runner
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Posts posted by runner
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why thank you julie
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It's always worth a trip to the local library...yes I love buying books and I love the smell and feel of them but you never know what you find in that treasure trove that is your local library
I am reading a Lawrence Block Crime novel at the moment and as the library is situated just a few minutes from my front door...I popped in and there is the latest Lawrence Block book "A drop of the hard stuff" together with a firm favourite of mine Mo Hayder and one of her latest "Gone" and finally a new crime release The Cutting by James Hayman....yes lets here it for, and indeed support our local library especially when there is talk of library closures!! never I hear you cry..so let's lend our support and borrow books :readingtwo: -
John Connolly's books fall between two genres horror and crime with a little bit of da vinci code thrown in. I love Charlie Parker, yes like all cops he's got his past and his demons but these in no way interfere in a cracking storyline. In essence ancient artifacts have been stolen from Iraq and are being smuggled into the US via Canada for what else profit...for the bad men
( The Whisperers are a curse/demons that are securely locked in a small box and just waiting to be released on an unsuspecting world...Into this story enter a host of characters...The Collector..The Captain...Herod (being eaten alive by a speeding cancer...which only adds to his evil), and lets not forget Charlie's two able bodied helpers Angel and Louis....add a number of ex servicemen who are mysteriously dying/committing suicide, an array of evil gangsters...together with the aptly named Jimmy Jewel (didn't he have a comedy show with Hilda Baker 
...and we have a top class thriller and as they say....grabs you from the first page and never lets go!.....so for all fans of dark and highly entertaining crime/horror fiction this is a must read...enjoy...and sleep tightly otherwise the Whisperers will get you...... -
What can I say for a mere 0.86p you can acquire a truly original horror short story collection. What makes this book so different is the fact that all these stories are joined together in a very clever way. The writing is very taut, bright, fresh and new, and I loved every word. So often in the past I have been disappointed when reading horror books, but AJ Armitt is a breath of fresh air and I urge you to downlod...you will not be disappointed
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What if Sunday was actually Monday?....what if your neighbours were really aliens?...what if your wife and family and everything you believed in was not what it seemed.....welcome to the world of Linwood Barclay. I enjoy Linwood Barclay but as someone famous once said I love babies but I couldn't eat a whole one (no offence meant!) His novels grab you from the opening sentence and lead you on a merry dance right to the final page. They are fun, they are great reads they are totally nonsense but above all they are great entertainment...and surely that is what good writing is all about? David Harwood enters an amusement park with his wife and child...his wife disappears and thereafter David's world is never the same again. You will be hooked and you will race along with David in a story that becomes increasingly bizarre as it heads like a steamroller to the somewhat predictable but enjoyable finish....I do recommend but as it says on the medicine jar...do not exceed the stated dose......
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Today it's all throwaway, benefits, cheats, xfactor, credit cards, instant fame,facebook, twitter...need I go on..what ever happend to true values? This incredible story of survival is a poignant reminder of the sacrifice and unbelievable hardships endured by those who thought it was their duty to live and die for their county and beliefs.Alistair Urquhart's childhood was a dream of family values in a world free of computers/tv and instant fame he enjoyed a true and full childhood...he was happy and how many of us with the instant fix society we now live in can truly say we are happy..whatever happened to imagination and storytelling? good neighbours? accountability? truth?...need I go on??? So as duty called Alistair was posted to the living hell that became Singapore during the Japanese occupation,and for some 3+ years we was systematically tortured and finally torpedoed when being transported by the Japanese and incarcerated below deck. What give this true hero the will to survive? what made this man want to carry on?...we can only read and admire a life shaped by the horror of war so that we the future generations could live in peace...
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This book did not do if for me...one of the few books I started and give up very quickly. I have read a lot of Gerald Seymour and found them very heavy on detail/proceedure...in fact just plain boring...apart from the wonderful Harry's Game..ah but that was a long time ago.....
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Ian I recommend The Lovers out in pb last year it was excellent...also have you tried any Michael Marshall?
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Yet another great piece of story telling for £0.71p The Darkness of Bones is a story of child abuse loosely based on the Kincora scandal, the sexual abuse of teenage boys in Ireland in the 1980's. A young boy discovers a bone in a snow-covered forest. Initially Adrian Calvart thinks it could simply be that of an animal, but it belongs to a young girl who has been missing for three years. Adrian's father Jack an ex-detective is now and artist but also working as a private investigator, has hidden from his son his responsibility for his wife's death. When he confesses the truth to him Adrian runs from his home into the worst snowstorm for decades. Frank's search for his son brings him into contact with Jermiah Grazier and his drug-addicted wife Judith, a damaged refugee from an orphanage who now sees herself as an avenging angel. Meanwhile, in the derelict orphanage, a tramp discovers a sexually mutilated and decapitated corpse which is later identified as that of the grotesquely abusive head warden of the institute
This is a fantastic read and I thoroughly recommend so if you have a kindle do download a copy and let me know if you agree The link is below as I could not get the "insert link" above to work...
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Prob the best thriller/crime book in the world.... shatter by Michael Robotham...if you have not read now do yourself a favour and beg steal or borrow a copy it is fantastico!!
