The Haunted
The Haunted book cover
Price
$9.99
Format
Paperback
Pages
241
Publisher
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1475066944
Dimensions
6 x 0.61 x 9 inches
Weight
12.6 ounces

Description

" The Haunted is a terrific read with some great scares and a shock of an ending! ... Lots of fun!" - Rick Hautala, international bestselling author; Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement winner."The creepiest book I've read in years." - Paul Gennesse, editor of The Crimson Pact series."Freaky, visceral and dark." - D. J. Butler, author of the Rock Band Fights Evil series."Collings's supernatural tale is gritty, compelling and will leave you on the edge of your seat.... The Haunted is a tremendous read for fans of ghoulishly good terror." - horrornews.net."...Collings has managed something truly awe-inspiring here, developing layer upon layer of horror...all the while closing us in with the claustrophobic finality of a shallow grave...[ The Haunted ] will scare even the most jaded horror hounds. I loved it!"xa0- Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Flesh Eaters and Inheritance AN INTERVIEW WITH INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER MICHAELBRENT COLLINGS Q: What is your profession and how are you connected to the writing world? A: I am a writer. That's it. I used to be a moose wrangler, but the owners started complaining, saying things like "I don't need my mooses wrangled!" and "Leave my meese* alone" and "You know the restraining order applies to both me AND my moose!" So I gave it up and focused on writing. Also, writing has the huge bonus of being pants-optional, which is almost as cool a job perk as having a spacesuit. If I am ever offered a job as a writing astronaut whose spacesuit has no pants . . . WOW! But for now, I'm just a writer. I'm one of the top selling indie horror writers in the U.S., I sell pretty well in a number of other countries as well (bestseller in over 40 countries as of this writing), and I also work in Hollyweird as a screenwriter from time to time. But the moose... the moose will always have my heart. Q: What inspires you to write? A: The need to eat. xa0 Seriously, I do this for a living. And while occasionally that bolt of lightning strikes and the angels sing and dance upon my noggin while I scream "EUREKA" and dance naked atop a flagpole, usually it's just a matter of banging away on the keyboard. Because eating. Q: Tell us about your writing process. A: See above. I sit down with my computer and face off. There can be only one. xa0 Occasionally I square off with a pad of paper. There can still be only one. Q: What do you think about the future of book publishing? A: It will happen sometime after today. Q: What first attracted you to horror writing? A: Probably the chance to attract babes. Because nothing is quite as cool as going up to a random stranger at a party, leaning nonchalantly against a wall, and then saying, "I dream about interesting ways to murder people for a living. You have lovely skin. Very... skinnable..." xa0 Sigh. If only the world worked that way. High school would have been much better, and I would have spent way less time in the school therapist's office. Q: What's your opinion of writer's block? Do you ever suffer from it? If so, how do you 'cure' it? A: I never suffer from it.xa0 I actually have written a series of articles on it, one of them at michaelbrentcollings.com/2012.07.22.DiePoopBirdDie.html. Basically, I think that most people suffering from "writers block" are really suffering from "the idea that the first draft has to be perfect block."xa0 Just write, people!xa0 Write total dreck if you must, but write!xa0 Mistakes are what God invented the "delete" button for. Q: What do you do when you're not writing? Any hobbies or party tricks? A: I used to do a lot of martial arts and work out and play videogames.xa0 Now I'm a dad, so I do a lot of Dora the Explorer, Phineas and Ferd, and Voltron watching. Q: What's next for you? A: More writing! I've always got another book or two up my sleeve. Best way to keep abreast of what's next is to join my mailing list at eepurl.com/VHuvX. Those folks get first crack at new books and sales. Also, I will occasionally offer you a great home mortgage refinance rate and/or the opportunity to get in on an inheritance from a Saudi prince! Michaelbrent Collings is a novelist and screenwriter. He has written numerous bestselling horror, thriller, sci-fi, and fantasy novels, including Apparition, Rising Fears, The Loon, and the YA series The Billy Saga (beginning with Billy: Messenger of Powers).He hopes someday to develop superpowers, or, if that is out of the question, then at least to get a cool robot arm.Michaelbrent also has a Facebook page at facebook.com/pages/MichaelbrentCollings and can be followed on twitter @mbcollings. Follow him for cool news, updates, and advance notice of sales. You will also be kept safe when the Glorious Revolution begins! Read more

Features & Highlights

  • They have the beginnings of a perfect family. A husband, a wife, a baby on the way. But something will stop them from being happy as they move into their new house: the power of the undead that roam the halls of their home. The demons that have come to claim them. The darkness that seeks to destroy them.The haunted.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(275)
★★★★
25%
(229)
★★★
15%
(138)
★★
7%
(64)
23%
(211)

Most Helpful Reviews

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THE CREEPIEST BOOK I'VE READ IN YEARS

The Haunted by Michaelbrent Collings is the creepiest book I've read in years. The writing is excellent and this short novel (273 pages, $4.99 eBook, $9.99 paperback) builds, and builds to a truly terrifying climax that takes up the last 170 pages. Pregnant Sarah and her husband, Cap move in to a remote old house surrounded by a sinister forest, and the haunting begins. Little things go on at first and the quiet opening made me wonder if this was going to be like the other haunted house books that I've read in the past. It definitely was not, as the ghosts in this novel don't just make noises in the night, and hide in basements. They come after the main characters with knives that cut flesh. They are in your face and terrifying.

Cap and poor Sarah worry for their immortal souls and their unborn baby as a whole pack of murderous ghosts start a prolonged attack that takes up more than half the book. These are the most vicious ghosts I've ever read about, and Collings is a great writer who knows how to evoke a mood and pull you into the tight prose, that drips blood and terror.

If you've read a lot of haunted house books, this one may not seem to be much different at first, aside from the fantastic writing, but there is a twist at the end that most readers will not see coming--I admit that I didn't--though I had suspicions whispering in the back of my mind. The ending really left me shivering and I love how well the twist was set up all through the book.

As a writer and editor myself, I really loved how Collings crafted his scenes, as the prose really punched me in the face, and made me cringe.

If you're looking for a good scare and want a great read, The Haunted is an excellent book for you. I finally understand why Michaelbrent Collings has such a great reputation for being a really good writer, and he's earned a lifelong fan. I will for sure be reading his other novels.

Paul Genesse
Author of the Iron Dragon series
Editor of the Crimson Pact anthology series
29 people found this helpful
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Haunted House Tale... with Twists

Cap and Sarah have moved into an old house in the woods and are unpacking. Their story begins as a straightforward haunted house tale, with things seen out of the corner of the characters' eyes, strange sounds, devices that turn themselves on and off without help, etc. Then it gets freaky, visceral and dark. Father Michael says the house won't let them go. Is he right? And what does he mean? I won't give away any of the twists, but I will tell you that you'll be seeing a grotesque and Dickensian cast of phantasms out of the corner of YOUR eye when you try to go to sleep after reading this book.
20 people found this helpful
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A Poor Attempt at Horror...

I have read horror stories from classic authors such as H.P. Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson, and Ray Bradbury. I have also read modern day horror stories from authors such as Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Clive Barker to name a few. All of them,in my opinion, have written some very enjoyable and terrifying stories. Unfortunately, Michaelbrent Collings attempt at story telling in this genre falls very short from the aforementioned authors.

To begin with, the writing in this book is very amateurish at best, with badly written paragraphs and choppy and repetitive dialogue-- I think Mr. Collings needs to hire a professional proof reader. The story itself is not very original, nor is the ending which is a ripoff from a 2001 movie called, 'The Others', starring Nicole Kidman. To sum it up, I am sorry to say that this book was a big disappointment for me and excruciatingly boring. I kept hoping that the story would somehow redeem itself in the end, but it only proved that I wasted my time and money.
9 people found this helpful
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Sorry to say this

As a fairly well-read horror fan, I was very disappointed in this book. Very. It’s packed with cliches and the writing is repetitive and, frankly, boring. I skimmed the last few chapters. I then picked up ‘Salem’s Lot and noticed a few similar elements written so much more masterfully that I wonder if Collings was trying to ape much better books and just didn’t quite make it his own. Shame. I hate to give low reviews, especially on a book, because I know it’s a tough business, but I just couldn’t get into this one.
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threw it away

Maybe I'm too picky, but this book stunk. Trite, predictable, and lame. I usually read just classic literature but decided to read a "gothic mystery" (believe me, it's not).
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Epic Haunted House Story!

A modern day take on the haunted house. This book captures you from the start by involving you in the lives of the characters. When you are three-quarters in, you realize there’s no way anyone can make it out alive! An amazing thrill-ride!!
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Four Stars

good book slow start
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Creepy, scary, and fantastic

Collings weaves another page turner with Strangers. The action and suspense picks up right from the beginning and continues clear until the captivating ending. The story is well thought out so that the ending had a deep, emotional impact. I couldn't stop thinking about this book for days!

I got pulled into the main characters, Cap and Sarah, right from the beginning. They were both very different and both very... real to me. I could do nothing but cheer for them both through the entire story.

It's a haunted house story (I know, you're shocked), but it is so unlike any other haunted house book I've ever read. If you are into HH, or horror for that matter, then I highly suggest picking up this book. You will not regret it.
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Collings is the best!

I started reading and couldn't put it down. I do not usually do reviews but I loooove Michaelbrent Collings' books. I have not come across one I haven't loved. This book made me pretty jumpy for a couple nights when the lights went out and that is pretty unusual for me. I have recommended it to all my friends and now to the people of Amazon. It is a must!!!!
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Good read

I'm so amazed how much opinions can vary on the same book, but I understand this too with my own writings. Very good read. I won't bash another authors work when so much time and effort goes into writing a story.