Rating: 
Summary: Not what I thought.
Review: I liked the start of the book and some parts in the middle but the characters I didn't like and there were too many of them. Glen and the others just weren't drawn up enough to be believable people. I also couldn't stand the nonstop references to the Aztec towns and stuff. Everytime a good part would happen and there was exitment the author would end the chapter and start another one. The ending was terrible too. In spite of all that it wasn't a totally bad read and I never had to force myself to keep reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't make this your first Little book.
Review: I picked this novel for my first read by Bentley Little, an author highly recommended to me as a fan of Stephen King. However, there were way too many characters to keep track of, some of which were not even introduced until halfway through the book! Every time he changed point of view, I had to struggle to remember who this person was. The ending was also highly anticlimatic after making the evil in this book seem like the possible bringer of Armageddon. I give it 3 stars only because for some reason I did not give up on it, and that is saying something, though I'm not sure what! I will not be picking up another Bentley Little book, there are too many other authors out there to choose from!
Rating: 
Summary: One Fine Book
Review: I read THE RETURN on the recommendation of a friend, and I'm so glad I did. This is a great book. Intelligently written and intricately plotted, it stands head and shoulders above most of today's horror fiction. There are ambitious, truly scary set pieces such as the descent of a small town into hell, a boy's horrific surreal loss of his parents, a delinquent's encounter with an ancient god in an Indian cave and an abusive father's comeuppance by the ghosts of his family that will haunt me for a long time to come. Bentley Little is as good as King, Koontz and Barker in their prime. While I can understand the frustration of some with the ending of the novel, climaxes in horror fiction have always been problematic (The ending of King's classic THE SHINING? The boiler blows up and destroys the hotel. the end.)The conclusion of THE RETURN is at least consistent with Little's Lovecraftian premise that evil is inherently unknowable. I can't wait to read the rest of this talented author's books.
Rating:
Summary: Drags a Little
Review: I started with "The House", and based upon that novel I have gone on to collect everything Bentley Little has written. All of the novels have been gripping to me. The only problem I have ever had was a few flat endings. This is the first novel which really dragged for me. After 100 pages in, I felt as if I knew enough about the characters and the situation, and I just wanted to skip to the end. The fact that major events were taking place and no one else in the country took notice was really unbelieveable to me. Usually Little has a fair explanation as to why the evil can go on without attracting too much attention, but this novel simply says that it happens in a rural place and the news doesn't bother covering things like that. I am still a fan, and I do like his short story collection which I recommend over this novel.
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointed - was expecting a lot more
Review: I was really expecting to be completely scared. Mr. Little has a great reputation for writing great horror stories, but this was not a great horror story. Way too many characters I could care less about, way too many random events taking place that I could care less about, and a "monster" that wouldn't scare my daughter if she saw it. There were so many bizarre, unexplained occurences that I kept expecting to be resolved and never did. And the ending!?!?!?!?!?!? What is up with that? It was as if Mr. Little ran out of ideas and just gave up. The best part of reading this novel is that I learned what not to do when writing my own tale of hororr/supernatural. Thanks!
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointed - was expecting a lot more
Review: I was really expecting to be completely scared. Mr. Little has a great reputation for writing great horror stories, but this was not a great horror story. Way too many characters I could care less about, way too many random events taking place that I could care less about, and a "monster" that wouldn't scare my daughter if she saw it. There were so many bizarre, unexplained occurences that I kept expecting to be resolved and never did. And the ending!?!?!?!?!?!? What is up with that? It was as if Mr. Little ran out of ideas and just gave up. The best part of reading this novel is that I learned what not to do when writing my own tale of hororr/supernatural. Thanks!
Rating:
Summary: Mildly Interesting But Then It Belly Flops
Review: I'm sorry but this story is not one worth finishing. It fails on every level.
Characters. Plot. Monsters. All cliche and boring.
I found myself reading the first sentences of each paragraph only to keep the story moving. I don't think I missed anything worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Ah...Stupid!
Review: I've read 3 novels by this author "The Summoning", "Dominion", "The Return" I think his writing style is very simplistic and a little opportunistic but he is a guilty pleasure nonetheless!. The first book above was fun, scary, gory and original but seriously flawed. The second book was flawed but was so gory that it kept my interest till the end. "The Return" is a confusing mess, it's absolutely awful, and I wish it would return to the wretched cess pool from which it was spawned. I'm not giving up on him yet though. Don't always believe those blurbs you see on the front and back covers of books, Stephen King raves about this guy saying "He is the best writer working now" This is not true...
Rating:
Summary: Possibly Little's worst book to date
Review: I've read several of Mr. Little's books and overall am satisfied. His writing isn't as compelling as King, Masterton, Koontz, or Straub but something about the stories he writes I usually like. Not this one. I do have to say that the first 100 pages were most terrifying building up what I thought would be a fantastic read but from there it took a serious descent downhill. The last thrity pages or so were almost too hard to finish it got so boring.
Rating:
Summary: It'll scare your socks off!
Review: Let's face it: Bentley Little is a guilty pleasure we all enjoy. He writes horror with no restrictions whatsoever. If you want to learn something while you read, if you want a theme in your story, read King or Laymon--hell, you're probably like me and read them anyway! But if you just want to be scared...Then pick up a Bentley Little novel. And why not start with "The Return." Yes, it's complex, and pretty much meaningless. The plot itself is un-realistic as heck, and you characters are shallow, despite attempts to bring their past into the mix. But this novel is scary; it's very scary. A little recap of the plot, although if you're a Little fan, you know you don't need one: Glen is going through midlife crisis. He drops everything and just leaves. In Arizona, while on a tour of an Anasazi ruin, he gets offered a job at an archeological dig. For reasons unknown to himself, he takes up that offer...and finds himself in Hell on Earth! Sure, there's Melanie, whom he's quickly falling in love with. And the dig's director, Al, is friendly. So're some of the other diggers. But he doesn't like it. Especially not after he digs up that skull; because that's when the townfolk start taking a disliking to him and the diggers; that's when the Indian artifacts start moving on their own; when people start disappearing right out of thin air; and when a legend--The Mogollon Monster--seems more than just a myth. If I have to be honest--and I do--I will say that this novel reflects a more mature Bentley Little--not that we want one. The gore is kept, for the large part, until the second half of the book. But when it comes, it comes in full-force. And when you aren't being grossed out, you're checking to make sure nobody's sneaking up behind you. A brief warning, here at the end: Do not read "The Return" at night, unless you're prepared to lose sleep. This novel, like all of Little's, is packed full of frights. A must for Little fans, and a good introductory course for new recruits.
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