Hexes

Rating:
Summary: Good not godlike
Review: I would actually say two and half just to put it dead center of the scale. Not as good as, say, Halloween Man but certainly worth a weekend trip. That said I must say that some of the passages struck me as alittle distant if not clumsy. Sort of like Jay Bonasinga. However I did find that the fusions between interior thoughts and exterior action to be solid and sleek. Personally the high point of the book is the wild party from hell that caps the whole story for me. One final thing - How come Crowley is like the modern horror McGuffin? I read somewhere that this book was excellently researched but name-dropping doesn't equal research. This is like the third book in a row I read with Crowley references and this has the weakest connection to actual fact. The guy was a "kook" not Satan incarnate! Don't believe the hype.

Rating:
Summary: A highly recommended horror thriller
Review: Tom Piccirilli is at his best when combining outright occult and noir elements, giving us a novel that is highly evocative and hard-boiled at the same time. You'll find plenty of intriguing characters, wry observations and lots of dark and ironic narrative twists, Like all of Piccirilli's work, he knows how to grip his readers and hold them enthralled until the out-and-out amazing climax.

Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: VERY well written with certain sections that literally chilled me

Rating:
Summary: An excellent and scary occult thriller!
Review: Anyone who hasn't read this book by now should immediately grab a copy. Mr. Piccirilli is an author who knows how to chill his readers. The story is complex, poignant, and really quite scary throughout. I suppose this can be called 'traditional' horror, the kind King made his career with: you'll find cemeteries, witches, demons, an insane asylum, and plenty of ghosts and other creepiness that will entrance and enthrall you. Grab it and prepare to be frightened!

Rating:
Summary: Another excellent effort
Review: Piccirilli continues to astonish with his new novel HEXES--a raging, dark fantasy novel full of intrguing forms of magic, lust, passion, vengeance, and doomed souls trying to make right int he world. There are scenes here that will make your skin creep, family heartache and madness let loose in an isolated piece of hell called Panecraft. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up now.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: I just finished reading Hexes and I have to say it's one of the most exciting, intelligent horror novels I have read in ages. (I don't know what that other guy was reading...it wasn't what I stayed up all night with) A great, well-researched occult novel that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It's one of those books that is so good you wish you hadn't read it so fast so you could keep enjoying it. I can't wait to read more by this author.

Rating:
Summary: Hexes succeeds on all levels
Review: HEXES returns Tom Piccirilli to the top ranks of horror writers. The novel takes place in Summerfell, under and around and inside the asylum, Panecraft. Matthew Galen's father created and ran Panecraft--he killed himself and maybe his wife. Matthew leaves town, but after five years returns to Summerfell to right some wrongs that happened during his high school years. In between, Piccirilli dreams up some of the most vivid scenes of horror I've ever read. Characters that are all too-real, scenarios that are out of whack but realistically rendered, and a climax to end all climaxes. Researched in occultism well, Hexes succeeds on all levels. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A high-voltage occult thriller
Review: Piccirilli's writing is both poetic and passionate, who handled even the most gory and vicious details of his amazing horror story with subtlety and a sure hand. His characters are real, the plot line powerful, and the backstory full of incredible elements that he weaves together to pull off some of the most exciting scenes I've ever read. Well-researched occult lore, this one is a total rawking ride.

Rating:
Summary: A disappointing waste of time.
Review: Not exactly overflowing with new ideas. Kind of like the recent Stephen King imitating Clive Barker on a bad hair day. Originality is difficult in a genre that has its best writers stealing from themselves, so younger writers have to be cut some slack. But, in my opinion, this author took a weak concept and buried it in cliches. In general, the writing is mushy. Attempts to decoy or misdirect the reader usually end up being confusing. Some good characterization, but I can't help feeling they were drawn from the last new "X-Files". And I wish I had a buck for his every use of the word(is it a word?), "arcana".

Rating:
Summary: Excellent dark fantasy
Review: Leave it to somebody named "Butts" to get it all backwards. Hexes is a solid read full of intricate storytelling prowess and a wonderful use of language. This isn't just another horror novel filled with gratuitous gore and simplistic writing, this is a tale that tries to cross genres and bring something new to readers. I appreciated Mr. Piccirilli's efforts and loved his use of symbolism and bittersweet back story that adds a whole new poignancy to the novel. Flashbacks to a bitter and haunting childhood--hence the repeated "Debbi is dead" references--show how an emotionally distraught protagonist fearing for his life and soul can still rise to be a hero. A real winner. A+