Retro Horror - Vol. 9

So Stormi and I have been kind of striking out with this project and I'm sad to say this month wasn't much better either of us.  So looked for a revamped version coming up soon.  I promise it will still be horror related and hopefully it will work better for both of us.  I don't think I've had over a 3-paw rating for any choice this year - how depressing.  So read on for my review of this month's choice and the hop over to Stormi's  at Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My! to see how she did with her Bentley Little read.

TITLE: Allhallow's Eve

AUTHOR: Richard Laymon

PUBLISHER: Headline

PUBLISHING DATE: 1985

PAGES: 246

SOURCE: Own Library

FROM GOODREADS: 

The Sherwood house has been deserted since the horrific killing of a local family in the sleepy town of Ashburg. When invitations to a mysterious party to be held there are sent out, nobody is particularly surprised - after all, everyone wants to party in a house of death on Allhallow's Eve.

MY THOUGHTS: So the book starts out in a small little town at the scene of a horrific murder which happened years before.  Right off the bat bodies start piling up so I had high promise for this book.  However, as the book goes on we have a temperamental teenager who grated my last nerve and a local cop who I really loved right up until he proposed to his girlfriend and swore he'd never leave her at the same time he's fantasizing about the motel clerk he just met.  And don't even get me started about the very end.  Apparently not everyone who needed to die did.

This book read really fast and thank heavens it was short.  I loved the premise and felt that the creepy Halloween party in the scary old house really had potential.  But see that awesome look creepy house on the cover?  Well the one in the book was described more like the Brady Bunch house.  In fact, the whole book had me saying "Richard, Richard, Richard."  Also, I know older horror was filled with problematic content and I really expect a lot of descriptions, many degrading, about the female body.  I can usually look past it and take it for what it is but in this book, it became so redundant and unnecessary.

I'm sure I'll eventually try something else by this author as I know so many love him but unfortunately, this wasn't the one for me.

RATING: 2 PAWS

Retro Horror Vol. 8 - The Buddy Read Version

 

This time around Stormi already had a book chosen for her pick and as I been meaning to do some King re-reads,  I jumped on it along with her.  However, somehow, I ended up with the extended version and I didn't even KNOW there was an extended version.  What is about King wanting to make long books even longer?  So the outcome of this story brought to light the fact that I am now questioning how much I love King.  I have always said I love older King better, but seriously, I'm rating newer King much higher.  Go figure. So read on for my thoughts on Needful Things and then hop over to Stormi's  at Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My! and check out her thoughts!

TITLE: Needful Things

AUTHOR: Stephen King

PUBLISHER: Gallery Books

PUBLISHING DATE: March 20, 2018 (original book in October 1991)

PAGES: 816

SOURCE: Own library

FROM GOODREADS: 

Master storyteller Stephen King presents the classic #1 New York Times bestseller about a mysterious store than can sell you whatever you desire—but not without exacting a terrible price in return.

The town of Castle Rock, Maine has seen its fair share of oddities over the years, but nothing is as peculiar as the little curio shop that’s just opened for business here. Its mysterious proprietor, Leland Gaunt, seems to have something for everyone out on display at Needful Things…interesting items that run the gamut from worthless to priceless. Nothing has a price tag in this place, but everything is certainly for sale. The heart’s desire for any resident of Castle Rock can easily be found among the curiosities…in exchange for a little money and—at the specific request of Leland Gaunt—a whole lot of menace against their fellow neighbors. Everyone in town seems willing to make a deal at Needful Things, but the devil is in the details. And no one takes heed of the little sign hanging on the wall: Caveat emptor. In other words, let the buyer beware…

 MY THOUGHTS:  I'm just putting it out there up front.  This book is too long.  Now that I have that out of the way.  Leland Gaunt cruises into Castle Rock one day and starts work on opening up a mysterious store.  He sells a hodgepodge of things which individually caters to each person who enters the store.  His prices are always negotiable but he always ends up roping the seller into playing a trick for him.  But are they actually purchasing something or selling their soul?

This book has a HUGE cast of characters and for the most part, I was able to keep them all straight.  I loved some, I hated some and I felt badly for some.  The little kids Gaunt manipulated made my heart break at times and the people who were already "bad" at the core, sometimes I felt like they had what was coming to them.  There was also a dog and parakeet death which I could have lived without.  Kill all the people but leave the pets alone!!!!

