Rating: 
Summary: A good old fashioned haunt
Review: I just wanted to write and thank Douglas Clegg. He has written a novel, Nightmare House, that revives a bygone era of storytelling. He shows that atmosphere and anticipated horrors are just as scary as in your face blood and guts.
Do ghosts exist? Of course they do. Ghosts, the likes of Shirley Jackson and Henry James, are alive and kicking in Nightmare House. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Haunted House Horror at it's best
Review: I love horror fiction, especially haunted house horror fiction. Until recently, my favorite of these was Richard Matheson's Legend of Hell House. But with the publication of Nightmare House, Douglas Clegg's Harrow has replaced my previous fave. Nightmare House ties together pieces of his previous novels Mischief and The Infinite by describing some of the background of this fiendishly designed house. I loved his straightforward writing style so much, that once I had finished Nightmare House I purchased six more Douglas Clegg paperbacks to read over the summer. He has an imagination to rival Clive Barker at his most hellish. I'd still like to see another book on Harrow from the standpoint of the builder, the grandfather of Nightmare House's narrator. I want to really understand the design of the house, and also try to explore the evil/innocent dichotomy of the narrator's sister. I want to crawl around in Harrow and explore until all of my questions are answered. Nightmare House does answer a lot, though. I highly recommend this book, and basically anything by Douglas Clegg.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome to Harrow!
Review: I loved Nightmare House!This is the first "Harrow" book I have read and I enjoyed it very much. This is a quietly creepy novel which is somewhat different from Douglas Clegg's other more scary novels. I liked how it slowly built up the menacing atmosphere of the house and the ghosts within it. Horror lately is known for its gore and violence which I do enjoy but it is nice to read a story which harkens back to the old time ghost story. As usual Clegg's writing style pulled me into this interesting world and I flew right through this story. As others have mentioned it is a short novel which left me wishing it went on longer. I am excited to read The Infinite, Mischief and The Necromancer and continue to explore this interesting world. As an added treat the book also contains a novela, "Purity", which previously was only available as an out of print hardback. This story has a similar style to Nightmare House and fits well in this book. This story has very little violence or gore. The scariness of this story is the actions which result from a scorned lover trying to win back his love no matter the cost. This is a great little sinister story! Overall both stories have a quieter aura than most horror novels I have read and are spellbinding! Enjoy!!!
Rating:
Summary: Welcome to Harrow!
Review: I loved Nightmare House! This is the first "Harrow" book I have read and I enjoyed it very much. This is a quietly creepy novel which is somewhat different from Douglas Clegg's other more scary novels. I liked how it slowly built up the menacing atmosphere of the house and the ghosts within it. Horror lately is known for its gore and violence which I do enjoy but it is nice to read a story which harkens back to the old time ghost story. As usual Clegg's writing style pulled me into this interesting world and I flew right through this story. As others have mentioned it is a short novel which left me wishing it went on longer. I am excited to read The Infinite, Mischief and The Necromancer and continue to explore this interesting world. As an added treat the book also contains a novela, "Purity", which previously was only available as an out of print hardback. This story has a similar style to Nightmare House and fits well in this book. This story has very little violence or gore. The scariness of this story is the actions which result from a scorned lover trying to win back his love no matter the cost. This is a great little sinister story! