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Walkers
The Oaks is an idyllic, up-market country club – but its ornately carved walls hide a horrific past. Sixty years ago the house was an asylum, home to crazed psychopaths. One night all of them disappeared, never to be seen again.
Jack Reed, the owner of The Oaks, has no idea about the building's terrible history. It is only when Jack's son is dragged into the walls of the mansion that he realizes what happened sixty years ago – and just where the inmates have been living all this time...
Jack Reed, the owner of The Oaks, has no idea about the building's terrible history. It is only when Jack's son is dragged into the walls of the mansion that he realizes what happened sixty years ago – and just where the inmates have been living all this time...
345 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1989
280 people are currently reading
2751 people want to read
About the author
Graham Masterton
422 books1,966 followersGraham Masterton was born in Edinburgh in 1946. His grandfather was Thomas Thorne Baker, the eminent scientist who invented DayGlo and was the first man to transmit news photographs by wireless. After training as a newspaper reporter, Graham went on to edit the new British men's magazine Mayfair, where he encouraged William Burroughs to develop a series of scientific and philosophical articles which eventually became Burroughs' novel The Wild Boys.
At the age of 24, Graham was appointed executive editor of both Penthouse and Penthouse Forum magazines. At this time he started to write a bestselling series of sex 'how-to' books including How To Drive Your Man Wild In Bed which has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. His latest, Wild Sex For New Lovers is published by Penguin Putnam in January, 2001. He is a regular contributor to Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Woman, Woman's Own and other mass-market self-improvement magazines.
Graham Masterton's debut as a horror author began with The Manitou in 1976, a chilling tale of a Native American medicine man reborn in the present day to exact his revenge on the white man. It became an instant bestseller and was filmed with Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg, Burgess Meredith, Michael Ansara, Stella Stevens and Ann Sothern.
Altogether Graham has written more than a hundred novels ranging from thrillers (The Sweetman Curve, Ikon) to disaster novels (Plague, Famine) to historical sagas (Rich and Maiden Voyage - both appeared in the New York Times bestseller list). He has published four collections of short stories, Fortnight of Fear, Flights of Fear, Faces of Fear and Feelings of Fear.
He has also written horror novels for children (House of Bones, Hair-Raiser) and has just finished the fifth volume in a very popular series for young adults, Rook, based on the adventures of an idiosyncratic remedial English teacher in a Los Angeles community college who has the facility to see ghosts.
Since then Graham has published more than 35 horror novels, including Charnel House, which was awarded a Special Edgar by Mystery Writers of America; Mirror, which was awarded a Silver Medal by West Coast Review of Books; and Family Portrait, an update of Oscar Wilde's tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was the only non-French winner of the prestigious Prix Julia Verlanger in France.
He and his wife Wiescka live in a Gothic Victorian mansion high above the River Lee in Cork, Ireland.
At the age of 24, Graham was appointed executive editor of both Penthouse and Penthouse Forum magazines. At this time he started to write a bestselling series of sex 'how-to' books including How To Drive Your Man Wild In Bed which has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. His latest, Wild Sex For New Lovers is published by Penguin Putnam in January, 2001. He is a regular contributor to Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Woman, Woman's Own and other mass-market self-improvement magazines.
Graham Masterton's debut as a horror author began with The Manitou in 1976, a chilling tale of a Native American medicine man reborn in the present day to exact his revenge on the white man. It became an instant bestseller and was filmed with Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg, Burgess Meredith, Michael Ansara, Stella Stevens and Ann Sothern.
Altogether Graham has written more than a hundred novels ranging from thrillers (The Sweetman Curve, Ikon) to disaster novels (Plague, Famine) to historical sagas (Rich and Maiden Voyage - both appeared in the New York Times bestseller list). He has published four collections of short stories, Fortnight of Fear, Flights of Fear, Faces of Fear and Feelings of Fear.
He has also written horror novels for children (House of Bones, Hair-Raiser) and has just finished the fifth volume in a very popular series for young adults, Rook, based on the adventures of an idiosyncratic remedial English teacher in a Los Angeles community college who has the facility to see ghosts.
Since then Graham has published more than 35 horror novels, including Charnel House, which was awarded a Special Edgar by Mystery Writers of America; Mirror, which was awarded a Silver Medal by West Coast Review of Books; and Family Portrait, an update of Oscar Wilde's tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was the only non-French winner of the prestigious Prix Julia Verlanger in France.
He and his wife Wiescka live in a Gothic Victorian mansion high above the River Lee in Cork, Ireland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 259 reviews
August 2, 2020
The book started strong with a deserted asylum in the woods Jack wishes to buy immediately upon first sight. When his little son Randy vanishes there the story builds up speed. We meet characters who were present when the asylum was closed down and hear about the former inmates. Where have they all gone? Jack reveals a deadly secret. It has something to do with druidism and old legend. Well, so far so good. When the inmates start walking in the walls and the death toll is rising the story becomes a bit stagnant, repetitive and slow moving. Also the antagonist Quintus Miller would have deserved a better final that this. The ending of the main characters also wasn't fully convincing for me. Masterton could have made much more of this story. From that point we know the secret behind the walls of the asylum the book is declining. Of course there are many gory moments and violent action. But the high expectations came to an end in the last quarter of the book. Not bad, entertaining, but not an absolute Masterton classic in my opinion.
May 5, 2023
Graham Masterton's Walkers left me feeling spooked and thoroughly impressed. I was immediately drawn into the dark and eerie world that he created.
The plot was full of surprises and kept me guessing until the very end, with plenty of twists and turns that are driven by the characters themselves. All of the characters were well-developed and their struggles with the haunting presence in the story made them feel all too real. What stood out in particular to me was the way Masterton crafted the abandoned mental asylum into its own character - which enhanced the horror two-fold.
Walkers is yet another example of why Graham Masteron is considered one of the masters in creating truly terrifying experiences. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good scare and an immersive, atmospheric read.
The plot was full of surprises and kept me guessing until the very end, with plenty of twists and turns that are driven by the characters themselves. All of the characters were well-developed and their struggles with the haunting presence in the story made them feel all too real. What stood out in particular to me was the way Masterton crafted the abandoned mental asylum into its own character - which enhanced the horror two-fold.
Walkers is yet another example of why Graham Masteron is considered one of the masters in creating truly terrifying experiences. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good scare and an immersive, atmospheric read.
October 16, 2025
What could have been a straightforward exchange quickly escalates into pandemonium when it involves mad and devious people with nothing to lose. That is the novel in a snapshot, laying more ground to show how desperation can make ordinary people dangerous—both in their actions and in the decisions they make, inadvertently or otherwise; at the centre of this riveting horror is how far a father will go to save his son.
“Fear, cajolery, blackmail, violence… he had all the persuasiveness of true insanity.”
Within the hallmarks of horror, there is plenty of mental fodder so that it’s not just gore and jump scares: what remains of a vengeful person whose humanity has left them, the morality of sacrificing one life to prevent a theoretical (and possibly unlikely) disaster, what makes a life worthy of saving or sacrificing, whether it is moral to torture one person to obtain information that could save hundreds, and what it truly means to make a deal when the deal-breakers are hidden from the outset. There are instances of torture or self-inflicted suffering, reminiscent of the underlying ideas behind the torture box in the Dune series, which force readers to confront what it means to be human—beings assumed capable of reason rather than acting only on impulse, with the mind controlling the body. The mad may think only of wrenching their hands away and batter their bodies against window grills in an attempt to break free.
The novel contains enough gore to have put me off eating for days—if it weren’t counterbalanced with humour. The contrast between horror and dark humour, grotesquerie and deadpan delivery is expertly handled, making it a winning approach. The blend of mystical Christian and pre-Christian (Druid) traditions and rituals adds a compelling and terrifying dimension.
“Fear, cajolery, blackmail, violence… he had all the persuasiveness of true insanity.”
Within the hallmarks of horror, there is plenty of mental fodder so that it’s not just gore and jump scares: what remains of a vengeful person whose humanity has left them, the morality of sacrificing one life to prevent a theoretical (and possibly unlikely) disaster, what makes a life worthy of saving or sacrificing, whether it is moral to torture one person to obtain information that could save hundreds, and what it truly means to make a deal when the deal-breakers are hidden from the outset. There are instances of torture or self-inflicted suffering, reminiscent of the underlying ideas behind the torture box in the Dune series, which force readers to confront what it means to be human—beings assumed capable of reason rather than acting only on impulse, with the mind controlling the body. The mad may think only of wrenching their hands away and batter their bodies against window grills in an attempt to break free.
The novel contains enough gore to have put me off eating for days—if it weren’t counterbalanced with humour. The contrast between horror and dark humour, grotesquerie and deadpan delivery is expertly handled, making it a winning approach. The blend of mystical Christian and pre-Christian (Druid) traditions and rituals adds a compelling and terrifying dimension.
September 5, 2010
Ah, Mr Masterton. People think horror, they think King, Straub, Herbert, Barker, etc. I think that Graham Masterton should be up there as a...ahem, master. He constantly writes tight, gripping, balls-to-the-wall horror.
Walkers is no exception.
Jack narrowly avoids running down a child in a grey hooded jacket, and pursues the figure into the woods on foot. He there discovers a grand building, unseen from the road and instantly falls in love with it. With plans to covert the dilapidated house into a country club, he starts to inquire about it. Unfortunately, The Oaks used to be a home for the criminally insane, and inside the crumbling walls, the one hundred and thirty five maniacs still reside, despite all the inmates mysteriously vanishing one night in 1926. On an impromptu inspection of the place, Jack finds that his son is missing, like he's vanished into the walls themselves...
This is the perfect amalgamation of two Masterton books I have previously read: The House That Jack Built and Ritual. In Ritual, we have a desperate father trying to save his kidnapped son, and in House, we have the wonderful sprawling haunted house akin to The Haunting. Walkers has elements of both.
First off: gore. Lovely, lovely gore. Masterton sets up a strong cast of supporting characters, which will always prove to be lots of meat for the grinder. He even lets the chaos run free, so that no one in Milwaukee is safe! This gives us plenty of mini stories within the plot were we see everyday characters meeting various sticky ends. I love it when books do this!
I think the biggest plus point in this story is that we start with standard, yet very atmospheric, very creepy haunted house fare. While I appreciate haunted house novels (and as people who follow my reviews will know, they crop up a fair bit) the big reveal is usually...ghosts. While this may be the case here, Masterton gives them a very unique spin on how they exist and how they can attack and kill. The result is an enigmatic blend of, say the movies 1000 Maniacs and Tremors!
I'll admit that some parts may border on the far-fetched, but it all adds to the fun. The pace is on the nose and it never lets up. What I call the squeam-factor is there in spades. Trust you, Graham! The edition I read was part of an omnibus alongside Ritual, one of the most squeamish books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Together, and due to their refusal to be put down, this is one of my favourites.
Any horror fan should let their hair down, settle in and have some fun with this little gem. Highly recommended.
Walkers is no exception.
Jack narrowly avoids running down a child in a grey hooded jacket, and pursues the figure into the woods on foot. He there discovers a grand building, unseen from the road and instantly falls in love with it. With plans to covert the dilapidated house into a country club, he starts to inquire about it. Unfortunately, The Oaks used to be a home for the criminally insane, and inside the crumbling walls, the one hundred and thirty five maniacs still reside, despite all the inmates mysteriously vanishing one night in 1926. On an impromptu inspection of the place, Jack finds that his son is missing, like he's vanished into the walls themselves...
This is the perfect amalgamation of two Masterton books I have previously read: The House That Jack Built and Ritual. In Ritual, we have a desperate father trying to save his kidnapped son, and in House, we have the wonderful sprawling haunted house akin to The Haunting. Walkers has elements of both.
First off: gore. Lovely, lovely gore. Masterton sets up a strong cast of supporting characters, which will always prove to be lots of meat for the grinder. He even lets the chaos run free, so that no one in Milwaukee is safe! This gives us plenty of mini stories within the plot were we see everyday characters meeting various sticky ends. I love it when books do this!
I think the biggest plus point in this story is that we start with standard, yet very atmospheric, very creepy haunted house fare. While I appreciate haunted house novels (and as people who follow my reviews will know, they crop up a fair bit) the big reveal is usually...ghosts. While this may be the case here, Masterton gives them a very unique spin on how they exist and how they can attack and kill. The result is an enigmatic blend of, say the movies 1000 Maniacs and Tremors!
I'll admit that some parts may border on the far-fetched, but it all adds to the fun. The pace is on the nose and it never lets up. What I call the squeam-factor is there in spades. Trust you, Graham! The edition I read was part of an omnibus alongside Ritual, one of the most squeamish books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Together, and due to their refusal to be put down, this is one of my favourites.
Any horror fan should let their hair down, settle in and have some fun with this little gem. Highly recommended.
September 8, 2023
This definitely belongs in the so-batshit-ridiculous-it’s-funny category of 80s horror novels, but it actually had some fairly decent gore in it, and the basic premise (crazed killers disappearing from an asylum without a trace, surviving in the walls for decades, and awaiting their chance to emerge into the world to kill again), well, that was pretty intriguing too. Just know that—and beware, there are massive spoilers ahead—this all gets resolved in the end because, in much the same way that paper always beats rock, freakin holy water apparently beats Druidic magic, every single time. That’s right. Ultimately, it all comes down to the liberal use of holy water, folks. There were plenty of other ludicrous moments to be found in this thing, but IMO that kind of takes the cake.
August 28, 2023
This is a pretty good and somewhat overlooked '80s haunted house horror, a fast and sometimes uncomfortable read as many of Masterton's works are. It's got some erotic content and some William Johnstone-esque craziness and some no longer socially acceptable content. (It's set in a former mental asylum, for example.) It's got a very clever concept that blends the characters and the setting... which the Joe DeVito cover kind of spoils, but it's cool.
September 3, 2022
**3.5 Stars**
October 14, 2024
This had an incredibly strong opening chapter, and I love following a haunted house/building story. HOWEVER, the characters in this were insufferable!!! 2 stars is being generous.
Reading notes along the way....
○ I really enjoyed the opening chapter describing the mansion and exploring the grounds, etc. Very creepy!
○ Really disliking Jack, the main character. He's cheating on his wife with the girl who works for him and thinks about slapping his wife when he is mad. I can't. Like, dude, you suck
○ Okayyyyy...Creeepy face in the wallpaper saying disturbing things to the kid. Not good.
○ This is depressing the hell out of me. The main character is just so grimy. This is a tough one because I'm interested in the haunted house aspect. However, the characters are just insufferable.
○ Reminds me a bit of hill house, a bit of the september house.
○ The details about this girl's body, her breasts, etc., them having sex, ugh it's so irritating and gross to me like I DONT CARE ABOUT THIS.
○ The picture of this book paints mentally ill patients, feeling very harmful and stigmatized. Blood thirsty and rabid, foaming at the mouths...
○ I don't recommend the audiobook. It's very over the top.
○ He seriously just said to the young girl he's cheating on his wife with, the only person on his side, "you're not as dumb as you look", and she didn't kick him out right then? Dear Lord,
○ He just said to his wife "you gave me your word you would love honor and OBEY" OH FUCK YOU. as he's literally cheating on her this gaslighting pig.
○ This chapter with the ghosts attacking people is so TEDIOUS. It's like 40 minutes long.....
○ Why does EVERY woman have to be described by their breasts????
○ The dialogue of this book is just atrocious. I can't stand it.
○ 84% The last few chapters have just dragged on and on and on horribly.
Reading notes along the way....
○ I really enjoyed the opening chapter describing the mansion and exploring the grounds, etc. Very creepy!
○ Really disliking Jack, the main character. He's cheating on his wife with the girl who works for him and thinks about slapping his wife when he is mad. I can't. Like, dude, you suck
○ Okayyyyy...Creeepy face in the wallpaper saying disturbing things to the kid. Not good.
○ This is depressing the hell out of me. The main character is just so grimy. This is a tough one because I'm interested in the haunted house aspect. However, the characters are just insufferable.
○ Reminds me a bit of hill house, a bit of the september house.
○ The details about this girl's body, her breasts, etc., them having sex, ugh it's so irritating and gross to me like I DONT CARE ABOUT THIS.
○ The picture of this book paints mentally ill patients, feeling very harmful and stigmatized. Blood thirsty and rabid, foaming at the mouths...
○ I don't recommend the audiobook. It's very over the top.
○ He seriously just said to the young girl he's cheating on his wife with, the only person on his side, "you're not as dumb as you look", and she didn't kick him out right then? Dear Lord,
○ He just said to his wife "you gave me your word you would love honor and OBEY" OH FUCK YOU. as he's literally cheating on her this gaslighting pig.
○ This chapter with the ghosts attacking people is so TEDIOUS. It's like 40 minutes long.....
○ Why does EVERY woman have to be described by their breasts????
○ The dialogue of this book is just atrocious. I can't stand it.
○ 84% The last few chapters have just dragged on and on and on horribly.
October 13, 2023
A fun read by Masterton, but one that went from spooky to camp pretty quickly. Our lead, Jack Reed, owns a muffler and tire franchise in Milwaukee. This starts off with Jack driving through the woods outside of town one day on a lonely road when something runs in front of his car; skidding and swerving, Jack finally hit a tree with the rear of his station wagon. He goes looking for what he might have hit and after some trials and tribulations, sees an old, but really grand mansion deep in the woods. Curious, he investigates it and it changes his life for good, or should I say, for bad.
Jack falls in love with the mansion and dreams of restoring it to its Gothic grandeur and turning it into an upscale country club. Needless to say, his wife thinks he is crazy. Undaunted, Jack finally manages to track down the real estate company managing the property and starts negotiations to buy it. Yet, there is something off about the place. Jack keep hearing strange sounds when he checked out the place, and one day when he took his 9 yo son and secretary there, something came out of the walls and sucked his son in! All Jack knows is that he left Randy in a room and a few minutes later he was gone.
This started off as, from the depiction above, a haunted house story, and a spooky one at that. Turns out the mansion used to be a lunatic asylum back in the 20s. After a super build up, Masterton turns on the camp for the rest of the story in an oh so 80s kind of way, tossing in Ley lines and ancient druid rituals. Also, as usual, Masterton spends far too much time describing the outfits of everyone, including the name brands. I like camp, but I think the mixture here threw me off a bit. I was just getting into a creepy haunted house story when Masterton switched gears into full on camp. Still, a fun read and bat shit crazy enough to keep me entertained. 3 campy stars!!
Jack falls in love with the mansion and dreams of restoring it to its Gothic grandeur and turning it into an upscale country club. Needless to say, his wife thinks he is crazy. Undaunted, Jack finally manages to track down the real estate company managing the property and starts negotiations to buy it. Yet, there is something off about the place. Jack keep hearing strange sounds when he checked out the place, and one day when he took his 9 yo son and secretary there, something came out of the walls and sucked his son in! All Jack knows is that he left Randy in a room and a few minutes later he was gone.
This started off as, from the depiction above, a haunted house story, and a spooky one at that. Turns out the mansion used to be a lunatic asylum back in the 20s. After a super build up, Masterton turns on the camp for the rest of the story in an oh so 80s kind of way, tossing in Ley lines and ancient druid rituals. Also, as usual, Masterton spends far too much time describing the outfits of everyone, including the name brands. I like camp, but I think the mixture here threw me off a bit. I was just getting into a creepy haunted house story when Masterton switched gears into full on camp. Still, a fun read and bat shit crazy enough to keep me entertained. 3 campy stars!!
October 5, 2025
I don’t write reviews.
This is the perfect book for the Halloween season. The most delightful detail is the constant rainy weather. Masterton presents a twist on the haunted asylum, a new take on the homocidal maniac and a fun interpretation of earth magic. Jack is a solid main character, a slightly stupid dreamer, and his leading lady Karen, is a saintly whore, loyal through and through. The only thing that is completely unbelievable, to me anyway, is Karen wearing fishnet stockings and a mini skirt with no panties in the cold rain. For the rest of the story, I kept thinking, “isn’t she uncomfortable?”
This is the perfect book for the Halloween season. The most delightful detail is the constant rainy weather. Masterton presents a twist on the haunted asylum, a new take on the homocidal maniac and a fun interpretation of earth magic. Jack is a solid main character, a slightly stupid dreamer, and his leading lady Karen, is a saintly whore, loyal through and through. The only thing that is completely unbelievable, to me anyway, is Karen wearing fishnet stockings and a mini skirt with no panties in the cold rain. For the rest of the story, I kept thinking, “isn’t she uncomfortable?”
March 30, 2019
I really tried with this book, but I couldn't do it.
When I initially started Wakers, I thought the plot was going to be really good. I liked where it was headed, and the "ghosts in the walls" concept had me really hooked! And then...the rampant misogyny and homophobia just did me in. I can forgive a book up to a point as a 'product of its time', but that only extends so far. I can also understand that the mc was not a great person, yet that was part of the problem in itself. How am I expected to sympathize with a man who leaves his child alone in a potentially dangerous and unfamiliar building so that he can go off and get frisky with his secretary? Jack was just so unlikable that I actually WANTED him to die. Then there is the issue of Karen the Secretary herself. The way she is portrayed in this book is awful, and just the fact that the words 'living jello' were associated with her is so gross.
The plot itself goes completely off the rails after a while and there was just nothing left to keep my attention. DNF a little over halfway through.
When I initially started Wakers, I thought the plot was going to be really good. I liked where it was headed, and the "ghosts in the walls" concept had me really hooked! And then...the rampant misogyny and homophobia just did me in. I can forgive a book up to a point as a 'product of its time', but that only extends so far. I can also understand that the mc was not a great person, yet that was part of the problem in itself. How am I expected to sympathize with a man who leaves his child alone in a potentially dangerous and unfamiliar building so that he can go off and get frisky with his secretary? Jack was just so unlikable that I actually WANTED him to die. Then there is the issue of Karen the Secretary herself. The way she is portrayed in this book is awful, and just the fact that the words 'living jello' were associated with her is so gross.
The plot itself goes completely off the rails after a while and there was just nothing left to keep my attention. DNF a little over halfway through.
August 30, 2016
Οι Δρύες είναι εγκαταλειμμένο θεόρατο, μάλλον γοτθικό κτίριο, μέσα στο δάσος. Ο Τζακ, ένας μέσος «επιτυχημένος» Αμερικάνος για τους γύρω του, θα το ανακαλύψει –όχι τυχαία- ένα βροχερό απόγευμα καθώς οδηγεί από την δουλειά προς το σπίτι. Θα γοητευτεί , όχι άδικα και θα επιστρέψει (δυστυχώς για εκείνον, ευτυχώς για εμάς) με μια ιδέα που από την αρχή φαίνεται να είναι όνειρο ζωής. Ο Τζακ εξηγεί στην γυναίκα του ότι θέλει να το κάνει ξενοδοχείο. Δεν ξέρει ακριβώς τον τρόπο , όπως δεν γνωρίζει τίποτε για την Μαγεία των Δρυίδων αλλά ούτε και για το παρελθόν των Δρυών. Η γυναίκα του δεν συμφωνεί και αυτό δείχνει πως είναι η αρχή του τέλους για ένα ήδη φθαρμένο γάμο.
Απτόητος κάνει την προσφορά του, σε ένα μεσίτη και επιστρέφει στις Δρύες μαζί με τον γιό του, οπότε και ξεκινά να ξεδιπλώνεται το σκοτεινό παρελθόν τόσο των Δρυών όσο και όλων εκείνων που έμμεσα ή άμεσα ζούσαν, εργάζονταν ή ακόμα και «φιλοξενούνταν» εκεί.
Η «μαγική» συνταγή, που βασικά μόνο μαγική και μυστική δεν είναι, για ένα πετυχημένο μυθιστόρημα τρόμου ξεδιπλώνεται ακόμα μια φορά. Έχουμε και λέμε:
Ο άνθρωπος, η ζωή του οποίου είναι σχεδόν στο μέσο όρο. Η βυζαρού ερωμένη που φορά ψηλοτάκουνες γόβες παντού. Η δύστροπη σύζυγος, ο πολυμήχανος Βρετανός ακαδημαϊκός. Ένα πιτσιρίκι που «θυματοποιείται» και βέβαια το κτίριο που δημιουργεί ο συγγραφέας με τέτοιο τρόπο, ώστε εξαρχής να γνωρίζεις ότι όπου να’ ναι η μαλακία θα συμβεί και θα πυροδοτήσει το λουτρό αίματος.
Έχοντας διαβάσει ένα μεγάλο αριθμό βιβλίων του συγγραφέα, μπορώ να πω με σιγουριά πλέον ότι ο Μάστερτον γράφει τις πλέον άγριες, αιματοβαμμένες και ταυτόχρονα καταπληκτικές σε σύλληψη, ιστορίες τρόμου. Όπως στις περισσότερες, έτσι και δω, για το μοναδικό πράγμα που νοιάζεται είναι ο τρόπος που θα μεταπηδήσει από την μια σφαγή στην επόμενη. Οι χαρακτήρες είναι καρικατούρες. Οι διάλογοι θυμίζουν μεταγλωττισμένη σαπουνόπερα.
Ο συγγραφέας δεν αναλώνεται στο να κάνει ρεαλιστικούς χαρακτήρες, ούτε πιστευτούς διαλόγους και εδώ είναι ακριβώς το σημείο όπου του βγάζω το καπέλο.
Ο Μάστερτον χτίζει μια ιστορία αποκλειστικά και μόνο για να χαρίσει στους αναγνώστες όσες περισσότερες αιματηρές σκηνές είναι δυνατόν. Και όσες και αν συμπεριλάβει, ποτέ δεν είναι αρκετές.
Αναρωτηθείτε, αν θέλετε πάλι φανταστείτε, τοίχους να ζωντανεύουν και να τραβάνε ανθρώπους μέσα τους. Φανταστείτε πάλι ανθρώπους που κάθονται στο κάθισμα του αυτοκινήτου τους, να χάνονται και το μόνο που απομένει να είναι μια ματωμένη τρύπα και τα ελατήρια του καθίσματος που εξέχουν.
Ακούγεται γελοίο και όταν το οραματίζεσαι γίνεται ακόμα γελοιότερο. Όμως ο Μάστερτον είναι ένας από τους ελάχιστους που μπορεί να το κάνει να «φανεί» και να «ακουστεί» απόλυτα τρομακτικό, περιγράφοντας και την παραμικρή λεπτομέρεια.
Ναι, ρε φίλε, θα ακούσεις τις σάρκες να γδέρνονται και να σκίζονται καθώς πιέζονται πάνω στα τούβλα και θα ακούσεις το θόρυβο από τους χόνδρους και τις αρθρώσεις που σπάνε.
Το «στήσιμο» του βιβλίου είναι τέτοιο που σου δίνει την εντύπωση πως το τέλος θα είναι συνταρακτικό. Η αλήθεια είναι ότι η λύση του τέλους είναι παιδαριώδης και θυμίζει ακόμα μια φορά όχι γουέστερν αλλά «καουμπόικο»
Τελικά νομίζω ότι Οι «παγιδευμένοι» είναι υπεράνω κριτικής.
Μάλλον πρόκειται για ένα μυθιστόρημα από κείνα που μυρίζουν από μακριά b horror fiction, μια καλτίλα που αν σου αρέσει, τότε απλώς σου αρέσει. Αν όχι, τότε you’re Fucked!!
Απτόητος κάνει την προσφορά του, σε ένα μεσίτη και επιστρέφει στις Δρύες μαζί με τον γιό του, οπότε και ξεκινά να ξεδιπλώνεται το σκοτεινό παρελθόν τόσο των Δρυών όσο και όλων εκείνων που έμμεσα ή άμεσα ζούσαν, εργάζονταν ή ακόμα και «φιλοξενούνταν» εκεί.
Η «μαγική» συνταγή, που βασικά μόνο μαγική και μυστική δεν είναι, για ένα πετυχημένο μυθιστόρημα τρόμου ξεδιπλώνεται ακόμα μια φορά. Έχουμε και λέμε:
Ο άνθρωπος, η ζωή του οποίου είναι σχεδόν στο μέσο όρο. Η βυζαρού ερωμένη που φορά ψηλοτάκουνες γόβες παντού. Η δύστροπη σύζυγος, ο πολυμήχανος Βρετανός ακαδημαϊκός. Ένα πιτσιρίκι που «θυματοποιείται» και βέβαια το κτίριο που δημιουργεί ο συγγραφέας με τέτοιο τρόπο, ώστε εξαρχής να γνωρίζεις ότι όπου να’ ναι η μαλακία θα συμβεί και θα πυροδοτήσει το λουτρό αίματος.
Έχοντας διαβάσει ένα μεγάλο αριθμό βιβλίων του συγγραφέα, μπορώ να πω με σιγουριά πλέον ότι ο Μάστερτον γράφει τις πλέον άγριες, αιματοβαμμένες και ταυτόχρονα καταπληκτικές σε σύλληψη, ιστορίες τρόμου. Όπως στις περισσότερες, έτσι και δω, για το μοναδικό πράγμα που νοιάζεται είναι ο τρόπος που θα μεταπηδήσει από την μια σφαγή στην επόμενη. Οι χαρακτήρες είναι καρικατούρες. Οι διάλογοι θυμίζουν μεταγλωττισμένη σαπουνόπερα.
Ο συγγραφέας δεν αναλώνεται στο να κάνει ρεαλιστικούς χαρακτήρες, ούτε πιστευτούς διαλόγους και εδώ είναι ακριβώς το σημείο όπου του βγάζω το καπέλο.
Ο Μάστερτον χτίζει μια ιστορία αποκλειστικά και μόνο για να χαρίσει στους αναγνώστες όσες περισσότερες αιματηρές σκηνές είναι δυνατόν. Και όσες και αν συμπεριλάβει, ποτέ δεν είναι αρκετές.
Αναρωτηθείτε, αν θέλετε πάλι φανταστείτε, τοίχους να ζωντανεύουν και να τραβάνε ανθρώπους μέσα τους. Φανταστείτε πάλι ανθρώπους που κάθονται στο κάθισμα του αυτοκινήτου τους, να χάνονται και το μόνο που απομένει να είναι μια ματωμένη τρύπα και τα ελατήρια του καθίσματος που εξέχουν.
Ακούγεται γελοίο και όταν το οραματίζεσαι γίνεται ακόμα γελοιότερο. Όμως ο Μάστερτον είναι ένας από τους ελάχιστους που μπορεί να το κάνει να «φανεί» και να «ακουστεί» απόλυτα τρομακτικό, περιγράφοντας και την παραμικρή λεπτομέρεια.
Ναι, ρε φίλε, θα ακούσεις τις σάρκες να γδέρνονται και να σκίζονται καθώς πιέζονται πάνω στα τούβλα και θα ακούσεις το θόρυβο από τους χόνδρους και τις αρθρώσεις που σπάνε.
Το «στήσιμο» του βιβλίου είναι τέτοιο που σου δίνει την εντύπωση πως το τέλος θα είναι συνταρακτικό. Η αλήθεια είναι ότι η λύση του τέλους είναι παιδαριώδης και θυμίζει ακόμα μια φορά όχι γουέστερν αλλά «καουμπόικο»
Τελικά νομίζω ότι Οι «παγιδευμένοι» είναι υπεράνω κριτικής.
Μάλλον πρόκειται για ένα μυθιστόρημα από κείνα που μυρίζουν από μακριά b horror fiction, μια καλτίλα που αν σου αρέσει, τότε απλώς σου αρέσει. Αν όχι, τότε you’re Fucked!!
January 30, 2022
The old saying, "don't judge a book by its cover" is proven right once again with this story of mental patients using druid rituals to escape by literally absorbing themselves into the walls. It jumped right off the used bookstore shelf into my basket because horror cover art doesn't get much better than this.
The story was compelling enough to keep me reading - lots of inventively gruesome deaths at a remarkable pace, once it gets going - but ugh I was not at all surprised when I read the author's bio. It 100% reads like the weirdly adolescent sexual fantasy that can be found in vintage skin mags like Penthouse and Playboy. If he'd left that out and focused on just the horror, it might have made it to 3 stars for me. As it is, half my rating is for the cover art, which is also the only reason I'm going to keep it on my shelf instead of tossing it in the donation bin.
The story was compelling enough to keep me reading - lots of inventively gruesome deaths at a remarkable pace, once it gets going - but ugh I was not at all surprised when I read the author's bio. It 100% reads like the weirdly adolescent sexual fantasy that can be found in vintage skin mags like Penthouse and Playboy. If he'd left that out and focused on just the horror, it might have made it to 3 stars for me. As it is, half my rating is for the cover art, which is also the only reason I'm going to keep it on my shelf instead of tossing it in the donation bin.
February 8, 2024
A wild, bat-shit crazy, gory horror novel. Sometimes the plot veered off in very strange and unlikely directions but I still had a lot of fun! Terrifying, devastating ending!
September 6, 2025
I listened to this audiobook and WOW! The narrator did an amazing job bringing this story to life. Listen to this was better than listening to the book. This book been on my TBR since July 2022 so I decided it’s about time to take that plunge.
This book is about a man named Jack Reed who has made his money in the auto business and it’s been very profitable for him, his wife Maggie and their son Randy. Until one day he is driving and sees a building that pulls him in. It’s called The Oaks, a three story gothic looking building he decides to make it a country club the place where everyone wants to be. Little does he know this building was once an asylum and over 60 patients disappeared never to be seen again. Then one day his son Randy vanishes. He was last seen in the oaks.
Masterton is a true storyteller and the he brought the story to life was remarkable. I love a really good back story. This story is about a former asylum with a mystery of its own. If you love stories with a religious twist, horror , gore and unlikely hero’s this is the story for you. This book is highly recommended.
This book is about a man named Jack Reed who has made his money in the auto business and it’s been very profitable for him, his wife Maggie and their son Randy. Until one day he is driving and sees a building that pulls him in. It’s called The Oaks, a three story gothic looking building he decides to make it a country club the place where everyone wants to be. Little does he know this building was once an asylum and over 60 patients disappeared never to be seen again. Then one day his son Randy vanishes. He was last seen in the oaks.
Masterton is a true storyteller and the he brought the story to life was remarkable. I love a really good back story. This story is about a former asylum with a mystery of its own. If you love stories with a religious twist, horror , gore and unlikely hero’s this is the story for you. This book is highly recommended.
March 6, 2025
This is a re-read for me having read it many years ago, and it's just as good as I had remembered. We have abandoned asylums (perfect location), ancient witchcraft, and something lurking within the walls and the earth ready to let loose unimaginable suffering to the world. It's descriptive, tense, original, and memorable. 4.5 stars.
May 4, 2020
The first half of this book was great. I read it through happily. I liked the characters and how the story was unfolding. Then we got introduced to the evil presence of the inmates of the asylum and this lost something for me. It just went off the boil. Don't know if it was the sheer lunacy of The Walkers and all the Druid mythology or the uninteresting evil inmates. Either way the second part of this book left me cold. Still, the first part was very well done.
April 10, 2015
Okay, to be fair - I couldn't get past page 60. I've read stuff by Masterton that I've really liked, and the writing in this is fine, but the characters - especially the father - make awful decisions that just don't make any sense. It's not even excellent characterization of real mistakes, but stuff that doesn't make any sense. Anyway, we'll come back to more Masterton work later.
March 17, 2025
Starts promising with an unusual building out in the woods. Some suspicious sightings of children and things in the walls of the building. But ultimately descended into an obscure Celtic/Druid haunting which was nonsensically exorcised with Christian theology. Just didn’t work on the level of horror. Too many meaningless vignettes and corny killings to be truly scary.
January 6, 2014
A damn good read, a great and original idea (Masterton loves his ancient magic, esp Indian, and here the Druidic). The ending rather fast paced, almost panicky, but really really enjoyable.
May 22, 2012
This is my first Graham Masterson that I've bought and read. I ordered it off of Amazon a few months ago but never really got around to reading it. I had never even heard of him until I had searched for the greatest horror authors. I was NOT disappointed. I read this book in lightening speed. I just couldn't put it down. From page one I loved it. There wasn't a boring part of the book. It was very well written and captivating. This book reminded me of how I felt when I was young and had discovered the wonderful world of young adult horror novels. This is definitely not a YA but it gave me the same creepy crawly feelings that made me a horror addict. The story isn't very complicated. Guy finds wonderful old abandoned house in the middle of the woods. He was lured there by a grey hooded image. he decides that he wants to buy the mansion and turn it into a resort. takes the idea home to his wife. she leaves him because of his fascination with the mansion. his son find a man that is IN THE wall. kid ends up getting taken by the earth walkers and this is the story of how the dad researches the druid practices in order to retrieve his son out of the wall. oh did i mention that there are 136 other lunatic souls in the wall with his son??? This is totally one that is worth reading.
August 8, 2019
Probably one of the creepiest books I've ever read. Pretty gory and gruesome too, yikes!
April 11, 2020
The only word I can think of to describe Walkers is fun; the concept, characters, and plot are just a joy to read and whilst the book firmly resides in the horror genre, readers who like their fiction a little less gory will definitely have a good time with this one.
Despite a somewhat misleading title which lends itself towards the walking dead/zombies, Walkers is about a bunch of criminally insane patients who disappear one day from a now long abandoned asylum - only they didn't leave the premises, rather, these bunch of violent crazies hid beneath the floor's surface and within the very walls of the asylum they called their home/prison - pretty cool if you ask me.
The plot centers around Jack Reed, a businessman who wants to convert said derelict asylum into a country club/resort; the only problem is - there's, you know, criminally insane people LIVING SIDE THE WALLS! Naturally things go pear shaped when he, his young son, and semi-mistress go looking at the property and in no time, the horrors of the haunted become all too real for Jack.
I don't really need to write anymore about this book - if you see it in a used bookstore, don't think twice - buy the damned thing and enjoy.
Despite a somewhat misleading title which lends itself towards the walking dead/zombies, Walkers is about a bunch of criminally insane patients who disappear one day from a now long abandoned asylum - only they didn't leave the premises, rather, these bunch of violent crazies hid beneath the floor's surface and within the very walls of the asylum they called their home/prison - pretty cool if you ask me.
The plot centers around Jack Reed, a businessman who wants to convert said derelict asylum into a country club/resort; the only problem is - there's, you know, criminally insane people LIVING SIDE THE WALLS! Naturally things go pear shaped when he, his young son, and semi-mistress go looking at the property and in no time, the horrors of the haunted become all too real for Jack.
I don't really need to write anymore about this book - if you see it in a used bookstore, don't think twice - buy the damned thing and enjoy.
August 10, 2015
Verschwundene Patienten aus einer Irrenanstalt und niemand weiß warum?
Hörte sich für mich wirklich gut an, doch mich hat es leider enttäuscht.
Masterton kann schreiben, keine Frage, aber diese ganze Druidensache war nix für mich, obwohl ich sowas eigentlich ganz spannend finde.l
Hier hat es mich leider nicht wirklich mitgerissen.
Hörte sich für mich wirklich gut an, doch mich hat es leider enttäuscht.
Masterton kann schreiben, keine Frage, aber diese ganze Druidensache war nix für mich, obwohl ich sowas eigentlich ganz spannend finde.l
Hier hat es mich leider nicht wirklich mitgerissen.
November 9, 2017
A fantastic read. I first read this years and years ago and thought it was about time to blow off the dust and give it another outing. I wasn't disappointed. It was just as good as I remembered and, in my opinion, is one of Masterton's finest.
February 17, 2009
A horror set in a disused mental institution inhabited by resentful psychopaths - it's a winner!
November 12, 2010
Excellent.
July 3, 2024
Spooky at times, sometimes bizarre and strange, while brutal and bloody throughout.
August 4, 2024
This started out strong and had suuuuuch potential. Once you figure out what's going on, it just gets sooooooo slow.
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