Spook House

When the Wide Game was released, I found it impossible to think that Michael West could write a book I enjoyed more. But he did.

Spook House is an amazing story, with characters that are real, behave believably, and are lovable.

West's imagination truly takes flight in this episode of his Harmony novels. He creates monsters that are unique and then manifests them in a way that is completely plausible-- making this his scariest ride yet. As with all West writing, the exposition is smooth and flawless; the descriptions are detailed enough, and yet never boring.

The illustrations are unbelievably right on, giving a window to precisely what West describes, as if Matthew Perry got inside West's head and pulled the images out.

From the first chapter, the story is high energy, and one immediately feels connected with the main character. The action will keep you turning the pages, as quickly as you can.

I am not sure I will ever be able to enter an abandoned farm house again!

I don't want to give away too much of the story: JUST READ IT! You won't be sorry!!

I just finished reading "Spook House" and it was FANTASTIC! Great story, believable characters, perfect amount of detail, engaging writing style, and no distractions from the story with flash or sex that other authors need to keep their readers interested. I've got to get some more Michael West books!

Bravo Bravo Bravo
Mr West brings A new story to Harmony with old Characters and old places like the Fuller Farm wrote in. This is A must read. I can't tell you how much I love reading Mr West's books. The Harmony books are: The Wide Game,The Cinema of Shadows, and Spook House. Start at the beginning and I'm sure you will love this Series of books as much as I do. (Wink Wink - Mr West left room at the end of this book for more to come "Have you ever heard of the Wide Game")I CAN NOT WAIT!

Started off promising, then it cooled down and got into the fluffy "relationship stuff" with the protagonist and her paramedic boyfriend. Although the writing had its moments, overall, West's syntax really doesn't do it for me. I finished the book, but it was an uninspired chore. The chapter where the Irish antagonist picks up a random girl in a bar was the highlight of the book, I thought. I guess I expected the story to be so much more original, visceral, and not as plot-predictable and silly character-caricatured as I thought it was. It was just...okay. Nothing to write home about (pun intended).

When I saw the words by one reviewer that this was a "hauntingly evocative" book, I thought I was in for a real treat. Instead all it made me want to do was go back and read H.P. Lovecraft. Afterall, Lovecraft had faults, but he was a master of evoking fear of the unknown, the occult and creating horrific creatures so evil that they drove his protagonists insane for even glimpsing them. If you are reading this and you have never read any of Lovecraft's short stories, at least understand that you are getting a derivative work. Actually, I really wish I was giving this book four or five stars, because I love this pulpy horror fiction....but I can't. I can't read Shirley Jackson, Stephen King's best work, Lovecraft and even the experimental, often horrific, speculative fiction by Jeremy Robert Johnson and say this book is on par with any of their stuff. The part that is frustrating for me is that I really liked the first third of this book but after that the suspense trickled away. Too much exposition as to how the "unspeakable horror" works and how to kill it and where it comes from. Way to take away the suspense and the horror of a frightening creature. In fact, Michael West doesn't trust you, the reader, to accurately imagine his monsters from his descriptions. Instead he draws you a picture. Now, maybe some people liked that, but I was thinking that abominations of, let me state again, "unspeakable horror", would be better off left to the reader's gruesome imagination. What can I say further? This is not a ghost story or a haunted house story so for readers who are expecting that from the title, you may want to pass. Actually, after the first third of the novel the rest of the book plays off more like your average suspense novel instead of a spooky horror novel (especially the predictable ending). In fact, this actually reminds me of the movie Evolution with Julianne Moore in the way it all plays out, except it's not tongue-in-cheek. In the end, if you have nothing better to read this will entertain for an evening because it's not that long. Otherwise, give this one a pass.

I absolutely love anything written by Michael West! I definitely have to set aside enough time to finish his books when I pick one up, because I know I won't be putting it down until I've read the entire book! Spook House is definitely no exception to that rule! I love the way Michael can "paint" a picture with his words so that the reader can actually see the story come alive! The book flows at a great pace from beginning to end. If you love horror, Michael West books should most definitely be on your "must read" list!

Spook House by Michael West has some pretty scary moments in it. Michael West is kind of like a combination of Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft. I haven't read his previous books, but I plan on getting them.

When I was about 12 years old my parents took my brother and me to Six Flags Over Texas. As there is roughly 7 years difference in our ages (he's younger) he was only about 5 years old at the time. We went through the whole park at least twice. It was a lot smaller back in those days. After a short break, my brother noticed a long line of people waiting to get onto a ride that we'd somehow missed on our crisscrossing of the park.

It was called the Runaway Mine Train. At his urging, we joined this long line and talked amongst ourselves while we moved slowly up to the ride itself. There were signs that said things like, "No glasses," "No one under 3 feet tall," "Do not ride if you have a heart condition," and most alarming of all; "Do not ride if you are pregnant."

For some odd reason, this struck no one in my family as odd or even noteworthy. (In all honesty, we did not really notice the signs until after the ride had finished and we stood on wobbly legs that threatened to spill us onto the sidewalk.) We got on the ride at last. The attendant made sure that everyone was securely fastened in their seat and without any pause; we were off.

This ride started fast and then went so far beyond fast, that we felt that fast had been left behind. As we sped up the first mountain of track, this "runaway train" shot straight down with a speed that took your breath away.

Now you may be asking yourself, "What's all this got to do with Michael West's Spookhouse."

Well, friends and neighbours, I'm glad you asked. Because this book is just like that ride all those years ago at Six Flags. Where I thought that the first book I read of his, Cinema of Shadows was fast paced (which it was) and moved at a cracking speed; Spook House reached a G-force of speed that took me right back to that white-knuckled runaway train in the park of my youth.

Spook House takes place in the town of Harmony Indiana. The same setting as Cinema of Shadows and we meet back up with Robby Miller, he of the "guilty and frightened" past. Where Robby had a more peripheral part to play in Shadows, he is a main player in Spookhouse.

It seems that on top of having a cinema that was evil, Harmony also has a haunted house on its outskirts. It seems that years ago, a man named Fuller practised dark arts there and while he lived, people had a bad habit of disappearing. Just like Sheri's boyfriend Jeff, who goes into the old deserted Fuller house and never comes back. Something else does came back though and after Sheri Foster gets away from it, the thing goes after other prey.

Robby gets involved and he and Sheri go after the beast from the Fuller house. Unfortunately someone else has heard of this beast and he wants to find it as well. But this Irish Druid doesn't want to kill it. Meanwhile, some of Robby's friends are turning this real "haunted house" into a make-believe one for the Harmony trick-or-treaters to enjoy.

This race between good and evil is full of high-octane excitement and thrills. The action was so fast paced that I felt like my hair was going to fly back from my e-book (similar to the old Memorex commercial with the stereo speakers) and that if I didn't hold tightly to the arms of my chair, I would be flung off.

By the time I'd reached the story's climax, I felt almost as weak and wobbly as I did all those years ago at the end of that runaway mine train ride.

I have now read two of Mr West's books and I've found that the first one was no accident; this man isn't fooling around, he writes to get your heart pounding and your blood racing. I now have to wait for his next book on my list, The Wide Game to be delivered as it is not available on any e-book format.

I can't wait.

A full 5 star book that I'd give a 6th star to just for the neck and neck race between good and evil.

Brilliant.

You can read all my reviews at MikesFilmTalk.com

Harmony Indiana is one of those places where the veil between worlds grows thin and mysteries seep in. Or they creep, crawl, drip or claw, depending on just which mysteries you're thinking about. It's a scary place where an EMT is haunted by his past, a haunted house hides more than it seems, and a cop hopes he'll live to see his wife again. And it's the sort of place that doesn't let you go when it's drawn you in.

Michael West writes the sort of books that won't let you go either, from Cinema of Shadows set in the dark of Harmony's soon-to-be-demolished theater, to Spook House, set in the forests and fields outside town. Campfire scares are reflected in the eyes of scared inhabitants. And each familiar character might be greeted with a smile of recognition or clutched onto for support as the terrors pile higher. Beautifully timed with moments of peace and mystery interspersed among gruesome horror, nicely rounded with backstories so sparingly told they add depth without increasing length, and hauntingly evocative with gorgeous scenery behind the gathering gloom, Spook House lends a whole new dimension to the idea of a haunted house, and will keep both new readers and long-time fans glued to the pages.

Or stuck to them with curious slime perhaps...

A writer to watch, a novel to enjoy, and a place to avoid on the map: Spook House, Harmony, Indiana, USA.

Disclosure: I was given a free ecopy of this novel, and I'm writing my honest review. I honestly loved it.

"Spook House" is a refreshing dose of "small town" horror at it's best. This is a story that brings to mind classics such as "Children of the Corn" and "Pet Cemetery". Michael West does a wonderful job of blending just enough lore and magic into his beasties to make them seem authentically otherworldly; without overwhelming the reader with a laborious back-story as to their who's and why's. This gives the reader a chance to fill in those blanks in his or her own mind, elevating him or her from mere spectator to full on creative participant in the thrilling experience that is this heart-stopping read.

Though the action begins at the old Fuller House, readers will be happy to find that the action is not tethered to or even centered there for the most part. This book's author really knows how to spread his blood and gore around, making each scene more vivid than the last. The fact that the story takes place over a three month period, with each month marking its own part within the book gives the reader a clear understanding of where the beginning, middle, and end of the story are. This helps the reader to remain focused and engrossed on what lies just beyond that next chapter.

The characters on this read are very easy to love. Even the ones that you come to realize that you should hate. This is not a book in which the motives or good or bad guys come with neon signs and directions. Readers have no idea that the "bad thing" is at the door until the unsuspecting character they are reading is on the floor bleeding. The way that the characters speak and relate to each other is very believable. Mr. West writes his cast with a spirit and humor that is very true to the Midwest.

This book is the third in the Harmony Indiana series, though it reads as though it were a stand-alone.
The first two books in the series are: The Wide Game and Cinema of Shadows.

This reviewer would recommend this book and this series to the serious horror buff and the novice alike. These delectably devilish dramas make for fun and fright filled reading.

This is an unsolicited and uncompensated honest review, cross-posted from my blog.