CYCLE OF THE WEREWOLF
by Stephen King
4 stars

This is a very short story about 1 hr to read. Book is 127 pages with plenty of pictures, so maybe 50 reading pages.
Small town is terrified by a werewolf for 1 yr. Each month is it's own chapter with 2 to 4 pages. This is for a 10 to 13 year old just getting interested in this kind of thing. Hero may be surprising, villain isn't. By chapter 6 June, you should have figured it out.

 STAR QUEST by Dean Koontz
DOOM OF THE GREEN PLANET by Emil Petaja
3 stars

This is a two story book. You read one then flip to read the other. Both are 127 pages and take about 2 hrs or less to read.

STAR QUEST by Dean Koontz

3 stars

Space & time travel, alternate universes, mutants, bodiless brains - everything a young boy likes. This obviously wasn't my thing. But it wasn't a horrible book if it is what you like.
Tohm awakes to find his body gone and replaced by a machine. He produces a new body for himself and goes in search of his love, Tarnilee. He finds adventure and love, just not where or how he imagined.

DOOM OF THE GREEN PLANET by Emil Petaja

3 stars

The only reason I read this is because it came with the Koontz book. I never heard of Emil Petaja before.

Another book for young boys, but it was interesting and held my attention. Characters are well written and somewhat likable. Plot is simple.
Shalda was my main problem. She was a smart girl and trained fighter. Yet when she meets a stranger from the sky, it takes no prodding or time for her to tell everything there is about her planet, the people, and the situation there.

THE GUNSLINGER (THE DARK TOWER SERIES BOOK #1)
by Stephen King
4 stars


After a hard childhood being trained to be a gunslinger who feels nothing, Roland is on a quest to find the man in black and the Tower. He meets a young boy, and begins to feel for him. And remembers snippets of his past.
This story didn't seem to be my kind of thing at first. I'm not really into westerns. But it drew me in.
It's a mix between western, futuristic, and apocalyptic and fairy tale. Roland is an enigma whom we only see slightly into his mind and intentions. He is not a likable fellow for a hero, yet you begin to feel for him as the story unfolds.
This is book 1 of the series. Each book helps to understand Roland, his past, and his feelings (including regrets) and intentions.

CUJO
by Stephen King
5 stars


Cujo, a 200 lb. Saint Bernard, is bitten by a bat and becomes rabid.
Although the story seems to be about a rabid dog causing terror and mayhem, it is really more about the family dynamic of the Trentons and the Cambers.
How will Vic Trenton deal with his wife's Infidelity? What about 4 year old Tad's fear of the monster in his closet?
How can Charity Camber help to direct her son Brett's life into a direction other than what his father has planned?
This is one of King's scariest books because it can happen. It isn't an imagined ghost or monster. At any time your own pet can contract rabies and turn on you.
This is more frightening to read about if you can place yourself into the situation.

FIRESTARTER
by Stephen King
5 stars


This is one of my favorites. When Andy McGee decided to be part of a "Safe" experiment for $200 in college, He had no idea what his life would become.
Charlie McGee is a 7 year old girl with a power she can't control. This power has the potential to end the world or Charlie herself.
All characters are so well written that you either love or hate them with a passion. The plot is intriguing, and the story holds your interest the entire way through.
Charlie McGee is a character I would love to see again.

NIGHT SHIFT
by Stephen King
4 stars

This is a compilation of short stories ranging from 6 to 34 pages. Jerusalem's Lot, Children of the Corn, and Sometimes They Come Back are the three longest. Many of these of been turned into full length movies.
I was not a fan of "I Am The Doorway", "The Boogeyman", or "The Mangler"
My favorites were "The Ledge", "Children of the Corn", and "The Man With Flowers".

THE STAND (THE COMPLETE AND UNCUT VERSION)
by Stephen King 1990
5 stars


Original written in 1978, King was asked to drastically edit the novel. The publisher felt 1100 pages was too intimidating to the readers. So it was released with about 820 pages (400 cut out).  I have read both versions of this book and find that the extra pages and little to the story. There is a new beginning which helps to set the stage, a few parts in the middle which do little for the book, and an extra chapter at the end to let the reader know where Fran and Stu have ended up.
In the first quarter of the novel, we are introduced to some of the main players. (Stu Redman, Harold Lauder, Fran Goldsmith, Larry Underwood, And Nick Andros) We are given a little feel for how their lives were before the flu hits the country.
Once the flu hits, we feel their worlds change. Many people die from the flu, some from after effects (such as the elderly or children with no one to care for them), and a few are immune. This is the ultimate story of good vs evil, God vs Devil.
Randall Flagg is the dark man, the walking dude, the devil himself. Mother Abigail is an angel on earth, the positive image of all good and holy. Many survivors travel to met one or the other of these figures after seeing both in their dreams.
This is a long book. It took me a month to read. But it is really worth it.