Book Review: 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill

Book: 20th Century Ghosts
Author: Joe Hill
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Supernatural... Other

Julia Rating: 10

Comments: This book of short stories is a fantastic piece of work by Joe Hill. And...(at least in the audio book) there's a secret story in the back. :)

I'd say my favorite short that is in this compilation is Best New Horror, a story of a man who edits the volume Best New Horror each year. He gets a submission that quickens his blood, one that he simply must have. However, finding the author of the story proves to be difficult... and what the editor finds is unexpected and horrifying. I love it because of the ending, which I will not spoil, but it's truly a must read.

My next favorite is an ultra short called Dead-Wood about ghost trees. It's hard to explain, you'll just have to read it... you can go to audible.com and hear that one for free - it's the one that got me excited about buying this book.

Another great story is the last one - the one that is hidden much like a "secret song" that one used to find on CD's. I don't want to spoil the surprise, but let's just say it's about a father and his typewriter.

The last story I will mention here is the one the book is named for, called 20th Century Ghost. About a girl who haunts a classic old theatre called the Rosebud. She was beautiful in life and makes for a lovely, shocking sight to all that see her.

I really recommend this book to anyone who loves ghost stories. As Christopher Golden says in his introduction, they are not all horror stories, but gems from an author who represents promise fulfilled.

Book Review: The Mist by Stephen King

The Book: The Mist
The Author: Stephen King

Julia Rating: 6 out of 10

My Comments:
This was a decent novelette. It did get a little boring and sometimes I find Mr. King's need to put a sex scene or something about sex in almost every one of his books annoying, especially when it's not really applicable to the story. Also, this is kind of an "under siege" type of book, and it gets a little bit boring at points. The story keeps you going in true Stephen King style, however it's a little slower than I'm used to.

The basic idea is that a young family in Maine are split up (father and son in the grocery store and mother at home) when a strange mist comes into town, bringing all sorts of terrible monsters along with it. No one knows where it came from, but it's ripping their world apart literally and the father and son have to fight for survival. It's well written (of course) and is gripping and interesting.

The ending was... different. I liked it, but it's not the sort of ending I usually like. I don't want to spoil it here, but if you'd like to comment and want a spoiler, I'll give one to you.

A note on the movie: I have to put this in here. If you are interested in this story, DO NOT go see the movie. The movie is terrible. This applies to all those people who say "Oh, I'll just go see the movie". My boyfriend is that kind of guy and he hated it too. Just don't do it. Life will go on.

Also, don't judge this book by its movie. The book is about 4 trillion times better than the movie. AND, if you've seen the movie, the book doesn't end that way. The ending of the movie sucked. The ending of the book was decent.

Book Review: The Shining by Stephen King

The Book: The Shining
The Author: Stephen King

Julia Rating: 10 out of 10

My Comments:
This book is incredible. It has it all, suspense, fantasy, action and horror. I'm sure most everyone has seen the movie. Compared to the book, the movies suck. Even the one with Jack Nicholson. And - despite my boyfriend's insistence otherwise - the item used at the end of the book to mow people down with is way scarier than an ax. This book is a must read if you love being in suspense, Stephen King, getting freaked out, etc. If you want a relaxing read for after the holidays, this book is probably not for you.