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THE KIRKUS STAR
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BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Horror Book Reviews Available Now


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Cover art for ASSASSIN'S CODE
FICTION
Released: April 10, 2012

"The story's fast pace helps it go down easy, but it's almost all empty calories."
Even protagonist Joe Ledger, hero of three previous Maberry novels (The King of Plagues, 2011, etc.), knows that the premise of his latest adventure is totally ridiculous: Ledger scoffs at the idea of vampires with nuclear bombs, and Maberry can't quite make a convincing case for them either. Read full book review >
Cover art for DEAD OF NIGHT
FICTION
Released: Nov. 1, 2011

"An outlandish but superfluous zombie yarn that is gruesome, imaginative and grateful to its inspirations."
A rogue scientist's experiment in revenge wreaks havoc on a rural township in Pennsylvania. Read full book review >
Cover art for ZONE ONE
FICTION
Released: Oct. 18, 2011

"The latest from a generation of literary novelists who are erasing the distinction between art and pulp."
The zombie genre provides unlikely inspiration for the author's creative renewal. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE NIGHT STRANGERS
FICTION
Released: Oct. 4, 2011

"A practical magick horror story with a not-entirely-satisfying resolution."
Bohjalian's (Secrets of Eden, 2010, etc.) latest effort finds its dark magick in a coven of herbalists, ghosts from an air crash and the troubled history of a derelict Victorian house. Read full book review >
Cover art for WOLF AT THE DOOR
FICTION
Released: Oct. 4, 2011

"Is someone plundering the membership rolls of the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce just to get Betsy's attention? Or is the real motive even more devious? Don't worry about it; just wait for Rachael's certain return."
Just what you wanted: a werewolf spinoff to Davidson's wacky vampire series that offers serious sexy-heroine competition to Minnesota vamp queen Betsy Taylor. Read full book review >
Cover art for MIND OVER MONSTERS
FICTION
Released: Oct. 1, 2011

"Harlow's genre debut is funny, creepy and refreshingly brash."
How would you like your job if your co-workers included a vampire and a werewolf? Read full book review >
Cover art for HARBOR
FICTION
Released: Oct. 1, 2011

"Perhaps not a book to read by the seashore, if you're literal-minded. A spooky pleasure, expertly told."
Scandinavian writers dominate the police-procedural genre. Are they now bent on taking over horror? Swedish creepmeister Lindqvist is hot on the case. Read full book review >
Cover art for TIME OF DEATH
FICTION
Released: Sept. 21, 2011

"Madden's debut mystery is an offbeat combination of noir and the supernatural that could appeal to a wide audience."
When Death asks a favor, who can say no? Read full book review >
Cover art for ZOMBIES! ZOMBIES! ZOMBIES!
FICTION
Released: Sept. 20, 2011
edited by Otto Penzler

"One wishes for a slightly--ahem--tastier and less flabby gathering. But if zombies are your cup of meat, this is just the thing."
"They sat like people asleep with their eyes open, staring, but seeing nothing." A Tea Party rally? No, no: A clutch of zombies, the stars of Penzler's (The Vampire Archives, 2009, etc.) latest mega-anthology. Read full book review >
Cover art for GHOSTS BY GASLIGHT
FICTION
Released: Sept. 6, 2011
edited by Jack Dann, Nick Gevers

"Clever and often impressive work that succeeds, mostly, in being more than a mere exercise in nostalgia."
Seventeen all-new tales emulating, or re-creating, the ambience of classic Victorian supernatural suspense. Read full book review >
Cover art for BAITED BLOOD
FICTION
Released: Sept. 1, 2011

"Although killing the undead is no joke, this second entry in Jaffarian's latest series offers both humor and heart."
A spate of grisly stakings sends shock waves though L.A.'s vampire community. Read full book review >
Cover art for HELLBENT
FICTION
Released: Aug. 30, 2011

"Is Raylene going soft? Well, she's more human and far less distinctive. Unasked, we also get fangs and bats, if not yet any capes or hissing."
Without pause for thought, Priest plunges into a sequel (Bloodshot, 2011, etc.) featuring Seattle vampire thief Raylene Pendle that aims toward comedy and strikes flab. Read full book review >