Twilight Zone Box Set No Longer Manufactured after December 1

As of Dec. 1st The Definitive Twilight Zone Collection on DVD will no longer be available in this box set. The manufacturers will cease production, get it before it inflates 1,000% on ebay. http://amzn.to/1dqrMeo

Salem’s Lot by Stephen King Review

The year was 1975 and I was not even a zygote yet. I wasn’t a fathomable idea in the human mind, and therefore this book came out far before I was born. That’s not a bad thing, as I would learn about this book in 1988, when I was merely a child (5 years old). I didn’t read the book then, instead opting for other reading materials, mainly paperback books from the local library about ghouls and ghosts and goblins. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I read this one, and as far as a fantasy horror novel, it most certainly is an interesting one, especially since the characters have a little bit of a resemblance to the author himself, and notably so. Salem’s Lot by Stephen King is a different kind of vampire tale, one that teenage girls wouldn’t really scream about, and that’s probably why this best seller continues to gain sales and republishing time and time again.

The story is essentially a look at community and the relationship it has when outsiders come into a close knit area. Centering in Maine (of course), we meet an author that is going to be writing about a haunting, but ends up having to deal with more than meets the eye when he has to battle vampires that are taking over the area. The course of the novel finds Ben Mears and his wife fighting off the villains, and eventually taking out the head vampire in this modern Dracula inspired work.

Synopsis aside, Stephen King has stated many times that this was and is his favorite book. In fact, one Playboy article mentioned that he wanted to move forward with a sequel, and of course the movie rights were sold and we have two of those these days. Salem’s Lot is not too long, it has some filler, but overall has a great amount of action, and some terror laden moments leading up to a climax that you’d expect from vampire horror film today. Even though this is literature, you find yourself watching it all play out in your head, and that’s something that I’ve always admired about King’s story telling.

Sure, it’s not the most scholarly of books, but it has enough gusto to make me enjoy it and recommend it. You owe it to yourself to pick up this one, it’s well worth your time. Even if you just get the audio version of it, it’s far better than you probably remember. Pick it up by clicking below:

5 Horror Novelists You That Will Keep You Up At Night

Lovecraft

The Horror Novelists Worth Checking Out Today

Whether you are reading traditional format books or you have an electronic device that you can scroll through, you most likely can appreciate a good horror novel. A lot of the movies that are revered, as the greatest scary films of all time have been first created by someone with a literary dynamic first, than converted to the visual medium. When speaking on this subject several names come to mind, but which ones are going to give you the most bang for your proverbial buck? The following 5 horror novelists you want to read today is just a quick write up of names that came to mind this morning while drinking my morning coffee.

5. H.P. Lovecraft

Despite the fact that he was deathly afraid of women, this guy can creep you completely out with some of the most lingering and slow burning horror elements known to writing. He creates a very educated sprawl of weird and horrific moments and at times does so in a very short and condensed manner. You’ll be surprised at how quickly your spine tingles, and your mind starts playing tricks on you. The absorbing writer is seen as one of the greatest of all time. Suggested reading: The Call of Cthulhu (buy it here)

4. David Wong

Some might find this guy to be annoying, but he makes horror fun with a very cool and interesting way of describing certain matters. Much like my sense of humor, Wong creates a tapestry of references that you would only make with your friends or to your cats. I for one talk to my cat friends as they look at me appalled. Sometimes I tell my girlfriend and she just looks at me appalled too. I guess you just can’t win, unless you’re writing horror novels. I wish I had more time. Suggested reading: John Dies At The End (buy it here)

3. Clive Barker

Someone once told me that Clive Barker was a poor man’s Stephen King, and they couldn’t have been more wrong. Barker creates a world rich with an aural sin element that is almost like eating fried chicken when you’ve got a heart condition. His way of creating madness and chaos into a sensual feast is really something to behold. While all his books aren’t as nightmare filled as other novelists, he can sure take something as simple as taking a nap and turn it into an insane asylum within a few hundred pages. Suggested reading: Books of Blood (buy it here)

2. John Saul

John Saul is one of those writers that has been churning away stories of pure evil and while he has garnered a great bit of success, you probably haven’t heard of him. He has created a lengthy list of thrillers and horror novels that deal with a variety of human and supernatural elements all the same. He continues to build upon his success, jumping into the comic book world with “The God Project” but his novels have been bestsellers for many years now, and there’s something about the way he writes that will have you believing that things aren’t what they seem in your neck of the woods. Suggested reading: Sleep Walk (buy it here)

1. Stephen King

Did you really think I’d pick someone else? The king of horror novels (pun intended) once said he was the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and Fries. Sure he may be an easy pick for the #1 spot and some might argue that he’s overrated, but with a legion of fans, and books that sell out their first printings within hours of being released, you gotta give the guy some credit. He might be a little longwinded in his story telling, but time and time again he brings out the horror with the greatest of ease. Suggested reading: The Stand (buy it here)

If you love horror movies, than it is an easy transition to move to reading horror novels. The aforementioned authors are just a handful of the best that you’ll find when you’re exploring the bookshelves that are left in your town. If you are going to shop online for any of the books mentioned above or for just about anything else, check out the selection online through amazon, you’ll be surprised what you’ll find.

