Halloween Jack, George Orwell, Rebel Rebel, it's all here
356142
Every Bowie album has a certain theme, a certain style that's kind of different from all the others. Space Oddity was his breakthrough, there was the Aiggy Stardust era, the Brian Eno period, Scary Monsters and Hours he uses to reminisce about old times, and so on. But what is Diamond Dogs? Inspired by George Orwells 1984, starring the dark hero Halloween Jack, and including the odd hit "Rebel Rebel", there are so many themes you can draw on for this album.
  This album was Bowie's first after retiring Ziggy Stardust, but he still retained the famous red hair for the album, probably to help sales along..? Originally meant to be an opera to "1984" Bowie was denied the rights to the novel, and so reworked it to avoid copyright infringement. Still, this album is very operetic in style, the tracks often times flowing together. And it still retains the incredibly dark feel of the classic novel. This is definately one of Bowie's darker, if not darkest, album.
  Opening with a startling Narrative, the album hurls you along a ride and doesn't really let up until "Rebel Rebel". Don't get me wrong, I love the song and it is a major hit, but it just seems so incredibly out of place with the rest of the album. "Rock and Roll with me" starts leaning back towards the feel of the album, and by "We are the Dead" you are back again. Hmm, maybe it was meant to keep you from getting to bogged down in it all. Ah well, whatever the intention, the album is just great. I listen to all my Bowie albums straight through, and this is no exception. A classic from start to finish, and not to be missed. Many claim this is a great introduction to Bowie, but I'm not sure. Here's the thing to do with any Bowie album. No matter how much of a fan I am of Bowie, the first time I hear a new album, I don't like it. Knowing this, I listen to it a second time and love it, in fact, the new album is ususally my new favorite. No matter how much you hate any Bowie album at first, listen to it again. And love it.
4158740
Jim has done it again! Here are a fantastic bunch of great spooky stories, which are a fantastic, spine tingling collection of real experiences in time for Halloween!! A great read!!
3322172
Since Halloween is my favorite holiday, I was looking very forward to reading this bakers dozen of fall yarns. Thanks to the great prose and clever ideas in this anthology, I was not disappointed. J. Tonzelli does a terrific job at capturing both the magical and the macabre elements of the season. My personal favorite stories were The Halloween Girl of Coldsprings, a terrifying pseudo-documentary that follows one towns devotion to a festive spirit who might not be so benevolent, and Devils Night, a mournful cautionary tale concerning one youthful mistake that returns every year to haunt the protagonist.

Everything about this collection works, from the cohesive feel of the thirteen tales to that gorgeous cover, and ultimately, you're left wanting even more. Hopefully, J. Tonzelli will write a follow-up in the years to come, but if not, there are certainly enough great Halloween tales in The End of Summer to keep you satisfied for many cold Samhain evenings to come.
2971843
Somewhere in space and time, across from Halloween, is the world of Creepy Hollow. It used to be protected from evil by the Trinity of Wishmothers. Now, though, they are dead and their ghosts have been trapped in a pitch-black pumpkin by Hobart T. Hobgoblin. The wicked Hobart (and his sidekick, Ebenezer Rex, the Tasmanian Devil) is now free to work evil on the land.

On Halloween, twelve-year old Nikki Sweet and her eleven-year old cousin Jack Brady find a black pumpkin. Their immediate reaction is to bring it home and turn it into a jack-o-lantern. Just as they prepare to fetch a knife, their grandmothers silver skeleton wind chime Mr. Bonejingles warns them not to do it.

The wind chime was once the mighty hero, Wishbone Jones, but he was reduced to his current state by Hobarts dark magic. Only with the help of Nikki and Jack can he return home and free the Wishmothers from their prison. With a few magic words, Nikki, Jack, and Jones are magically transported to Creepy Hollow. Aided by Wishbones friend, Catman, and Goth Wishmother-in-training, Ghoulina, they begin a quest to find the Wishmothers three wands that will take them to the Red Crow Forest, the Cave of Spooks, and the Tower of Shadows.

Nikki and Jack are terrific characters. Their humorous bickering and genuine affection for each other make them very relatable. Wishbone Jones and Catman are good-natured foils for the snarky, sometimes cranky Ghoulina. Together, the band of heroes quick wits and courage in the face of deadly crows, evil Shadows, and wicked Spooks, will thrill anyone who picks up

The megalomaniacal Hobart T. Hobgoblin is a great villain, who chews up the scenery every time he shows up. Though we never feel sorry for him, we learn enough about his past to understand him.

Szabo and Bonadonnas story crackles with action and excitement. Their storytelling moves with the speed of lightning, but never lets the reader get lost. The atmosphere is just spooky enough to be fun but never enough to be too scary.

