Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing, poorly done
Review: After reading Jeff Rovin's excellent "Return of the Wolfman" I had high hopes for this sequel but, alas, Mr. Rovin didn't write this one, and it shows.Jacobs takes Rovin's carefully thought out resurrection of our beloved monsters and shoehorns it into a so-so zombie/horror tale of his own making. And while Mr. Rovin gave us explanations for the return of the monsters, theres no reason given here for the return of Dracula's daughter. Jacobs keeps getting the Wolf Man's fate all wrong (he died in Rovin's book, but first Jacobs says hes alive, then says he was killed by a silver bullet, which was NOT his fate in the earlier novel) Steer clear of this one Very disappointing
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing, poorly done
Review: After reading Jeff Rovin's excellent "Return of the Wolfman" I had high hopes for this sequel but, alas, Mr. Rovin didn't write this one, and it shows. Jacobs takes Rovin's carefully thought out resurrection of our beloved monsters and shoehorns it into a so-so zombie/horror tale of his own making. And while Mr. Rovin gave us explanations for the return of the monsters, theres no reason given here for the return of Dracula's daughter. Jacobs keeps getting the Wolf Man's fate all wrong (he died in Rovin's book, but first Jacobs says hes alive, then says he was killed by a silver bullet, which was NOT his fate in the earlier novel) Steer clear of this one Very disappointing
Rating:
Summary: Dreadful rubbish
Review: I'll be honest, I only got 106 pages into this book before giving up on it. The previous work in the series, RETURN OF THE WOLFMAN by Jeff Rovin, was a delight from start to finish. But this book features paper-thin characters and an emphasis on gore that is untrue to the spirit of the original Universal Monsters series, and betrays a singular lack of taste on the part of the author. The author writes in short paragraphs, I guess in an effort to replicate the writing of the "shudder pulps" of the 1940s. But it all becomes an arbitrary exercise in stylistic excess, with zombies flopping about with severed spinal cords sticking out. There's a rule against spoilers, or I'd tell you the author's absurd transformation of Dracula into a--well, Steve McQueen would have used CO2 on it, I'll give you that much of a clue. I'm not the only guy who gave up on this book; two other Universal Horror movie buffs I know gave up in frustration and fury after a few chapters. Save your money.
Rating:
Summary: Dreadful rubbish
Review: I'll be honest, I only got 106 pages into this book before giving up on it. The previous work in the series, RETURN OF THE WOLFMAN by Jeff Rovin, was a delight from start to finish. But this book features paper-thin characters and an emphasis on gore that is untrue to the spirit of the original Universal Monsters series, and betrays a singular lack of taste on the part of the author. The author writes in short paragraphs, I guess in an effort to replicate the writing of the "shudder pulps" of the 1940s. But it all becomes an arbitrary exercise in stylistic excess, with zombies flopping about with severed spinal cords sticking out. There's a rule against spoilers, or I'd tell you the author's absurd transformation of Dracula into a--well, Steve McQueen would have used CO2 on it, I'll give you that much of a clue. I'm not the only guy who gave up on this book; two other Universal Horror movie buffs I know gave up in frustration and fury after a few chapters. Save your money.
Rating: 
Summary: At Best, A Single
Review: I'll grant David Jacobs one thing (or even two) -- Jeff Rovin's fine "Return of the Wolf Man" was definitely a hard act to follow, and Jacobs does toss in some allusions to other Universal Horror (even Boris Karloff's mad character from "The Black Cat" appears). But all in all, this was a muddled book, trying a little too hard to bring in the Bride of Frankenstein and other "second stringers" in the Universal mythos. Some of the reasons the Universal horror series ran out of steam in the 1940s are evident here -- last minute appearances by the Frankenstein Monster (just for the sake of showing him) and back stories that underemphasize the monsters. Jeff Rovin is definitely missed. Too bad, but I'll give Jacobs credit for trying. Hopefully, the next volume (if we get that far)will change the course for a series that looks headed into oblivion.
Rating:
Summary: At Best, A Single
Review: I'll grant David Jacobs one thing (or even two) -- Jeff Rovin's fine "Return of the Wolf Man" was definitely a hard act to follow, and Jacobs does toss in some allusions to other Universal Horror (even Boris Karloff's mad character from "The Black Cat" appears). But all in all, this was a muddled book, trying a little too hard to bring in the Bride of Frankenstein and other "second stringers" in the Universal mythos. Some of the reasons the Universal horror series ran out of steam in the 1940s are evident here -- last minute appearances by the Frankenstein Monster (just for the sake of showing him) and back stories that underemphasize the monsters. Jeff Rovin is definitely missed. Too bad, but I'll give Jacobs credit for trying. Hopefully, the next volume (if we get that far)will change the course for a series that looks headed into oblivion.
Rating: 
Summary: The Devil's Brood...Bland
Review: The Devils Brood wasn't a bad book but nowhere near the caliber of The Return of the Wolfman. Unlike Rovin, the author seems unable to effectively deal with the amount of material he's chosen to cover; with all pun intended, he bites off more than he can chew. The book leaves us well set-up for the next installment, but leaves too many loose ends for what he's covered. My biggest complaint is the banter between characters who seem to lack importance to the story. Every remark has its retort and every retort has its follow-up remark, most of which are meaningless and add nothing but yawns to the story. It also lacks its predecessor's flair for capturing the monster's "old-fashion" essence. Dracula's dialogue seems trite and out of character. One of the central players is an American gangster who seems much more like a tourist and all-around nice guy rather than the wiseguy from the East coast like he's supposed to be. Besides the fact that he packed a gun, he and his henchmen come off as mealy-mouthed outsiders rather than hoods. The author also has to retrace his narrative several times to add important elements, as if to say, "I forgot to tell you, a few paragraph's back, so-and-so also did x while he was doing y." You get the idea. I did say it wasn't a bad book, and so in spite of all it's downfalls it does shine on some major points. The book is about the Universal Monsters, and in the chapters where they're actually center-stage the scenes are vivid and imaginative. He does a good job in his colorful and sometimes curdling descriptions. He successfully links important elements of plot together, where the monsters are concerned, without coming off as cheesy or far-fetched. So, as much as I wished Rovin had returned for The Devil's Brood, I did enjoy reading it and look forward to the next sequel.
Rating:
Summary: The Devil's Brood...Bland
Review: The Devils Brood wasn't a bad book but nowhere near the caliber of The Return of the Wolfman. Unlike Rovin, the author seems unable to effectively deal with the amount of material he's chosen to cover; with all pun intended, he bites off more than he can chew. The book leaves us well set-up for the next installment, but leaves too many loose ends for what he's covered. My biggest complaint is the banter between characters who seem to lack importance to the story. Every remark has its retort and every retort has its follow-up remark, most of which are meaningless and add nothing but yawns to the story. It also lacks its predecessor's flair for capturing the monster's "old-fashion" essence. Dracula's dialogue seems trite and out of character. One of the central players is an American gangster who seems much more like a tourist and all-around nice guy rather than the wiseguy from the East coast like he's supposed to be. Besides the fact that he packed a gun, he and his henchmen come off as mealy-mouthed outsiders rather than hoods. The author also has to retrace his narrative several times to add important elements, as if to say, "I forgot to tell you, a few paragraph's back, so-and-so also did x while he was doing y." You get the idea. I did say it wasn't a bad book, and so in spite of all it's downfalls it does shine on some major points. The book is about the Universal Monsters, and in the chapters where they're actually center-stage the scenes are vivid and imaginative. He does a good job in his colorful and sometimes curdling descriptions. He successfully links important elements of plot together, where the monsters are concerned, without coming off as cheesy or far-fetched. So, as much as I wished Rovin had returned for The Devil's Brood, I did enjoy reading it and look forward to the next sequel.
Rating:
Summary: An ensemble cast of monsters that all want starring role
Review: This book had its flaws no doubt about that. You had many monsters doing different things. Jacobs jumps all over the place from one scene to another, almost like a sick soap opera. It was like going to see a film with four academy award winners in it but they went in four different directions trying to be the main star. Jacobs trys in vain and hastily to tie this amalgam of a stew together, but it still leaves you feeling like the book was rushed to get each co starring monsters part in. As others have stated, Dracula's dialogs were utterly cheesy I never new the lord of vampires was so locoquacious. Okay, bashing over. I liked the book for the simple reason the action kept coming, never a dull moment. I am not impressed with 30 page chunks of description and background. There was much disconitutiy but I turned the pages for the next kill or discovery, entertaining at the least. The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying, but all the reason for me to read the next book. While written somewhat like a comic book, it turned its share o pages for sheer action. (Excuse the lousy writing; I am in a terrible rush.
Rating:
Summary: a waste of time and energy
Review: This book was awful. Out of the 300+ pages it caontained about 50 were of interest. Even though the author tried to include some 2nd tier characters like the Werewolf of London, the Bride of Frankenstein, Dr. Praetorius, Dracula's Daughter, and assorted zombies to make it more interesting, he utterly failed in making the story interesting. The only reason I read it, by skimming through the boring parts (which was most of it), was so in the off chance this book does not kill the new series, I will know what is going on in the next book (hopefully written by someone else). The entire zombie, gangster, black magic subplot was feeble and did nothing to enhance the book whatsoever. The brief appearances by Dracula, the Frankenstein monster, and the Wolfman could not make it enjoyable. I have never heard of the author, but with lines like "Gold is heavy." It makes me wonder if the author is better off changing professions. If anyone from the publishers or Universal is reading this, please don't give up on this series, just make sure the forthcoming authors have more talent. I eagerly await the third installment, it can't get any worse.
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