Tag Archives: Horror

Oath of Gold by Elizabeth Moon (The Deed of Paksenarrion)

American Literature October 19, 2009 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: In her final adventure, soldier turned coward turned paladin Paksenarrion finds herself on a quest to crown the true king, a quest that will bring her face to face with darkest evil. Review: Oath of Gold concludes the Deed of Paksenarrion trilogy in a most satisfactory manner, no matter how trite my one-liner may seem. (Have I mentioned lately how hard it is to summarize epic fantasy?) I was thoroughly satisfied by the breadth of the journey upon which Elizabeth Moon sets her intrepid…

The Dark Tower by Stephen King

American Literature September 15, 2009 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Roland the gunslinger reaches the Dark Tower he’s been pursing for a thousand years. Review: Obviously there’s a lot more to The Dark Tower, book 7 in Stephen King’s epic series of the same name, than my one sentence synopsis implies. But essentially, that’s it. And, honestly, was Roland’s not reaching the Tower ever an option for King? The suspense has never been “will he?” but “what will it be like?” But before Roland can reach the tower, he and his ka-tet (a former…

Song of Susannah by Stephen King (The Dark Tower)

American Literature September 14, 2009 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Roland’s ka-tet disperses through New York City in various whens, trying to save the rose, find author Stephen King, and save the Tower–quite possibly from Susannah’s demon baby. Review: Book 6 in Stephen King’s epic series, Song of Susannah is the darkest, bringing some of the darkest scenes in all of King’s writing. It’s also a relatively short book, though no less dense than Calla or . The early books seem almost minimalist in comparison with the baroque tapestry that the plot becomes in…

Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri

American Literature August 25, 2009 Superfast Reader 3 Comments

Synopsis: Five teenagers at an elite Manhattan private school game the system–because they’ve sold their souls to the devil. Review: When I picked up Another Faust, my expectations were low. I figured it was going to be yet another first in a series capitalizing on Gossip Girls and Twilight. Don’t get me wrong–I figured I would like it–but I didn’t expect anything more than light entertainment. So I was thrilled to realize that Another Faust was a spiritual and literary heir to the Gothic tradition…

The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett

American Literature, Australian Literature March 10, 2009 Superfast Reader 12 Comments

Synopsis: At night, the demons rise, terrorizing humanity for centuries until three grown orphans dare to fight back. Review: Warning: freak-out coming… THE WARDED MAN ROCKED ROCKED ROCKED. I mean, seriously. I am losing my mind over how good this book was. Why oh why oh why am I going to have to wait all the way until the end of the year to read the next book? I haven’t been this insane about a book since I read Assassin’s Apprentice. I was so sucked…

Revelations by Melissa de la Cruz (Blue Bloods 3)

American Literature October 31, 2008 Superfast Reader 17 Comments

Synopsis: Half-vampire Schuyler learns more about her lineage and has a secret love affair with the twin of her nemesis, as the war between the vampire Blue Bloods and Lucifer’s army of Silver Bloods escalates. Review: When I signed up to review Revelations, I didn’t realize it was book 3 in a series, and I really had a hard time catching up with all of the vampire lore and the history between the characters. From what I gathered, vampires were fallen angels who mutinied against…

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

On Reading May 12, 2008 Superfast Reader 5 Comments

Synopsis: An aging rock star buys an old suit that brings with it a vengeful spirit with a personal vendetta. Review: Let’s just get it out of the way. Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son. His debut novel, Heart-Shaped Box, is a work of horror. And not only is it damn good, it’s good enough to stand on its own. Hill has crafted a simple, elegant, scary little story that manages to delve deep into the nature of regret and repentance. The spectral figure who…

Dreamsongs (Volume 1) by George RR Martin

American Literature December 17, 2007 Superfast Reader 1 Comment

Synopsis: The first of two anthologies featuring short stories by George RR Martin, ranging from fantasy to science fiction to horror to genre hybrids. Review: I am one of those readers who had never heard of George RR Martin before encountering A Game of Thrones, book one in his Song of Ice and Fire series. What I did not know is that Martin has had a prolific career as a short story writer, primarily in the genre of science fiction. Dreamsongs Volume 1 includes some…

Oh, Horror! (Booking Through Thursday) + Question from a Reader

On Reading November 1, 2007 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

First of all–happy NaNoWriMo & good luck to all who are participating! I’d be with you if my baby’s due date weren’t smack dab in the middle of the month. This week’s meme: What with yesterday being Halloween, and all . . . do you read horror? Stories of things that go bump in the night and keep you from sleeping? I do like a good scare, though I much prefer the Gothic kind of horror to any other kind. My love for Stephen King…

The Long Walk by Stephen King (Richard Bachman)

American Literature October 29, 2007 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: 100 young men begin a walk that will not end until there is only one survivor, who will win everything he wants for the rest of his life. Review: I’ve read The Long Walk a bunch of times. It’s one of the best of the books Stephen King wrote under the name of Richard Bachman, a short, tight novella that contains a universe of human drama. The other one worth reading is, of course The Running Man, made into that great rainy Saturday movie…

reading is my superpower

i read all the books