A Book Lover's Dream-or Nightmare!

Here is but one of the many reasons that I love Stephen King as an author-who else would think to write a horror story about the Kindle, for the Kindle?  OK, I suppose it could seem a little gimmicky, but it works!

UR is a novella about Wesley Smith, an English professor at a mediocre college in a small town in Kentucky.  After a vicious fight with his girlfriend over his reading habits, he buys a Kindle out of spite.  Sure that his purchase will be a passing fad in his reading life, he begins searching for titles.  What he finds astonishes him-the Kindle seems to have access to alternate realities where his favorite authors lived longer, and wrote MORE BOOKS!  Or they died when they were "supposed" to, but wrote DIFFERENT BOOKS!  Seriously, what else could a reader ask for but hundreds of new titles in millions of alternate realities from their favorite authors?  You could do nothing else but read for the rest of your life and never get through all of them!  Which is exactly where I thought the story was going.  King does a good job with obsession-I thought that this would be a return to Needful Things.

But not only does the new Kindle let you download titles from alternate realities, it also lets you check out the New York Times, and the local news.  Difference is, with the local news, instead of getting alternate versions, you get the future of the reality you live in.  And what Wesley sees in his future is too terrible to contemplate.

This is King at his short story/novella best.  He sets the scene, develops a character seamlessly, and moves you right along.  I was so intrigued by the whole idea of the Ur alternates.  Of course, anyone familiar with King's Dark Tower series knows that the Ur references the various levels of the Tower, and I was not surprised when the low men showed up to punish Wes for his paradox infraction.  But you don't have to have read the 3600+ Dark Tower books to appreciate and enjoy UR.

Like Father, Too Much Like Son?

Any consistent readers of this blog know that I am a superfan of Stephen King.  Despite his many books, the movies made from them, and his gobs of money, I believe he is under-appreciated in literary circles; dismissed as a genre writer, making his name by selling us the same story over and over.  While clearly not every book he has ever written is a literary masterpiece (though I've loved them all), The Stand, It, and The Dark Tower series are masterpieces, in my humble opinion.  As an avid reader and defender of King's literary merit, I was excited to discover that his son, Joe Hill, is also a writer.  I mean, surely the apple didn't fall far from the tree, right?

Hill's debut novel, Heart Shaped Box, is the story of Judas Coyne, and aging heavy metal star with an interest in the macabre and occult.  When an actual ghost is offered for sale on the internet, he can't resist.  The suit containing the ghost arrives in a heart-shaped box, and loses no time in terrorizing Coyne and those closest to him.

In my professional life, I'm taught to lead with the positive, so here it is-this books is scary.  I mean really scary.  I was creeped out pretty much from beginning to end.  It is fast-paced, and when the final show-down comes you are not disappointed.  The characters are pretty well drawn, and there is that subtext of redemption that is present in so many horror novels.  I did feel a little bit of whiplash at the beginning, as Hill wastes no time getting us into the action.  The characters stories are doled out a little at a time, which made the beginning a little disjointed for me.  But eventually all became clear, and there were some twists that I didn't see coming, which I always appreciate.

Despite that, I am left not loving this book, and I'll tell you why-it felt very much like one of his father's not-so-brilliant books.  It is clear to me that Hill has read everything his father has ever written, and whether purposeful or not, some of it ended up in this book.  I kept getting distracted thinking, "Oh, that's like in Christine", or "Hmm, that reminds me of Needful Things" and "Gee, didn't something like this happen in It?"  Yes, I realize that in the first paragraph of this post I said that I chose this book at least partly in hopes that Joe Hill would be like his dad-what can I say, I'm fickle like that!

I don't usually read other reviews of a book before reviewing it myself, but I did check some out for this book, because I thought that maybe I was imagining this Kingcentricness.  While most "official" reviews seem to praise it, the word on Goodreads and blogs is that people were disappointed-one even went so far as to say that Stephen King should be disappointed in his son.  I won't go that far, but I will say that unless Joe Hill, author, can find a way to distance himself from papa, he will probably continue to be perceived as Stephen King-lite, published more for who he is than what he writes.

Short Story Peril: "What Was It?" by Fitz-James O'Brien

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What Was It? by Fitz-James O'Brien (The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories)

What Was It? was one of the most extraordinary ghost stories I had read in a while. To be frank, I did not know if I should classified this as a ghost story because the overall story just astounded me (even the narrator said so himself through the opening line).

"It is, I confess, with considerable diffidence that I approach the strange narrative which I am about to relate. The events which I purpose detailing are of so extraordinary a character that I am quite prepared to meet with an unusual amount of incredulity and scorn."

