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House of Blood #1
House Of Blood
Later, the ones left alive would agree they never should have turned off that dark stretch of Tennessee interstate. They were tired and tense, two guys and three girls arguing over a vacation gone bad. But things were about to get worse for the five young friends. Much, much worse. In fact, most of them would never see the highway again. — The woods were dark and forbidding, filled with unseen dangers and inhuman sounds. The light in the distance promised sanctuary from the grasping terrors. Instead, the light lured the travelers to the very heart of evil, a house at the entrance of Hell, a house that held only torture, depravity and--for the lucky ones--death.
When the front door closes, the screaming begins!
When the front door closes, the screaming begins!
369 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
73 people are currently reading
924 people want to read
About the author
Bryan Smith
105 books765 followersBryan Smith is the Splatterpunk Award-winning author of more than forty horror and crime books, including 68 Kill, the cult classic Depraved and its sequels, as well as The Killing Kind, Slowly We Rot, The Freakshow, and many more. Bestselling horror author Brian Keene called Slowly We Rot, "The best zombie novel I've ever read."
68 Kill was adapted into a motion picture directed by Trent Haaga and starring Matthew Gray Gubler of the long-running CBS series Criminal Minds. 68 Kill won the Midnighters Award at the SXSW film festival in 2017 and was released to wide acclaim, including positive reviews in The New York Times and Bloody Disgusting.
Bryan also co-scripted an original Harley Quinn story for the House of Horrors anthology from DC Comics. He has worked with renowned horror publishers in both the mass market and small press spheres, including Leisure Books, Samhain Publishing, Grindhouse Press, Death’s Head Press, and more. His works are available wherever books are sold, with select titles also available in German and Italian.
68 Kill was adapted into a motion picture directed by Trent Haaga and starring Matthew Gray Gubler of the long-running CBS series Criminal Minds. 68 Kill won the Midnighters Award at the SXSW film festival in 2017 and was released to wide acclaim, including positive reviews in The New York Times and Bloody Disgusting.
Bryan also co-scripted an original Harley Quinn story for the House of Horrors anthology from DC Comics. He has worked with renowned horror publishers in both the mass market and small press spheres, including Leisure Books, Samhain Publishing, Grindhouse Press, Death’s Head Press, and more. His works are available wherever books are sold, with select titles also available in German and Italian.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
June 7, 2016
House of Blood is the debut novel of Brian Smith, but from the rich writing and the intriguing plot, you can't tell it's a first. The beginning got me hooked, the middle kept me there, and the ending was strong.
Pros:
Smith uses a simple, straightforward manner to inject his poison in the reader’s bloodstream. His prose is pronounced, clear, and focused.
The pace starts off swift and strong, stays in the air the whole way through, keeps lifting higher and higher, never putting its feet down on the ground.
Some of the events are almost offensive they're so disturbing, and while on the surface this plot looks generic, it's certainly not.
Cons:
Smith misses the mark with his characters. Dreamweaver comes off weak and whiny, Master is a good character but a bit confusing, Mrs. Wickman is too stereotypical to be believed, and all the really good characters were killed off too soon or not explored enough.
The dialogue worked sometimes, but other times it just...well, gee, golly, gosh, fizzled out.
Overall though, this gets a high marking. I recommend it to all horror fans - read this one when you get the chance, it's not for the birds.
Pros:
Smith uses a simple, straightforward manner to inject his poison in the reader’s bloodstream. His prose is pronounced, clear, and focused.
The pace starts off swift and strong, stays in the air the whole way through, keeps lifting higher and higher, never putting its feet down on the ground.
Some of the events are almost offensive they're so disturbing, and while on the surface this plot looks generic, it's certainly not.
Cons:
Smith misses the mark with his characters. Dreamweaver comes off weak and whiny, Master is a good character but a bit confusing, Mrs. Wickman is too stereotypical to be believed, and all the really good characters were killed off too soon or not explored enough.
The dialogue worked sometimes, but other times it just...well, gee, golly, gosh, fizzled out.
Overall though, this gets a high marking. I recommend it to all horror fans - read this one when you get the chance, it's not for the birds.
January 24, 2013
House of Blood was my first Bryan Smith novel and boy was I pleasantly surprised. I was hesitant at first thinking of Brian Keene's Urban Gothic, but it wasnt even close. There was an intricate plot, well thought out characters, sex, and plenty of disturbing images. Very entertaining and a page turner that never let up. I cant wait to read more of his work!
January 2, 2014
I don't arrive at hyperbolic conclusions very often. I am not prone to labels like "best" or "worst", so don't take this review lightly.
I finished this book about a month ago and have been examining my feelings about it since. After all that thought, after all that consideration I feel confident in saying this is the worst book I have ever read, and I have read a ton of D&D novels.
Everything about it is just terrible.
The quality of the writing is uniformly bad but it occasionally dips into passages that are so bad that they could compete with the worst that Stephenie Meyer has produced.
None of the protagonists ever take action or are responsible for any of the events that transpire. They simply float thought the story. Few thoughts about what will happen next. Few attempts to affect the outcome of the story. On the rare occurrence that something actually does happen to them, they are utterly powerless to stop it. Not that they ever try to stop any of it from happening. Weak Bryan Smith, weak.
The plot structure is muddled and inconsistent in it's pacing. Vast chunks of the rising action are devoted to the main characters laying in beds in separate bedrooms waiting for the final conflict to begin. Riveting stuff!
Smith actively avoids writing any action sequences for the entire book. Frequently a character will run into a room seconds or minutes after an action has occurred. Or a character will stumble out of the darkness after something has happened to them. Like I said, Smith avoids describing any action until the very end, when the final confrontation happens. Then we see why he avoided all the other opportunities for action. He is terrible at it. He has no sense of space and no rhythm to his prose. It's just a confused mess. Deplorable Bryan Smith, deplorable.
Do you love reading about dream sequences? Then this is the book for you. Supposedly this story takes place over 24 hours but somehow the main characters keep falling asleep. It happens no less than 7 times in this shit sandwich of a novel. And every time they do you are treated to a dream sequence that describes absolutely nothing of interest. Lucky you!
All that and Smith utterly fails to stick the landing. The one thing he had going for the story was that he had a clearly defined villain. All you have to do is point you protagonists at him and let them go. How do you fuck that up? Do what Bryan Smith does. There is the aforementioned bungled action sequence in which he is killed and then... not much. Things just sort of go back as they were before (before 'what' is never really defined. I suppose it's before the villain moved to the area but I digress). After the short description of confusing imagery, he includes a useless epilogue concerning one of the secondary characters that never really did anything in the story.
There is more, of course. So many other problems with this book that I could go on for thousands of words. But what is the point? I've already expended too much energy on this review. But it will all be worth it if I can convince at least one person to skip this awful, awful book.
I finished this book about a month ago and have been examining my feelings about it since. After all that thought, after all that consideration I feel confident in saying this is the worst book I have ever read, and I have read a ton of D&D novels.
Everything about it is just terrible.
The quality of the writing is uniformly bad but it occasionally dips into passages that are so bad that they could compete with the worst that Stephenie Meyer has produced.
None of the protagonists ever take action or are responsible for any of the events that transpire. They simply float thought the story. Few thoughts about what will happen next. Few attempts to affect the outcome of the story. On the rare occurrence that something actually does happen to them, they are utterly powerless to stop it. Not that they ever try to stop any of it from happening. Weak Bryan Smith, weak.
The plot structure is muddled and inconsistent in it's pacing. Vast chunks of the rising action are devoted to the main characters laying in beds in separate bedrooms waiting for the final conflict to begin. Riveting stuff!
Smith actively avoids writing any action sequences for the entire book. Frequently a character will run into a room seconds or minutes after an action has occurred. Or a character will stumble out of the darkness after something has happened to them. Like I said, Smith avoids describing any action until the very end, when the final confrontation happens. Then we see why he avoided all the other opportunities for action. He is terrible at it. He has no sense of space and no rhythm to his prose. It's just a confused mess. Deplorable Bryan Smith, deplorable.
Do you love reading about dream sequences? Then this is the book for you. Supposedly this story takes place over 24 hours but somehow the main characters keep falling asleep. It happens no less than 7 times in this shit sandwich of a novel. And every time they do you are treated to a dream sequence that describes absolutely nothing of interest. Lucky you!
All that and Smith utterly fails to stick the landing. The one thing he had going for the story was that he had a clearly defined villain. All you have to do is point you protagonists at him and let them go. How do you fuck that up? Do what Bryan Smith does. There is the aforementioned bungled action sequence in which he is killed and then... not much. Things just sort of go back as they were before (before 'what' is never really defined. I suppose it's before the villain moved to the area but I digress). After the short description of confusing imagery, he includes a useless epilogue concerning one of the secondary characters that never really did anything in the story.
There is more, of course. So many other problems with this book that I could go on for thousands of words. But what is the point? I've already expended too much energy on this review. But it will all be worth it if I can convince at least one person to skip this awful, awful book.
December 7, 2018
It started off pretty solid, an interesting and different kind of horror story. But by the last third of the book it just went off in really bizarre directions that didn't feel like they fit what the earlier parts of the story promised.
October 30, 2024
House of Blood taught me a valuable lesson. I did not seize the opportunity to buy the book when it was at B&N. Shortly after that it went out of print and the only way to buy it was online. I had read Bryan Smith's Freakshow and loved it- one of my top five favorite books. I was very excited to read something else by this author. Some years later I purchased the book online for less than a dollar. The lesson I learned was not to ever pass up an interesting book, and since have started stockpiling. The moment when I would read this book was long overdue; it was quickly bumped up my list to be read next. Starts off okay, then veers off track and careens off a cliff while getting struck by lightning and pooped on by a frightened migrating flock of birds. Shane goes off into the forest to masturbate, wtf? A more plausible and less insipid way of getting him inside the forest to get killed would be that he had to use the restroom, wanted to be alone, etc. While those motivations may be more cliché, they are not as disruptive. It wasn’t as jarring the first time it happened, but then it kept happening over and over- needless lust/sex muddying the story. If the eroticism had been handled tactfully it would not have been a problem. It became a heavy weight dragging the story. The overuse of sex became trite, annoying, and ended up sinking this story for me. All of the female characters are objectified and reduced to sex-plot devices- every. single. one. Many times when I was reading this book I had to wonder, is this really a horror book? It definitely crossed the line of consisting more of erotica than horror. Moving aside from the obscuring tasteless badly written sex, there is a “horror” story. Something called The Master (it never gets any clearer than that, is it a monster? demon? alien? wizard?) has a house of illusions. Some slaves live underground. Sex. Sex. Sex. The end. The slave revolt was the only part of the book that showed promise, because it was more focused on the “horror” aspect than the prevailing “erotic”. The book ends with the sadistic dominatrix old woman escaping. I want to say I’ve lost brain cells after reading this book. Am I going to read the second one, Queen of Blood? Yes. But only because Freakshow was that good and I have a lot of hope. House of Blood has some of the most comically bad passages I’ve ever read. For example, a girl is chased by a masturbating zombie. Do I need to say anymore?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 8, 2011
This was Smith's first horror novel...or at least his first published by Leisure and it struck me how much better it was than his subsequent books, like Freakshow, Depraved & Deathbringer. It was better in every way, more imaginative, better written, with actual character development and not just a mindless gore fest, although there is sex and horror plenty in the book. Overall, I was very impressed. I hope his writing returns to that level. Not that I didn't find his other books entertaining, but now that I know he can write like this, I'd love to see more of it. Hope Queen of Blood is a worthy sequel. I'd definitely recommend this to horror fans.
October 22, 2023
Bad. Just really, really bad.
I love Bryan Smith, but this ain't it.
I love Bryan Smith, but this ain't it.