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The best crime thriller I have ever read...and that is one recommendation!! is Shatter by Michael Robotham. It is stunning...amazing brilliant and everyone I recommend to agrees. Please you must read it is truly brilliant..here's a link to Amazon
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Pressure by Jeff Strand
As a long time reader of horror I have always been fascinated by this particular genre depicting as it does, when well presented, a dark and fearful world and a journey into the evil realms of the human condition. The works in particular of James Herbert and Stephen King familiar and multi-layered have never cease to amaze me and feed my addiction. Sadly it appears to me that most modern horror writers are unable to engage the reader for any length of time or indeed reach the dizzy heights of their renowned predecessors. Perhaps this is a result of many so called aspiring authors now having the facility to store and publish books online and thus able to reach a wider audience. By this I mean that we, the reader, now have a never ending source of digital ebook material to read and in my opinion this abundance of “literary” material is destroying the quality of the printed word…put simply anyone can now write a book and whether that book holds merit is a matter of personal taste!
Pressure by Jeff Strand, on one level, is a simple story of a small boy’s obsession with evil and the effect that this has on his best friend.... thereby lies the problem. This book is written only on one level, it is not multi-layered or complicated, it does not task the reader or treat him with any level of intelligence. It tells a simple story, in simple language and could only be described as boring in the extreme. It is written in a style that is reminiscent of a high school student, and holds no literary merit whatsoever. I find most modern horror writers ( there are a very few exceptions ) are a sad reflection of what has gone before, and if this is an example of the future of this genre then those culpable should hang their heads in shame! It is little wonder that few book stores in the United Kingdom stock quality horror books, indeed few retain a horror section at all and if this book is purported as a example of this genre frankly I am not surprised!
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This is a book rich in imagery, innocence, good and evil. It is a book that is far above the standard set by Stephen King and his stories of small town America. This story is set in Zephyr Alabama and follows the coming of age of a young and exuberant Cory Mackenson. From the opening chapter our attention is grabbed as Cory and his father our delivering milk one morning ,they avoid a collision with an auto mobile travelling towards them as it crashes into the nearby lake. Corey's father dives into the lake deep down, and tries to rescue the driver, who is naked and handcuffed to the steering wheel, but he is unsuccessful in his rescue attempt. This image of the trapped man haunts Cory's dad throughout the book and fills his every day with feelings of inadequacy and suicide. This however is only one of many images and stories that entertain and enthral the reader. We feel Cory's love of life and freedom, when school recesses for the summer and Cory and his friends sprout wings and fly, a lovely magical scene depicting the sense of freedom that only the coming of school holidays can bring. We learn of Cory's sadness when his old and trusty bicycle collapses, when he returns with his father to collect and perhaps repair the bike is no longer there but has disappeared collected by Mr Scully the local scrap metal merchant, the description at the scrap yard where Cory's bike is now “dead” is funny and touching. Corey is presented with a brand new bicycle by “The Lady” and he names it “rocket”, Cory and rocket have many great adventures together. The residents of Zephyr are both eccentric and fun, at the local barber shop we meet one elderly gentleman who supposedly saved the life of Wyatt Earp, and proceeds to tell a colourful story. At a later stage in the book there is a scene reminiscent of High Noon when there is a shoot out at the bus station with the local bad guys and our elderly gentleman again saves the day, a lovely fun and touching scene. The music of the beach boys enrages the town's clergyman and he preaches hell and damnation to the locals with very funny overtones. Equally there are some very touching chapters when Cory's best friend accidentally falls on a rifle,the rifle discharges and he dies, or Cory reading a copy of “Life” in his room and looking at pictures of the assassination of Kennedy, the war in Vietnam, awakening him to the realities and cruelties of the human spirit. In the final chapters we travel forward in time and meet Cory as a grown man returning to his place of birth only to find as we all do that his childhood memories, and places he knew no longer exist...lost in time
This is a truly entertaining, exciting and enjoyable book rich in heart-warming dialogue, imagery, sadness and hope. It makes the reader laugh and cry, it makes the reader warm to a story of outstanding beauty and a dialogue that is rich in it's delivery. This is a story that has certainly touched me, and will live in my mind and memory for a very long time. I highly recommend and hope this review will encourage many to join Cory on a trip down memory lane and meet the residents of Zephyr Alabama.
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Hi Pixie
It's good to see another forum member who has enjoyed this book as much as I am...I am half way through and thankfully on hols till next week, as I just want to read it
but I have to stop now to sort out teenage daughter! give wife lift to work!!! and iron my shirts for next week!!!...ah the modern man you can't beat him -
Upon recommendation I have started reading Boy's life by Robert McCammon and it is magnificent. A coming of age story but told in such colourful detail and prose, I would recommend to those in search of intelligent horror...is anyone else a fan and what books should I read next?
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just ordered my kindle yesterday with 3g....look forward to receiving and downloading some good intelligent horror books ie greg gifune and douglas clegg
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I am a great fan of horror and good story telling and perhaps dark crime/fantasy with a twist Simply The Season of Passage is an adventure tale of an American Expedition to Mars primarily in search of a Russian voyager spacecraft gone missing...all contact with the Russian crew is lost..what fate awaited them on Mars?...will our heroes find the answers? From the start there is an atmosphere of doomed anticipation sometimes reminiscent of Alien, the feeling of isolation is forever present as is an awareness of death and destruction stalking the reader
On Mars one Russian survivor is discovered...or is he? He leads the crew members into the depths of hell as one by one they they are destroyed and the remaining survivors including Dr Lauren Wagner return to earth after two years....but what did they transport from Mars to earth? are they altered by their voyage? is earth in danger? are they carriers of an Alien infection?
This is a beautifully written and balanced horror story with elements of fantasy forming a story within a story. At it's heart is the age old fear of how,why, and when could the human race be destroyed. This is the first Christopher Pike book I have read and will most certainly not be my last...a marvellous intelligent read and highly recommended!!
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I ordered mine last night my little xmas pressie from the wife! I to have read lots and lots of reviews and what I noticed is that the kindle is the in thing espec for new and aspiring authors I am interested in the books of one particular author Greg Gifune and lots of his books are priced keenly for the Kindle...I went for the wi fi version as it will slot nicely into my home network....I can't wait to download some great books in a manner of mins on xmas day
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thanks Willoyd that was a great recommendation I think I will be looking to order a Kindle, I love it's integration with Amazon and I do not think this in anyway inhibits my choice of books (ie the fact that I can only order books via Amazon...that's where I get most of my books now anyway)I love the idea of being able to download directly a book so quick and from virtually anywhere and the way the Kindle experience is integrated with your personal Amazon settings.
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I read last week The Right of Passage by Christopher Pike and I thought it was a fantastic thoughtful vibrant and rich book with great elements of horror and fantasy all wrapped up in some great storytelling which has stayed with me long after finishing this wonderful book. I have also in the past read many of the greats James Herbert, Stephen King and Dean Koontz ( his early work....I am afraid his writing today is too formulaic, following a predictable pattern) and some great books come immediately to mind....The Magic Cottage, The Rats, Haunted, The Secrets of Crickley Hall, The Shinning, The Green Mile, Misery, Pet Sematary, Salem's Lot, Watchers, Lightning, Strangers, Fear Nothing...and I have on my TBR list two additional Christopher Pike books The Cold One and The Blind Mirror...so I decided it would be great to see what new modern horror has to offer can it compete with the past masters? I choose a book called The Killing Kind by Bryan Smith described by Brian Keene on the front as "Bryan Smith serves up a feast of good old fashioned horror" I have never read such utter trash full of gratuitous violence and sexual depravity, unbelievably on the amazon com web site the book is raved about "killer Read" "Awesome Book" are just some of the comments. The book offers little in the way of imagination and story telling, the level of writing is that of an adolescent teenager and I can only imagine that those who read this drivel must have a below average IQ and be obsessed with murder and brutal sexual imagery. I read this book purely to compare horror both modern and past and I have been greatly disappointed and disillusioned by the images depicted and the level of writing shown. I am sure there must be some good horror writers waiting to be discovered (Through a Glass Darkly by Bill Hussey comes to mind) but equally there is much in the way of depraved writing attempting to describe itself as good Modern Horror!!!
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I know there are discussions already on Kindle but I wanted to start a new one as I am hoping to get one for xmas (form the wife [
] ) From everything I have read the Kindle seems the best ereader around on price, style, ease of use, purchase of ebooks and most important of all easy to read for hours with no eyestrain....is that right? I also like the look of the Sony PRS650 but it is much more expensive £170+ (when you claim back vat) Is the screen larger on the Sony? I visited Waterstones in Bristol today hoping to view the new Sony, they had the previous model on display but could not let me see the new model....as the display brackets had not arrived!! ...ridiculous or what...4 weeks to xmas...not very good for sales. It also seems to me that the procedure of downloading a book via the Sony is much more tedious than the fast wi-fi Kindle, also to charge the Sony you use a usb on the rear of your computer whereas Kindle supply you with a charger, and the Kindle appears much lighter and thinner. Waterstone were able to let me view the iriver ebo5 touch screen....I thought this was poor and heavy.So in essence is the Kindle the best? is the screen size the same as the Sony? and is it easy to read for hours on end? is it light?
I started this new thread as I did not want my post to get lost amongst the other ereader discussions, and if I decide on a Kindle I really want to order this week as there may be a Kindle Rush!! and they all sell out [
]Look forward to replies and recommendations [
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now we're smoking
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these are the old favourites....and I've read most if not all...what about new, different or American authors?
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I want to read something different in horror ie getting away from king koontz etc...what can you recommend? I have seen three that appeal? what do you think?
Meat by Joseph D'Lacey
The Garbage Man by Joseph D'Lacey?
Horns by Joe Hill
What else is worth a read?...I really want to be thoughtfully scarred
:rolleyes:
Before I Go To Sleep - S J Watson
in Crime / Mystery / Thriller
Posted
Again this is a book I have been contemplating and I will prob load unto my kindle as the price is very attractive...I had downloaded a synopsis and found the style of writing and the subject matter both thrilling and terrifying.