Goosebumps: Night of the Living Dummy was written by R. L. Stine. This is the 7th book in the Goosebumps series, published in May of 1993. The Cover Artist was Tim Jacobus.
SUMMARY
Twelve year-old twin sisters, Lindy and Kris, have a bit of a hard time getting along. Lindy tends to tease Kris a little too harshly at times, leaning over to the side of bullying. The rivalry really kicks into high gear once Lindy finds an old ventriloquist dummy in a dumpster near their home. Lindy’s excitement over the dummy is sincere, and it sparks a new hobby. She gives the dummy a name, Slappy.
Kris is desperate for her own dummy to prove that she can be a better ventriloquist than Lindy. When she finally does get her own old puppet that she names Mr. Wood, the competition really begins. One day, Kris finds a note in the dummy’s pocket, written in a strange language. She reads it out loud, which casts a spell over Mr. Wood. The dummy becomes a living object, ready to make the twins his slave.
THOUGHTS
I really enjoyed this book. The competitive spirit between twins really drives the story. Lindy, full of tricks, really torments her sister. The plot is reminiscent of the old tale, The Boy Who Cried Wolf. The jokes Lindy makes at the expense of her sister aren’t so funny when a magic spell is cast over Kris’s dummy.
There were a few moments that I thought the creep factor was dead on. Even though this is a kids book, some parts really did give me the creeps! As an adult, you won’t be terrified reading the story… but R.L Stine may give you some goosebumps!
I laughed out loud when Lindy discovers her dummy, slappy. Her sister, Kris, thought it was a small child that was tossed in the dumpster! I know, it’s not really funny, but it was so unexpected. There weren’t any other humorous moments in the book, which I liked. I thought going into it, that because it was a kids book, there would be many silly moments… there weren’t. This is a creepy tale, not a comedy.
The rivalry between the sisters was done very well. Right when I found myself routing for one sister, she does something too extreme, so I’d flip to the other one, and the cycle would continue. I found myself equally liking and despising both of them throughout the story. I like that the relationship between the two felt authentic, siblings getting after each other, and at the end of the day, they loved each other as such.
I liked how R.L. Stine closed out the book. He created an eerie atmosphere and delivered a nice twist at the end.
Ghost Eaters, was written by Clay McLeod Chapman. Author of Whisper Down the Lane and The Remaking. Ghost Eaters is published by Quirk Books (thanks for sending a copy for review).
Chapman delivers once again! His previous novel, Whisper Down the Lane was a real treat that tingled the spine and raised anxiety levels. This is the third novel I’ve read from the author. Chapman has quickly become one of my favorite writers.
Ghost Eaters is a fun, unique, and trippy ghost story. The horror of losing control of life is one of the themes. Some of the elements in this story have actually haunted my dreams for years, and to see the main character experience these things, is just horrible (in the best way of course).
The friendship dynamic is spot on with reality. There’s conflict, love, awkwardness – the evolution/devolution of where one stands in a friendship when there’s a loss. Erin, the main character, is our vessel in experiencing the trippiest ghost story I’ve experienced. The other supporting characters also feel like real people, not just ink mannequins or tools of dialogue on the pages.
Chapman’s writing style is fantastic and continues to impress. He gives us great characters, wonderful dialogue, and horrific situations. I think horror fans will get a kick out of this story!
The Final Girl Support Group was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Grady Hendrix. I’ve been a fan of Hendrix for a while, I highly recommend you pick some of his other books, My Best Friend’s Exorcism & The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.
So, what is a Final Girl? Well, she is the lone survivor in a horror story. After her friends and/or family have been brutally murdered by a violent psychopathic killer, she stands to face the killer alone. In most cases, she triumphantly overcomes her attacker, putting an end to the graphic bloodshed.
In this story, we follow Lynnette, as she does her best to keep the support group she’s attended for over a decade, from dissolving. The members, all Final Girls, are the inspiration of slasher horror films and writers of tell-all books. Some of the ladies feel the group should to disband! During a meeting that spirals out of control with pointless debate and petty complaints, one of the members checks her phone to see the horrific news, that the Final Girl whose chair was empty, was killed.
The news of one of their own being killed strikes a nerve, especially with Lynnette. On her way home, she takes unique paths through the city that she believes would shake a tail – in the event that someone was actually following her. She focuses in on the shoes of people near her, checking if the same pair have crossed her path more than once. Lynnette’s the kind of gal that has back up plans for her back up plans, just in case things go wrong… which they do.
Someone is trying to kill off the Final Girls!
Lynnette is the only one aware, thanks to her paranoia, that a killer is hell-bent on spilling the blood of her and her friends… To kill off the Final Girls.
Will Lynnette save her friends? Or, will she be the Final Girl – of the Final Girls?
OVERALL THOUGHTS: As always, I get a kick out of Grady Hendrix’s stories. Each one of his books is so different, but as far as I can tell, they all share just one thing… a wonderful female lead. I could be wrong, but seems to be a trend in publishing right now (don’t cancel me) to have a female lead. Almost every new book I’ve read has a leading female protagonist – there’s nothing wrong with that! Hendrix writes characters extremely well. As a man writing the female perspective the way he does it, it’s just mind blowing. Hendrix always puts a character in the most uncomfortable situations, and it’s always exciting to see how the character will react.
I found it humorous to base not just characters, but the actual massacres of the Final Girl’s past off of real horror movies and characters, like Sidney from Scream and Laurie from Halloween. Of course, things are mixed up and twisted a bit. Although certain plot points mirror things that we have seen in horror flicks, the story is still unpredictable and loads of fun.
While I did enjoy the book, the only complaints I have, is that some plot points were slightly muddled down and some things were resolved a bit too conveniently. HOWEVER, those complaints share almost ALL of my thoughts on horror films in general – off the wall plot points and convenient resolve. Well, I guess that’s what makes it fun.
Whisper Down the Lane was written by Clay McLeod Chapman. The book is published by Quirk Books (thanks for sending a copy for review).
Click to watch the review!
SUMMARY: It was the early 80’s, when a criminal case opened the floodgates of paranoia for both parents and children. A young boy, Sean, was pressured by his mother, police, and a physiatrist to spill his guts about the dark things that happened in his classroom. He draws disturbing images of the events and tells of satanic rituals that took place during class. The confession altered the lives of many individuals.
This novel will blow your socks off!
In 2013, a man named Richard believes his past is better off behind him and forgotten. Not a soul he comes in contact with knows of the horrible things he’d been a part of. However, history has a tendency to repeat itself. Events unravel in Richard’s small town; familiar, unwanted memories rise up to haunt him. These events, if they rise up out of the shadows and into the light, will alter Richards life in the worst possible fashion.
CHARACTERS: With this story, I’m only going to mention one character, Richard. Richard is an art teacher at an elementary school. It seems he’s living his best life now; newly married, soon to be an adoptive father, and he has a great job. Richard is a good guy, full of love and dreams. When distant memories swell up within him, his grasp on reality gets fuzzy, and his sanity starts to slip away.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: This book… is intense! While reading this book, I felt physically ill, I felt anger, I had goosebumps, I felt paranoia, and I felt joy! Chapman absolutely blew me away with this story from beginning to end. The story alternates between two timelines, 1983 & 2013. It’s extremely easy to follow.
The characters, setting, and descriptions are written so well. the author did a fantastic job with the characters thoughts, expressing the hopes, fears and everything else going on the characters head, was very clear; making the characters feel like real people. The dialogue is great, the actions and reactions of the characters are organic, nothing felt forced or cheesy.
The setting was described perfectly. I feel like I’ve been to the town described in the book. Now that I’m a father of three kids, the things that happen in this book are an all new layer of horror. The book raised my anxiety, I legitimately felt horrified by this story. The end of the book just about blew my socks off, it’s soooo good! I can’t wait to see what Chapman has in store for his next book.
The book does have some legitimate life lessons:
Tell the Truth
Don’t force a narrative
Don’t forget the past
Kindness goes a long way
Do I recommend you purchase Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman? I most certainly do!
RATING: I give this novel an A+, I was very pleased with this intense horror novel!
The Remaking is a novel by Clay McLeod Chapman and published by Quirk Books. Thank you, for sending a copy for me to review!
The Remaking is a 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist.
SUMMARY: Only the old trees know the true tale of mother Ella Louise & her daughter Jessica Ford, alleged witches. On October 16th, 1931, Ella and Jessica were burned alive in the woods of Pilot’s Creek Virginia. What was left of the bodies were buried, in separate locations. Ella Louise Ford’s gravesite is unknown to this day, but Jessica’s body is buried in the Pilot’s Creek Cemetery. The story of Ella and Jessica is passed on through ghost stories. That is until 1971, when the story was adapted into a film, Don’t Tread On Jessica’s Grave. Amber Pendleton, a young girl scores the roll to play the preteen witch, Jessica Ford. The film is made, but not without trouble, lots of trouble. A supernatural event happened on set, pushing the film to cult statues immediately.
Years go by, it’s 1995, Amber Pendleton’s acting career is stagnant. She makes the rounds at all the horror conventions, forcing a smile across her face. She hate’s the circuit, all the fans are all the same. However, she needs the money. So she’ll autograph items and take the photos with the fans, with a little help from pills and alcohol. One day, she gets an unexpected call from her agent. I Know What You Did On Jessica’s Grave is in the works, a remake of the 71 cult classic, Don’t Tread On Jessica’s Grave. The director wants Amber in the film, this time… to play the mother, Ella Louise Ford. The film enters production, but too much trouble, familiar trouble disrupts the movie.
Years go by, it’s 2016. The truth still isn’t clear about what happened on the production of I Know What You Did On Jessica’s Grave. Amber is sought out by podcaster, to pull the truth from her. Is Amber Pendleton crazy? Did Ella Louise come back from the grave to take the young Amber in 1971? Did Amber fall to heavily into her roll as Ella Louise in 1995 and commit murder? learn the truth, read The Remaking.
CHARACTERS: I’m only going to pick one character to mention.
Amber Pendleton: She’s had a rough life. Her mother pushed hard for Amber to be an actress. When Amber scored her first real acting job for a movie, her mother was so happy, Amber was just a nervous child. The event that took place during her first film job left her scared, emotionally and mentally. She absolutely hated the convention life, but because her acting days were pretty much not a reality, she had to do the signings and photos. Her life turns out to be pretty sad. Since that first job, people have always associated her with that one roll as Jessica Ford, the little witch girl. She feels in her heart, that her life is forever tied to the Ford witches.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: I enjoyed the book. The author takes a unique approach at writing this story, The novel is a story, about a story remaking a story, based on origin story, followed up by a new type of storytelling. It sound’s complicated, but it really isn’t. I didn’t find the book to be scary, (I can’t recall a book ever really freaking me out) but it has all the elements a spooky story would have. Clay Chapman did a wonderful job structuring the story.
The writing style wasn’t my favorite. The way some things were written I just got plain annoyed with. Some elements felt rushed. Some moments lacked detail, while others went into excellent detail. I’m not quite sure how to explain this next thing, but some of the writing felt like the author was in a mode, writing immediately what came to mind and ran with it, leaving in the hesitations and mind stutters. Here’s an example of what I’m trying to say, this isn’t from the book, I don’t want to put copy what’s in the book, but this is the flow in some areas:
I’m writing so fast because thoughts are coming into my brain! My brain… My brain… Brain hurts… If I slow down the writing will stop and I’ll be so far behind on my schedule. Schedule schedule schedule… I think about the schedule so much my brain hurts… hurts..
That’s my only issue with it. Again, I think the author did a good job with the structure, it’s a cool way to tell a story and how it evolves over time with both the storytellers and the form of story telling. The story is more than a horror, it’s a tragedy.
Do I recommend you pick up The Remaking? Yes, Chapman wrote a spooky story in a unique way.
Lokte was written by self published Author KJ Bryen. Lokte made the list of top selling books in Oklahoma City, where the author is from.
WATCH THE REVIEW
SUMMARY: Its a tale of light versus the dark. The spiritual realm is more physical than we ever expected in this supernatural thriller. Agents of the devil roam the earth with demons on their back, fulfilling dark deeds to please their master. Logan Lokte is such an agent, set with a task of finding those down on their luck and tempting their poor souls to make a deal with the devil.
Marianne Garcia is on her own, living the big city life, trying hard to fulfill her dream of being a successful actress. One day a charming man crosses her path and the two find attraction for each other. She confesses her dreams and he promises her the world, after a little paperwork of course, to close the deal.
Will Marianne make the deal with devils agent and live the life she’s wanted? Or will she remain faithful to Christ and accept God’s will in her life? You’re going to need to pick up the book and find out the outcome for yourself!
CHARACTERS: As usual, I’m going to mention only two characters. Logan Lokte and Marianne Garcia.
Lokte: When he was at his lowest, he struck a deal with the devil. The bad end of the deal leaves Lokte as an agent of Satan. To wonder the streets and lure more souls to the devils will. He’s a fighter, his will begins to conflict with that of Satans, which is pretty terrifying.
Marianne: She’s a go getter, trying to live out her dream in the big city. She wants to be an actress so bad. She tries hard, doing what she can to make her dreams come true. In the meantime, she works at a daycare. When a strange man reveals to her how she can have all her dreams come true, her faith is shaken.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: I enjoyed this novel, I thought it was pretty good! It’s almost a retelling of sorts, yet, completely different, of the of the legends of Robert Johnson. back in the 1930’s Robert Johnson was a horrible guitarist, being thrown from bars for his lousy playing. It’s been said, and referenced in a few of his songs, that he went down to the crossroads, and sold his soul to the devil in exchange for a guitar lesson that would change his life. The devil collected his soul when Johnson was 27 years old. You’ve heard of the 27 club, famous musicians dying at age 27, interesting stuff. Maybe the members of the 27 club, truly did sell their soul to the devil.
Bryen did an excellent job with character descriptions, explaining in great detail what the characters looked like and what they were feeling. The story is really about the test of someone’s faith. Just like in real life, people are weak, and yet some are strong. I was shocked by the outcome of the story, and that’s what I really like! The story really reiterates that old saying, if something is too good to be true… it is.
At the end of the book there is a short story that serves as a prequel to the book, and that was excellent as well. I would have preferred the short story to actually be part of the novel and not separate. I truly believe it would have served best as a prologue before taking us into chapter one. It has some pretty creepy moments that play into the overall novel and set up little things that pay off later in the book.
So, do I recommend that you read Lokte? Yes, it’s a wild supernatural spirtual fantasy that’ll keep you on edge.
