Listmania!
Books Read in 2009
By an Amazon.com customer
Heretic: The Templar ChroniclesHeretic: The Templar Chronicles by Joseph Nassise
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $0.01
Fast, violent, and somewhat scary. This was a fun read with an interesting lead character.
Midnight's LairMidnight's Lair by Richard Laymon
Buy used from: $10.88
Eventually this will probably be reprinted here in the U.S. but until it is, seek it out at used bookstores. Shocking is what Laymon did best and he doesn't disappoint here.
The HarrowingThe Harrowing by Alexandra Sokoloff
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $0.01
Awesome. Just when you think haunted house tales have gotten stale someone like Sokoloff comes along to prove that notion wrong. Can't wait to read The Price.
The Price: A NovelThe Price: A Novel by Alexandra Sokoloff
Buy new: $23.95 / Used from: $0.14
So far this lady is 2 for 2. I didn't like this as much as The Harrowing, but I did like it.
Beneath Still WatersBeneath Still Waters by Matthew J. Costello
Buy used from: $0.01
Pretty good small town Horror book.
MoondeathMoondeath by Rick Hautala
Buy used from: $1.00
Pretty good, if a little bit dated, werewolf novel. Apparently Stephen King really liked it...
The Good GuyThe Good Guy by Dean Koontz
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.01
This book reminds me of why I love Dean Koontz books. This is kinda noir-ish, with one hell of a nasty villain. Read it!
ShelterShelter by L. H. Maynard
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $0.01
Awesome. The closest thing to it I've ever read was Lawrence Watt-Evans The Nightmare People, and that book was awesome too. Looking forward to reading Demon Eyes next.
Demon Eyes (Leisure Fiction)Demon Eyes (Leisure Fiction) by L. H. Maynard
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.01
Another great little Horror read. Now I'm off to read The Black Cathedral...
Black CathedralBlack Cathedral by L. H. Maynard
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $1.00
OK, this one was infuriating, extremely exciting and disturbing, but I didn't dig the ending. Still a good read. Can't wait for more of their stuff.
Ravenous (Leisure Fiction)Ravenous (Leisure Fiction) by Ray Garton
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.86
I want to see this movie! Holy monkeys is this book awesome! The sequel, Bestial, can't come soon enough. Werewolves are the result of an STD? Hilarious! Enough gore and sex to make any Horror fan happy. Loved it!
WerewolfWerewolf by Peter Rubie
Buy used from: $0.01
For a book called Werewolf it sure didn't focus too much on its titular character. There was some distubing imagery and the setup was intriguing but overall pretty forgettable.
Mr. HandsMr. Hands by Gary A. Braunbeck
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $0.45
A monster book with human monsters as well, its subject matter is infuriating, the titular monster a thing of nightmares. Very well done.
AfraidAfraid by Jack Kilborn
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $0.98
This is a pretty intense little book. The ending was kinda anti-climactic, but the ride getting there was fun and violent. Recommended if you like fast paced action.
Bestial (Leisure Fiction)Bestial (Leisure Fiction) by Ray Garton
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $1.97
A little bit of a letdown after the awesomeness of Ravenous. Still, it has its moments of outright audacity, especially the opening birth scene.
The Saturday Evening Pearls: A Pearls Before Swine CollectionThe Saturday Evening Pearls: A Pearls Before Swine Collection by Stephan Pastis
Buy new: $7.91 / Used from: $4.50
It's literally a tie between this comic and Get Fuzzy for my favorite comic strips right now. Of the two, Pearls is definitely the darker, more mean spiritied. Don't believe me, wait 'til the Christmas panels. Gotta love it.
Take Our Cat, Please: A Get Fuzzy Collection (Get Fuzzy (Graphic Novel))Take Our Cat, Please: A Get Fuzzy Collection (Get Fuzzy (Graphic Novel)) by Darby Conley
Buy new: $7.91 / Used from: $1.67
If Bucky Katt is there then logic and sanity aren't. Bucky Katt is the current king of comic book characters.
Ignorance, Thy Name Is Bucky: A Get Fuzzy CollectionIgnorance, Thy Name Is Bucky: A Get Fuzzy Collection by Darby Conley
Buy new: $9.35 / Used from: $5.97
Another great Get Fuzzy collection, that fails only in that it's too darn short!
The Kolchak Papers: The Original NovelsThe Kolchak Papers: The Original Novels by Jeff Rice
Buy new: $11.53 / Used from: $22.02
I only read the first book, The Night Stalker, and it was truly good. The only problem, really, was the editing issues. This is a small press type item, it just happens to be from a small press that sucks at proofreading.
CrimsonCrimson by Gord Rollo
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.95
OK, this book feels derivative (even getting comparisons to Stephen King's It) but somehow, oh yes somehow, this book works. I was up until 3am finishing this book. Rollo is definitely a writer to watch. Right now this is the Horror novel to beat for '09. I'm not kidding.
Patient Zero: A Joe Ledger NovelPatient Zero: A Joe Ledger Novel by Jonathan Maberry
Buy new: $10.17 / Used from: $3.35
This author is frickin' great and here he just about schools everybody in terms of spectacle, gore, and holy crap quotient. This is one cool blend of Horror and Technothriller. Best book I've read so far this year.
SacrificeSacrifice by John Everson
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.49
This book plays nasty and, by default, so does John Everson. I loved his first book, Covenant, and with Sacrifice the lovefest continues. Yet another author on the "Automatic Buy List".
Deeper: A NovelDeeper: A Novel by Jeff Long
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $1.51
This one took me forever to read, and at first I wasn't so sure I dug it. But man, by the time I finished I was emotionally drained. Long already took us to hell with The Descent. That he can pull off a return trip is astounding (and very creepy).
WaitingWaiting by Frank M. Robinson
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.01
This book was fast paced yet kinda boring at the same time. It had a somewhat interesting premise but didn't seem to really develop the scope of the situation. I almost liked it, but not enough to recommend.
The Reach (Leisure Fiction)The Reach (Leisure Fiction) by Nate Kenyon
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.01
Awesome book, kinda like Stephen King's Firestarter and kinda not. Read it.
Seven Deadly Wonders: A NovelSeven Deadly Wonders: A Novel by Matthew Reilly
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.01
This book is so awesomely over the top and ridiculous! I loved every page! I've read a couple of this guy's books in the past and now I can say I'm hooked. I've got the second book in this series raring to go. If you like James Rollins read Matthew Reilly. Shoom!
The Six Sacred StonesThe Six Sacred Stones by Matthew Reilly
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.01
More deliriously over the top goodness with a dastardly act of author cruelty at the end. Torture and sweet. I eagerly await the next book in the series, with anger.
DeeperDeeper by James A. Moore
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $4.26
I've yet to be disappointed by this author and here he gives us a nice little Lovecraftian jaunt that's maybe slightly too short (a bit more action in the town of Golden Cove would have been nice). Still, if you like Horror novels you can't go wrong with James A. Moore's stuff.
SlobSlob by Rex Miller
Buy new: $17.05 / Used from: $18.21
For a twenty some odd year old book, Slob by Rex Miller holds up well, providing more gore and sickening motives than most contemporary Horror authors can dish out. What's even weirder is that this is essentially a hard boiled mystery novel. Seek this book out!
VoraciousVoracious by Alice Henderson
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $1.48
I beleive this is a first novel and in some ways it shows, but the monster is first class. It's summer time, read something fun and light. Something like Voracious.
Castaways (Leisure Fiction)Castaways (Leisure Fiction) by Brian Keene
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $2.74
A quick, fun, and violent book perfect for Summer Beach reading. If you like Horror you should be reading Brian Keene.
Fragment: A NovelFragment: A Novel by Warren Fahy
Buy new: $16.50 / Used from: $6.58
OK, so if this were a movie I would just put it on a loop and watch it over and over about twenty times. Absolutely astounding. Fast paced, with equal parts wonder and dread, this is probably this Summer's most intense book. I'd expect this to be a movie in the not too distant future. Awesome all around.
The Doomsday Key: A Novel (Sigma Force Novels)The Doomsday Key: A Novel (Sigma Force Novels) by James Rollins
Buy new: $18.47 / Used from: $6.64
This is a summer thriller and yes, it's a Sigma Force story. Is it good? I'd say overall yes, but I never felt any of the mainstay characters were in any real danger. And guess what? I was right. Thankfully Alter of Eden is a stand alone.
MonsterMonster by A. Lee Martinez
Buy new: $13.59 / Used from: $6.07
I loved Gil's All Fright Diner when I read it a couple years ago and was pleasantly surprised to see this book at my local bookstore. A fun, fast read with interesting characters (one of them is made of paper). If you like funny with your fantastic, check this book out.
Dead SeaDead Sea by Brian Keene
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $2.93
I love reading this guy's books. This is, as far as I know, his third zombie related book, although these zombies are more Romero than The Rising. If you like your Horror gory, bleak, and bloody read this book!
Succulent Prey (Leisure Fiction)Succulent Prey (Leisure Fiction) by Wrath James White
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $2.27
You will be disturbed by this book or you've missed too many doses of medication.
MEG: Primal WatersMEG: Primal Waters by Steve Alten
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $1.81
Finally read this and really, what the heck is wrong with Hollywood? Meg should have been made into a movie, turning into a series. This would be the third movie. Can't wait to read Meg:Hell's Aquarium.
Coffin County (Leisure Fiction)Coffin County (Leisure Fiction) by Gary A. Braunbeck
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $2.00
Braunbeck writes astounding, lyrical Horror fiction that helps aid the notion that Horror fiction can indeed be literature.
CarnivoreCarnivore by Leigh Clark
Buy used from: $0.01
I'm kinda torn on this, it's a silly book, but it has some insane action that I'd kill to see on a movie screen. It's entertaining, although the overuse of the word "katabatic" was gratingly annoying.