While I basically crammed this book into an entire week, by the last 100 pages or so, I could have sworn Gaunt had used his magic and was making the book longer.  I really kept reading because I wanted to know what happened to Alan and Polly and because I refused to let this book beat me.  Twice is enough for me and although I'm sure when I read it in 1991, it became a quick fave, that is not the case today.  I enjoyed seeing some hints at other King plots mentioned but let's be honest, some of the people in Needful Things were just characters from his other books with different names.  Just try to convince me that Ash Merrill is not Trashcan Man from The Stand.  A great character study for any King fan but not one I'll pick up again.  

RATING: 3 PAWS

Retro Horror Vol. 7 - Dog Kill

 

It's time again for Retro Horror!  Stormi and I plan on doing these every two months so you can expect the next one in April.  This month my pick also doubled as one off my "Read My Own Shelves" project.  Two birds with one book - gotta love that (actually no birds were harmed in the making of this post).  I had very mixed feelings about this month's book so read on and see what they are.  Then hop over to Stormi's at Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My! and see what she read.

TITLE: Dog Kill

AUTHOR: Al Dempsey

PUBLISHER: Prentice-Hall

PUBLISHING DATE: 1976

PAGES: 203

SOURCE: Personal Library

FROM GOODREADS: 

Jake was no man's best friend...A trained guard dog schooled in viciousness, the Doberman was 95 pounds of murderous muscle and fang. He'd left a trail of bloodied foes during months of aimless wandering. 

And then he'd met The Pack. He'd become their leader. They were a motley assortment--a lost Labrador, a strayed pointer, a harrier "liberated" from a laboratory, even an abandoned beagle. And one was a part-time member, a sleek boxer whose owner felt he should "sow his wild oats." He was the deadliest of them all. 

Some still lived off the leavings of man, but others had gone feral, had tasted blood and felt the frenzy of the kill. Soon they would all turn feral, and they would range for miles in the farmland and suburbs around their hidden lair. 

They would learn to kill, beginning with rabbits and then moving to ever larger game. They were a hunting pack, perhaps the most terrifying predators known to civilization.

MY THOUGHTS: So I won't lie.  With a title like Dog Kill, I knew some dogs were going to die.  I was mentally prepared for that.  What I wasn't prepared for was the amount of stupidity exhibited from the humans in the book.  

So basically the books alternates between the characters' part of the story and then the various dogs' part of the story.  We get to see how each dog came to be "wild" and living on their own.  What followed was tales of abuse, abandonment, irresponsibility, incompetence, arrogance and stupidity - do you see a theme?  The dogs start doing what feral dogs will do and killing animals and seriously, I couldn't wait to see them kill some of the stupid people.  Hmmm, there's that word again.  In the end, while I didn't hate the tale, I wasn't thoroughly impressed either and I ended up being glad it was a pretty short book.

And just to show you that I don't always pay attention to the synopsis of the books I read, there was a regal Boxer in the story named Duke.  Now Duke was a good boy, like all of other dogs in the book had they been treated right.  But he had a dumb owner who thought Duke deserved to be let out to roam sometimes and sow his oats and he believed people would be lucky to have puppies sired by his pedigreed dog.  I think he was the WORST.  No, I take that back,  He wasn't. And spoiler alert, he didn't die and I wished he had.

I will say that the author did a lot of research for the book and it showed.  He interspersed in the book a lot of commentary about the nature of canines and how humans domesticated them and how they were once wild beings.  He also spoke a lot about how many dogs are born unwanted and from carelessness and how stupid people can be.  I clearly believe he knew how stupid he made his characters and did so to prove a point so that made the book more bearable.  

So overall, if you like horror, it wasn't really scary.  And if you love dogs, it's a little heartbreaking.  But I don't regret the time spent reading it and hey, that's more than I can say about my last retro read.  But I do think it should have been titled Stupid People.

