Tag Archives: Horror

The Jewel of Seven Stars by Bram Stoker

November 29, 2020Book ReviewBram Stoker, Classics, Dracula and Other Horror Classics, Horrorskyebjenner

Image result for barnes and noble leatherbound dracula and other horror stories book cover

Title: The Jewel of Seven Stars
Author: Bram Stoker
In: Dracula and Other Horror Classics (Bram Stoker)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Horror
Dates read: 30th – 31st October 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Barnes & Noble Leatherbound
Year: 1903
5th sentence, 74th page: The book was one which, on the very face of it, required special attention.

An Egyptologist, attempting to raise from the dead the mummy of Tera, an ancient Egyptian queen, finds a fabulous gem and is stricken senseless by an unknown force. Amid bloody and eerie scenes, his daughter is possessed by Tera’s soul, and her fate depends upon bringing Tera’s mummified body to life.

I really didn’t get all that into this novel. I did enjoy it at the time of reading. But once I finished it and sat down to jot down some notes… there really wasn’t much that I could think of to write. The whole thing was just a little bit “eh”.

Although I don’t have heaps to say about this, I did really like the atmosphere that the book created. It was perfect for sitting up late at night, drinking a glass of red wine and sinking deep into a classic. It was a little bit eerie and creepy. And just generally a good experience.

This is most definitely one of those classics that I’m going to have to reread in the future… I think that it is one, that will get better the more times I read it and sink into the world that has been created.

<- Dracula

Lair of the White Worm ->

Image source: Amazon UK

Dracula by Bram Stoker

November 17, 2020Book ReviewBram Stoker, Classics, Dracula and Other Horror Classics, Horror, Word Cloud Classicsskyebjenner

Dracula, Word Cloud Classics by Bram Stoker | 9781607105510 | Booktopia

Title: Dracula
Author: Bram Stoker
Series: Word Cloud Classics
In: Dracula and Other Horror Classics (Bram Stoker)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Horror
Dates read: 14th September – 20th October 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Word Cloud Classics
Year: 1897
5th sentence, 74th page: I trust her feeling ill may not be from that unlucky prick of the safety-pin.

Irish author Bram Stoker introduced the character of Count Dracula and provided the basis of modern vampire fiction in his 1897 novel entitled Dracula. Written as a series of letters, newspaper clippings, diary entries, and ships’ logs, the story begins with lawyer Jonathan Harker journeying to meet Dracula at his remote castle to complete a real estate transaction. Harker soon discovers that he is being held prisoner, and that Dracula has a rather disquieting nocturnal life. Touching on themes such as Victorian culture, immigration, and colonialism, among others, this timeless classic is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats! Now available as part of the Word Cloud Classics series, Dracula is a must-have addition to the libraries of all classic literature lovers.

I absolutely loved this novel. I remember picking it up last year, reading the first page and then, honestly, just getting distracted. So I wasn’t all that optimistic when I decided to try again this year… and boy was I wrong. And surprised. It was a wonderful journey into the realm of Stoker and I can FINALLY say that I have finished Dracula.

This classic is so well written and done in a form that I really wasn’t expecting. I’ve read a few recent books in this style of memos and letters cobbled together. But this is most definitely the oldest one. And, as such, it was somehow all that much more unique and… well… awesome. I loved this. I can’t stop thinking about it. And, if you get past the first three chapters, you will feel the same. I can almost guarantee it!

Honestly, there aren’t really words for how much WOW this story made me feel… it was just an amazing adventure. Kind of dark, really intense and… well, I can see where the vampire myths started and what makes this such a popular classic.

Mina and Lucy were really good female leads (and victims). They were a little bit soft and not necessarily the strongest of characters. But I do like how they, one and all, inspire love in the other characters. And it wasn’t really a sexual love (alright, in the case of Lucy it often was). But it was that love for one another that I think all of humanity needs. Or at least, that’s how I was understanding it.

This story was filled with darkness, tragedy, and a whole heap of love. I like that it was mostly happy endings and just all in all, a great, impossible to put down story. I can’t wait to read more Bram Stoker stories!

<- Treasure Island

The Art of War ->

Image source: Booktopia

Misery by Stephen King

September 17, 2020Book ReviewHorror, Stephen King, Thrillerskyebjenner

Title: Misery
Author: Stephen King
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Thriller
Dates read: 16th – 17th August 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Hodder
Year: 1987
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘Better?’

Misery Chastain was dead. Paul Sheldon had just killed her – with relief, with joy. Misery had made him rich; she was the heroine of a string of bestsellers. And now he wanted to get on to some real writing.

That’s when the car accident happened, and he woke up in pain in a strange bed. But it wasn’t the hospital. Annie Wilkes had pulled him from the wreck, brought him to her remote mountain home, splinted and set his mangled legs.

The good news was that Annie was a nurse and has pain-killing drugs. The bad news was that she was Paul’s Number One Fan. And when she found out what Paul had done to Misery, she didn’t like it. She didn’t like it at all.

I have seriously got to stop reading Stephen King novels when I know I’m going to be home alone for the night… I keep thinking that I’m tough and I want get all wiggy… and then I get all wiggy. This time I was a little smarter, I put aside a whole day and started reading Misery in the morning. Just so that even though I did get wiggy… it wasn’t during the night. Rather, it was when there was still a lot of sunlight…

I both admire and fear Stephen King. I absolutely love his writing. It is just completely impossible to put down and forget. I also fear that he has a mind that is capable of this kind of story. It’s pretty damn intense and hard to forget. This story is definitely one of those that is a thriller – and spine tingling. Plus, every time I had hope… it was completely dashed away. Each time more brutal than the last.

Aside from the heart pumping, pulse tingling, craziness of this story I also really loved that it was a story that featured the act of writing. There was the weird hatred that the writer feels for his own work, the process of creating a story and the ways in which fans become just a little too connected to the storyline. It was a really great insight into an aspect of writing that I’ve vaguely experienced, but not truly (since you know, I’m not actually an author). I love how this fascinating look into a writers’ psyche was partnered with just total and utter, brutal insanity.

As someone who works in mental health, anything that investigates the different ways in which people can break kind of fascinates me. Partnering that with the amazing way in which King is able to show the damage of psychological torture… this is most definitely not a novel that I’m going to forget anytime soon!

<- Lisey’s Story

Mr. Mercedes ->

Image source: Booktopia

The Mansion of Imperatives by James Grady

September 4, 2020Book ReviewHome Improvement, Horror, James Gradyskyebjenner

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Title: The Mansion of Imperatives
Author: James Grady
In: Home Improvement (Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Horror
Dates read: 11th August 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: We could clean it up.

Five people enter the house. Who will be allowed to leave?

So this is a super dark and powerful and uncomfortable story. It’s kind of awesome. But definitely give you the heebie jeebies as you read it. It’s pretty obvious that it’s going to be like that from the very beginning though. There is no misleading from that first sentence that this is likely to be a fun or light-hearted story. Actually, from the first sentence I kind of just assumed that they would all die…

Although I was expecting a lot of death throughout this story. I still wasn’t expecting the depth of insanity and craziness throughout this story. It was somewhat surprising and a little confronting in some places. A little bit about hidden desires. But also the First Imperative… the Will to Survive.

After finishing this story, I had a bit of a mad urge to jump up and go sit out in my backyard. The only thing that quite honestly stopped me was the fact that it was dark, raining and cold. Otherwise, something about this story would most likely have led me to sit outside and just stare at my house and wonder about it for a little while before getting the guts to come back inside…

<- Blood on the Wall

The Strength Inside ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

Field of the Dead by Kim Lakin-Smith

July 31, 2020Book ReviewGhosts, Horror, Humour, Kim Lakin-Smith, Paranormal Fantasy, The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Womenskyebjenner

Image result for the mammoth book of ghost stories by women book cover

Title: Field of the Dead
Author: Kim Lakin-Smith
In: The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women (Marie O’Regan)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Ghosts, Horror, Humour, Paranormal fantasy
Dates read: 30th June 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: Once, mind, and then no more will be said on it.

The church is being haunted in a world that doesn’t like to acknowledge the presence of ghosts. This is not only a battle of wills and power… but one of faith.

I absolutely adored the combination of the Church, the supernatural and faith in this ghostly short story. It’s a good beginning to a collection of ghost stories, just enough creepiness, without being overwhelmingly scary. I think I need to ease into the truly terrifying things-that-go-bump-in-the-night stories. It’s been a little while since I tried to read any…

This story was seriously layered in its symbolism, themes and moments. It was one of those that will leave you contemplating the story long after you’ve turned that final page. The plethora of characters, character histories and faiths had me rereading multiple passages. It was just so beautifully constructed.

