Dead Space: Martyer, was written by B. K. Evenson. The book was originally published in 2010 and was republished in April 2025.
SUMMARY
This is a sequel to the video Game – Dead space. Some unusual activity in the Chicxulub Crater grabs the attention of geophysicist Michael Altman. Altman joins a team to find the source of a strange signal. What they discover is a strange artifact which they dub, “The Black Marker.” This “Black Marker” is turned into an idle. People are unaware that this artifact is driving people to insanity, turning them into vicious killers.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Evenson did a fine job writing the characters for this book. There was no lacking descriptive details for both the emotional side of a character as well as the physical things that happen. Characters are placed in vulnerable situations, some cave in to their weaker will while others remain strong.
I enjoyed the mystery of the story, it took it’s time while also feeling fast paced due to short chapters, most of the time. This book can make one feel claustrophobic, which is great since it is a horror.
I like a good creepy book, however this book goes far beyond that, serving brutal gore at times. The story is also a tragic one. If you like gross horror, especially if it ties in to other media like video games and even comics, this is a book you’ll appreciate.
While I thought the author did an excellent job with this tale, I don’t think I’ll be reading the next book in the timeline. It’s just not my cup of tea.
Jaws was written by Peter Benchley in 1974. This terrifying novel was later turned into a film, becoming the first major blockbuster!
SUMMARY
We all know the premise of Jaws. Well… most people know it. Just in case, here is a very brief summary. Amity Island is terrorized by a great white shark – attacking, killing, and eating swimmers! Police Chief Brody wants to shut the beaches down until the shark is gone, but authorities with higher power… won’t let that happen. Amity depends on tourism, ans the season is upon them. If they shut the beaches down… the residents will surely suffer.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
The movie was great, one of the first, if not, THE first blockbuster films. I’m so glad I decided to finally read this book! I thought it was brilliant.
Oh my goodness I almost passed out reading this book in the first chapter! The first shark attack is so nasty and graphic. After that scene though, the graphic descriptions tone down quite a bit.
There are for sure some similarities to the film, but there are also some pretty drastic differences. The way it was altered for cinema, I thought was great, I think if it followed too closely to the book, the film wouldn’t have been as good. What I’m really referring to, are the characters. I found myself routing against a few.
Martin Brody, the police chief of Amity Island, had so much pressure on him. He wanted to keep the beaches closed after a few shark attacks left swimmers in pieces… dead. Yet, the powers that be forced his hand from doing so. Brody seems to be a simple man who does his job well. The tension at home with his wife thickens when marine biologist Matt Hooper shows up.
The build up to the end was fantastic. I loved the build up to the end. I thought all of the shark stuff was really good, but the stuff with all the characters and their drama was written really… really good! The plot and subplot mingled together so well. The character of Quint, the fisherman that owned the boat ORCA, was written perfectly. His flaw was his pride.
I don’t have anything negative to say about the book. Actions were taken by characters that pissed me off, and the language was a bit rough… but the story and the writing style was most excellent. As far as the ending is concerned, it works how it is in the book, but I preferred the film ending.
Do I recommend you read Jaws? Yes. Especially if you plan on having a beach trip. Read it before dipping your toes in the water.
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!