RATING: 3 PAWS

Retro Horror Vol 6 - The Devil's Dreamer

 

So Stormi and I finished our yearly Retro Horror reads project/challenge and guess what, we had so much fun, we're continuing into 2021!  I wish I could say I picked a great one this month but read on to see what really happened.  I think Stormi had better luck so head over to her blog next at Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My! and see what she read.

TITLE: The Devil's Dreamer 

AUTHOR: Alice Brennan

PUBLISHER: Prestige Books

PUBLISHING DATE: 1971

PAGES: 253 (too many)

SOURCE: Personal Library

FROM GOODREADS: Can You Die In A Dream? 

This was impossible — this room, this place. Where was she, and how had she come to be here? Carsa caught her breath on a sob of relief, for it was morning, and daylight was filtering through the drawn shades. 

Then she saw that the light, which was very bright and had a strange bluish cast, came from only one spot. It seemed to come from a woman who stood in a large circle. Long hair, pale and silky, flowed over her shoulders and blue eyes burned bright with golden light. There was something horrifyingly familiar about the face, and Carsa struggled with a memory that was just out of reach. Then the woman spoke. 

“This is a dream. Everything that happens to you, everyone you meet, is part of the dream. When you awaken, it will be an awakening to death…”  

MY THOUGHTS: I thought I was being really smart this month and grabbing a book that was already on my own personal shelf. I don't remember how I obtained it but I wish I did because I would travel back in time and change that decision! I REALLY disliked this book. So much in fact that I am sort of convinced I may have already read my worst book of 2021. And it's only January 1st!

So Carsa Winters is in her early 20s and lives with her good friend Liz in New York City. She works for a publishing company and has a very promising future. She usually sleeps soundly at night and never dreams but one night that changes. She has a dream, set in the 1800's, so real and so vivid that she's convinced it's real. She is fearful of her dream husband, who is cruel and withholding their new baby, Esmeth, from her. She even believes she has met the people in her dream before, except that they were actually other people. Carsa begins to fear sleep which leads her to staying up all the time, not eating, and making stupid decisions. She questions everything... and I mean EVERYTHING. She finally starts wondering which is real - her dream or what she perceives to be reality. She treats everyone trying to help her like crap and drinks lots and lots of coffee. Wish I could tell you more but I can't.

I am pretty sure I discovered the first major unreliable narrator in book history (not really but it sounds good right)? I sort of liked Carsa's roommate Liz who may have actually been Liz or who might have actually been her baby/non-existent baby's nursemaid. Are you confused yet?

This book should not have been categorized as Gothic Horror. I can sort of see why it was tagged as Gothic but it was a horrific read, not one filled with horror. I will be honest and admit from about page 180 on I skimmed and then read the last chapter and was disappointed once again. My only hope for this book was that Carsa/Mincy died. And SPOILER ALERT - she didn't. Yep, sometimes I can be that kind of person who wishes for dreadful things to happen to dreadful people. If you are thinking about picking this book up, DON'T. I feel that's the best advice I can offer.

RATING: 1 PAW

Retro Horror Vol. 5

 

I can't believe we are on Round 5 of the Retro Horror project.  I hope you've been enjoying it because I've enjoyed reading some lesser known works.  This month I unearthed a hidden gem so read on for my review and then hop over to Stormi's at Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My! to see her choice this month!

TITLE: Best Friend

AUTHOR: Pat FEeley

PUBLISHER: Fawcett Books

PUBLISHING DATE: 1977

MY THOUGHTS:  Best Friend is a novel of slowly building terror. It is based on the fact that some people have an unusual affinity for animals and that some animals, especially well-loved ones, seem to respond with uncanny sensitivity. They are easily trained, seemingly intelligent enough to know what's wanted of them, attuned not only to the commands but also to the feelings of their owners. 

Such a pair are Isabelle Buckingham and her dog beau. But between them there is something more. And almost before Isabelle herself knows it, her devoted Beau is aware that she is sick to death of her bullying, critical and philandering husband. 

Best Friend is a tale of a suburban dream turning into a nightmare, on the order of Burnt Offerings - but without resort to the occult or science fiction. It is completely plausible. And all the scarier for it.    

MY THOUGHTS:  So this is best described as a slow-burning horror novel.  However, I would argue that at its heart, it's basically a love story.  A love between a woman and her dog.  

