Horror | Raging Biblio-holism

NOS4A2

March 9, 2013 by Drew

The Short Version: Victoria McQueen is eight years old when she first discovers “The Shorter Way” – an old rickety bridge that, when she crosses it on her bike, can take her instantly to wherever she needs to be. Several years later, when she crosses paths with Charlie Manx – a vampiric maniac who kidnaps children to a place called Christmasland – she barely escapes with her life. Now, in the present, Manx is back and gunning for Vic’s own […]

Categories: Fiction, Horror, Literature • Tags: Advance Review, Fiction, Horror, Joe Hill, Literature, NOS4A2, NOS4R2, William Morrow

Worlds’ End (The Sandman, Vol. 8)

January 5, 2013 by Drew

The Short Version: As a massive reality storm crashes across the multiverse, lost travelers find their way to Worlds’ End – an inn at the end of all worlds. There, they pass the time waiting for the storm to pass in the oldest of literary traditions: swapping stories. The Review: I KNEW IT. I FREAKING KNEW SOMETHING BIG WAS COMING. I’m pretty sure I’m aware, now, of what’s going on – because I missed a particular figure in the […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Literature, Short Stories • Tags: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Horror, Literature, Neil Gaiman, Short Stories, The Sandman, The Sandman Vol. 8, Worlds' End

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Season of Mists (The Sandman, Vol. 4)

January 3, 2013 by Drew

The Short Version: Lucifer abdicates his throne in Hell and closes up shop, giving the keys to Morpheus – who is then beset by emissaries from just about every pantheon (except the Greeks), asking to be given control of Hell. Lucifer heads to the beach. The Review: I get the sense that, when Mr. Gaiman came up with all of these plots, he was laughing. Again, not out of any particularly funny thing… but out of enjoyment. Lucifer on the Australian […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Literature • Tags: Death, Dream, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Horror, Literature, Morpheus, Mythology, Neil Gaiman, Season of Mists, The Endless, The Sandman, The Sandman Vol. 4

The Doll’s House (The Sandman, Vol. 2)

January 2, 2013 by Drew

The Short Version: A “dream vortex” has been found in the world and Morpheus must seek it out – but the vortex, Rose Walker, is on a quest of her own: to find her little brother. Shading in bits of backstory while also moving forward into truly original territory, The Doll’s House is where the series really kicks off. The Review: Whoa. Just, whoa. If Preludes and Nocturnes was just that – a prelude – then this is where things really get […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Literature • Tags: Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Horror, Literature, Neil Gaiman, The Doll's House, The Sandman, The Sandman Vol. 2

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Preludes and Nocturnes (The Sandman, Vol. 1)

January 2, 2013 by Drew

The Short Version: Dream, the spiritual embodiment of, well, dreams, is captured and locked away on Earth for seventy years. When he is freed, he must reclaim the sources of his power in order to rebuild the Dreamworld. The Review: A friend of mine expressed her absolute astonishment at my confession: I’d never read any of Neil Gaiman’s comics work. She urged me then and there to use a generous Christmas gift (given with the caveat that I must […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: Death, Dream, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Horror, Morpheus, Neil Gaiman, Preludes and Nocturnes, Superheroes, The Endless, The Sandman, The Sandman Vol. 1

Your House Is on Fire, Your Children All Gone

October 29, 2012 by Drew

The Short Version: The village of Hemmersmoor feels like something vaguely out of time, held back by superstition. Four children come of age shortly after World War II in a small society full of death and distrust, complete with witches, ghosts, curses, a house on the hill, and murder most foul. The Review: First things first, the cover. You can’t see it, unfortunately, in any proper cover image put out by Penguin, but there’s a light overlay on the picture of […]

Categories: Fiction, Horror, Literature • Tags: Fiction, Gothic, Horror, hurricanereads, Literature, Stefan Kiesbye, The October Country, Your House Is on Fire Your Children All Gone

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The White Devil

October 26, 2012 by Drew

The Short Version: An American student sent to England to finish his education at Harrow finds himself pulled into the archaic and strange universe of British boarding school – and to make matters worse, the ghost of Lord Byron’s schooltime lover may well be killing off Sixth Formers who get too close to Andrew. How coincidental that he (Andrew) looks so much like Lord Byron… The Review: There’s something mythic about British boarding school life. American boarding schools don’t come close […]

Categories: Fiction, Horror • Tags: Fiction, Gothic, Horror, Justin Evans, Mystery, The October Country, The White Devil

Zone One

October 16, 2012 by Drew

The Short Version: After the zombie apocalypse winds down, the survivors begin to regroup and reestablish some semblance of society. The first great task is the reclamation of Manhattan, from the bottom up. It begins in Zone One, extending from the tip of the island to Canal Street – and that’s where Mark Spitz (not his real name) works as a sweeper, moving through the abandoned buildings one by one to clear out any random remaining skels. He had always wanted […]

Categories: Fiction, Horror, Literature • Tags: Colson Whitehead, Fiction, Horror, Literature, The October Country, Zone One

Hemlock Grove

October 7, 2012 by Drew

The Short Version: In the town of Hemlock Grove, PA, a young girl’s body is found mutilated. A classmate of the girl might be a werewolf – but they don’t exist, right? Meanwhile, the first family of the town hides several secrets of their own, including mysterious experiments at the Godfrey biotech facility. As the scions of the Rumancek and Godfrey clans join together to discover the identity of a rogue, murderous werewolf, all sorts of secrets come to light […]

Categories: Fiction, Horror • Tags: Brian McGreevy, Fiction, Gothic, Hemlock Grove, Horror, The October Country

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The Other

October 3, 2012 by Drew

The Short Version: In the New England town of Pequot’s Landing, twins Niles & Holland Perry are 13 years old. But where Niles is sweet and kind, Holland is mischievious and stubborn – the two boys couldn’t be more dissimilar. After a family tragedy, the extended clan comes together to support the boys and their ailing mother – and as the summer turns to the fall, Holland’s tricks take a darker and more violent turn. But as it turns out, […]

Categories: Fiction, Horror, Literature • Tags: Fiction, Horror, Literature, The October Country, The Other, Thomas Tryon

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Raging Biblio-holism

The overwhelming urge to collect, consume, and consider books

Archives

NOS4A2

Worlds’ End (The Sandman, Vol. 8)

Season of Mists (The Sandman, Vol. 4)

The Doll’s House (The Sandman, Vol. 2)

Preludes and Nocturnes (The Sandman, Vol. 1)

Your House Is on Fire, Your Children All Gone

The White Devil

Zone One

Hemlock Grove

The Other

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