Having read most of Dan Simmons work (his SF being the best), I felt he was going the way of Stephen King and getting lazy in his writing, his last few books being less than stellar. So, I picked up Fires of Eden with a little trepidition. I was more than thrilled to find the book extremely engaging and actually educational! The characters are well developed and interesting, the story well structured and thought out (and engaging), and the atmosphere moody and interesting. Its a lot like Jurassic Park in that its about a large resort overcome with Hellish monsters, except that here they weren't meant to be the main attraction. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone interested in the horror genre who wants something more than simplistic monsters and a plot that will keep you reading well into the night.

With this book Simmons introduces some fantastic themes. He does this with such ease and familiarity with an alien culture, aided by Mark Twain, none the less, that despite the far fetched nature of the plot it is possible to believe in it. You are left with the impression that the book was a labour of love and according to Simmons own admission on writing, probably wrote itself through him. It is a book that will get overlooked, because it represents a highly esoteric viewpoint, and that is why I have accorded it only four stars. If, like me, you consider yourself within that viewpoint, if perhaps not on the exact same ground, then stars are an irrelevance as you already know.

Taken on a Mediocre level, some of the characters grate, but they are meant to. The parody is perhaps ironic in it's exaggeration, but maybe not to all. It works, but not if you haven't already got the joke before you read it.

Try it. It is different, if reminiscent of Koontz at his scariest or Herbert at his usual genuinely scary levels. That is not the point, this is not a horror novel, but the horror serves to highlight the real issues.

If Simmons wasn't such a darn good writer this probably could have been an absurdly silly book, all the warning signs are there. Giant talking god animals, people dropping like flies, nature rebelling against man's injustice to it, stuff like that. And yet Simmons pulls it all together and manages to make something good of it. The setting here is appropriately Hawaii at a hotel that billionaire Bryan Tumbo is trying to desperately sell to the Japanese, unfortunately for him, his few guests keep dying off, killed by some utterly sadistic and vaguely supernatural forces. Into this mess come our heroes and as things escalate (as you know they will) the puny humans trying to stay alive around the erupting volcanoes becomes a backdrop for the conflict of god versus god. And really it all works. Simmons has a knack for making even the patently silly (giant talking pigs with eight eyes) sincerely frightening and while the book probably isn't horror so much as old time adventure (it's pretty scary toward the beginning but once you know what's going on the fright factor goes away) with a bit of a feminist slant you're having too much of a grand old time to really care. Even better he intersperses the narrative with another narrative taken from someone's diary about similar events in 1866, featuring none other than Samuel Clemens (psst . . . Mark Twain) who Simmons writes so well that if he didn't talk like that, he should have. The diary also gives Simmons the opportunity to create twice the suspense by flashing back and forth between the two (though less so in the diary, she's obviously writing it after it's all over so you know she has to live to write it). Of course the story feels more suited for the old fashioned nineteenth century setting but Simmons' gift for description (especially of the contrast between the lush Hawaiian surroundings and the primal violence of the volcano) and his ability to immerse you in that setting. Events get so over the top after a while that you have no choice but to be swept away with it and his plotting is as deft as ever. And while I thought the climax lacked a bit in suspense it's still entertaining as all heck. Yeah it won't win him any awards but that's not the point here, he's just out to spin a good yarn and that's what we got...Track it down if you can to see an excellent author cutting loose and having some (admittedly well researched) fun with a story.

Dan Simmons is no doubt a great writer... 'Hyperion', 'Carrion Comfort', and 'Song of Kali' are all great books, but this collection of novellas is a total disappointment. I think the problem lies in the fact that Simmons is moralizing here on subjects that he cares about (like the horrors of AIDS) and it's getting in the way of his usual magical style of storytelling. With the story subservient to the moral, we the readers are left to consider Simmons' ethical point of view, which in the case of "Dying in Bangkok", is downright offensive. It's not hard to understand why this book is out of print. Stick with 'Prayers To Broken Stones' if you want to experience Simmons' shorter works of fiction.

For those wanting to get into the fiction of Dan Simmons without running into the science fiction of Hyperion and the like, this is just about perfect for them. It hits all his other styles in one fell swoop, and at the same time gives them to you in small digestible doses, so if you don't like one, well there's four others to choose from. This is basically five novellas with the common theme of either love or death. Now, neither are very original themes for fiction (or anything) but the way Simmons tackles them makes them infinitely memorable. Most of this stuff is probably considered horror, though only story is truly creepy, that being the sublimely frightening "Dying in Bangkok" one of the few stories that gave me a sick feeling while reading it (though the fact I was barrelling down the highway in a car didn't help, I'm sure) and if you like horror, that one alone makes the book worthwhile. However there are others. You've got a fairly authentic Native American story, told by a slightly sardonic narrator that never ceases to fascinate. The lone science fiction story is fairly touching as it shows a world where everyone keeps reliving the past for lack of anything else to do (and some people live in the past's of others . . . go read the book to find out what I mean). This one actually benefits the most from the short format, since he gives enough detail about this world, but not so much that you're bored and it overwhelms the story. You want to know more, but you know enough to be entertained. There's a small story of a father and daughter that shows off his skill with words and makes some nice points about life and love and death and where they all fit together. The centerpiece of the novel is probably the WWI story, written as a diary of a man fighting in the trenches, interspersed with poetry from the front. Simmons obviously spent the most time on this one, it's the longest and best researched and the work shows. This one shines in its poignancy and humanity, there are touches of humor and horror and everything that makes a great story. So, chances are you're going to like at least two of these stories and you'll like them enough so that it'll make the book worthwhile. Simmons deserves to be explored in other areas other than science fiction and this is by far the best place to experience that. Without a doubt.

If you have ever read a story that continues to haunt you well after you have finished it, and you like that feeling. This book is for you. I felt a need to share stories from this book with people I know.

I haven't read anything by Dan Simmons since The Rise of Endymion, over 6 months ago. I decided to read Carrion Comfort in an impulse - I was curious as to how good his horror will be.

in the first 300 pages I was enchanted, and I asked myself frenzily "How come I haven't read anything by Simmons for so long?"

by page 400 I knew the answer. Because it's sooo loooong.

Now don't get me wrong, Simmons is a hell of a writer. Many scenes in this book are really tense. The characters are vary between ok to great (most of them),and no stickers. The action is often exciting...

But there is so much of it! around page 350, Simmons starts a huge sub plot about a gang war and a haunted house(kind of). The subplot doesn't really go anywhere, except that it kills a bunch of people, and substitutes them with some other people.

Simmons is the writer most need of an editor that I know of. This could have been a Thriller masterpiece. Had it been 700 pages long, it would have stood there next to 'Red Dragon' and 'The Silence of the Lambs' by Thomas Harris.

Rather it is 992 pages long( british mass market paperback), it's a really good book, and a one that you would enjoy reading. It has some minor flaws other than the length, but it is really well done. It has the spookiest chess scene I've ever read, and quiet enough original ideas to keep this a truly original Thriller.

Dan Simmons wrote a Science Fiction masterwork with Hyperion, and now he came very close to writing a thriller masterwork. That's quite an achievement.

If you're looking for a good horror-thriller, with some mind candy and lots of action and obscenitites and sex, this is a great choice.

You don't see a lot of "epic horror" books. Epic sci-fi, epic historical fiction, epic fantasy, yes. But epic horror is a rare beast. Simmons produces a wonderfully horrific novel on an epic scale in _Carrion Comfort_ and I heartily recommend this book to horror fans or to fans of Simmons' sci-fi and recent suspense books.

The novel spans more than 100 years and moves effortlessly from first to third person, present to past, and is told by multiple narrators. Usually, this technique fails to hold my attention, either because all of the characters sounds the same, or because one or more the characters have nothing to say. Not so here. Simmons imbues each narrative with vitality and purpose...the overall effect is that you reading multiple short stories that are linked by a common ending and sometimes feature the same characters.

The story itself is a horror take on the concept of how absolute power corrupts absolutely. There is just enough of the supernatural element to give the book that creepy feel but not so much that one thinks "this couldn't possibly happen." Buy this book, sit back in your favorite reading place, and enjoy.

This book is a very ambitious undertaking, with a very original premise. Taking the lore of the vampire a step further, into the mental stage. This book centers on people that can control others, like a puppet, through their minds, becoming "rejuvenated" through Using another person, partic- ularly for murder. The storyline revolves around three main "vampires", and a man that has set out to stop them. There is a vaguely "X-files" touch to this, as many of the upper level members of the government are also "Users". Very entertaining book, although, some people may be daunted by it's size (a little less than 900 pages), it is a fast read, and the last 100 pages are in the "I-can't-put-this- down" category. Well worth the money spent, I recommend this book wholeheartedly to any and all fans of horror/ thrillers. In fact, I recommend just about anything written by Dan Simmons, he is a well kept secret in today's better authors.

[EXCEPT FOR THE FIVE STARS, IGNORE THE REVIEW AFTER THIS ONE -- THE READER WASN'T PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION!!] (From the Bloomsbury Review, Spring/Summer 1999): Dan Simmons has won critical acclaim and ardent readerships in a wide variety of genres: horror, science fiction, mainstream. He's picked up literary awards with the regularity of a champion outfielder shagging fungoes. Writing wise, there seems to be nothing he can't accomplish. So the publication of "The Crook Factory," an historical, literary thriller, is sure to win Simmons another batch of readers and award nominations. Joe Lucas, an amoral special agent in the FBI, finds himself assigned to a case that seems designed as punishment. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover has tasked him with keeping tabs on an amateur spy network in Cuba. The network has been coined "The Crook Factory" by it's ringleader - none other than Ernest Hemingway. Completely unaware of Hemingway's stature and celebrity as a writer (he doesn't read "make believe" books), Lucas' perspective and growing awareness of Hemingway is offered through fresh, unspoiled eyes. Upon reaching Cuba, Lucas is thoroughly unprepared for what he finds. In Hemingway, he discovers a braggart who embellishes upon every life story. A writer who, despite an awareness of his own talent, constantly questions his own worth. And after joining up with Hemingway's eight-man spy network, Lucas discovers a spiderweb of machiavlleian schemes involving the intelligence agencies from three different countries that could affect the outcome of World War II. Worse, Lucas learns that Hemingway's "crook factory" has uncovered a vital piece of intelligence which puts all of them in mortal danger, and calls into question the loyalty of operatives in his own agency. Unsure of his own sources (or who might be behind American side of the conspiracy), Lucas partners with Hemingway in a perilous venture to get to the bottom of the mystery. Unlike most of his other novels (most notably, "Song of Kali," "Carrion Comfort," "Phases of Gravity," "The Hollow Man" and any of the books set in his "Hyperion/Endymion" universe), "The Crook Factory" is not filled with the usual subtexts and symbols which make reading Simmons' novels such a rich experience. But that doesn't mean this novel is empty of intellectual sustenance. On the contrary. It's full of musings upon abusive government and bureaucracy. And there are ruminations upon the act of creative writing - passages that do not seem out of place, given that Hemingway is a central figure. Here, the legend coaches Lucas on the fine points of his craft: "You can't just transcribe things from the outside in, that's photography. You have to do it the way Cezanne did, from inside yourself. That's art." The difference between this novel and most of Simmons others can be likened to Graham Greene's "serious" novels ("Brighton Rock," "The Quiet American") and his "entertainments" ("Our Man in Havana," "The Confidential Agent"). The precision of plot and writing is no less facile, with the difference lying only in the depth of the subject matter. And Simmons' attention to detail makes the WWII-era Cuba come alive for the reader. "The Crook Factory" is a remarkable blend of fact and fiction. As Simmons testifies in an afterword, ninety-five percent of the events are true, with cameos by Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich, Ian Fleming and a host of others. In the end, what resonates deepest are the characters: Joe Lucas, whose emotional and moral transformation is both subtle and believable; and, most especially, Ernest Hemingway. Capturing an historical persona within the confines of a novel is no easy task. But Simmons does an incredible job. Readers will come away from the tale feeling as if they actually lived alongside the great writer. "The Crook Factory" exemplifies the sort of fiction which Hemingway held in high esteem: writing which is "truer than true." Like a firehouse dog chasing a red truck, "The Crook Factory" moves at a fast clip. Part literary thriller, part homage to Papa, Simmons has written a novel that would make the Hemingway himself smile with pride. (From the Bloomsbury Review, May/June 1999).

(from "The Denver Post") Local author and literary chameleon Dan Simmons has won critical acclaim and ardent readership in a wide variety of genres: horror, science fiction, mainstream. And he's picked up literary awards with the regularity of a champion outfielder shagging fungoes. There seems to be nothing he can't accomplish. So the publication of "The Crook Factory,'' a literary thriller, is sure to win Simmons another batch of readers and place him on the short list for more awards. Joe Lucas, an amoral special agent in the FBI, finds himself assigned to a case that seems designed as punishment. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover has given him the task of keeping tabs on an amateur spy network in Cuba. The network has been named "The Crook Factory'' by its ringleader, none other than Ernest Hemingway. Completely unaware of Hemingway's stature and celebrity as a writer (he doesn't read "make believe'' books), Lucas' perspective and growing awareness of Hemingway is offered through fresh, unspoiled eyes. On reaching Cuba, Lucas is thoroughly unprepared for what he finds. In Hemingway, he discovers a braggart who embellishes every life story - a writer who, despite an awareness of his own talent, constantly questions his own worth. After joining Hemingway's eight-man spy network, Lucas discovers a spiderweb of Machiavellian schemes involving the intelligence agencies from three different countries that could affect the outcome of World War II. Worse, Lucas learns that Hemingway's "crook factory'' has uncovered a vital piece of intelligence that puts all of them in mortal danger and calls into question the loyalty of operatives in his own agency. Unsure of his own sources (or who might be behind the American side of the conspiracy), Lucas partners with Hemingway in a perilous venture to get to the bottom of the mystery. Unlike most of his other novels, "The Crook Factory'' is not filled with the usual subtexts and symbols that make reading Simmons' novels such a rich experience, which isn't to say that this book is empty of intellectual sustenance. On the contrary, it is full of musings on abusive government and bureaucracy, and there are ruminations on the act of creative writing - passages that do not seem out of place, given that Hemingway is a central figure. Here, the writing legend coaches Lucas on the fine points of his craft: "You can't just transcribe things from the outside in; that's photography. You have to do it the way Cezanne did, from inside yourself. That's art.'' The difference between this novel and most of Simmons' others can be likened to Graham Greene's "serious'' novels like "Brighton Rock'' and "The Quiet American,'' and his "entertainments - "Our Man in Havana,'' "The Confidential Agent.'' The precision of plot and writing is no less facile, with the difference lying only in the depth of the subject matter. "The Crook Factory'' is a remarkable blend of fact and fiction. As Simmons testifies in an afterword, 95 percent of the events are true. What's more, Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich, Ian Fleming and many other notables make appearances in this lively story. In the end, what resonates deepest are the characters: Joe Lucas, who goes through a moral and emotional transformation; and, most especially, Hemingway. Capturing a historical persona within the confines of a novel is no easy task, but Simmons does an incredible job. Readers will come away from the tale feeling as if they actually lived alongside the great writer. "The Crook Factory'' exemplifies the sort of fiction that Hemingway held in high esteem, writing that is "truer than true.'' Propelled by a downhill pace that rarely lets up, "The Crook Factory'' is filled with just the right amount of action, humor, suspense and compassion, producing a tale that will echo in the mind long after the last page has been turned. (from The Denver Post, Feb. 1999).

(from "The San Antonio Express-News," Feb '99) Writer sui generis Dan Simmons refuses to be pigeon-holed. His first novel ("Song of Kali," a psychological thriller) garnered a World Fantasy Award. Horror novels like "Carrion Comfort" and "Summer of Night" earned awards and admiration from peers like Stephen King and Dean Koontz. And his critically acclaimed, award winning quartet of SF ("Hyperion, "The Fall of Hyperion," "Endymion" and "The Rise of Endymion") are perennial bestsellers that have cemented his reputation in that genre. Not one to rest on his laurels, Simmons new novel, "The Crook Factory," explores an entirely different genre: literary espionage. Like those before it, this book is filled with crackerjack writing, a page-turning plot, and characters which will haunt the reader long after the book is finished. Joe Lucas, an amoral special agent in the FBI, finds himself assigned to a case that seems designed as punishment. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover has tasked him with keeping tabs on an amateur spy network in Cuba. The network has been coined "The Crook Factory" by it's ringleader - none other than Ernest Hemingway. Completely unaware of Hemingway's stature and celebrity as a writer (he doesn't read "make believe" books), Lucas' perspective and growing awareness of Hemingway is offered through fresh, unspoiled eyes. Upon reaching Cuba, Lucas is thoroughly unprepared for what he finds. In Hemingway, he discovers a braggart who embellishes upon every life story, and a writer who, despite an awareness of his own talent, constantly questions his own worth. And after joining up with Hemingway's eight-man spy network, Lucas discovers a spiderweb of machiavlleian schemes involving the intelligence agencies from three different countries that could affect the outcome of World War II. Worse, Lucas learns that Hemingway's "crook factory" has uncovered a vital piece of intelligence which puts all of them in mortal danger, and calls into question the loyalty of operatives in his own agency. Unsure of his sources (or who might be behind the American side of the conspiracy), Lucas partners with Hemingway in a perilous venture to get to the bottom of the mystery. Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich, and a host of others make appearances in this story. What's more, as Simmons testifies in an afterword, ninety-five percent of the events are true. But in the end, what resonates deepest are the characters: Joe Lucas, who goes through a moral and emotional transformation; and, most especially, Ernest Hemingway. Capturing an historical persona within in the confines of a novel is no easy task. But Simmons does an incredible job. Readers will come away from this book feeling as if they actually lived alongside the great writer. Part spy novel, part history lesson, and part thriller, "The Crook Factory" is ample proof that the talents of Dan Simmons can't be constrained by any genre. (from "The San Antonio Express-News," Feb. 1999)

Dan Simmons is something unique in the literary world. He writes horror and science-fiction, alright, but I never considered this as something bad. The way he writes it, is brilliant. His "Carrion Comfort" is a masterpiece in every way, and "Summer of Night" and "Prayers to Broken Stones" prove his brilliance too.

"Song of Kali" was in that way a disappointment. It's a pretty good horror novel, well written, suspenseful and all, but something was missing. Something "Simmons".

The story is about a literature agent who travels to Calcutta to find a manuscript by a famous, but vanished author. On his journey he gets involved in cultural and occult struggles and his life changes dramatically.

Right up to the middle of the book, it's also built-up and exposition. It can be read easy, it's not too interesting, but not boring. Then, after 3/4 the suspense somehow increases extremly. From that point on I had to read it all till the end. The end itself was not disappointing, but surprising in another way than usual.

"Song of Kali" is a good read, not brilliant, but better than most Koontz and some King.

Having read the Hyperion series, I was on the prowl for more Dan Simmons, when I came across Song of Kali. I was very surprised to find that Simmons wrote horror, and proceeded to read this book in one sitting. The lush descriptions and vivid details served to bring realism to the sordid world of Calcutta. I have rarely seen writing of this caliber in works of horror or fantasy. A propos the horror aspect -- I found this to be less of a horror novel than a tragedy. Yes, there were horrific fantastic elements, but these were not as overwhelming as the realistic descriptions of the surroundings. The story is truly tragic, and to me at least, it seemed about as 'horror' as Hamlet. Sure, there's a ghost in Hamlet, but that's not the point. Similarly, the mythos and horror of Kali is merely a vessel to convey a much more important message -- a warning about our society today. Apart from the horrific, this book also contained much of humor (in the vein of the great tragedies). I found myself chuckling out loud in parts, due to the absurb metaphorical juxtapositions the narrator sometimes presents. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys long, beautifully worded descriptions and an insight into violence in the world today.

After reading Harlan Ellison's comments about this book years ago, I knew I had to have it. Not an easy book to locate then, but once I had it... Oh my God. I'd never read a horror novel like it. It was bloated with the corruption and festering malignancy of Calcutta: "Some places are too evil to be allowed to exist." With that provocative opening line, Simmons opens up a universe filled with an overpowering sense of the otherworldly that the Western mind cannot escape.

The novel feeds on our (inherent?) xenophobia, our fear of women (manifested in the devouring goddess of Kali), our passion for violence, and the all-too-real fear of our children taken from us. "All violence is power," the poet Das says. "Sometimes there is no hope. Sometimes there is only pain."

THAT, friends and neighbors, is the true crux of all great horror fiction, and Simmons doesn't hesitate to take us as far down the river at the heart of darkness. His knowledge of classic poetry, particularly Yeats, and Luczak's wife's knowledge of geometry, infuses this novel with an intelligence and moral weight most horror writers either fake or never bother with in the first place. And India has such a vast and bizarre mythology I'm surprised no one explored it before like this.

I love this book, and even picking it up again to write this review I'm tempted to read it a third time. Anyone with any knowledge of India's myths will find it all the more disturbing. The use of story-within-story that heightens the horror (for some reason I'm a sucker for this narrative trick; Lovecraft did it, King did it in "Pet Sematary", Anne Rice too-- it always chills me to the bone) I can't say enough of the fascination this book holds for me, its relentless darkness, its stench of rancid flesh, its charnel house images, its fusion of sex and death, its climax of delirium and fire--and the final moral stand of a man who comes to realize how truly helpless he is in the face of so much darkness.

Listen to the song of Kali if you have at all a true taste for the macabre, the funereal, the hopeless, the living dark, the taint of blood: "The world is pain/O terrible wife of Siva/ You are chewing the flesh/Your tongue is drinking the blood, O dark Mother! O unclad Mother/O beloved of Siva/The world is pain."

"The Age of Kali has begun/The Song of Kali is now sung." Hear it? Listen....

Although this is mainly a collection of Simmons's early horror work, there is an astonishing amount of variety. There are classic ghost and vampire stories, science fiction horror pieces, science fiction work, and a few stories which defy categorization. As a whole the collection is fun, with the author's introductions as interesting and entertaining as the stories themselves. Each story is well written and enjoyable to read. If you've been disappointed with much of Simmons's recent work, you won't be with this collection.

If you're not in the mood to sit and read an entire novel, Dan Simmons' short stories are a great way to pass time. He is a very gifted writer and I have read everything he has written. I especially liked "The River Styx Runs Upstream", and "Vanni Fucci is Alive and Well and Living in Hell." The former a horror story along the lines of Stephen King and the later hilarious. Also included is the novella to Carrion Comfort which, in novel form, one of the best horror novels ever written. I recommend anything and everything by him, especially the Hyperion novels, Summer of Night, and Carrion Comfort.

Dan Simmons continues to weave intricate tales in "Tales to Broken Stones". A collection of 13 short stories, Dan Simmons displays his impressive writing skill in multiple genres. While one or two of the stories were a bit boring, most riveted me to my seat while I read them. The commentary on each of the stories by Simmons helps set the tone.
Included in this book are the short stories that inspired Simmons's Hugo award winning Hyperion and his high aclaimed(and intensely scary)Carrion Comfort.

Let me begin by saying that I love Dan Simmons' books and I've read all of them I can get my hands on. I loved the Hyperion and Endymion Books and I've loved most of his stuff that's closer to horror. I even enjoyed Phases of Gravity, his foray into non-action, mainstream fiction. But I only LIKED this book.

It has all of the typical Simmons strengths: strong characters, lots of action and suspense, intelligence, complexity and lots of research. In fact, it offers one of the more convincing scientific answers for vampires I've ever seen.

The thing that hurt this book for me was its ending. It rested on too many implausible coincidences. After being great all of the way through, it suddenly reminded me of one of those bad movies where the bad guy who has had perfect aim throughout suddenly starts missing when he shoots at the hero.

Still, it's not a bad read and much better than most of the tripe that's available these days.

This pseudo-sequel to SUMMER OF NIGHT (Father O'Roarke and several minor characters loosely tie into the other book) is a fine example of what a suspense-slash-horror writer can be capable of. Ever since the magnificant CARRION COMFORT, Mr. Simmons has not disappointed me yet!

This has all of the markings of a great book - well developed characters, interesting plot (you'll also get a lesson or two on Romanian culture), twisted villians (corrupt politicians, lurking men dressed in black, etc.) and excellent stylings told through Kate (the heroine) and a series of dreams/flashbacks from Vlad Dracula himself!

The story is a hard-nosed, quick read about a hematologist (re: blood doctor) wrestling with the cure for AIDS as she also seeks to unravel the "myth" of vampirism from medically. It is an excellent idea, executed beautifully, and although it crumbles in a few places, the story will open up the imagination and stick with you long after you've turned the final page.

Unlike many reviewers, I've not read everything Simmons has written. "Song of Kali' was, for me, a bust. It was too turgid. the rest of the world loved it - so what does that tell you about me?

"Summer of Night" I started reading. Honest. It got so that I dreaded turning the next page. That is one scary book!

This is a romp. It's great fun. It lets you know a lot more about the legend of Vlad than you've ever known before, and I - for one - was impaled by the story.

Read it. You'll enjoy it. And if it does end up like an adventure novel / flick, so what? It's fun!

Dan Simmons has made a name for himself as a writer of very cerebral science fiction and horror novels. Lately however, he seems to have taken to reinventing himself as a mainstream genre novelist (if there is such a thing) and to this end he has written a superb novel of World War II espionage (The Crook Factory), a mediocre urban legend novel (Darwin's Blade) and now with Hardcase, a hard boiled gangster novel.

Joe Kurtz murders the drug dealer who killed his girl friend. It's a revenge killing and Joe makes sure that he gets every ounce of revenge going. The murder is brutal, excruciatingly painful and bloody and, for Joe, enormously satisfying. He gets eleven years in Attica jail, but they pass in the turning of a page.

When Joe gets out, he uses the contacts he made inside to wangle a job with a Mafia big boss. The boss wants Joe to track down one of his comrades who has vanished with a lot of the Mafia funds. It seems straight forward, but there are wheels within wheels, loyalties within loyalties and Joe is soon up to his neck in ultra-violence. Everyone wants him dead.

The tension never lets up and the violence never ends. Blood drips off the page, agony screams from every chapter heading, mangled bodies litter the paragraphs. The carnage never stops.

It's a dark, dismal novel and I felt slightly dirty when I'd finished it.

Though Dan Simmons's previous novel 'Darwin's Blade' was better, I feel his foray into this mystery/thriller genre was well worth it.

Joe Kurtz is an ex private investigator doing time for a homicide. He has survived over 11 years in Attica with a 10,000-dollar bounty on his head, which was offered by the Mosque brothers when he killed one of their own. After his release he decides to offer his services to the local mafia don, Byron Farino. It seems Farino's accountant has gone missing. When Farino decides to hire Kurtz, that's when the fireworks start. The 10,000-dollar bounty offered to kill Kurtz is still payable on the outside; so on top of looking for the missing accountant, Kurtz is dodging bullets from an assortment of bad guy's. Everyone from the drug lords, to the Alabama Beagle Boys, seem to be after a piece of the Kurtz pie.

A fast-paced and oft times violent novel. The character of Joe Kurtz seemed to lack depth. The story itself must have lacked a little depth because it read like a sequel. I liked the varied characters and the quick and snappy dialogue. No wasted speech here.
Overall an easy to enjoy, quick read, delivered by an author that's done better work.

Recommended.

Simply put, Dan Simmons can write circles around just about anybody out there. As he's proven in the past, to both fans and critics, it's impossible to pigeon-hole him. Regardless of the genre, Simmons dives in head-first and produces a novels as good as any of the writers who work in just that genre. Books like the "Hyperion" saga and "Carrion Comfort" have cemented his reputation in the SF and horror circles, and with "Hardcase", he flashes his credentials as a writer of the hard-core detective novel.

It's disheartening to see comments from fans of his SF/horror works who may see his recent efforts ("Crook Factory", "Darwin's Blade" and "Hardcase") as toss-offs, not worthy of his reputation. But for every disappointed SF/horror fan, I'm sure there's a mystery or pulp-fiction fan adding Simmons to their "must read" list.

As much as I liked "Hardcase", and would definately read another Kurtz novel, (how 'bout a little cross-over action between Kurtz and Andrew Vachss's character, Burke? Talk about body counts!!), I hope that Simmons will keep up his chameleonic ways, and that his next book will be another surprise. And I have to agree, that of all his previous work, this one would probably make the best movie. Who knows, it could do for Simmons what "Jurrasic Park" did for Crichton. He'd been writing for decades in relative obscurity (outside his circle of loyal fans, anyway), but after JP the movie, book stores couldn't keep even his worst stuff on the shelves. (Has anyone else ever read "Eaters of the Dead" aka "The 13th Warrior"? Ugggh!)

Simmons' "Hyperion/Endymion" books are problably my favorite SF novels, and I think "Carrion Comfort" is as good, if not better, than anything Stephen King has written, and the fairly obscure "Phases of Gravity" is a wonderful example of Simmons facility with straight fiction (how he can pack such an emotional punch just by having a charcter open his eyes is amazing, even after additional readings). Of his recent work in the various flavors of mystery/thriller, I'd say "Hardcase" is the best.

They used to say about Sinatra that he could sing the phone book and make it entertaining. Well if Simmons _wrote_ the phone book, I'd be the first in line for a copy. Whether you're a fan of SF, horror, thrillers, myteries or straight fiction, if you're not reading Dan Simmons, I feel sorry for you. You're missing out on a truly amazing writer.

From the opening page, you never know whether Dale is delusional or haunted, whether he deserves sympathy or scorn. A full, three-dimensional character, this failed writer, husband, lover. Simmons handles his crack-up beautifully.

Dale's plight begins when he returns to his hometown, the same setting for Simmons' outstanding SUMMER OF NIGHT. While not a sequel per se, WINTER HAUNTING does evoke memories from the previous work and I suspect you will enjoy it more if you've read SUMMER. (And if you love the macrabre, you should!)
The scenes in WINTER are indeed haunting, especially the black dogs (which are an explicit metaphor for Dale's clinical depression) and the spectre of the neo-Nazi teenagers. This is the story of a man haunted by the distant past, the recent past and the all-too-scary present.

The shortcomings of this novel are the same that I saw in DARWIN'S BLADE ... the beautiful prose that Dan Simmons gives us in SUMMER OF NIGHT, THE HYPERION CANTOS, SONG OF KALI is not so much missing as it is chopped up and watered down. I cannot help but wonder if the editor wanted this to be a different book than the author intended it to be.

Well worth the read, however, especially if you have read SUMMER OF NIGHT.

Like other reviewers, I was happy to see Dan Simmons revisit characters from Summer of Night. Having read Children of the Night and Fires of Eden both, which have adult incarnations of characters from Summer of Night, I enjoyed seeing another variation of that. As was the case with so many others, Summer of Night was a book that touched me in a wonderfully nostalgic way, even for a horror tale.

A Winter Haunting strives to bring us back to the horrors of Elm Haven, or at least a small corner of it. The McBride farm was the home of Duane McBride, childhood chum of the protagonist of this novel, Dale Stewart. Duane, a quasi-narrator for this tale, was murdered in Elm Haven when just 11 years old. Now Dale, 51, author and English professor, has returned to his hometown to rent Duane's home to write his latest novel, and revisit the horrors of Elm Haven. Freshly separated from his wife and daughters in Montana; abandoned by his decamped mistress Clare; Dale is depressed and suicidal...and in revisiting the horrors of Elm Haven, Dale finds a few new ones joining them upon his return.

However, an intriguing premise very quickly becomes a paradox here. Dale has visions of a soldier in a cemetery; black dogs appear from nowhere to stalk him, metaphorically referring to his depression, as Winston Churchill termed his own the 'Black Dog'; childhood acquaintances come back to 'haunt' Dale; a room in the McBride house produces 'amorous' desires in a man suffering from medication-induced impotence; a group of skinheads threatens Dale time and again over a series of articles he published; and a voice from beyond seems to guide him in his quest to retain his sanity as the horrors of Elm Haven are once again unleashed upon him at a fever-pitch.

But don't get too excited...only a few of these riddles are answered by the end of the book. Only the tangible elements of this conundrum are explained.

I enjoyed revisiting Elm Haven with Dan Simmons as the tour guide. However, there are lengthy passages of this book that really don't fit, and are wasted space in a 300 page novel. Too much is left to imagination, or just plain unexplained, by the time the end of the tale is reached. Perhaps Mr. Simmons wanted it that way...that the events are just as unexplainable to the reader as they were to the character...perhaps a publishing deadline overshadowed the fleshing out of the details...or perhaps I simply want too much from a horror tale.

Whatever the case, I am glad to have strolled down Main Street Elm Haven again, but unfortunately this Winter tale won't haunt me for very long.

Dan Simmons latest foray into horror with this sequel to 'Summer of Night' will give you the chills. It reminds me a lot of Stephen King type horror.

Dale Stewart is an English professor, rugged westerner and a published author. After a love affair ends (not his choice), he becomes deeply depressed, suffering what he calls 'the black dog', a term for depression coined by Winston Churchill. He returns to his childhood home in a small Illinois town to write a book about his childhood. Renting an abandoned childhood friends house, a friend who died in mysterious circumstances when he was eleven years old, some really strange things start to happen. Stewart starts to wonder whether he's going crazy or if these weird things are actually happening. Giant black dogs. Seeing dead people. Neo Nazis. Okay, the Nazis could be real.

I have not read the first book that takes place in the summer of 1960/61, where they are young kids. I think this book stands well by itself. I might have gotten more out of it if I'd read the first though.
It is written in a very stylish and enthralling way. There comes a point in the book where you as the reader, are not sure what's real and what isn't. You don't always know if the character is really that crazy or not. Is it reality or psychological? You'll have to decide.

Recommended

I loved Carrion Comfort, and feel that the Hyperion books are among the best science fiction I've read. That said, this book was a thorough disappointment. Midway through I kept thinking he must have had a contractual obligation with a publisher to come up with a manuscript, because this novel was just a pretty good short story inflated to a few hundred pages

This book grabbed me by the eyeballs - like the best of S.King/R. Bachman - and didn't let go until the very end. A wild ride - thought provoking and well-conceptualized throughout. An on-the-road type book, the protaganist travels from Philly to Disneyworld to the deserts to Las Vegas to... and deals with lots of intense violence and good sickening horror. And reminisces about l-o-v-e on the way to stir the reader in a different way. I liked the Hyperion series a lot - Hollow Man was easier to read (maybe because it is earthbound?) and I liked it just as much (if not better). Only disappointment (which some may like a lot), too much math and physics. Otherwise great stuff.

After reading the other comments on this page I realise that this may not be everybody's idea of a fantastic novel. However, if you have enjoyed Simmons previously and/or you would like to read something truly original, try this. This novel certainly lives up to Dan Simmons reputation as being perhaps the most dynamic author of our, or any, time. This book, the story of Jeremy, who loses his way after the death of his wife only to, eventually, rediscover himself, his wife and the secret of life and death itself, is one of the strangest and most brilliant works of fiction in existence. I can only guess that the authors of the negative comments on this page must simply have failed the understand the massive scope of the journey that Simmons had led them on. Perhaps second only to Summer of Night, although I am yet to read Children of the Night or any of The Hyperion Cantos.