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Doomstalker
Devil in the flesh . . .
Brian Kettering was six years old the day the horror began. That was the day he ran home alone from the church picnic in the park. The day the streets were strangely, utterly silent. The day he watched his father confront a hideous, voracious demon . . . and die. Now Brian Kettering is a grown-up, and a cop . . . and his life is crumbling. His wife has left him. His son has become a stranger and joined a cult. And his darkest nightmare is coming true - the demon that killed his father has come back from the depths of hell. One by one, it's stalking his friends and family. And Brian knows it's coming to get him.
It is unstoppable. Its bloodlust is insatiable. And for the first time since he was six, Brian is terrified . . . because even a cop can't fight something that isn't human . . .
Brian Kettering was six years old the day the horror began. That was the day he ran home alone from the church picnic in the park. The day the streets were strangely, utterly silent. The day he watched his father confront a hideous, voracious demon . . . and die. Now Brian Kettering is a grown-up, and a cop . . . and his life is crumbling. His wife has left him. His son has become a stranger and joined a cult. And his darkest nightmare is coming true - the demon that killed his father has come back from the depths of hell. One by one, it's stalking his friends and family. And Brian knows it's coming to get him.
It is unstoppable. Its bloodlust is insatiable. And for the first time since he was six, Brian is terrified . . . because even a cop can't fight something that isn't human . . .
- GenresHorror
234 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 30, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 7, 2022
Another Gary Brandner blast from the past. Brian Kettering is haunted by a monster of his childhood days, he named the "Doomstalker". His marriage is falling to pieces and a new girlfriend is coming up. Can they find out what the monster is all about and what's the aim of the commune in the Hollywood Hills? Who murdered Brian's father, a reverend. What happened to the child given birth by his sister? Classic page turning 80s horror that reads like a movie. Modern readers might see the story as a bit old school but I say who cares "It's only Rock n' Roll but I like it"... Highly recommended spine tingling tale from the golden age of horror!
September 26, 2023
Fun read by Bradner, who is best known today as the author of The Howling. While I have not read that one (I did see the movie!), several other novels of his grace my shelves. Bradner keeps his novels short and to the point without a lot of bloat, and he always tosses in some goods twists and turns. Doomstalker is no exception to the Bradner 'rule'.
Doomstalker features Brian Kettering, a cop in L.A., but the prologue features a 6 yo Brian back home in a small town in Indiana. His daddy is the local preacher and in the middle of a church picnic, Brian is set home to get condiments and such. When he gets there, however, he finds his father in an argument with someone but now has blank spots in his memory as to what actually happened. His father died that afternoon, and some six years later, so did his mother while his sister became institutionalized with catatonia.
Flash forward 30 plus years and now Brian's marriage is crumbling, his son lost to him, and he keeps getting strong headaches. Worse, in his dreams he keeps seeing a monster from his childhood-- the Doomstalker. That is what Brian called it then and it seems his darkest nightmare is now coming true. Is this the thing that killed his father? Has it somehow found Brian and does it want some more Kettering blood? You will have to read it to find out.
Bradner utilizes a rather linear narrative style here, but punctuates it with flashbacks to his childhood and happier days with his family. At times Brian exemplifies the 'tough cop', wearing around the house his Clint Eastwood t-shirt embossed with 'Make my day'. Other times, he is just lost in life, wondering how things could go so wrong with his marriage and family. Character development takes second place to the plot, however, and as it unfolds, expect some surprises with misdirection and strangeness to say the least. Somethings are more than a little convenient but they keep the story on track. Not a masterpiece, but worth a read if you stumble across a copy for sure. 3.5 Doomstalkers, rounding down as the denouement was just a little too OTT.
Doomstalker features Brian Kettering, a cop in L.A., but the prologue features a 6 yo Brian back home in a small town in Indiana. His daddy is the local preacher and in the middle of a church picnic, Brian is set home to get condiments and such. When he gets there, however, he finds his father in an argument with someone but now has blank spots in his memory as to what actually happened. His father died that afternoon, and some six years later, so did his mother while his sister became institutionalized with catatonia.
Flash forward 30 plus years and now Brian's marriage is crumbling, his son lost to him, and he keeps getting strong headaches. Worse, in his dreams he keeps seeing a monster from his childhood-- the Doomstalker. That is what Brian called it then and it seems his darkest nightmare is now coming true. Is this the thing that killed his father? Has it somehow found Brian and does it want some more Kettering blood? You will have to read it to find out.
