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Howl-O-Ween
Evil lurks on Halloween night. Here is a bone-chilling novel of unspeakable terror by the bestselling author of Demon Fire.
313 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 16, 2021
What a weird book. Now, don’t get me wrong–I love weird. But this was weird in a way that didn’t quite make sense. I don’t even know if I would classify it as horror, even though there were some gory bits. Also: werewolves.
The book has a noir-style feel to it, which normally I love, but if a book with a ridiculous premise takes itself too seriously… I think you see where I’m going with this. I think that in order to enjoy this book, you have to appreciate the dry humour, if that’s what it was intended to be. Still not sure on that point.
I was a fan of the Voodoo and the way that magic and werewolves worked in this novel. However, it was a little convoluted and hard to keep my interest at parts. I’ve read a few books on Voodoo, and Holleman took some fact and threw it in with his fiction, which makes for a more interesting read. While I love a book that’s heavy on the magic, however, I needed more likeable characters and a stronger plot to keep me interested.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the main character, Russ. He was a typical thug. His interactions with Kyna, the gorgeous woman who magically transforms into his lover (shocker) were so cheesy they bordered on comical. Here is an excerpt:
They made love. Not the way they usually did–like two sumo wrestlers in heat trying to pin each other–but slowly, carefully, lovingly, the way the Swiss make watches.
That said, the intentionally unlikeable characters were great. Holleman did a phenomenal job of making me detest characters like the boyfriend/boss “Bryan”, who fortunately get what’s coming to him in the end of the book.
I recommend this book to those looking for a cheesy horror book that’s set around Halloween.
The book has a noir-style feel to it, which normally I love, but if a book with a ridiculous premise takes itself too seriously… I think you see where I’m going with this. I think that in order to enjoy this book, you have to appreciate the dry humour, if that’s what it was intended to be. Still not sure on that point.
I was a fan of the Voodoo and the way that magic and werewolves worked in this novel. However, it was a little convoluted and hard to keep my interest at parts. I’ve read a few books on Voodoo, and Holleman took some fact and threw it in with his fiction, which makes for a more interesting read. While I love a book that’s heavy on the magic, however, I needed more likeable characters and a stronger plot to keep me interested.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the main character, Russ. He was a typical thug. His interactions with Kyna, the gorgeous woman who magically transforms into his lover (shocker) were so cheesy they bordered on comical. Here is an excerpt:
They made love. Not the way they usually did–like two sumo wrestlers in heat trying to pin each other–but slowly, carefully, lovingly, the way the Swiss make watches.
That said, the intentionally unlikeable characters were great. Holleman did a phenomenal job of making me detest characters like the boyfriend/boss “Bryan”, who fortunately get what’s coming to him in the end of the book.
I recommend this book to those looking for a cheesy horror book that’s set around Halloween.
October 30, 2019
Werewolves, zombies and voodoo oh my!!!! LOL
This was entertaining and a fun little read but I would leave it as just that. Definitely not the greatest book in the stack but not the worst either. I would recommend this to the casual horror reader but beware of a couple of pretty gory scenes.
This was entertaining and a fun little read but I would leave it as just that. Definitely not the greatest book in the stack but not the worst either. I would recommend this to the casual horror reader but beware of a couple of pretty gory scenes.
July 30, 2018
Great fun. Counts you down to Haloween in the way "Donnie Darko" does, but with very different results. Not to be missed if you like supernatural horror stories. This is a fine addition to my collection of Voodoo stories.
October 23, 2022
A beautiful young lady hires a bodyguard to travel with her to sell some dodgey diamonds from her boyfriend/boss. All the while he is setting her up to take his fall because he got mixed up with a voodoo witch doctor and she has the bone shakers necklace. Along the way, the bodyguard gets bitten by a spirit wolf and turns into a werewolf. If the voodoo man does not get the necklace back by October 31st, all hell breaks loose, or some such garbage happens.
This book is not a horror novel. Nor a decent Halloween tale. The author seems to be writing a mystery / thriller and crossed into a genre he has no business in, horror / supernatural. Most of this book is just the two traveling around the US and Canada. It comes of more of a travel brochure. By the time the 31st rolled around, I could care less. Bring on Thanksgiving.
This book is not a horror novel. Nor a decent Halloween tale. The author seems to be writing a mystery / thriller and crossed into a genre he has no business in, horror / supernatural. Most of this book is just the two traveling around the US and Canada. It comes of more of a travel brochure. By the time the 31st rolled around, I could care less. Bring on Thanksgiving.
January 18, 2020
I decided not to finish this book. The story was interesting, so I laughed off the casual racism and other awkward things about it, but then the tastefully written romance sequences turned into detailed bestiality, and I decided that was probably as far as I wanted to read.
March 13, 2016
A fun read!
October 20, 2018
I started reading this book at the end of September. Since Halloween season was getting underway, I was totally stoked to be reading nothing but horror and Halloween-themed books and stories. Even though I am reading horror all year, I especially latch on to the books that have a Halloween theme or feel to them when fall rolls around.
This book was a lot of fun and I felt a little sad when it ended and I had to say goodbye to Kyna, Russ, and The Dark Man. Although the book sort of just uses Halloween as a backdrop, it still has werewolves, voodoo, straight-up black magic, zombies, and several scenes of sweet, sweet carnage. Oddly though, my favorite aspect was the relationship between the two main characters, even if all they were doing was going shopping or eating dinner. As they traveled around the country trying to beat their October 31st deadline, I felt as if I was on the journey with them, and what a fun journey it was.
This book was a lot of fun and I felt a little sad when it ended and I had to say goodbye to Kyna, Russ, and The Dark Man. Although the book sort of just uses Halloween as a backdrop, it still has werewolves, voodoo, straight-up black magic, zombies, and several scenes of sweet, sweet carnage. Oddly though, my favorite aspect was the relationship between the two main characters, even if all they were doing was going shopping or eating dinner. As they traveled around the country trying to beat their October 31st deadline, I felt as if I was on the journey with them, and what a fun journey it was.
February 12, 2023
This is a great little read. It starts off with a women named Kyna Rand. She delivers diamonds for her on and off again boyfriend named Bryan Douglas. She hires a bodyguard to protect her from some of Bryan's clients that she doesn't trust. The bodyguard named Cyrus becomes more then a friend to Kyna Rand. While on one of their excursions, Cyrus is bitten by a wolf. At first, he deny's and hides the fact that he is a man that now has the power to change into a wolf. He is eating meat raw, 🍖 running and jumping faster, hair all over his body, wounds healing. In short, he is a wolf. The question, can he come to grips and control this animalistic power? I am not going to tell you who or how he ends up protecting Kyna Rand, but he has a tall order infront of him. You will have to read more of the book to find out. Kyna has to learn to trust a guy who turns into a wolf to protect her.
April 12, 2019
Entertaining but about as scary as Mickey Mouse passing gas into a tuba.
October 31, 2021
This book really surprised me! Enjoyable and easy to imagine as a great 80’s/90’s John Carpenter movie.
July 17, 2016
This one was a bit of a letdown. The beginning is entirely too chaotic and all over the place. I felt as though I had started reading the second book in a series rather than a stand-alone novel. Admittedly, I didn't finish, which isn't normal for me at all. Try as I might, I just couldn't get into it. It's good to leave your readers somewhat in the dark, but that beginning was more irritating than intriguing.
November 2, 2014
As usual I didn't find this book very interesting. Voodoo can be cool I guess but not really my thing. Read if u like but I wasn't thrilled at all with it.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews