Daniel Stalter's Blog, page 2
October 29, 2024
DEEP TROUBLE II

Deep Trouble II© 1997 by Parachute Press. Cover Art by Tim Jacobus.
Sequel to: Deep Trouble
Spoiler-Free Review
Deep Trouble II was a story about scientist being really bad at science. There were so many holes in the logic of the villain that he ended up being the only part of the book I enjoyed. If you think about him a non sequitur joke instead of the primary driver of the plot, then this book works as a self parody if you squint just right. Because evil plans are hard when...
October 23, 2024
MY BEST FRIEND IS INVISIBLE

My Best Friend is Invisible© 1997 by Parachute Press. Cover Art by Tim Jacobus.
Spoiler-Free Review
My Best Friend is Invisible was not a fun read. I found it tedious to get through. It felt rushed from the beginning. The twist at the end could have been fun for a short story, but the way they withheld important information until the end made it feel cheap. It reminded me of You Can’t Scare Me, which is not a compliment. On top of that I found every character extremely annoyi...
October 16, 2024
THE CURSE OF CAMP COLD LAKE

The Curse of Camp Cold Lake© 1997 by Parachute Press. Cover Art by Tim Jacobus.
Spoiler-Free Review
I really wanted to love this book. I came so close to loving The Curse of Camp Cold Lake. It had all of my favorite elements. It had a great setup and premise. The pacing was fantastic. This was on track to becoming one of my all-time favorites before it got derailed by the twist ending. I really hated the twist ending. It wasn’t fun, it didn’t make sense, and it left an unfort...
August 27, 2024
GOODNIGHT KISS 2

Fear Street Super Chiller #10:
Goodnight Kiss 2© 1996 by Parachute Press. Cover Art by Bill Schmidt.
Spoiler-Free Review
In my six years of reading and reviewing Fear Street books, I have seen a wide range of quality. There have been some fantastic reads, and there have been some real clunkers. I really want to write a balanced review of Goodnight Kiss 2, but everything about it felt phoned-in. It was almost like the plot felt like an afterthought. It didn’t help that the lead character, Bil...
July 30, 2024
THE BLOB THAT ATE EVERYONE

The Blob That Ate Everyone© 1997 by Parachute Press. Cover Art by Tim Jacobus.
Spoiler-Free Review
There was a really fun idea at the core of The Blob That Ate Everyone, but it never lived up to its potential. The strongest part of the book was the middle section with the storm. I wish we had gotten there sooner and that the book leaned into that aspect more. The opening and closing acts felt inconsequential and silly by comparison. Zach worked fine as a main character; I fou...
July 10, 2024
DON’T GO TO SLEEP!

Don’t Go to Sleep© 1997 by Parachute Press. Cover Art by Tim Jacobus.
Spoiler-Free Review
Don’t Go to Sleep was a really fun read. It was a great balance of horror, adventure, and comedy. The premise was relatable, and it didn’t waste time with fake scares. I laughed out loud at several parts of it. I appreciated the trippier elements and reality distortion. The plot kept a steady pace while escalating the drama with each chapter. I’m always relieved when a Goosebumps book av...
June 19, 2024
THE OVERNIGHT

The Overnight© 1989 by Parachute Press. Cover Art by ENRIC.
Spoiler-Free Review
The Overnight did a really good job of building tension throughout most of the book. It was unfortunate that the climax and conclusion ended up lacking the same punch. I thought the overall premise was solid, and the plot felt like it was driven by the actions of the characters. It really felt like Stine puzzled out what a group of teenagers would actually do in this situation, and used that fe...
June 11, 2024
CHICKEN, CHICKEN

Chicken, Chicken© 1997 by Parachute Press. Cover Art by Tim Jacobus.
Spoiler-Free Review
Chicken, Chicken is widely regarded as one of the worst Goosebumps books. I can hardly say it was good, but I think it was more of a mixed bag than terrible. I certainly enjoyed it more than several other books I could name (like Go Eat Worms and You Can’t Scare Me). The first half of the book actually started out strong. It had some great body horror and comedy scenes, arguably some of t...
March 27, 2024
HOW I LEARNED TO FLY

How I Learned to Fly© 1997 by Parachute Press. Cover Art by Tim Jacobus.
Spoiler-Free Review
How I Learned to Fly is a unique entry into the Goosebumps canon. With the 52nd book in the series, it was refreshing to see Stine try some new things. The magic was ridiculous but enjoyable, and there was a pretty strong message at the book’s core. The main character got a little grating at times, but I empathized with his predicament. The weakest part of the story was the lack of de...
March 18, 2024
THE WICKED HEART

by Christopher Pike© 1993 by Christopher Pike. Cover Art by Dru Blair.
Spoiler-Free Review:
The Wicked Heart read like a promising rough draft. I can see how that would make it an ideal candidate for The Midnight Club Netflix series. Some cool ideas are swimming around in this book, but the plotting and characters leave a lot to be desired. Pike is known for methodical and twisted plots with complex and engaging characters. This book comes close but ultimately misses the mar...