There are also some valuable lessons to be learned along the way. Nikki and Jack must figure out for themselves that while selfishness and greed can lead to a bad end, courage and self-sacrifice can help defeat evil. Szabo and Bonadonna weave this into the story with great skill.

Theres only one real problem with THREE GHOSTS: not enough of Szabos delightfully weird illustrations. Combining photographs with painted (?) backgrounds, they bring Creepy Hollow and the characters stunningly to life. My favorite is of the dashing Catman, dressed in brocaded velvet.

Im unable to do justice to the wealth of detail and action Szabo and Bonadonna managed to pack into this short book. From the very first page, they catch the reader up and then don't let go until the very last page. Any young reader with an interest in fantasy and adventure should probably like and I recommend it highly.
612789
Had enough mummy and wolf stories to last me come Halloween, but I found "Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board" and "School Lunch" to be particularly good, unusual fare. I enjoyed "Light as a Feather" for it's creepy undertone as a group of young girls chant  twenty times in succession while placing their fingers below a living body to call forth other worldly creatures to help raise her body. Without saying too much "School Lunch" was also a goodie as an alien has plans on serving up "Children McNuggets" and more to the home world. I was pleasantly surprised with this author's work and plan on reading some more as I did like it!

I'll be concentrating on reviewing Halloween themed book thru the month of October for the second year running so feel free to "see all my reviews" most recently if you're of a like mind and am looking for some spooky stuff this time of year.
3930735
This is a short (five chapters), delightful read full of clever ideas for a fun Halloween. For those of us who are artistically challenged the author even provides a link for free downloads of scary stuff. Well worth the modest .99 cents and I'm looking forward to volume II next October.
1754554
This is quite a nice collection of ghost stories, very cheap in the Dover Thrift Editions.

Some of the selections are classic, such as Amelia B.  Edwards' "The Phantom Coach," and W. W. Jacobs' "The  Monkey's Paw," which is an excellent story to be told around a  campfire at night.  A story by J. Sheridan Lefanu is almost obligatory, of  course, in this case, "Dickon the Devil," and one may also expect  a story by Ambrose Bierce, "The Moonlit Road," which appears in a  Bierce anthology, as well.

Others, such as Charles Dickens' "To Be  Taken with a Grain of Salt," Bram Stoker's chilling, "The Judge's  House," and E. F. Benson's "The Confession of Charles  Linkworth," are more unusual.

These stories are from the latter  half of the 19th century and early 20th century, and provide an  interesting insight into many of the moral values of the time.
3677086
Great pocket Orwell to whip out when your friends are being obfuscating dicks.
1935452
A wonderful collection of authentic fables. I think I got the book at the right time ... just in time for Halloween. These often morbid twists of fate and just desserts will be ideal for ghost stories time. It's good that there are a lot of tales, since there's not going to be much sleeping. "And they lived happily ever after" ... not.
2471194
It is wonderful to have this to read whenever I want.  I love the story about Jack Pumpkinhead, one of the characters Frank Baum invented.
1264297
Darnit, I think this book's prose and pics- the whole deal- is better than the "If You Give a (Anything) a (Anything)" series. Somehow more charming. Colors are not "bleak", as another reviewer stated that the Horn review stated...some of the action takes place in a darkened auditorium, and the first page gives you a feeling that fall is in the air. That's all. Story is sweet and told in a straightforward manner, so kids will not leave the room. Hey, if like the movie "Pumpkinhead", you will love this. Just a joke. Anyway, this is brought out when Halloween is about to hit every year, and we love it more every time we read it. Copyright 1983.
78279
I wasn't expecting much, but was looking for something to put me in the mood for Halloween. This was a really fun read. Yes, you need to suspend reality a great deal, but if you can do that then this book is really enjoyable. It can be a little bit of a downer to start. The kingdom of death as describe in the book is really depressing. I found myself thinking, "if this is what it's like, I hope I never have to go there." But that is the perfect set up to launch the balance of the book. Filled with wacky stuff and humor, I highly recommend this easy read for anyone that just wants to boost their Halloween spirit. Guys, don't avoid it because of the love story. That is the basis of the book, but not a serious attempt. More silly humor than anything. Enjoy.
796992
I read this book every October because it's the perfect Halloween book.  It's taken me a couple of readings, but I now finally realize that The Halloween Tree is the equivalent for Halloween what A Christmas Carol is for Christmas: an enchanting journey into the history of Halloween where one leans much and is changed by it.

A group of eight boys are on their way out to trick or treat on Halloween, all in different costumes - skeleton, mummy, gargoyle, etc. - and head over to the final friend's house, Pipkin.  Pipkin is sick, doesn't look well at all, but is essentially the leader of the group and has never missed a Halloween, so he tells them to go on ahead to a specific house and he will catch up with them.

The house turns out to be the quintessential Halloween mansion, with many rooms and black windows.  Beside the mansion they find a great and ancient oak with many branches and hanging from those branches are many carved pumpkins, swinging in the breeze.  This is the Halloween tree, and as the boys watch, each of the pumpkins light up.  At the door they ask for trick or treat, and the man on the other side tells them not treat, but trick.  Terrifyingly, he appears from a pile of leaves.  He is tall.  He is skeletal.  He is Mr. Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud.

After the boys get over the initial terror, they are invited on a journey by Mr. Moundshroud.  They see Pipkin being taken into the past, weakened by his sickness, and it is up to Moundshroud and the boys to rescue Pipkin from time.  And so the boys begin their journey, forming the tail of a giant kite controlled by Moundshroud and they pass back through time and visit the Halloweens of history: Ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece, medieval Britain, Notre Dame, and El Dia de Los Muertos.

It is an incredible story where one learns the history of Halloween seen through the eyes of many different cultures, told in the unique style of Ray Bradbury.  Afterward you will feel as if you've actually experienced many different Halloweens and be all the more ready to experience your own on October 31st.

Originally written on October 12th 2007 Alex C. Telander.

For more book reviews and author interviews, go to BookBanter: [...].
490357
Excellent Halloween anthology from some of the nicest guys I know and some stellar authors as well. So I have to say that I have mixed feelings about this simply because because I loved the first Bad Apples so damn much. However, let me just say that the addition of Kealan Patrick Burke more than made up for that.

The stories in order of appearance:

Halloweekend, Edward Lorn: No comment.

Candie Apple by Evans Light: As awesome this year as it was last year. Yes, it's republished, get over it. It rocks. Who knew that bobbing for apples could be dangerous. And for Bob Talley, 'together forever' takes on a whole new meaning. If you hear chanting this Halloween it probably won't be for Bloody Mary...

Dia de los Muertos by Jason Parent: It's the day of the dead in Mexico City and for Russell, just another day of the horror he has come to know as his life. A former army soldier, Russell relives his time in Afghanistan incessantly and seems to have brought back more than PTSD with him. Constantly cold and thirsty, will Russell ever find relief? Very poignantly written, we get an up-close look at the 'death' that we so casually and carelessly celebrate.

Tommy Rotten by Adam Light: Tommy is lonely. Tommy Rachen is a legend in town but not in any heroic sense. One day Tommy's body was discovered in a pumpkin patch located next to a 'haunted house' on Cypress Lane. Today, just like every Halloween, Tommy hopes for someone to play with.. I have an affinity for haunted houses and have since I can remember. This story is Halloween for me.

The One Night of the Year by Kealan Patrick Burke: Caleb is an old man who has been left with nothing but his dog Rufus and his memories of happier times when he had a family instead of simply a dusty old farmhouse. Halloween, the one day of the year that he hopes for/dreads the most. Will they come this year? Does he want them to? What if they don't? So many questions, but alas, Caleb is ready once again... I loved this. A brilliant story from a brilliant writer that I am glad joined the Bad Apples crew.

Doctor Proclivity & Professor Propensity by Gregor Xane: First off, I am reviewing this one even there were no goats. NO. GOATS. Kids are going missing and the only common link seems to be a yearly Halloween puppet show that no one seems to know much about. When little Jimmy and his sidekick Uncle Shel go out to investigate, they find themselves in the midst of perhaps the oddest puppet show ever to exist and a whole lot more... I'm not sure what else to say about this weird little story other than to read it. It's Gregor so you know it's good. It's Gregor, so you also know that it's strange and strange he delivers in his little sick puppety story. I, of course, enjoyed this.
3612697
The book is part manual for newbie zombies, part encyclopedia for zombie related lore, and part "how to" for creating that unique and gory zombie look. It's a great book to read for the Halloween season.
3718861
This anthology of zombie stories is just in time for Halloween, or for anyone else like me who loves a good zombie story at any time.
The stories range from a clinical view of zombie-ism to the traditional tales of blood and gore.
Definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys Halloween, Zombies, and great story telling.
A++
608627
I've been a huge fan of Jack the Ripper tales for quite some time, so the release of this anthology was incredibly exciting for me. Nineteen tales to send chills down your spine. Nineteen tales that aren't like your usual Jack the Ripper folklore. Nineteen tales that are just f*@king awesome.

What I like about this anthology is that not every story has a Jack character, but rather an element that is reminiscent of the tone of the crimes. The stories are strange and creepy, and a perfect length to read during found/forced breaks. Ross E. Lockhart did a wonderful job with putting this anthology together. I wasn't entirely familiar with a good portion of the writers included here, but I found this collection quite enticing to check out further works by everyone who contributed.

Also, the book is beautiful and compliments any book shelf. Must have book for all of the Jack the Ripper fans out there.