We've been getting e-mail after e-mail asking if we would start doing horror book reviews. We're a collecting site first and foremost as I've always stated but an argument can be made that horror novels while a blast to read are also quite collectible. Especially when you can find first additions and autographed copies. So we decided we just couldn't ignore this segment any longer.....

Follow up:

Our first book is being reviewed by the one and only Jim "The Godfather of Horror" McMahon. Jim's an avid book reader and a real fan of classic horror and horror writing. From zombie's to universal classics and all areas in between Jim really has a passion about the genre and I always enjoy reading his reviews. HorrorBid is lucky to have him aboard.

We start off with a novel by the up an coming horror author Brian Keene. Keene has been described as the next Stephen King by many and his books are always entertaining to say the least.



Ghoul

Brian Keene has recently become one of the more prolific writers of paperback horror fiction working in the market today. His novels include The Rising, City of the Dead, The Conqueror Worms, and Dead Sea, with much of his work optioned for film production. In his 2007 novel, Ghoul, Keene is in fine form, keeping the reader’s attention by maintaining a quick pace without losing attention to the nice details which add to the story, rather than bog it down.

Ghoul, which takes place in a semi-rural factory town in Pennsylvania during the summer of 1984, is replete with characters you’ll have met in dozens of similar stories; a naughty preacher’s daughter, an abusive/alcoholic father, and the kindly grandpa who remembers what it’s like to be a kid. The protagonist is a 12 year-old boy who, along with his two best friends, must battle to the titular monster to save the town from almost certain doom. You’ll swear you’re reading earlier Stephen King, and unfortunately at times, you basically are. The three boys various characteristics just about equal the youthful quartet from King’s short story, The Body, which became the more famous Stand By Me, in film form. One is overweight and a bit of a slob, whose father is out of the picture. Another is the athletic, but abused son of the cemetery groundskeeper. The main character is the sensitive, aspiring comic book writer, who is enamored of the local clergyman’s youngest daughter.

Keene fleshes his characters out well, giving insight into their motivations, without sacrificing pace. Though it may be wise not to get too involved with any Keene character, as no one is immune from being torn to pieces on the next page. In fact the more back-story detail you get, the more likely they are to die, so be warned.

One flaw in Keene’s writing, and the book’s editing as well, is that he often repeats descriptions or phrases to the point of distraction. Yes Mr. Keene, that was a vivid and gut-wrenching depiction, we don’t need to see that same paragraph or sentence over and over again.

Overall, Ghoul is a fast-paced and entertaining story, best read by flashlight in a cemetery after dark.
3.5/5

Reviewed by Jim McMahon

A little bit about the author....

Brian Keene is a two-time Bram Stoker Award winning horror author, first in 2001 for his non-fiction work Jobs In Hell and then again in 2003 for his debut novel, the post-apocalyptic zombie tale The Rising. In 2004, he won the Shocker Award for his non-fiction work Sympathy For the Devil. His other novels include Dead Sea, Ghoul, City of the Dead, Terminal, The Conqueror Worms, Fear Of Gravity, and more. Several of his books and stories have been optioned for film, video game and comic book adaptations.

Keene has often been credited (by the New York Times, Fangoria, the History Channel, and others) with ushering in the new era of zombie popularity in pop culture (along with filmmaker Danny Boyle).

In 2008, Marvel Comics announced that Keene would be writing for them. His first project for the company is the four-issue Dead of Night: Devil Slayer.

Keene currently lives in Pennsylvania.

For information on purchasing this book and others please visit this link.