When the book opens, Isabelle is faced with losing her beloved pet, Patch.  Both of Izzy's children have moved out and started lives of her own and her husband Peter, works all the time and has several extra curricular activities, so she feels that Patch is her whole life and purpose.  Even though she is distraught and needs to grieve, her husband and their family friend, veterinarian Roger, encourage Izzy to go with Rog the next day to look at a new liter of pups.  Both want her to fill her void because they know how lonely she will be but she has no plans on doing so.  That's until a reserved ball of fluff chooses her.  Izzy immediately falls in love with Beau and their bond only grows their initial contact.

Izzy soon brings Beau home and since he comes from a championship bloodline, she decides to start training for shows.  She enlists the help of an elderly man she knows from the beach and a friendship grows between them.  Beau is bright and intelligent but there are two big factors brewing.  Beau is a large breed dog and is getting bigger every day and he definitely doesn't like Peter.

I adored this book.  At under 200 pages, it packs a punch.  While not really action-packed, I still couldn't put it down.  As many know, I love all my dogs but I would be lying if I glazed over the special bond I have with Cassius.  And honestly, I saw the same bond between Izzy and Beau (although I must add that Cass does love Mr. Barb - but I know he loves me more).  Peter is a jerk pretty much throughout the whole book, at one time demanding Izzy get rid of her beloved dog and it was refreshing to see Izzy's character development as the book progressed.

I won't give anything else away but just know that this is a book that I will cherish for years to come.  And even more special is the fact that while I tracked it down and ordered it from Thrift Books, the book itself is an old library book from my hometown library - talk about coincidence. I do highly recommend this book and while my rating might be a tad high, know that it reflects the emotional bond I felt with this book.  I hope I can convince even a few more people to pick up this little-known horror novel.  

RATING: 5 PAWS

Retro Horror Vol. 4 - Horror Meets Dog Days of Summer?

Welcome back to round four of Retro Horror.  I'm really enjoying this feature and have books planned for many months to come - hope Stormi does too!  This time around I tried to incorporate horror into La La's Dog Days of Summer Challenge and the best I could come up with was two Goosebumps books.  I never read Goosebumps as a child so this was my first foray into the world.  Also, Stormi read pretty much my favorite horror book this month and I can't wait for everyone to read her thoughts.  Since Stormi's book was much longer, I'm sharing two reviews with you today.

So read on to see what I thought of my pick this month, and then go see how Stormi's pick worked out for her at Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!

TITLE: The Barking Ghost

AUTHOR: R.L. Stine

PUBLISHER: Scholastic

PUBLISHING DATE: June 1995

FROM GOODREADS: Cooper, a nervous newcomer to the town, and his friend Margaret are targeted by two evil dogs who cast a spell to switch bodies with the children as a way of wreaking further havoc.  

MY THOUGHTS:  Cooper's family has moved and are now living in a new home in the woods.  Cooper is afraid of everything - and I mean everything.  This makes him an easy target for his older brother.  One evening he starts hearing barking dogs.  He makes friends with a neighbor, Margaret, aka Fergie, and together they try to figure out why they are being terrorized by the ghosts of two Black Labradors.  

I know I'm not the targeted reader for a book like this, and while I found it okay, it really bothered me in some aspects.  First of all, Cooper was rather annoying.  I mean, I understand that he is a scaredy-cat, but he is scared of EVERYTHING.  Some exampled include a sprinkler, a rabbit and a bird.  He is constantly falling for his brother's antics when he should have caught on.  I did enjoy seeing Mickey, the brother, get what was coming to him in one scene though.  

The ghost dogs weren't really scary and the whole reason they were haunting Cooper and Fergie was a tad lame.  And the ending!  I read it and was like "really?"  I felt it was really no conclusion at all!

So overall, I'm glad I gave it a chance but I am glad it wasn't much longer.

