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Blue Rose
In this haunting tale of innocence and evil, master storyteller Peter Straub uncovers the dark side of human nature.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
3 people are currently reading
471 people want to read
About the author
Peter Straub
259 books4,202 followersPeter Straub was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Gordon Anthony Straub and Elvena (Nilsestuen) Straub.
Straub read voraciously from an early age, but his literary interests did not please his parents; his father hoped that he would grow up to be a professional athlete, while his mother wanted him to be a Lutheran minister. He attended Milwaukee Country Day School on a scholarship, and, during his time there, began writing.
Straub earned an honors BA in English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1965, and an MA at Columbia University a year later. He briefly taught English at Milwaukee Country Day, then moved to Dublin, Ireland, in 1969 to work on a PhD, and to start writing professionally
After mixed success with two attempts at literary mainstream novels in the mid-1970s ("Marriages" and "Under Venus"), Straub dabbled in the supernatural for the first time with "Julia" (1975). He then wrote "If You Could See Me Now" (1977), and came to widespread public attention with his fifth novel, "Ghost Story" (1979), which was a critical success and was later adapted into a 1981 film. Several horror novels followed, with growing success, including "The Talisman" and "Black House", two fantasy-horror collaborations with Straub's long-time friend and fellow author Stephen King.
In addition to his many novels, he published several works of poetry during his lifetime.
In 1966, Straub married Susan Bitker.They had two children; their daughter, Emma Straub, is also a novelist. The family lived in Dublin from 1969 to 1972, in London from 1972 to 1979, and in the New York City area from 1979 onwards.
Straub died on September 4, 2022, aged 79, from complications of a broken hip. At the time of his death, he and his wife lived in Brooklyn (New York City).
Straub read voraciously from an early age, but his literary interests did not please his parents; his father hoped that he would grow up to be a professional athlete, while his mother wanted him to be a Lutheran minister. He attended Milwaukee Country Day School on a scholarship, and, during his time there, began writing.
Straub earned an honors BA in English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1965, and an MA at Columbia University a year later. He briefly taught English at Milwaukee Country Day, then moved to Dublin, Ireland, in 1969 to work on a PhD, and to start writing professionally
After mixed success with two attempts at literary mainstream novels in the mid-1970s ("Marriages" and "Under Venus"), Straub dabbled in the supernatural for the first time with "Julia" (1975). He then wrote "If You Could See Me Now" (1977), and came to widespread public attention with his fifth novel, "Ghost Story" (1979), which was a critical success and was later adapted into a 1981 film. Several horror novels followed, with growing success, including "The Talisman" and "Black House", two fantasy-horror collaborations with Straub's long-time friend and fellow author Stephen King.
In addition to his many novels, he published several works of poetry during his lifetime.
In 1966, Straub married Susan Bitker.They had two children; their daughter, Emma Straub, is also a novelist. The family lived in Dublin from 1969 to 1972, in London from 1972 to 1979, and in the New York City area from 1979 onwards.
Straub died on September 4, 2022, aged 79, from complications of a broken hip. At the time of his death, he and his wife lived in Brooklyn (New York City).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
September 26, 2018
This hardcover edition is numbered 295 of 600 produced and is signed by Peter Straub and Ned Dameron.
Signed Edition. Black buckram, silver titles. Dark blue marbled end papers. Jacket, wraparound art by Ned Dameron, The book fits in a light grey suede slipcase.
Children are playing in the junk room attic of their New York house, saying teachers can't kill people.
Signed Edition. Black buckram, silver titles. Dark blue marbled end papers. Jacket, wraparound art by Ned Dameron, The book fits in a light grey suede slipcase.
Children are playing in the junk room attic of their New York house, saying teachers can't kill people.
September 15, 2015
Everyone MUST read this. I won't give away the story, but it does involve sociopathy, and it gave me the deepest feeling of dread I've had in a long time.
May 17, 2025
There is horror that thrills because ot its supernatural elements, horror that reads like a superhero tale because we root for the protagonist to not only survive but somehow defeat the villain, and then there's this kind of horror. It doesn't have a supernatural element in it, doesn't have a protagonist to root for, doesn't even have a classical villain to be defeated who gets his just deserts by the end of the story. It's just the horror of what can happen in real life if we're not aware it can happen.
By this, I don't mean we all need to be vigilant against hypnotism. That aspect of the story was its only weakness; a too-convenient vehicle Straub uses. The story's theme, I believe, is the necessity of not understimating pre-moral children. Children must be at minimum monitored (preferably by their parents, but by one parental figure or another). Hopefully, most get more than the minimum and are instead nurtured and guided into becoming the mature, moral adults we all hope all children will one day become. This may not happen in a vacuum. It certainly didn't in Harry Beevers' case. (Great name that, by the way. There's nothing Leave It To Beaver like in this dysfunctional family! The irony.)
People have classified this story as the tale of a psychopath. I don't agree with that. It's too pat to call it that; too easy. It makes Harry exceptional, thus giving us the readers and us as a society an out we don't deserve. Harry is all too common. There are a lot of Harrys in our neighborhoods, a fact we are obliged to face. Maybe Harry Beevers will develop into a psychopath as this cycle of stories progresses. But in this story of this childhood, Harry is just a fairly normal kid, even if highly intelligent, who simply has not had sufficient moral guidance from any mentoring figure. The horror of the story lies in the fact Harry could be anyone at this age. He could even have been me if the same opportunity had arisen for me that it did for Harry, and if I had not already had a few positive influences to have awakened something of a nascent conscience in me by this time, however inadequate those influences actually proved to be.
So this story is powerful, more universal than any of us would probably like to admit, and very disturbing. I wonder if this entire cycle from Straub is. I definitely intend to continue reading in order to find out. This story was very interesting, extremely insightful regarding the human condition, and worth every minute spent with it. As long as you can stand to read something so disturbing. More sensitive souls are advised to steer clear.
This story is the first entry of Straub's Blue Rose series, which is as follows:
1 Blue Rose (1985) Novella
2 Juniper Tree (1988) Novelette
3 Koko (1988) Novel
4 Mystery (1990) Novel
5 The Ghost Village (1992) Novelette
6 The Throat (1993) Novel
7 Fee (1994) also appeared as Bunny Is Good Bread (2000) Novella
#1 and #7 are both novellas, they may be found in the anthology that collects Straub's novellas: The Complete Short Fiction of Peter Straub, Volume Two. The two novelettes (#2 and #5) are in The Complete Short Fiction of Peter Straub, Volume One. Both anthologies can be found on Amazon for $5.99 each. They are well done except that there seems to be a minor typo of one sort or another every six pages or so that can't have been in the original. In other words, the editing is a bit sloppy, though not so bad as one would be unable to figure out what Straub's intention was, what the original version must have said. Of course the three novels are available separately and inexpensively if purchased used.
I read in more than one interview that Straub himself considers his Koko the best book he ever wrote. He said, in effect, that he measured all of his subsequent efforts as he would write them against what he felt he achieved with that novel. I suspect this entire series is his magnum opus, the one that most defines Straub. Straub might not be considered as such now, but by the end of this century I would not be surprised if Straub comes to be considered as having been one of our great literary figures. His achievement in "Blue Rose" alone is truly incredible.
By this, I don't mean we all need to be vigilant against hypnotism. That aspect of the story was its only weakness; a too-convenient vehicle Straub uses. The story's theme, I believe, is the necessity of not understimating pre-moral children. Children must be at minimum monitored (preferably by their parents, but by one parental figure or another). Hopefully, most get more than the minimum and are instead nurtured and guided into becoming the mature, moral adults we all hope all children will one day become. This may not happen in a vacuum. It certainly didn't in Harry Beevers' case. (Great name that, by the way. There's nothing Leave It To Beaver like in this dysfunctional family! The irony.)
People have classified this story as the tale of a psychopath. I don't agree with that. It's too pat to call it that; too easy. It makes Harry exceptional, thus giving us the readers and us as a society an out we don't deserve. Harry is all too common. There are a lot of Harrys in our neighborhoods, a fact we are obliged to face. Maybe Harry Beevers will develop into a psychopath as this cycle of stories progresses. But in this story of this childhood, Harry is just a fairly normal kid, even if highly intelligent, who simply has not had sufficient moral guidance from any mentoring figure. The horror of the story lies in the fact Harry could be anyone at this age. He could even have been me if the same opportunity had arisen for me that it did for Harry, and if I had not already had a few positive influences to have awakened something of a nascent conscience in me by this time, however inadequate those influences actually proved to be.
So this story is powerful, more universal than any of us would probably like to admit, and very disturbing. I wonder if this entire cycle from Straub is. I definitely intend to continue reading in order to find out. This story was very interesting, extremely insightful regarding the human condition, and worth every minute spent with it. As long as you can stand to read something so disturbing. More sensitive souls are advised to steer clear.
This story is the first entry of Straub's Blue Rose series, which is as follows:
1 Blue Rose (1985) Novella
2 Juniper Tree (1988) Novelette
3 Koko (1988) Novel
4 Mystery (1990) Novel
5 The Ghost Village (1992) Novelette
6 The Throat (1993) Novel
7 Fee (1994) also appeared as Bunny Is Good Bread (2000) Novella
#1 and #7 are both novellas, they may be found in the anthology that collects Straub's novellas: The Complete Short Fiction of Peter Straub, Volume Two. The two novelettes (#2 and #5) are in The Complete Short Fiction of Peter Straub, Volume One. Both anthologies can be found on Amazon for $5.99 each. They are well done except that there seems to be a minor typo of one sort or another every six pages or so that can't have been in the original. In other words, the editing is a bit sloppy, though not so bad as one would be unable to figure out what Straub's intention was, what the original version must have said. Of course the three novels are available separately and inexpensively if purchased used.
I read in more than one interview that Straub himself considers his Koko the best book he ever wrote. He said, in effect, that he measured all of his subsequent efforts as he would write them against what he felt he achieved with that novel. I suspect this entire series is his magnum opus, the one that most defines Straub. Straub might not be considered as such now, but by the end of this century I would not be surprised if Straub comes to be considered as having been one of our great literary figures. His achievement in "Blue Rose" alone is truly incredible.
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November 16, 2019
I already have this story in a collection; but I recently found this nice single edition at a used book store. In any case, it's certainly one of the most disturbing stories I have ever read; and given my reading tastes, that's saying something.
January 8, 2014
Stunning, Disturbing, Unforgettable. This story has stayed with me for years. It features a recurring Straub character who is also in Koko and some other books and we get some good background on him. This story really chilled me beyond belief. A perfect terror story.
abandoned
January 7, 2018This book is conversely essential. I could not read any more than page 44, due to the torture of Little Eddie. The fact that I cannot read through that awful horror is proof to me that such taboo can make my heart thud, and I should remember for fear that I should ever doubt my humanity.
In all honesty I had to pause and look up a word, because I didn’t want to use the word ‘horror’ twice in the same sentence. The only other word I could think of was ‘wrong’, but it didn’t feel weighty enough.
The fact that a story of a psychopath/sociopath can provoke such a rush of feeling(s) proves to me that I have the capability for empathy for an entity that is entirely created only by thoughts, mutually inspired by myself and the author.
——————————-
I added a new shelf because I hope I should only need to encounter one book that makes me feel deeply human in such a dark, twisted way.
In all honesty I had to pause and look up a word, because I didn’t want to use the word ‘horror’ twice in the same sentence. The only other word I could think of was ‘wrong’, but it didn’t feel weighty enough.
The fact that a story of a psychopath/sociopath can provoke such a rush of feeling(s) proves to me that I have the capability for empathy for an entity that is entirely created only by thoughts, mutually inspired by myself and the author.
——————————-
I added a new shelf because I hope I should only need to encounter one book that makes me feel deeply human in such a dark, twisted way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2019
extremely disturbing but interesting. you have to take a risk and read it to find out as i don't want to give away the story. i am just glad i read this at daylight.
April 25, 2023
Read as part of the collection Houses Without Doors.
So insidious; turned my stomach.
So insidious; turned my stomach.
November 16, 2020
Blue Rose the novellete tells the story of Harry Beevers' childhood. He is the protagonist from the Straub's famous Blue Rose trilogy. This is certainly one of the most disturbing and terrifying stories I have ever read. It definitely gives you the chill.
It is the prefect short horror story. Period.
It is the prefect short horror story. Period.
Read
November 27, 2024A sinister little booklet (basically a long short story packaged for individual sale by Penguin) about the unfortunately named Harry Beevers, a junior psychopath in an absolutely miserable and downtrodden American family in the fifties. Harry commits an atrocious act and it’s clearly just the start of things. Sometimes Straub feels like he owes royalties to Stephen King, both stylistically and in terms of his topics and approach. This one was a morbid, feel-bad-club tale that felt like a kickoff for further Harry stories—which it looks like there are. Readable, but it really goes to show just how good King is. Nobody does it quite like him.
April 21, 2025
Genuinely disturbing what the fuck. I didnt realize this is a prequel to the author’s other novels; i just read it as a short story. Not knowing anything about the main character made me wonder how bad it was going to get, and it got bad.
July 15, 2017
Short disturbing, but captivating, story. It really left me shook up after reading it. I recommend it if you want a quick read and like psychological thrillers.
