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The Best of H.P. Lovecraft by H.P. Lovecraft

The Best of H.P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre
by H.P. Lovecraft

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Bobby rated a book 2 of 5 stars

Bloodroot
by Thomas Mordane

read in May, 2013

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2.0 stars out of 5. I hoard every evil plant book I can find, since they are hard to come by. Thomas Mordane is a good writer, there is plenty in this book that I've underlined (that means I like it a lot). However, BloodRoot suffers from technical i...more

Bobby made a comment on his review of House of Blood

"Matt wrote: "just a note for anyone that reads this review: "Bobby" really hyped up the sex in this book. It is not as prevalent as he makes it seem,...more "

Bobby rated a book 3 of 5 stars

Far Dark Fields
by Gary A. Braunbeck

read in April, 2013

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2.5 stars out of 5. If this had been the first book by Gary A. Braunbeck I read then I would not of liked it. I feel like the novel struggles to stand on its own. The book is good, but is best read at the end of his Cedar Hill books. I've read Mr. Ha...more 2.5 stars out of 5. If this had been the first book by Gary A. Braunbeck I read then I would not of liked it. I feel like the novel struggles to stand on its own. The book is good, but is best read at the end of his Cedar Hill books. I've read Mr. Hands, and Coffin County, so I was able to catch some of the character's significance and allusions, however there is so much in Far Dark Fields that the characters and other stories are shadows of themselves fighting for center stage. Mr. Hands is an awesome book, but I don't get any sense of what it is from this book. The Broken One seemed pointless, and I did not like its "bro" talk. Some of the dialogue has a weird feeling, a little forced and maybe even unnatural? It does not really move the plot. It seems to be more concerned about showing how chummy everyone is, and at being clever; there are many examples of sarcastic comments where something is used to replace the word ass. The scenes with Geoff and his family feel like they are trying too hard. I feel that there could have been another title for the book. The sign on the cover reading Cedar Hill says more about what it's about. Cedar Hill is a mess. As the book will tell you, "crazy shit happens here, don't try to explain it." Far Dark Fields explains why things are so messy, and why there is a pattern in the chaos just as there is in a flock of birds or a mass shooting (book reference). At the end of the book, it gets really metaphysical but it pulls it off, and that I believe is the book's biggest credit (and my favorite part). Gary did copy and paste a paragraph from Coffin County into Far Dark Fields, but in a place that makes sense- plus it's a really good paragraph. Far Dark Fields is a good book, but I don't think it's good enough to boast at the beginning, "Here is a story; if you listen carefully, at the end, you'll be someone else." I'll be reading more Gary A. Braunbeck, and I'm sure more things from Far Dark Fields will click into place.(less)

Bobby rated a book 3 of 5 stars

The Fifty Year Sword
by Mark Z. Danielewski (Goodreads Author)

read in March, 2013

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3.0 stars out of 5. I received House of Leaves as a gift some years ago and received The Fifty Year Sword as a gift this past Christmas. I expected the terse format to be broken and knew the words could appear anywhere on the page, it was a nice brea...more

Bobby rated a book 2 of 5 stars

The Stand
by Stephen King

read in March, 2013

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There are two kinds of people in the world- those who liked the Stand and those who did not (I bet I can guess who ended up on which side of the Rocky Mountains.) I'm giving this book 2.5 stars out of five. There will be spoilers to follow. I love ev...more There are two kinds of people in the world- those who liked the Stand and those who did not (I bet I can guess who ended up on which side of the Rocky Mountains.) I'm giving this book 2.5 stars out of five. There will be spoilers to follow. I love everything I have read by Stephen King, his work is just varying degrees of awesome to me, however this is my least favorite King book (it bumped up The Regulators). I read other reviews, good and bad, to help shed some light on why I liked this book least. What people seem to say is that the way it was originally published in an edited format was the strongest form. People said Stephen King added these cuts and updates into the book because of ego or pretentiousness. I took offense to this as a writer and can empathize with Stephen King. While I believe I would have liked The Stand more if I had read the edited version, I accept the unedited version as the true form because it is Stephen King's version. The book started out as one of the scariest Stephen King books I've read. I started it during the last week of Summer in October, and as the people got sick around me people started dying everywhere in the pages. It was a very realistic fear. I have to get this out of the way because it is nagging me- when the world was falling into chaos and the executions were being broadcast- it seemed like such a missed opportunity to do something cool but throwing in absurd (arbitrary?) details about pink speedos I really did not like. Larry Underwood was one of my favorites and his development was great. The part with his mom was I think the only time the book made me cry. Harold was another one of my favorite characters, his end felt unfinished and rightly so. I will miss him maybe the most. Mother Abigail was also really cool, I liked her back story a lot. The Kid was an awesome bad guy, and that part in the hotel room! I read a review that listed that as one of the reasons they did not like the unedited version which is stupid. Nick Andros was another of my favorites, who doesn't like Nick? Frannie was a snooze, but I thought the writing about her parents was some of the strongest in the book, and I expected her to cry every chapter/section- and she usually did. Randal Flagg.... I did not like this guy. He was a really boring bad guy, and when Glen was laughing at him from the jail cell he was right. There was so much build up for a guy in boots and jeans, who could control weasels, crows, wolves, and levitate some feet/inches off the ground. What about any other sinister creatures or cooler displays of power? And the way he ended was very anticlimactic, especially after so much walking and traveling. It seemed the four traveled all that way to affect nothing. Trash Can Man was going to bring the nuke back to Vegas anyway. I guess Larry and Ralph needed to be there to be in their cages so Whitey would make his speech prompting The Dark Man to make that weird energy ball that he lost control of... There was a ton of traveling in this book, and it really seemed to stretch after the 1000+ pages of build up was wiped out in the blink of an eye on a single page. Ironically the mushroom cloud was not that spectacular of a boom. The walking, like the original ending and the added ending section in the unedited version (if I'm not mistaken it was added) exists because it has to. Maybe it just seems this way because of their length, but there comes a section in King's longer books where things break down in an odd way (It, Under the Dome, The Stand) (Turtle, The Box, Flagg and Nadine in the desert.) Under the Dome pulled it off really well. Flagg and Nadine in the desert I think marks a point where things begin to slip. The 2.5/5 star ending may seem harsh, but I believe it is accurate and true to the book- the book is the way it is because it has to be-if that makes any sense. I believe this is a very important book, and hundreds of years from now Stephen King will still be Stephen King and The Stand will thankfully still be inspiring a sobering dose of fear into those who would aim to harness death.(less)

Bobby rated a book 4 of 5 stars

The Cabin in the Woods: The Official Movie Novelization
by Tim Lebbon (Goodreads Author)

read in September, 2012

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4 stars out of 5
I loved this movie, it is in fact one of my all time favorites. So instead of delving into the sheer genius of the movie, I will stick to the book. I knew the second I saw it at B&N that I had to read it. The novelization is true...more

Bobby rated a book 2 of 5 stars

House of Illusions
by Ruby Jean Jensen

read in September, 2012

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1.5 stars out of 5. Spoilers ahead. I had intended to read this book last summer but it got pushed back to this past August. It has a very unique foil cover which does not relate to the story at all. I really like Ruby Jean Jensen and consider myself...more 1.5 stars out of 5. Spoilers ahead. I had intended to read this book last summer but it got pushed back to this past August. It has a very unique foil cover which does not relate to the story at all. I really like Ruby Jean Jensen and consider myself lucky if I find one of her books at a used bookstore. I read Annabelle and was very entertained, and could tell that Ruby Jean Jensen was a gifted storyteller. House of Illusions is about a mirror maze in a traveling carnival haunted (or inhabited?) by an evil magician who has clown minions and is hunting for a talisman to restore his power. It turns out the clowns are creations inspired by nightmares and are empty costumes and masks that are capable of exerting crushing physical force. So far so good. Interesting premise, cool concepts, and a carnival/ circus is fertile ground for a horror story. The story's biggest flaw was that it became so repetitive that it became boring. There is no ending or resolution, which can work, however not in this case. The clowns kill people by slamming them on the ground over and over. Brutal. At first there are a few descriptions of the clowns moving as if pulled by invisible strings, controlled by some puppeteer, but then those stopped and the same action kept being repeated. The clowns would curl their fingers downward like claws, which is okay but not every time they make an appearance; it became very cartoon like (and not in the good horror/macabre way)sort of like Scooby Doo and they were chasing the gang over over a repeating background. Raoell, the evil illusionist, whose human description is your typical cliche evil magician, has another form that is a monstrous bird. Nothing is ever really explained, which again- it can work but does not in this case. Details are repeated until the end of the book making the action stale. The ending does not feel like one, and the epilogue does not do the story any favors. The last sentences and their focus were not indicative of a solid ending.(less)

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Bobby is currently reading The Best of H.P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre by H.P. Lovecraft	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 22, 2013 10:20pm
Bobby rated a book 2 of 5 stars Bloodroot by Thomas Mordane read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2.0 stars out of 5. I hoard every evil plant book I can find, since they are hard to come by. Thomas Mordane is a good writer, there is plenty in this book that I've underlined (that means I like it a lot). However, BloodRoot suffers from technical i...more
May 22, 2013 10:19pm · see review
Bobby made a comment on his review of House of Blood "Matt wrote: "just a note for anyone that reads this review: "Bobby" really hyped up the sex in this book. It is not as prevalent as he makes it seem,...more "
Apr 07, 2013 08:18pm · see review
Bobby rated a book 3 of 5 stars Far Dark Fields by Gary A. Braunbeck read in April, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2.5 stars out of 5. If this had been the first book by Gary A. Braunbeck I read then I would not of liked it. I feel like the novel struggles to stand on its own. The book is good, but is best read at the end of his Cedar Hill books. I've read Mr. Ha...more
Apr 07, 2013 08:12pm · see review
Bobby rated a book 3 of 5 stars The Fifty Year Sword by Mark Z. Danielewski (Goodreads Author) read in March, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3.0 stars out of 5. I received House of Leaves as a gift some years ago and received The Fifty Year Sword as a gift this past Christmas. I expected the terse format to be broken and knew the words could appear anywhere on the page, it was a nice brea...more
Mar 02, 2013 06:55pm · see review
Bobby rated a book 2 of 5 stars The Stand by Stephen King read in March, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
There are two kinds of people in the world- those who liked the Stand and those who did not (I bet I can guess who ended up on which side of the Rocky Mountains.) I'm giving this book 2.5 stars out of five. There will be spoilers to follow. I love ev...more
Mar 01, 2013 03:27am · see review
Bobby rated a book 4 of 5 stars The Cabin in the Woods: The Official Movie Novelization by Tim Lebbon (Goodreads Author) read in September, 2012	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4 stars out of 5 I loved this movie, it is in fact one of my all time favorites. So instead of delving into the sheer genius of the movie, I will stick to the book. I knew the second I saw it at B&N that I had to read it. The novelization is true...more
Sep 20, 2012 01:52am · see review
Bobby rated a book 2 of 5 stars House of Illusions by Ruby Jean Jensen read in September, 2012	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
1.5 stars out of 5. Spoilers ahead. I had intended to read this book last summer but it got pushed back to this past August. It has a very unique foil cover which does not relate to the story at all. I really like Ruby Jean Jensen and consider myself...more
Sep 12, 2012 11:31pm · see review

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