep within the house letters hinting at the mysterious death of the previous owner. Like a slow poison, the history of the place seeps into his bones as he struggles with an impossible love.

Then David receives the offer of a lifetime: he is to write a book with the power to change hearts and minds. In return, he will receive a fortune, perhaps more. But as David begins the work, he realises that there is a connection between this haunting book and the shadows that surround his home...]]> 544 Carlos Ruiz Zaf贸n 0753826496 David 5 2017, special
A mystery with a supernatural element that left a few unanswered questions. I quite enjoy that aspect to a book though and parts, were very powerful and moving.

On the whole an excellent story and I enjoyed it as much as Shadow of the Wind so five stars. ]]> 3.97 2008
author: Carlos Ruiz Zaf贸n
name: David
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2017/04/14
date added: 2019/04/03
shelves: 2017, special
review:
A much darker tale than Shadow of the Wind but, for me, none the worse for it.

A mystery with a supernatural element that left a few unanswered questions. I quite enjoy that aspect to a book though and parts, were very powerful and moving.

On the whole an excellent story and I enjoyed it as much as Shadow of the Wind so five stars.
]]> 30142270 448 Derren Brown 0593076206 David 4 2017 4.07 2016
author: Derren Brown
name: David
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2018/01/02
date added: 2018/01/02
shelves: 2017
review:

]]> 8141315 The first novel in the Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery series鈥攕oon to be an original streaming series!Dissolution is an utterly riveting portrayal of Tudor England. The year is 1537, and the country is divided between those faithful to the Catholic Church and those loyal to the king and the newly established Church of England. When a royal commissioner is brutally murdered in a monastery on the south coast of England, Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII鈥檚 feared vicar general, summons fellow reformer Matthew Shardlake to lead the inquiry. Shardlake and his young prot茅g茅 uncover evidence of sexual misconduct, embezzlement, and treason, and when two other murders are revealed, they must move quickly to prevent the killer from striking again.A 鈥渞emarkable debut鈥� (P. D. James), Dissolution introduces a thrilling historical series that is not to be missed by fans of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.Awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger 鈥� the highest honor in British crime writing]]> 482 C.J. Sansom 1440650160 David 4 2017 4.20 2003
author: C.J. Sansom
name: David
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2017/12/05
date added: 2017/12/05
shelves: 2017
review:
Set in a monastery at the time of the reformation this mystery has a really strong sense of atmosphere. The darkness, damp and cold of the monk's life provides the backdrop for the murderous monks and their fears of the reformation. I enjoyed it.
]]> 36140235 Blackwater is the saga of a small town, Perdido, Alabama, and Elinor Dammert, the stranger who arrives there under mysterious circumstances on Easter Sunday, 1919. On the surface, Elinor is gracious, charming, anxious to belong in Perdido, and eager to marry Oscar Caskey, the eldest son of Perdido鈥檚 first family. But her beautiful exterior hides a shocking secret. Beneath the waters of the Perdido River, she turns into something terrifying, a creature whispered about in stories that have chilled the residents of Perdido for generations. Some of those who observe her rituals in the river will never be seen again ...

Originally published as a series of six volumes in 1983, Blackwater is the crowning achievement of Michael McDowell, author of the Southern Gothic classics Cold Moon Over Babylon and The Elementals and screenwriter of Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas. This first-ever one-volume edition, with a new introduction by Shirley Jackson Award-winning author Nathan Ballingrud, marks Blackwater鈥檚 first appearance in print in three decades and will allow a new generation of readers to discover this modern horror classic.]]> 774 Michael McDowell David 5 2017, special
The story follows the fortunes of a wealthy Alabama family from before the depression right through to the modern era.

The supernatural element of the story and one or two of the main characters is never overplayed. In fact it is rarely mentioned or used in the tale but it is also at the heart of the family. As a result the casual way it's treated makes it more believable.

I found the epic nature so wonderfully drawn. As a result of the massive span of years there are a huge variety of characters coming and going, living and dieing. Not one of them felt anything but a meaningful part of the story.
Superb!

]]> 4.46 1983
author: Michael McDowell
name: David
average rating: 4.46
book published: 1983
rating: 5
read at: 2017/11/15
date added: 2017/11/15
shelves: 2017, special
review:
What a book!

The story follows the fortunes of a wealthy Alabama family from before the depression right through to the modern era.

The supernatural element of the story and one or two of the main characters is never overplayed. In fact it is rarely mentioned or used in the tale but it is also at the heart of the family. As a result the casual way it's treated makes it more believable.

I found the epic nature so wonderfully drawn. As a result of the massive span of years there are a huge variety of characters coming and going, living and dieing. Not one of them felt anything but a meaningful part of the story.
Superb!


]]> 3001708
Ever so nimble at bashing heads with her little hammer, Katie Slapes was her parents' joy and certain fortune. As the cellar filled with corpses, the family coffers filled with cash.

Pretty young Philo Drax didn't have a family anymore. Katie had finished off her grandfather and her mother, and promised to put Philo out of her misery very soon now.

It was a hard, cruel world for an innocent girl alone, but Philo was glad to be alive, and eager to continue so. She had prospeccts of a romantic marriage to sustain her through her trials. While Katie, poor creature, had only her cunning... and her hammer.

DON'T EVER TURN YOUR BACK ON KATIE!]]> 295 Michael McDowell 0380801841 David 5 2017, special
Although there are moments of violence, McDowell has a wonderful way of making the horror subtle and because of that all the more disturbing. This skill has no better showcase than the character from which the title comes. She is vile but goes about her business in an almost unassuming way.
Excellent! ]]> 4.11 1982
author: Michael McDowell
name: David
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1982
rating: 5
read at: 2017/10/02
date added: 2017/10/02
shelves: 2017, special
review:
Beautifully written historical horror.

Although there are moments of violence, McDowell has a wonderful way of making the horror subtle and because of that all the more disturbing. This skill has no better showcase than the character from which the title comes. She is vile but goes about her business in an almost unassuming way.
Excellent!
]]> 22461751
The McCrays and Savages, two fine Mobile families allied by marriage, have been coming to Beldame for years. This summer, with a terrible funeral behind them and a messy divorce coming up, even Luker McCray and little India down from New York are looking forward to being alone at Beldame.

But they won't be alone. For something there, something they don't like to think about, is thinking about them...and about all the ways to make them die.]]> 288 Michael McDowell David 5 special, 2017
The writing is simply superb. Creepy and eerie are really tough atmospheres to create but this story has both in abundance. And that's what really makes this book stand out. The atmosphere created by McDowell's magnificent writing.

I don't go into plots in reviews because it's unfair but I'd urge overs of good books, not just in the horror genre, just good books, to read this.]]> 4.07 1981
author: Michael McDowell
name: David
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1981
rating: 5
read at: 2017/09/19
date added: 2017/09/19
shelves: special, 2017
review:
My first taste of Michael McDowell but not my last. The deep south setting with the terrible heat, the oppressive humidity, the ocean and of course the sand is as much a character in the story as are the humans.

The writing is simply superb. Creepy and eerie are really tough atmospheres to create but this story has both in abundance. And that's what really makes this book stand out. The atmosphere created by McDowell's magnificent writing.

I don't go into plots in reviews because it's unfair but I'd urge overs of good books, not just in the horror genre, just good books, to read this.
]]> 8608083
The journey begins when Matthew, now an apprentice 鈥減roblem solver鈥� for the London-based Herrald Agency, accepts an unusual and hazardous commission. Together with his colleague, Hudson Greathouse, he agrees to escort the notorious mass murderer Tyranthus Slaughter from an asylum outside Philadelphia to the docks of New York. Along the way, Slaughter makes his captors a surprising--and extremely tempting--offer. Their response to this offer will alter the course of the novel, setting in motion a series of astonishing, ultimately catastrophic events.

Mister Slaughter is at once a classic portrait of an archetypal serial killer and an exquisitely detailed account of a fledgling nation still in the process of inventing itself. Suspenseful, illuminating, never less than compulsively readable, it is, by any measure, an extraordinary achievement, the largest accomplishment to date from one of our most gifted--and necessary--writers.]]> 440 Robert McCammon David 4 2017
In this one we see Matthew and Greathouse tasked with transporting Tyranthus Slaughter from Asylum to port for transport to England.

We realise fairly quickly that Slaughter is a nasty piece of work! He's a thoroughly despicable man who leads them on a merry dance.

For me the story really took off in the second half linking nicely to the bigger picture and the nefarious Professor Fell!

I look forward to reading the next installment.

]]> 4.46 2010
author: Robert McCammon
name: David
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2017/09/01
date added: 2017/09/04
shelves: 2017
review:
This is the third installment in the Matthew Corbett series and although I enjoyed it I didn't think it was quite as good as it's predecessors. That's not to say it wasn't good, it was, but I thought the first two were exceptional.

In this one we see Matthew and Greathouse tasked with transporting Tyranthus Slaughter from Asylum to port for transport to England.

We realise fairly quickly that Slaughter is a nasty piece of work! He's a thoroughly despicable man who leads them on a merry dance.

For me the story really took off in the second half linking nicely to the bigger picture and the nefarious Professor Fell!

I look forward to reading the next installment.


]]> 17655238 The Prisoner of Heaven returns to the world of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and the Sempere & Sons bookshop.

It begins just before Christmas in Barcelona in 1957, one year after Daniel and Bea from The Shadow of the Wind have married. They now have a son, Julian, and are living with Daniel's father at Sempere & Sons. Fermin still works with them and is busy preparing for his wedding to Bernarda in the New Year. However something appears to be bothering him.

Daniel is alone in the shop one morning when a mysterious figure with a pronounced limp enters. He spots one of their most precious volumes that is kept locked in a glass cabinet, a beautiful and unique illustrated edition of The Count of Monte Cristo. Despite the fact that the stranger seems to care little for books, he wants to buy this expensive edition. Then, to Daniel's surprise, the man inscribes the book with the words 'To Fermin Romero de Torres, who came back from the dead and who holds the key to the future'. This visit leads back to a story of imprisonment, betrayal and the return of a deadly rival...]]> 336 Carlos Ruiz Zaf贸n David 4 2017
Having said that I eagerly await the fourth part. The Cemetery of Forgotten Books has more to reveal! ]]> 4.08 2011
author: Carlos Ruiz Zaf贸n
name: David
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2017/08/11
date added: 2017/08/11
shelves: 2017
review:
The first two in this series (I believe a fourth is planned) were up there with my favourites. This part isn't. Although I enjoyed it I didn't get the intensity of the first parts, particularly The Angel's Game. Fermin is a great supporting character and has some fabulous lines. His story is fascinating but I thought it lacked the brooding mystery of Sempere and David Martin.

Having said that I eagerly await the fourth part. The Cemetery of Forgotten Books has more to reveal!
]]> 29875363 New York Times bestselling author of NOS4A2 and Heart-Shaped Box comes a chilling novel about a worldwide pandemic of spontaneous combustion that threatens to reduce civilization to ashes and a band of improbable heroes who battle to save it, led by one powerful and enigmatic man known as the Fireman.

The fireman is coming. Stay cool.

No one knows exactly when it began or where it originated. A terrifying new plague is spreading like wildfire across the country, striking cities one by one: Boston, Detroit, Seattle. The doctors call it Draco Incendia Trychophyton. To everyone else it鈥檚 Dragonscale, a highly contagious, deadly spore that marks its hosts with beautiful black and gold marks across their bodies鈥攂efore causing them to burst into flames. Millions are infected; blazes erupt everywhere. There is no antidote. No one is safe.

Harper Grayson, a compassionate, dedicated nurse as pragmatic as Mary Poppins, treated hundreds of infected patients before her hospital burned to the ground. Now she鈥檚 discovered the telltale gold-flecked marks on her skin. When the outbreak first began, she and her husband, Jakob, had made a pact: they would take matters into their own hands if they became infected. To Jakob鈥檚 dismay, Harper wants to live鈥攁t least until the fetus she is carrying comes to term. At the hospital, she witnessed infected mothers give birth to healthy babies and believes hers will be fine too. . . if she can live long enough to deliver the child.

Convinced that his do-gooding wife has made him sick, Jakob becomes unhinged, and eventually abandons her as their placid New England community collapses in terror. The chaos gives rise to ruthless Cremation Squads鈥攁rmed, self-appointed posses roaming the streets and woods to exterminate those who they believe carry the spore. But Harper isn鈥檛 as alone as she fears: a mysterious and compelling stranger she briefly met at the hospital, a man in a dirty yellow fire fighter鈥檚 jacket, carrying a hooked iron bar, straddles the abyss between insanity and death. Known as The Fireman, he strolls the ruins of New Hampshire, a madman afflicted with Dragonscale who has learned to control the fire within himself, using it as a shield to protect the hunted . . . and as a weapon to avenge the wronged.

In the desperate season to come, as the world burns out of control, Harper must learn the Fireman鈥檚 secrets before her life鈥攁nd that of her unborn child鈥攇oes up in smoke.]]> 768 Joe Hill 006220064X David 4 2017
I thought the characters were well fleshed out and the story moved along really well. My only criticism would be the bad guys. I wanted a bit more from them - a bit more friction with the camp over a longer period would have increased my interest in them.

However I really enjoyed it and Joe Hill is moving up my list of must read authors. ]]> 3.90 2016
author: Joe Hill
name: David
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2017/07/27
date added: 2017/07/27
shelves: 2017
review:
The premise of the story is excellent and offers a great variation on the post apocalyptic world. The spore is a brilliant take on "infection" and actually gives some of the characters the chance to evolve into something more than they were.

I thought the characters were well fleshed out and the story moved along really well. My only criticism would be the bad guys. I wanted a bit more from them - a bit more friction with the camp over a longer period would have increased my interest in them.

However I really enjoyed it and Joe Hill is moving up my list of must read authors.
]]> 256008 Lonesome Dove, the third book in the Lonesome Dove tetralogy, is the grandest novel ever written about the last defiant wilderness of America.

Journey to the dusty little Texas town of Lonesome Dove and meet an unforgettable assortment of heroes and outlaws, whores and ladies, Indians and settlers. Richly authentic, beautifully written, always dramatic, Lonesome Dove is a book to make us laugh, weep, dream, and remember.]]> 960 Larry McMurtry 067168390X David 5 2017, special
What a book! The setting, the characters, the toil, the adventure, all of it on an equal footing in terms of the story. I felt like I'd been through it all with them by the end.

Brilliant.]]> 4.53 1985
author: Larry McMurtry
name: David
average rating: 4.53
book published: 1985
rating: 5
read at: 2017/06/28
date added: 2017/06/28
shelves: 2017, special
review:
Epic!

What a book! The setting, the characters, the toil, the adventure, all of it on an equal footing in terms of the story. I felt like I'd been through it all with them by the end.

Brilliant.
]]> 34105517
When the police are called to an affluent home in the middle of the night, they learn that a seemingly normal fourteen-year-old boy has attacked his family. The boy exhibits signs of demonic possession, and even more troublingly, he knows too much about the Sweet Sixteen killings. Father Jason Crowder, a young priest assigned to the case, must marshal his courage in order to save the boy and the entire city from the forces of evil.

But this is a darkness mankind has never encountered before. It craves more than blood. And it won鈥檛 rest until it possesses Father Crowder鈥檚 soul.

This volume brings together the original novella that started it all鈥擡xorcist Road鈥攁nd an all-new full-length novel (Exorcist Falls) for a shattering experience in supernatural terror.]]> 279 Jonathan Janz David 4 2017
The first part (Road) is a take on an exorcism and although the longer story is supposed to be the draw I enjoyed the novella more.

It's very claustrophobic, set largely in a room within a house and told in real time it moves along at a cracking pace. Dark, powerful and riddled with menace - both human and non!

There's a fair amount of explicit violence here but it isn't used out of context nor is it used merely to shock. The gore and violence is used to illustrate the nature of a demon and it's worked in to the story very well.

Thoroughly enjoyable! ]]> 3.83 2017
author: Jonathan Janz
name: David
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/05/11
date added: 2017/05/11
shelves: 2017
review:
Containing both the novella Exorcist Road and the novel Exorcist Falls I found both stories to be highly entertaining. Although I don't think the arc is quite finished yet!

The first part (Road) is a take on an exorcism and although the longer story is supposed to be the draw I enjoyed the novella more.

It's very claustrophobic, set largely in a room within a house and told in real time it moves along at a cracking pace. Dark, powerful and riddled with menace - both human and non!

There's a fair amount of explicit violence here but it isn't used out of context nor is it used merely to shock. The gore and violence is used to illustrate the nature of a demon and it's worked in to the story very well.

Thoroughly enjoyable!
]]> 32451736 The Secret of Ventriloquism, named the Best Fiction Book of 2016 by Rue Morgue Magazine, heralds the arrival of a significant new literary talent. With themes reminiscent of Shirley Jackson, Thomas Ligotti, and Bruno Schulz, but with a strikingly unique vision, Padgett's work explores the mystery of human suffering, the agony of personal existence, and the ghastly means by which someone might achieve salvation from both. A bullied child seeks vengeance within a bed's hollow box spring. A lucid dreamer is haunted by an impossible house. A dummy reveals its own anatomy in 20 simple steps. A stuttering librarian holds the key to a mill town's unspeakable secrets. A commuter's worldview is shattered by two words printed on a cardboard sign. An aspiring ventriloquist spends a little too much time looking at himself in a mirror. And a presence speaks through them all.


Contents:

Introduction by Matt Cardin
The Mindfulness of Horror Practice
Murmurs of a Voice Foreknown
The Indoor Swamp
Origami Dreams
20 Simple Steps to Ventriloquism
Infusorium
Organ Void
The Secret of Ventriloquism
Escape to Thin Mountain]]> 201 Jon Padgett David 5 2017
They flow into each other through the black fog of Dunnstown, leaving traces of what came before in your mind. It's very clever and I found it utterly engrossing.

Excellent. ]]> 3.93 2016
author: Jon Padgett
name: David
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2017/04/25
date added: 2017/04/25
shelves: 2017
review:
Uncanny is a good word to describe this book. Nightmarish a better one to describe the stories and the atmosphere. There is an eerie quality to the stories that is unlike anything I've read before.

They flow into each other through the black fog of Dunnstown, leaving traces of what came before in your mind. It's very clever and I found it utterly engrossing.

Excellent.
]]> 23341606 A Library Journal Best Book of 2015!

A rollicking novel about Nat Love, an African-American cowboy with a famous nickname: Deadwood Dick.

Young Willie is on the run, having fled his small Texas farm when an infamous local landowner murdered his father. A man named Loving takes him in and trains him in the fine arts of shooting, riding, reading, and gardening. When Loving dies, Willie re-christens himself Nat Love in tribute to his mentor, and heads west.

In Deadwood, South Dakota Territory, Nat becomes a Buffalo Soldier and is befriended by Wild Bill Hickok. After winning a famous shooting match, Nat's peerless marksmanship and charm earn him the nickname Deadwood Dick, as well as a beautiful woman. But the hellhounds are still on his trail, and they brutally attack Nat Love's love. Pursuing the men who have driven his wife mad, Nat heads south for a final, deadly showdown against those who would strip him of his home, his love, his freedom, and his life.]]> 400 Joe R. Lansdale 0316329371 David 5 2017, special
The story of Nat Love, former slave, farmer, spittoon emptier, saloon bouncer, would-be rat catcher, expert marksman, marshal.

Moving, hilarious, and with a cast of characters that is as rich and detailed, the story feels epic in the best way.

Some familiar names crop up - Wild Bill Hickock being my favourite, particularly with his descriptions of his interactions with Calamity Jane!

The story moves along perfectly taking in all the sights, sounds and smells of the west. I could carry on reading about the exploits of Deadwood Dick for another thousand pages or more without getting bored. Wonderful.



]]> 4.26 2015
author: Joe R. Lansdale
name: David
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2017/04/03
date added: 2017/04/03
shelves: 2017, special
review:
A truly wonderful book.

The story of Nat Love, former slave, farmer, spittoon emptier, saloon bouncer, would-be rat catcher, expert marksman, marshal.

Moving, hilarious, and with a cast of characters that is as rich and detailed, the story feels epic in the best way.

Some familiar names crop up - Wild Bill Hickock being my favourite, particularly with his descriptions of his interactions with Calamity Jane!