September 18, 2017
Blue Rose is a novelette, a precursor to the Blue Rose trilogy that began with Koko, and Penguin published it in a small, thin book as part of their 60th anniversary. I found it at a used bookstore, and thought it wouldn't hurt to add it to my to-read stack. It was cheap, it was short, and it was Peter Straub. I never got around to reading Koko and the rest of the books in the series, but this is the man who wrote Ghost Story and Shadowland, for crying out loud. You don't pass up an opportunity like that.
The story is about Harry Beevers, the protagonist from Koko, but it tells a story of his childhood. It shows his sociopathic tendencies, but puts them into the perspective of his family. Straub doesn't ask us to sympathize with the boy, but he does suggest that we understand him a bit better. It turns out that this story was written before Koko, which is a bit of a surprise, if only because A Special Place was published after A Dark Matter, and the former was a shorter work that attempted to show us more into the main character of the latter.
Even when Straub wrote supernatural fiction, he wrote about human darkness. Here in his later works, he turns his full focus there, where his stories do more to disconcert than to reassure. These stories have become more an more interesting to me, as I shy away from traditional horror and focus more on psychological horror. I've said before that external evil is somewhat reassuring, since we can remove it, and parcel it away; it's the evil that comes from within that is less predictable, more horrifying.
Blue Rose isn't for everyone. It doesn't answer the reader's questions, and it doesn't end with an easy conclusion. It shows us what lies beneath, and makes us question who among us could be capable of such things that we see in this story. Fans of horror will probably appreciate it the most, but fans of literary fiction that examines the darker side of human nature will find a lot to pick apart.
The story is about Harry Beevers, the protagonist from Koko, but it tells a story of his childhood. It shows his sociopathic tendencies, but puts them into the perspective of his family. Straub doesn't ask us to sympathize with the boy, but he does suggest that we understand him a bit better. It turns out that this story was written before Koko, which is a bit of a surprise, if only because A Special Place was published after A Dark Matter, and the former was a shorter work that attempted to show us more into the main character of the latter.
Even when Straub wrote supernatural fiction, he wrote about human darkness. Here in his later works, he turns his full focus there, where his stories do more to disconcert than to reassure. These stories have become more an more interesting to me, as I shy away from traditional horror and focus more on psychological horror. I've said before that external evil is somewhat reassuring, since we can remove it, and parcel it away; it's the evil that comes from within that is less predictable, more horrifying.
Blue Rose isn't for everyone. It doesn't answer the reader's questions, and it doesn't end with an easy conclusion. It shows us what lies beneath, and makes us question who among us could be capable of such things that we see in this story. Fans of horror will probably appreciate it the most, but fans of literary fiction that examines the darker side of human nature will find a lot to pick apart.
June 19, 2025
Straub termina inelegantemente l'omonima trilogia. Tra salti temporali, allucinazioni, qualche salto di prospettiva, la storia si dipana faticosamente in un libro troppo lungo e lento, confusionario nei cambi d'epoca e punto di vista, non salvato da qualche brivido qua e là, fornendo una narrazione che sembra voglia allontanare il lettore invece di spingerlo a proseguire. Perdite di ritmo in passaggi troppo dilatati, scoperte ed intuizioni a volte un po' dal nulla o da improbabili coincidenze. I punti centrali del mistero non vengono messi i risalto, anzi, sembrano sotto tono. Salvo qualche eccezione i personaggi sono ambigui, grotteschi, quasi caricaturali, e nessuno rivela alcunché, contro ogni senso logico, usando il tipico trucco del silenzio insensato che serve solo a far andare avanti il racconto, con l'obiettivo di creare mistero ma portando solo ad incomprensioni.
L'epilogo, conquistato faticosamente, è lungo e, pur presentando i caratteristici difetti dell'intero libro, è forse la parte più soddisfacente in quanto la meglio bilanciata, pur presentando qualche trucchetto di basso livello.
"Rosa blu" è lontano dalla riflessione amara e sofferta sul post Vietnam di "Koko", è lontano dalla luminosità giovanile e dalla suspence di "Mystery", pur contenendone molti elementi. Non è un insieme omogeneo di tutti questi elementi, con il risultato finale superiore alla somma delle singole parti, bensì un'accozzaglia di tanti elementi che non si sposano bene a vicenda. Un peccato.
L'epilogo, conquistato faticosamente, è lungo e, pur presentando i caratteristici difetti dell'intero libro, è forse la parte più soddisfacente in quanto la meglio bilanciata, pur presentando qualche trucchetto di basso livello.
"Rosa blu" è lontano dalla riflessione amara e sofferta sul post Vietnam di "Koko", è lontano dalla luminosità giovanile e dalla suspence di "Mystery", pur contenendone molti elementi. Non è un insieme omogeneo di tutti questi elementi, con il risultato finale superiore alla somma delle singole parti, bensì un'accozzaglia di tanti elementi che non si sposano bene a vicenda. Un peccato.
November 8, 2023
Peter Straub tries his hand at a hypnosis story, and thoroughly overrepresents its powers of mind control, making it akin to the imperius cruse of Harry Potter. It's just a dark and pretty disturbing tale that plays on the "stop hitting yourself" idea to fatal effect. Interestingly, this story also gives a back-one for one of the major characters in Straub's solid if gargantuan Vietnam thriller, Koko. But if I'm being perfectly honest, while this did grab my attention for a short time, I actually feel this addition to Harry Beevers's character harms his overall effectiveness and believability. What it turns out he did in his childhood, and again at random points throughout his life, just makes him too cartoonishly evil for my liking.
August 24, 2024
Little evil book about a little evil guy, Harry Beevers, who grows up to be in some of Straub's other books. I guess you could call this his origin story. Very disturbing scenes of sibling violence, but Straub's descriptions of how Harry feels while he commits his atrocities are probably worth it.
I won't really be recommending this to anyone, because it is tough, but it definitely reminded me how much I enjoy reading Straub -- I especially loved Shadowland and will probably reread it now. To me he has always been the thinking person's Stepen King -- nothing against King, I enjoy some of his books, but Straub is just as good with plot and better with the language.
I won't really be recommending this to anyone, because it is tough, but it definitely reminded me how much I enjoy reading Straub -- I especially loved Shadowland and will probably reread it now. To me he has always been the thinking person's Stepen King -- nothing against King, I enjoy some of his books, but Straub is just as good with plot and better with the language.
January 31, 2025
This excerpt from a longer book demonstrates how abuse can continue through the generations. Unfortunately, what we don't know is if there will be someone who decides to continue the chain, but is so warped they can kill intentionally and horrifically and not care one bit. I am not a fan of the character who did this and I hope that I never encounter someone like that. I also feel bad for children that have parents that don't pay attention to what is going on in their own house. God will exact justice someday.
November 3, 2025
Extremely dark novella. Blue Rose reveals a family miserable with the effects of their psychological illness, and lovelessness. One character is revealed as being in the process of becoming, perhaps, a serial killer.
The prose is very good, but you won’t feel much in the way of redeemed by reading it. That said, if you’ve read Koko, Mystery, and The Throat, this little book is prequel for a character in Koko.
The prose is very good, but you won’t feel much in the way of redeemed by reading it. That said, if you’ve read Koko, Mystery, and The Throat, this little book is prequel for a character in Koko.
July 21, 2024
Straub's genius shines through once more in this chilling tale of evil and innocence. As always, we see the thematic analysis of broken individuals and dysfunctional families ~ a recurring theme in Straub's works.
This short reminded me of The Doll Master by Joyce Carol Oates, and is similar in treatment, style and content to the latter.
This short reminded me of The Doll Master by Joyce Carol Oates, and is similar in treatment, style and content to the latter.
January 30, 2021
Its hard to say that I liked this book. Considering the content, i feel guilty liking it. It is chilling to the bone and a scary profile of a sociopath in his beginning stages. Hit me harder than some of the true crime stories I’ve read.
July 22, 2025
Death by, "Why are you hitting yourself?" An absolutely chilling look into the potential consequences that can surface after an adolescent stumbles across too much power. Bleak, engaging, and a sharp ending- 4 stars.
October 5, 2018
One of the most messed up books I have ever read. Short, but amazing. Check it out
February 23, 2020
It was okay. Probably not the best place to start as my first introduction to Straub.
Read
January 27, 2021One of the Penguin 95s I’ve had a long time. Now off to the LFL!
April 14, 2021
A haunting little take with incredible character development in few words.
October 17, 2021
3.50 stars
September 7, 2022
This one got under my skin. Dark dark dark.
You were a real one, Peter.
You were a real one, Peter.
December 24, 2022
A prequel to the Blue Rose trilogy. It was okay, not especially necessary, and had a large number of typos.
June 3, 2023
OMG what a creepy little book.
June 5, 2023
icky on so many levels
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews