The Stake, by Richard Laymon — a book review

What about a vampire novel without any vampires? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? There may or may not be a vampire in this one. I’m not telling. But, I will tell you that a vampire isn’t the real villain in this well-written horror novel by the late Richard Laymon. In fact, although the vampire-adjacent content in the […]

NOS4A2: Season 1 — a review

I reviewed the premiere episode of NOS4A2 way back at the beginning of June. It was titled “The Shorter Way,” and it gave the viewer a quick glimpse into what this series was going to be all about. You don’t need me to tell you whether or not this show is something that will appeal […]

NOS4A2: Season 1: Episode 1: “The Shorter Way”

I’ve never read the book NOS4A2, by Joe Hill (who we all know is Stephen King’s eldest son). I have it on a shelf in my library closet. This is a deep, walk-in closet in our office that’s lined with bookshelves, which are, naturally, filled with books. The closet was built like this when we […]

Castle Rock: Season 1 — a review

I’ve been letting my feelings about the first season of Castle Rock marinate for a while. I finished watching the series around Christmastime. Since then, at odd hours of the day (and night), I’ve thought about the show. I’ve thought about what I would say about it when I finally got around to typing these […]

10-List: Horror Novels

A variation on a theme, with Halloween just a few days behind us. Horror fiction represents only a small percentage of my reading, it seems. But, after some thought, the following 10 novels represent my quintessential horror selection. I didn’t repeat authors (even those with pseudonyms) or include those whose work is mainly in the […]

Revival, by Stephen King — a book review

Concerning Stephen King . . . Up until about 1992, I read everything he wrote. Then, he continued to write, seemingly faster than I could read. I estimate that I’ve missed fifteen of his novels, unless he’s published another one in the past few minutes, which is always a possibility. Oh, I’ve read some of […]

The Handyman, by Bentley Little: a book review

I read my first Bentley Little horror novel in 1997. It was The Ignored and that was the year it was released. I was in the process of changing jobs, moving from a retail outfit that operated in the American Northeast to one that operated on a national scale. I was training in Tennessee […]

Stranger Things: Season 2 – a review

Stranger Things is a show for pop culture enthusiasts (a fancy way of saying “nerds”) created by pop culture enthusiasts. Since nerds are currently ruling the zeitgeist, it’s no wonder this Netflix original series has been a success. The second season did not disappoint. Season 2 introduces several new characters to the show, and […]

Stranger Things: Season 2 Premiere “MADMAX” — a review

I’ll let you in on a secret. I’m not a binge-watcher. That’s not the secret. My secret is that I’m having to force myself to not binge-watch the second season of Stranger Things, the Netflix original written and directed by The Duffer Brothers that took streaming America by storm last year. As of […]

American Gods, by Neil Gaiman— a book review

American Gods is a quite terrific novel written and published by Neil Gaiman nearly two decades ago. It is a genre defying work of fiction that, rather than confounding the reading public, went on to win major awards across the genres of science fiction, fantasy and horror, because good storytelling trumps everything. I read […]

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