October 1, 2008
Right off the bat Mr. Smith gets a gold star for having an intriguing, genuine synopsis. Now surely you think I’ve lost my mind, hear me out. How many times have you read a back cover summary, bought the book and realize you’ve been tricked? Or found that while there is truth in it, that particular bit of action doesn’t happen until almost the end of the book? (I’m looking at you Mr. Clegg.) In his debut novel, Smith promises unimaginable brutality, bile-inducing fear, and unfathomable despair; and then delivers monumentally!
So you think you’ve heard this story before, met the characters, and visited this side of Hades more times than you can count? Well friends, you couldn’t be more wrong! The plot is original, all consuming, and plays out like a Greek tragedy. As soon as you think these characters could not go through anymore, you realize Smith has only begun. Now I know you’ve heard that before, but since I hate giving out details for fear of spoiling you, you’re going to have to trust me. Trust that you have never seen Hell until you’ve seen it through Bryan Smith’s eyes!
Now as much as I would love to describe the pace and atmosphere, I can’t. I was so immersed in the story and wrapped in the characters that I barely noticed the time flying and the smell of chlorine and sulfur. For the sake of argument let’s just agree the speed was non-stop, and the air emitted odors so foul, that you might need to keep a paper bag handy. Smith’s style of writing is natural, intense, and intimate. Instead of concentrating on only having you watch from the sidelines, he somehow manages to incorporate you into the story. Also, he resists the trap most beginners succumb to, instead of trying to prove how many big words he can use, he keeps it simple and to the point. I thank you.
While the characters were engrossing and the conflicts they faced interesting, the female characters were overtly stereotypical to extremes. The whiny, usless blond (Dream Weaver - yes, that's her name) does nothing throughout the book except cry and have sex. All I kept wishing while reading was for someone to slap her, repeatedly. The standout pathetic male character would be the angst, overly emotional, quote-unquote evil Master. Can you feel my pain?
-As posted on Horror-Web
So you think you’ve heard this story before, met the characters, and visited this side of Hades more times than you can count? Well friends, you couldn’t be more wrong! The plot is original, all consuming, and plays out like a Greek tragedy. As soon as you think these characters could not go through anymore, you realize Smith has only begun. Now I know you’ve heard that before, but since I hate giving out details for fear of spoiling you, you’re going to have to trust me. Trust that you have never seen Hell until you’ve seen it through Bryan Smith’s eyes!
Now as much as I would love to describe the pace and atmosphere, I can’t. I was so immersed in the story and wrapped in the characters that I barely noticed the time flying and the smell of chlorine and sulfur. For the sake of argument let’s just agree the speed was non-stop, and the air emitted odors so foul, that you might need to keep a paper bag handy. Smith’s style of writing is natural, intense, and intimate. Instead of concentrating on only having you watch from the sidelines, he somehow manages to incorporate you into the story. Also, he resists the trap most beginners succumb to, instead of trying to prove how many big words he can use, he keeps it simple and to the point. I thank you.
While the characters were engrossing and the conflicts they faced interesting, the female characters were overtly stereotypical to extremes. The whiny, usless blond (Dream Weaver - yes, that's her name) does nothing throughout the book except cry and have sex. All I kept wishing while reading was for someone to slap her, repeatedly. The standout pathetic male character would be the angst, overly emotional, quote-unquote evil Master. Can you feel my pain?
-As posted on Horror-Web
March 18, 2020
You get the feeling, as you read through this book, that Bryan Smith really, really wanted to make a so-bad-its-good type horror novel inspired by Laymon. Problem is, if you try from the start to make something like that, odds are the product will turn out bad.
This book is overwhelmingly dull, the writing is purely amateur hour (I know this might sound rude, but I've read through several of his other leisure-era titles and it doesn't seem to have improved at all), and the scenes of sex and violence are incredibly weak and uninteresting.
The sex feels like it was written by a 13-year old virgin who's read too many historical romances, and the violence is very, very weaksauce. Of course, one of these aspects, sex is where Bryan Smith gets hung up on, and he just decides to turn it into erotic horror.
The "erotic" part takes over almost the entire book, and unlike other horror authors, especially splatterpunk ones, who use it as a component, here it takes over everything. Everyone and everything in this book is horny and will ignore escaping the torture world or dying to try and get laid.
I do have one more Bryan Smith book I own, Depraved, and I'll read that some time and see if it's any better than this novelized DVD-discount garbage if only because Deathbringer was at least entertaining.
I did like the werewolf in the book though, mainly because he wasn't trying to have sex with anyone.
This book is overwhelmingly dull, the writing is purely amateur hour (I know this might sound rude, but I've read through several of his other leisure-era titles and it doesn't seem to have improved at all), and the scenes of sex and violence are incredibly weak and uninteresting.
The sex feels like it was written by a 13-year old virgin who's read too many historical romances, and the violence is very, very weaksauce. Of course, one of these aspects, sex is where Bryan Smith gets hung up on, and he just decides to turn it into erotic horror.
The "erotic" part takes over almost the entire book, and unlike other horror authors, especially splatterpunk ones, who use it as a component, here it takes over everything. Everyone and everything in this book is horny and will ignore escaping the torture world or dying to try and get laid.
I do have one more Bryan Smith book I own, Depraved, and I'll read that some time and see if it's any better than this novelized DVD-discount garbage if only because Deathbringer was at least entertaining.
I did like the werewolf in the book though, mainly because he wasn't trying to have sex with anyone.
January 11, 2026
House of Blood
This novel is a strange, wild ride—and it isn’t shy about what it is. If you’re not a fan of dominance and submission, or you simply don’t care for gratuitous sex in your horror, then do yourself a favor and avoid this one entirely. This book does not ease you in. It kicks the door open.
Bryan Smith’s first outing isn’t high literature by any stretch, but honestly… it doesn’t need to be. A book like this has one job: entertain, keep the pages turning, and deliver the goods. And Smith pulls that off.
I know some readers will complain that the characters aren’t fully fleshed out, but that criticism only goes so far here. Most of the people you meet in this novel aren’t meant to be complex, layered souls—they’re basically monster fodder, there to feed the story’s momentum and body count.
If you enjoy Richard Laymon’s straightforward, no-frills style—fast pacing, hard edges, and a story that doesn’t stop to apologize—then you’ll probably appreciate Bryan Smith’s approach. But if you’re looking for poetic, lyrical prose and deep emotional character studies… you’ll likely want to set this book on fire.
This novel is a strange, wild ride—and it isn’t shy about what it is. If you’re not a fan of dominance and submission, or you simply don’t care for gratuitous sex in your horror, then do yourself a favor and avoid this one entirely. This book does not ease you in. It kicks the door open.
Bryan Smith’s first outing isn’t high literature by any stretch, but honestly… it doesn’t need to be. A book like this has one job: entertain, keep the pages turning, and deliver the goods. And Smith pulls that off.
I know some readers will complain that the characters aren’t fully fleshed out, but that criticism only goes so far here. Most of the people you meet in this novel aren’t meant to be complex, layered souls—they’re basically monster fodder, there to feed the story’s momentum and body count.
If you enjoy Richard Laymon’s straightforward, no-frills style—fast pacing, hard edges, and a story that doesn’t stop to apologize—then you’ll probably appreciate Bryan Smith’s approach. But if you’re looking for poetic, lyrical prose and deep emotional character studies… you’ll likely want to set this book on fire.
July 6, 2016
I found it kind of weird and a bit confusing. The Master is just basically a sadist mortal being (of another species?) with a loooong life span. He has created a kingdom in backwoods Tennessee where every one of his "subjects" are the poor unfortunate souls who wonder lost into his domain. They in turn are either also sadists or the poor victims of said sadists. The whole story evolves around torture, pain, and sex.
On a funny note, Dare I say... Elvis?!
On a funny note, Dare I say... Elvis?!
December 30, 2019
My first introduction to Bryan Smith’s writing was his short story “Pilgrimage” in the Welcome to the Show anthology. After reading that, I knew I wanted to check out his novels. I’ve had House of Blood on my shelf for a while, and I couldn’t have picked a better time to read this one. I was wallowing in my emotional wreckage during the holidays, listening to and reading stories that made me cry. Everyone knows that I love to experience “all the feels” when I read, but sometimes one just needs a break. I decided that I’d read at least one book that might not make me cry, and this was that selection.
I was not disappointed by this story—it had all the makings of an entertaining piece of horror fiction. I’ll admit, when I read the synopsis, I was intrigued, but it had me thinking the story might be similar to those I’ve experienced in movies such as “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” or “Wrong Turn”. While I would’ve been happy reading a common tale of backwoods terror, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this story had a unique premise.
House of Blood is not just a slasher story about friends who wander into the wrong place at the wrong time—there is a lot more to the story than what’s at the surface. I really felt like I was watching a great horror film while I was reading this. I thought that the pacing was well done, as there are minimal lulls in the action. While I didn’t personally connect with any of the characters, I definitely found myself rooting for some of them to make it out alive, and I enjoyed the dialogue. Overall I thought this novel had great balance—there’s plenty of sex, violence, and gore, but it’s not all thrown in the reader’s face at once. The author also gives just enough detail—it’s straight to the point without bogging down the story or boring the reader.
This was just the type of book I needed to shake up my reading, and at this point, there’s a lot more room on my shelf to explore the splatterpunk and extreme horror subgenres. I am excited to read more from Bryan Smith in the near future!
I was not disappointed by this story—it had all the makings of an entertaining piece of horror fiction. I’ll admit, when I read the synopsis, I was intrigued, but it had me thinking the story might be similar to those I’ve experienced in movies such as “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” or “Wrong Turn”. While I would’ve been happy reading a common tale of backwoods terror, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this story had a unique premise.
House of Blood is not just a slasher story about friends who wander into the wrong place at the wrong time—there is a lot more to the story than what’s at the surface. I really felt like I was watching a great horror film while I was reading this. I thought that the pacing was well done, as there are minimal lulls in the action. While I didn’t personally connect with any of the characters, I definitely found myself rooting for some of them to make it out alive, and I enjoyed the dialogue. Overall I thought this novel had great balance—there’s plenty of sex, violence, and gore, but it’s not all thrown in the reader’s face at once. The author also gives just enough detail—it’s straight to the point without bogging down the story or boring the reader.
This was just the type of book I needed to shake up my reading, and at this point, there’s a lot more room on my shelf to explore the splatterpunk and extreme horror subgenres. I am excited to read more from Bryan Smith in the near future!
February 24, 2020
Loving this author
I love discovering a new horror writer who is entertaining, clever, original and very well written. Bryan Smith is all of these things and I can't wait to devour his library.
I love discovering a new horror writer who is entertaining, clever, original and very well written. Bryan Smith is all of these things and I can't wait to devour his library.
May 3, 2025
If you’re looking for a high octane fun read this is the book for you. Brian Smith kicks this book off and it keeps chugging until the end. I enjoyed the House of Blood.
3.5 🩸 drops
3.5 🩸 drops
July 10, 2018
I had really high hopes for this book, but I was not loving it. Sometimes I need to read a book again to see or feel something I'm missing, so I may do that. Yet as it stands, I cannot say I loved this novel.
Read
February 26, 2015No star rating. Doesn't deserve stars.
I've not read any of Bryan Smith's other books. I probably never will. Unless he got better, LOTS better, after writing this one, I can safely say he has no business trying to be a writer.
Let's see; his prose is childish. His dialogue is cliched beyond anything outside a Z-grade horror flick. His characters are completely shallow. His plot...I'm not sure there even is a plot.
I picked this up years ago when I was looking for a good scary read by someone I'd never read before. It was short, so I read to the end, wondering when, if ever, the horror would make itself evident.
Here's the "plot": a group of five young people (early 20's, from what I can tell), are driving through the woods of Tennessee on the way back from vacation when they get lost, get separated and four of them wind up at a creepy old house run by a guy called the Master. Ooooh, such an original name.
The Master has some kind of inter-dimensional slave pit beneath his house where he's in contact with numerous ancient gods or some crap. What he is, what they are, whether he serves them or is a lesser one of them himself isn't really made clear. He's just evil, because he's evil.
