Rating: 
Summary: It's a meaty book
Review: Normally when people see a book this size, they think to themselves, "Wow what a great paperweight" but that shouldn't be the case here. Dan Simmons continues to prove that horror fiction is just as much his plaything as science fiction, crafting a big, ambitious novel that succeeds in just about every aspect. It's scary, it's intimidating, it's complex, it's funny, it's full of characters that you're going to either or love but will be unable to ignore. Simmons takes the basic concept of vampires and goes in a slightly different direction here, instead of the typical bloodsucking stuff, here we've got psychic vampires who can infilrate the mind and do many unpleasant things. For the most part the vampires are utterly amoral, using and abusing people with no other impulse other than instant gratification. Until some people try to get revenge. Here we've got Saul, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust who makes it a near obsession to find the monster that invaded his mind in a concentration camp during World War II. Or Natalie, who is motivated by a tragedy touches her personal life by way of vampires who see people as only pawns in a game. And then there's Sheriff Rob Gentry, trying to solve a mystery involving a bunch of dead people who apparently went crazy for no apparent reason, murders that seem to be part of a subtle, but disturbing pattern. These are the building blocks that make up the foundation of the rest of the epic . . . needless to say there are more than enough other characters, and subplots and surprises and intrigue and even horror to keep the reader occupied for many an hour. To even add to the excitement, a bunch of sections are told from the point of view of one of the vampires and her utterly amoral useage of the people she encounters all the while justifying it with no problem for her own twisted pleasure has to be one of the most horrific aspects to the book, the gap between the reality she perceives and the reality that exists is frightening indeed. Not that the book is perfect, it probably is a little too long, if you read it in small chunks you're okay but Simmons is very meticulous in his detail, something long time readers are probably used to. Some things aren't really explained either, one of the vampires is apparently ridiculously more powerful than the others but no one ever says why (but I guess that's horror for you, plus no one really gets the time sit down and discuss it), the concept of "Feeding" he never really goes into even though everyone talks about it, but those are minor complaints indeed. Where it's supposed to work it does, the action is thrilling, the emotional payoffs are staggering, the truimphs are earned even as the defeats will keep you on the edge of the chair. If you've got anything more than a passing interest in Dan Simmons or horror, you owe it to yourself to set a week aside and devour this book. You'll be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: A TRUELY FRIGHTENING CONCEPT
Review: I read this book in much the same way I read Stephen King's "SALEM'S LOT"; with the covers over my head. Needless to say, this is an excellent read, very frightening and very hard to put down. To date this is by far the best Dan Simmons book on the shelf.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent "read"
Review: A well developed page turner. Highly enjoyed by all that I have recomended it to.
Rating:
Summary: Epic horror and very well done
Review: You don't see a lot of "epic horror" books. Epic sci-fi, epic historical fiction, epic fantasy, yes. But epic horror is a rare beast. Simmons produces a wonderfully horrific novel on an epic scale in _Carrion Comfort_ and I heartily recommend this book to horror fans or to fans of Simmons' sci-fi and recent suspense books.The novel spans more than 100 years and moves effortlessly from first to third person, present to past, and is told by multiple narrators. Usually, this technique fails to hold my attention, either because all of the characters sounds the same, or because one or more the characters have nothing to say. Not so here. Simmons imbues each narrative with vitality and purpose...the overall effect is that you reading multiple short stories that are linked by a common ending and sometimes feature the same characters. The story itself is a horror take on the concept of how absolute power corrupts absolutely. There is just enough of the supernatural element to give the book that creepy feel but not so much that one thinks "this couldn't possibly happen." Buy this book, sit back in your favorite reading place, and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of good vs. evil
Review: A traditional vampire novel often has the villain living on the outside of society while being forced to find its victims in secrecy. However, CARRION COMFORT is not a traditional vampire novel. Here we have a rather motley crew (a former SS officer, a corrupt FBI agent, and two Southern debutantes to name just a few) who are able to take victims whenever they feel like it. These are vampires who feed on acts of violence they cause innocent people to inflict upon other innocent people. The more carnage that results from one or more of these acts, the more powerful that vampire becomes. And what makes these vampires really dangerous is how they have occupied places of high status. However, there are a few normal humans who catch on to what is happening. These people seem insignificant against the evil they are put up against, but that is what makes it interesting. Without giving too much away, this is a long, complicated book that does a get a little boring at certain parts. But these are minor flaws when you consider the plotting and execution. Not to mention, the characterizations are perfect. I recommend this to anyone who likes a good horror novel with a little bit of political intrigue thrown in. Also read Dan Simmons' SUMMER OF NIGHT. He actually out-Stephen Kings Stephen King in that one.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Horror Is Hard To Find
Review: This book is mostly excellent, a fun twist on the vampire myth. The evil 'creatures' are quite believable, quite interesting and well drawn. Indeed, the villains are far more interesting than the heroes, and their little internal battles are far more absorbing than the hero's clumsy plots. It's a fast read, despite its huge size, although you may be annoyed by the last third. The ending is awful, relying as it does on characters being stupid, but then nothing is perfect, eh? I recommend it to horror fans.
Rating:
Summary: Horror as courtship material
Review: The first time I spoke to the woman who was to become my wife, I offered to lend her my copy of "Carrion Comfort". We still have that copy. It is well-thumbed. It is tatty, tiired, falling to bits. Every year, I read it. Every year, she grabs it off me, and reads it herself. Simmons has written two perfect novels: "Carrion Comfort" and "Hyperion". The rest of his work (which also takes pride of place in my bookshelf) is merely extraordinarily good. Dan, if you're ever in Taupo for some of the finest trout fishing in the world.. drop by and see me. I generally have a coldie in the 'fridge.
Rating:
Summary: DREAM DREAM DREAM...
Review: Everyone has had once this phantasm or dream : to be able to control others to make them do everything we want them to do. This phantasm is generally produced by a sexual pulsion or aggressivity ; who could say that he hasn't mentally murdered a rather important number of people in his life ? At least, not I. The heroes of Dan Simmons's CARRION COMFORT do have this power. And not during their sleep. They really do what you have always dreamt to do. Without an ounce of shame or guiltiness because it appears that they haven't read Sigmund Freud's THE INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS ! But Willy, Nina and Melanie are quickly bored by their first essays and are now attracted and blinded by the power conferred to them by their gift. Then begins the Game. The first part of CARRION COMFORT is really scary with the description of the mind manipulations invented by these new vampires. The uneasiness you're about to feel is aggravated by the fact that Dan Simmons chose to present, every 50 pages, the point of view of Melanie, one of the actors of the game. Through these pages, you will feel like entering the mind of a psychopath ; every murder committed by the old lady is justified by numerous reasons Melanie exposes patiently to the hypnotized reader. Soon, you are going to pray for the chapter to end so that you can return to the objective point of view of the good heroes of CARRION COMFORT. The second part of the book was, in my opinion, not at the level of the first part, Dan Simmons using too many pages to give scientific explanations in order to give CARRION COMFORT the status of a violent thriller rather than a fantastic book. Anyway, I warmly recommend this 900 pages production.
Rating:
Summary: Great writing, fine plotting, but looooooong
Review: I haven't read anything by Dan Simmons since The Rise of Endymion, over 6 months ago. I decided to read Carrion Comfort in an impulse - I was curious as to how good his horror will be. in the first 300 pages I was enchanted, and I asked myself frenzily "How come I haven't read anything by Simmons for so long?" by page 400 I knew the answer. Because it's sooo loooong. Now don't get me wrong, Simmons is a hell of a writer. Many scenes in this book are really tense. The characters are vary between ok to great (most of them),and no stickers. The action is often exciting... But there is so much of it! around page 350, Simmons starts a huge sub plot about a gang war and a haunted house(kind of). The subplot doesn't really go anywhere, except that it kills a bunch of people, and substitutes them with some other people. Simmons is the writer most need of an editor that I know of. This could have been a Thriller masterpiece. Had it been 700 pages long, it would have stood there next to 'Red Dragon' and 'The Silence of the Lambs' by Thomas Harris. Rather it is 992 pages long( british mass market paperback), it's a really good book, and a one that you would enjoy reading. It has some minor flaws other than the length, but it is really well done. It has the spookiest chess scene I've ever read, and quiet enough original ideas to keep this a truly original Thriller. Dan Simmons wrote a Science Fiction masterwork with Hyperion, and now he came very close to writing a thriller masterwork. That's quite an achievement. If you're looking for a good horror-thriller, with some mind candy and lots of action and obscenitites and sex, this is a great choice.
Rating:
Summary: What a Great Book!
Review: Have you ever pickd up a big fat book that is good from the first page to the last? Carrion Comfort was that book for me. I cannot imagine anybody finding this book dull or boring. It starts in a Hitler death camp in 1942. Here Saul Laski had his first encounter with The Oberst, a mind vampire. The mind violation he endures at this time leads him on a life long quest to find the Oberst and make him pay for what he had done to him. Along the way he meets other victims and they band together to topple the mind vampires' empire. Unfortunately, the Oberst isn't the only one. There are Nina, Melanie, and Willie who make a game out of their abilities. Never mind that they destroy lives and leave corpses in their wake; the game must go on. It's all about power and they eventually cannot trust one another. But even unknown to them, there are others whose mind control reach the top men in power. They want to rule the world, and with the world leaders' minds under their control, success is not unobtainable. Saul Laski and his friends have their work cut out for them as they face these creatures. It only takes a second to have their minds taken from them and used against them. I couldn't put the book down and was under its spell until the very last page. I give this book five stars out of five. Great work Mr. Simmons.
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