The scariest book I've ever read actually happens to be a non-fiction book. 'Communion' by Whitley Strieber, it's about alien abductions and is probably the reason I'm addicted to the History Channel and scared to death of alien abductions. Yet, topping my charts in the fiction category there are two power house writers that instantly come to mind, Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Those two men defined my nightmares in my tween and teen years.
Darkfall by Dean Koontz
Genre: Adult, Horror Order Online: Amazon.com A must have purchase.
The cake topper, so-to-speak was a book called 'Darkfall' by Dean Koontz. The book covers a winter landscape and a city stalked by what the authorities fear is a psychopath. But as odd sounds are heard and silver eyes are seen the true horror of what is killing becomes known. Koontz is one of the masters of horror and if you are looking for some thrills and chills his books are where to meander towards. I would highly recommend his earlier titles, because like a good deal of authors their earlier work has something to prove - so it will stick with you.
Koontz's timing and suspense are what keep you enthralled and the graphic detail that he goes into will chill you to the bone. Koontz can just paint a picture of horrific proportions that is completely evil.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Recommended for horror fans, there are explicit scenes of violence and language. I read this one when I was young and I'm not scarred for life.
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PJVs QUICKIE POV: What can I say, Strieber is a legend in the literary community. His books have scared me silly and made my little mind churn more than the scientific texts that I studied in college. The Omega Point is a testament to the intensity that he puts to each novel. The novel blends esoteric historical facts, with modern day religious beliefs and scientific principals seamlessly in one chilling apocalyptic package. I couldn't put this novel down, and in fact was so into it, in the line at the DMV, the bank, Wal-Mart, Lakeside Mall... that people were peering at the cover trying to see what had me so enraptured. (Also passed it along to my father who gave me my first Strieber book as a kid -- and he called me later that day and said he couldn't put it down)
REVIEW: When 2012 passes with hardly a fizzle, the world laughs in the face of the zealots and charlatans that had touted End-of-World prophecies and dooms day scenarios. Yet, 8 years later as the Earth is entering the path of a Supernova that will ultimately incinerate all life and the exact date they first entered within the range of the Supernova turns out to be December 21, 2012, they day the Mayan calendar ends, no one laughs - mostly because the world is in chaos, mass populations have gone into hiding in huge redoubts carved within mountains. They have left the rest of the population to fend for themselves - intent on surviving the catastrophe and repopulating the Earth with the privileged and rich who could afford places within these redoubts.
On the opposite perspective their is a select few who have been prepared for the disaster and might just possess the means to survive, if not flourish within these end of days. They have kept their knowledge so secret that even the members of this select few have self-induced amnesia and psychosis to hide from themselves and the others that will stop at nothing to find out what they know.
David, the hero of The Omega Point is thrown into this chaos, thinking that he has procured a coveted position heading up an exclusive psychiatric facility that specializes in the rich and well-known. He is taken by surprise though, when the woman who hired him divulges that he is actually there to awaken the patients from their induced craziness and amnesia. He is also taken by surprise when he is told that he is also suffering from amnesia, that his mission is to save a small percentage of the population, and his leadership has been foretold thousands of years ago. It quite literally sounds like madness, and as David swims through this madness and chaos you can quite literally taste it upon the pages. Every word and sentence that Strieber writes literates the chaotic and unbalanced nature of the moment, yet as conclusions are made and mysteries are solved the writing levels out and calms. The word play and dialogue was quite an experience in itself.
Added to the masterful writing, Strieber has woven a high-energy tale of fiery death and destruction, the pages are brimming with scientific facts, intense spiritual opinions and ideas, alien creationist theories and historical suppositions that had me scratching my head and believing that it just might be possible. After reading this I felt like I had just read a Left Behind novel written by Zecharia Sitchin. The weaving of Christian faith, with ancient Mayan and Egyptian gods and goddesses, then paired with alien origin theories was in itself mind-boggling and strangely real. Add to it, the fictional apocalyptic backdrop and you have yourself one hell of a thrill ride.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Adult fiction with graphic violence and sexual themes. For mature readers. Fans of Stephen King's The Stand, Carl Sagan's Contact and Arthur C. Clark's Time Odyssey Series should enjoy.
The Marks of Cain by Tom Knox Review copy provided by publisher.
PJVs QUICKIE POV: Well my first impression is the cover and WOW very well done and expensive looking, I really liked the cover. Unfortunately, regarding the plot and writing I was bit on the fence regarding the entirety. Stuffed full of Ok characters, Ok drama and Ok plot threads, well this book was Ok. The writing was the best part of it. Knox, which is the AKA of Sean Thomas (London area reporter), indubitably establishes himself and an excellent writer, crafting his sentences like a sculpture would make fine etches in clay, yet while his pen was well played, his plot and characters were not.
