Hexes

Rating:
Summary: Weird, alarming stuff!
Review: Our writer's group recently read Hexes and discussed it at our monthly meeting, and it certainly got a number of strong reactions. Some folks didn't quite get the occult lore involved, but others, like myself, were completely hooked from the first page. This is weird, wild stuff of the highest order. Genuinely frightening in spots, with some grabbing scenes, especially one in an abandoned train station and another in an old empty house. I bet a few more reviews will be coming to Amazon on this book too from other members of the group. Definitely worth a look, people.

Rating:
Summary: Converted me to a fan of horror
Review: I've only read a few horror novels in the past few years because I felt htey were often either a) badly written or b) were simply of the slash and hack variety. But Hexes was so good and filled with so many chilling moments that I wanted to find more books that were this good. Once I saw that, Yes! A good horror novel could be done! I started checking out the horror section every month for more Leisure titles. Almost all of them have affected me strongly, but Hexes is still my favorite. Plenty of weird situations along with an ongoing sense of malevolence and dread. Check it out!

Rating:
Summary: Scary stuff!
Review: I only meant to sit down and read the first couple of chapters of this one, but after I started I found I couldn't stop and finished it in one sitting. Lots of creepy images and situations, with a variety of troubled characters who are loveable and occasionally despicable too. This novel has something to offer everyone, no matter what your interests in horror.

Rating:
Summary: Full of moving characters and chilling circumstances
Review: I was glad to hear that this year's World Horror Convention will be taking place right here in Denver Colorado. I was also thrilled to learn that Tom Piccirilli will be in attendance and that his wonderful novel Hexes is deservedly up for a Stoker Award in the Best Novel Category. This novel moved me like few have before. The characters are often humorous but also filled with great sorrow over events of the past. I found myself going from laughing out loud to sobbing when one of the childhood friends meets his unfortunate end after a very funny romp through a "haunted" house. This is occult horror fiction at its very best.

Rating:
Summary: Bram Stoker Nominee
Review: When I read HEXES I was blown away by all the eerie vibes Piccirilli instills in his book. I've reread it twice since then and still get plenty of chills in certain scenes: the body at the train station, the ghost of the murdered girl in the empty house, the occult battle finale. It's nice to see that HEXES has made the final ballot for the Stoker Award for Best Horror Novel of 1999. In my honest opinion, it should win hands down.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: I was lucky enough to recently meet Mr. Piccirilli at a reading. Once he finished reading a passage from Hexes I knew I had to grab the book, and I'm glad I did. This is one of the best horror novels ever. You get drawn into this story immediately and there's no turning back. It's pure horror all the way, with a cast full of strange folks doing strange things for horrifying reasons. Not only is the book scary, but there's plenty of dark humor too. I eagerly look forward to his next horror novel The Deceased, which sounds like it's also going to be a killer of a book.

Rating:
Summary: Chilling, over-the-top fiction
Review: A solid, engaging effort with fleshed-out characters that I came to really care for. This is a haunting novel in the best sense of the word. The milieu is so offbeat and chilling that you can feel all the madness and occult weirdness building up around you as you read. A genuinely original novel with an oddball cast and a history of the supernatural that creates a profound dread. This is horror at its best.

Rating:
Summary: HEXES OR HOAXES
Review: I LOVE GOOD HORROR STORIES, AND AFTER READING VARIOUS REVIEWS ON HEXES I THOUGHT I HAD FOUND SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE A REAL PAGE TURNER. BUT WHAT I FOUND WAS A STORY THAT I HAD TO MAKE MYSELF FINISH. THIS WAS NOT A GOOD READ AT ALL, EVEN WHEN I FINISHED THE BOOK, I HAD TO ASK MYSELF WHY I WASTED MY TIME.

Rating:
Summary: Fun, Scary Read-Especially If You Know About The Occult
Review: I read this book in a blur of pages. Fast paced and entertaining. Some of the flashbacks could have done with a little more work on their transitions but overall I didn't care. The way Piccirilli writes is pretty damn fresh, and the integration of occult ideas was woven into one hell of a tapestry. But I do think if a reader doesn't have much interest in the occult (or much knowledge of it) then that reader will be kinda lost. But the action was good and bloody, disturbing scenes do tend to pop up. And the ending wasn't a let down. Horror fans rally around this book. Occasional horror fans stick to King or Koontz.

Rating:
Summary: a powerful and moving horror novel
Review: I picked this up from Amazon.com and was swept away by the dark atmosphere this novel roils in. The supernatural overtones are highly effective, but it's the humanity of the voice that really makes it stand out as something special. These are people you care about, each with their own story that's been shaped by the horrible circumstances that occured in their childhoods. There's one scene involving a murdered girl in an abandoned train station that had me freaked out for the night. The author dapples the novel with small but important details that creat a mood and tone you're not likely to forget anytime soon.