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Review Date: 6/29/2011
Helpful Score: 2
A fun time travel novel. The problem with many scifi time travel novels is, the farther you go into the future, the more bleak, lonely & alienated the main character seems, witnessing humans & the planet dying or changing to the point they are unrecognizable. While this does happen in the Accidental Time Machine, the tone is not so depressing.
Matt Fuller is an easygoing character & there is alot of humor in the book. Some parts seem to poke fun at modern culture (e.g. the repressive theocracy and the Ebay-like society, which seemed a direct jab at the stereotype of modern-day Americans). Another thing I appreciated is that Matt has companions traveling through time with him, so he seems a less tragic character.
Joe Haldeman is a master at writing enjoyable sci-fi time travel. Forever War is another good time travel by him. It is more serious than this book and has more action and drama, but is a very thoughtful and enjoyable story.
Matt Fuller is an easygoing character & there is alot of humor in the book. Some parts seem to poke fun at modern culture (e.g. the repressive theocracy and the Ebay-like society, which seemed a direct jab at the stereotype of modern-day Americans). Another thing I appreciated is that Matt has companions traveling through time with him, so he seems a less tragic character.
Joe Haldeman is a master at writing enjoyable sci-fi time travel. Forever War is another good time travel by him. It is more serious than this book and has more action and drama, but is a very thoughtful and enjoyable story.
Review Date: 9/20/2010
Jack Kilborn is also J.A. Konrath, author of the Jack Daniels mystery series. Afraid is a great, gory thriller. While I have nothing against supernatural horror stories, I particularly liked the realism in Afraid that kept me thinking this could actually happen. Although I don't know how much of the science in the story is actually possible (I'm sure that the brain-downloading technology at least is fantasy), still there was nothing that struck me as being too far-fetched.
In the story, a helicopter containing members of an experimental military unit crashes in an isolated small town. This unit is composed of a handful of physically and mentally-enhanced sociopaths who immediately begin torturing and killing the townspeople. As you are introduced to individuals in the small town, you get a good feel for who they are which makes it all the more intense when it happens.
The various ways that people reacted to what was happening reminded me a little of the non-fiction book "The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why." Some people seemed to run headfirst into situations with no thought of what kind of danger might be waiting for them while others paid attention to the danger signs & were more likely to survive.
In the story, a helicopter containing members of an experimental military unit crashes in an isolated small town. This unit is composed of a handful of physically and mentally-enhanced sociopaths who immediately begin torturing and killing the townspeople. As you are introduced to individuals in the small town, you get a good feel for who they are which makes it all the more intense when it happens.
The various ways that people reacted to what was happening reminded me a little of the non-fiction book "The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why." Some people seemed to run headfirst into situations with no thought of what kind of danger might be waiting for them while others paid attention to the danger signs & were more likely to survive.
Review Date: 8/27/2010
Helpful Score: 3
The best thing about this book is its title. I almost kept the book on my shelf for that reason alone, however the contents were just "meh."
Apocalypse Chow consists of equal parts survival tips and recipes. I found the survival tips to be pretty basic and geared to surviving a temporary emergency (e.g. hurricane, flood, minor earthquake) rather than a real apocalypse (e.g. nuclear, pandemic, megavolcano, etc). It would probably be helpful to someone unfamiliar with basic preparedness, but there are many better prep guides available.
I have to say that the recipes were a little too gourmet for my simple tastes("Rosemary-Scented Bricolage", "Polenta Fusion Fiesta", etc). From what I could tell, the only thing that qualifies these recipes as "apocalypse chow" is that they are made primarily from canned and pantry items. Other than that, recipes are fairly complicated containing 8-12 ingredients, some of which are exotic enough that I wouldn't have them on hand on a normal day, never mind an emergency. Also, most recipes require regular cookware and kitchen tools, as well as a means of cooking like stove, grill or burner. With this type of book, I would have appreciated info about fashioning cooking pots & utensils and cooking using what is available, like Survivorman. Instead, the book's approach is that you will be cooking in your own kitchen, just maybe without electricity, and will have access to things like a garlic press, grater, pastry blender, zester, etc.
Apocalypse Chow consists of equal parts survival tips and recipes. I found the survival tips to be pretty basic and geared to surviving a temporary emergency (e.g. hurricane, flood, minor earthquake) rather than a real apocalypse (e.g. nuclear, pandemic, megavolcano, etc). It would probably be helpful to someone unfamiliar with basic preparedness, but there are many better prep guides available.
I have to say that the recipes were a little too gourmet for my simple tastes("Rosemary-Scented Bricolage", "Polenta Fusion Fiesta", etc). From what I could tell, the only thing that qualifies these recipes as "apocalypse chow" is that they are made primarily from canned and pantry items. Other than that, recipes are fairly complicated containing 8-12 ingredients, some of which are exotic enough that I wouldn't have them on hand on a normal day, never mind an emergency. Also, most recipes require regular cookware and kitchen tools, as well as a means of cooking like stove, grill or burner. With this type of book, I would have appreciated info about fashioning cooking pots & utensils and cooking using what is available, like Survivorman. Instead, the book's approach is that you will be cooking in your own kitchen, just maybe without electricity, and will have access to things like a garlic press, grater, pastry blender, zester, etc.
Review Date: 10/4/2010
Book of horror/paranormal stories by bestselling authors. I bought this mainly for the story by F. Paul Wilson and J.A. Konrath (big fan of both). Although I was disappointed with their story "The Sound of Blunder" there were a few others I enjoyed. My favorite was "Mr. Bear" by Joe Lansdale, a new author for me. Mr. Bear managed to be twisted but funny at the same time with its premise--Smokey Bear as a crazed but needy serial killer. I don't read the paranormal vampire/shapeshifter fiction but there were several stories by major authors that looked good.
Review Date: 8/10/2011
A vampire story where the vampire isn't romantic, sexy, tragic, etc. but instead disgusting, narcissistic and evil in a seamy kind of way. Amanda is the heroine waitress who one night walks away from her dead-end life. She quickly realizes the dangers in her impetuous plan to hitchhike across country but, before she can get back home, crosses paths with a truck-driving vampire. Two supporting characters are Amanda's n'er-do-well boyfriend who is determined to change his life and do right by her and a local cop trying to find the serial killer who has been leaving bloodless bodies across this Canadian highway.
Review Date: 11/21/2007
Helpful Score: 1
A lovely book of prose. Each page describes an emotion as though it was a person and there are many pen and ink drawings to illustrate each. (ex.: Pleasure loves the sun, the wind and the night sky, but many people mistrust her. Worry makes lists of everything that can go wrong while she is waiting on the train.)
The descriptions are lyrical and feel right and true. This is a book for quiet moments of reflection to help you understand your feelings and put them in perspective. Would be good for someone who is having a hard time emotionally.
The descriptions are lyrical and feel right and true. This is a book for quiet moments of reflection to help you understand your feelings and put them in perspective. Would be good for someone who is having a hard time emotionally.
Review Date: 10/13/2010
Great collection of zombie stories with several really good. Includes stories from the masters of horror --Stephen King, Robert McCammon, Ramsey Campbell, Richard Layman, Joe Lansdale, etc. Each writer has a different view of the apocalypse and what life is like after zombies.
Not surprisingly, Stephen King's contribution was one of the best, highlighting characters and suspense over action. His story was about a pregnant woman who had spent her life depending on men to tell her what to do and how she handles the zombie apocalypse all on her own. Naturally, Richard Layman's zombie story threw sex and torture into the mix, but also had plenty of over-the-top action that made it enjoyable. Joe Lansdale's quirky story takes place in a world many years after the zombie apocalypse, where the US has become a sort of wild west and people have become so tough and mean that the zombies are the ones who are abused, more often than not.
There were some lesser known authors that I really liked in this book. "Choices" by Glen Vasey was just a straight, well-written zombie survival story. It tells one man's experience starting just before the outbreak to when zombies have pretty much overrun the world and even poses a possible cure that I can't remember reading anywhere else. Nicely done. I also liked "The Good Parts" by Les Daniels -- a zombie love story with a main character who could have been the model for a boomer zombie (ala Left 4 Dead).
3 of the stories were nominated for the Bram Stoker short story award in 1989. They were "Eat Me" by Robert McCammon, a strangely poetic zombie love story, "A Sad Last Love at the Diner of the Damned" by Edward Bryant, doomed sweethearts meet the apocalypse in a hypocritical small town, and "Bodies and Heads" by Steve Rasnic, a story that describes an even creepier version of the zombie myth.
Not surprisingly, Stephen King's contribution was one of the best, highlighting characters and suspense over action. His story was about a pregnant woman who had spent her life depending on men to tell her what to do and how she handles the zombie apocalypse all on her own. Naturally, Richard Layman's zombie story threw sex and torture into the mix, but also had plenty of over-the-top action that made it enjoyable. Joe Lansdale's quirky story takes place in a world many years after the zombie apocalypse, where the US has become a sort of wild west and people have become so tough and mean that the zombies are the ones who are abused, more often than not.
There were some lesser known authors that I really liked in this book. "Choices" by Glen Vasey was just a straight, well-written zombie survival story. It tells one man's experience starting just before the outbreak to when zombies have pretty much overrun the world and even poses a possible cure that I can't remember reading anywhere else. Nicely done. I also liked "The Good Parts" by Les Daniels -- a zombie love story with a main character who could have been the model for a boomer zombie (ala Left 4 Dead).
3 of the stories were nominated for the Bram Stoker short story award in 1989. They were "Eat Me" by Robert McCammon, a strangely poetic zombie love story, "A Sad Last Love at the Diner of the Damned" by Edward Bryant, doomed sweethearts meet the apocalypse in a hypocritical small town, and "Bodies and Heads" by Steve Rasnic, a story that describes an even creepier version of the zombie myth.
Review Date: 7/26/2011
Helpful Score: 1
Very odd characters and strange voodoo rituals make this an interesting horror story. At the beginning, I didn't care for the main character very much--a reserved news reporter in his 50's--but the things that happen to him, the change in his attitude, and even his (sometimes comic) ineffectiveness as a hero made me sympathize so I ended up liking him more by the end. The villain was quite creepy in a gothic sort of way--a wealthy, blind doctor with a propensity to gouge out eyeballs with a spoon who basically runs the small town.
It is the strange cast of characters that really made the book memorable--a wizened little dwarf hermit, the old voodoo lady and her sexy voodoo granddaughter dedicated to avenging the children, the villainous depraved doctor, and the fat stupid deputy. With the quirky characters and surreal situations, I could see this as a David Lynch film.
It is the strange cast of characters that really made the book memorable--a wizened little dwarf hermit, the old voodoo lady and her sexy voodoo granddaughter dedicated to avenging the children, the villainous depraved doctor, and the fat stupid deputy. With the quirky characters and surreal situations, I could see this as a David Lynch film.
Review Date: 10/2/2010
Repairman Jack is always a great read. This time around, an elderly mother asks Jack to find her son who has gotten caught up in a powerful cult/church that is very similar to L Ron Hubbard's Dianetics. At the same time, Jack also helps a young nun who is being blackmailed. I enjoyed the book (I have yet to read a bad Repairman Jack novel) but I liked the previous three books in the series a bit better.
Review Date: 8/20/2010
From reading the book's description and the many glowing reviews, I really expected to like this book. I love many of the things in it--scifi, ghosts and life after death--but I just couldn't get past the author's writing style. To be fair, I didn't finish the book so it might have gotten better later on (IMO life's too short to spend on books you don't enjoy).
The writing isn't so bad that Daniel's Veil is unreadable and, from the other reviews, there are obviously a lot of people who did enjoy it. It was just that, for me, the dialog and characters as well as some elements of the story didn't ring true. For example, the first character you meet is Daniel, a big-city police officer who deals with violent crime on a daily basis. I would expect a cop with a job like that to be tough, street-smart and assertive, maybe a bit damaged emotionally. Instead, Daniel's thoughts and actions felt young and naive and he is nice almost to the point of sainthood. And that wasn't the only thing that struck me as unrealistic. At one point, Daniel wakes up after a car crash covered in blood and walks to the nearest town for help. Although people call a doctor and get him a change of clothes, no one seems at all curious as to what actually happened, how Daniel got to be covered in blood, if anyone else was hurt, etc. Things like that took me out of the story.
The writing isn't so bad that Daniel's Veil is unreadable and, from the other reviews, there are obviously a lot of people who did enjoy it. It was just that, for me, the dialog and characters as well as some elements of the story didn't ring true. For example, the first character you meet is Daniel, a big-city police officer who deals with violent crime on a daily basis. I would expect a cop with a job like that to be tough, street-smart and assertive, maybe a bit damaged emotionally. Instead, Daniel's thoughts and actions felt young and naive and he is nice almost to the point of sainthood. And that wasn't the only thing that struck me as unrealistic. At one point, Daniel wakes up after a car crash covered in blood and walks to the nearest town for help. Although people call a doctor and get him a change of clothes, no one seems at all curious as to what actually happened, how Daniel got to be covered in blood, if anyone else was hurt, etc. Things like that took me out of the story.
Review Date: 7/7/2008
Helpful Score: 3
Excellent book! Anyone who enjoyed The Stand by Stephen King will be blown away by this story, which is every bit as good as and maybe even better than the Stand. If you happen to find this book somewhere, don't be discouraged by the cover art which has absolutely no relation to anything that happens in the story. (The paperback version has a picture of a red demon face with children wading through lava inside its mouth--whoever thought of that illustration and why is a mystery to me.)
A version of the black plague is set loose that is much more lethal and communicable with a mortality rate over 99%. In the aftermath, the trials that people go through to survive bring their true personalities to the surface. It seemed very realistic in how things happen and how people might act in such a situation. There is alot of graphic violence... makes me wonder if people would really descend to such a level in such a case. But looking back at New Orleans, I have to think maybe they would. In any case, I would really recommend this book. I think it is probably the best hidden treasure book that I have happened upon in a long time.
A version of the black plague is set loose that is much more lethal and communicable with a mortality rate over 99%. In the aftermath, the trials that people go through to survive bring their true personalities to the surface. It seemed very realistic in how things happen and how people might act in such a situation. There is alot of graphic violence... makes me wonder if people would really descend to such a level in such a case. But looking back at New Orleans, I have to think maybe they would. In any case, I would really recommend this book. I think it is probably the best hidden treasure book that I have happened upon in a long time.
Review Date: 9/13/2010
Helpful Score: 1
Really enjoyed this book. The horror parts were moderately scary, but I liked it more for the relationship of the main characters, how they began as casual friends/neighbors, then grew close as they pulled together as a group to fight the creature. Yes, the book contains many explicit sex scenes involving an *ahem* generously proportioned satyr-like creature, so be warned if you are a person likely to be offended by such. I have read alot worse in bodice-ripper love novels.
The book description really says everything that needs to be said about the plot. It seems like Keene researched and had his own take on mythology and folk (powwow) magic, which I liked.
Last but not least is my favorite character, Big Steve the dog. Lovingly described, he brought a smile to my face several times and I kept wishing I could give him a hug.
The book description really says everything that needs to be said about the plot. It seems like Keene researched and had his own take on mythology and folk (powwow) magic, which I liked.
Last but not least is my favorite character, Big Steve the dog. Lovingly described, he brought a smile to my face several times and I kept wishing I could give him a hug.
Review Date: 8/13/2011
Helpful Score: 3
Darwinia wasn't a bad read; I just couldn't get into the story. After the first 70 pages, I realized I was too bored to read much further so I skimmed to the end. If you read the back of the book, you already know there is a mystery as to why Europe disappears and is replaced by a wild, alien landscape. About halfway through the book, you learn the answer and the tone of the book turns from adventure to deep scifi.
I'm not a big fan of alternate histories so I may not be a fair judge. But the main problem was that I didn't find the characters that interesting. To me, they lacked emotion -- they just seemed objective observers of what was going on. Other reviewers seem to find something I didn't in Darwinia, so maybe this was just the wrong book at the wrong time for me.
I'm not a big fan of alternate histories so I may not be a fair judge. But the main problem was that I didn't find the characters that interesting. To me, they lacked emotion -- they just seemed objective observers of what was going on. Other reviewers seem to find something I didn't in Darwinia, so maybe this was just the wrong book at the wrong time for me.
Review Date: 7/7/2008
Helpful Score: 4
Brian Keene is one of my favorite authors. He has a gritty realism in his writing and main characters who are easy to sympathize with, and this book was no exception to this. Dead Sea has alot of gore and action -- reading it was like watching a late-night R-rated horror movie. But while I enjoyed the book, the ending seemed flat and depressing.
I've read a couple of other Brian Keene's books, and they have all shared these same traits--gritty, down-to-earth characters, non-stop movie-type action, and a tone of hopelessness and depression that makes me wonder what was the point. Have you ever watched a great action, special-effects movie that you are really enjoying, but you keep thinking 'cool, but where is this going?' That is Dead Sea.
I've read a couple of other Brian Keene's books, and they have all shared these same traits--gritty, down-to-earth characters, non-stop movie-type action, and a tone of hopelessness and depression that makes me wonder what was the point. Have you ever watched a great action, special-effects movie that you are really enjoying, but you keep thinking 'cool, but where is this going?' That is Dead Sea.
Review Date: 11/21/2007
Helpful Score: 2
The Dogs of Babel is a very touching book about coping with the death of a loved one, as well as a mystery about how that death happened. Reading the description, I expected this to be more of a story about the bond between people and dogs, or the relationship between Paul and his dog, Lorelei, but that turned out to be more of a side plot.
Although the book was an intense and quick read, I had hoped for a positive, maybe even magical, ending and was disappointed when the mystery was resolved.
Overall, this is a bittersweet story about love and loss. If you read it expecting a happy or wonderous resolution, you will be disappointed.
Although the book was an intense and quick read, I had hoped for a positive, maybe even magical, ending and was disappointed when the mystery was resolved.
Overall, this is a bittersweet story about love and loss. If you read it expecting a happy or wonderous resolution, you will be disappointed.
Review Date: 7/10/2011
An intense 2012 end-of-the-world thriller. Mick, the main character, is the only one who understands the meaning of ancient prophecies and can stop the apocalypse, but he is thought to be insane and is stuck in an asylum. He finds help in Dominique, a lovely psychiatric intern who is assigned to his case. As the date approaches, an alien signal reaches earth and triggers strange events while the countries of the world are on the brink of a nuclear holocaust.
The relationship between Mick and Dominique reminded me of the movie, 12 Monkeys. For me, their romance was one of the highlights of the book. I did get frustrated with Dominique's attitude of disbelief though. She kept acting like Mick was crazy long after events should have convinced her otherwise. But that was not a big problem for me and, other than that, I really enjoyed the book.
The relationship between Mick and Dominique reminded me of the movie, 12 Monkeys. For me, their romance was one of the highlights of the book. I did get frustrated with Dominique's attitude of disbelief though. She kept acting like Mick was crazy long after events should have convinced her otherwise. But that was not a big problem for me and, other than that, I really enjoyed the book.
Review Date: 9/23/2010
Strange plagues and mass extinctions suddenly occur throughout the world. It is a scientific puzzle that is quickly solved--all the world's insect population have died out due to a latent genetic flaw. Dust begins as a horror/thriller but soon becomes an end of the world story. It certainly made me appreciate those annoying little insects a little more than I had before.
Review Date: 9/23/2010
Strange plagues and mass extinctions suddenly occur throughout the world. It is a scientific puzzle that is quickly solved--all the world's insect population have died out due to a latent genetic flaw. Dust begins as a horror/thriller but soon becomes an end of the world story. It certainly made me appreciate those annoying little insects a little more than I had before.
Review Date: 12/10/2010
I really enjoyed the thoughtfulness of this zombie novel along with the action and survival aspects of it.
I noticed that several reviewers commented that Paffenroth put too much Christian theology in his book. There were several references to the bible but I felt there were just as many references to classical literature (ex.: Dante's Inferno, Shakespeare). Some people will recognize some admittedly odd parallels and symbolism but I think other people probably won't notice these parts as anything special. So, if you haven't read it, don't be afraid that the book will be preachy--the biblical references seemed literary and, while God is often mentioned, the tone is philosophical not preaching. IMO this is realistic--if there were a zombipocalypse, many people would naturally question the existence of God in the face of such horrors. But if you are such a devout atheist that the thought of other people believing in God irritates you, then I would say that you may want to pass on this book.
It may be the contemplative tone of the book that disappoints some readers who expected the book to be all adrenalin, horror and gore, but I appreciate that part most. Dying to Live has all the skull-crunching, limb-severing mayhem that I love. What is different about this book is that, after a character narrowly misses being bitten and takes off a zombie's head with a baseball bat, sometimes he thinks about the people they were before they became a zombie and what happened to them rather than immediately charging off to kill the next one. So instead he takes the time to say "I'm sorry this happened to you." Also, characters in the book, when they aren't struggling to stay alive, try to make sense out of what it all means. For me this rings true because I would probably think the same way in that situation
I noticed that several reviewers commented that Paffenroth put too much Christian theology in his book. There were several references to the bible but I felt there were just as many references to classical literature (ex.: Dante's Inferno, Shakespeare). Some people will recognize some admittedly odd parallels and symbolism but I think other people probably won't notice these parts as anything special. So, if you haven't read it, don't be afraid that the book will be preachy--the biblical references seemed literary and, while God is often mentioned, the tone is philosophical not preaching. IMO this is realistic--if there were a zombipocalypse, many people would naturally question the existence of God in the face of such horrors. But if you are such a devout atheist that the thought of other people believing in God irritates you, then I would say that you may want to pass on this book.
It may be the contemplative tone of the book that disappoints some readers who expected the book to be all adrenalin, horror and gore, but I appreciate that part most. Dying to Live has all the skull-crunching, limb-severing mayhem that I love. What is different about this book is that, after a character narrowly misses being bitten and takes off a zombie's head with a baseball bat, sometimes he thinks about the people they were before they became a zombie and what happened to them rather than immediately charging off to kill the next one. So instead he takes the time to say "I'm sorry this happened to you." Also, characters in the book, when they aren't struggling to stay alive, try to make sense out of what it all means. For me this rings true because I would probably think the same way in that situation
Review Date: 9/1/2010
Helpful Score: 1
**Warning: Some spoilers***
I don't know why but I love coming-of-age horror stories like Ghoul. Maybe it is the nostalgia factor, reliving memories of childhood summers. Things seemed so much scarier back then. Or it could be the underdog nature of a group of kids taking on a powerful evil enemy all on their own, without any adult help.
Coming-of-age stories have almost become a new horror sub-genre...'It' (King), 'Summer of Night' (Simmons), 'The Traveling Vampire Show' (Layman) and maybe 'A Boy's Life'(McCammon). Although I enjoyed reading Ghoul, I didn't feel like it quite lived up to the other coming of age horror I mentioned. A lot of attention was given to the real-life horrors that two of the boys suffered at home (i.e. abuse and molestation). I think the author was making a point about real-life sometimes being worse, but I felt like it overshadowed the horror elements so much that it took a lot of the thrill out of the story.
Also, Brian Keene is a great author but if there is one thing that bugs me about his novels, it is that so many of them end badly (as in unhappily) and way too abruptly. He writes great action scenes and characters that I really care about, but then he kills everybody and everything off in the last 5 or so pages. I kind of feel like Keene is saying to the reader "life is tough and there are no happy endings, so deal with it." Ghoul had a happier ending than most of the other Keene novels I've read, but I still felt let down at the end. The real-life monsters could never really be defeated, so there was no chance for the boys to truly win in the end. If only one of the boys could have overcome the horrors in their real life, maybe I would have been more satisfied.
All that said, Ghoul was good and I would recommend it. If I was grading it, I would give it a B-. I just wish the author could be a little more upbeat in his endings once in awhile.
I don't know why but I love coming-of-age horror stories like Ghoul. Maybe it is the nostalgia factor, reliving memories of childhood summers. Things seemed so much scarier back then. Or it could be the underdog nature of a group of kids taking on a powerful evil enemy all on their own, without any adult help.
Coming-of-age stories have almost become a new horror sub-genre...'It' (King), 'Summer of Night' (Simmons), 'The Traveling Vampire Show' (Layman) and maybe 'A Boy's Life'(McCammon). Although I enjoyed reading Ghoul, I didn't feel like it quite lived up to the other coming of age horror I mentioned. A lot of attention was given to the real-life horrors that two of the boys suffered at home (i.e. abuse and molestation). I think the author was making a point about real-life sometimes being worse, but I felt like it overshadowed the horror elements so much that it took a lot of the thrill out of the story.
Also, Brian Keene is a great author but if there is one thing that bugs me about his novels, it is that so many of them end badly (as in unhappily) and way too abruptly. He writes great action scenes and characters that I really care about, but then he kills everybody and everything off in the last 5 or so pages. I kind of feel like Keene is saying to the reader "life is tough and there are no happy endings, so deal with it." Ghoul had a happier ending than most of the other Keene novels I've read, but I still felt let down at the end. The real-life monsters could never really be defeated, so there was no chance for the boys to truly win in the end. If only one of the boys could have overcome the horrors in their real life, maybe I would have been more satisfied.
All that said, Ghoul was good and I would recommend it. If I was grading it, I would give it a B-. I just wish the author could be a little more upbeat in his endings once in awhile.
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