RATING: 3 PAWS

TITLE: Frankenstein's Dog
AUTHOR: R.L. Stine
PUBLISHER: Scholastic
PUBLISHING DATE: July 2013

FROM GOODREADS: 

Kat is reluctant to visit her Uncle Vic Frankenstein because of all the rumors about him. People in the small town where he lives say he's a mad scientist like his great-grandfather, Victor Frankenstein, who created a monster that came alive and terrorized the town. But Kat is relieved to find that even though he lives in a dark, old castle-like mansion, Uncle Vic is a quiet, gentle man, a scientist interested in building robots with artificial intelligence. Also, Kat loves Poochie, Vic's small, adorable, fluffy white dog, funny and playful. But after an accident occurs in her uncle's lab, strange things begin to happen.

Has Kat created a monster? Or is something else responsible for the horror that is unleashed?   

MY THOUGHTS: I found this book a lot cuter than my first choice.  Kat is off to visit her Uncle who is a descendant of the original Victor Frankenstein.  When Kat arrives, she learns that her uncle is creating robots with artificial intelligence.  She starts exploring his old home and soon finds some things that don't make sense.  Victor's dog Poochie immediately warms to Kat and really plays a few key roles in the entire plot.  Will Kat be able to find out what is going on or will she become one of her uncle's experiments herself?

I liked Kat.  She was curious and rambunctious and she clearly loved her uncle a lot. And as I mentioned, I also liked Poochie.  The book made me chuckle in places and I could actually see it play out well as a kid's animated film.  And the ending to this one actually made sense.

Overall, I'm glad I ventured into the world of Goosebumps and while I now see that I really missed these books due to older than the targeted audience when they released, they might be fun to visit from time to time.

RATING: 4 PAWS

Retro Horror Vol. 3 - The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

Welcome back to round three of Retro Horror.  Both Stormi and I have picked separate books again this time around so you get double the horror fun.  So read on to see what I thought of my pick this month, and then go see how Stormi's pick worked out for her at Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!

TITLE: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

AUTHOR: Stephen King

PUBLISHER: Pocket Books

PUBLISHING DATE: April 6, 1999 (original date)

FROM GOODREADS: During a six-mile hike on the Maine-New Hampshire branch of the Appalachian Trail, nine-year-old Trisha McFarland quickly tires of the constant bickering between her older brother and her recently divorced mother. But when she wanders off by herself, she becomes lost in a wilderness maze full of peril and terror. As night falls, Trisha has only her ingenuity as a defense against the elements, and only her courage and faith to withstand her mounting fears. For solace she tunes her headphones to broadcasts of Boston Red Sox baseball games and follows the gritty performances of her hero, relief pitcher Tom Gordon. And when the reception begins to fade, Trisha imagines that Tom Gordon is with her—the protector from an enemy who may or may not be imagined…one who is watching her, waiting for her in the dense, dark woods…  

MY THOUGHTS: This is one Stephen King book that I never even actually bought when it came out.  I think back then I saw "baseball" and not being a huge fan of the sport, just skipped it.  However, I recently picked up this edition from Wal-Mart one day and I realized it would be a perfect read for the Retro Horror project.

So one day Trisha, her mother and her brother travel from home to go on a six-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail.  Trisha's parents have recently divorced and her brother hates every idea their mother comes up with to do for weekend activities.  Trisha is tired of all the fighting and bickering.  While hiking, Trisha steps off the trail to go to the bathroom.  Because her brother and mother are in the middle of another epic battle, she doesn't say anything thinking she can quickly catch up. However, she gets turned around and what follows is several days lost in the woods with only a small backpack of supplies and her beloved Tom Gordon signed baseball cap.

I have to make note of the formatting of this novel.  King titled the chapters like baseball innings which was a really nice touch.  I really enjoyed reading things such as "Bottom of the Seventh" because as the "game" progressed, Trisha's situation grew more dire.  I also really liked Trisha but I have to be honest and admit that this is not one of my favorite King books.  I kind of got tired of the whole lost-in-the-woods tale and really just wanted Trisha to be found.

I also found there to be some holes in the story.  For example, someone calls in a tip to the local police that Trisha was abducted by a local pedophile. Other than serving as a mechanism to drag the story out longer because the police changed the focus of their search, it didn't seem to fit.  This also may seem strange considering this is actually one of King's shorter books  but I found myself wanting more.  I wanted to see more reaction from the parents who were clearly on the way to making their children's lives more difficult.  The brother did feel some remorse but basically he was just a little shit.  He was older than Trisha but you never would have guessed it from the way he acted.

