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Smoke
The Queen of Horror is back with her classics being released on Amazon for a new generation to enjoy! — "This book is recommended for those looking to explore the better publications in the Zebra Horror line and fans of the little old lady that weaves a good horror filled tale."
— "Like so many other of Ruby Jean's books - Pendulum, Chain Letter, Jump Rope, and so on - we feel for the young girl and her helplessness in trying to regain control over life and death matters."
— “Jensen once again has produced another quietly chilling tale of the supernatural in this shocker."
— "Like some of her other books that I have read, Ruby Jean creates an interesting story and characters that I can care about.”
— "It's creepy, and it's kinda of like a mystery, yet it's scary. It just amazes me how Ruby can take ordinary objects like say, a jump rope, and make it scary somehow."
A pioneer of the genre, Ruby Jean Jensen is a name that revives fond memories in her fans, and excitement that her books are once again available. Ruby Jean has been recognized as a trailblazer for women authors in horror. New fans will be fascinated to explore her 30 novels! SMOKE explores the dark forces that are contained in an old, Oriental lamp. Like all of Ruby Jean’s works, SMOKE will be highly appreciated by both young and older adults.
Originally published in 1988, SMOKE follows young Ellen, who found the interesting old lamp at a garage sale and started calling it her “Aladdin’s Lamp”. Shortly after bringing the lamp home, strange things began to happen. It seemed that violence had suddenly become a part of their lives. Trouble seemed to follow even after moving to a different town, and after each incident there was a strange smell of smoke in the air.
— "Like so many other of Ruby Jean's books - Pendulum, Chain Letter, Jump Rope, and so on - we feel for the young girl and her helplessness in trying to regain control over life and death matters."
— “Jensen once again has produced another quietly chilling tale of the supernatural in this shocker."
— "Like some of her other books that I have read, Ruby Jean creates an interesting story and characters that I can care about.”
— "It's creepy, and it's kinda of like a mystery, yet it's scary. It just amazes me how Ruby can take ordinary objects like say, a jump rope, and make it scary somehow."
A pioneer of the genre, Ruby Jean Jensen is a name that revives fond memories in her fans, and excitement that her books are once again available. Ruby Jean has been recognized as a trailblazer for women authors in horror. New fans will be fascinated to explore her 30 novels! SMOKE explores the dark forces that are contained in an old, Oriental lamp. Like all of Ruby Jean’s works, SMOKE will be highly appreciated by both young and older adults.
Originally published in 1988, SMOKE follows young Ellen, who found the interesting old lamp at a garage sale and started calling it her “Aladdin’s Lamp”. Shortly after bringing the lamp home, strange things began to happen. It seemed that violence had suddenly become a part of their lives. Trouble seemed to follow even after moving to a different town, and after each incident there was a strange smell of smoke in the air.
385 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1988
7 people are currently reading
276 people want to read
About the author
Ruby Jean Jensen
39 books211 followers
Ruby Jean Jensen
Born McDonald County, Missouri, USA, March 1, 1927
Died November 16, 2010
Website http://www.rubyjeanjensen.com
Twitter RubyJeanJensen1
Facebook www.facebook.com/Rjjhorror
Ruby Jean Jensen authored 30 published and 4 not yet published novels, and over 200 short stories. Her passion for writing developed at an early age, and she worked for many years to develop her writing skills. After having many short stories published, in 1974 the novel The House that Samael Built was accepted for publication. She then quickly established herself as a professional author, with representation by a Literary Agent from New York. She subsequently sold 29 more novels to several New York publishing houses. After four Gothic Romance, three Occult and then three Horror novels, MaMa was published by Zebra books in 1983. With Zebra, Ruby Jean completed nineteen more novels in the Horror genre.
Ruby was involved with creative writing groups for many years, and she often took the time to encourage young authors and to reply to fan mail.
Ruby Jean, a supreme story-teller, quickly captures and holds your attention. Her books, written for adults, are also suitable for adolescents and young adults. She continues to have an enthusiastic following in the Horror genre.
Born McDonald County, Missouri, USA, March 1, 1927
Died November 16, 2010
Website http://www.rubyjeanjensen.com
Twitter RubyJeanJensen1
Facebook www.facebook.com/Rjjhorror
Ruby Jean Jensen authored 30 published and 4 not yet published novels, and over 200 short stories. Her passion for writing developed at an early age, and she worked for many years to develop her writing skills. After having many short stories published, in 1974 the novel The House that Samael Built was accepted for publication. She then quickly established herself as a professional author, with representation by a Literary Agent from New York. She subsequently sold 29 more novels to several New York publishing houses. After four Gothic Romance, three Occult and then three Horror novels, MaMa was published by Zebra books in 1983. With Zebra, Ruby Jean completed nineteen more novels in the Horror genre.
Ruby was involved with creative writing groups for many years, and she often took the time to encourage young authors and to reply to fan mail.
Ruby Jean, a supreme story-teller, quickly captures and holds your attention. Her books, written for adults, are also suitable for adolescents and young adults. She continues to have an enthusiastic following in the Horror genre.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 14, 2022
Blythe and her three children, Beth, 12, Joey, 8 and Ellen, 7 are at a garage sale one morning, where Ellen finds a lamp she just has to have, calling it "Aladdin's lamp." When she gets it home and rubs it, it gets so hot it burns her hands, and she quickly becomes fearful to touch it again, setting it on her dresser and forgetting about it.
The next morning, Ellen wakes up from a nightmare about the lamp; she is covered in blood, with no memory of how this came to be. She and her siblings gather and go downstairs, where they find their mother, dead in a pool of blood. Behind their mothers body, Ellen sees a large "monster" that her siblings can't seem to see.
Beth thinks Ellen killed their mother, and even though she realizes she is now scared of her little sister, she vows never to tell on her. But although Ellen can't remember last night, she knows she's innocent. It was the monster who killed her mother.
The three siblings go to live with their out-of-state father, Gavin and his new wife, Faye. Faye is feeling apprehensive, having heard the details of the murder and the suspicions that one of the children may be responsible for their mothers death - not to mention, she has never met them before and the fact that Gavin travels for work, leaving her alone with them for large chunks of time.
Despite her reservations, Faye and the children quickly grow on each other, but despite how desperate the three are to move on, it's obvious the horror is not over - in fact, Ellen is convinced the "monster" has followed her to her new home. There is often a very distinct smell of smoke lingering around the home, especially in times of tragedy, which begins to plague the new family. Ellen is sleepwalking, having horrible nightmares, and is being stalked by a shape-shifting monster. Then of course, there are the deaths of anyone in the vicinity of Ellen...
Can she and her siblings figure out how to stop the monster before it hurts anyone else?
-------------------------
My first RJJ book! I'm so glad to have finally read one. This particular one, I have a lot of thoughts about.
*SLIGHT SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT*
So I was totally expecting the premise of a book about this evil genie coming out of a lamp being, it would grant Ellen's wishes, which would obviously then go horribly wrong. No, the genie didn't interact with Ellen at all. It just started killing people. I feel that was a huge missed opportunity.
I was also astounded how long it took one of the kids to finally put together what was happening - that Ellen had released an evil genie. I mean, she bought the lamp, rubbed it and next day her mom was dead - I thought that would instantly be what they blamed.
I thought the brief part about them in boarding school was a horror story within a horror story - I liked that. The evil headmistress who won't let the kids call home, separates them and is just basically a robot in a human body.
Lastly, I liked the ending. What happened the night of their mothers death was a mystery the entire book, we never knew why Ellen actually had blood on her until the very end. I liked finally knowing what went on that night.
All in all, I can't wait to try another one!
The next morning, Ellen wakes up from a nightmare about the lamp; she is covered in blood, with no memory of how this came to be. She and her siblings gather and go downstairs, where they find their mother, dead in a pool of blood. Behind their mothers body, Ellen sees a large "monster" that her siblings can't seem to see.
Beth thinks Ellen killed their mother, and even though she realizes she is now scared of her little sister, she vows never to tell on her. But although Ellen can't remember last night, she knows she's innocent. It was the monster who killed her mother.
The three siblings go to live with their out-of-state father, Gavin and his new wife, Faye. Faye is feeling apprehensive, having heard the details of the murder and the suspicions that one of the children may be responsible for their mothers death - not to mention, she has never met them before and the fact that Gavin travels for work, leaving her alone with them for large chunks of time.
Despite her reservations, Faye and the children quickly grow on each other, but despite how desperate the three are to move on, it's obvious the horror is not over - in fact, Ellen is convinced the "monster" has followed her to her new home. There is often a very distinct smell of smoke lingering around the home, especially in times of tragedy, which begins to plague the new family. Ellen is sleepwalking, having horrible nightmares, and is being stalked by a shape-shifting monster. Then of course, there are the deaths of anyone in the vicinity of Ellen...
Can she and her siblings figure out how to stop the monster before it hurts anyone else?
-------------------------
My first RJJ book! I'm so glad to have finally read one. This particular one, I have a lot of thoughts about.
*SLIGHT SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT*
So I was totally expecting the premise of a book about this evil genie coming out of a lamp being, it would grant Ellen's wishes, which would obviously then go horribly wrong. No, the genie didn't interact with Ellen at all. It just started killing people. I feel that was a huge missed opportunity.
I was also astounded how long it took one of the kids to finally put together what was happening - that Ellen had released an evil genie. I mean, she bought the lamp, rubbed it and next day her mom was dead - I thought that would instantly be what they blamed.
I thought the brief part about them in boarding school was a horror story within a horror story - I liked that. The evil headmistress who won't let the kids call home, separates them and is just basically a robot in a human body.
Lastly, I liked the ending. What happened the night of their mothers death was a mystery the entire book, we never knew why Ellen actually had blood on her until the very end. I liked finally knowing what went on that night.
All in all, I can't wait to try another one!
October 28, 2017
I had been sitting on this one for a while and finally picked it up because the premise interested me a great deal....however, the genie that u get a taste of in the very beginning was short lived. The bulk of the book is about the children and the ppl who get picked off one by one. I didn’t quite mind this because the characterization is great. I really grew fond of the children and their family. If Ruby would have explained the genie more, it’s origin and it’s history, this could have been a 5 star book. Too bad, but I did enjoy the ride!
February 9, 2020
Like some of her other books that I have read, Ruby Jean creates an interesting story and characters that I can care about. However, the story ends up with a few unclear motivating factors and a need to better understand the history and drive of the evil being. There are also scenarios sprinkled throughout the text that were not necessary for the overall plot and makes me think that Zebra Horror didn't furnish the authors with good editors. With that being said, Ruby Jean seems to have done a remarkable job and comes off as one of the publisher's better investments.
The story is about a 7 year old girl that finds a magic lamp at a yard sale. What transpires is a series of heartbreaking events that leave her entire family in shambles and it's all centered around a demonic entity that lives inside that lamp. The ending is quite in character for Ruby, as it leaves an opening for the terror to continue.
This book is recommended for those looking to explore the better publications in the Zebra Horror line and fans of the little old lady that weaves a good horror filled tale.
The story is about a 7 year old girl that finds a magic lamp at a yard sale. What transpires is a series of heartbreaking events that leave her entire family in shambles and it's all centered around a demonic entity that lives inside that lamp. The ending is quite in character for Ruby, as it leaves an opening for the terror to continue.
This book is recommended for those looking to explore the better publications in the Zebra Horror line and fans of the little old lady that weaves a good horror filled tale.
February 29, 2020
Jean Jensen's writing is flat and dull. Ellen, the "heroine", is the epitome of bland. I almost fell asleep numerous times reading this. Very lack luster story. The characters were not particularly like-able nor even felt human at times. Apart from a genie with a huge dong and a very cheesy 80's ending, as those are the only cool factors in this novel, steer clear from this bad boy.
September 22, 2019
Ellen fell in love with the old lamp when she saw it at a garage sale. Once she got it home, she started rubbing it to clean it up. A totally unexpected chain of events was launched, and Ellen and her family would never be the same again. Like so many other of Ruby Jean's books - Pendulum, Chain Letter, Jump Rope, and so on - we feel for the young girl and her helplessness in trying to regain control over life and death matters.
July 24, 2024
This was much better than I was expecting, and it frustrates me when back summaries outright lie about certain aspects of the story.
For starters, Ellen isn't dubbed a child killer or a bad seed. Yes, she and her siblings are haunted by the murders but the summary makes it sound as though Ellen specifically is constantly singled out as the source of the killings around her family.
From what others said about Smoke, I was led to believe it was far more exploitative then it really was. While the deaths that happen in this book are done by violent rape, Jensen never goes into explicit detail when they happen and leaves the more gruesome aspects to our imaginations.
What kept me pulled into this story was stepmother Faye and older sister Beth both struggling to figure out what to do as the murders keep happening. Beth's compelled to protect Ellen and their little brother Joey, but she's so untrusting of the adult figures in their lives she'd rather go on the run with her siblings. Faye meanwhile is earnestly trying to be a good mother figure even as other people in her life, including her own sister, keep reminding her these aren't her blood children and she has a pregnancy to worry about. She doesn't care about that and wants to protect these kids as much as she hopes to protect her own baby when it's born.
The book lives up to its title due to how the evil presence haunting Ellen's family has saturated her and her siblings like the smoke after a fire. I was also led to believe Ellen kept the so-called "magic lamp" around her even after the first murder, when it's actually left in her old home for most of the book. The presence inside the lamp's managed to imprint on the poor girl, following her wherever she goes and fully manifesting in the presence of fire.
The only reason I took a star off for this review are some of the cringier aspects of Jensen's storytelling, specifically the racial stereotypes regarding the lamp spirit and a washer woman character who is an 18 year old Black woman who has a child of her own.
Still, this is better than people have given it credit for and worth checking out.
For starters, Ellen isn't dubbed a child killer or a bad seed. Yes, she and her siblings are haunted by the murders but the summary makes it sound as though Ellen specifically is constantly singled out as the source of the killings around her family.
From what others said about Smoke, I was led to believe it was far more exploitative then it really was. While the deaths that happen in this book are done by violent rape, Jensen never goes into explicit detail when they happen and leaves the more gruesome aspects to our imaginations.
What kept me pulled into this story was stepmother Faye and older sister Beth both struggling to figure out what to do as the murders keep happening. Beth's compelled to protect Ellen and their little brother Joey, but she's so untrusting of the adult figures in their lives she'd rather go on the run with her siblings. Faye meanwhile is earnestly trying to be a good mother figure even as other people in her life, including her own sister, keep reminding her these aren't her blood children and she has a pregnancy to worry about. She doesn't care about that and wants to protect these kids as much as she hopes to protect her own baby when it's born.
The book lives up to its title due to how the evil presence haunting Ellen's family has saturated her and her siblings like the smoke after a fire. I was also led to believe Ellen kept the so-called "magic lamp" around her even after the first murder, when it's actually left in her old home for most of the book. The presence inside the lamp's managed to imprint on the poor girl, following her wherever she goes and fully manifesting in the presence of fire.
The only reason I took a star off for this review are some of the cringier aspects of Jensen's storytelling, specifically the racial stereotypes regarding the lamp spirit and a washer woman character who is an 18 year old Black woman who has a child of her own.
Still, this is better than people have given it credit for and worth checking out.
March 29, 2023
I have loved Ruby Jean Jensen since the age of 13. I have always been drawn to the children horror trope. Jensen has never shied away from having children die horrible deaths in her novels. Smoke gets you by the jugular and doesn't let go. Throughout the book, you're hoping things will turn out positively for the Pendergast children --- even once you reach the bitter end. I also love Jensen's cliffhanger at the end. Epic.
April 8, 2021
I read this book for my 2021 book challenge. Had to find a horror story from my birth year. I am so glad that I picked this one up! The characters are so easy to love. I do wish she would of taught us more about the genie. I still have to give it a 5/5!
July 2, 2021
One of the best
This is a fantastic book. I love all of her books but I have to say this is one of her best. It has horror mystery love of family.
This is a fantastic book. I love all of her books but I have to say this is one of her best. It has horror mystery love of family.
March 16, 2024
Smoking is bad for your health. Especially in this book.
May 21, 2024
There's a reason she was dubbed the Queen of Horror! This was another incredible story and I can't wait to read more!
September 23, 2023
Love, love love the cover, which is why I tracked down and bought this book. I didn’t really care for the story though, it just left me feeling… bad, sad. I know that’s something that is quite common for a horror story, but I just didn’t jive with it.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews