Prey
£2.10
Not his best. - The idea for this novel is a good one, if a little fantastical, but the way it unravels through the eyes of Masterton s ludicrously dumb protagonist might have you giving up on the story before its conclusion. His actions read as if to fulfill the purpose of a plot summery and I couldn t help but wonder if that is all they were. Similarly, the characters actions and reactions to each other and the events around them, didn t seem real at all. People neglect to ask important questions or convey important information simply for the sake of plot development. People fall in love over a day, and have their hearts broken just as quickly. Talents and skills come and go as required. Even with all of these contrivances, there remain an incredible amount of holes gaping.So, why the three stars? Well, between all its cracks and holes a cracking horror yarn struggles to unnerve, chill, and more often than not, nauseate you with a gruesome confidence that many horror writers can t match. Inspired but cripplingly flawed, ultimately just very very frustrating.
Masterton s Best - I wont go into plot details as this is a book you should go into without knowing anything.I ll just say if you er into Masterton or James Herbert you ve got to read this.One of the best books I ve ever read.
Could have been so much better... - ...if it weren t for the protagonist being the most amzingly stupid character that has ever been created in a horror novel and if it weren t for the ridiculous way that the characters develop. WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD The story was well paced in true MAsterton style. He s always an entertining writer but there were times I wanted to throw the book across the aeroplane I was reading it in. People do not suddenly form relationships over a couple of hours with people they just met. David finds Liz trying to squat in the house, he taks her down to the cafe for a drink then out of the blue he s holding hands with her. This can be no more than an hour after meeting her. He then allows her to go off shopping with his 7 year old son. After a day or two they are talking like an old married couple, with Liz complaining that David can never make a decision and he needs to buck up his ideas if their relationship is to survive. This guy makes such stupid decisions. Even when he knows for sure that Liz has been possessed and become dangerous, he leaves his son unsupervised with her!!!!!!!! There is also the small matter of a number of Deus Ex Machina incidents. A young girl rescued from the past is seen to be very vulnerable as you would expect, then with no warning she reveals herself to be a white witch with magic powers that allow her to overpower the villains that so far have had no trouble at all handling her. If only she hadn t waited until young Danny had been kidnaped before revealing this secret power... The ending is another classic Deus Ex Machina. The old simply go back in time and do things differently routine. Having said that. It is an entertaining novel if you can put up with these flaws.
Scratching - Ugh! the scratching of that loathsome Brown Jenkings,scurrying in the loft,made chilling reading.I defy anyone,reading this book at night,not to shudder & look over their shoulder,should they hear the slightest noise.A masterpiece from Masterton.
You won t sleep until you ve finished Prey - When Graham Masterton writes a good horror, it s damn good! Prey takes the premise of a Victorian house and throws in (very realistic) time travel, a hideous creature called Brwon Jenkin and a man in a stove-pipe hat. Prey grips you from page one to the end and will genuinely terrify you.After reading Prey, you won t just roll over when you hear an unexpected noise in the night.