The Dead Zone by Stephen King Book Review

Can you picture Christopher Walken here?

The Dead Zone is one of the books from Stephen King that lives on due in large part to the movie, and long time cable series that ran for 80 episodes. When it came out, I’m sure enthusiasts were all about it, as his name truly was one of the big time names in horror literature at the time. This book, is often times noted as being very much a tightly wound thriller with elements of horror, and more leaning on dramatic story telling than gore or violence. I agree, it’s definitely heart felt in many ways.

(buy on amazon)

Remember The Ned Zone?

The Simpsons did a parody of this story in a quick capsule of an episode during Halloween, and I found it hilarious, as many people did, and if you remember the plot from that short cartoon, than you already know what to expect. John Smith gets into a serious accident that keeps in a coma for many years and when he wakes up, he has a serious psychic ability, one that he didn’t desire or want. The pendulum of duality swings heavy in this book, as Smith has to cope with the blessing of knowing what’s to come and, well, knowing what’s to come. As the book continues he ends up finding himself seeing a future where the wrong political party is in charge, creating a nightmare world that he must figure out how to stop before it happens.

Another Big One, No Pictures

For those that are completely enthralled with the work of King, this is another winner. A long drawn out tale that really can be summarized rather quickly, but if you consider the style and who’s the writer, you will note that it’s another piece to the bigger horror puzzle. With The Dead Zone, Stephen King creates a big “what if” scenario that has haunted many every 4 years when election time comes in.

I give this book a 4 out of 5, not necessarily great, but fun twisted political thrills done dirt cheap. Speaking of dirt cheap, you can pick this book up via amazon.com and get free shipping on orders $25 and above by clicking here. If you want to support this site, donate $1 and help me get a cup of coffee by clicking the donate button on the right of the page. What are your thoughts on this book? Drop me a line.

The Stand by Stephen King Book Review

The book that eventually scared my mom about the end of the world.

The Stand by Stephen King is one of the most popular books to come out from the master of horror, and it is one of the highest searched terms on the Internet, to this day. I’m surprised to see how many people are continually looking for this novel even though it’s been a long time since the original release, and it’s been a while since the television series first aired.

This is definitely a large book, with a great deal of pages, as King does tend to write a great deal of text to create his works. Often times comparing himself to McDonald’s in terms of literature, you can definitely get a good feel for his work with this one as he takes a great deal of time to labor the points that he wants to make across several storylines that intertwine often. The hardcover is worth getting, and if you find The Stand Hardcover in new condition, buy it for your bookshelf, it looks great.

The Stand (buy from amazon)

The Plot of The Stand

As if readers were surprised, the end of days occurs through another pandemic. Much like swine flu should’ve made this book another Nostradamus classic, King takes us through a tale of a deadly plague that has caused the country to go from happy go lucky to scared and afraid. Everyone around the country is turning up dead and survival seems to be quite difficult as the plague is swiping anyone that breathes.

You are introduced to a lot of characters in the first half of the book, and if you are keen on taking notes, do it, because you are going to get lost with the sheer amount of people that get thrown at you fast. You get little background stories for each one, then you are thrown into a scenario that is not unlike other similar plots where a group bands together to hopefully make it out alive!

You are given two sides of the coin, with some holy rollers (as I envisioned them) having to cross paths with some sinners (going to Vegas) and making sure that the world comes out alive is definitely on the mind of each party, whether they show it or not through the text.

A Big Book With No Pictures

This is not a hard book to read, it’s an easy one. However, there is a LOT of writing. If you are a fan of the writer you already know this, and you’ll probably be prepared for what is to come. However, if you’re not familiar this is going to be a daunting task because it’s that big. However, it’s well worth the investment.

Amongst the best dystopian stories, this one seems to be a good epic one that is definitely going to provide readers with hours upon hours of entertainment. This is a great example of why you want to invest in books, they are far more entertaining than movies, and King does his best to add so much description and plot to his characters that you truly feel that you’re getting your money’s worth.

Is this truly how the world Ends?

I ended up asking a lot of questions about the end of times, and it is apparent that King thinks about it in a religious sense after reading the book. There is no way to condense all the plot, all the stories into a quick review, so I’ll just have to say that it’s about a flu, two groups of people, and a juxtaposition of good and evil set in what may just be the near future.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. If you are in the market for a horror novel to read, this is a good one, and you can buy it by clicking here today, and if you buy some other books along the way you can get free shipping. If you’re looking for something cheap, buy The Stand for as low as a penny by clicking here.

October 2012 Win the Hellraiser Box Set FREE

This month’s big prize for those of you that comment on here, subscribe to the rss feed, or talk about random crap on the Facebook page, is something that is going to make most salivate. This month you will win for FREE the Hellraiser Box Set complete with limited edition packaging!

This 3 disc set features the cube from the movies, and while it’s not the complete set of movies, it’s still one cool prize.

Comment throughout the month and see if you get this awesome prize from me, your pal Sir J.

Oh and please patronize the sponsors, order stuff from amazon and what not, I have no other job but this and ghost writing.

Thank you.