So overall I am glad I finally picked this book up.  It's another King I can mark off my list.  I know people dearly love this tale and if you like survival stories, it's definitely one you should consider picking up.

RATING: 3 PAWS

If you happened to miss my past reviews, you can check them out here:

Vol 1 - Wither
Vol 2 - The Amityville Horror

Retro Horror Vol 2 - The Amityville Horror

Welcome back to round two of Retro Horror.  Both Stormi and I have picked separate books again this time around so you get double the horror fun.  So read on to see what I thought of my pick this month, and then go see how Stormi's pick worked out for her at Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!

TITLE: The Amityville Horror

AUTHOR: Jay Anson

PUBLISHER: Bantum Books

PUBLISHING DATE: September 13, 1977

FROM GOODREADS: 28 Days of Terror in a House Possessed by Evil Spirits .

In December 1975, the Lutz family moved into their dream home, the same home where Ronald DeFeo had murdered his parents, brothers and sisters just one year earlier. 

The psychic phenomena that followed created the most terrifying experience the Lutz family had ever encountered, forcing them to flee the house in 28 days, convinced that it was possessed by evil spirits. 

Their fantastic story, never before disclosed in full detail, makes for an unforgettable book with all the shocks and gripping suspense of The Exorcist, The Omen or Rosemary's Baby, but with one vital difference...the story is true. 

MY THOUGHTS: So I remembers seeing this movie when I was very young, probably preteens.  I also remember the remake that was done several years back.  And both times, the movie REALLY creeped me out.  To be honest, the genre of horror that has always scared me the most is stories about demonic possession, and in this case, it seemed to be the house that was possessed.  So when my library got a copy of this in (long before we all went on lockdown), I grabbed it, thinking it would be perfect for a retro review.

So most of us know the story.  The Lutz family moved up in the world when they obtained the precious Amityville house for a steal after Ronald DeFeo murdered his entire family in it.  They knew the main details, and didn't really care.  Slowly but surely the house began to show its true colors, which in my opinion, were probably red and black.  Weird things began to happen such as cold spots in the home, Kathy Lutz feeling a presence around her in the kitchen and smelling perfume, money going missing, doors getting torn off the home and boathouse, and Missy's "imaginary friend," a pig named Jodie.  There's also a mysterious hidden room in the basement painted completely in red and the fact that George wakes up every night at 3:15 am. 

The book also tells the tale of Father Mancuso, the priest the family called to bless their new home.  While the Lutz's are experiencing issues, Father Mancuso is experiencing his own set of horrors.  So much so that he vows not to return to the home even when the Lutz's request his home. You can only imagine this brings up a whole set of ethical struggles for the Father.

Even though this book is non-fiction, I found it an extremely easy read.  Although sometimes I still found what I was reading rather spooky and disturbing.  I don't feel that the actual account is as horrible as the movie version, although take my word, it's all terrifying.  For example, it doesn't seem like George actually became homicidal and wanted to murder his whole family, even though he did experience personality changes.

So overall, I found this an interesting read.  At just over 200 pages, it was long enough to keep my interest and since I haven't seen the movies in years, it added some new information to what I originally recalled. 

I am also VERY curious.  Those of you who know about this incident, do you believe it really happened?  I know there's a lot of controversy about whether it was a huge publicity stunt.  The books puts a big emphasis on what happened with Father Mancuso because apparently at the time, that information was not shared with the Lutz's.  The author uses this fact to strongly substantiate that the tale is true.  Please let me know what you think!

RATING: 4 PAWS

Retro Horror Vol. 1 - Wither

So as I mentioned earlier this year, Stormi and I have decided that once every two months, we will pick an older horror title that we've wanted to read and then share our thoughts with you.  We are aiming to read books published before 2000.  So read on to see what I chose for this month (which just happened to be a rare reread for me) and then hop over to Stormi's @ Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My! to see what title she picked.

TITLE: Wither (Wendy Ward #1)

AUTHOR: J.G. Passarella

PUBLISHER: Pocket Books

PUBLISHING DATE: February 1, 1999

FROM GOODREADS: 

The college town of Windale, Massachusetts is proud of its colonial heritage -- including the legend of a dark witches' coven dating back three hundred years. No one in Windale actually believes in witches, or imagines that the blood-chilling history of the Salem era could repeat itself. But three people, unknown to one another, are experiencing vivid nightmares of palpable horror. They alone can sense that a dreadful presence is working its way into their waking lives -- and is coming for them. 

