My Rating: 5 Stars Definitely a Hell of a different reading but not by all means disappointing. I always thought of Hell as the traditional "place of misery and punishment for your sins" like Dante's Inferno, but in this story, Hell becomes something else entirely. Several brutal murders happen in a place where they're common and everyone is guilty of something? Very well thought, with a great in-depth to the main character and amazing plot twits. It's impossible not to like Thomas Fool and to really think over if we really are in control of our choices and our path in life. Is it us or someone else? In Fool's case "Is it my choice or Hell just making me think I have a choice? Is free an illusion in hell and if yes, who creates it?" This phrase isn't in the book, it's just one of the many questions Thomas Fool tries to answer and understand while looking for the responsible for all the brutal murders. Different, macabre, but I loved every page.
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My Rating: 5 Stars I read two books of Stephen King before this one, "The Shining" and "Carrie". In this book, Stephen King takes horror to a different level, going more for the thriller/crime genre. A quick summary: In the city of Midwestern, people are lining up for a job fair when someone driving a Mercedes starts running over people in a non-stop rampage before he escapes without a trace. Months later, a retired cop haunted by the unsolved case is brought back into action after receiving a note from the killer threatening another attack. Will he be able to stop him before another massacre takes place? I couldn't top the book down. The story is described both by Bill Hodges, the cop, and Brady Hartfield, the killer giving the perfect balanced perspective of two sides of the same coin, good and evil. As always Stephen King creates and masters the characters beautifully, inserting them in an environment that shows perfectly the repercussions of the economical crisis in people's lives and behaviours. A great read! My Rating: 5 Stars This book is definitely the gem of Gothic horror and one of my favourites. I won't say it's an easy novel to get into but it's definitely worth every effort in getting through the first chapters. The atmosphere of this novel is, since the very beginning, very dark and gloomy. The descriptions gave me goosebumps. It only gets worse when Stoker describes the erotic scenes that were a scandal for the 19th-century gentleman and gentle-ladies. The shifting of perspectives along the novel gives the perfect depth into each character and the story-line. What I noticed though is that the main characters like Jonathan Hacker and Mina are very logical characters, trying to find a perfectly reasonable explanation for supernatural events without the exaltation of emotions that was expecting from the Gothic era. Both characters are the perfect representation of the Victorian society, following the rules of that society and its traditions. Dracula appears has the representation of hidden desires, the will to break the stereotypes, the unconscious and the unknown. For me, I found that Dracula was more human than any other character since he shows more emotion than any other. An absolute must-read for the fans of Horror, the first vampire story that became the basis for all the other vampire stories that came later. This particular edition makes the story even more unique with its beautiful illustrations that bring out the atmosphere of the novel. An amazing dark Gothic novel to read and re-read! My Rating: 5 Stars This was the first novel I ever read of Stephen King and it definitely made me verify the hotel bedrooms and double-check the locks for a while. This book is a classic from the horror genre and it shouldn't be missing for the lovers of this type of story. The plot is, of course, very different from the movie, but they both presented a perspective that I really enjoyed. Jack Nicolson was the perfect pick for the role of Jack Torrance and as I read the book I remembered him, which made things even more creepy. I really enjoyed it and the sequel is still on my To-Read list, hopefully not for long My Rating: 5 Stars The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a classic novel by Washington Irving, that breaths the influence of folk magic and superstition but is rational at the same time. I really enjoy how Irving describes everything, I could definitely see a clear painting in front of me. I also enjoyed the characters, and how he satirizes the different groups of people. Placing this in a time where witchcraft was feared, or more, the unknown. It also reminds the readers that something secrets are best kept that way... A classic that every reader should read! My Rating: 5 Stars I was very excited to read the original tales of the Grimm Brothers' and it didn't disappoint! These fairytales and their "live happily ever after" are dripping with blood, poetic justice and a lot of bad karma. The stories keep the morals that I got to know through the modern and softer versions of these tales but in a way that would turn the most rebellious child into the nicest, honest and compliant figure. The crude reality of these stories should how the real world looks like and the real consequences of talking to strangers, trusting someone too quickly, being greedy and price of vanity. Absolutely loves all the stories. It's a book that everyone should read at least once in their lifetime. I chose this particular edition because it's magnificent and it really is like the fairytale book that we all dreamed of having. I definitely recommend that you buy this beautiful edition by Taschen! Here is a glimpse of that's inside: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies #1) by Seth Grahame-Smith29/5/2010 My Rating: 4 Stars I was both curious and horrified when I saw this book. I'm a big fan of Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice is on my Top 10 favourite books. Even so, I decided to take a ride on the wild side. In end, I liked it and ended up buying Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters (still on my to-read list) and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (which I really enjoyed). Pride and Prejudice and Zombies adds a lot more action and it's also quite amusing. Graham-Smith used the original text and when I read it, I barely felt the difference between the original story and his. Loved the idea of the martial-arts training in China and Japan. The Bennet sisters kick some undead ass. Mr Darcy is still very much is cold handsome self, but 10 times more deadly. Absolutely loved the illustrations in the book, even though they are extremely violent at times, but then again so is Elizabeth Bennet. My Rating: 5 Stars Only the style of writing of Thomas Harris could make me actually admire a character like Hannibal Lecter. His style, charm, sophisticated manners and intelligence make him one of the scariest and dangerous monsters that exist in modern American literature. I saw the movie before I read the book and I could actually hear the voice of Anthony Hopkins narrating the dialogues. When it comes to the character of Clarice, it's clear that she's looking for a way to prove herself to more than she is, and Hannibal becomes, in his own twisted way, intrigued by her charm, naivety and insecurities. Clarice herself becomes fascinated by Hannibal and definitely develops a connection with him that beings her close to him than anyone ever was. As I followed the story, I had the feeling that Clarice actually understands Hannibal in an unconscious way. Thomas Harris definitely made me think that you're probably a psychopath yourself to develop a complex character like Hannibal Lecter. A great book that I highly recommended. My Rating: 5 Stars I had the pleasure of reading this incredible novel and it earned its place on my Top 10. I'll start by saying that the language is simply breathtaking. It was like music to my ears, eloquent and very rich and never disappointing. While using this beautiful language, however, Oscar Wilde describes hypocrisy of high society, the vices, the envies and most of all, the importance of appearances. I'm sure almost all of you know or heard of the story of Dorian Gray, but if you haven't here it is. The starts with the introduction of young, beautiful and innocent Dorian Gray. His friend and painter Basil Hallward becomes obsessed with his beauty and draws a portrait of young Gray. At the same time, Dorian is introduced to Lord Henry Wotton, a representation of the views of society and a firm believer that life is all about beauty and the satisfaction of temptations and desires. The story then follows the fall of young Dorian from grace and his discovery and adventures in the dark side of English life at the time, from opium to prostitutes. The novel goes around between this three characters, Basil for his obsession for beauty and his love for Dorian Gray; Lord Henry Wotton a gentleman that envies the beauty of young Gray and takes the main lead role in guiding him to his destruction; and Dorian Gray, that starts as an innocent young boy with an innocent vision of world only to influenced by Lord Wotton into vices and temptations while becoming obsessed with beauty as well. The phrase that marked me in this first reading was: How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older than this particular day of June. . . . If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always young and the picture that was to grow old! For that-for that-I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that! The highest rating for this masterpiece with the highest recommendation off reading! |
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