This novel could be 75 to 100 pages shorter if Hamilton would cut down the excessive descriptions of character's clothing and appearance. She describes every stitch on every character. Paragraphs about their hair color, what their eyes remind her of, skin appearance, and an in depth analysis of their footwear. Please. The prologue kicks off very nicely, but it goes way down hill from there. With every book, it seems Hamilton gives Anita more and more power for only one reason -- to continue this contrived story and prolong the series. Yes, there are a few good books in the series, but this is certainly not one of them. You know it's bad when you can predict the next scene before you even read it.

This Bram Stoker nominee for first novel is stronger than it's competition ("Atmosphere" by Michael Laimo, etc.). However, with shapeshifters, a religious cult, cannibalism, ghosts, and the second son of God, there is too much happening in this book to take seriously. That being said, I had a good time reading it. Not very scary, but well written. I look forward to more of Scott's work.

Having mildly enjoyed Lebbon's "The Nature of Balance", I decided to give "Face" a try. Well, the beginning is quite gripping and I loved the concept of a family picking up a strange hitchhiker in the middle of a snow storm. It seems that the author started writing with this idea and didn't know where to go with it. Spelling errors aside, Lebbon repeats many of the character's thoughts over and over. Yes, we get the point, you don't need to tell us again! Anyway, having no growth with the characters and a disappointing ending, I cannot recommend this book. Tim Lebbon also seems like he's holding back with scenes, taking the easy way out with his conservative scares and sexual themes. Richard Laymon, Bentley Little, and Tom Piccirilli do it much better.

It breaks my heart to give Edward 2 stars, but this book just didn't cut it. I felt him holding back in scene after scene. At lot of promises but very little payoff. I'm a big fan of his work and found this to be his tamest novel to date. I realize the author was hospitalized around the time he wrote this, so maybe that had something to do with it, but I was disappointed nonetheless. If you want a real dose of Ed Lee's magic and imagination, read "City Infernal". Or, for a truly gut-wrentching experience, read "The Chosen".

This book should be illegal. This book is so addictive and engrossing, Kevin O'Brien should be locked up. A few spelling errors aside, (but that's the copy editor's fault), I found myself finishing it in three days. Not as creepy and dark as "Make Them Cry", but clever nonetheless. My only problem is the number of coincidences and leaps of logic towards the end, and one mistake... characters shooting on video talk about using a higher speed film - video cameras don't use film! But this novel is still a keeper and I look forward to Kevin's next thrill-ride.

The first half of this book is probably the most suspenseful I've ever experienced in a horror novel. The rating would have been 5 stars, but the second half of the book had a lot of uncharacteric developments and random events that brought it down to 4 stars. Still, it's another classic Laymon that won't disappoint fans. Enjoy!

I have read horror novels all my life -- at least one, if not two novels a week. I'm always looking out for new authors to breath fresh air into the genre. Tom Piccirilli, Richard Laymon, Bentley Little, and Simon Clark are just a few of the modern horror authors that almost never let you down. So I gave Michael Laimo a chance, especially after his Bram Stoker nomination, and read Atmosphere.

First of all, I have to mention all the errors I found in the book (without giving anything away, of course). On page 25, the bald man is described as wearing boots. However,in his next scene, he is wearing sneakers on page 51. Also, in chapter 7, Jaimie is waiting 30 minutes for a F train in Manhattan at 5:12 pm for over a half hour during rush hour. WHAT?! I've lived in New York for over ten years and never waited even half that long during rush hour. But whatever. On page 256 -- and this really irked me -- Laimo writes about a wrestler from the WWF that was supposed to win in the eighth round. Eighth round??? This isn't boxing. There are no rounds in professional wrestling! Not only that, he writes about wrestling moves that don't even exist, calling one spot a "triple twist flip". A writer should always do his homework. After all, as the saying goes, write what you know.

In conclusion, I found many scenes repetitive and characters discovering information way too easily. One coincidence after another occured, giving Laimo an easy way out of everything. Please... bribing a coroner, committing suicide from a second story window, and stuffing an 18 inch sphere into ones jacket pocket are just some of the ridiculousness we are meant to accept. And as for the other reviewers comments regarding the huge amounts of gore? I'm not sure what book people were reading... this had 4 or 5 scenes of gore, and only a paragraph or two at most. If you thought this was strong stuff, try reading Edward Lee's "The Chosen" or "City Infernal" or Richard Laymon's "In the Dark". And besides all that, in short, Atmosphere was very predictable and simply... not very atmospheric.

I enjoyed this book, my first experience with Tim Lebbon. It took a while to get into the story, but it was interesting enough for me to finish it. The big problems were the lack of character development and the overwritten style of his descriptions. He takes a full page to describe what should be only be a paragraph. By doing this, I constantly got pulled out of the story. What brought me back? The villian. I love a powerful antagonist that seems on track to conquer our hero, and this novel made up a few points in that area. Those two complaints aside, I had a fun time with it and I look forward to Mr. Lebbon's new book, "Face".

Although I enjoyed "The Deceased" more than this book, I had a great time reading this Bram Stoker winner for 2002. Wonderful writing, atmosphere, and an engaging mystery makes this novel stand way above the competition. Picirilli is an acquired taste, but if you put in the time, it's well worth it.

I had a jaw-dropping good time with this book by hardcore horror author Edward Lee. True, he is not a very literary writer, but try as I might, I couldn't put the book down. I've been reading horror for almost 20 years and it's rare for me to be shocked by what I'm reading. However, with THE CHOSEN, I was aghast many times during the graphic gore and sex that is plentiful throughout the book. Edward Lee isn't afraid of anything when he writes and I appreciate his no-holds-barred approach. This book is definitely not for the weak of heart. You were warned.