Hot Products > Books > Horror > Anthologies

Bec: Screams in the Dark... (The Demonata)

Screams in the Dark indeed ..., 2008-01-20
I like to class myself as a big fan of Shan's works, reading all of his Vampire and Demon series to date. However, of all of them released so far, this is probably my favourite.

The book is fast pasted, and, if I may quote the praise at the back of the book, it's "utterly unputdownable". I completely disagree with the ending being weak, or with anyone who tries to find a fault with any of the book at all! I think the Shan deserves a big thums up for this work.

The characters are loveable and cleverly written so that the emotion evoked by the characters in the book are evoked by yourself as the reader. Although I don't claim to be an expert on ancient Ireland, I do think that the Celtic terms are very cleverly sown into the text and the writing is a flawless for the average teen reader.

He certainly has "put the next generation back onto reading with a bang"

Songs of Innocence and Experience: Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul (Oxford Paperbacks)

Absolutely delightful!, 2001-06-29
Blake the poet or Blake the artist? The two are inseparable, and this book combines the two sides to his genius by having the Songs and their colour plates side by side. Blake's longing for reform stands out a mile within the pages, particularly in his most powerful poem 'London'. Poetry has never been the most popular with lovers of literature, but this is a worthy exception.

Dates from Hell

Excellent Turnout by Four Top Writers, 2006-05-31
If you're a fan of vampire, werewolf and other such paranormal fiction, you do not want to miss this anthology! All four are masters in their genres and none fail to entertain the reader. If you've never read any of the authors, prepare to suspend your belief system (that means let loose, fellow readers--it makes for much more fun reading) and hang on for a great thrill of a reading ride.

"Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil" by Kim Harrison--A very exciting story as it is a prequel to Harrison's Rachel Morgan series (Dead Witch Walking). This one is told from Ivy's point of view. She's trying to climb the corporate ladder in her office, but must do so on her boss's terms. Art is a "dead" vampire, as opposed to Ivy, who is a living one with the vampire virus. He wants Ivy to feed off of. When she discover's Art is covering up a serious crime, she takes measures to put a stop to his interference in her job.--Loved this one as we get a more intimate view of Ivy's character, one I didn't fully understand, or like, till reading this short. If you're a fan of Harrison's books, pick this one up and enjoy. You'll be sorry you missed it otherwise. Five stars.

"The Claire Switch Project" by Lynsay Sands--Claire Beckett and Kyle Lockhart are scientists experimenting with and perfecting a molecular destabilizer. A rogue employee, impatient to test the device on humans, tricks Claire and zaps her with the device's beam. Concerned, Kyle takes her home with him to watch for any harmful effects. What neither knows is that teach of them has cared for one another for quite some time. Claire sees an opportunity to get close to Kevin, and Kevin wants the same. When the destabalizer's beam ends up effecting Claire after all, they're in for an interesting night when they go to their high school reunion.--A very humerous story that flowed well, despite some silly moments. Of course there's going to be some silly moments--the heroine is zapped with a destabilizer!! It makes for some hilarious scenes, as only Sands can write them. Four stars for the lighthearted read of the four.

"Chaotic" by Kelly Armstrong--Hope is half demon, her ability to see and feel chaos magic both a help and a hindrance at times. When her mother sets her up on a blind date, chaos jumps up and runs amock in the form of jewel thief and werewolf, Marsten. An enigmatic man, to say the least, her boss wants something from Marsten and she's to make sure he stays put till the boss arrives. When she realizes she's being used, she and Marsten throw in together to ensure their survival.--I've heard such wonderful things about Armstrong's books, never picked them up though. This short was an excellent intro to her kick-butt, no-nonsense style and I definitely plan on picking up her books in the future. Hope and Marsten were an interesting pair I would love to see in a full-length book. Four Stars.

"Dead Man Dating" by Lori Handeland--A must buy author for paranormal fans!! This short is no exception. Kit Morelli, plain jane and bored literary agent, has a hot date, which she knows is fishy since she's not hot. What she doesn't realize is that her date is dead. He's seeking something from her that only she can give. It becomes obvious on their date what that is, but in comes demon hunter, Chavez to the rescue. He's hunted every kind of monster and demon there is, but he doesn't know what is hunting Rachel. He's determined to find out though, at any cost--to himself, to Kit and to the world. I loved this tale by Handeland!! I'm very much in love with her werewolf series (Moon series) and this tale was a great switch to see what else she can produce. A great five star read.

Though fairly short in length, all four stories came across as very satisfying. As a fan of most of these authors it was a delight to experience their styles in the short story format, and anyone else who is a fan of these authors will know what I mean. If you've never read any of them before, these are a great intro into what each is capable of--then go get their fuul-length books! Great weekend, week-night or any other time reading. Very highly recommended!!

K. Montgomery
Official Reviewer for The Mystic Castle

Complete Vampire Chronicles: 4 in 1

Forget Dracula.... this is how vampires really are!, 2003-05-20
I love Anne Rice's words in these books. The whole collection of the vampire chronicles is a fantastic journey.... it will have you believing every single word. I now have to ask myself..do vampires really exist? Anne has a very romantic perspective on these supernatural creatures, although they are always portrayed as evil in legend, you see how human and the depth of character/feelings they are. These books have a totally different attitude towards the subject and are unique. I am always recommending these books to people. Love them! Interview with the vampire (movie) did not do the books justice... although Brad & Tom both played their parts very well. Queen of the damned, apart from David being portrayed as a much younger man in the movie than the book, was quite a good film. (As usual most movies cannot have the information in them that a book can). Do yourself a favour and get to know these books. You won't regret it. They are great and you will be totally addicted! As I am.

The Dreams in the Witch House and Other Weird Stories (Penguin Modern Classic)

More from the Master of Horror, 2007-08-30
Much like The Call of Cthulhu, The Dreams in the Witch House sees another great collection of stories ranging from the "far out crazy" stuff like Polaris, to the more conventional horror stories like Dreams... or the Shunned House.

The edition itself is great value for money. It is clear that Joshi possess an large pool of knowledge on the life and works of Lovecraft. Every story contains several notes with references to other works of Lovecraft himself or other authors for further reading.

Horror stories are meant to be just that, stories, not novels or books or trilogies. Lovecraft follows more on the tradition of Poe and Dunsany than Stoker. And for my money, I'll take Lovecraft over Poe any day.

The Call of Cthulhu: And Other Weird Stories (Penguin Modern Classics)

Horror Fiction at it's finest, 2007-04-20
Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937) is a name synonomous with most horror fiction fans; and one can easily see why once one reading the first few sentences of his beautiful prose.
Most of the stories contained in this teriffic compilation are of 'short' veriety - with some noticeably lengthier. They deal with all sorts of strange beasts and ideas; from creepy old men in the backwoods of New England, Zombies, unseen ghouls and massive god-like monsters.
Of course, these stories would hold up without the assistance of explanatary notes which occuply the end of this particular volume; however, editor ST Joshi's notes complement these stories brillinatly, providing an interesting backstory on some of the more curious passages, and offer exhaustive information on the inspiration for the fiction.
Joshi's introduction is also excellent, offering a short biography of Lovecraft's brief and tragic life.


Even though Lovecraft's fiction has been collected in various other volumes for dacades, this (along with 'Thing on the Doorstep' and 'Dreams in the Witch House') is the difinative version of the stories collected in this volume, and it will offer hours of reading pleasure.

The Highwayman

Brill, 2000-01-22
This is one of the best poems I have ever read, it is perfect all the way through and the illustrations are brilliant too.

The Saga of Darren Shan Box Set

The saga of Darren Shan, 2008-02-04
I began reading the saga of darren shan when I was approximately 14 years old, by chance picking up the first book of the series in my school library. I am now 17 and these series of books have changed the way I look at childrens literature. The style and tempo of the books are deep, meaningful, reflective and at times extremely emotional. They tackle decisions and choices that would be impossible to make and really get the readers thinking and involved in the books. You will instantly be pulled into the life of the teenage boy and empathise with his life, I guarantee you will be unable to put any of the books down without reading as much as humanly possible. The term "unputdownable" has been bounded about a lot recently but these series of books truely are. They include a type of incredible fast paced tempo complete with humour and lovable characters which I have never come across before. Although classed as childrens books I assure you both parents have read them and enjoyed them thoroughly. I would certainly recomend each and every single book of the series to anyone with even a mild intrest in horror. Pick the set up today, you will not regret it.

The Living Dead

Classic Ghost Stories

Truly Scary, 2007-12-04
This was recommended by a friend for its atmospheric presentation and I was not disappointed! To hear the stories told in this way is certainly more spine-tingling than reading for yourself. Perfect for dark winter nights, but you may not want to listen alone...