West Bend Community Memorial Library

Horror - For those who love the spine tinglers and the goose bumps.

Bloody Bones by Laurell Hamilton - When three dead teenagers are slaughtered in a way no one had ever seen before, and a girl is found drained of blood in her bed, it's obvious that something is very wrong in and around Branson, Missouri. And Anita Blake is right in the middle of it all.

Forever Odd by Dean Koontz - Besides having an unusual moniker, 21-year-old Odd Thomas (whom readers first met in Koontz's 2003 novel of the same name) has some very unusual powers, chief among them his ability to see the dead. He can see, feel and talk to them, too (though they don't talk back: "Perhaps they know things about death that the living are not permitted to learn from them"). These days Odd is still hosting the ghost of a morose Elvis Presley, still grieving for his dead girlfriend, Stormy, and still worrying about his very fat friend P. Oswald Boone, whose cat, Terrible Chester, likes to pee on his shoes. Late one night, Odd is summoned by the ghost of Dr. Wilbur Jessup to the Jessup home, the site of a gruesome murder. Dr. Jessup is the father of Odd's best friend, Danny, who is afflicted with osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bones. Odd finds Dr. Jessup's body, but Danny is missing. Since Odd has what he describes as "psychic magnetism," he can follow an invisible mental trail, which in this case leads him to his endangered friend. After he finds Danny in a spooky, burned-out Indian casino, it is Odd who becomes the quarry. The beautiful and stunningly evil Datura, aided by two frightening minions, wants to use Odd for his supernatural abilities—and then kill him. Odd's strange gifts, coupled with his intelligence and self-effacing humor, make him one of the most quietly authoritative characters in recent popular fiction.

Lost Boy Lost Girl by Peter Straub - Straub brings back his writer hero Tim Underhill (Koko; The Throat) in a lightweight, occult horror mystery involving a suicide and a missing nephew. The story involves not one but two Jeffrey Dahmer-like serial killers who prey on teenage boys. The point of view oscillates between Tim Underhill, the investigator, and Mark Underhill, the lost boy. There is a haunted house, some ghosts, creepy moments, and an unusual ending that uses supernatural email and web pages.

Pact of the Fathers by Ramsey Campbell - Daniella Logan, daughter of a film impresario, is stunned to see a group of robed men performing a ritual above the newly-turned earth of her father's grave. She soon discovers that her father and his friends are bound by an unholy blood pact that calls for the sacrifice of their firstborn children--and Daniella is not the only firstborn in danger, just the oldest.

Obsidian Butterfly by Laurell K. Hamilton - Edward, a man who specializes in the preternatural, calls Anita Blake to help him hunt down the greatest evil she has ever encountered. Something that kills and maims and vanishes into the night--something Anita will have to face alone.

Once by James Herbert - Bestselling author Herbert opens a door into a place of wonder and terrible danger; where the unexpected becomes the norm, where the separation between dreams and nightmares is thin, and where "Once upon a time . . ." doesn't always lead to a happy ending.

Black House by Stephen King - In the long-awaited sequel to "The Talisman", retired homicide detective Jack Sawyer is drawn back to a parallel universe called the Territories, where he must find the soul-strength to enter a terrifying house at the end of a deserted track of forest, there to encounter the obscene and ferocious evils sheltered within it.

The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red by Joyce Reardon - In this work of literary fiction, the diary of a young bride gives readers an unusual view of daily life among the aristocracy in the early 1900s, a window into one woman's hidden torment, and a record of the mysterious events at the Rose Red mansion that scandalized Seattle society at the time.

Midnight Voices by John Saul - When Caroline Evans, a widowed mother of two, meets and marries the charismatic man of her dreams, she thinks her life has finally gotten back on track. But when her daughter begins to experience horrifying nightmares and waste away, Caroline realizes that her new family masks a secret of unimaginable horror.

Demons by John Shirley - In a future uncomfortably close to the present day, the apocalypse has surpassed all expectations. John Shirley writes of a post-modern hell on earth, where demons roam the streets in an orgy of terror.

A Winter Haunting by Dan Simmons - The author Dean Koontz hails as "brilliant" returns with this elegantly written, terrifying new tale. After an intense love affair, Professor Dale Stewart has lost everything--even his confidence as a novelist. To salvage his sanity and pride, he returns to a farmhouse in the small Illinois town of his childhood to work on his manuscript. But peace is the last thing he'll find, for the house is haunted in more ways than one.

The Last Vampire by Whitley Strieber - Predator is about to become prey and killer to become lover in this long-awaited sequel to Strieber's vampire classic, "The Hunger". As good and evil are rendered indistinguishable, the endgame begins.