On a crisp autumn night deep in the New England woods, a young woman's harmless channeling ritual unwittingly opens the floodgates to terrifying forces that have, until then, lived only in dreams: a breed of demonic creatures with the power to shatter an unsuspecting town. 

MY THOUGHTS: As I've mentioned, this was a reread for me but since I read it over 20 years ago, I only had a slight recollection of it.  I remembered really liking the MC, Wendy, and loving the fact that it was about witches - scary, terrifying witches!  I was curious to see if this book would stand up to my expectations and recollection of loving it so well and I'm glad to say it did.  I also recalled that Wendy used to ride an exercise bike all the time and would map out destinations on a map on her wall and keep track until she got there.  I thought that was such a cool concept back in 1999 and will even admit to copying it for a while.

So on to the story.  Wendy is the daughter of Windale College's presidence in Windale, Massachusetts.  The town is very old and colonial and has seemed to build its survival on a basis of three witches who were once hanged there during the time of the Salem Witch Trials.  Wendy herself has always went against the grain and is a practicing Wiccan.  Once night she holds a ceremony in the woods but following that, weird things start to happen.  Did Wendy unknowingly releases the wrath of these three witches, or is something even more complex at play?

There are several things I really enjoy about this book.  The setting is a small college town seeped in history.  It makes for a great setting for this ominous tale.  I also really like the characters.  The book centers on three main individuals.  There's Wendy, her pregnant college professor Karen, and then a neglect little 8 year old, Abby.  During the tale we get to see what's happening from all three perspectives.  The reader is also given flashbacks along the way of the prosecution of the three witches - Wither and the other two in her coven.  The whole book flows rather well and it's a near-perfect mix of atmosphere and action.  And finally, there are some truly gruesome and terrifying scenes in this novel.  Like people falling from the sky, stadium bleachers collapsing and mysterious injuries while sleeping.

I am so glad that I chose this as the first book for our feature.  Once again I feel in love with Wendy and the town of Windale.  I'm pleased to say there are two more books which were released following Wendy and her town and while reading this, I learned from the author that he is currently working on book 4.  You have no idea how thrilled I am.  Look for future reviews of the next two in the series because once again, I've become addicted to this witchy world.

RATING: 4 PAWS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Bram Stoker Award-Winning co-author of Wither (which has been moved to the J. G. Passarella profile. Also, I'm the author of Wither's Rain, Wither's Legacy, Kindred Spirit, Shimmer, Exit Strategy & Others (fiction collection), and the media tie-in novels: Supernatural: COLD FIRE (MAR 2016), Night Terror & Rite of Passage, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Ghoul Trouble, Angel: Avatar & Monolith. Look for Grimm: The Chopping Block. 

My author website is Passarella.com but I am also owner & web designer at AuthorPromo.com

New Blogging Feature - Retro Horror Reads!

So toward the end of last year, Stormi from Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My! and I started toying with a new idea we had.  We both are trying to read some older books on our shelves and wishlists so we put our heads together and came up with a new blog feature - Retro Horror Reads.  

Our goal is to read an older horror title at least every two months and even though we'll be reading different titles, we'll be reviewing them on the same day and linking to each other's post.  So basically our followers will get two different reviews at once.  This way we can each focus on different books.  We also decided that we would read books which were published prior to 2000, so the books you see will be at least 20 years old.

I pulled some older titles off my shelves and found some which are available at my local libraries.  I also scoured Grady Hendrix's Paperbacks From Hell to see what I could locate.  For the month of February, I chose Wither by J.G. Passarella.  I read this YEARS ago and loved it and since I have such a fondness for it, I want to see if it stands up all these years later.

Windale is a proud old American town that embraces its colonial heritage, including the legend of a witches' coven dating back 300 years. No one in Windale actually believes in witches, but three people are experiencing vivid nightmares; and an evil presence is working its way into their lives.

Hope you enjoy this new endeavor!