Rating: 
Summary: good readin'
Review: this was the first bentley little book i had read and i was quite impressed. i am a "read to fall asleep person" and this book did not allow that. i actually found myself fighting sleep promising "this is the last page" only to find myself looking at the clock a half hour later shaking my head. i look forward to reading more of his books with his slightly twisted view of horror and tounge in cheek humor. i will have to say that the ending of this book was quite strange and really threw me for a loop but not enough to change my feelings on the book as a whole. if you like horror with some good laughs then this is the book for you. i could tell you all about the story and the characters but that's what the back cover does so i'll just tell you to read it and enjoy!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Great idea for a horror book
Review: Little's imagination really shines through in this book. It's highly entertaining horror. Unfortunately, the actions and the explanations of why no one does anything about them is completely unbelievable, and the ending is a typical Little wrap-up, which means it's rather rushed and hokey. Still, if you can suspend your belief and embrace the often ridiculous plot developments, which are actually necessary to the story, you'll probably enjoy the book.
Rating:
Summary: Horror to the max!
Review: I really liked this book. I, being an ultimate Stephen King and Dean Koontz fan, really thought this book was up to par. Although the ending seemed to be a kind of "I'm not meeting my dead line, better wrap it up" thing, It had a good plot and was so farfetched and original that it actually could not be put down until it the suspense had ended. I do recomend this book to horror seekers, but advise caution for those who do not seek gore or foul laungage. The faint hearted are certainlly advised to skip certain chapters in which graphic violence is used.
Rating: 
Summary: Too absurd to be horror, satire...or anything
Review: This author has a decent writing style, unfortunately, whether the story he tells here is meant to be ridiculous or not, it's ultimately a failure with whatever it tried to be. The lead character, Barry, comes across loudly as one of those khaki pants/pale blue shirt wearing, liberal baby boomer types, whom happens to be married to the Boomer Stepford wife. Barry's choice of vehicle, and even Barry's choice of music, that is so convienantly namedropped throughout the book, tells the reader a great deal about the character. One is supposed to like "the good guys," but, the good guys here are not only stupid, they are despicable. I eventually became more terrified of Barry (and wife Maureen) than the Association. Give the Association their dues, at least they were original and weren't like the Stepfordized Boomer Hero and his wife ! If this novel was indeed meant to be funny as an anti-conformity tale, it simply didn't reach it's goal. The author should be very careful about creating the good guys, for every avid reader knows they usually inject a lot of their personal charateristics and experiences into their characters....and if this is the case here, well, I'm more scared of Bentley Little than his novel, which only provoked sarcastic laughter and not a trace of horror nor suspense. Skip this one.
Rating:
Summary: Dumbfounded ... in a good way!
Review: I typically do not read horror. In fact, I'm not even sure I knew this book WAS horror when I picked it up (at a local grocery store, I might add), although I must have had an inkling from the back cover. What a creative breath of fresh air this was; I was disappointed when I finished and look forward to reading more Little books. I've read and enjoyed Stephen King's more realistic horror novels, like "The Stand", but Little's creativity and superb writing skills are phenomenal. Granted, I have little to no experience with the horror genre, but I wholeheartedly recommend this book -- coming from someone who typically doesn't read horror (but isn't averse to it, either). Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Good old horrifying fun
Review: I don't expect much from horror books, admittedly. Basically, my criteria are "scare me, make it quasi-believable, and don't mess up the ending". With that in mind, "The Association" rates a not too unhealthy 4 stars. What is particularly enjoyable is Little's trademark ability to take the mundane and twist it around until it becomes the horrifying. Sometimes, it's what we're familiar with which provides the most terror...Maureen and Barry have left California, to reside in an upper class "gated community" in Utah. With idyllic views it appears to be the paradise for which the couple yearn. But not for long. When the couple bought their new property, a condition of purchase was that the couple must agree to, and comply with, the community's "Homeowner's Association"'s rules and regulations. And this is where only real criticism comes in - I found it so unlikely that *anyone* would purchase a property without having (at the very least) a real understanding of the purchase conditions...and more likely, the help of a lawyer to translate the legalese. Anyway - the couple neglects to read all of the fine print, and not long after they move in the trouble starts. To begin with, the Association/community restrictions are petty annoyances - no loud music, no pets, rules about the appearance of the property and so on. But as time goes on, the restrictions become more demanding and people begin to disappear after disagreeing with The Association, and Barry and Maureen begin to suspect something far more sinister is at hand. Of course, they're right! And that's really as much as I want to give away. The story basically follows Maureen and Barry's experiences at the hands of this warped and dangerous Homeowner's Assocation. We're treated to little spurts of graphic violence, nicely intermingled with paranoia and outright terror. There is sympathy for the main characters, and just the right amount of outrage at the sheer nerve of the Association's enforcement of their rules. All in all, it's a good read. The only other criticism would be towards the legal side of things - there is simply no way a Homeowner's Association would be allowed to get away with *that* much without intervention, no matter who (or what) was controlling the picture. Having said that, if you can get past the obviously unfeasible bits, it's well worth a few hours of your time. Nice, scary stuff - and readable in an afternoon or two.
