harrietj's reviews
294 reviews

No matter what age he's  pitching at, whether kids, YA, or adult, RL Stine writes in exactly the same way with exactly the same tone, which is odd. First story: entirely typical Stine fare. Not very good, but familiar and easy. As in a lot of horror of this type, the whole shebang could have been avoided if people had just been calm and talked to each other about what was going on. Also: entirely creepy main character guy. Obsessive stalker vibes throughout.

Second story was better. Much preferred this one. Felt like one of his Point Horror stories. I feel like Stine is better when he doesn't get too tricksy. This one was straightforwardly non-supernatural, which was an improvement. 

Third story was my favourite so far until the ending. Very simple, I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes, nice island setting. Slightly more believable, well-rounded characters than in the other stories (although it's a low bar). I just cannot believe the characters would not face more trouble in the end, regardless of how it all pans out, and that weakened it overall.

The final story was the weakest, in my opinion. The stakes were simply too high, and the dog killing bit was too upsetting. There were characters who just didn't need to be in the book at all, and nobody acted at all in believable ways. The whole thing felt a bit phoned in.

Overall, if you're reading this now in the reprint, you're either a big Stine fan or you read them as a kid, and the nostalgia will carry you through this read. If you're coming to them fresh, they're not great.

Unpleasant man sees auras around people who will eventually be murdered. This has absolutely no bearing on anything that happens in the book.

It's not a good book by any stretch, and most of the characters are really unpleasant, but it's a fast read and if you like gore you'll be well satisfied.

Really mediocre. Characters and relationships very underdeveloped.

It really annoyed me that the killer went through all this rigmarole to scare people away from the house while he searched for the treasure when he could have simply lived in it and looked at his leisure,  completely legitimately, and without murder. He literally owned the house.

I really enjoyed these small-scale ghost stories, mostly set in the very beginning of the 20th century, and many featuring the First World War looming large in some way. They were quietly and delicately written.

So like... did Jason kill Julie, or not?

I really enjoyed this stupid shark comic. The ending I suppose was slightly rushed, but how else would you tie it up? Better to explode in an over the top climax than peter out.

Sexy and cute. Definitely going to read more.

I enjoyed every story in this collection, apart from possibly the final one, and even that was alright. I love Harley with Ivy and the Joker stuff was not too much the focus. Batman dipped in and out but it really was mostly just a Harley book. The stories were all standalones, so it was easy to dip in and out of, and would be approachable for a reader new to comics or the DC characters.

Impeccable art, of course. That's what we're here for. The story is not my thing - I've never been into Lovecraftian stuff and heavy lore. But that's definitely personal taste. I also much preferred the short stories at the end, because they didn't include any of the old-style dialogue, which was heavy going. 

Stunning in this beautiful oversized edition.