Good Reads & Views

Firestarter by Stephen King
Fiction

What it’s about: Firestarter begins with a man and his young daughter on the run from unrelenting hunters. Andy McGee and his daughter Charlene, "Charlie," have powers that a government agency known as The Shop wants to use for its own. With his mind Andy can physically thrust other people’s bodies and control their minds. Charlie has a number of powers but the most dominant one is generating intense heat with her mind, heat extreme enough to set anything on fire. Time and time again, The Shop agents show themselves to be as reprehensible as they are determined and have already killed Charlie's mother.

Is it for you? If you love suspense and character driven plots, then you should read this book.

You might also like: Disappearance at Devil’s Rock by Paul Tremblay

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If It Bleeds by Stephen King
Fiction                                                                                                   

What it is: Four novellas by the master of horror, never before published.

What you will find inside: A cell phone communicating from beyond the grave, a series of apocalyptic incidents, a Faustian bargain, and Holly Gibney - of King’s Bill Hodges trilogy and The Outsider – facing off against evil in the form of a television newscaster.

Reviewers say: “This excellent collection delivers exactly the kind of bravura storytelling King's readers expect” (Publishers Weekly); “King has gone a far piece from the killer clowns and vampires of old, with his monsters and monstrosities taking on far more quotidian forms--which makes them all the scarier. Vintage King: a pleasure for his many fans and not a bad place to start if you're new to him” (Kirkus Reviews); “This set of novellas is thought-provoking, terrifying, and, at times, outright charming, showcasing King's breadth as a master storyteller” (Booklist).

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The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Fiction

What it’s about: In this creepy Native American horror story, 4 friends in their 30’s, who all grew up on the Blackfeet reservation, are being stalked by an entity. A decade ago they ignored the hunting boundaries of their community and hunted an elk herd on land reserved for Elders. Big mistake!

Why you might like it: A well-developed cast of characters and a great combination of suspense and creepiness, coupled with beautiful writing, makes this an unusual read for the genre.

Reviewers say: “Jones's writing is raw, balancing on the knife-edge between dark humor and all-out gore as he forces his characters to reckon with their pasts, as well as their culture's. This novel works both as a terrifying chiller and as biting commentary on the existential crisis of indigenous peoples adapting to a culture that is bent on eradicating theirs. Challenging and rewarding” (Publishers Weekly).

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Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth
Fiction

What it’s about: In a blend of Gothic horror and current-day Hollywood story, this creative and quirky novel is full of surprises. When an author writes the story of two grisly deaths at a girls’ boarding school in the early 20^th century (death by yellow jackets), her book gets optioned for a movie. As the filming begins, eerie and inexplicable events haunt the set (including: more yellow jackets!)

Why you should read it: If you like your horror novels both smart and snarky, this is the book for you. This book is also a great choice for readers who enjoy clever footnotes in fiction, novels that alternate between two timeframes, LGBTQIA+ fiction, and stories told in layers.

Reviewers say: Kirkus Reviews says it’s “Creepy, meta, and a whole lot of fun.”

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The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Fiction

What it’s about: Unappreciated suburban housewives tend to their True Crime book club while battling a dark force in the shape of James Harris, a charming new neighbor. FYI: Don’t mess with the housewives!

Is it for you? If you are on the squeamish side and break out in a cold sweat when rats (pgs. 128-132) and cockroaches (pgs. 295-298) are involved, you may want to pass on this one. If, however, you like horror with humor and don’t mind some gross stuff, you should enjoy this.

Reviewers say: “Hendrix draws shrewd parallels between the serial killers documented in the book club's picks and Harris's apparent vampire persona, loading his gruesome story with perfectly-pitched allusions to classic horror novels and true crime accounts. This powerful, eclectic novel both pays homage to the literary vampire canon and stands singularly within it” (Publishers Weekly); “Fans of smart horror will sink their teeth into this one” (Kirkus Reviews).

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The Outsider by Stephen King
Fiction

Starring: Ralph Anderson, Flint City detective, and Holly Gibney, former assistant to Bill Hodges of Mr. Mercedes fame.

What it’s about: It looks like an open and shut case when Terry Maitland, local coach and all-around great guy, is arrested for the brutal murder of an 11-yr old boy. There were reliable witnesses who saw Maitland, and his DNA and fingerprints are all over the evidence. Ralph Anderson is sure he has the right guy and arrests him at a public event. But then Maitland produces an iron-clad alibi that has witnesses and DNA evidence putting him in a different place when the murder was committed. The contradictory evidence is grounds to bring in investigator Holly Gibney, who played a crucial part in King’s Bill Hodges trilogy. This being Stephen King, the supernatural eventually finds its way into the plot and if you have a phobia about worms you may want to let someone else recap the last part for you.

Audio note: This is a great experience on audio; Will Patton does an excellent job voicing all the characters, with much emotion and expertise, as he did for King’s Bill Hodges trilogy.>

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Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
Fiction

This is King’s follow-up to his 1977 book The Shining, which established him as the successful writer he has become. Doctor Sleep won the 2013 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel and I’d be remiss to give away too much of the plot. Danny Torrance, the young boy in The Shining, is now an adult with issues that can be traced back to the horrible events of his childhood. A young girl shares the same powers he has but there’s a group of people, especially their charismatic leader, who wants them both dead. RVs and their traveling owners are involved, so are the measles (yup!), recovering alcoholics, and a cat, together with some remnants of the first book. I found this follow-up much more enjoyable than the first one, possibly due to the fact that King is now much older and demonstrably much wiser.

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
Fiction

Vic “the Brat” McQueen has a special skill—she can find lost things simply by riding her bike across the Shorter Way bridge straight to wherever the lost thing is hidden. Finding things has its price, both psychological and physical, as Vic discovers the time she goes looking for trouble and finds Charlie Manx. Every year, Charlie Manx seeks out a special child to drive in his vintage Rolls Royce Wraith to Christmasland, where it is Christmas every day and children never grow up. The trouble is Christmasland exists for Charlie’s amusement, not the children’s. When he tries to take Vic to his special place, she escapes, the only child ever to do so. Years later, when Charlie takes Vic’s son Wayne for a ride, Vic and Wayne’s father Lou set out to get him back. Vic is fearless and heartbreaking, Lou is kind and loving and Manx is terrifying.  Block out some time on your calendar, because once you begin reading Joe Hill’s (Heart-shaped Box, Horns) latest, you won’t want to stop until you’ve read this hefty tome from cover to cover.