98th out of 202 books
—
148 voters
The Haunted
The Perry family's new house is perfect-except for the weird behavior of the neighbors, and that odd smell coming from a dark corner in the basement. Pity no one warned the family about the house. Now it's too late. Because the darkness at the bottom of the basement stairs is rising.
Paperback, 389 pages
Published
April 3rd 2012
by Signet
(first published September 1st 2001)
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Despite its bleakness, Bentley Little's newest, The Haunted, was a lot of fun to read. Although Little is known for his sense of humor, I warn you to not look for that here. This is a book that is dark, bleak, and full of despair as the Perry family loses control of their average, every day lives.
The story is about an innocent family haunted by their new house, but it reminded me of self-abuse spinning out of control, the unknown anger and angst of adolescence, the fear and desperation of a chil...more
The story is about an innocent family haunted by their new house, but it reminded me of self-abuse spinning out of control, the unknown anger and angst of adolescence, the fear and desperation of a chil...more
I grew up with haunted house stories, and with a strong feeling of having been there, done that many times, I usually don’t go in for reading them. Then I picked up THE HAUNTED by Bentley Little and was once again amazed by the storytelling of the writer Stephen King calls “the horror poet laureate.”
When the Perry family decide to go house hunting, they discover an older home that seems perfect for them. Unfortunately, the house is already occupied by an ancient evil that feeds on fear and death...more
When the Perry family decide to go house hunting, they discover an older home that seems perfect for them. Unfortunately, the house is already occupied by an ancient evil that feeds on fear and death...more
This is a book about a haunted house that is pretty much a retread of Poltergeist. It even begins with a scene of skateboarders. The Perry family moves to a new house and weird things start happening. Mom and Dad start seeing faces in mirrors and hearing things. Son and Daughter have similar experiences and then he starts eating dirt, whereas she begins cutting. We learn a man died in the basement and that the home site—the whole neighborhood in fact—has been the scene of mass deaths for centuri...more
2 AND 1/2 STARS
With The Haunted, Bentley Little has returned to his supernatural roots, but unlike many of his great novels, this one felt a bit like he was shooting off the hip, with no real path or focus. Some scenes were truly inventive and creepy, but not much connected organically for me. There were too many coincidences and the fact that the family did not take action sooner just had me shaking my head. Author Little tried to justify a lot of the holes in the story, but it still felt too f...more
With The Haunted, Bentley Little has returned to his supernatural roots, but unlike many of his great novels, this one felt a bit like he was shooting off the hip, with no real path or focus. Some scenes were truly inventive and creepy, but not much connected organically for me. There were too many coincidences and the fact that the family did not take action sooner just had me shaking my head. Author Little tried to justify a lot of the holes in the story, but it still felt too f...more
My first encounter with Bentley Little was in reading The Association. It was good, quirky but decent. When I came across The Haunted on Audible, I thought I may as well give it a try, and as an avid reader of all things horror I mostly came away satisfied.
The neighborhood has taken a turn for the worse with the economy. Eventually the Perry family decides to pick up and move to a house closer to downtown, and while it may have seemed like the perfect property, there are secrets about the house...more
The neighborhood has taken a turn for the worse with the economy. Eventually the Perry family decides to pick up and move to a house closer to downtown, and while it may have seemed like the perfect property, there are secrets about the house...more
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Since my last encounter with Bentley Little's work was about two years ago, and since that occasion was plagued with unoriginality, disappointment, and sadness, I was
overjoyed to see that Little had another novel coming out with a simplistic title. This one is called The Haunted, not to be confused with The House, and it shows that
if you have the tenacity to beat a dead horse, you can sometimes reanimate the damn thing and make it interesting again. No, there are no zombie horses in Little's
l...more
overjoyed to see that Little had another novel coming out with a simplistic title. This one is called The Haunted, not to be confused with The House, and it shows that
if you have the tenacity to beat a dead horse, you can sometimes reanimate the damn thing and make it interesting again. No, there are no zombie horses in Little's
l...more
Really?
I love a good haunted house story. I enjoy a suspenseful tale. I like run of the mill family and historical novels as well. And, I'm not opposed to a good, raunchy tale of crazy proportions. But, like the gratuitous and totally irrelevant sex scenes in this book - most of the 'idea' of the book was rooted in a very plain and vanilla prompt style writing. I was perpetually disappointed. Perhaps I require a little more skill and imagination in those areas than this author can deliver.
When y...more
I love a good haunted house story. I enjoy a suspenseful tale. I like run of the mill family and historical novels as well. And, I'm not opposed to a good, raunchy tale of crazy proportions. But, like the gratuitous and totally irrelevant sex scenes in this book - most of the 'idea' of the book was rooted in a very plain and vanilla prompt style writing. I was perpetually disappointed. Perhaps I require a little more skill and imagination in those areas than this author can deliver.
When y...more
I know, I know...I probably should wait to do this post - let the story sink in more - but I'd rather do it when emotions run high.
The story started out well enough - scary, a bit perplexing, even a trifle bit of humor. The family is at the house and at first little things happen - a record player plays itself and a laundry basket seems to enjoy wandering around the house. There is an eeriness that keeps you on seat's edge but doesn't go so far as to seem horrifying. It is easy to like the child...more
The story started out well enough - scary, a bit perplexing, even a trifle bit of humor. The family is at the house and at first little things happen - a record player plays itself and a laundry basket seems to enjoy wandering around the house. There is an eeriness that keeps you on seat's edge but doesn't go so far as to seem horrifying. It is easy to like the child...more
Bentley Little has to be one of the absolute tip-top horror writers working today. This is a workmanlike effort at a straight haunted house story, a little bland for a guy who has written about shapeshifting Chinese vampires and demonic insurance companies; the book would be flat in the hands of another, but Little crafts a solid narrative, colored by his readily apparent love of his native Southwest. It's always nice to see an author's environs make a mark on his work. That, and it's nice to re...more
I started off reading three books at the same time, but after the first 20 pages of The Haunted I was hooked and couldn't think of another book until I finished it.
In my opinion this book was not like other hauntings. The was a totally new element Bentley gave it. The Haunted had me afraid to keep reading late into the night. It wasn't one of those fast, action packed, non-stop roller-coaster rides. There were a couple of dull moments but they were few and far between. This book was very suspen...more
In my opinion this book was not like other hauntings. The was a totally new element Bentley gave it. The Haunted had me afraid to keep reading late into the night. It wasn't one of those fast, action packed, non-stop roller-coaster rides. There were a couple of dull moments but they were few and far between. This book was very suspen...more
I really enjoyed this latest book from Bentley Little. I like his twisted horror books and this one didn't leave me disappointed as I love a good haunted house story.
So Julian and his wife and two kids have had it with their neighborhood going down the tubes so they decide to move. And they find the perfect house, big enough for the 2 kids and his office, (he's a web designer) and within walking distance of his wife's office, (she's a lawyer).
But as soon as they move into this place, things are...more
So Julian and his wife and two kids have had it with their neighborhood going down the tubes so they decide to move. And they find the perfect house, big enough for the 2 kids and his office, (he's a web designer) and within walking distance of his wife's office, (she's a lawyer).
But as soon as they move into this place, things are...more
The Haunted is Little's latest work and if you are a fan of any of his other books you won't be disappointed. Gruesome and gritty, Little keeps the horror action going throughout the whole book. He is one author that I have read every single book he has published. There is not a Bentley Little book out there that I have not read, that's how addicted I am to his books.
For this book, the reader follows the story of a family that moves into a home. At first everything seems fine, but then weird occ...more
For this book, the reader follows the story of a family that moves into a home. At first everything seems fine, but then weird occ...more
This is a surprisingly restrained (for Bentley) haunted house story, which makes it all the better when things DO get totally twisted. It's set in New Mexico and follows a likable family as they relocate to a better neighborhood (they think). The characters were very well drawn and I even cried a little at the end! When I call it a "haunted house" story, I should clarify that it's more complicated than that, with flashbacks that go way back into the past before the house was even built, and invo...more
I always like to pore through as many horror novels as I can during the Halloween season and knew I was in good hands with a master like Bently Little.
Little deserves far more global recognition than he has received as his novels are reminescent of the earlier (and better) works of King, Straub and Koontz.
THE HAUNTED is no exception. There is an area of Jardine, New Mexico that has known death, brutality and hate for centuries. It is not so much an evil entity as it is a God of death and destruc...more
Little deserves far more global recognition than he has received as his novels are reminescent of the earlier (and better) works of King, Straub and Koontz.
THE HAUNTED is no exception. There is an area of Jardine, New Mexico that has known death, brutality and hate for centuries. It is not so much an evil entity as it is a God of death and destruc...more
Life is too short for bad books and even after three quarters of the way, I just couldn't bring myself to finish it. Bentley Little just hasn't learned what Stephen King did...sooner or later, you've got to get out of Castle Rock. Little often has great ideas, but his executions are just disappointing. Little relies too much on graphic sex that makes me think of a nerdy teenage boy's fantasies after "reading" a porno mag. Lately the American male obsession with anal sex that is popping up in boo...more
I have only recently taken an interest in contemporary horror novels, and I have been impressed by the originality of much that I have found: Poppy Z. Brite, Kathe Koja, Tom Piccirilli, Graham Joyce and others.
I picked this up because it has been nominated for the Stoker award and I am sucker for haunted houses. I made it to about page 200. The next chapter was going to be a flashback to the late 16th century, and I could not imagine that this device was going to add depth or interest to what s...more
I picked this up because it has been nominated for the Stoker award and I am sucker for haunted houses. I made it to about page 200. The next chapter was going to be a flashback to the late 16th century, and I could not imagine that this device was going to add depth or interest to what s...more
I had always intended to check out more of Bentley Little's work after having read The University and then The Mailman a few years ago. Here was a man unafraid to play with novel concepts, a sentient collection of buildings in the first case and a malevolent, supernatural mailman in the second. I found both novels refreshing in how these bizarre, potentially absurd ideas were presented in all seriousness and mined with a unflinching regard for every ounce of visceral horror that could be teased...more
I love haunted house stories, but I seem to be on an unending quest to find a good one these days. I was really looking forward to reading this one, but I was so disappointed. First, the pace is way too fast. There was no time to build the creepy atmosphere. Instead, the haunted starts right away and just keeps repeating over and over until it no longer made any impact in my mind at all. Then there were the cardboard characters. Literally every person in this family is a generic character from e...more
I'm not quite sure what to think of this. I often found myself getting interested and then bored thoughout the book. This book would make a good movie but there are parts that bothered me.I loved the incidents that happen in the house. Some typical and some odd. A record starts playing for no reason, laundry baskets appear in the kitchen, cuts appear on the daughters legs, the son begins to eat dirt, faces appear in the mirrors, whispers etc... and then the entity really makes itself known in mo...more
I've enjoyed Bentley Little since I first read "The Store". Since then I've read all of his books and loved them all (with the exception of one, but this one isn't it). So when I heard that he was coming out with a new haunted house story (my favorite kind of horror), I was very excited.
Mr. Little did not disappoint. Many reviews seem to call the book bleak, and it is. It has the Bentley Little prerequisites -- takes place in the southwest (in this case New Mexico), has references to The Store,...more
Mr. Little did not disappoint. Many reviews seem to call the book bleak, and it is. It has the Bentley Little prerequisites -- takes place in the southwest (in this case New Mexico), has references to The Store,...more
This latest novel by Little is an entertaining story but doesn't cover any new ground; it's a pretty typical haunted house story in which the characters choose to do some dumb stuff in order to advance the plot. After so many thousands of books and movies you'd think that everyone would know by now that when you're in a haunted house you should leave. You shouldn't go back by yourself, you shouldn't go into the basement, you shouldn't try to fight, reason, or bargain with the forces of evil... y...more
This could easily have been a 4 or even 4.5 star rating if there had just been a tad more at the end. Something shocking or even something more heartfelt would have improved the book quite a bit, or even just a little more explanation of some of the casualties in the story.
Aside from wanting more of a good finish, this was one of Bentley's most interesting and engaging tales in quite some time. If you've read Bentley Little before, you probably know that he'll never write the next great American...more
Aside from wanting more of a good finish, this was one of Bentley's most interesting and engaging tales in quite some time. If you've read Bentley Little before, you probably know that he'll never write the next great American...more
Julian and Claire Perry, along with their young son and teenage daughter, move to a better neighborhood in New Mexico. They love the new house, although each one begins to have issues with it, stemming from similar nightmares they share as well as sightings of a creepy old man in the basement.
Each family members then becomes haunted in different ways: daughter Megan begins receiving perverted (and then deadly) messages on her cell phone with no return number; son James partakes in a game of Old...more
Each family members then becomes haunted in different ways: daughter Megan begins receiving perverted (and then deadly) messages on her cell phone with no return number; son James partakes in a game of Old...more
I gave it three stars for potential, but it seemed like Little wanted to shoehorn in all the many conventions of the horror genre into this book... and the characters were merely secondary thoughts. I couldn't buy the relationship between the husband and wife, and thus never gave one damn about them.
On the other hand, the daughter and son were fascinating -- anytime you come across a character who has an insatiable (and inexplicable) taste for DIRT.. you want to follow him around and see what wi...more
On the other hand, the daughter and son were fascinating -- anytime you come across a character who has an insatiable (and inexplicable) taste for DIRT.. you want to follow him around and see what wi...more
Julian and Claire purchased their new house on Rainey street in Jardine, New Mexico. This was the perfect home for Julian and Claire and their two children James and Megan.There was only one thing wrong with this house, it was haunted! This was a very strange neighborhood to live in. It seems like the neighbor knew the history of the house but were not telling the Perry family anything. The house had a strange effect on each one of the Perry family. James had nightmares about the man in the base...more
Here is my guilty pleasure: horror. Little is sort of a one trick pony (familiar themes regarding Indian burial grounds, unclean lands and practices...very much a commentary on American history and social norms) but I love how he writes his characters. Plus, I love a good haunted house story and this fits the bill.
I won't go into a ton of detail, but suffice to say that an innocent family moves into a cool new house and lives to regret it. No true scares, but then again I'm difficult to unnerve,...more
I won't go into a ton of detail, but suffice to say that an innocent family moves into a cool new house and lives to regret it. No true scares, but then again I'm difficult to unnerve,...more
Jul 26, 2012
Katie
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
No one I know
Recommended to Katie by:
Myself
Shelves:
100-books-2012-goal
This is the first straight-up, modern, mass market horror book I've read in years. It scared me, but not in a thinking person's land of shivers, more like a knee-jerk, maybe I don't want to read about this, reactionary way. I felt super uneasy the whole time I was reading it, and it isn't an experience I want to repeat anytime soon.
It's your basic poltergeist/ghost/bad energy-type haunting. Weird stuff starts happening, the family is compelled to do things against their will, and most disturbing...more
It's your basic poltergeist/ghost/bad energy-type haunting. Weird stuff starts happening, the family is compelled to do things against their will, and most disturbing...more
I actually really enjoyed this. It's the first book I've read in quite a while that I just haven't wanted to put down (probably not the best thing ever, seeing as I had a midterm this morning for which I did not study near as much as I should have). After seeing some of the other reviews, I think my opinion may be at least partially due to the fact that this was the 1st Bentley Little book that I have read, but I do intent to read more. Loved pretty much the whole thing, though the ending nearl...more
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| Gwinnett County P...: Haunted Houses | 1 | 4 | Dec 07, 2012 08:20am |
Bentley Little is an American author of numerous horror novels. He was discovered by Dean Koontz.
Little was born one month after his mother attended the world premiere of Psycho. He published his first novel, The Revelation, with St. Martin's Press in 1990. After reading it, Stephen King became a vocal fan of Little's work, and Little won the Bram Stoker Award for "Best First Novel" in 1990. He mo...more
More about Bentley Little...
Little was born one month after his mother attended the world premiere of Psycho. He published his first novel, The Revelation, with St. Martin's Press in 1990. After reading it, Stephen King became a vocal fan of Little's work, and Little won the Bram Stoker Award for "Best First Novel" in 1990. He mo...more
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“Julian tried to keep a pleasant smile on his face, though already it felt strained. He was uncomfortable with people who used the word blessed as a part of their everyday speech. The implication was that God was intervening in the minutiae of their lives, hanging around and helping them with their jobs or children or household chores as though He had nothing better to do.
Maybe it was true, Julian thought wryly. Maybe that was why there were wars and murders and earthquakes and hurricanes. God was too busy helping real estate agents find new listings to deal with those other issues.”
—
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Maybe it was true, Julian thought wryly. Maybe that was why there were wars and murders and earthquakes and hurricanes. God was too busy helping real estate agents find new listings to deal with those other issues.”

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