Hello all Monster Fans,
I have been away for a while and vehemently apologize. I have been bogged down in a project for a company I freelance for, for the past few months as well as my full time job. Deadlines, travel etc…you get the picture.
I wanted to close out 2009 with my top ten books of 2009. I managed to read 56 books this year, not as many as I would have liked but more than I thought. There were some great, some good and some not so good. But I tip my hat to anyone that has the stamina and fortitude to finish a novel.
In my position at Famous Monsters I have been lucky enough to be able to correspond with some of my favorite writers in the Horror field. Some of them have sent me manuscripts of some of their upcoming books. Even though a few of them would have made my top ten, because they are not yet published I chose not to include them.
I would also like to thank all you Famous Monster fans for you many kind words and comments and we here at Famous Monsters are hoping to exceed everyone’s expectations in 2010.
Click on the title for my review of the book if I have reviewed it.
Without further adieu my top ten:
1. Under the Dome by Stephen King
Mr. Kings latest 1000 plus page opus. It is his best in years. A book with a staggering amount of characters that reads like a 200 page novella. A must for any horror or fiction fan.
2. Vendetta by James Moore
A Jonathan Crowley novella that ranks right up there with anything that Mr. Moore has written. I am a big James Moore and Jonathan Crowley fan. This is short, sweet and an absolute must if you like Mr. Moore’s “Hunter” Jonathan Crowley.
3. Sacrifice by John Everson
Mr. Everson’s follow up to the Bram Stoker Award winning Covenant. Sacrifice continues where Covenant left off and takes you on a suicide toboggan ride down the side of a mountain. Sacrifice introduces you to one of the greatest female villains in a very long time.
4. Drood by Dan Simmons
What can I say about Mr. Simmons that has not already been said. After his last novel The Terror I believed Mr. Simmons had written his finest novel. I was wrong. Drood, another 1000 plus page novel is staggering in scope and imagination.
5. The Bone Factory by Nate Kenyon
Nate Kenyon is making quite a name for himself in the Horror field, as well he should. He is one of the very best up and coming stars in the Horror field. The Bone Factory is a tour-de-force in terror. He wrote the single most scariest scene for me in this book.
6. Urban Gothic by Brian Keene
Now, you didn’t think I could do a top ten without one of my favorite authors Brian Keene now did you. Anyone who has read Mr. Keene’s work knows that his talent is limitless. Urban Gothic is a blood-soaked, rip-roaring adventure ride in a house of horrors.
7. Depraved by Bryan Smith
Bryan Smith’s writing is sharp, visceral, heart pounding and brutal. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Depraved is an outright onslaught on your senses as Mr. Smith takes you down a gory, blood-soaked trip through a backwoods town filled with the most despicable, blood thirsty, perverted, cannibalistic population you have ever met.
8. Far Dark Fields by Gary Braunbeck
Cedar Hill, Ohio. Ring a bell? If you have read anything by Mr. Braunbeck you know and you fear Cedar Hill. There is no other town in modern fiction that is as haunted as Mr. Braunbeck’s Cedar Hill, except for maybe Stephen King’s Derry, Maine. In Far Dark Fields Mr. Braunbeck gives his Cedar Hill fans something to celebrate.
9. Bar None by Tim Lebbon
I love end of the world, apocalyptic stories. The Stand, Swan Song, I Am Legend all have a special place in our hearts. Bar None should be added to that list. Mr. Lebbon takes you on a journey through a terrifying wasteland filled with monsters, human and supernatural alike. He also takes you on a thirst quenching journey through a symphony of ales that will leave any beer lover heading to the pub.
10. Two Anthologies; Midnight Walk & Dark Delicacies III
I couldn’t decide which anthology I enjoyed better so I put them both at number 10. Both of them have plenty of scares for everyone, they are well written, fun and frightening.
Other books of note;
The Shore by Robert Dunbar
Pressure by Jeff Strand
Shake Rattle & Rocket by DC Larson
So there they are.
Here is hoping all of you have a wonderful 2010.
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