The story moves along perfectly taking in all the sights, sounds and smells of the west. I could carry on reading about the exploits of Deadwood Dick for another thousand pages or more without getting bored. Wonderful.




]]> 11093329
Once again, THE GAME鈥橲 AFOOT鈥�

London, 1890. 221B Baker St. A fine art dealer named Edmund Carstairs visits Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson to beg for their help. He is being menaced by a strange man in a flat cap 鈥� a wanted criminal who seems to have followed him all the way from America. In the days that follow, his home is robbed, his family is threatened. And then the first murder takes place.

Almost unwillingly, Holmes and Watson find themselves being drawn ever deeper into an international conspiracy connected to the teeming criminal underworld of Boston, the gaslit streets of London, opium dens and much, much more. And as they dig, they begin to hear the whispered phrase-the House of Silk-a mysterious entity that connects the highest levels of government to the deepest depths of criminality. Holmes begins to fear that he has uncovered a conspiracy that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of society.

The Arthur Conan Doyle Estate chose the celebrated, #1 New York Times bestselling author Anthony Horowitz to write The House of Silk because of his proven ability to tell a transfixing story and for his passion for all things Holmes. Destined to become an instant classic, The House of Silk brings Sherlock Holmes back with all the nuance, pacing, and almost superhuman powers of analysis and deduction that made him the world鈥檚 greatest detective, in a case depicting events too shocking, too monstrous to ever appear in print鈥ntil now.
(front flap)]]> 294 Anthony Horowitz 0316196991 David 5 2017, special
This has all the trademarks of an original Arthur Conan Doyle tale and I think is every bit as good. The use of familiar characters - Holmes and Watson of course, but also Mrs Hudson, Lestrade and Wiggins isn't overdone and not once did it feel they were shoehorned in to give authenticity.

I won't discuss the plot for fear of giving anything away but it's everything you could possibly want in a Holmes story and more. The atmospheres, the setting and of course the mystery, it's all there in spades.

I really enjoyed it and will look for the others in the series. ]]> 3.96 2011
author: Anthony Horowitz
name: David
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2017/03/22
date added: 2017/03/22
shelves: 2017, special
review:
I've read and enjoyed most of the original Sherlock Holmes' stories and for that reason shied away from reading this for a long time. I wish I hadn't!

This has all the trademarks of an original Arthur Conan Doyle tale and I think is every bit as good. The use of familiar characters - Holmes and Watson of course, but also Mrs Hudson, Lestrade and Wiggins isn't overdone and not once did it feel they were shoehorned in to give authenticity.

I won't discuss the plot for fear of giving anything away but it's everything you could possibly want in a Holmes story and more. The atmospheres, the setting and of course the mystery, it's all there in spades.

I really enjoyed it and will look for the others in the series.
]]> 27864998 STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE is the original title of a novella written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson that was first published in 1886. It is about a London lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde.


The work is commonly associated with the rare mental condition often called "split personality", referred to in psychiatry as dissociative identity disorder, where within the same body there exists more than one distinct personality.[4] In this case, there are two personalities within Dr. Jekyll, one apparently good and the other evil. The novella's impact is such that it has become a part of the language, with the very phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" coming to mean a person who is vastly different in moral character from one situation to the next.]]> 88 Robert Louis Stevenson 9176370577 David 4 2017 3.99 1886
author: Robert Louis Stevenson
name: David
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1886
rating: 4
read at: 2017/03/14
date added: 2017/03/14
shelves: 2017
review:
I first read this about twenty years ago and wasn't disappointed with the second reading. Atmospheric, creepy and clever. Thoroughly enjoyable and recommended reading for any lovers of horror!
]]> 920649 An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.]]> 36 Ambrose Bierce 0874068134 David 4 2017 4.02 1890
author: Ambrose Bierce
name: David
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1890
rating: 4
read at: 2017/03/13
date added: 2017/03/13
shelves: 2017
review:
A classic, and deservedly so. A short excursion to Alabama and the US Civil War. A man about to be hanged on Owl Creek Bridge lives his last few breaths...
]]> 11286
THE PRESENT... Compelled by the encounter to survive at all costs, so begins a journey that for Saul will span decades and cross continents, plunging into the darkest corners of 20th century history to reveal a secret society of beings who may often exist behind the world's most horrible and violent events. Killing from a distance, and by darkly manipulative proxy, they are people with the psychic ability to 'use' humans: read their minds, subjugate them to their wills, experience through their senses, feed off their emotions, force them to acts of unspeakable aggression. Each year, three of the most powerful of this hidden order meet to discuss their ongoing campaign of induced bloodshed and deliberate destruction. But this reunion, something will go terribly wrong. Saul鈥檚 quest is about to reach its elusive object, drawing hunter and hunted alike into a struggle that will plumb the depths of mankind鈥檚 attraction to violence, and determine the future of the world itself...]]> 884 Dan Simmons 0446359203 David 4 2017
Not that I mind long books and I enjoyed it but...in this case I thought it was too long.