Harry (the narrator whose name I did not know until later) lives at No. -- Twenty-sixth Street in New York (for some reason, the number wasn't disclosed and I wondered why). The house was built some years back by Mr A-- (again the name wasn't fully disclose) but he died of a broken heart after a stupendous bank fraud. After the news of his decease reached the country, and from there rumours are that the house was haunted. The caretaker and his wife who temporarily inhabited the place by the house-agent had declared that they were troubled with unnatural noises, and claimed that doors were opened without any visible agency and that the remnants of furniture were scattered through the various rooms were piled one upon the other by unknown hands, etc etc. The house agent did not believe the couple, and put others in their place. This continues until a Mrs Moffat (who is Harry's landlady) decided to rent the house and she brought along her set of boarders from her boarding-house who declared that they would accompany her to explore the supernatural beings, if there is any.

As you would have guessed, Harry did encounter something but what he found just astounded (and perplexed) me. Is it a ghost? I wasn't sure, and I do not wish to elaborate much further in case you want to read it and find out yourself. At this point, all I can say is the title is very fitting for I find myself scratching my head and asking that same question - What was it?

Related Post

The Old Nurse's Story by Elizabeth Gaskell

Short Story Peril: "The Old Nurse's Story" by Elizabeth Gaskell

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ISBN-13: 9780141442365
Publisher: Penguin Group
Published: April 2010
Source: Personal Library

The Old Nurse’s Story by Elizabeth Gaskell

The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories is a collection of gothic tales written by various well-known writers during the 19th century to early twentieth century. Elizabeth Gaskell's The Old Nurse's Story is the first story of this anthology and this was first published in Charles Dickens' weekly periodical Household Words in 1852.

The Old Nurse's Story is unlike any other gothic tales I have read, for its first opening line started with a second person narrative, in which I confess it is not my favourite narrative mode to read, but yet I find it works quite well here. Here is the opening line:

You know, my dears, that your mother was an orphan, and an only child; and I dare say you have heard that your grandfather was a clergyman up in Westmoreland, where I come from.

This is a tale of an old nurse named Hester (which does not disclose until towards the middle) as she recalls her experience working as a charge to a young Miss Rosamond in Furnivall Manor. Hester plays a huge role in Miss Rosamond's life since she is an orphan; and the house where they are moving in happens to be some old relatives of Miss Rosamond's family. Despite the huge and isolated manor, the household consists only of the ageing Miss Furnivall and a few housekeepers.

Hester and Miss Rosamond are quite adjusted to their new life there, until one evening she hears someone playing the organ despite that it is all broken and destroyed inside. However, that is not all to it as she is also curious about the east wing of the house that is always stayed locked. The true terror only begins when Hester found Miss Rosamond has gone missing one day and this allows her to learn of the old secrets that has been tormenting Miss Furnivall for years.

The Old Nurse's Story has all the right elements of a great gothic tale - an atmospheric setting of an old manor no doubt, a dark secret and the strange behaviour among the Furnivall's household.

As much as this is a ghost story, I think it is more appropriate to say this is also very much a sad and tragic story and this is where I need to put an end to this post. My verdict? I loved it!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Welcome to another edition of It's Monday, What Are You Reading, hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey.

For me, it's more like a "Where have you been for the last two weeks post?", since I somehow missed the boat last week.    School starts today, and while my blog may have been slightly neglected, my classroom looks wonderful :)

So, since my last Monday post, here's how things stack up:

Books read:

A Dark Matter, by Peter Straub

Clay's Ark, by Octavia E. Butler

Farm Fresh Murder, by Paige Shelton

Deception, by John Kellerman (review coming soon!)

Reading has definitely slowed down in my world-darn that having to work thing, anyway!  So, what's up next?

Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

I was informed that my copy is on it's way from Amazon!  I read the first two in late winter, and cursed my friends who recommended Hunger Games for not waiting a few months so I could just read all three at once!

Wild Ginger, by Anchee Min

The Red Guards have branded Wild Ginger's deceased father a traitor and eventually drive her mother to a gruesome suicide, but she fervently embraces Maoism to save her spirit. She rises quickly through the ranks and is held up as a national model for Maoism. Wild Ginger now has everything, even a young man who vies for her heart. But Mao's prohibition on romantic love places her in an untenable position. Into this sexually charged situation steps Maple, creating an uneasy triangle that Min has portrayed with keen psychological insight and her characteristic gift for lyrical eroticism.(from Goodreads)

The Passion of Alice, by Stephanie Grant

It's 1984. Alice Forrester is a twenty-five-year-old anorexic who has just experienced heart failure when she is taken to the emergency room of Seaview Hospital, renowned for its eating disorders clinic. There, family and friends in league with staff and doctors intently try to steer her toward recovery. But it's not that simple. She passes time at the clinic waiting to find out what is wrong with her. What happened. When and how the damage was done. (from Goodreads)

Whisper to the Blood, Dana Stabenow

Inside Alaska’s biggest national park, around the town of Niniltna, a gold mining company has started buying up land. The residents of the Park are uneasy. “But gold is up to nine hundred dollars an ounce” is the refrain of Talia Macleod, the popular Alaskan skiing champ the company has hired to improve their relations with Alaskans and pave the way for the mine’s expansion. And she promises much-needed jobs to the locals.

But before she can make her way to every village in the area to present her case at town meetings and village breakfasts, there are two brutal murders, including that of a long-standing mine opponent. The investigation into those deaths falls to Trooper Jim Chopin and, as usual, he needs Kate to help him get to the heart of the matter.

Between those deaths and a series of attacks on snowmobilers up the Kanuyaq River, not to mention the still-open homicide of Park villain Louis Deem last year, part-time P.I. and newly elected chairman of the Niniltna Native Association Kate Shugak has her hands very much full. (from Goodreads)

Patternmaster, by Octavia E. Butler

The combined mind--force of a telepathic race, patternist thoughts can destroy, heal, rule. For the strongest mind commands the entire pattern and all ...more  
The combined mind--force of a telepathic race, patternist thoughts can destroy, heal, rule. For the strongest mind commands the entire pattern and all within. Now the son of the Patternmaster craves this ultimate power, He has murdered or enslaved every threat to his ambition----except one. In the wild, mutant--infested hills, a young apprentice must be hunted down and destroyed because he is the tyrant's equal....and the Pattermaster's other son. (from Goodreads)

A Dark Matter, by Peter Straub

If you were forced to distill the world down into it's essence, and the goal of humanity down to it's simplest form, I think that what you would have is the struggle for good over evil.  This theme is at the heart of almost everything we do as a people-the way we treat family and friends, the way we structure our society, the way we write our laws. It's the basis for most religions.  And it is the theme of an awful lot of literature.  Including A Dark Matter, by Peter Straub.

I first discovered Straub through his collaborations with Stephen King, and I have loved his work for much the same reason-good character development, intriguing supernatural plots, both of which have something to say about the world as we know it.  While he occasionally strays away from the horror genre, his best stuff, to me, are the scary, inexplicable stories.  I was very excited to find the latest Straub in the boxes of books my mother had for me on my last visit.  I think that I may have psyched myself up a little too much!

A Dark Matter is the story of five high school friends growing up in Madison, WI in the 1960s.  Four of them fall under the spell of a "guru" named Spencer Mallon, and follow him into a field one spring night to participate in an arcane ritual designed to change the world-for better or for worse is yet to be seen.  The ritual leaves one person dead, and sends another to a mental hospital.  Forty years later, the friend who didn't go, Lee Harwell, famous author, calls all of his former friends together (including his wife), and Roshamon style they tell the story of what happened to them in that clearing.

This sounds like exactly my cup of Oolong, but for some reason I had trouble sipping it down.  The story just did not hold my attention the way his books usually do.  I grew frustrated with the slow doling out of details, and I often found myself having to go back and re-read a page because my mind had drifted to other things-never a good sign for a book.  When we finally got to the big reveal, I was a little underwhelmed.   When we finally get to the last story, the final piece of the puzzle, I was surprised to find that all of the preceding pages were leading up to the idea that without evil, you cannot have good, therefore there are evil beings in the world.  Not exactly the most profound (or original, or creatively made) statement.  I was so disappointed!  I had obviously worked myself up into such a lather of excitement about a new Peter Straub that I was probably bound to be slightly disappointed regardless, but I really think that this is just not his best work.  If you've never read Straub before, start with Ghost Story, or Koko, or Mystery, or the Hellfire Club, and read his collaborations with Stephen King, The Talisman and Black House.

Oh, Uncle Stevie, How I've Missed You!

Dear Uncle Stevie,

I don't know how it happened, but somehow we lost touch for a few years.  I mean, you were always my favorite uncle, and I made sure to read every one of your stories as soon as it came out.  I even spent an amazing eight weeks or so traveling with you and Roland Des Chaines through the wilderness chasing the man in black (that's right-I read all seven books in a row).  After that, you mysteriously disappeared from my thoughts (perhaps there was something that didn't want me to remember!).  Did I know that something was missing from my life?  There must have been hints, little tugs at my consciousness-why didn't I pay attention?!?