REVIEW: The Marks of Cain follow two threads, one is in the POV of David Martinez a relative orphan. He has lost his parents as a teenager and now as an adult finds himself preparing for his last family member to die, leaving him completely alone in the world. On his grandfather's deathbed, he makes David promise to follow a strange map and seek out a man in the Basque are of Spain. An odd request, but when a lawyer calls after the funeral and tells David he has 2 million dollars for him, but only if he will travel to Spain, David can't resist the mystery.
While in Spain, David blunders into more of a mystery, but practically an all out war, as he is submerged into the complex political goings-on of the Basque and the Spanish government. With a very badly handled interaction with a Basque terrorist, David is now on the run with a beautiful stranger, fighting to save both of their lives and unwrap the mystery of his grandfather's map.
The second thread follows a London crime reporter on the hunt to solve a series of bizarre murders. The MO is strange - and the deeper Simon Quinn gets into the investigation the more he starts to realize that it is so much more than simple murder.
A bizarre story, that brings in all of the latest popular mystery/thriller aspects, including a few more. Bring in the terrorist (not the usual middle eastern variety though), add some Catholics, some DNA mysteries...instant best seller right? I really don't think so, but that is my opinion.
The problems I had with this book are as follows: David and Amy were constantly being pursued, the bad guy almost omnipotent in his tracking of them. They traveled through Spain and France and yet, aforementioned bad guy was always two seconds behind. They were constantly getting pistol whipped, "raped", punched, kicked...and they always managed to escape. The first time being the most unbelievable. The other times, just a bit more plausible. They also came to conclusions and I wasn't putting those conclusions together until it was explicitly explained later on. So David after something was revealed would go "Ah ha, I know what this is about." And I would go - "huh?" Until a few pages later when he would have to catch Amy up on it, but I still wouldn't understand how he came to that conclusion. There were also a few topics that were a bit controversial. Were they controversial to boost sales or the story, you decide?
What I liked about the novel was the writing. I really liked Knox's voice and wished that the plot worked out better because than this would have been a real winner for me. Maybe mystery/thrillers aren't Knox's thing, I will most likely read more of this author's writing.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Adult novel. This is for mature readers, there are very controversial topics within these pages, sexual, violence, cursing etc.
PJV's QUICKIE POV: Slow to start but worth the wait, this creepy thrill ride had me glued. Stewart has a unique writing style that was like trying a new foreign dish. It took me a few bits, but once I acclimated myself to the taste...I was hooked. The author also showed a deep understanding of the subjects talked about, each character had their own personalities and thumb-prints. You might not like those characters, but each were well-formed and an three dimensional, instead of the usual supporting characters in novels, who are usually just their for placers.
REVIEW: Center stage is the discovery of what is believed to be a fossil in a very odd little trailer town that is centered around the tar sands and the company that mines them for oil.
You get the feeling that fossils are found a lot in the region, given that they are tar sands and dinosaurs had a habit of falling into them and becoming, well fossils, so of course the managers want to speed up this fossil extraction. They go over local girl, Kim Axon's, paleontologist, head and bring in a creepy cryptozoologist, Dr. Sebastien Bythell. Quickly Kim begins to suspect that Dr. Bythell is up to no good, and is rather odd, when the fossil gets extracted over night. As more and more characters are introduced and come into play, you begin to realize that something is strange about this town and because it is a horror story - something serious creepy.
When really screwy events begin happening, murders, a mysterious illness and more odd appearances by Dr. Bythell this town is plunged into utter chaos and mass hysteria is reached. Now enters the survivors and their desperate fight to save their lives. You don't want to miss their story.
Like I said before, Stewart has a unique writing style and character depiction I very much enjoyed. His character creation was by far the best part of The Sand Dragon. Each character had their own flavor and world building that was exemplary. Their bleak lives were thrust at you with nothing hidden, open for you to relate to, sympathize, or hate. I almost believed that this was a non-fiction, the characters were so very poignant. Not only that, his story telling was gritty and in-your-face that will leave you shivering and begging for more, that is if you like a bit of adrenaline...
RECOMMENDATIONS: This is an adult novel. I recommend this for horror fans, if you've read liked, Koontz, King, etc., you'll enjoy this one.
PJVs QUICKIE POV: Rollercoaster! This book was a macabre rollercoaster through a week of one boys life. Entertaining and spine chilling, The Light, flung me from one impending and near death experience to the next, never letting me up for breath. Not often does a book leave me chilled, but this one almost had me sleeping with the light on.
REVIEW: Marshall Seaver is in a bad place when we are introduced to him in The Light. Dealing with the repercussions of his mother's death, Marsh has become rather reclusive, content to get lost in books, movies and games revolving around fantasy and science fiction. Marsh has one friend, Cooper Foley and that relationship is a bit tenuous. Cooper is everything that Marsh is not. Cooper is popular, a risk taker, a boy who doesn't care about what people think. Coop and Marsh are the exact opposites, yet have been friends forever. Lately Cooper has been getting into trouble, taking risks that aren't minor league anymore. The latest spot of trouble involved some counterfeit tickets and a few policemen.
Because of the trouble, Coop is sent up to his parents lake house for the summer and Marsh is left at home with no friends and even his father is on a business trip.
This is when the haunting begins. At first Marsh thinks it is all in his head, he's hearing things... he must be having hearing problems from the loud music. Then he starts to see things. Is he going crazy, is he seeing hallucinations? When these hallucinations have him fleeing his home, desperate to save his life from something that can only be made up in his head, Marsh is desperate for any kind of help. He finds that help in Coop's, older, ice-queen sister, or at least she helps him get in touch with her parents, only to find out that Cooper is missing. Desperate to find his friend, Marsh heads up their to find answers and hopefully to escape the ghoul that is chasing him.
Along the way, discoveries are made, and the game goes from a simple haunting to a desperate fight for his life, the life of his friends and maybe the world as he knows it.
The Light is a high impact read that will keep the adrenaline pumping and wanting more. This book never stopped it's forward motion.
Things I liked about The Light:
Intense action sequences
Well laid plot lines
Creepy bad guys
Supporting characters
Main characters growth
Things that I didn't like:
The main character was a bit of a pain in the beginning all whiney and whimpery, but he transitioned, so I guess that was the point
I'm not a big fan of foreshadowing and the prlogue was a foreshadow reminsicent of Twilight it was intriguing but I wasn't really that big a fan of it
There was a lot of stereotyping, which is rampant in YA fic/movies, sometimes I wish authors would step out of it. Stop with the bully/jock, the snarky/pop/hot chick, the dorky/star wars geek/rocket builder geek...
Bad points were few and far between though...definitly worth the time to read. I've been on a roll lately, both YA and adult. Go me.
RECOMMENDATIONS: For teens and adults. It is a bit scary but nothing inappropriate. Horror fans and thrill seekers should enjoy.
Stop by the Morpheus Road: The Light Blog tour that I am hosting April 16th and you could win a $50 Gift Card.
Question? What scares you?
My answer...Aliens! I have a bizarre fear of being abducted by aliens. Odd right?
PJV's Quickie POV: An action packed thriller, filled with demons and evil witches that will have your spine shivering. The novel digs in after a few chapters and doesn't let go, sending you on an adventure that is reminiscent of the final throws of Sunnydale (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). My knuckles were white throughout most of this novel as the protagonist battled demon after demon, fighting for her life and the future of mankind. With each page more and more was revealed as layer upon layer of religious background, forensics, demonology, showed of the immense amounts of research the author must have put in to pen this series.
Review: Moira is a witch. A witch descended from a long line of magic and evil. Her mother conceived her for the soul purpose of sacrificing her to Hell to be used as a conduit between the worlds. A goddess her mother had said, one that walks both worlds, yet none. Moira knew the truth though, she wouldn't be a goddess, she would be a slave. She escaped and found solace with her mother's enemy, the priests of the order of St. Michael's. She learned to battle the forces of evil, she learned faith and she also learned to love.
Her mother would not stop until she was either found, or destroyed. And all it took was one error on Moira's part, and everything she had came crashing down upon her and she barely escaped with her life. Her life, faith and reputation in tatters, Moira sets off to do the one thing she was destined to do, find and kill her mother. Her mother Fiona has other plans though...
Original Sin surprised me. Within the first two chapters I was actually getting to the point where I thought I might have to put it aside. It was moving slowly, well written but nothing was sucking me in. Boy was I surprised as I got deeper in the book and couldn't put the thing down! Action sequence after action sequence, Original Sin, definitely wasn't boring anymore. I'm very glad I didn't give in and push it to the side. Original Sin has it all, great characters, fast moving plot, detailed background, excellent tone and chills and thrills to make you want to run to the nearest church and say a few Hail Marys.
PJ Fact #42, raised Catholic, very Catholic (didn't go to a day of public school) and the Catholic religion is a big focus of this novel, and it was done well. Nothing like reading about warrior priests to bring back childhood memories. Some of those Jesuits looked like they've taken down a demon or two. Beside bringing out repressed Catholic memories the book did more than just entertain. Well worth the money, and from what I could tell, very easy to find, since I saw rows and rows of the book at every store I went to this weekend, from Rite Aid to Sam's.
Recommendations: Adult book for adult readers, there is violence, sex and a smidge of cursing. This is not what I would call a Paranormal Romance, there are a lot of "I Love Yous" from various characters, but the romance is not the main focus, it is the battle between good an evil. A nice introductory PNR if you are a fan of thrillers. Fans of horror, authors like Koontz and King should take a look.
Under the Dome falls flat, during the entire 1000+ pages I felt as if I, myself was sipping on stale air.
I haven't read a King novel in a long time. It has at least been a decade. King will always remain in my heart as the novelist who popped my paranormal cherry. It was 6th grade and I read IT to the horror of my deeply religious teacher, who couldn't believe that I was reading the book, and thought I was just showing off by bringing the book to "free time". (Catholic School K-12) The man actually gave me a test on the book to prove that I was lying and as unintelligent as he assumed I was.
Since then I sucked down every King novel that was in our local library, and The Stand still remains as one of my top 10 favorite books in existence. Yet, with maturity comes changes in taste and my tastes moved away from Mr. King's novels and onto others. With his release of Under the Dome I thought it might be the time to go back and sample Kings writings. Especially since I had a 50% Off coupon from Borders. (Yes I bought this sucker with my own money)
I think I picked the wrong novel to make my way back into King's macabre world. This novel can't even compare to some of his earlier writing. It had everything that makes King's writing memorable and epic: witty dialog between characters, the intense action sequences, death and destruction, larger than life villains and troubled, soiled and touching good guys/girls.
Yet, there was a lot of undesirables in this novel also.
For one there were way too many characters. There was an index! I was completely lost during half the book as the POV shifted and it took me almost a page to figure out who this person was.
Secondly, there was too much foreshadowing within the novel. So much so, that when the climax hit, I was just basically like "Oh ok, well finally." No surprise, just grisly teeth grinding as I read through the graphic depictions of people's deaths.
Next I also thought the characters were a bit off. Sometimes they just didn't act like themselves.
Lastly, it was just too much. Too much book for me. Too many characters, too much description, too many plot lines that were way too hard to follow. I skimmed a lot through this book. Half this book could have been cut out and it would have been much better. There was also tons of plot threads that didn't match. Bigger the author - the more the editor gets scared of them, huh?
Oh, and on a personal note - mom always tells me not to discuss politics and religion in polite company. This book was choked full of political references and religious stereotypes. It was very obvious which way King's political beliefs fell, and his stereotyping of right-wing crazies was insulting at some times. I've really had enough of actors and singers getting political - there is nothing like going to a concert and hearing a singer blab about this and that political agenda. I really don't want to read it either. But that is just this reviewers opinion.
Fans of King will probably enjoy this. For me, well it was just pretty stale - like that old pack of cigarettes that you find in your coat pocket when you pull it out for the winter. Eureka! Look what I've found - until you smoke it. You get the nicotine kick - but it just tastes like chicken poop.
It is Zombie Time! Cheating, Death by Teel McClanahan III is a horrifying roller coaster ride through the zombie filled streets of Denver. The book is a short, thrilling ride...so I'm going to keep this review nice and short also.
The story takes you to Denver where some zombies have gotten loose in the streets - and they are doing what they do best -eating people. Melvin, who witnesses the first attack, grabs his family and skedaddles. But, escape is not that easy, and Melvin and his wife find themselves in a very terrifying and heart breaking race to save themselves and hopefully their children.
The book is well written, and the tone of the novel is consistent. The tone is narrative and almost apathetic. Straight forward descriptions are given of bloody gag-inducing scenes. This kind of narrative tone can turn some readers off, but it actually helped me keep reading. The disassociation of the narrator let me not panic as much as I would have when reading a particularly gruesome scene in the stadium.
Because of this disassociation though, I did have a few little problems. The characters sometimes seemed to be reacting in a manner that was not consistent in a real world situation. Now, don't get me wrong, I have never been in a zombie attack and I'm guessing everyone would be in shock. But I have been in some high-stress situations and I think the characters reacted in a manner I didn't expect.
Other than that, I was happily pleased with this book. Recommended for adults who want a little gore in their books. If you like fuzzy kitties, happy love stories and meadow frolicking with dukes that like to ravish...well I don't think this would be your thing.
Thanks to Mr. McClanahan for offering up his book for my reading pleasures!
Please stop on by and purchase his book here: Click Me!
by Whitley Strieber
, Carl Sagan's 
and Arthur C. Clark's 
should enjoy.
The Marks of Cain by Tom Knox
by Micheal F. Stewart
by D.J. MacHale
by Allison Brennan