An interesting premise with some truly unlikeable and despicable characters, I found my attention wandering toward the end which was a shame. ]]> 3.91 1989
author: Dan Simmons
name: David
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1989
rating: 4
read at: 2017/03/12
date added: 2017/03/12
shelves: 2017
review:
It's long, very, very long!

Not that I mind long books and I enjoyed it but...in this case I thought it was too long.

An interesting premise with some truly unlikeable and despicable characters, I found my attention wandering toward the end which was a shame.
]]> 1232 487 Carlos Ruiz Zaf贸n David 5 2017, special
What sets this book apart, and at the top, is the characterisation. Not just of the players but of the city itself. There are moments of poetic beauty and those moments sit comfortably beside the bawdy comedy of one particular character. He often manages both at the same time!

There is sadness, a darkness and no lack of intrigue running through the story that keep it moving at a wonderful pace.
A fantastic book. Delicious. ]]> 4.26 2001
author: Carlos Ruiz Zaf贸n
name: David
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2017/01/31
date added: 2017/01/31
shelves: 2017, special
review:
A book for lovers of books. A book about a book, the author who wrote it, the city he lived in (Barcelona) and the lives he touched at the time and in the years afterwards.

What sets this book apart, and at the top, is the characterisation. Not just of the players but of the city itself. There are moments of poetic beauty and those moments sit comfortably beside the bawdy comedy of one particular character. He often manages both at the same time!

There is sadness, a darkness and no lack of intrigue running through the story that keep it moving at a wonderful pace.
A fantastic book. Delicious.
]]> 13648459 AN ANCIENT EVIL RISES...BURNS...KILLS...

After a fire consumes the Heller Home for Children, the residents of Morganville, North Carolina thought they knew evil...

They were wrong.

Unaware of the turmoil in their new hometown, the Littles--David, Kate, and seven-year-old Becca--are moving from New York City to Morganville in hopes of repairing their own lives, which were recently shattered by an act of sexual violence.

Before long, David realizes that his family's troubles are worse than he could ever have imagined.

An ancient demon lurks beneath the town of Morganville, an unholy creature conjured into existence by the Heller Home tragedy.

Its name is Moloch.

It is hungry for the souls of the townspeople.

But most of all, Moloch wants the children. It will not rest until it has them.

All of them.


Revised and Expanded
Originally published in 2007 in limited edition hardcover, The Wicked has been revised by the author, expanded with a new foreword by Mark Allan Gunnells, a new afterword by the author, and brilliant new artwork and illustrations by Jesse David Young (with additional cover layout by Yannick Bouchard). Also included is a brand new, exclusive tie-in short story written specifically for this release.]]> 352 James Newman 0615419003 David 4 2017
A classic 80's storyline - small town, evil presence, the fight between God and evil with some great characters. The author makes no excuses for taking us down this well worn road. And why should he because The Wicked was well written, very easy to read with a great flowing pace. Great entertainment and very enjoyable. ]]> 4.01 2007
author: James Newman
name: David
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2017/01/10
date added: 2017/01/10
shelves: 2017
review:
What's not to enjoy?

A classic 80's storyline - small town, evil presence, the fight between God and evil with some great characters. The author makes no excuses for taking us down this well worn road. And why should he because The Wicked was well written, very easy to read with a great flowing pace. Great entertainment and very enjoyable.
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