We can give credit for my sudden reemergence into your world to a book blog challenge.  I was cruising through my book blogs, randomly reading here and there the witty, insightful words of my fellow bloggers, and suddenly I stumbled upon it-the Stephen King Challenge.  Did you know that there are otherconstant readers out there trying to read every word you ever wrote?  I thought, "Now there's a challenge I've already completed, since I've read all of his books!" (Please mark the smugness in my tone.) But then, I looked at the list of your complete works.  And there were five, count 'em, FIVE titles on there I had never even heard of, much less read!  Oh, clearly there were dark forces at work, if I could somehow miss FIVE of your masterpieces.  I needed to read my Uncle Stevie, and I needed to do it NOW!

So, I just finished Duma Key, and I am as happy as a pig in, well, you know...Don't get me wrong, I love all of your books, but my favorites are the straight-up ghost stories, and this one is a doozy!  Poor Edgar-losing his right arm in the accident like that.  But, it did give him that amazing power.  It reminded me a little bit of the painter on Heroes, but without all of the Sylar-is-trying-to-steal-my-power, will-I-be-good-or-bad drama!  The descriptions of the island itself were wonderful, and even with all of the craziness going on there I still wanted to see it!  I wanted a Big Pink of my own to hole up in and escape from the rest of the world.  When Edgar meets Wireman and Elizabeth, and starts to learn about her family's tragic history, I was swept away in the creepiness of it all.  And unlike certain TV shows that want to make everything as confusing as possible before revealing that everyone is really dead (yeah, I'm still a little bit bitter), your story wraps up so perfectly, with everything accounted for-so satisfying!  Thank you, Uncle Stevie, for another fabulous tale.  How I've missed you!

Your (nearly) constant reader,

Heather

Mini Movie Reviews: The Hill Have Eyes and How to Train Your Dragon

I know I don't always post reviews on the movies I watched, but I want to share my thoughts with you on these two movies which I saw lately. Let me begin with The Hill Have Eyes. I have to admit I am a total wimp when it comes to horror movies, yet I am fascinated with them. We watched this on MioTV, which is a subscribing channel but we got a free one-year subscription since we subscribed to a new Broadband plan which expired last year. Though there is a limited access to their programmes, at least we have four movies to look forward to each month.

Anyway, The Hill Have Eyes is a remake from the original which was first released in 1977. My husband and I had waited till our daughters have gone to bed before watching this because of the gore and the strong violence elements.

A team of men in NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) suits were brutally killed when they explored a secret military base where the government has secretly used for conducting their nuclear tests. The terror continues when Bob Carter, a retired officer and his family were being forced to camp at this place during their road trip after someone had intentionally punctured their tyres.

Unfortunately for the Carters family, they did not know that this place is inhabited by a mutant family and soon they have to do everything to fight for their lives before they became their meals. Without saying, some family members have to die during the struggle, and of course they died in the most inhuman ways. While I was bothered by the gore and all, what really made me think about this movie is the nuclear tests and how it would badly affect the world should there be a nuclear war. It is definitely a terrifying thought.

(My Rating: 3 out of 5)

Onto a cheerier issue, we watched How to Train Your Dragon with our eldest daughter last evening. We totally enjoyed watching it and I think we all have something to learn from Hiccup, our young Viking hero of this movie. When I first watched this movie, I didn't know this was based on a children's novel by Cressida Cowell, and that this is the first instalment of her How To Train Your Dragon Series.

One would never expect Hiccup is the son of a Viking Chief, for Hiccup is quiet and he does not seem to have the viking blood as his father. However, all the young ones in the tribe are required to go through trainings in catching and taming the dragons, and Hiccup could not say no to this ordeal and has to grit his teeth no matter how much he dislike it.

During a mission when they are required to fetch a dragon for training, Hiccup caught a black scrawny dragon and named him Toothless. Toothless is not friendly towards him in the beginning, but they began to trust each other and a special bond is formed as the days go by. However, no one in the clan knew of Toothless existence and Hiccup has no intention to tell anyone about it. Through his experience with Toothless, he began to learn ways of soothing and taming dragons. Little does he know that his experience with Toothless will change his life thereafter and he will encounter a challenging task that not only will prove his courage but also allow the other tribe members to change their attitude towards the dragons.

For this movie, we chose to watch a 2D version because my husband had complained of giddiness when we first watched a 3D movie last year. I think it has got to do with the glasses issue as I could not imagine wearing a pair of 3D glasses over a regular pair of glasses (for this, I'm thankful for being a contact lens wearer and I only wear my glasses at home). Anyway, we totally enjoyed the movie experience! What I loved best about this movie is the humanity and the emotions portrayed in all aspects: loyalty, friendship and of course, love. I loved the part that shows the struggle between Hiccup and his father, and how their feelings towards each other changed and became stronger as the plot progress. The bond between Hiccup and Toothless is especially moving for me, and I was choked with emotions over a scene which I'd rather not tell. All in all, a great inspirational movie for the young audience and adults alike.

