Horror Books > Alison Lurie Horror Books

Advantages: An intriguing, mysterious, humourous read
Disadvantages: Canny think of any

...politics on college campuses in the Sixties have gone down as classics (The War Between the Tates, Love and Friendship, and others), and her last novel was published only a few years ago. Her books are acclaimed for their detail, their insight, their humour and their rollicking plots. The Truth About Lorin Jones may be her best ever work – but then they all say that, don’t they? Our heroine is Polly Alter – a woman who is picking up the pieces both ...
...painter. Her salvation comes in the form of a commission to write the biography of the brilliant but totally obscure artist, Lorin Jones. Polly’s passion for Jones’s work is matched only by her ruthless determination to reveal the real Lorin Jones – a woman Polly believes had her career ruined by sexist male art dealers and critics. The task that lies ahead for Polly is difficult – impossible even, as Lorin Jones was virtually a recluse before her ... Read review

Advantages: thought-provoking, original ideas
Disadvantages: slightly macabre

Nine stories of women haunted by ghosts - both physical and metaphorical. Lurie's writing ranges from the humorous, like 'The Highboy', the tale of an evil piece of furniture that punishes those that don't treat it with respect, to the tragic 'Pool People', in which a rich suburbanite is killed by the ghosts of those she thwarted. The ghosts in the stories are sometimes real, as in the examples above, and sometimes the result of a characters overactive ...
...a diet imagines she sees overweight people everywhere. Sometimes Lurie isn't explicit about the reality of the ghost, and the reader is left to decide - is Celia in 'In the Shadows' really haunted by her dead ex-lover, or is it guilt that makes her imagine him whenever she is with another man? Lurie's storytelling is consistent, her ideas original and her character representation astute. What is lacking is any kind of adventure, or risk-taking - ... Read review

Advantages: An excellent & imaginative story
Disadvantages: Waiting for the next book

As a children's story this is some seriously dark writing and may not be suitable of younger readers, but for adults it's an exceptionally good read. The heroine of the story, Candy, finds herself pulled into a parallel world by a strange sea, a world that consists of 25 islands. 24 islands represent a particular hour of the day with the 25th a dark place of murder and madness. This initial volume sees Candy's travels around a selection of these ...
...trying to stay out of arms reach of the dark servants of the Lord of the 25th hour. This is a place where friend and foe are never what they seem and many are out for the capture of Candy. The illustrations included in this book give it an extra and enjoyably warped depth. Clive Barkers visual take on his fantasy world is one where even the good-guys can be seen as ugly monstrosities. You'll definitely want to read the next instalment. ... Read review

Advantages: Easy to read, hard to put down, gripping, thrilling
Disadvantages: None

...he must face the demon Lord Loss. I am probably being vague here, but I do not want to give much more away as that will spoil it for readers. At 200 or so pages this is just right. I feel there is far too much padding in adult books at the moment. And reading Lord Loss has made me feel surprised just at how good kids' fiction is. I have read the Harry Potter books, like most adults, but it did not cross my mind to read other works written for children. ...
...is quite graphic. There are no holds barred here and the author gets away with a lot of stuff. Death, blood, gore… But it is written with tongue in cheek - and with plenty of sick humour that did surprise me. The style is straight to the point. And very well written at that! Darren Shan is English born, real surname O'Shaughnessy. His first book, 'Ayuamarca,' was published in 1999, but did not sell well. This was an adult work, and it is his subsequent ... Read review

Advantages: Good cliffhanger ending for the next and last book. Very thrilling!
Disadvantages: A little too short, wanted more action!

...written by Anthony Horowitz, is the fourth installment of the "Power of Five", 5 book series about 5 children who have the power to save the world from evil creatures called "The Old Ones". The book starts before "Nightrise" ends, but from the point of view of Scarlett Adams, the protaganist and the fifth gatekeeper. There is a brief review of all 4 previous books incase the reader cannot remember or has missed a book out in the series, which I ...
...It starts off straight into the action as a 13 year old Scarlett almost gets hit by a van whilst not looking when crossing a road. She is saved by a mysterious chinese man who disappears before she can thank him for his actions. The book then moves 2 years into the future and Scarlett is on a school trip when she passes through a door and travels to a monastary in the Ukraine, where she is imprisoned. Scarlett then meets Father Gregory, a terrifyingly ... Read review