Rating: 
Summary: Pretty predictable
Review: I too am ready to donate this book to the local free book cart. While the story held promise, it seemed extremely derivative to me. And it was so predictable that I felt the author must be using an outline for standard horror plot number 204 or something.
Having said that, I must admit that 1) I did finish the book; and 2) other family members really liked it.
Rating: 
Summary: Great writing. Period.
Review: It's so exciting to see newer authors such as Dale Bailey (House of Bones is his best), Harry Shannon (Night of Werewolf prolly best), Scott Nicholson (The Harvest) Glen Hirschberg (Snowmans Children) etc. doing wonderfully literate takes on classic horror themes without (a) losing 21st century urgency--or (b) slacking off on the "good stuff!" Dale Bailey is quite a writer. Do yourself a favor and try him.
Rating: 
Summary: A Modern Ghost Story Classic
Review: Novels about ghosts and hauntings are hard to pull off mainly for the reason that the ghost tale itself has been around for so long that every possible variation on the theme has been done. Dale Bailey's "The House of Bones" balances traditional techniques with the twist of modern social commentary. As in all classic haunted habitat novels and movies (Richard Matheson's "Hell House," Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House," the film "The House on Haunted Hill," for example), the device of an eccentric bringing together a disparate group of strangers, each with a secret, is used. The setting, however, is not the traditional manor, but an abandoned housing project, a place haunted by overwhelming despair that has lived on beyond the physical tenants.
The writing is quite exceptional, the characters all well-rounded and the allegorical use of poverty and racism works very well. First and foremost, however, the novel is also often very terrifying and that is, after all, the true test of a great ghost story.
I think the publisher made a mistake not putting this out in hardcover. It would be a shame if the ephemeral nature of paperback originals causes this one to be overlooked and forgotten. I truly believe it's one of the best ghost stories of recent times, up there with the aforementioned "Hell House" and "The Haunting of Hill House." Also recommended: "Deep in the Darkness" by Michael Laimo, "The Hour Before Dark" by Douglas Clegg, and "Darkness Demands" by Simon Clark.
Rating:
Summary: File 13
Review: The first thing I did when I finished this book was throw it away! This for me is an odd thing to do as I reread books many times. I didn't even want this book on my shelf! It promises just a little page by page. Not enough to make you want to read it in one sitting, just enought so it nags the back of your mind. You read, hoping for one kick-ass ending and it makes you want to scream with frustration and throw in in the trash can.
Which is exactly what I did.(one star because there is nothing lower.)
Rating: 
Summary: WRITING ABILITY 10 ENJOYMENT 3
Review: There's no doubt that Dale Bailey knows how to use the English language...perhaps too well. The book seems long, long, long....so much of it is spent on teasing the reader with the dark secrets our characters hold. But he overdoes it, even using redundant passages to keep us hooked, without any real payoff. By the time the book reaches a point where something is really going on, you've had to test your own endurance levels to get there. At what point does a reader have to admire a writer's command of language enough to forget you're yawning more than feeling the chills he obviously wants us to? The characters are well drawn, but I found his choice of who to use for the final villain a little disconcerting. Oh, well, variety is the spice of life. I just didn't enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly well written
Review: This book was frightening. There are very, very few books I'd give that adjective to, and many belong to Mr. King himself. The plot is essentially the same as The House on Haunted Hill. A group of strangers are asked to spend a specific amount of time within a supposedly haunted building, only to learn that they have some connection webbing between them all. It's not the most original plot in the world, but even Shakespeare was known to recycle from those before him. Ok, I've already referenced King and Shakespeare here. This book is not in a league with them (nor are they in a league with each other). It's a solid effort, though. There are some groaning points, and moments when you just keep asking why the character is being so stupid, but it's made clear that many of these characters are not of sound mind and not of the best judgment. What really makes this book, though, are the following:
Setting. Run-down projects with a long history of violence. Characters. They're diverse with clearly different personalities.
Writing. This book is dense. The paragraphs are long and thick but not cluttered. You're getting a great deal of words for your dollar, as no page is wasted. The result is a clear understanding of the characters and some great, flowing narrative and descriptions. I suppose the last point could be a sore one for many. My girlfriend started this novel and found it bulky, never finishing it. To me, though, it just made the book richer and livelier. Horror books tend to vary between pages of redundant, gory action narrative and pages of simple, one-sentence dialogue. This book tries to read more like a novel and less like a movie script, and it pays off. Be aware of some flaws in this book, but it will still shine as you read it. Give it a chance if you want a horror book with moderately more meat than the rest of the market.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly well written
Review: This book was frightening. There are very, very few books I'd give that adjective to, and many belong to Mr. King himself. The plot is essentially the same as The House on Haunted Hill. A group of strangers are asked to spend a specific amount of time within a supposedly haunted building, only to learn that they have some connection webbing between them all. It's not the most original plot in the world, but even Shakespeare was known to recycle from those before him. Ok, I've already referenced King and Shakespeare here. This book is not in a league with them (nor are they in a league with each other). It's a solid effort, though. There are some groaning points, and moments when you just keep asking why the character is being so stupid, but it's made clear that many of these characters are not of sound mind and not of the best judgment. What really makes this book, though, are the following:
Setting. Run-down projects with a long history of violence. Characters. They're diverse with clearly different personalities.
Writing. This book is dense. The paragraphs are long and thick but not cluttered. You're getting a great deal of words for your dollar, as no page is wasted. The result is a clear understanding of the characters and some great, flowing narrative and descriptions. I suppose the last point could be a sore one for many. My girlfriend started this novel and found it bulky, never finishing it. To me, though, it just made the book richer and livelier. Horror books tend to vary between pages of redundant, gory action narrative and pages of simple, one-sentence dialogue. This book tries to read more like a novel and less like a movie script, and it pays off. Be aware of some flaws in this book, but it will still shine as you read it. Give it a chance if you want a horror book with moderately more meat than the rest of the market.
Rating:
Summary: Boring, Shallow, Predictable
Review: Wow,does this book suck or what? I found it to be extremely mundane, prosaic, intellectually meager, irritating instead of frightening or intriguing. Save your money. How these kinds of crappy stories get published, I will forever wonder.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing story
Review: Wow. I was just blown away by this book. This is the story of a place that is just plain bad. Dreamland was a housing development that turned into an urban war zone. Now the city has razed the buildings- all except the third tower, which just happens to be the one with the bloodiest history. Demolition of tower three was halted by a very wealthy man who wants to find out if the rumors about the tower being haunted are true. He brings four people with big problems of their own and ties to the tower along with him, hoping to get to the truth for reasons of his own. I was truly impressed with this book. I will definitely read more of Bailey's books.
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