(My Rating: 4 out of 5)

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

ISBN-13: 9780099288473
Publisher: Vintage Books
Published: October 1998
160 pgs
Source: Personal Library

I should tell my tale, not aloud, by the fireside, not as a diversion for idle listeners - it was too solemn, and too real, for that. But I should set it down on paper, with every care in in every detail. I would write my own ghost story. Then perhaps I should finally be free of it for whatever life remained for me to enjoy. (Pg 22)

The story begins when our narrator, Arthur Kipps was asked to share a ghost story by his stepchildren after the family has enjoyed their joyful festive meals on a Christmas Eve. Arthur indeed has a story, a true story, to tell but deep down in his heart he knew it is not a story to be told for casual entertainment. The horror he encountered so many years ago had already woven into his very fibres; the experience he had is an inextricable part of his past, and he decided he would write the story, a story for his eyes only. And so in the following chapters Arthur shares with his readers his true encounter with a woman dressed in black and with a pale, wasted face.

Arthur was a junior solicitor then, and he was summoned to attend the funeral of Mrs Alice Drablow, an elderly widow who lived all alone in the desolate and secluded Eel Marsh House. It was at the funeral that he first saw a mysterious woman dressed in black and her presence both intrigued and fascinated him.

The late Mrs Drablow's house is a mystery by itself, for it situated on Nine Lives Causeway and during high tide, it completely cuts off from the mainland, surrounding only by marshes and fog. During the trip to Crythin Gifford, Arthur noticed no one is willing to share information with him after they knew he was there to attend businesses for the late Mrs Drablow. And it further intrigued him when everyone is giving him a fearful look whenever he asked about a woman dressed in black.

However, Arthur is not a person who will give up whatsoever and in addition it would seem irresponsible of him to leave the work undone. For convenience and to speed up the work, he stayed in Eel Marsh House with only the companion of a terrier, loaned to him by a local named Mr Samuel Daily. Arthur knew him when they shared the same train to Crythin Gifford, and like the others Samuel is reluctant to discuss about the late Mrs Drablow or the woman dressed in black.

Over the few days during the stay in Eel Marsh House, Arthur begins to hear some unexplainable noises in a locked room. But the most terrifying of all is the sound of a pony and trap followed by the screams of a young child which he heard a few times on several occasions. Arthur soon learned about the mystery surrounding the late Mrs Drablow and Eel Marsh House after a near fatal incident, as well as the woman in black known as Jennet Humfrye.

I am afraid there is all I could say about the woman in black, but I can tell you how much I loved the overall atmosphere and setting of this story. It is so atmospheric, not to mention the plot is thick with suspense as you watch the story slowly unfold in front of you through Arthur's eyes. The Woman in Black might appear a little cliché to some, but I think it is a great old-fashioned ghost story. Vengeance, besides the horror, is the other element which surrounds the story and this is where it leads the ending to a higher climax.

I think Arthur's narration works well in this story; and personally I enjoy reading books from a first person POV because usually the emotions you feel from the characters is the strongest, which is a totally different reading experience from a third person perspective. Because I enjoyed this book so much, I bought The Man in the Picture (by the same author) which I hope would be another good read. Have you read any of these books?

Other reviews:
A Life in Books
A Striped Armchair
Books I Done Read
Savidge Reads
So Many Books
(I am sure there are a lot others. Do let me know if I missed yours.)

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

ISBN-13: 9780486266848
Publisher: Dover Publications, Inc.
Published: 1991
87 pgs




This is a ghost story narrated by the governess when she took the position of looking after two young charges (Miles, aged ten, and Flora, eight) whose parents have passed away. When the governess was first interviewed for this job, she was told that she should never trouble her employer (who is the siblings' uncle and their legal guardian) due to his difficulty (which was never truly explained), nor could she appeal, complain or write about anything and only meet all questions herself. She would receive all moneys from his solicitor, take the whole thing over and let him alone. Though the conditions sound queer, the governess took up the position because the salary offered much exceeded her modest measure.

The governess knew of her predecessor though she does not know everything about her; she is like a mystery and no one wants to talk about her either. Mrs. Grose, the housekeeper, is a respectable woman but she does not offer information much about everything. All these did not discourage the governess and she strive hard to get settle down in the big country estate and getting to know the siblings.

All things seem to be normal in the beginning but slowly, she began to sense an apparition in the house. This is where the story took on a turn of psychological terror when the governess realizes they are ghosts of the previous valet and governess, which she believes they haunt the two children. Aside from keeping the children safe, she is also keen to unravel the mystery of the relationship of the dead valet, her predecessor and the family. When she later learned that the two spirits have appeared to the children in private and suspected they have some sort of evil communication, she is horrified but she could never understand why the children have adamantly refuse to acknowledge the presence of the spirits and why should she even feel threatened by Miles, especially.