Rating:
Summary: I could not put it down!!!
Review: This was the first book I read by Bently Little, and I have to say I could not put it down!! The concept of basing a story around "The Homeowner's Association" and thoes horrid CC&R's was great!! I was really into this book. The story line was great, the charactors were great and I thought the book as a whole was a fantastic first read by Little.
I was a little disappointed by the ending. It was a little wierd, and not as good as the rest of the book, but it still held my interest to the very end.
The story never seemed to slow down; there was always something going on, either scary, weird, odd, and sometimes humorous.
By being in the Real Estate business myself, I do have to actually deal the the "Homeowner's Accociation" on occasion. I think that may be one on the reasons I liked the book so much. I can relate to alot of it.
Despite the "not-as-good-as-the-rest-of-the-book ending, I think this book had enough evil, gore, and basterdly deeds to keep anyone's interest! Especially the first timer. A great book.
Rating:
Summary: C'mon!
Review: This is the second chance I have given Bentley Little (the first being "The Store"--don't ask) because well-regarded friends have recommended him. Mr. Little comes up with good ideas and then runs amok with them until they become laughable parodies of a bad spook movie. Barry and Maureen Welch buy a dream home in remote Utah, a gated community with a Homeowner's Association from hell. At first, the "restrictions" are merely petty and irritating. Then people start disappearing. Barry is confronted with a limbless man with his tongue cut out clothed in a bloody diaper screaming and rolling around on a walking path. When he tries to report it, he is told (with a smile) "Oh, that's just Stumpy. He's just eccentric." This is a long way from being thinkable, let alone plausible. Then Maureen & Barry see construction for an Association-built swimming pool presided over a bull whip-cracking supervisor and a crew of shirtless robot type "volunteers." Now at this point, ordinary human beings would pack their bags and get out---but not Barry & Maureen. The escalation is fierce, the action is grotesque, loose ends are over the place, and there is no resolution. In an epilogue Barry & Maureen are buying a little shack in a non-restricted area with run down trailers, no curbs and gutters, and are as happy as merry elves. I have the impression Mr. Little had a bad experience with Wal-Mart ("The Store") and another with a Homeowner's group ("The Association") then treated himself to a revenge fantasy and wrote it all down in a white heat. I'm sure it gave him a great deal of satisfaction and relieved his stress. Unfortunately, it does neither for the reader. Give it a pass.
Rating: 
Summary: The worst Bentley Little book ever
Review: After reading "The Walking" I was thrilled to find a "new" author to read. That book was wonderful and set up the expecation that all of this author's books would also be terrific. I bought "The Association" while visiting family on vacation over the holidays, and curled up happily, looking forward to being scared, intrigued, and enthralled. Well, much to my disappointment, I was none of these things. In fact, I couldn't believe that the same author actually penned both books. "The Association" was the most boring, nonsensical book I've ever read in my life. Not only were the first few chapters excrutiatingly dull to wade through, but then once the action "got going", I didn't care about it because the characters were not believably drawn. I wouldn't have cared if they'd gotten killed in the first few pages; they just simply did not come alive on the page. Although this could have been a great book (because the concept was terrific), it failed on many, many levels. I am now very leery of buying more Bentley Little books, but may give it one more shot depending on how desperate I am for reading material.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Social Satire
Review: As a resident of a gated community, I identified with having a couple terrorized by the homeowners' association completely. The imposed conformity, the obsession with rules and regulations are all believable in this twisted exaggeration of a very real situation. Most horror fiction today is irrelevant twaddle or sophomoric old-hat about vampires being like misunderstood teens. Bentley Little uses the genre to address real, adult concerns and does so in a way that is fresh and original. Besides, this book is not only scary...it's funny. Little is the Jonathan Swift of our time.
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