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Spectre
Libro usado en buenas condiciones, por su antiguedad podria contener señales normales de uso
272 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1987
14 people are currently reading
447 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Laws
58 books137 followersStephen Laws is a full-time novelist, born in Newcastle upon Tyne. Married, with three children, he lives and works in his birthplace. The author of 11 novels, numerous short stories, (collected in THE MIDNIGHT MAN) columnist, reviewer, film-festival interviewer, pianist and recipient of a number of awards, Stephen Laws recently wrote and starred in the short horror movie THE SECRET.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
December 20, 2017
The JK Potter cover art may not exactly scream "balls to the wall pulp horror," but trust me, it is. In fact, it's one of my favorite horror reads of the past few years, and I can't believe I haven't written a review for it yet, as I still remember it vividly even though it's been almost three years since I'd read it.
The cover (which I actually dig, btw) represents a photograph of a group of English friends during a Christmas party from years ago. They've since drifted apart, but Richard still cherishes the photo. Only, one of the group is missing suddenly from the picture. And another one is slowly fading away. Richard thinks he's going crazy, until he reads about his former friend's impossibly gruesome murder in the newspaper. And Richard thinks the entire gang may be the target of some sort of supernatural evil, so he -- along with his hot new girlfriend -- sets out trying to find the others so he can warn them. But what could this "evil" force be? And why is it picking on them? There must be something buried in the group's past. Something Richard has blocked from his memory.
Stephen Laws sets a fast pace here, and it rarely lets up. I used to laugh at the thought of "jump scares" in books. Impossible, I thought. Reading a book isn't like watching a movie. You can't possibly be startled in that way while reading. But I was wrong, as there were a couple instances where a line would come out of nowhere to freak me the hell out just as I was getting relaxed. The evil entity takes on all manner of forms, but I won't go into them for fear of spoiling it for others. But the 1989 French paperback cover provides a hint:
Yeah. I know. Awesome.
Stephen Laws knows what he's doing here. His economical prose always keeps the story moving along, only letting the reader catch their breath in quick little bursts. He provides just enough characterization so that you'll care about the characters' fates, and provides enough scares for a book double it's 275-page length.
A must for horror fans. I've since read a number of other works from Mr. Laws and, while I enjoyed them all to varying degrees, none has come close to matching the pure fun and terror of Spectre.
5 Stars.
And thanks to Will Errickson for the rec.
December 20, 2022
Spectre is flat out gonzo, OTT and I loved it. This could have been a pile of cheese, but Laws somehow enabled the reader to roll with it. Spectre starts with a bang and just never lets up! Our main protagonist, Richard, is a mild mannered lecturer at a college in England. He grew up buddies with six pals who eventually called themselves the Byker Chapter after the neighborhood they grew up in. They all went to college together and there they met Pandora, who was basically adopted into the group. After college, however, they all went their separate ways. Now, ten years have passed, Richard is recently separated from his wife, depressed and boozing. In a more than mild alcoholic daze, he digs out an old picture of the Byker Chapter; taken on Christmas day, it was one of the last highlights of the group before they moved on. Strangely, however, one of the Chapter members is missing. Shortly thereafter, Richard discovers that he died a horrible death...
I will not go more into plot-- this needs to unfold without spoilers to be sure. Laws really moves the story along with excellent pacing that left me breathless at times. Oh, and the foo? Laws does not mess around here either! Crazy snake foo, ventriloquist dummy foo, even disco foo! As the mystery gradually unfolds, the foo just builds and builds apace. The setting was great and added just the extra something special; Laws set the story in his old home town of Newcastle on Tyne, featuring an old theater (the Imperial) where the Chapter used to watch horror flicks as kids (as I am sure Laws did as well). I can say it took awhile to figure out where this was going, but Laws dropped enough clues to figure it out long before the denouement.
Another thing I really liked about this one concerned the lack of fluff. Some publishers of this era seemed to insist that a horror novel had to be about 400 pages (can you say Leisure?) but Laws tells this tale in under 300 pages; not many wasted words for sure given the complexity of the plot and the detailed foo along the way. If you are into vintage horror, this is pretty much a must. I need to thank Jack Tripper for bringing this to my attention (I found it via his shelved books). 4.5 shooting stars!!
I will not go more into plot-- this needs to unfold without spoilers to be sure. Laws really moves the story along with excellent pacing that left me breathless at times. Oh, and the foo? Laws does not mess around here either! Crazy snake foo, ventriloquist dummy foo, even disco foo! As the mystery gradually unfolds, the foo just builds and builds apace. The setting was great and added just the extra something special; Laws set the story in his old home town of Newcastle on Tyne, featuring an old theater (the Imperial) where the Chapter used to watch horror flicks as kids (as I am sure Laws did as well). I can say it took awhile to figure out where this was going, but Laws dropped enough clues to figure it out long before the denouement.
Another thing I really liked about this one concerned the lack of fluff. Some publishers of this era seemed to insist that a horror novel had to be about 400 pages (can you say Leisure?) but Laws tells this tale in under 300 pages; not many wasted words for sure given the complexity of the plot and the detailed foo along the way. If you are into vintage horror, this is pretty much a must. I need to thank Jack Tripper for bringing this to my attention (I found it via his shelved books). 4.5 shooting stars!!
August 19, 2018
Incredibly eerie book with a great show-down at the end. On every page you enjoy a creepy atmosphere and you wonder what is behind this form of terror. A great story, not the usual way, absolutely gripping and captivating. Highly recommended!
September 8, 2023
2.5 stars. Somebody else has already aptly pointed out that this thing is basically Stephen King’s It, but written by Lovecraft. They forgot to mention, however, that it’s also really heavy on Goosebumps’ Night of the Living Dummy, with a dash of Night at the Museum thrown in there too. Definitely could’ve done without all that shit, thank you.
November 30, 2022
Richard, Phil, Derek, Stan, Joe, Barry and Pandora: they called themselves The Byker Chapter - seven best friends having all grown up together in the town of Byker. They were always very close friends, and everything was great, up until their last week of college, ten years ago. A week which set in motion everything happening today.
Gripped by nostalgia one night, Richard decides he wants to see a photograph of he and his old best friends on Christmas eve. But something seems off about it... and eventually he realizes Phil is missing from the picture. Soon after, he sees a news article about Phil's brutal murder. Richard looks at the picture again the next night, and this time Derek is missing too. Richard has no idea what is happening, but he can feel it closing in on him as well.
One night, Richard hits it off with a coworker, Diane, at the local club. Despite Richard's brooding, sombre mood, they go back to his house for coffee. She tells him she senses something bad hanging over him and suggests maybe she can help. The temptation to unload this mysterious burden is too great, and against his better judgement, he breaks down and tells Diane everything he knows.
He tells her that his friends are being brutally murdered. That they were all depressed, anxious, paranoid and agoraphobic in the preceding weeks, and as they die - by supernatural causes nonetheless, they are all disappearing from his photograph. The only thing he can think to do is track down the remaining members - and quickly, because he knows time is running out.
But there is one member he and the rest can't find... Pandora. And they soon learn she said the same thing to each one of them, swearing them to secrecy in that last week of college. They don't know how or why, but they do know she has everything to do with what's going on.
--------------------
I've really been lucking out with these books lately; another absolutely amazing read. Unique, fun, engaging - I loved it. If you're into ventriloquist dummies and museum exhibits coming to life, ectoplasmic snakes, and something sinister picking people off one-by-one, this is the book for you.
Gripped by nostalgia one night, Richard decides he wants to see a photograph of he and his old best friends on Christmas eve. But something seems off about it... and eventually he realizes Phil is missing from the picture. Soon after, he sees a news article about Phil's brutal murder. Richard looks at the picture again the next night, and this time Derek is missing too. Richard has no idea what is happening, but he can feel it closing in on him as well.
One night, Richard hits it off with a coworker, Diane, at the local club. Despite Richard's brooding, sombre mood, they go back to his house for coffee. She tells him she senses something bad hanging over him and suggests maybe she can help. The temptation to unload this mysterious burden is too great, and against his better judgement, he breaks down and tells Diane everything he knows.
He tells her that his friends are being brutally murdered. That they were all depressed, anxious, paranoid and agoraphobic in the preceding weeks, and as they die - by supernatural causes nonetheless, they are all disappearing from his photograph. The only thing he can think to do is track down the remaining members - and quickly, because he knows time is running out.
But there is one member he and the rest can't find... Pandora. And they soon learn she said the same thing to each one of them, swearing them to secrecy in that last week of college. They don't know how or why, but they do know she has everything to do with what's going on.
--------------------
I've really been lucking out with these books lately; another absolutely amazing read. Unique, fun, engaging - I loved it. If you're into ventriloquist dummies and museum exhibits coming to life, ectoplasmic snakes, and something sinister picking people off one-by-one, this is the book for you.
April 11, 2016
Wasn't expecting a whole lot when I picked up this Tor paperback with its oh-so-'80s cover photo. I'd never read Stephen Laws before but knew about some of his other well-received horror novels. I ended up being vastly entertained! In every way, SPECTRE is a success, and I was delighted that a book I bought on a whim, solely because of its cover art, turned out to be such a pleasure to read. Not quite a coming-of-age story, SPECTRE introduces the reader to a group of inseparable friends from Byker, a blue-collar town in Newcastle in the northeast of England. Laws doesn’t reinvent the wheel here, and many scenes and characters are comfortably familiar. But his prose presents fresh insights, his depiction of English life and streets and architecture authentic and gritty.
Best of all, he never hesitates to ramp up the horror with a vivid eye for the grotesque, and a ready pen to describe it: from a sludge monster rising from a developing tray in a photo lab, to a clay sculpture coming to life and embracing its creator; from a stuffed grizzly bear in a museum exhibit mauling a man in his own office, to electric-blue tentacles shooting from a TV screen; from an old woman with no face and a bloody gash for a mouth who explains all to the intrepid survivors, to a blood-drenched finale on the dance floor reflected in the glittering glass of a revolving disco ball—Laws lays on the ’80s horror good and thick.
In that '80s era of bloated bestsellers, paperbacks with over-large type, and novellas padded out to novel length to give merely the impression of value for money, a sleek torpedo (under 300 pages) of a horror novel like SPECTRE is a welcome addition to the genre (I'd give it 4.5 stars).
Full review:
http://toomuchhorrorfiction.blogspot....
Best of all, he never hesitates to ramp up the horror with a vivid eye for the grotesque, and a ready pen to describe it: from a sludge monster rising from a developing tray in a photo lab, to a clay sculpture coming to life and embracing its creator; from a stuffed grizzly bear in a museum exhibit mauling a man in his own office, to electric-blue tentacles shooting from a TV screen; from an old woman with no face and a bloody gash for a mouth who explains all to the intrepid survivors, to a blood-drenched finale on the dance floor reflected in the glittering glass of a revolving disco ball—Laws lays on the ’80s horror good and thick.
In that '80s era of bloated bestsellers, paperbacks with over-large type, and novellas padded out to novel length to give merely the impression of value for money, a sleek torpedo (under 300 pages) of a horror novel like SPECTRE is a welcome addition to the genre (I'd give it 4.5 stars).
Full review:
http://toomuchhorrorfiction.blogspot....
March 9, 2018
This book was dumb as dog feces, but I had a helluva time with it. It’s gory and over-the-top in that glitzy, shameless way only good/bad horror fiction from the 1980s can be.
The story of seven friends (six guys, one girl) haunted by an unfortunate happening in their younger years, this is a horror thriller that should not feel original but does. Sure, it doesn’t reinvent the wheel; but it isn’t a thoughtless hack job, either. If it hadn’t come out the same year as Stephen King’s It I would assume this was a cash-in on that novel’s gargantuan success, but it did come out in 1986 and it makes for an interesting snapshot of where horror literature was in the mid-80s.
Though not particularly scary (and just so goofy), I do feel this novel is a success and I am now interested in reading other releases by Stephen Laws. It is a shame he isn’t more known amongst modern horror fans.
The story of seven friends (six guys, one girl) haunted by an unfortunate happening in their younger years, this is a horror thriller that should not feel original but does. Sure, it doesn’t reinvent the wheel; but it isn’t a thoughtless hack job, either. If it hadn’t come out the same year as Stephen King’s It I would assume this was a cash-in on that novel’s gargantuan success, but it did come out in 1986 and it makes for an interesting snapshot of where horror literature was in the mid-80s.
Though not particularly scary (and just so goofy), I do feel this novel is a success and I am now interested in reading other releases by Stephen Laws. It is a shame he isn’t more known amongst modern horror fans.
September 8, 2009
Though it starts off with a bang, Spectre almost stalls out for a while, spending just a touch too much time on mundane aspects of the main protagonist's life.
However, once the author gets beyond that point, the book hurtles ahead at breakneck speed, throwing one intense, frightening image after another at the reader. By the end, I felt like I was almost out of breath.
I would recommend this to all horror fans.
However, once the author gets beyond that point, the book hurtles ahead at breakneck speed, throwing one intense, frightening image after another at the reader. By the end, I felt like I was almost out of breath.
I would recommend this to all horror fans.
December 9, 2018
This is about a group of six boys who grew up in the same part of Newcastle together, then when they went to college they meet a girl who joins their group. Towards the end of their time at college they had a party and they took a group photo to commemorate their friendship. But after college they all went their separate ways and have not been in touch since. The story picks up ten years later and we're following Richard who is now a teacher in his early thirties. One night he is reminiscing about the good old days and he digs out the old photo but realises that one of the group has disappeared from it! Soon after, he hears about the death of that friend. Something is tracking them down one by one so he teams up with his old friends to try to thwart it.
This was a really fun and entertaining read! The writing is excellent and the storyline drew me in quickly, as did the characters and learning more about their backstory. There are some really creepy moments, one in particular featuring a ventriloquist's dummy (!) There was also a brilliant 'jump scare' which is hard to accomplish in written form. The story goes in a direction I was not expecting and I really enjoyed it. It's not a very long book (less than 300 pages) but there are so many great ideas and interesting imagery packed in.
This was a really fun and entertaining read! The writing is excellent and the storyline drew me in quickly, as did the characters and learning more about their backstory. There are some really creepy moments, one in particular featuring a ventriloquist's dummy (!) There was also a brilliant 'jump scare' which is hard to accomplish in written form. The story goes in a direction I was not expecting and I really enjoyed it. It's not a very long book (less than 300 pages) but there are so many great ideas and interesting imagery packed in.
January 5, 2019
I never know what to expect from Stephen Laws books and can never guess where they are going. I really liked this book apart from the fact I hate puppets and things like that and this included a ventriloquist doll and a shop mannequin coming to life (I work in a clothes shop and this is unnerving to me)and probably wouldn't have picked this book to read if I knew that. This is the second book I've read by Stephen Laws and I intend to read the rest as I think they have a sense of classic horror with a smart twist within them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2023
3.5/5, rounded up.
June 5, 2011
Laws's second book surprisingly topped the first. An intelligent yet pulpy read...Stephen King's It as it would have been told by Lovecraft. Absolutely recommended book by an absolutely recomended author. His books need republishing so fresh blood can enjoy this master's work
November 29, 2012
Effective supernatural thriller. Once you get past the first few pages, it heats up and drags you in. Almost falls into a trite trap, but gets out of it and continues down its thrilling road. Recommended.
June 12, 2021
Senseless story, dumb development, bonkers narrative but promising start. In other hands and possibly in another decade, the book would have exuded dark thoughts and gut wrenching imagination - think of Greg Gifune. As it stands, it faithfully follows the 80s mass market cheap horror trend.
November 18, 2010
Evocative and entertaining, the story of childhood friends reunited by a shared secret to do battle with dark forces. Characters you can root for, tension, horror and a real page-turner.
August 17, 2020
If you really feel you have to read this book, I guess you'd be a lot better off hunting for the original 80s paperback, NOT THE KINDLE VERSION.
Why? Because unfortunately, when preparing "Spectre" for the 2004 "new & improved" Telos version, Mr Laws for some reason decided to excise all period references from the book*, which basically killed it for me. Yes, those references to 1980s pop culture (probably) read wildly dated now, but to me and all those other horror-loving children of the Eighties that would have been part of its charm and quite honestly pretty much its only redeeming feature. To me, Telos Publishing's Spectre 2.0 is a silly, generic, borderline boring piece of, yes, totally dated genre trash (they don't write them like that anymore; and for a reason) that, ironically, could have done with some pretty ruthless editing -- characters are forever over-thinking, over-explaining or over-ruminating, so what should have been one paragraph (or even sentence) bloats into three or four.
The novel itself was actually a one star read for me; what bumped it up to two was the second Author's Postscript, which was much better written (and a lot more interesting) than the novel it's attached to.
*Somehow, Laura "Self Control" Brannigan was allowed to remain. Lucky her.
Why? Because unfortunately, when preparing "Spectre" for the 2004 "new & improved" Telos version, Mr Laws for some reason decided to excise all period references from the book*, which basically killed it for me. Yes, those references to 1980s pop culture (probably) read wildly dated now, but to me and all those other horror-loving children of the Eighties that would have been part of its charm and quite honestly pretty much its only redeeming feature. To me, Telos Publishing's Spectre 2.0 is a silly, generic, borderline boring piece of, yes, totally dated genre trash (they don't write them like that anymore; and for a reason) that, ironically, could have done with some pretty ruthless editing -- characters are forever over-thinking, over-explaining or over-ruminating, so what should have been one paragraph (or even sentence) bloats into three or four.
The novel itself was actually a one star read for me; what bumped it up to two was the second Author's Postscript, which was much better written (and a lot more interesting) than the novel it's attached to.
*Somehow, Laura "Self Control" Brannigan was allowed to remain. Lucky her.
October 27, 2018
I'm between a 3 and a 4 on this one, but even though this book succeeds as a source of wild and often totally-bonkers entertainment, I'm still rounding down.
After reading Grady Hendrix's Paperbacks from Hell, a celebration of pulp horror novels from the 70s and 80s, the single book I wanted to read more than any other was this one. And it's a gloriously fast-paced novel with several high-powered moments of terror. It's surprising this book came out in 1986, the same year as Stephen King's It, since both novels deal with a group of friends brought together as adults to face a dark force out to eliminate them. While there are some fantastic moments and I enjoyed (nearly) every page of Laws' novel, it's just too off-the-wall, too batshit crazy to come near the masterpiece that is It.
Do I still recommend Spectre? Absolutely! I'm glad I read it, and I'm thinking about writing more about this novel and reading more pulp horror to understand the genre before I make a final verdict. So by all means dive into this novel for a guilty pleasure of sheer escape and a spooky good time.
After reading Grady Hendrix's Paperbacks from Hell, a celebration of pulp horror novels from the 70s and 80s, the single book I wanted to read more than any other was this one. And it's a gloriously fast-paced novel with several high-powered moments of terror. It's surprising this book came out in 1986, the same year as Stephen King's It, since both novels deal with a group of friends brought together as adults to face a dark force out to eliminate them. While there are some fantastic moments and I enjoyed (nearly) every page of Laws' novel, it's just too off-the-wall, too batshit crazy to come near the masterpiece that is It.
Do I still recommend Spectre? Absolutely! I'm glad I read it, and I'm thinking about writing more about this novel and reading more pulp horror to understand the genre before I make a final verdict. So by all means dive into this novel for a guilty pleasure of sheer escape and a spooky good time.