This is one of those great stories that completely pulled me in, but I can’t actually remember completely what the storyline was even about. There was just something… whispy and ethereal about the story. Which most definitely suits the ghost story theme. I look forward to rereading this in the future and picking up more nuances that I previously missed.

<- The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women

Collect Call ->

Image source: Goodreads

Squatter’s Rights by Rochelle Krich

July 27, 2020Book ReviewDark Fantasy, Home Improvement, Horror, Paranormal Fantasy, Rochelle Krichskyebjenner

Title: Squatter’s Rights
Author: Rochelle Krich
In: Home Improvement (Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Horror, Paranormal fantasy
Dates read: 29th June 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: Eve was sure.

Eve and Joe have just bought their dream house. But there is something knocking in the walls at night. Who will win this battle of wills?

The start of this story made me think that it was going to be kind of cute and super sweet. Turns out I was wrong. Fairly seriously wrong too to be honest. This is not a sweet short story. It does not have a happy ending. In fact, I don’t suggest reading it just before bed… there is just something goose bump creating about it that left me cringing and feeling very seriously uncomfortable.

I did guess that this story would be a little random due to the name – after all, Squatter’s Rights are based on the idea that whoever lives in a place owns the place. I didn’t realise how truly dark Krich would take the idea and the story though. How uncomfortable I would be at the end of this short story and how much I would enjoy that feeling of discomfort…

There are many things that this story touches upon. But one of the most poignant – the fact that it is seriously easy to lose trust and faith in another person. How easy it can be to manipulate someone into believing that things aren’t all as they seem and matters should possibly taken into their own hands…

<- Gray

Blood on the Wall ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

The Monstrous edited by Ellen Datlow

July 6, 2020Book ReviewA.C. Wise, Adam L.G. Nevill, Adam-Troy Castro, Brian Hodge, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Carole Johnstone, Christopher Fowler, Dale Bailey, Dark Fantasy, Ellen Datlow, Gardner Dozois, Gemma Files, Glen Hirshberg, Horror, Jack Dann, Jeffrey Ford, John Langan, Kim Newman, Livia Llewellyn, Peter Straub, Short Story Collections, Sofia Samatar, Stephen Graham Jones, Steve Rasnic Tem, Terry Dowling, The Monstrousskyebjenner

Image result for the monstrous ellen datlow book cover

Title: The Monstrous
Author: Ellen Datlow, Jeffrey Ford, Peter Straub, Dale Bailey, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Gemma Files, Livia Llewellyn, Adam-Troy Castro, Kim Newman, Jack Dann, Gardner Dozois, Carole Johnstone, Brian Hodge, Stephen Graham Jones, Adam L. G. Nevill, Sofia Samatar, Terry Dowling, Glen Hirshberg, A.C. Wise, Steve Rasnic Tem, Christopher Fowler & John Langan
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Horror, Short story collections
Dates read: 8th January – 3rd June 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: “I supppose I do,” I reply.

Horror’s most acclaimed editor reveals twenty riveting tales of the Other gone wrong. Monsters who suffer from heartbreak, betrayal, ungrateful kids, and unpaid overtime. Creatures of darkness that struggle to adapt to modern living. Ordinary folks who find themselves inexplicably transformed. 88 But if you dare, come a bit closer and discover the most terrifying of beings – those who are living under your own skin and peering out from behind your eyes.

This collection is brilliant. It is dark, creepy and intense. It is fun. It gave me goose bumps. And it is filled with monsters who come in ALL shapes and sizes. And I mean ALL. A wonderful, fantastic and seriously enjoyable collection filled with the things that go bump in the night. The things that you really hope aren’t hiding under your bed.

Although this anthology sits in my horror shelf, it isn’t really all that scary. Sure, there are multiple moments of discomfort throughout. But they’re that, you have to think a little too much, or consider the many moments of confusion throughout this story that you really don’t necessarily want to think too much about. And, honestly, it’s not the things that jump out and yell BOO that make me love horror. It’s that underlying discomfort that makes you look at your own life that I am quickly becoming obsessed with.

I absolutely adored this collection. It was filled with some familiar names and new ones. Each and every story made me stop and really think about what the storyline was saying. And even now, when I have still finished the whole collection… I am still thinking about some of the stories that I read.

<- Run, Rabbit, Run

A Natural History of Autumn ->

Image source: Amazon

Corpsemouth by John Langan

July 4, 2020Book ReviewHorror, John Langan, The Monstrousskyebjenner

Title: Corpsemouth
Author: John Langan
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Horror
Dates read: 3rd June 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: I didn’t know what to say.

Take a journey into the not-so-pleasant world of Corpsemouth.

Writing this review, I struggle a little to remember exactly what this short story is about. I remember that I enjoyed this while I read it. That I thought it was fun, dark and enjoyable. But what it was actually about – that I can’t really remember. It’s a bit of a blur there.

One thing that I also remember about this story is that it was a brilliant style of writing. Disjointed and hard to follow. Which is probably why I don’t hugely remember what I actually read. But, it’s also why I still gave this a four out of five stars… it might be disjointed and difficult to remember the storyline. But it was also something that I remember really enjoying at the time.

This is one of those stories that, although I can’t write much about it in a review… I will definitely read it again. Not just because I enjoyed it the first time, so figure I’ll enjoy it the second time. But also because I think that this is one of those stories that I will gain more out of the more and more times I read it.

<- Piano Man

Naked City ->

Image source: Amazon

Piano Man by Christopher Fowler

July 2, 2020Book ReviewChristopher Fowler, Horror, The Monstrousskyebjenner

Title: Piano Man
Author: Christopher Fowler
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Horror
Dates read: 2nd June 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: Then I heard it again, closer this time, a sound like a harpsichord being dropped on its side, discordant high notes and bass echoes that underscored the movement of something shifting hesitantly outside the walls.

A renovation involving an antique piano takes a sinister turn. One that will shock and surprise you.

This is a really disjointed short story. It wasn’t even remotely what I expected. But it was also really good. However, the disjointed nature did mean that it took me a little while to catch up with what was going on… maybe what the author had in mind when he wrote this?

There was / is something about Piano Man that I can’t quite seem to get out of my head. Something powerful that lingers and haunts. And just in general captivates. There’s the setting and the characters and the mystery. There’s the supernatural and the mundane. It all works together to create this great, kind of unforgettable story that left me with, well, not a smile, because it was a dark story, but left me happy that I had read this story.

I don’t fully understand the supernatural element in this story. I think that I would have to reread it to find the hints about this element that I had kind of missed. But, overall, I did really enjoy reading this tale. And experiencing such a great, intense, impossible to forget tale. Seriously enjoyable.

<- The Monster Makers

Corpsemouth ->

Image source: Amazon

The Monster Makers by Steve Rasnic Tem

June 27, 2020Book ReviewDark Fantasy, Family, Horror, Steve Rasnic Tem, The Monstrousskyebjenner

Title: The Monster Makers
Author: Steve Rasnic Tem
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Family, Horror
Dates read: 25th May 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: They kick and wave, thrilled.

Have you ever wondered where little monsters come from? Are they born or are they made? And just who makes them?

I both thought that this story was kind of nice and really not pleasant. I mean, the grandfather obviously dotes upon his grandchildren. And his wife. And he spends the entirety of the story loving them all for exactly who they are. But then there’s the dark side…

And what a dark side it is… there is a weirdness in this constant idea of changing bodies and creatures. There is the loss of sanity and ambulatory skills in the grandparents. But most of all, there is the relationship between narrator (Grandfather) and son. It’s a little bit uncomfortable and upsetting.

Yet, it continues to get darker and darker. Once the bad thing to the son happens, then there is yet another not so good moment in which the grandchildren… well, I’m not really sure what they do. But I know that it’s creepy. You’ll just have to pick up this short story to find out what I’m talking about for yourself.

<- Chasing Sunset

Piano Man ->

Image source: Amazon

Earth and Skye

The ramblings of a bibliophile.

Tag Archives: Horror

The Jewel of Seven Stars by Bram Stoker

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Misery by Stephen King

The Mansion of Imperatives by James Grady

Field of the Dead by Kim Lakin-Smith

Squatter’s Rights by Rochelle Krich

The Monstrous edited by Ellen Datlow

Corpsemouth by John Langan

Piano Man by Christopher Fowler

The Monster Makers by Steve Rasnic Tem