Told from the governess' perspective, The Turn of the Screw has all the right elements of a true psychological horror. It has an eerie, creepy atmosphere but what made this classic different from other books of the same genre is that the author did not really articulate what is going on and that the story totally leave you to your own imaginations, and maybe this explain why I did not feel strongly with this story as compared to The Haunting of Hill House since I heard there are some comparison between these two. I think the writing style also plays a part but I have to say both have excellent main characters.

I think the relationship between Miles and the governess is the core of this story and often I find myself thinking about Miles' innocence (and behaviour) and wonder if there is a lot more of him than meets the eye. The dialogues are great and engaging though, and this is another reason why I was sucked into this story though I was perplexed over some passages which I could not fully grasp (oh, especially the ending!). I will have to keep this book back to my pile for a re-read in future.

Other reviews:

Age 30+...A Lifetime of Books

Bart's Bookshelf

Bending Bookshelf

Booknotes by Lisa

Out of the Blue

Semicolon

Tales from the Reading Room

(Let me know if I missed yours.)

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

ISBN-13: 9780143039983
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Published: November 2006
182 pgs

I have a habit of reading the introduction pages (or the Author's Notes, or any other stuff that are printed before the first chapter for that matter) but I have to say this is the book where you have to skip reading the introduction pages and jump to the story first. Why? Besides a little background of the author (which I enjoyed reading and learning more about her), they also include some information about the story and the characters which I felt are a bit of a spoiler so I would suggest anyone to read the story first unless you do not mind it at all. That said, let me get on with this review.

First, I have to thank Nymeth for mentioning this book. Without her lovely review, I would have given this book a miss. As the title indicates, this is a story that centered around Hill House and it had stood so for eighty years. It all begins when Dr. John Montague, a scholar who had taken his degree in anthropology when he wants to find some evidence of supernatural manifestations. When he heard about Hill House, he knew he had found an excellent place for his "investigations". Thus, he rented the place for three months, and he had engaged four assistants (they should fit the criteria of involving in any supernatural or abnormal event) but only Eleanor Vance and Theodora (that is as much name as she used) turned up. Together with Luke Sanderson, the future heir of Hill House, the four of them will stay in the Hill House and they shall wait to see if the supernaturals really do exist.

As much as this is about the haunted Hill House, I have to say there is much more than it. Besides the intensity thrill like any other ghost stories, this story is very much about the setting, the atmosphere, the psychological feeling and not to mention the set of characters that make this book a total different reading experience as compared with the others of the same genre. In this case, Eleanor plays an important role in this story as the readers get to experience the story from within her consciousness. Through Eleanor's perspective, the readers follow her through this grand adventure as the story moves along and that is the most intrigue experience in my opinion.

I can understand why the author chose Eleanor for this role because she is quite an interesting and a complex character. Before she took up Dr. Montague's invitation, she has been spending most of her life looking after her ailing mother and one could say she is very much a loner since she hardly interacts with anyone. However, that changes after she got acquainted with Dr. Montague's team and lives in Hill House and this is where I should stop telling more about the premise.

Oh, I feel I need to mention the housekeeper of Hill House, Mrs Dudley because she is a strange woman. She is not at all scary or menacing but there is definitely an aura of mystery surrounding her.

All in all, The Haunting of Hill House is a great read. I have also heard We Have Always Lived in the Castle is another great novel by her so this would be my next choice among her other list of books.

Other reviews:
A Striped Armchair
Bibliolatry
Books for Breakfast, Drinks for Dinner
Booknotes by Lisa
Jenny's Books
Sadie-Jean
So Many Books
Stuck in a Book
Things Mean A Lot
(Let me know if I missed yours.)

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

ISBN-13: 9780575081871
Publisher: Orion Publishing Group
Published: 2008
403 pgs






Judas Coyne is not your typical hero as you read from other thriller/horror novels. For starters, he is an ageing metal rock star, but the most intriguing thing about him is he collects macabre stuff. For example, he has framed sketches of the seven dwarves on the wall of his studio, and he has the skull of a peasant who had been trepanned in the sixteenth century etc etc. It all seem very bizarre but Judas has no qualms about his weird collection at all, until his assistant, Danny Wooten, told him that there was a ghost for sale on the internet.

When Judas heard of it, he just knew this would be another great addition to his collection. He bought it and chuck the thought out of his mind. When a black, heart-shaped box arrives in the mail, Judas is perplexed to find nothing but a black and old-fashioned suit. It then struck him that this was a purchase he had made not too long ago and he called it 'the dead man's suit'. As indicated, there is nothing ordinary about this suit as it comes with a vengeful spirit. It turns out that the ghost, Craddock McDermott, is the stepfather of a girl who committed suicide after Judas had played and dumped her.

And this leads to a terrifying hide-and-seek between Judas and Craddock, as well as a woman named Marybeth since she is living with Judas and like him, she has a fancy for anything gothic. Craddock is determined to track them down and since he has got a knack of hypnotising people when he was alive, he intends to use his every power to drive Judas to the edge of sanity. And anyone who is helping Judas would not be spared either.

However, that is not all to this story. Judas also found out more things about Anna, the suicidal girl he once loved and left, and her relationship between her sister and Craddock as well.

No doubt Heart-Shaped Box is a horror story through and through, but it is also an engaging character drive story that makes you feel for the characters, especially for Anna. I am not going to spoil the story for you but if you read this book, you would be able to know about her history and how (why) this horror story begins.

Aside from The Ghost Writer, Heart-Shaped Box is another creepy book I read thus far this year; I would not recommend this book to anyone who is squeamish about blood and all (though I think some of those scenes are inevitable). Then again, Heart-Shaped Box is not entirely a story about ghost and revenge, it also touches issue like abuse and the human sentimentality which I think can be scarier than the ghost itself.

Other reviews:

A Striped Armchair

Jo's Bookshelf

Lesley's Book Nook

Shelf Love

(Let me know if I missed yours.)

The Ghost Writer by John Harwood

ISBN-13: 9780156032322
Publisher: Harcourt Books
Published: June 2005
369 pgs




How could I turn down this book with a title like that? I am a sucker for gothic tales and ghost stories so when I first read about this book from Wendy of Musings of a Bookish Kitty, I knew I just have to have it!

Like any other boys his age, thirteen-year-old Gerard Freeman is always curious about things in general. So when he stumbled upon a photograph of a woman in his mother's locked drawer one day, he knew he would not let his questions go unanswered till he got to the bottom of it. His mother used to share with him some stories about her childhood days in Springfield, England, but after she had caught him rummaging through her drawers she never shared those tales with him anymore. Suddenly, it seems like there is a gap between them and Gerard could never understand what is in his mother's mind and it does not get any better even he has reached adulthood. However, he could not help thinking about the woman in the photograph.

One of the things that made him happy and his mind occupied is his friendship with Alice Jessel, a penpal he corresponded through emails when he was thirteen. Gerard confides most of the things with her and it is no surprise that they fell in love with each other as the time passes by.

Without Alice's letters, life at home would have been intolerable, but without Alice I wouldn't have been living there. (Pg 63)

Gerard wishes to meet her in person but Alice declines whenever he bring up the issue, stating reasons that she is bound to a wheelchair and any other inconveniences such as hospital trips and so forth. He also share with Alice about the manuscripts written by his great grandmother Viola Hatherley he found in his mother's dresser, and this made him wonder about Viola and his mother's past but Phyllis refused to delve into it, and she seems uneasy whenever Gerard asks about her past or Viola. But Gerard did not put a stop there, he decided to dig more as he find more ghost stories from Viola , for he is both intrigued by her and her stories as well. And this begins his journey to England where he hopes to seek some answers and to meet Alice along the way. Gerard soon discover an eerily connection between Viola's manuscript, a diary and a mystery of his family history and this leads him (as well as yours truly) wondering if fantasy has got into its way with reality or vice versa.

The Ghost Writer is a remarkable horror novel (or should I say thriller? I couldn't seem to differentiate these two in The Ghost Writer because it read as a horror and a thriller to me) about family secrets, obsession and revenge. I especially loved the ghost stories Viola written in between the story, they are all so creepy and I felt they deserve a full novel of its own. I loved John Harwood's prose besides the characterization and that it is a plot-driven story; and personally I feel this book leans more towards the literary due to his writing style. I wish I could elaborate more on the characters but I fear I might spoil the story without realizing so myself. This is one of those books which you will have to read it and it will make you stay till the night to finish the last few chapters (which I did!). And this goes without saying that this book will be one of my favourite reads this year. I cannot wait to read his next novel, The Seance.

Note: Have you read The Ghost Writer? What do you think of the ending? Drop me an email so we can discuss more about it without spoiling the story here.

Other reviews:
A Striped Armchair
Musings of a Bookish Kitty
S. Krishna's Books
So Many Books
(Let me know if I missed yours.)

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I always enjoy reading Wendy's (Musings of a Bookish Kitty) "A Page in the Life of..." posts whereby she will feature fellow booklovers' blogs and ask some questions about life in general as well as books and reading. This is a great way of getting to know more about other bookbloggers and so when Wendy asked for some volunteers to do a guest post for her during her absence, I emailed her and told her I would be glad to be the interviewee for this feature. (Please click here if you wish to read her interview with me.)

Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge

ISBN-13: 9780765319111
Publisher: Tor Books
Published: September 2007
176 pgs

The year is 1963 in a small Midwestern town setting. Everyone in that town knew about the October Boy (otherwise known as Ol' Hacksaw Face, or Sawtooth Jack). Every year towards Halloween, he will rise from the cornfields and make his way towards town with his tattered jacket full of candies.

The boys in town are ready for this because they have been going through this ritual for years. It goes like this: each year the boys will be locked in their rooms and left without food for five days before their hunt for the October Boy begins so as to escalate their hunting frenzy. These boys will be on the "Run" and whoever win gets to find and kill the October Boy. If he succeeded in killing him, his family will entitle to some fame and he will be given a ride out of town - it is the only way of leaving the small, sleepy unambitious town.

How this ritual comes about will be explained in the story, but I am not going to spoil it for you. So every Halloween, the October Boy will resurrect and with a butcher knife in hand, he will make his way to town and towards the church before a boy gets him. That is the rule and this is how it always played.

However, things will be different this year as Pete McCormick is going to figure out this 'ritual' and its secret it seems the town is keeping all these years. Moreover, he is sick of his alcoholic father and their life. And he is prepared to risk everything for this run, but what most shocking is he will discover the secret of the October Boy and nothing is what it seems it is.

Dark Harvest is the winner of the Bram Stoker Award in 2006 and also listed as Publishers Weekly’s 100 Best Books of 2006. I have to say these honours are well-deserved as Dark Harvest is one of the most extraordinary horror stories I have ever read. The Halloween theme may sound old to some, but the bonus is the author delivered it with a different premise with a twist as one would have to figure out who is the real evil behind this story. The writing is beautiful with a lyrical and poetic prose to it; I know this may sound a little strange but I think it works very well through Norman Partridge's skillful writing. One would also think of the humanity issue on top of all the dark elements, which I think entitles another point for this well-written horror tale. The only down side is I wish this story is a bit longer.

I am glad I picked up this book right after reading Carl's lovely review some time back. What's more, it is hard to turn down a book like this with that attractive, eye-catching cover.

Other blog review:
Stainless Steel Droppings
(Let me know if I have missed yours.)

Fangland

ISBN-13: 9780099502777
Publisher: Vintage Books
Published: 2007
385 pgs

The story begins with the protagonist, Evangeline Harker happily engaged to her boyfriend and is looking forward to their wedding and honeymoon. But there is other thing in her mind besides the wedding preparations, for she is requested to travel to Transylvania to cover a story on a notorious Eastern European crime boss named Ion Torgu given her job as an associate producer on a television news magazine The Hour.

Despite her wedding plans and all, she went ahead for the interview thinking this is a chance of a great story she would not missed. She met a fellow young American lady by the name of Clementine "Clemmie" Spence when she stopped over in Bucharest. Along the way, Clemmie told her she is affiliated with an organization called World Ministries Central and their work included a few exorcisms; she also told her terrifying tales about her work in Africa as they shared a rental car to Transylvania. Evangeline does not really trust Clemmie and thinks she has something to hide. Before leaving, Clemmie left a necklace with a tiny metal cross in an envelope to Evangeline but the latter thinks nothing about it and move on. She finally gets to meet the infamous Torgu and he drives her to his spooky hotel where they would negotiate about the interview and his appearance on screen.

Evangeline then realizes there is something strange about the hotel and soon, she found out the horror fact that Torgu is actually a vampire. She managed to make an escape but she became a different person with a dark, new self.

Things back in the New York offices is not going on well and Evangeline's disappearance is making everyone antsy. They have bad feelings after receiving some tapes from Romania but nothing appears on the tapes except an empty wooden chair. By now, all these unexplainable events have put on a strain on everyone in the office and some of the staff seem to be affected by a strange virus. The nightmare has just begun.

Unlike other vampire novels, Fangland is a dark, literary vampire story with a modern take. It is suspenseful and gruesome and although the characters are engaging, I did not feel connected or sympathetic towards them. Towards the middle of the novel, the story is told through various viewpoints in the forms of e-mails, diary entries and journals which I think did not really match up with the fast pace as told from Evangeline's perspective in the beginning. At some times, I was also frustrated with Evangeline and thought she should have avoided some unfortunate scenarios but yet I also admired her wits and courage during the escape. Although I was disappointed with this novel, I have to applaud the author for this intriguing and imaginative horror tale with a new twist as so often compared to Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Other blog review:
Musings of a Bookish Kitty
(Let me know if I have missed your review.)