I really enjoyed this book. From a story I thought I knew so well I was dragged into the misty foggy darkness of gothic London and found myself unable to get out.

This is so well written that even though its not quite the horror story I expected, (it turns into more of a thriller and even "whodunnit" novel), I loved every minute of it and got completely sucked in.

Obviously everyone knows the story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Dr Jekyll is dissatisfied with his life and wishes he could be more adventurous without having to worry about his reputation, and so through experiments comes up with a potion which splits a person in 2, a good side who is quite content with their uneventful life and upholding said reputation and a bad side who has no conscience to worry about. This way both can be quite content in themselves, never having to worry about the other....or so it seems.

In fact Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are one and the same person, both completely seperate personalities, both inhabiting the same, if very different looking bodies. Jekyll cannot escape the deeds of Hyde no matter how much he tries.

Name: Robert Louis Stevenson
Born: 13th November 1850
Died: 3rd December 1894
Nationality: Scottish
Most Famous Works: Treasure Island, Kidnapped, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
First Novel Published: Treasure Island

I finally got around to reading this one, and it's fairly short and light so you should too. Now I thought I knew all about this story considering how many times it's been referenced (Pinky and the Brain and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen come to mind), but I came to realize that it was far different from expectations for three reasons:

1) The protagonist is a lawyer, a friend of Jekyll's, who never actually (and thus we never either) sees a transformation
2) The fact that Jekyll and Hyde are one and the same is unknown and the book is played off as a mystery until the reveal about 3/4 in.
3) Hyde, while violent and evil as we expect, is not some hulking monster at all; in fact the book makes very clear that he is smaller than Jekyll.

Either way it was pretty good.

Great collection of short stories, some horrifying, some chilling but all will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up just a little bit.

Name: Stephen King
Born: 21st September 1947
Died: n/a
Nationality: American
Most Famous Works: The Shining, The Stand, It, Carrie
First Novel Published: Carrie

One of his better books. The plot was paced until the chaotic climax near the end. The characters were very fleshed out, I really felt as thought I knew them in real life. I highly recommend this book, although I suggest you don't read the ending without anyone else in the house at night!

Duma Key, an Island of Floriday is the setting for this book about a very successfull business man named Edgar Freemantle who's life is drastically changed after he has a near fatal accident on a building site. Finally after recuperating from severe head injuries and the loss of his right arm, his wife announces that she wants a divorce. This leads Edgar to make the decision to leave the life he knows and start another on Duma key, in a rented house he christens Big Pink.

However life on Duma Key is not what he expects it to be, he uncovers a talent he never knew he had in the form of painting, and proceeds to produce many startling, terrifying but wonderful works, with strangely supernatural powers.

I quite enjoyed it, especially the latter quarter of the book, however one thing that quite annoyed me was the amount of repetition in the novel. This is quite unusual for Stephen King as he is normally never short of words, however I found myself reading sentences like "if only I knew it was the last time I would talk to her/see her/she would smoke a cigarette". I see what he was trying to do, but surely there are other ways of saying these things!!

Apart from that the only other thing to complain about it the unexplained ending, we never really got the full story, so for anyone who hates being left hanging, best to avoid this.

Name: Stephen King
Born: 21st September 1947
Died: n/a
Nationality: American
Most Famous Works: The Shining, The Stand, It, Carrie
First Novel Published: Carrie

11/2008 Audiobook

Excellant audiobook!!!!

This was an interesting book

This is the second book in the Mercy Thompson series.

I really like Mercy, she's smart, and she's pretty aware of her limitations. She doesn't know much about her capabilities, which makes me a little afraid of constant increasing power surges. The game's no fun if every time Mercy has a problem, she just so happens to have a talent which will solve it.

I do really like the vampires that are being set up here. She makes them suitably creepy and intriguing, and explains why Mercy isn't stupid to be friends with Stefan, but also that Stefan is a big exception to the vampire rules.

I also love that the werewolves are having to deal with homosexuality. Every book really is made better by Teh Gay.

Finished 11/24/07.

I loved this book and I will probably read it again, as soon as I find it.

Once again anything about Supernatural and the 2J's is wonderful by me. Great book containing all episodes of Season 2 - love this programme and the guys.

Back Cover Blurb:
Supernatural, the hit show from The CW, continued to attract a dedicated and growing fan following as well as critical praise for its compelling mix of horror, thrills and family drama as it upped the ante in the second adrenaline-pumping season.
Sam and Dean Winchester continue their dark odyssey across America in their 1967 Chevy Impala. Having tracked down their father, a confrontation with the Yellow-Eyed Demon went horribly wrong, and the brothers are now on a mission to find the demon responsible for the deaths of both their parents and reveal the secret behind Sam's mysterious powers. Along the way they encounter creatures most people believe exist only in folklore and nightmares, including werewolves, ghost, djinn, hellhounds and even murderous clowns!