Bradner utilizes a rather linear narrative style here, but punctuates it with flashbacks to his childhood and happier days with his family. At times Brian exemplifies the 'tough cop', wearing around the house his Clint Eastwood t-shirt embossed with 'Make my day'. Other times, he is just lost in life, wondering how things could go so wrong with his marriage and family. Character development takes second place to the plot, however, and as it unfolds, expect some surprises with misdirection and strangeness to say the least. Somethings are more than a little convenient but they keep the story on track. Not a masterpiece, but worth a read if you stumble across a copy for sure. 3.5 Doomstalkers, rounding down as the denouement was just a little too OTT.
August 3, 2017
This is my final book in my Brandner reading marathon. Still got The Howling and it's two sequels to read, which I am really looking forward too.
This book has one review here on GR's and I totally disagree with it. I LOVE the title! DOOMSTALKER!!! What an awesome, fantastic, brilliant and superb title.
The story introduces the reader to the main character, Brian, when he is a kid and first encounters the Doomstalker. It then jumps forward to when Brian is a cop and the Doomstalker appears once again to haunt him. It destroys his home and work life as it stalks him to his doom. I do like a police procedural story with horror elements and I thought Doomstalker would follow this format but the main character could have had any job. This was a personal stalking. He just happened to be a cop.
The book builds up the dread, fear and nastiness of the Doomstalker with brutal deaths thrown in as well. The mystery builds. Who and what is the Doomstalker? It's ancient evil is discovered over time and there is a final confrontation building.
There are twists before the identity of the Doomstalker is revealed. It is the end which left me disappointed. It felt slightly rushed and underwhelming. I wanted a bigger and bleaker confrontation.
I liked the book and I have enjoyed reading Brandner's 80's horror (ok....one was in the 90's but felt very 80's).
This book has one review here on GR's and I totally disagree with it. I LOVE the title! DOOMSTALKER!!! What an awesome, fantastic, brilliant and superb title.
The story introduces the reader to the main character, Brian, when he is a kid and first encounters the Doomstalker. It then jumps forward to when Brian is a cop and the Doomstalker appears once again to haunt him. It destroys his home and work life as it stalks him to his doom. I do like a police procedural story with horror elements and I thought Doomstalker would follow this format but the main character could have had any job. This was a personal stalking. He just happened to be a cop.
The book builds up the dread, fear and nastiness of the Doomstalker with brutal deaths thrown in as well. The mystery builds. Who and what is the Doomstalker? It's ancient evil is discovered over time and there is a final confrontation building.
There are twists before the identity of the Doomstalker is revealed. It is the end which left me disappointed. It felt slightly rushed and underwhelming. I wanted a bigger and bleaker confrontation.
I liked the book and I have enjoyed reading Brandner's 80's horror (ok....one was in the 90's but felt very 80's).
September 11, 2021
Been enjoying the horror books I've read from Gary Brandner and this was no exception. A quick and entertaining story, with some cool elements
March 28, 2021
I enjoyed the read but a friend not so much. My review represents a combination of our opinions. 4 star for me and 1 or 2 for him. I was a teen when I read this.
August 9, 2025
Gary Brandner is one of my favorite authors, so I don't know why I always put off reading his books. I read "The Howling" and I was hooked. His books are always great horror stories. As was this one.
The story unwinds slowly and keeps you in the dark. It's mostly told in the present, but we have flashbacks to fill in the blanks. It keeps you on your toes till the end when all is revealed which I didn't see coming.
The story unwinds slowly and keeps you in the dark. It's mostly told in the present, but we have flashbacks to fill in the blanks. It keeps you on your toes till the end when all is revealed which I didn't see coming.
June 14, 2022
At the age of six, young Brian Kettering saw his father seemingly fall in battle with an unidentifiable force of evil. Years later and now a police officer, Brian remains scarred by the bizarre event, with horrifying dreams haunting his sleepless nights. As his marriage falters and his relationship with his teenage son disintegrates, Brian finds solace in the arms of a beautiful redheaded reporter. Together, she and Brian set out to find the truth: what did Brian really see when he was a child, and what is the nature of the monster he knows only as Doomstalker?
Taut, suspenseful, and harrowing, DOOMSTALKER is a great exercise in nightmarish horror. Brian is a believable hero, and even though he's a tough cop he's scared to death of the diabolic being who seems intent on destroying his life. The other characters are all well-grounded also, and even when there are twists in the plot they are developed logically. As Brian's formless enemy plays mind games with him and his family--with a few physical displays of horrific power thrown in for good measure--the hapless policeman becomes increasingly desperate to find a way to defeat his demonic tormentor before he loses everything. Can Brian ever really defeat the enigmatic Doomstalker? Read this excellent thriller and find out!
Taut, suspenseful, and harrowing, DOOMSTALKER is a great exercise in nightmarish horror. Brian is a believable hero, and even though he's a tough cop he's scared to death of the diabolic being who seems intent on destroying his life. The other characters are all well-grounded also, and even when there are twists in the plot they are developed logically. As Brian's formless enemy plays mind games with him and his family--with a few physical displays of horrific power thrown in for good measure--the hapless policeman becomes increasingly desperate to find a way to defeat his demonic tormentor before he loses everything. Can Brian ever really defeat the enigmatic Doomstalker? Read this excellent thriller and find out!
April 9, 2026
The worst thing I can say about Doomstalker is that it doesn't live up to its stupidly awesome title. Now, Guy N. Smith, that guy would give you a Doomstalker. This Doomstalker is more of a Doomslinker. Maybe a Doomslider. Doomgo-karter.
After a brief flashback to the childhood of Brian Kettering in which we see his preacher father have a lethal run-in with an evil presence Brian dubs the Doomstalker, we settle into modern-day LA and all the urban blight the eighties can summon up. Brian is now a cop and we even get an opening number where he takes out a rapist and the chief chews him out for not doing things by the book.
So far, so good. As in keeping with cop law, Brian has a rebellious teenage son, a cheating wife, and a morbid sort of restlessness he blames on the Doomstalker. And... that's about it for a good half the book, which is a reasonable two hundred some pages, but feels longer as the Doomstalker plays with its food and plays with its food and plays with its food. There's an ulterior motive to why it doesn't just kill him, but basically we're in for a lot of those ghost movie copouts where OH NO THE MONSTER IS ABOUT TO KILL OUR HERO oh no wait it was just a hallucination.
(There's one great 'oh shit!' moment where the Doomstalker manifests and tricks Brian into shooting at it, but really shooting a kid--yeah, I know, right?--but then that turns out to be more of the Doomstalker screwing around. Okay, dude, are you stalking DOOM or are you stalking PRANKS? Because I know which one is implied in your name...)
It's halfway through the book before Doomstalker finally gets around to dropping bodies (c'est la vie, Brian's partner), by which time he's started up a relationship with a shockingly helpful and credulous young reporter, so yeah, good luck guessing who the mystery monster really is. Brian himself is never too likable: he's homophobic, he catches a child molester in the act and lets him go, and he doesn't acquaint himself well in the third act, where everyone who's been giving him a hard time turns out to be working for the DOOMSTALKER. (Yes, even the lesbian his wife is cheating on him with.)
Then you have the woo-woo finale itself, full of corny supernatural gags like Brian's dead dad appearing to him ("Use the Force, Luke!") and the notion that where God can't overpower a demon, good ol' Anubis can. Really? Not to get into powerscaling, but there's this guy Moses--ask him who came out on top when Yahweh took on the Egyptian pantheon.
I mean, if you're going to do religious horror, okay, but don't do this agnostic, I'm okay you're okay, Super Best Friends thing.
If it's The Exorcist and Catholic priests are fighting a demon, okay, way cool. But if it's the Exorcist legacy sequel and the Catholic priests are teaming up with a rabbi and an imam and Tom Cruise and they can all shoot a little laser beam and all the laser beams add up to one big laser beam and that kills Satan... man, that's dumb. You know it's dumb. I know no one wants to say "hey, Tom Cruise is wrong, he doesn't know what he's talking about." But if your story's premise is that Catholic demons are real, then that means all of Catholicism is real. Don't piss your pants and say "oh, but everything else is real too!"
Some of those religious don't even have a Hell. Come on, man, what are we doing?
After a brief flashback to the childhood of Brian Kettering in which we see his preacher father have a lethal run-in with an evil presence Brian dubs the Doomstalker, we settle into modern-day LA and all the urban blight the eighties can summon up. Brian is now a cop and we even get an opening number where he takes out a rapist and the chief chews him out for not doing things by the book.
So far, so good. As in keeping with cop law, Brian has a rebellious teenage son, a cheating wife, and a morbid sort of restlessness he blames on the Doomstalker. And... that's about it for a good half the book, which is a reasonable two hundred some pages, but feels longer as the Doomstalker plays with its food and plays with its food and plays with its food. There's an ulterior motive to why it doesn't just kill him, but basically we're in for a lot of those ghost movie copouts where OH NO THE MONSTER IS ABOUT TO KILL OUR HERO oh no wait it was just a hallucination.
(There's one great 'oh shit!' moment where the Doomstalker manifests and tricks Brian into shooting at it, but really shooting a kid--yeah, I know, right?--but then that turns out to be more of the Doomstalker screwing around. Okay, dude, are you stalking DOOM or are you stalking PRANKS? Because I know which one is implied in your name...)
It's halfway through the book before Doomstalker finally gets around to dropping bodies (c'est la vie, Brian's partner), by which time he's started up a relationship with a shockingly helpful and credulous young reporter, so yeah, good luck guessing who the mystery monster really is. Brian himself is never too likable: he's homophobic, he catches a child molester in the act and lets him go, and he doesn't acquaint himself well in the third act, where everyone who's been giving him a hard time turns out to be working for the DOOMSTALKER. (Yes, even the lesbian his wife is cheating on him with.)
Then you have the woo-woo finale itself, full of corny supernatural gags like Brian's dead dad appearing to him ("Use the Force, Luke!") and the notion that where God can't overpower a demon, good ol' Anubis can. Really? Not to get into powerscaling, but there's this guy Moses--ask him who came out on top when Yahweh took on the Egyptian pantheon.
I mean, if you're going to do religious horror, okay, but don't do this agnostic, I'm okay you're okay, Super Best Friends thing.
If it's The Exorcist and Catholic priests are fighting a demon, okay, way cool. But if it's the Exorcist legacy sequel and the Catholic priests are teaming up with a rabbi and an imam and Tom Cruise and they can all shoot a little laser beam and all the laser beams add up to one big laser beam and that kills Satan... man, that's dumb. You know it's dumb. I know no one wants to say "hey, Tom Cruise is wrong, he doesn't know what he's talking about." But if your story's premise is that Catholic demons are real, then that means all of Catholicism is real. Don't piss your pants and say "oh, but everything else is real too!"
“In the name of the Christian God and all the honorable gods in all the religions of the world since time began, I consign you now and forever to the fires of Hell!”
Some of those religious don't even have a Hell. Come on, man, what are we doing?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2025
More accurately, I give this 3.5 stars, but I rounded up per the lack of .5's on goodreads. This was the first novel I've read by Gary Brandner, one of the heavy hitters of the 70s and 80s horror boom. I mostly really enjoyed this book. You have a somewhat over the top, enjoyably neanderthal LA cop as protagonist, with extremely un-pc values that he is not shy about sharing. He is apparently being haunted by some sort of demon that wants to destroy him. I won't share more than that, story-wise.
Writing-wise, Brandner is a skilled practitioner, definitely of the old school pulp variety. The narrative chugs along at a good pace, the prose is stark. The book is actually written like a mystery, with plenty of red herrings to throw the reader off.
While not perfect or amazing, this is a solid horror novel, written in a now long ago time, very different than our current era. The whiz bang ending took me off guard and left me with a very favorable opinion of the book. I will definitely be checking out more of Brandner's work.
Writing-wise, Brandner is a skilled practitioner, definitely of the old school pulp variety. The narrative chugs along at a good pace, the prose is stark. The book is actually written like a mystery, with plenty of red herrings to throw the reader off.
While not perfect or amazing, this is a solid horror novel, written in a now long ago time, very different than our current era. The whiz bang ending took me off guard and left me with a very favorable opinion of the book. I will definitely be checking out more of Brandner's work.
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December 1, 2019Full review: https://supermonsternovels.com/2019/1...
June 27, 2011
Doomstalker? Doomstalker? I'm sorry, but "Doomstalker" is a stupid name for a book, or frankly anything else. If there was some real-life thing that stalked people to their doom, they still wouldn't call it a "doomstalker". It just sounds too retarded.
Full review here:
http://www.mrsatanism.com/books/doomstalker.htm
Full review here:
http://www.mrsatanism.com/books/doomstalker.htm
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