Of the four protagonists who make it to the house (one dies before they get there), one of them ends up the Master's willing sex slave, one ends up in the slave pit and the other two are tortured to death.
I might as well quit dancing around this; the book is porn. It's horror porn. That's it. Practically from the second chapter in, we get page after page of characters screwing each other, often described in graphic detail. The female protagonist, whose name, I kid you not, is Dream Weaver, gets seduced by the Master and spends the rest of the novel screwing him or masturbating while waiting to be screwed by him. The male protagonist isn't so lucky, even if he does have a scantily-clad warrior chick leading him through the pit.
Oh, but there's a side-plot with a character who escapes the pit, makes it up into the house and then gets seduced by one of the Master's dominatrix girls who spends the rest of the novel screwing him.
If you're thinking this sounds pretty hot and you'd like to read it just to get off on it, let me stop you right there and say that Bryan Smith writes sex scenes like he's never actually had it. These are the sex fantasies of a frustrated 14-year-old virgin. So...not sexy. Just Tab A gets inserted into Slot B ad infinitum.
And the horror isn't scary.
Best to just avoid it.
I've not read any of Bryan Smith's other books. I probably never will. Unless he got better, LOTS better, after writing this one, I can safely say he has no business trying to be a writer.
Let's see; his prose is childish. His dialogue is cliched beyond anything outside a Z-grade horror flick. His characters are completely shallow. His plot...I'm not sure there even is a plot.
I picked this up years ago when I was looking for a good scary read by someone I'd never read before. It was short, so I read to the end, wondering when, if ever, the horror would make itself evident.
Here's the "plot": a group of five young people (early 20's, from what I can tell), are driving through the woods of Tennessee on the way back from vacation when they get lost, get separated and four of them wind up at a creepy old house run by a guy called the Master. Ooooh, such an original name.
The Master has some kind of inter-dimensional slave pit beneath his house where he's in contact with numerous ancient gods or some crap. What he is, what they are, whether he serves them or is a lesser one of them himself isn't really made clear. He's just evil, because he's evil.
Of the four protagonists who make it to the house (one dies before they get there), one of them ends up the Master's willing sex slave, one ends up in the slave pit and the other two are tortured to death.
I might as well quit dancing around this; the book is porn. It's horror porn. That's it. Practically from the second chapter in, we get page after page of characters screwing each other, often described in graphic detail. The female protagonist, whose name, I kid you not, is Dream Weaver, gets seduced by the Master and spends the rest of the novel screwing him or masturbating while waiting to be screwed by him. The male protagonist isn't so lucky, even if he does have a scantily-clad warrior chick leading him through the pit.
Oh, but there's a side-plot with a character who escapes the pit, makes it up into the house and then gets seduced by one of the Master's dominatrix girls who spends the rest of the novel screwing him.
If you're thinking this sounds pretty hot and you'd like to read it just to get off on it, let me stop you right there and say that Bryan Smith writes sex scenes like he's never actually had it. These are the sex fantasies of a frustrated 14-year-old virgin. So...not sexy. Just Tab A gets inserted into Slot B ad infinitum.
And the horror isn't scary.
Best to just avoid it.
January 22, 2015
This is a fun book in the tradition of Richard Laymon and Edward Lee. When you first start reading it, you will think it's going in one direction. But by the time you're done, you'll be surprised by the events of this story. You won't see the Below coming. There's some great gore in here, but more importantly, there are some fascinating characters, at least in the way they play off of each other. All of the main characters have something about them that makes them unlikeable, except for Alicia, but I'm sure if Smith allowed us more time with her, we probably would have found something. Ultimately, this is a story of redemption, at least for those who survive, and that number is pretty small, indeed. I do, however, have a couple of gripes. First, that this story is badly structured. Suspense doesn't build like it should because there are too many cut-aways, and they don't flow well together. It also seems to me that there are big chunks of the book missing. For example, one important character is killed "off screen," and we only learn about it in the flashback memory of the witness. In another scene, two characters bring their relationship to the next level, but the entire incident is also "off screen." Again, this crucial scene is told in flashback. It's like Smith went over his required word count and had to cut a bunch of things out. Lastly, it seems like Smith's interest in certain characters just fizzles out and he doesn't know what to do with them. The biggest instance of this is a spoiler, so I won't mention it, but when you get to it, you'll know what I mean.
But there is a lot to find enjoyable in this book, and while these things are annoying, I don't think they'll distract you too much.
But there is a lot to find enjoyable in this book, and while these things are annoying, I don't think they'll distract you too much.
August 30, 2015
I've got quite the stack of books by authors I've never read. While my go to favorites are Stephen King and Robert McCammon, it's exciting to try out new blood (no pun intended) such as this guy...Bryan Smith. One thing I'm learning being on this site is that no two people are going to have the same exact taste in books. Every single book on Goodreads has negative and positive reviews. We're all different and we all experience something different when we pick up and read a book. My House of Blood experience started out OK. Bunch of young adults on the way home from a road trip find themselves in a bit of trouble. We've seen plenty of horror movies with this setup right? Frankly, most movies that start like this I usually end up digging. I thought that's how I'd feel with this book. Yeah, the dialogue is pretty cheesy, characters kind of uninteresting, but hell, early on in the book there's a pretty cool werewolf type creature so we're heading in the right direction. Then...I read some more. The dialogue got worse and the story itself just never did anything for me. I'm not going to go into details about the plot to avoid spoilers, but trust me when I say look elsewhere for an entertaining B-movie type horror novel. This is Bryan Smith's first novel I believe and it appears he has at least a dozen more floating around out there so maybe after this book is gone from my memory I'll give him another shot.
November 16, 2011
I saw this book in a Dollar General store (along with the sequel Queen of Blood) and decided to buy it figuring it was worth spending $1 on. After reading it, I felt robbed. This was one of those books where I kept forcing myself to read in the hopes it would get better. The characters were one-dimensional and lacking, leaving me unable to care whether or not they lived or died. The storyline had promise for being an interesting and enjoyable read, but two things made the story reminiscent of a bad B horror movie: too many sex scenes and not enough plot development. The author spends too many pages describing who is doing who (or even doing themselves) rather than telling the story, which causes the plot to be jumpy and rushed. This was the first book by Bryan Smith I have read and I realize this was Smith's first novel. But this book has made me hesitant about reading any more of his books, even though I bought the sequel Queen of Blood at the same time I bought House of Blood.
August 12, 2017
Yikes. Smith is typically a 4 or 5-star writer for me. I find his writing to be tight, concise, and brutally unrelenting. Gutter-noir in the spirit of a latter-day Jim Thompson.
But this, his debut novel, is a whole different ballgame. Tiresome, incongruous, bloated, and throwing out similes like George Brett hitting home runs. Seriously...there is one in almost every paragraph.
Unlikable characters doing inscrutable things for obscure reasons. So many different, contrasting horror tropes that you think you might choke on them. I LOVE Bryan Smith's writing, but if this festering dungheap of a novel landed on my desk from a budding young author, I'd probably burn the MS. Truly unreadable garbage. And this from a diehard fan of the author and the genre.
Stay clear if you have any respect at all for Smith's (otherwise remarkable) body of work.
But this, his debut novel, is a whole different ballgame. Tiresome, incongruous, bloated, and throwing out similes like George Brett hitting home runs. Seriously...there is one in almost every paragraph.
Unlikable characters doing inscrutable things for obscure reasons. So many different, contrasting horror tropes that you think you might choke on them. I LOVE Bryan Smith's writing, but if this festering dungheap of a novel landed on my desk from a budding young author, I'd probably burn the MS. Truly unreadable garbage. And this from a diehard fan of the author and the genre.
Stay clear if you have any respect at all for Smith's (otherwise remarkable) body of work.
January 5, 2010
I was really suprised by this book and the direction it took... yes there's blood, sex and guts - it is a horror novel and its not like the title did not give away this fact. (Oh, its too gory for my tastes - what were you expecting???)
Well all I can say is that I enjoyed this book so much that I ordered the limited & expensive hardback edition.
I also promptly brought all of Bryan's paperbacks.
If you are looking for a gripping read with interesting twists you should enjoy this one... if you want literature, and ambiguous chills pick up a Ramsey Campbell novel or read the great short story collections by Robert Aickman.
Well all I can say is that I enjoyed this book so much that I ordered the limited & expensive hardback edition.
I also promptly brought all of Bryan's paperbacks.
If you are looking for a gripping read with interesting twists you should enjoy this one... if you want literature, and ambiguous chills pick up a Ramsey Campbell novel or read the great short story collections by Robert Aickman.
April 3, 2013
I read the sequel to this book and figured I'd read this one in hopes that it would make more sense.
So, uh, there's a weird subdimension under Tennessee where Evil BDSM Superman lives and made a weird little BDSM city and some girl cures him with her vagina but not enough and then that girl's ex-boyfriend leads a revolt with Jim Morrison or something in the BDSM town and there's another French girl who uses sex magic to watch it all and she has a cat.
... oh, and a token sassy black female friend. But she died. Womp womp.
It still doesn't explain the ninja clan in the second book. WHY NINJAS. SERIOUSLY.
So, uh, there's a weird subdimension under Tennessee where Evil BDSM Superman lives and made a weird little BDSM city and some girl cures him with her vagina but not enough and then that girl's ex-boyfriend leads a revolt with Jim Morrison or something in the BDSM town and there's another French girl who uses sex magic to watch it all and she has a cat.
... oh, and a token sassy black female friend. But she died. Womp womp.
It still doesn't explain the ninja clan in the second book. WHY NINJAS. SERIOUSLY.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2014
Bryan 's first novel, brutal enough to satisfy, kept the action going with the character arcs and visceral grue from beginning until the thrilling denouement. My only criticism: a large number of errors that shouldn't have stilted a published book.
March 20, 2024
Bryan Smith is one of the authors alongside the likes of Edward Lee, Richard Laymon, Brian Keene, etc who get held up as one of the many great masters of the extreme horror genre. The Freakshow was my first novel from this author and despite its bizarre and outlandish nature, I loved it for how terrifying and insane it was. I could already tell from that book alone that this author is full of incredibly original ideas and a force to be reckoned with. House of Blood is his first novel and despite his mixed reviews I decided to give it a go.
After a vacation goes wrong Dream is driving her friends back home, it would seem their relationships with one another are on the verge of collapse, so when a huge argument bursts out Dream decides to take a slight detour away from the interstate, a decision that will change all their lives forever. On a mountain nearby is an old house, beautiful but creepy at the same time. Inside lives a creature older than any human living on Earth calling himself The Master, a being who adores inflicting pain and suffering onto others. But beneath the house and within the mountain is a whole domain of his own making, where evil and cruelty are a way of life, and good and innocence are against the law. It's up to Dream and Chad to change things, but will they be able to achieve victory over the forces of evil or will they succumb to their beckoning ideology?
House of Blood is conceptually an interesting novel that does an interesting spin of hell being a place on Earth, but it, unfortunately, suffers in execution. The first couple of chapters and the overall climax were incredibly fun and engaging to read, but all the same, throughout the novel, the story struggles with awkward pacing issues making this novel quite the bumpy ride. It doesn't help either how our main cast of characters are never given enough room to breathe, to develop their personalities and character arcs. This is a shame because as we come to learn by the end of the story, character development is meant to be a pretty big deal to this story and whilst it is noticeable, it is done in a way that feels unnatural, unrealistic, and at times contrived.
This is a novel with a plethora of problems such as an additional lack of atmosphere, but I'll admit it does highlight a few of this author's strengths as well. The world-building here was pretty solid, the ideas are interesting and the lore that is set up here is pretty fascinating in its own right. It's a story where it has all the right ideas, but it very much suffers from the author trying to do too much in so little time, and with it being his first novel on top of that, it struggles to grasp a solid foothold on its story.
I will say though despite not having read an awful lot from this author yet, I am grateful this got published. Despite this novel being a bit of a mess, it does highlight the sheer creative imagination he has and suggests greater things to come from him. It's not often a first novel, turns out very well. So if anyone manages to publish a book but only to find negative or mixed reviews upon publication, don't give up because if you love writing and you love fiction, the only way is up. Being a writer will always have its ups and downs but if you love what you do, don't let anyone stop you from doing what drives you creatively.
Overall: It's an iffy novel, but I didn't hate it. Sure it has a lot of flaws, but it also has quite a few things to be positive about as well. Some people do enjoy this novel, so if you're still interested in reading this, then go ahead, because at the end of the day, you might get a kick out of it. 3/10
After a vacation goes wrong Dream is driving her friends back home, it would seem their relationships with one another are on the verge of collapse, so when a huge argument bursts out Dream decides to take a slight detour away from the interstate, a decision that will change all their lives forever. On a mountain nearby is an old house, beautiful but creepy at the same time. Inside lives a creature older than any human living on Earth calling himself The Master, a being who adores inflicting pain and suffering onto others. But beneath the house and within the mountain is a whole domain of his own making, where evil and cruelty are a way of life, and good and innocence are against the law. It's up to Dream and Chad to change things, but will they be able to achieve victory over the forces of evil or will they succumb to their beckoning ideology?
House of Blood is conceptually an interesting novel that does an interesting spin of hell being a place on Earth, but it, unfortunately, suffers in execution. The first couple of chapters and the overall climax were incredibly fun and engaging to read, but all the same, throughout the novel, the story struggles with awkward pacing issues making this novel quite the bumpy ride. It doesn't help either how our main cast of characters are never given enough room to breathe, to develop their personalities and character arcs. This is a shame because as we come to learn by the end of the story, character development is meant to be a pretty big deal to this story and whilst it is noticeable, it is done in a way that feels unnatural, unrealistic, and at times contrived.
This is a novel with a plethora of problems such as an additional lack of atmosphere, but I'll admit it does highlight a few of this author's strengths as well. The world-building here was pretty solid, the ideas are interesting and the lore that is set up here is pretty fascinating in its own right. It's a story where it has all the right ideas, but it very much suffers from the author trying to do too much in so little time, and with it being his first novel on top of that, it struggles to grasp a solid foothold on its story.
I will say though despite not having read an awful lot from this author yet, I am grateful this got published. Despite this novel being a bit of a mess, it does highlight the sheer creative imagination he has and suggests greater things to come from him. It's not often a first novel, turns out very well. So if anyone manages to publish a book but only to find negative or mixed reviews upon publication, don't give up because if you love writing and you love fiction, the only way is up. Being a writer will always have its ups and downs but if you love what you do, don't let anyone stop you from doing what drives you creatively.
Overall: It's an iffy novel, but I didn't hate it. Sure it has a lot of flaws, but it also has quite a few things to be positive about as well. Some people do enjoy this novel, so if you're still interested in reading this, then go ahead, because at the end of the day, you might get a kick out of it. 3/10
September 20, 2023
’It would be akin to waking up one morning to find you’d become the devil’s concubine. A favored whore allowed to wallow in all of the world’s most sensual pleasures while all around you time’s doomed souls cried out in the eternal torment of molten hellfire.’
If you’ve missed the kind of horror that used to fill the book spinner racks with paperbacks festooned with garish artwork, metallic inked titles, and die-cut covers, then pay a visit to Bryan Smith’s House of Blood, a sleazy little domicile inhabited by werewolves, slaves, dominatrixes and maybe a devil. Smith gives you pretty much what you’d expect in this one: stupid over-sexed college kids, a sadistic arcane house master who feeds off suffering, and a harem of ensorcelled concubines -- then adds more ‘cause it wasn’t quite all the way over-the-top enough -- with a ‘women-in-prison’ underground penal colony, lots of sexual depravity, whips, witches, and a magical machete.
It's certainly ambitious -- something reminiscent of the late, great Richard Laymon with his signature brand of grindhouse depravity -- and to his credit, Smith is able to blend a good bit of smut and gore into a wild pastiche. But, in the end, this one ends up missing something. Maybe it’s the characters – you can’t help but hate them right from the opening car ride – and you end up stuck with the ‘least likable’ of them (chicken-livered cad) Chad and Dream (who boinks the bad guy while her BFFs are sexually abused and murdered). And while reducing characters to body parts is part of the fun of horror books, I never really found a protagonist to latch on to, and there were far too many plotlines that were left spun but forgotten by the final page.
For example, why did Ed and the Master look the same? Don’t know. And where did Giselle disappear to? Can’t tell ya. Who was the unnamed rock star? Charlie Daniels? Elvis? (I’m totally guessing). What was that ‘very old and very tired’ thing awakening ‘one more time’ in the two-paged Chapter 28? No clue … it either feel back asleep between pages or is waiting for the sequel.
Though this didn't resonate with me, I'll still giving Bryan Smith another try -- especially since I accidentally bought the sequel Queen of Blood -- and because there’s nothing inherently wrong with a ‘guilty pleasure’ book. Trashy horror being a favorite confection of mine as long as it entertains. But next time, less boobs and bondage and a bit more scares would be appreciated.
January 27, 2025
Reading Bryan Smith for the first time and it also happens to be his debut novel from 2004.
0%
Already annoyed after page 2 that one of the characters is named Dream. Oh well. (After finishing the book I see that I fit into the author’s description of stereotypical NPCs in the book who also thought Dream’s name was odd, lol.)
33%
So far, so good! Enjoying the ride, literally.. the main female protagonists have been in the car or just outside of it the whole time, whereas the boys are already fucked. Bryan Smith has successfully lured my curiosity of what will happen in the character’s personal lives and relationships at this point as well. Story is starting to take a stark turn to a supernatural-horror-fantasy … maybe? If anyone remembers a 2003 horror film “Dead End”… I was starting to get those vibes (which would be good since I loved that film), however at this point, it doesn’t seem like that’s the dread that will take hold… something else more tangible.
50%
The fantasy elements are really starting to shine through. I feel weird calling it fantasy though. I’m not sure if these “Below” the house scenes are happening in the real world or some other dimension. There’s more boobs and sex since the 33% mark. Nothing very graphic imo. I’m still enjoying the story, and definitely wanting to see where the relationship/partnership between Chad and Cindy is going.
100%
The ending came quick! I was mostly OK with this only because I knew there was a sequel to this story, so if I hadn’t had that knowledge I might have been a little annoyed. I definitely found myself mostly drawn to the characters relationships and how it will come together, rather than the evil that lurked in their new “home.”
Overall, for my first Bryan Smith read, I enjoyed it and I’ll be reading the sequel as well as other Bryan Smith novels. I’d say this book fits in well with other Leisure Horror novels I’ve read… less boobs/sex than many of them, albeit there are boobs and sex in House of Blood as well.
0%
Already annoyed after page 2 that one of the characters is named Dream. Oh well. (After finishing the book I see that I fit into the author’s description of stereotypical NPCs in the book who also thought Dream’s name was odd, lol.)
33%
So far, so good! Enjoying the ride, literally.. the main female protagonists have been in the car or just outside of it the whole time, whereas the boys are already fucked. Bryan Smith has successfully lured my curiosity of what will happen in the character’s personal lives and relationships at this point as well. Story is starting to take a stark turn to a supernatural-horror-fantasy … maybe? If anyone remembers a 2003 horror film “Dead End”… I was starting to get those vibes (which would be good since I loved that film), however at this point, it doesn’t seem like that’s the dread that will take hold… something else more tangible.
50%
The fantasy elements are really starting to shine through. I feel weird calling it fantasy though. I’m not sure if these “Below” the house scenes are happening in the real world or some other dimension. There’s more boobs and sex since the 33% mark. Nothing very graphic imo. I’m still enjoying the story, and definitely wanting to see where the relationship/partnership between Chad and Cindy is going.
100%
The ending came quick! I was mostly OK with this only because I knew there was a sequel to this story, so if I hadn’t had that knowledge I might have been a little annoyed. I definitely found myself mostly drawn to the characters relationships and how it will come together, rather than the evil that lurked in their new “home.”
Overall, for my first Bryan Smith read, I enjoyed it and I’ll be reading the sequel as well as other Bryan Smith novels. I’d say this book fits in well with other Leisure Horror novels I’ve read… less boobs/sex than many of them, albeit there are boobs and sex in House of Blood as well.
October 27, 2018
This is the closet I think I have ever come to a grind house / sexploitation horror story, in book format.
The characters are unrealistic the world and the story are total drivel - pretty much nothing makes much sense.
There are some bits of gore and violence but mostly it is kept under the table - nothing to give you nightmares.
There is some naughty bits in the book but again it is all quite tame - this is the sort of book that would (and does) use the phrase "cotton panties" more than once.
But against this rather bruising sentiment this book is incredibly easy to read.
It is split into several threads that interchange between quite snappy chapters, it is written in short punchy sentences and cliches that are so ground-in they are easy to relate to and quite enjoyable to read.
I had a lot of fun powering through this book.
Even when I was tired or travelling it was no effort to pick this up and blast through a chapter or two.
This is very well crafted for its purpose, just don't try and take this too seriously!
The characters are unrealistic the world and the story are total drivel - pretty much nothing makes much sense.
There are some bits of gore and violence but mostly it is kept under the table - nothing to give you nightmares.
There is some naughty bits in the book but again it is all quite tame - this is the sort of book that would (and does) use the phrase "cotton panties" more than once.
But against this rather bruising sentiment this book is incredibly easy to read.
It is split into several threads that interchange between quite snappy chapters, it is written in short punchy sentences and cliches that are so ground-in they are easy to relate to and quite enjoyable to read.
I had a lot of fun powering through this book.
Even when I was tired or travelling it was no effort to pick this up and blast through a chapter or two.
This is very well crafted for its purpose, just don't try and take this too seriously!
June 9, 2021
House of Blood was certainly a blood frenzied, erotic and murderous adventure. I really enjoyed it's raw and lusty goodness! Without spoiling too much, the relationship between Dream and Master was wildly intriguing to me, and I would have loved to hear more on their intertwining love story! However, much of the other books' characters fell a little flat to me, and didn't quite get the resolution I had hoped for. I also wasn't totally enamored with the underground world of lycanthropy and shape shifters. Again, I wanted to read more about Dream, her friends and their horrible nightmare of an excursion! There's still SO much to enjoy with House of Blood, it just didn't quite hit me the way I know so many others have raved about this one! Check it out if you want a super dark, lusty tale of demons and gore.
February 23, 2024
I am kind of torn from this. This definitely was not a horrible book. It definitely was not absolutely amazing. To be honest. I put this book down twice and the only reason I finished it is because I normally never not finish a book. I always try to finish a book but this past year I have about seven books that I started and put back in now I’m trying to finish every single one of those books that I put down in the middle so this was my first book to finish. I am happy I did. I enjoy the author. It’s one of the better authors I’ve read, and this was a good book butit’s just stuck in the middle with me. It was hard to get into innocent for me. It did not pull my attention.
November 14, 2019
What a Ride!
House of Blood was absolutely NOTHING like what I expected. At first, I expected a story about some serial killing psycho. And what I found instead was so much more.
This novel has all of the things I've come to expect from Mr. Smith. Debauchery, torture, and the supernatural. But this has been one of my favorites by a wide margin.
Thank you, Bryan for this excellent little foray into the bizarre and macabre. I can't wait to see what you dream up next!
House of Blood was absolutely NOTHING like what I expected. At first, I expected a story about some serial killing psycho. And what I found instead was so much more.
This novel has all of the things I've come to expect from Mr. Smith. Debauchery, torture, and the supernatural. But this has been one of my favorites by a wide margin.
Thank you, Bryan for this excellent little foray into the bizarre and macabre. I can't wait to see what you dream up next!
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