Magic Time by Marc Scott Zieree - In the dark streets of New York City, once-ordinary humans have become the embodiments of their darkest desires and deepest fears. Amid the chaos, Cal and a few other outcasts band together to find and destroy the evil heart of the disaster before the world they know is lost forever.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman - A master of inventive fiction pens the story of an ex-con who is offered a job as a bodyguard for Mr. Wednesday, a trickster and a rogue. Shadow soon learns that his role in the man's schemes are far more dangerous and dark than he could have ever imagined.

The Traveling Vampire Show by Richard Laymon - 16-year-old Dwight and his two pals, male Rusty and female Slim, decide to add some excitement to an otherwise boring summer day in 1963 by sneaking into "The Traveling Vampire Show." This adults-only act, featuring "Valeria, the only known vampire in captivity," is visiting their rural town of Grandville for just one night. Dwight narrates the events of that day, all the way through to the terrifying finale. The three friends are for the most part typical teens, but they are tested that day in ways none of them could ever have imagined.

Mr. X by Peter Straub - Mr. X is Straub's original and startling take on the theme of the doppelganger. Ned Dunstan's birthday is fast approaching, and every year on this date, Ned experiences a paralyzing seizure in which he is forced to witness scenes of ruthless slaughter perpetrated by a mysterious and malevolent figure in black whom Ned calls Mr. X. Ned has been drawn back to his hometown, Edgerton, Illinois, by a premonition that his mother, Star, is dying. Before she loosens her hold on life, she imparts to Ned the name of his father, never before disclosed, and warns him that he is in grave danger. Despite her foreboding, Ned's determination to learn as much as possible about his absent father ignites a series of extraordinary adventures that gradually reveal the heart of both his own identity and that of his entirely fantastic family: He discovers that he is shadowed by an identical twin brother who can pass through doors and otherwise defy the laws of nature; he becomes the lead suspect in three violent deaths; he investigates the secret shadow-world within Edgerton; he learns to "eat time" and remembers the one occasion when he and his sinister brother united into a single being. Finally, at the moment of battle, he must call upon everything he has learned to save his own life.

Bag of Bones by Stephen King - Stephen King, master of heart-stopping, page-turning suspense, now brings readers his most gripping and unforgettable novel to date--a story of grief and a lost love's enduring bonds, of a new love haunted by the secrets of the past, of an innocent child caught in a terrible crossfire of natural and supernatural forces.

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris - A serial murderer known only by a grotesquely apt nickname-Buffalo Bill-is stalking women. He has a purpose, but no one can fathom it, for the bodies are discovered in different states. Clarice Starling, a young trainee at the FBI Academy, is surprised to be summoned by Jack Crawford, chief of the Bureau's Behavioral Science section. Her assignment: to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter-Hannibal the Cannibal-who is kept under close watch in the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Dr. Lecter is a former psychiatrist with a grisly history, unusual tastes, and an intense curiosity about the darker corners of the mind. His intimate understanding of the killer and of Clarice herself form the core of "The Silence of the Lambs.

The Witching Hour by Anne Rice - From the author of the extraordinary Vampire Chronicles comes a huge mesmerizing novel of witchcraft and the occult through four centuries. Two people with special powers are drawn together and set out in a passionate alliance to unlock the mystery of her past and his unwelcome gift. As the strange saga is played out, a world of witches is created that will fascinate readers for years to come.

Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradbury - The carnival rolls in sometime after midnight, ushering in Halloween a week early. The shrill siren song of a calliope beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two boys will discover the secret of its smoke, mazes, and mirrors; two friends who will soon know all too well the heavy cost of wishes. . .and the stuff of nightmare.

Pet Sematary by Stephen King - "Sometimes dead is better...." When the Creeds move into a beautiful old house in rural Maine, it all seems too good to be true: physician father, beautiful wife, charming little daughter, adorable infant son -- and now an idyllic home. As a family, they've got it all...right down to the friendly cat. But the nearby woods hide a blood-chilling truth -- more terrifying than death itself...and hideously more powerful.

I am Legend by Richard Matheson - One of the most influential vampire novels of the 20th century, I Am Legend regularly appears on the "10 Best" lists of numerous critical studies of the horror genre. As Richard Matheson's third novel, it was first marketed as science fiction (for although written in 1954, the story takes place in a future 1976). A terrible plague has decimated the world, and those who were unfortunate enough to survive have been transformed into blood-thirsty creatures of the night. Except, that is, for Robert Neville. He alone appears to be immune to this disease, but the grim irony is that now he is the outsider. He is the legendary monster who must be destroyed because he is different from everyone else. Employing a stark, almost documentary style, Richard Matheson was one of the first writers to convince us that the undead can lurk in a local supermarket freezer as well as a remote Gothic castle. His influence on a generation of bestselling authors--including Stephen King and Dean Koontz--who first read him in their youth is, well, legendary.

A Stir of Echoes by Richard Matheson - Tom Wallace lived an ordinary life, until a chance event awakened psychic abilities he never knew he possessed. Now he's hearing the private thoughts of the people around him-and learning shocking secrets he never wanted to know. But as Tom's existence becomes a waking nightmare, even greater jolts are in store as he becomes the unwilling recipient of a compelling message from beyond the grave! This eerie ghost story, by award-winning author of "Hell House and "I Am Legend, inspired the acclaimed 1999 film starring Kevin Bacon.

Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - This electrifying thriller opens in an unexplored, mysterious corner of the Amazon basin. A Museum of Natural History expedition is seeking the legendary Kothoga tribe in quest of the vile secret it conceals. The thoroughly terrified tribes nearby infer that the Kothoga and their malicious ways are too awful to discuss with outsiders, except to issue dire warnings. The expedition dissolves, with most of its members opting out of the territory with alacrity, only to perish in a plane crash. Two zealous individuals who heedlessly press on into the jungle vanish, but not before making the horrifying discovery they sought. The crates of the lost expedition, however, arrive back in New York City intact, and are consigned to the basement for cataloging. The story picks up back at the museum where murders have begun to occur with dreadful frequency. Forensics reveal the death blows were delivered with unusual strength, the corpses were dismembered with savage violence, and the perpetrator has mighty unusual DNA patterns. The NYPD, the FBI, and enterprising museum research assistants join efforts to solve the grisly murders but are stonewalled by officials in the head office who plan a revenue-generating exhibition of Amazonian artifacts, recklessly ignoring the impending danger to staff and visitors alike.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Written by Mary Shelley in response to a challenge when she was only eighteen years old, Frankenstein is a thrilling masterpiece about a man whose hunger to create life drives him to build a monster, and ultimately results in his own ruin. A deeply thoughtful study of the ethical dilemmas that knowledge can bring to humankind, Frankenstein also provides a portrait of modern science in Europe almost two centuries ago.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson - Stevenson's famous exploration of humanity's basest capacity for evil, "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," has become synonymous with the idea of a split personality. More than a morality tale, this dark psychological fantasy is also a product of its time, drawing on contemporary theories of class, evolution, criminality, and secret lives. Also in this volume are "The Body Snatcher," which charts the murky underside of Victorian medical practice, and "Olalla," a tale of vampirism and "the beast within," with a beautiful woman at its center.

Dracula by Bram Stoker - The punctured throat, the coffin lid slowly opening, the unholy shriek as the stake pierces the heart--these are just a few of the chilling images Bram Stoker unleashed upon the world with his 1897 masterpiece, Dracula. Inspired by the folk legend of Nosferatu, the undead, Stoker created a timeless tale of gothic horror and romance that has enthralled and terrified readers ever since.

Phantoms by Dean Koontz - The lights are on in Snowfield, California, a cozy ski village nestled in the Sierra Madres, but nobody seems to be home. When Dr. Jenny Paige returns to the small town, she finds tables set for dinner, meals being prepared, and music playing in living rooms, but there's no trace of the people who put the water on to boil or set an extra place for company at the dinner table. As she explores the town, Paige finds friends and neighbors felled by a mysterious force--the bodies show no visible signs of violence or disease, and no known plague kills victims before the ice in their dinner drinks has time to melt. But the deep quiet that surrounds her offers few clues about the fate of the town's inhabitants. Dean Koontz's Phantoms strikes fear in readers from the very beginning. The mystery deepens, paving the way for a chilling journey toward the truth.

The 37th Mandala by Marc Laidlaw - The titular mandalas, clearly influenced by Lovecraft, are both extra dimensional ``organisms'' and symbolic ``archetypes of decay'' that manifest in our world as 37 distinct designs. When New Age hack writer Derek Crowe pilfers the manuscript in which they appear and rewrites it as a book of bromides for the crystal-gazing crowd, he inadvertently creates a cult of believers that attracts the evil entities from across the terrestrial threshold. Crowe's struggle to deal with what he has wrought brings him into contact with a wildly varied cast of characters, including a woman who becomes a physical embodiment of the worst mandala and a Cambodian refugee who seeks to control the mandalas for his own purposes.

Dark Sleeper by Jeffrey E. Barlough - The ghosts of a long-dead youth and a drowned sailor, together with the appearance of a rabid, doglike creature, portend ominous events near the isolated city of Salthead. Asked to investigate the peculiar happenings, renowned metaphysicist Titus Tiggs and his associate, Dr. Daniel Dampe, uncover an ancient evil bent on the destruction of the town.

Daughter of Darkness by Steven Spruill - Dr. Jenn Hrluska is young, beautiful, and everyone's choice for best intern at Washington, D.C.'s Adams Memorial hospital. When she finds the freshly killed body of a stranger on her doorstep, her initial shock turns to an irresistible thirst for the blood surrounding the body, for Jenn is a hemophage: her life depends on feeding on the blood of "normals". Until now, Jenn has survived by transfusing blood from sleeping victims, harmlessly. With bone-chilling certainty, she recognizes that this body has been left as an invitation to reclaim her destiny of taking blood by deadly force. And only one person would have left the body for her - her father, Zane. Beginning with cruel pranks to remind her of his powers, Zane soon commits a murder that brings Jenn to the brink of exposure - or death. Unjustly imprisoned for murder, and facing the possibility of dying without a supply of fresh blood, Jenn decides she must escape and use her unearthly powers to defeat Zane once and for all.

To Wake the Dead by Richard Laymon - An ancient beauty . . . Amara was once the Princess of Egypt, the beautiful wife of Mentuhotep the First. Now, 4000 years later, she and her coffin are merely prized exhibits of the Charles Ward museum. Her lovely face and strong, young body are no more. If you were to look at her today you would see only a brittle bundle of bones and dried skin. But looks can be very deceiving. . . . A missing mummy . . . Barney, the museum’s night watchman, is the first to make the shocking discovery that the mummy’s coffin has been broken open. He immediately assumes it’s the work of grave-robbers who care nothing about the sanctity of the dead. But Barney doesn’t have a chance to do anything about it. Then two security guards come upon the open coffin and they too believe that the mummy has been stolen. What else could sane men think? By the time they realize the unbelievable truth, it’s far too late for them to do anything . . . ever again. The walking dead! Now Amara is once again freed from the cramped confines of her coffin, free to walk the earth, free to stalk her prey. Free to kill. Nothing can satisfy her deadly bloodlust. And no one can stop her. You cannot kill what is already dead.

Now You See It by Richard Matheson - Some years ago, the Great Delacorte, a famed stage magician, came down with a stroke that left him a "vegetable," able to move only his eyes. The entire novel takes place through those eyes as Delacorte sits in the Magic Room of his country estate, a room custom-tailored to display stage illusions. Delacorte's son, Max, has taken his name and place as an illusionist. Max is supported on stage by his wife, Cassandra, and her amazingly identical lookalike younger brother, Brian, but for the past year Cassandra has been poisoning Max's food with arsenic and sleeping with his agent. She wants the act for herself-yet Max has his own ideas, and his revenge is the big dish that Matheson sets before us in this dazzler that offers top-flight fun as well as a welcome return to form for its author.

The Homing by John Saul - When widow Karen Spellman and her two young daughters return to Karen's childhood home, something sinister awaits. A shadowy menace that stalked innocents long ago is awakened, and Karen's homecoming becomes a confrontation with evil.

The Night Inside by Nancy Baker - Hired to research the history of a warehouse in Toronto, grad student Ardeth Alexander unknowingly becomes party to the capture of Rozokov, a vampire who had preyed on the city 100 years earlier. Ardeth is kidnapped to provide nourishment for Rozokov, who, aside from his taste for blood, is a charming, likable man--her captors, who are using him in snuff movies, are the true monsters here. Ardeth, knowing she will die in any case, has only one means of revenge: to become a vampire herself, release Rozokov, and kill their tormentors.

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice - In a remote room in a large city, a young reporter sits face-to-face with his most astonishing subject: a onetime New Orleans gentleman plantation owner who, in vividly terrifying and haunting detail, recalls his centuries of extraordinary life--beginning with his initiation into the ranks of the living dead at the hands of the sinister, sensual vampire Lestat.

Taltos by Anne Rice - Meet Mr. Ash, quiet-spoken, tall, unfailingly kind - sole survivor of an ancient species, the Taltos - thriving among humankind as he has always done, now the head of a great corporate empire. As the novel opens, he is stunned to learn from an old and mysterious friend that another Taltos has been seen - in the very same Scottish glen where centuries ago, long before the coming of the Romans, Ash ruled his clan. At once he is propelled into the world of Rowan Mayfair, and into the mysteries of the Mayfair family - the New Orleans dynasty of witches forever besieged by ghosts, spirits, and the dizzying powers of his own species - a family intimately involved with the heritage of the Taltos, a family of unique, brilliant, and troubled souls struggling as they have for centuries to use both science and magic in their battle for greatness, even survival. At the heart of the novel is the Talamasca, a secular order of psychic scholars, the only organization in existence which may understand Ash, his Taltos past, and the dilemma of the Mayfair witches. The story of the Mayfair family continues, moving from London to Donnelaith, Scotland, to New Orleans, back and forth through time - from the origins of the Taltos and their mythic Lost Land to the moral crises of the present day.

Popular Horror Authors
Stephen King
Dan Simmons
Anne Rice
Clive Barker
Dean Koontz
Peter Straub

Updated January 11, 2007