June 17, 2025
This isn’t nearly as crazy as the reviews on here suggest, but it’s still fun. It never quite goes full-tilt insane, maybe because it’s chaste for a horror novel. Sex is a plot device, but it’s not wacko sex! The horror stuff is pretty unique, though. It’s an interesting take on the mythology of the Gorgon, although I wonder why they didn’t just call it a different monster if they weren’t going to follow the myth to the letter. Still, this is a fun read and has some good cinematic imagery to it, I’m surprised this never got made into a movie. Pretty good as far as British horror novels go!
July 31, 2025
A poor-mans Stephen King's "It" with a touch of "Night of the Living Dummy".
The first 2 thirds of the book fell a bit flat with not much suspense or real horror. It also took the author a while to settle on what the evil entity actually was; a possessed ventriloquist doll, something that hunts them via TVs and radios, or an attractive man with big black eyes that lures people down to the river?
The first 2 thirds of the book fell a bit flat with not much suspense or real horror. It also took the author a while to settle on what the evil entity actually was; a possessed ventriloquist doll, something that hunts them via TVs and radios, or an attractive man with big black eyes that lures people down to the river?
November 15, 2019
Almeno nella traduzione italiana alcune spiegazioni mi sono sembrate frettolose, la trama è godibile anche se non è certo un capolavoro. Raggiunge la sufficienza, da leggere se si è appassionati del genere sennò desistere.
December 28, 2019
Another great read.
Stephen Laws is easly one of Englands most underrated horror wrighters (along with early Mark Morris and Steven Harris) , Choc full of possessed dummys, zombies and black magic, now onto frighteners in my laws-o-thon, finding great writers like this is a blessing indeed.
Stephen Laws is easly one of Englands most underrated horror wrighters (along with early Mark Morris and Steven Harris) , Choc full of possessed dummys, zombies and black magic, now onto frighteners in my laws-o-thon, finding great writers like this is a blessing indeed.
January 28, 2025
It's definitely a 4.5-star book . It's a brilliant, proper horror story. Well written and great atmosphere. I loved the fact that I found it on libby. I definitely recommend reading this book. So many thanks to the author and publishers for bringing us this wonderful story.
December 17, 2025
Cool concept and original idea.
Very action packed and many thrills, just wish i cared more for the characters.
And i got tired of reading the word "The Byker Chapter" so damn often. Im sure you could turn into into a drinking game, but not a responsible one.
Very action packed and many thrills, just wish i cared more for the characters.
And i got tired of reading the word "The Byker Chapter" so damn often. Im sure you could turn into into a drinking game, but not a responsible one.
August 1, 2020
A fantastic, spooky blend of old school, cosmic and mythological horror with enough shrieks, screams and ghostly gore to satisfy the most jaded of horror readers. 4.5 out of 5.
September 10, 2020
Such a great ride.... Master of horror....
April 9, 2022
Another excellent book from Laws, one of my favourite British authors.
December 22, 2022
Very much outside my usual genres, captures excellently the atmosphere of Ouseburn and some truly horror inducing scenes.
August 1, 2025
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this would make a fucking gonzo film!!!
December 9, 2025
It's a really good read. ☺️
October 21, 2024
I rediscovered this book, after twenty-odd years, and it was like finding an old friend. And, just as with old friends, it was as if it was only yesterday when we were last together. I was born and brought up in the North East of England, not too many miles away from where this book is set, and it was also a little bit like going home again (I have long since moved away, and now live in Scotland) which was an added and unexpected bonus.
I loved the book the first time I read it, and I loved it even more, if that's possible, rediscovering it, again! Laws has a way of getting right into your head, his 'horror' descriptive passages are awesomely terrifying, and without giving too much away, all I will say is that ventriloquist's dummy gave me nightmares (again!). As a chronic insomniac, a lot of my reading takes place in the still, dark hours of that strange hinterland, when you often feel the whole world is asleep, and you are the only person awake. Being such a massive horror fan, you'd think I would have more sense than to read some of the stuff I do, in these wee small hours, but I'm afraid (Freudian slip there, perhaps?!) I am just never going to get enough of these wonderful chills.
'Spectre' is a truly special story, most certainly not your average run of the mill horror genre pulp, and it really has some extremely beautiful, often almost poetic narrative writing, in parts. Laws writes beautifully, his settings and descriptive scene-building are a joy to read. Intelligent, thought-provoking, and a really, really scary theme, that just builds and builds. The story is so solid in itself, that it carries you along from start to finish, with some wonderful and truly terrifying passages that linger in your mind, long after you have closed the book. It has such potent ingredients, the horror is truly horrifying, and the characters are so complete, you really feel you know The Byker Chapter personally.
I loved finding this again, and have immediately had to get myself another Stephen Laws fix... I'm now reading The 25th Anniversary edition of 'The Frighteners'. Oh my, was it really that long ago that I first read these wonderful stories?! It must be! Oh well, it's been worth the wait!
Stephen Laws is a master in the British horror genre, in my opinion, right up there with the late James Herbert, and other such greats, and, anyway, why limit his field to British Horror? He gives Stephen King (my favourite author, I won't go creepy and say I'm his 'Number One Fan' for obvious reasons that all King readers will know!) a really good run, for his wonderful, intelligent and compelling story telling.
I will no doubt now be on a Stephen Laws revisited marathon catch-up, but there are worse ways to spend those oh too quiet hours when the only sound (you hope) to hear, is the clock ticking off the minutes until dawn creeps reluctantly in to chase away the shadows.
Thankfully, though, for horror fans, the shadows are never far away, when Stephen Laws writes. And I am so very grateful...even though it can be a really dark 3am when you are reading his wonderful tales of fear and exquisitely twisted menace.
I loved the book the first time I read it, and I loved it even more, if that's possible, rediscovering it, again! Laws has a way of getting right into your head, his 'horror' descriptive passages are awesomely terrifying, and without giving too much away, all I will say is that ventriloquist's dummy gave me nightmares (again!). As a chronic insomniac, a lot of my reading takes place in the still, dark hours of that strange hinterland, when you often feel the whole world is asleep, and you are the only person awake. Being such a massive horror fan, you'd think I would have more sense than to read some of the stuff I do, in these wee small hours, but I'm afraid (Freudian slip there, perhaps?!) I am just never going to get enough of these wonderful chills.
'Spectre' is a truly special story, most certainly not your average run of the mill horror genre pulp, and it really has some extremely beautiful, often almost poetic narrative writing, in parts. Laws writes beautifully, his settings and descriptive scene-building are a joy to read. Intelligent, thought-provoking, and a really, really scary theme, that just builds and builds. The story is so solid in itself, that it carries you along from start to finish, with some wonderful and truly terrifying passages that linger in your mind, long after you have closed the book. It has such potent ingredients, the horror is truly horrifying, and the characters are so complete, you really feel you know The Byker Chapter personally.
I loved finding this again, and have immediately had to get myself another Stephen Laws fix... I'm now reading The 25th Anniversary edition of 'The Frighteners'. Oh my, was it really that long ago that I first read these wonderful stories?! It must be! Oh well, it's been worth the wait!
Stephen Laws is a master in the British horror genre, in my opinion, right up there with the late James Herbert, and other such greats, and, anyway, why limit his field to British Horror? He gives Stephen King (my favourite author, I won't go creepy and say I'm his 'Number One Fan' for obvious reasons that all King readers will know!) a really good run, for his wonderful, intelligent and compelling story telling.
I will no doubt now be on a Stephen Laws revisited marathon catch-up, but there are worse ways to spend those oh too quiet hours when the only sound (you hope) to hear, is the clock ticking off the minutes until dawn creeps reluctantly in to chase away the shadows.
Thankfully, though, for horror fans, the shadows are never far away, when Stephen Laws writes. And I am so very grateful...even though it can be a really dark 3am when you are reading his wonderful tales of fear and exquisitely twisted menace.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews