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Goblins
"They want the children!"
Someone is taking children from their homes on Roanoke Island and gruesomely slaughtering their families.
After a small, hideous-looking creature is discovered at one of the murder scenes, Chief of Police Marcus Hale realizes whatever is responsible for the killings isn t even human. Hale suspects a bizarre link to the past, to the end of the 16th Century, when the island s first settlers disappeared, leaving only the word Croatoan carved into a tree.
But something far more sinister than he ever imagined is at work. And if it isn t stopped soon, the entire island s population will perish. Just like it did so many centuries ago. "
Someone is taking children from their homes on Roanoke Island and gruesomely slaughtering their families.
After a small, hideous-looking creature is discovered at one of the murder scenes, Chief of Police Marcus Hale realizes whatever is responsible for the killings isn t even human. Hale suspects a bizarre link to the past, to the end of the 16th Century, when the island s first settlers disappeared, leaving only the word Croatoan carved into a tree.
But something far more sinister than he ever imagined is at work. And if it isn t stopped soon, the entire island s population will perish. Just like it did so many centuries ago. "
- GenresHorror
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 4, 2015
8 people are currently reading
283 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
August 6, 2015
Horror After Dark is currently giving away a copy of Goblins here:
http://www.horrorafterdark.com/2015/0...
And my friend and colleague, Paul, reviewed it here:
http://www.horrorafterdark.com/2015/0...
This book was a lot of fun! Just looking at that cover, you know you're going to be in for a good time. The goblins in the book are a LOT scarier than that rather tame fellow you're looking at now.
The best way to describe this book is B-Movie fun. We've got our historical setting-Roanoke Island. (Best remembered for its colony of missing folk. Mr. Bernstein answers the age old question of whatever happened to them, and the answer is not pretty.) We have a group of children as targets. We have lots of gory, inventive deaths and a sheriff as a humble hero, just trying to save lives. All the B movie pieces are here, so let the fun begin!
My one problem with this story was the pacing. For the most part, we jumped from one gory scene to another, (which is fine,and what I expected and enjoyed most about the book, because these scenes were extremely creative and imaginative and I admire that!), but preceding just about every one of them was a bunch of background information. To me, this slowed down the action. I normally like well developed characters, but in a Creature Feature type of book, not so much. I felt like I was wasting time learning about them because they were just going to die anyway. Other than that rather small irritation, this book was a boatload of fun!
Recommended to fans of Creature Features and B Grade Movies!
*I received a free e-copy of Goblins in exchange for an honest review. This is it.*
http://www.horrorafterdark.com/2015/0...
And my friend and colleague, Paul, reviewed it here:
http://www.horrorafterdark.com/2015/0...
This book was a lot of fun! Just looking at that cover, you know you're going to be in for a good time. The goblins in the book are a LOT scarier than that rather tame fellow you're looking at now.
The best way to describe this book is B-Movie fun. We've got our historical setting-Roanoke Island. (Best remembered for its colony of missing folk. Mr. Bernstein answers the age old question of whatever happened to them, and the answer is not pretty.) We have a group of children as targets. We have lots of gory, inventive deaths and a sheriff as a humble hero, just trying to save lives. All the B movie pieces are here, so let the fun begin!
My one problem with this story was the pacing. For the most part, we jumped from one gory scene to another, (which is fine,and what I expected and enjoyed most about the book, because these scenes were extremely creative and imaginative and I admire that!), but preceding just about every one of them was a bunch of background information. To me, this slowed down the action. I normally like well developed characters, but in a Creature Feature type of book, not so much. I felt like I was wasting time learning about them because they were just going to die anyway. Other than that rather small irritation, this book was a boatload of fun!
Recommended to fans of Creature Features and B Grade Movies!
*I received a free e-copy of Goblins in exchange for an honest review. This is it.*
August 3, 2015
Starting with a young adolescent striking out the best hitter in their little league, David Bernstein takes exactly five pages to let the reader know they’re not in for a light and fluffy ride with his newest novel, Goblins. It’s at that point the winning pitcher chases a long homer hit by their coach in celebration of their victory into the woods beyond the baseball field. Once there, he runs into an odd little boy who seems to shimmer and change form … and young pitcher (whose name you definitely don’t need to know) is soon whisked away by one of the titular creatures.
Any book in which children are the target of violence could be considered to be skirting close to the line, but Brenstein nails the tone of this one, going for over-the-top gore with little sense of reality or dramatic tension. Instead, this a is a creature feature worthy of the Scy-Fy Channel treatment - provided they'd be willing to relax their standards on violence and let the director bring Bernstein's blood-soaked vision to the screen.
Any book in which children are the target of violence could be considered to be skirting close to the line, but Brenstein nails the tone of this one, going for over-the-top gore with little sense of reality or dramatic tension. Instead, this a is a creature feature worthy of the Scy-Fy Channel treatment – provided they’d be willing to relax their standards on violence and let the director bring Bernstein’s blood-soaked vision to the screen.
Bernstein does not waste time detailing a host of major characters, instead letting Chief Hale do most of the heavy lifting as he very reluctantly comes to accept that his island is under siege from something far nastier than a group of child kidnappers. In fact, Goblins isn’t shy about sharing the POV of the monsters, so the reader is never left in any doubt about what is going on and why – regardless of how ridiculous the Goblin King’s plans are and the numerous plot contrivances which exist to bring some order to a story that threatens to spin out of control at almost every turn. But don’t get me wrong. This is a gleeful kind of chaos, and Bernstein clearly revels in dispatching his host of barely sketched in characters in all manner of gruesome ways. Hollowed out skulls, randomly discarded intestines and eyes being eaten for power are just some of the treats in store for the reader once the goblins get stuck into the human population.
If I have a complaint, it’s with the structure of Goblins. Too many times Bernstein flashes back out of the action to fill in a character’s backstory when it is already wildly apparent that said character is not going to last more than a few pages. To my mind, the story would have been strengthened had the characters been sketched in early in the piece and allowed to grow a little more before being thrown into the veritable meat-grinder. It might have slowed the pace of the opening half of the novel, but the back half would have been incredibly awesome …
That gripe aside, there is a great deal of fun to be had here. The pace is fast, the action entertaining, and the gore … let’s just summarise that it is plentiful and ask those with a sensitive disposition to stay away. Bernstein’s prose is also generally slick and readily consumable, even if it is clear the man has a cog or two loose.
But isn’t that exactly what we want in a horror writer?
4 Head’s Spiked onto Bedhead Posts for Goblins.
Originally posted at Horror After Dark, the preceding was based on an advanced copy of the book provided by the author in exchange for an honest review, which you have now read.
Any book in which children are the target of violence could be considered to be skirting close to the line, but Brenstein nails the tone of this one, going for over-the-top gore with little sense of reality or dramatic tension. Instead, this a is a creature feature worthy of the Scy-Fy Channel treatment - provided they'd be willing to relax their standards on violence and let the director bring Bernstein's blood-soaked vision to the screen.
Any book in which children are the target of violence could be considered to be skirting close to the line, but Brenstein nails the tone of this one, going for over-the-top gore with little sense of reality or dramatic tension. Instead, this a is a creature feature worthy of the Scy-Fy Channel treatment – provided they’d be willing to relax their standards on violence and let the director bring Bernstein’s blood-soaked vision to the screen.
Bernstein does not waste time detailing a host of major characters, instead letting Chief Hale do most of the heavy lifting as he very reluctantly comes to accept that his island is under siege from something far nastier than a group of child kidnappers. In fact, Goblins isn’t shy about sharing the POV of the monsters, so the reader is never left in any doubt about what is going on and why – regardless of how ridiculous the Goblin King’s plans are and the numerous plot contrivances which exist to bring some order to a story that threatens to spin out of control at almost every turn. But don’t get me wrong. This is a gleeful kind of chaos, and Bernstein clearly revels in dispatching his host of barely sketched in characters in all manner of gruesome ways. Hollowed out skulls, randomly discarded intestines and eyes being eaten for power are just some of the treats in store for the reader once the goblins get stuck into the human population.
If I have a complaint, it’s with the structure of Goblins. Too many times Bernstein flashes back out of the action to fill in a character’s backstory when it is already wildly apparent that said character is not going to last more than a few pages. To my mind, the story would have been strengthened had the characters been sketched in early in the piece and allowed to grow a little more before being thrown into the veritable meat-grinder. It might have slowed the pace of the opening half of the novel, but the back half would have been incredibly awesome …
That gripe aside, there is a great deal of fun to be had here. The pace is fast, the action entertaining, and the gore … let’s just summarise that it is plentiful and ask those with a sensitive disposition to stay away. Bernstein’s prose is also generally slick and readily consumable, even if it is clear the man has a cog or two loose.
But isn’t that exactly what we want in a horror writer?
4 Head’s Spiked onto Bedhead Posts for Goblins.
Originally posted at Horror After Dark, the preceding was based on an advanced copy of the book provided by the author in exchange for an honest review, which you have now read.
July 28, 2015
Review copy
David Berstein makes his home in NYC and is likely hard at work on his next novel. David writes all kinds of horror, from hair-raising ghost stories to gore-filled slashers to adventure-filled apocalyptic tales of terror. Recent works include The Unhinged, Witch Island, and Apartment 7C.
His latest book, Goblins, is a genuine monster fest featuring...are you ready for it? GOBLINS. I don't think you can call that a spoiler since it's the title and there's a nice picture of one right there on the cover.
From the opening page of this book, I knew I was in for a treat and Bernstein did not disappoint. Of course, this is one of those stories which requires the reader to suspend their disbelief, but if you can do that and you love gruesome, over-the-top horror then be ready for a wonderfully disgusting read.
If you were paying attention in middle school history, you may remember the story of The Lost Colony of Roanoke Island. Over thirty years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, a group of 117 weary men, women and children waded ashore and made history on Roanoke Island in July 1587, establishing the first permanent settlement of its kind in the Americas. Shortly after arriving John White departed for England promising to return with more supplies. It was the last time he would ever see his family. He returned three years later only to find the settlement deserted, plundered and surrounded by overgrown brush. On one of the palisades, he found the single word "CROATOAN" carved into the surface. To this day, the mystery remains unsolved, but David Bernstein has some ideas on the matter.
Filled with stomach-churning prose that should not be read during or shortly following mealtime, Goblins contains numerous visceral images. The stuff nightmares are made of. And once again try not to get attached to any of the characters in the story. It's like everyone in a David Bernstein novel has a wardrobe loaded with red shirts.
Published by Samhain horror, Goblins is available in both paperback and e-book formats.
Totally recommended.
David Berstein makes his home in NYC and is likely hard at work on his next novel. David writes all kinds of horror, from hair-raising ghost stories to gore-filled slashers to adventure-filled apocalyptic tales of terror. Recent works include The Unhinged, Witch Island, and Apartment 7C.
His latest book, Goblins, is a genuine monster fest featuring...are you ready for it? GOBLINS. I don't think you can call that a spoiler since it's the title and there's a nice picture of one right there on the cover.
From the opening page of this book, I knew I was in for a treat and Bernstein did not disappoint. Of course, this is one of those stories which requires the reader to suspend their disbelief, but if you can do that and you love gruesome, over-the-top horror then be ready for a wonderfully disgusting read.
If you were paying attention in middle school history, you may remember the story of The Lost Colony of Roanoke Island. Over thirty years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, a group of 117 weary men, women and children waded ashore and made history on Roanoke Island in July 1587, establishing the first permanent settlement of its kind in the Americas. Shortly after arriving John White departed for England promising to return with more supplies. It was the last time he would ever see his family. He returned three years later only to find the settlement deserted, plundered and surrounded by overgrown brush. On one of the palisades, he found the single word "CROATOAN" carved into the surface. To this day, the mystery remains unsolved, but David Bernstein has some ideas on the matter.
Filled with stomach-churning prose that should not be read during or shortly following mealtime, Goblins contains numerous visceral images. The stuff nightmares are made of. And once again try not to get attached to any of the characters in the story. It's like everyone in a David Bernstein novel has a wardrobe loaded with red shirts.
Published by Samhain horror, Goblins is available in both paperback and e-book formats.
Totally recommended.
August 8, 2015
A copy of Goblins was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author David Bernstein via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Samhain.
So David Bernstein is lucky enough to have two books coming out within a month of each other with two different publishers. I have just finished his other book Skinner and the review is written. I decided to read this one straight away after enjoying Skinner so much. I was hoping for more of the same. I think this one is better!
Marcus Hale is Chief of Police on Roanoke Island. He moved here for a quiet life after a messy divorce and a disaster on his last case as a detective. His career so far on this sleepy island has been just that, sleepy.
Children start to disappear. The pattern is always the same. Shortly after they disappear, their parents are brutally murdered. Butchered would be a better description. When Hale and some of his men stake out the house of the current victims to try and catch the murderers in the act, it all goes horribly wrong when the murderers turn up. They don’t appear to be human. Although he can’t believe it, they appear to be Goblins.
According to the town drunk, this is connected to something that happened in the 16th century and if it isn’t stopped, the lives of every single person on the island are in danger. Hale has to firstly try and believe what he is being told then secondly, try and keep his men alive as they try to defeat the ancient evil.
Whenever I pick up a horror book this is exactly what I want. A scary story with monsters running amok and killing everyone in sight and it’s all connected to an ancient evil that plans to destroy the world. That’s all I’m going to give you on the story. It’s not as straight forward as that and has a couple of nice twists in it to keep your interest up so don’t think for one minute it’s a boring old plot.
Characters wise you have all the classics. It’s a small island so everyone knows each other. It’s a small police force led by a well-respected Police Chief who seems to know what he is doing and runs a tight ship. Marcus Hale is a born leader and his officers all fit in well with him. You have the town drunk that every town has. Everyone knows his story. He doesn’t bother anyone. Just likes to drink. You have a host of other people in the background. You don’t hear a lot about them but you know they are there. The only thing that connects them all is the fact that none of them have any idea what is about to happen and worse still, how to deal with it.
This is a pretty fast paced story. There are no big gaps with character building scenes apart from with Hale. You don’t need to know anything else about anyone else because it won’t affect the story. This is something I have noticed before with Mr Bernstein and something that I really like about his writing. He doesn’t write words for the sake of writing words. He tells the story as it needs to be told with no frills.
I know I say this a lot and may even have mentioned it in my review of Skinner, but, remember the old ‘80’s horror flicks? The ones with the monsters that no one knows about but have been in the background for years, just hiding, biding their time until everything was in place to strike? This book could be a script for one of those films. It is perfect. It has every element that sort of story needs and has them to perfect proportions.
The monsters in this, the Goblins, will scare the crap out of you. Correction – the way David Bernstein writes them will scare the crap out of you. He has the ability to make your skin crawl as soon as you know they are coming because you know what they are capable of and how they act. They are brutal. They don’t just kill people. They annihilate them. You may not want to be eating while reading this book. In fact, just don’t.
David Bernstein has a writing style that I can’t help but love. You don’t have to try to get into his stories. You just slide into them from the very first page. The words flow very easily across all the pages from start to finish. He has mastered the art of writing horror that scares you very easily, keeps you gripped to the very end and leaves you begging for more when the story is finished. This one reminds me of Ronald Kelly’s Fear or The Wicked by James Newman. It has the small town horror story feel that just works so so well.
To summarise: old skool horror that keeps the adrenaline flowing from start to finish. It has monsters. It has jump out of your seat moments a plenty. It has blood, guts, gore and more blood. It has that special element that makes you want to hide behind a cushion while you read. It makes you very sad when it ends purely because you want it to go on and on and on. Straight out of the ‘80’s this is one you do not want to miss. I absolutely loved it.
General rating:
★★★★★ Perfect.
Horror rating:
★★★★★ Perfect.
So David Bernstein is lucky enough to have two books coming out within a month of each other with two different publishers. I have just finished his other book Skinner and the review is written. I decided to read this one straight away after enjoying Skinner so much. I was hoping for more of the same. I think this one is better!
Marcus Hale is Chief of Police on Roanoke Island. He moved here for a quiet life after a messy divorce and a disaster on his last case as a detective. His career so far on this sleepy island has been just that, sleepy.
Children start to disappear. The pattern is always the same. Shortly after they disappear, their parents are brutally murdered. Butchered would be a better description. When Hale and some of his men stake out the house of the current victims to try and catch the murderers in the act, it all goes horribly wrong when the murderers turn up. They don’t appear to be human. Although he can’t believe it, they appear to be Goblins.
According to the town drunk, this is connected to something that happened in the 16th century and if it isn’t stopped, the lives of every single person on the island are in danger. Hale has to firstly try and believe what he is being told then secondly, try and keep his men alive as they try to defeat the ancient evil.
Whenever I pick up a horror book this is exactly what I want. A scary story with monsters running amok and killing everyone in sight and it’s all connected to an ancient evil that plans to destroy the world. That’s all I’m going to give you on the story. It’s not as straight forward as that and has a couple of nice twists in it to keep your interest up so don’t think for one minute it’s a boring old plot.
Characters wise you have all the classics. It’s a small island so everyone knows each other. It’s a small police force led by a well-respected Police Chief who seems to know what he is doing and runs a tight ship. Marcus Hale is a born leader and his officers all fit in well with him. You have the town drunk that every town has. Everyone knows his story. He doesn’t bother anyone. Just likes to drink. You have a host of other people in the background. You don’t hear a lot about them but you know they are there. The only thing that connects them all is the fact that none of them have any idea what is about to happen and worse still, how to deal with it.
This is a pretty fast paced story. There are no big gaps with character building scenes apart from with Hale. You don’t need to know anything else about anyone else because it won’t affect the story. This is something I have noticed before with Mr Bernstein and something that I really like about his writing. He doesn’t write words for the sake of writing words. He tells the story as it needs to be told with no frills.
I know I say this a lot and may even have mentioned it in my review of Skinner, but, remember the old ‘80’s horror flicks? The ones with the monsters that no one knows about but have been in the background for years, just hiding, biding their time until everything was in place to strike? This book could be a script for one of those films. It is perfect. It has every element that sort of story needs and has them to perfect proportions.
The monsters in this, the Goblins, will scare the crap out of you. Correction – the way David Bernstein writes them will scare the crap out of you. He has the ability to make your skin crawl as soon as you know they are coming because you know what they are capable of and how they act. They are brutal. They don’t just kill people. They annihilate them. You may not want to be eating while reading this book. In fact, just don’t.
David Bernstein has a writing style that I can’t help but love. You don’t have to try to get into his stories. You just slide into them from the very first page. The words flow very easily across all the pages from start to finish. He has mastered the art of writing horror that scares you very easily, keeps you gripped to the very end and leaves you begging for more when the story is finished. This one reminds me of Ronald Kelly’s Fear or The Wicked by James Newman. It has the small town horror story feel that just works so so well.
To summarise: old skool horror that keeps the adrenaline flowing from start to finish. It has monsters. It has jump out of your seat moments a plenty. It has blood, guts, gore and more blood. It has that special element that makes you want to hide behind a cushion while you read. It makes you very sad when it ends purely because you want it to go on and on and on. Straight out of the ‘80’s this is one you do not want to miss. I absolutely loved it.
General rating:
★★★★★ Perfect.
Horror rating:
★★★★★ Perfect.
September 28, 2025
In the early to mid-2010s, David Bernstein dropped a slew of books on the indie horror market through a host of publishers, including my two favorites at the time — DarkFuse and Samhain. And after a 3-4 year run, poof, the well dried up. I talked to him a few times during this period, and he was always a very personable, likable guy, one that you rooted for to succeed. Why the disappearing act? That I don’t know. DarkFuse imploded. Samhain did the same. Life happens sometimes. I sure hope he gets the itch again, because I always thought he was one of the better indie horror writers of the era. A hidden gem. Even when a story of his isn’t exactly in my wheelhouse, you can’t fault the writing. I’ll explain.
In Goblins, Chicago detective Marcus Hale relocates to take over as the police chief of Roanoke Island. A case gone bad in the Windy City leaves Marcus without a wife, family, and suffering from a serious case of PTSD. A change of scenery seems like the only answer to get his life back on track. And it works…for a while. Children start coming up missing and in their wake, their parents are brutally slaughtered a couple of days later. Hale tries desperately to keep a lid on the grisly case in order not to incite a panic, but the identity of the killer turns out to be more terrifying than the heinous crimes themselves. Roanoke Island has a history. A bloody one. And the culprits have green skin, razor-sharp claws and fangs, and a taste for human flesh, and aren’t of this world.
Bernstein melds fantasy with the carnage of a murder mystery. The writing is solid, but the style and subject matter didn’t work for me the way I’d hoped. Again, this is more a “me” problem than an “it” problem. Stories that have a high body count with page after page splattered with blood tend to leave me a bit numb. This has always been a thing with me when I read extreme horror. While I enjoy it, I prefer to have a bit more character development to make me care about their deaths rather than racking up a death total. But if that’s your thing, and I know it is for a good number of horror readers, Goblins would do nicely to scratch that itch.
3 Plucked Out Eyeballs out of 5
In Goblins, Chicago detective Marcus Hale relocates to take over as the police chief of Roanoke Island. A case gone bad in the Windy City leaves Marcus without a wife, family, and suffering from a serious case of PTSD. A change of scenery seems like the only answer to get his life back on track. And it works…for a while. Children start coming up missing and in their wake, their parents are brutally slaughtered a couple of days later. Hale tries desperately to keep a lid on the grisly case in order not to incite a panic, but the identity of the killer turns out to be more terrifying than the heinous crimes themselves. Roanoke Island has a history. A bloody one. And the culprits have green skin, razor-sharp claws and fangs, and a taste for human flesh, and aren’t of this world.
Bernstein melds fantasy with the carnage of a murder mystery. The writing is solid, but the style and subject matter didn’t work for me the way I’d hoped. Again, this is more a “me” problem than an “it” problem. Stories that have a high body count with page after page splattered with blood tend to leave me a bit numb. This has always been a thing with me when I read extreme horror. While I enjoy it, I prefer to have a bit more character development to make me care about their deaths rather than racking up a death total. But if that’s your thing, and I know it is for a good number of horror readers, Goblins would do nicely to scratch that itch.
3 Plucked Out Eyeballs out of 5
July 28, 2015
In reading Goblins by David Bernstein, a strange word kept creeping up in my mind…Fun. In the horror genre it is not always the first word that comes to mind when a reviewer places those words on paper. Creepy, scary, shocking, etc. Reviewers of horror literature tend to gravitate to words like that. But fun? Why not? After all what many non-horror readers do not get is that Horror with a capital H may be an escape, a way to face our fears, a way to illuminate the dark aspects of our existence but it is always meant to be entertaining. And sometimes it is just fun.
That is how I see David Bernstein. He is a fun writer. In his last work Skinner he took an old horror movie cliche and put his own roller coaster spin on it. In Goblins, he throws together a couple of ideas. First he introduces us to an old fairytale stalwart and ups the ante. He then adds a twist with an explanation involving Roanoke Island and its mysterious phrase, “Croatoan” giving us a new version of an historical mystery. And it is all fun.
Goblins starts out innocently enough at a Little League baseball game. So much so that I got the idea I may be reading a young adult novel. That thought is quickly dispelled when one of the players goes into the woods to find a lost ball and disappears. It only gets creepier as the missing boy, or perhaps a different version of that boy, returns home to murder his parents. Small town sheriff Marcus Hale suspects something more insidious than a missing boy and a murder and as the murders escalate he discovers he is correct. Asides from having an imaginative and offbeat plot, the author does something else that is admirable, he gives us an involving and realistic protagonist in Sheriff Hale, a man who came to a small town from Chicago to escape the big city complexities of law enforcement only to be thrown into something worst. In a fast paced horror novel it is good to have a character that anchors it and keeps you caring.
The other strength is the goblins themselves. Bernstein’s goblins turn out to be a form of twisted fairy tale creature that owe more to Edward Lee than The Brothers Grimm. They are revolting, terrifying and demonic. We eventually get the back story from an unlikely sort and it weaves the rest of the novel together. The tie-in to Roanoke is a bit far-fetched yet credible enough for a fantastical horror tale. It was not something I felt was essential to the telling. Yet in the long run it did add an extra dimension.
Overall, Goblins is an enjoyable scary read that will entertain and perhaps keep a few lights on all night. It is not an intense read nor a heavy handed psychological horror novel. No new territory is claimed here but old territory is gloriously expanded. Both Skinner and Goblins seem like lead candidates for movie options since they have that non-stop action feel. Of the two, I think Goblins is the more successful if only because the author takes more risks in it. Goblins is a funhouse of a novel. Sometimes that is not only enough but exactly what we need. David Bernstein means to scare us and entertain us with his scary books and he may be the best writer around to do exactly that.
That is how I see David Bernstein. He is a fun writer. In his last work Skinner he took an old horror movie cliche and put his own roller coaster spin on it. In Goblins, he throws together a couple of ideas. First he introduces us to an old fairytale stalwart and ups the ante. He then adds a twist with an explanation involving Roanoke Island and its mysterious phrase, “Croatoan” giving us a new version of an historical mystery. And it is all fun.
Goblins starts out innocently enough at a Little League baseball game. So much so that I got the idea I may be reading a young adult novel. That thought is quickly dispelled when one of the players goes into the woods to find a lost ball and disappears. It only gets creepier as the missing boy, or perhaps a different version of that boy, returns home to murder his parents. Small town sheriff Marcus Hale suspects something more insidious than a missing boy and a murder and as the murders escalate he discovers he is correct. Asides from having an imaginative and offbeat plot, the author does something else that is admirable, he gives us an involving and realistic protagonist in Sheriff Hale, a man who came to a small town from Chicago to escape the big city complexities of law enforcement only to be thrown into something worst. In a fast paced horror novel it is good to have a character that anchors it and keeps you caring.
The other strength is the goblins themselves. Bernstein’s goblins turn out to be a form of twisted fairy tale creature that owe more to Edward Lee than The Brothers Grimm. They are revolting, terrifying and demonic. We eventually get the back story from an unlikely sort and it weaves the rest of the novel together. The tie-in to Roanoke is a bit far-fetched yet credible enough for a fantastical horror tale. It was not something I felt was essential to the telling. Yet in the long run it did add an extra dimension.
Overall, Goblins is an enjoyable scary read that will entertain and perhaps keep a few lights on all night. It is not an intense read nor a heavy handed psychological horror novel. No new territory is claimed here but old territory is gloriously expanded. Both Skinner and Goblins seem like lead candidates for movie options since they have that non-stop action feel. Of the two, I think Goblins is the more successful if only because the author takes more risks in it. Goblins is a funhouse of a novel. Sometimes that is not only enough but exactly what we need. David Bernstein means to scare us and entertain us with his scary books and he may be the best writer around to do exactly that.
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August 4, 2015As a monster lover, Goblins was right in my sweet spot. Gory, action-packed fun that was as relentless as...well, a pissed off goblin. Who knew these little beasties could be so evil? David Bernstein knocked it out of the park with this one. Now I want more!
August 18, 2015
This one is a fast paced bloody goblin mucus and bodily fluid mess. And that was a compliment. A bit uneven in parts, but nonetheless a good time monster romp from Mr. Bernstein. 3.5 Stars.
January 16, 2016
Bernstein hits another home run with GOBLINS, his newest release from Samhain Publications. These creatures are sure to please the horror loving reader with ghoulish, chilling ways.
Dave blends the history of Roanoake Island with the devilish beasties for the most creative book I've read this year. Put it at the top of your to be read list. It's a winner!
Samhain provided me a pre-release copy in exchange for a review.
Dave blends the history of Roanoake Island with the devilish beasties for the most creative book I've read this year. Put it at the top of your to be read list. It's a winner!
Samhain provided me a pre-release copy in exchange for a review.
August 7, 2015
Review from horrorunderground.org
Goblins (2015)
Samhain Publishing
Author: David Bernstein
Building upon the myth and speculative history surrounding the very real disappearance of “The Lost Colony”, Goblins, the new book from author David Bernstein, reveals the mystery behind what happened to the Roanoke Colony. Most of us remember reading about this mysterious event in United States history when we were in grade school. The colony, being the first permanent settlement in the Americas, vanished with nothing to be found aside from a single skeleton and the word “CROATOAN" carved on a fence post. While the disappearance continues to remain a mystery, Bernstein sets out to give his horrific slant on this interesting piece of history.
Despite being tied to the Roanoke Colony, Goblins starts and takes place during present time. Children on Roanoke Island are disappearing. Even worse, someone or something, is killing the parents of the missing children. Following the events of a stakeout gone wrong, a little, green goblin is revealed to be a culprit in the disappearances and murders. Chief of Police Marcus Hale is left with an investigation that spans back into the 16th Century and could lead to the death of everyone on the island.
"Scraping noises filled his ears. Nail on bone. He knew it was the creature’s claws raking against the inside of his wife’s skull, cleaning it out and wanting every last morsel, like a kid running a spoon around the inside of a emptied cake batter bowl."
Having read some of David Bernstein’s previous work, Skinner being the most recent, he has a penchant for writing twisted gore that burns deep into your memory. Goblins is no exception. The violence comes on so fast and is written with a visceral feel that makes you pull away from the book. Goblins is stacked with violence, violence that is always unique and never gets repetitive. These Goblins are no Gremlins. They, along with the Goblin King, are disgusting and brutal creatures. They kill and feast in heaps of dead bodies.
One of my favorite things about Bernstein’s writing is his pacing. Every book feels like a snappy script that has no lulls. Between kills, we learn about the history of Roanoke Island and the origin of the Goblin King. Every other moment is just a set up to the next big event and it flows perfectly. All of the world building and character development is told effortlessly and pays off in a huge way by the time the book wraps.
On a side note, in case no one mentions it. The reference to Kristopher Rufty had me smiling. Not only is Rufty a great horror writer himself, he co-wrote Jackpot, one of my all-time favorite novels, along with Bernstein, Shane McKenzie, and Adam Cesare. Fun little moment there for horror literature geeks such as myself.
Goblins is scary as hell. This is a fun novel that pulls no punches and holds nothing back. Bernstein is never afraid to go to the places that most would avoid. Just when you think someone or someplace is safe, Bernstein will remind you how horror should be: fun and exciting.
Goblins (2015)
Samhain Publishing
Author: David Bernstein
Building upon the myth and speculative history surrounding the very real disappearance of “The Lost Colony”, Goblins, the new book from author David Bernstein, reveals the mystery behind what happened to the Roanoke Colony. Most of us remember reading about this mysterious event in United States history when we were in grade school. The colony, being the first permanent settlement in the Americas, vanished with nothing to be found aside from a single skeleton and the word “CROATOAN" carved on a fence post. While the disappearance continues to remain a mystery, Bernstein sets out to give his horrific slant on this interesting piece of history.
Despite being tied to the Roanoke Colony, Goblins starts and takes place during present time. Children on Roanoke Island are disappearing. Even worse, someone or something, is killing the parents of the missing children. Following the events of a stakeout gone wrong, a little, green goblin is revealed to be a culprit in the disappearances and murders. Chief of Police Marcus Hale is left with an investigation that spans back into the 16th Century and could lead to the death of everyone on the island.
"Scraping noises filled his ears. Nail on bone. He knew it was the creature’s claws raking against the inside of his wife’s skull, cleaning it out and wanting every last morsel, like a kid running a spoon around the inside of a emptied cake batter bowl."
Having read some of David Bernstein’s previous work, Skinner being the most recent, he has a penchant for writing twisted gore that burns deep into your memory. Goblins is no exception. The violence comes on so fast and is written with a visceral feel that makes you pull away from the book. Goblins is stacked with violence, violence that is always unique and never gets repetitive. These Goblins are no Gremlins. They, along with the Goblin King, are disgusting and brutal creatures. They kill and feast in heaps of dead bodies.
One of my favorite things about Bernstein’s writing is his pacing. Every book feels like a snappy script that has no lulls. Between kills, we learn about the history of Roanoke Island and the origin of the Goblin King. Every other moment is just a set up to the next big event and it flows perfectly. All of the world building and character development is told effortlessly and pays off in a huge way by the time the book wraps.
On a side note, in case no one mentions it. The reference to Kristopher Rufty had me smiling. Not only is Rufty a great horror writer himself, he co-wrote Jackpot, one of my all-time favorite novels, along with Bernstein, Shane McKenzie, and Adam Cesare. Fun little moment there for horror literature geeks such as myself.
Goblins is scary as hell. This is a fun novel that pulls no punches and holds nothing back. Bernstein is never afraid to go to the places that most would avoid. Just when you think someone or someplace is safe, Bernstein will remind you how horror should be: fun and exciting.
June 10, 2015
Gory, gruesome, gripping. This latest from David Bernstein hits all the horror high notes.
David delvers some excellent, creative world building in his portrayal of the Goblin King and his underground empire. Then he seamlessly joins that to the historical event of the disappearance of the Roanoke Colony in 1520.
The goblins themselves, scaly green creatures with vicious claws and teeth, are intensely horrific, but even more so when they assume the guise of the children they once were.
No character is safe and this story has a high body count, so you’ll be on the edge of your seat wondering who will survive until you turn the last page. No David Bernstein fan should miss this book.
I received an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.
David delvers some excellent, creative world building in his portrayal of the Goblin King and his underground empire. Then he seamlessly joins that to the historical event of the disappearance of the Roanoke Colony in 1520.
The goblins themselves, scaly green creatures with vicious claws and teeth, are intensely horrific, but even more so when they assume the guise of the children they once were.
No character is safe and this story has a high body count, so you’ll be on the edge of your seat wondering who will survive until you turn the last page. No David Bernstein fan should miss this book.
I received an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.
April 16, 2019
Jacob is an ordinary kid with nothing more important on his mind than how well he'll play in a local baseball game, until he runs into the woods to retrieve a ball. When he doesn't return, his coach goes to search and finds disturbing evidence of a struggle that leads him to bring in the police.
This was a predictable story and the author digressed into individual character back stories too much in the early chapters. The writing itself was engaging and kept the story moving forward despite the sidetracks. There is some pretty gross graphic violence and disturbing themes like dealing with kidnapped and murdered children.
The one thing that began to make me lose interest was the mixed mythology, equating the goblin world with Satan and Hell. If you want an evil goblin king, fine. If you want to write about Satan, fine. But they come from different cultural beliefs so mixing them just dilutes the horror. Goblin mythology leaves a lot of room for imagination so why fall back on common Hell tropes?
The violence goes well into the gratuitous at times and by the ninth chapter the believability was developing a serious wobble. It also became repetitive with the goblin attacks following the same pattern every time. It was fairly engaging in the early chapters, but became tedious as the pages moved on. The ending was a good twist though. I hope it's left as it is and not a jump off for a sequel.
This was a predictable story and the author digressed into individual character back stories too much in the early chapters. The writing itself was engaging and kept the story moving forward despite the sidetracks. There is some pretty gross graphic violence and disturbing themes like dealing with kidnapped and murdered children.
The one thing that began to make me lose interest was the mixed mythology, equating the goblin world with Satan and Hell. If you want an evil goblin king, fine. If you want to write about Satan, fine. But they come from different cultural beliefs so mixing them just dilutes the horror. Goblin mythology leaves a lot of room for imagination so why fall back on common Hell tropes?
The violence goes well into the gratuitous at times and by the ninth chapter the believability was developing a serious wobble. It also became repetitive with the goblin attacks following the same pattern every time. It was fairly engaging in the early chapters, but became tedious as the pages moved on. The ending was a good twist though. I hope it's left as it is and not a jump off for a sequel.
June 30, 2020
I have read David's books before but this one was one of his best ever. Absolutely loved it and what a ride. Read it.
August 5, 2015
When I first read the title of author David Bernstein’s latest offering, GOBLINS, I wondered if he had taken a foray into Dungeons & Dragons territory. D&D is the first thing that pops into my head when I hear terms like ‘ogres’, ‘goblins’, and such. But when I saw the cover of the book, I knew fantasy was not where it was headed. I had questions, though: Could goblins truly be terrifying? Would they be hokey rather than scary? Did Bernstein make a mistake with this book? Thankfully, the doubts in my questions were unfounded. With GOBLINS, Bernstein creates a new mold in which to cast his horrific creations.
I will admit I did not like this book as much as some of Bernstein’s previous works, but it’s a nice feather in his cap regardless.
GOBLINS is written well, in Bernstein’s signature style. The story flows at a nice, even pace, and the exposition is not overly drawn out. This aspect of his writing style is one of the major draws for me; he focuses more on the story and lets the reader paint a mental picture of the details.
The characters are well thought out and believable. Most could be folks right out of our own hometowns. The goblins are vicious and horrific, demonic hellspawn that are nasty antagonists for the story. I particularly like the goblins’ origin story. I’m not sure if it is based on fact or if Bernstein made it up, but the story certainly makes the creatures more credible and thus, more terrifying.
GOBLINS is good, old fashion horror fun. It is gory, gruesome, and chocked full of horrifying scenarios. The historical tie-in to a well-known mystery is also a nice addition. I recommend giving GOBLINS a look, but don’t expect any wand-wielding wizards in this story…the only fantasy involved here is the one where the goblins dream of bathing on your blood…
The book is available now in a variety of formats.
I will admit I did not like this book as much as some of Bernstein’s previous works, but it’s a nice feather in his cap regardless.
GOBLINS is written well, in Bernstein’s signature style. The story flows at a nice, even pace, and the exposition is not overly drawn out. This aspect of his writing style is one of the major draws for me; he focuses more on the story and lets the reader paint a mental picture of the details.
The characters are well thought out and believable. Most could be folks right out of our own hometowns. The goblins are vicious and horrific, demonic hellspawn that are nasty antagonists for the story. I particularly like the goblins’ origin story. I’m not sure if it is based on fact or if Bernstein made it up, but the story certainly makes the creatures more credible and thus, more terrifying.
GOBLINS is good, old fashion horror fun. It is gory, gruesome, and chocked full of horrifying scenarios. The historical tie-in to a well-known mystery is also a nice addition. I recommend giving GOBLINS a look, but don’t expect any wand-wielding wizards in this story…the only fantasy involved here is the one where the goblins dream of bathing on your blood…
The book is available now in a variety of formats.
August 13, 2015
Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/features...
In Goblins, the horror starts from the first five pages, and from then on, it’s a never-ending, gore-filled ride of creepy twists and turns that, if it doesn’t manage to creep you out, at least manages to make you lose your appetite. What starts with an innocent baseball game soon turns into a murder on a little boy, and to a group of goblin-nasties invading the nearby town. Everyone is on high alert but police is in the dark about what exactly they’re fighting, until one resident realizes the goblins are a blast from the past, and that if they’re not stopped, the whole town’s population will disappear the way they did centuries ago.
Chief Hale, one of the police officers, is the storyteller for most of the time. He’s a no-nonsense type of guy forced into a horrible situation. We don’t get a lot of background on him, but that doesn’t matter much as the focus is on the action and on whatever horrific is going to happen next. However, at times when the character’s background is explained, this often coincides with the action sequences, which doesn’t always work well. Especially toward the end where it’s obvious some characters won’t survive and yet the author still dives into their backstory, it made me skip a few paragraphs, if not pages, to get back to the action.
This book’s main quality isn’t the creep factor, but the gore. Since the horror is immediate, there’s no real fear to be felt, but the gore is described in graphic detail and it works well. The end result is a fun blood fest of a book, featuring goblins.
In Goblins, the horror starts from the first five pages, and from then on, it’s a never-ending, gore-filled ride of creepy twists and turns that, if it doesn’t manage to creep you out, at least manages to make you lose your appetite. What starts with an innocent baseball game soon turns into a murder on a little boy, and to a group of goblin-nasties invading the nearby town. Everyone is on high alert but police is in the dark about what exactly they’re fighting, until one resident realizes the goblins are a blast from the past, and that if they’re not stopped, the whole town’s population will disappear the way they did centuries ago.
Chief Hale, one of the police officers, is the storyteller for most of the time. He’s a no-nonsense type of guy forced into a horrible situation. We don’t get a lot of background on him, but that doesn’t matter much as the focus is on the action and on whatever horrific is going to happen next. However, at times when the character’s background is explained, this often coincides with the action sequences, which doesn’t always work well. Especially toward the end where it’s obvious some characters won’t survive and yet the author still dives into their backstory, it made me skip a few paragraphs, if not pages, to get back to the action.
This book’s main quality isn’t the creep factor, but the gore. Since the horror is immediate, there’s no real fear to be felt, but the gore is described in graphic detail and it works well. The end result is a fun blood fest of a book, featuring goblins.
October 20, 2015
(I won this copy of Goblins in a Goodreads giveaway)
Just as scary as the creature on the cover looks(I had to turn the book over at night so the goblin wasn’t looking at me), this book starts out with a terror filled start and the horror and gore doesn’t stop! As a lover of horror stories…the ones that scare the daylights out of you, I found myself getting more and more creeped out as I read along! Being honest here, I had a lot of lights on in the house and even slept with one on after I made sure all the windows and doors were locked and there were no green, slimy creatures under my bed! This story has it all! Victims, blood, guts, a lot more blood, bodies or I should say…parts of bodies and yes…more blood!!! The gobins that Mr. Berstein has created are very scary and terrifying creatures that make sure no one is safe in this little town…not even the police! When a book gives me the willies such as this one did, I know it’s been a good one. This is definitely a book to read if you are a lover horror stories. If by chance blood and gore isn’t what you like in a book then I would recommend not reading it because that is what makes this book so terrifying along with the descriptive words that the author uses to describe each scene is…well, let’s just say I was sorry I read part of it while eating my lunch and that was not a good idea!
Just as scary as the creature on the cover looks(I had to turn the book over at night so the goblin wasn’t looking at me), this book starts out with a terror filled start and the horror and gore doesn’t stop! As a lover of horror stories…the ones that scare the daylights out of you, I found myself getting more and more creeped out as I read along! Being honest here, I had a lot of lights on in the house and even slept with one on after I made sure all the windows and doors were locked and there were no green, slimy creatures under my bed! This story has it all! Victims, blood, guts, a lot more blood, bodies or I should say…parts of bodies and yes…more blood!!! The gobins that Mr. Berstein has created are very scary and terrifying creatures that make sure no one is safe in this little town…not even the police! When a book gives me the willies such as this one did, I know it’s been a good one. This is definitely a book to read if you are a lover horror stories. If by chance blood and gore isn’t what you like in a book then I would recommend not reading it because that is what makes this book so terrifying along with the descriptive words that the author uses to describe each scene is…well, let’s just say I was sorry I read part of it while eating my lunch and that was not a good idea!
August 3, 2022
Kids being taken, lots of gore, green stuff and goblins, a good gruesome story. I’m gonna need a bunch of puppies surrounding me to bring me back to my happy place.
July 10, 2015
Goblins starts with a chapter from the point of view of an 11 year old Little League pitcher. It is written so convincingly in a YA style that I was groaning. Had I been hoodwinked in to reading a book for children? This opening works really well, setting up a story of childlike innocence only to have it brutally ripped away when the goblins arrive.
David Bernstein has written a straight forward monster story full of gut munching carnage that gore fans should be tripping over themselves to buy. An extended battle scene between the police and the goblins was my favorite part. The action is perfectly described and the atomosphere of tension and danger is beautifully realized. Goblins isn't going to change the way you think about life but it is a hell of a lot of fun to read. 4 stars, recommended for old school horror fans.
David Bernstein has written a straight forward monster story full of gut munching carnage that gore fans should be tripping over themselves to buy. An extended battle scene between the police and the goblins was my favorite part. The action is perfectly described and the atomosphere of tension and danger is beautifully realized. Goblins isn't going to change the way you think about life but it is a hell of a lot of fun to read. 4 stars, recommended for old school horror fans.
August 7, 2015
Nonstop carnage and excitement. A fun fast paced monster story. I loved the descriptions of the goblin king's lair and all the mythology of the goblins. Really cool stuff. The novel could have easily gotten by without an origin for the creatures but the original explanation for them adds an extra layer of depth to this fun as balls creature feature. it even ties into the historic Roanoke Island Croatoan mystery. This was my first book by Bernstein, and I plan to check out many more. I also was able to meet him at the Scares That Care convention and he is a super nice dude. Horror novel fans give this guy your money!
July 23, 2015
David Bernstein writes such no frills, straight forward prose that you almost can't question any of the supernatural elements of this novel. By the time he describes the goblin world, you're totally on board without any disbelief whatsoever. This novel is exactly what it needs to be: a fast-paced, non-stop, splattery ride that's fun and action packed throughout. File this one between Gremlins and Ghoulies but make sure you're ready for gruesome and inventive kills that'll make you, the reader, smile just as much as I imagine Dave smiled while writing this pulpy pile of awesomeness.
September 22, 2015
what a wonderful book. absolutely LOVED it. David, you did it again. Another keeper.
November 15, 2021
I don’t recall why this book came onto my radar, but one thing is for sure, the cover art by Lynne Hansen absolutely got my attention and practically forced myself to buy this book. Growing up, I was always a fan of watching the cheap creature movies that’d be on Showcase and Movie Central every Friday and Saturday nights here in Canada. There was always three things you could expect when watching these movies – scares, gore and gratuitous nudity. Three things this movie loving teenaged boy lived for.
This book (while lacking any nudity! ha!) reads like a movie perfectly made for those evenings. We get a small town, with a Chief of Police who escaped to live here, away from his past and his own demons and of course we get a centuries old curse on the island where a Goblin King attempts to gain enough power to return to the surface.
Going in, I wasn’t expecting much more than rapid-fire gore, brutal deaths and crazy creatures, which on that note, this book knocked it out of the park.
What I liked: The story follows along as Chief Hale tries to figure out who is taking the local kids. It’s a fairly straight forward story and I think that part works well and is what made me enjoy it as much as I did.
The action is crisp, the gore is really well done and as brutal as you’d expect and the creatures were fantastic. I loved the aspects of when certain characters would come back and how the humans were struggling to comprehend just what was going on.
One absolute highlight for me was the battle scene that took place when the police find the entrance to where the Goblins are coming from. I don’t think that’s a spoiler, considering the nature of the book, but wow, was that a fun few chapters and seeing how certain elements were introduced and specific sequences played out. Incredibly engaging.
What I didn’t like: The story attempts to have depth by having every single officer have a horribly tragic back story. It actually became tiring to know that when a new cop arrived, we’d get a chapter ending cliff hanger, only to have the next chapter be devoted to the ‘why’ of this person becoming a police officer. The attempt was to create connection and empathy but it became quickly over-used and border line comical.
As well, the climatic scene was more of fizzle, with the ending really being a few sentences long and it was done and over with, which was incredibly frustrating considering the build up we’d had leading to that moment. And I’ll add the final chapter, before the epilogue, reads like a glossed over, add-on, to wrap up the characters story arc’s.
Why you should buy this: Look, at the end of the day, I had fun with this one. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t horrible, and it had some really entertaining parts. The creature feature portion was the absolute highlight, even if the Goblin King felt horribly underutilized.
If you’re looking for a quick, snappy, action-filled read, this one will fit in nicely and make you grin more than a few times.
This book (while lacking any nudity! ha!) reads like a movie perfectly made for those evenings. We get a small town, with a Chief of Police who escaped to live here, away from his past and his own demons and of course we get a centuries old curse on the island where a Goblin King attempts to gain enough power to return to the surface.
Going in, I wasn’t expecting much more than rapid-fire gore, brutal deaths and crazy creatures, which on that note, this book knocked it out of the park.
What I liked: The story follows along as Chief Hale tries to figure out who is taking the local kids. It’s a fairly straight forward story and I think that part works well and is what made me enjoy it as much as I did.
The action is crisp, the gore is really well done and as brutal as you’d expect and the creatures were fantastic. I loved the aspects of when certain characters would come back and how the humans were struggling to comprehend just what was going on.
One absolute highlight for me was the battle scene that took place when the police find the entrance to where the Goblins are coming from. I don’t think that’s a spoiler, considering the nature of the book, but wow, was that a fun few chapters and seeing how certain elements were introduced and specific sequences played out. Incredibly engaging.
What I didn’t like: The story attempts to have depth by having every single officer have a horribly tragic back story. It actually became tiring to know that when a new cop arrived, we’d get a chapter ending cliff hanger, only to have the next chapter be devoted to the ‘why’ of this person becoming a police officer. The attempt was to create connection and empathy but it became quickly over-used and border line comical.
As well, the climatic scene was more of fizzle, with the ending really being a few sentences long and it was done and over with, which was incredibly frustrating considering the build up we’d had leading to that moment. And I’ll add the final chapter, before the epilogue, reads like a glossed over, add-on, to wrap up the characters story arc’s.
Why you should buy this: Look, at the end of the day, I had fun with this one. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t horrible, and it had some really entertaining parts. The creature feature portion was the absolute highlight, even if the Goblin King felt horribly underutilized.
If you’re looking for a quick, snappy, action-filled read, this one will fit in nicely and make you grin more than a few times.
September 3, 2022
"Scraping noises filled his ears. Nail on bone. He knew it was the creature’s claws raking against the inside of his wife’s skull, cleaning it out and wanting every last morsel..."
If passages like that turn your face green and make you want to drop the book like it's covered in goblin slime, then you're likely not the right audience for this. If, however, such details make you hungry for more, then David Bernstein has put together a damn fine meal for you to enjoy with Goblins.
History buffs and mystery buffs will remember the story of the Lost Roanoke Colony very well. In 1590, just 3 years after arriving on the island, the entire colony of 115 settlers disappeared without a trace. The only clues left behind were the words Croatoan carved into a gatepost, and Cro carved into a tree. Popular theories blame it on either disease or natural disaster, but Bernstein has a better explanation.
Goblins. More specifically, the legendary Goblin King himself.
This is a fun read with a great blend of supernatural horror and very human sorrow. Bernstein is a man who knows how to get under the skin and pull on the readers emotional strings, especially when dealing with children. We can all imagine the pain a family must endure when a child goes missing, but we can't even begin got imagine the horror of seeing that child come back . . . changed . . . and interested only in tearing you to pieces and devouring your flesh. I loved the way the kids sort of rippled, allowing their parents to glimpse the goblin beneath, just before confusion gives way to terror.
Lest you think I've spoiled the entire novel, that's really just the set-up. While Bernstein could have settled for a creepy, unexplained monster tale, he instead delves deep to the history of the island and the mythology of the Goblin King to create something deeper. There's almost an urban fantasy feel to this, in terms of how/why the town has come under siege once again, and there's are a few very real-life sort of tragedies involving children that haunt the main characters, but all of that is draped in the bloody, slime-encrusted, rotten flesh-curtains of pure horror.
Goblins is grim, it's gruesome, and it's great reading.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
If passages like that turn your face green and make you want to drop the book like it's covered in goblin slime, then you're likely not the right audience for this. If, however, such details make you hungry for more, then David Bernstein has put together a damn fine meal for you to enjoy with Goblins.
History buffs and mystery buffs will remember the story of the Lost Roanoke Colony very well. In 1590, just 3 years after arriving on the island, the entire colony of 115 settlers disappeared without a trace. The only clues left behind were the words Croatoan carved into a gatepost, and Cro carved into a tree. Popular theories blame it on either disease or natural disaster, but Bernstein has a better explanation.
Goblins. More specifically, the legendary Goblin King himself.
This is a fun read with a great blend of supernatural horror and very human sorrow. Bernstein is a man who knows how to get under the skin and pull on the readers emotional strings, especially when dealing with children. We can all imagine the pain a family must endure when a child goes missing, but we can't even begin got imagine the horror of seeing that child come back . . . changed . . . and interested only in tearing you to pieces and devouring your flesh. I loved the way the kids sort of rippled, allowing their parents to glimpse the goblin beneath, just before confusion gives way to terror.
Lest you think I've spoiled the entire novel, that's really just the set-up. While Bernstein could have settled for a creepy, unexplained monster tale, he instead delves deep to the history of the island and the mythology of the Goblin King to create something deeper. There's almost an urban fantasy feel to this, in terms of how/why the town has come under siege once again, and there's are a few very real-life sort of tragedies involving children that haunt the main characters, but all of that is draped in the bloody, slime-encrusted, rotten flesh-curtains of pure horror.
Goblins is grim, it's gruesome, and it's great reading.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
August 17, 2020
Bloody
Goblins come out to eat people. That they do in gory detail. Not for the squeamish. Plenty of action. Enjoyable characters.
Goblins come out to eat people. That they do in gory detail. Not for the squeamish. Plenty of action. Enjoyable characters.
July 25, 2015
David Bernstein’s Goblins is high action horror that bounces back and forth nicely between the fantastic and the all too real. A Little League game on Roanoke Island quickly descends into horror as the star pitcher goes missing and his parents are savagely butchered. There is green slime at the murder and abduction sites and a drunken local man with what he says are the answers to the terrible happenings. It’s a terror that dates back to the mysterious 1590 disappearance of the island’s first European inhabitants and it’s the work of goblins.
Bernstein has the knack for setting a scene that drips with normality and almost Norman Rockwell-esque Americana and then yanking it out from beneath the reader. Before I knew what was happening, I was invested emotionally in the outcome of the Little League baseball championship. And then reality shifted and goblins were eating people. The way to make horror more violent and gut-wrenching is to inflict it upon the average everyday and the author does that here with great success.
The novel is set in the quiet Roanoke Island, a tourism centered small community where most people know one another. The first missing child and his murdered parents are just the beginning of a pattern of repeated missing children and violent attacks on their parents a short time later. The story is also set, in short passages, in the realm of the goblin king. It’s a place only accessible through a magical portal located in the caves that snake under the surface of the island. While the narrative is in the realm of the goblins the history and lives of the monsters are explained and their motivations are revealed. Though little of the novel takes place there, it’s established well and is an entertaining piece of world building.
It takes the combined efforts of an open-minded local police chief and the town drunk with an unbelievable story to confront the threat facing the island. Chief Hale relocated to Roanoke Island from Chicago, hoping to leave a violent, if righteous, past behind him in the relatively crime-free community. As the goblins kill more people and create a climate of fear Hale realizes that he will have to meet the terror with lethal force. The fascinating thing about Hale is that he’s a good cop who was forced by circumstance to use lethal force, which resulted in the death of an innocent child. No one blame him for the death but it bothers him deeply nonetheless. It emotionally complex and very authentic. Hale must bring the power of his police force to bear upon the goblin threat which culminates in an epic battle of good versus evil.
One of the real highlights of the novel is the supporting characters who have small roles but are well developed. Jed Brewster is the town drunk, a man with a tragic past whose deep family roots on the island have left him as the final living repository of goblin lore and knowledge. The return of the goblins force him to pull himself together to help save the town and possibly redeem himself. Officer Jane Levy is another character with a small part in the novel, but she is so interesting the reader will be left wishing she had been introduced earlier. When violence erupts and the police force must fight for their lives Levy reveals herself to be a true warrior. Her focus and will to fight for herself and her colleagues is so strong it falls just on the good side of the divide between gutsiness and madness.
Goblins is a smart and entertaining horror novel that skillfully juggles the horrors of the real world and the fantastic and supernatural without missing a beat. The reader’s ability to relate to, and form an emotional attachment to, the characters is what takes the book to the next level and results in a page-turner that begs to be read straight through.
Bernstein has the knack for setting a scene that drips with normality and almost Norman Rockwell-esque Americana and then yanking it out from beneath the reader. Before I knew what was happening, I was invested emotionally in the outcome of the Little League baseball championship. And then reality shifted and goblins were eating people. The way to make horror more violent and gut-wrenching is to inflict it upon the average everyday and the author does that here with great success.
The novel is set in the quiet Roanoke Island, a tourism centered small community where most people know one another. The first missing child and his murdered parents are just the beginning of a pattern of repeated missing children and violent attacks on their parents a short time later. The story is also set, in short passages, in the realm of the goblin king. It’s a place only accessible through a magical portal located in the caves that snake under the surface of the island. While the narrative is in the realm of the goblins the history and lives of the monsters are explained and their motivations are revealed. Though little of the novel takes place there, it’s established well and is an entertaining piece of world building.
It takes the combined efforts of an open-minded local police chief and the town drunk with an unbelievable story to confront the threat facing the island. Chief Hale relocated to Roanoke Island from Chicago, hoping to leave a violent, if righteous, past behind him in the relatively crime-free community. As the goblins kill more people and create a climate of fear Hale realizes that he will have to meet the terror with lethal force. The fascinating thing about Hale is that he’s a good cop who was forced by circumstance to use lethal force, which resulted in the death of an innocent child. No one blame him for the death but it bothers him deeply nonetheless. It emotionally complex and very authentic. Hale must bring the power of his police force to bear upon the goblin threat which culminates in an epic battle of good versus evil.
One of the real highlights of the novel is the supporting characters who have small roles but are well developed. Jed Brewster is the town drunk, a man with a tragic past whose deep family roots on the island have left him as the final living repository of goblin lore and knowledge. The return of the goblins force him to pull himself together to help save the town and possibly redeem himself. Officer Jane Levy is another character with a small part in the novel, but she is so interesting the reader will be left wishing she had been introduced earlier. When violence erupts and the police force must fight for their lives Levy reveals herself to be a true warrior. Her focus and will to fight for herself and her colleagues is so strong it falls just on the good side of the divide between gutsiness and madness.
Goblins is a smart and entertaining horror novel that skillfully juggles the horrors of the real world and the fantastic and supernatural without missing a beat. The reader’s ability to relate to, and form an emotional attachment to, the characters is what takes the book to the next level and results in a page-turner that begs to be read straight through.
June 29, 2015
I was given a copy of this book from the writer in return for an honest review.
GOBLINS is something I probably wouldn't normally pick up but, having enjoyed many other titles by David Bernstein previously, I was keen to give it a chance.
I felt that the beginning was not as strong as his previous works and the slightly overly-descriptive baseball game ,which introduced us to the first principle character, seemed unnecessary and I was starting to think this was one of those 'coming-of-age' stories which seem so popular at the moment. However, I read on (with no more of an understanding of baseball than when I started) and was pleasantly surprised to find myself actually getting immersed in this story of evil little goblins living underground.
One important aspect of GOBLINS which I found refreshing was that David Bernstein actually takes the time to create a back-story to how the creatures came into being. Too many times I have read a book and the writer has made no attempt to explain the phenomena they base their books around. No matter how outlandish, this is something a reader appreciates.
Like other reviewers have said, this is not necessarily a thinking-person's horror story. The scares are fast and copious amounts of blood is spilled. This is a dark, thrill ride of a story and it's obvious that Bernstein enjoyed writing this.
GOBLINS is something I probably wouldn't normally pick up but, having enjoyed many other titles by David Bernstein previously, I was keen to give it a chance.
I felt that the beginning was not as strong as his previous works and the slightly overly-descriptive baseball game ,which introduced us to the first principle character, seemed unnecessary and I was starting to think this was one of those 'coming-of-age' stories which seem so popular at the moment. However, I read on (with no more of an understanding of baseball than when I started) and was pleasantly surprised to find myself actually getting immersed in this story of evil little goblins living underground.
One important aspect of GOBLINS which I found refreshing was that David Bernstein actually takes the time to create a back-story to how the creatures came into being. Too many times I have read a book and the writer has made no attempt to explain the phenomena they base their books around. No matter how outlandish, this is something a reader appreciates.
Like other reviewers have said, this is not necessarily a thinking-person's horror story. The scares are fast and copious amounts of blood is spilled. This is a dark, thrill ride of a story and it's obvious that Bernstein enjoyed writing this.
June 22, 2015
When I was a child, I used to read some pretty dark fairy stories. Some featured nasty little goblins. They scared me then. These many years later, David Bernstein writes a book about goblins – and I’m scared all over again! This in itself is a feat worthy of praise. To have the ability to turn a creature from children’s fable into a hideous, frightening and – somehow – believable adult threat is an achievement.
Goblins works on all levels. As a horror story, the plot is fully formed, builds with just the right amount of tension and then explodes with graphic ferocity, leaving the reader breathless, but unable to tear him/herself away from the violent drama that unfolds.
I have read other stories by David Bernstein and recommend his writing to all horror fans. I’ll warn you – Goblins pulls no punches. Strap on your harness, you’re in for one hell of a ride!
Goblins works on all levels. As a horror story, the plot is fully formed, builds with just the right amount of tension and then explodes with graphic ferocity, leaving the reader breathless, but unable to tear him/herself away from the violent drama that unfolds.
I have read other stories by David Bernstein and recommend his writing to all horror fans. I’ll warn you – Goblins pulls no punches. Strap on your harness, you’re in for one hell of a ride!
March 27, 2016
Gruesome Grimm's Tale
If you are looking for one sick and twisted riff on fairy tales, take a look here. This was the first book by this author that I'd read and I look forward to reading more from him. I do wish that the goblin world would have been more fleshed out or more time spent on their attack on Roanoke, but these are minor quibbles. Hats off to the cover artist. Yeesh.
If you are looking for one sick and twisted riff on fairy tales, take a look here. This was the first book by this author that I'd read and I look forward to reading more from him. I do wish that the goblin world would have been more fleshed out or more time spent on their attack on Roanoke, but these are minor quibbles. Hats off to the cover artist. Yeesh.
July 12, 2015
Pure drooling, bloody fun
For a full review, please go to http://www.examiner.com/review/goblin... and follow me on Twitter @josenher
For a full review, please go to http://www.examiner.com/review/goblin... and follow me on Twitter @josenher
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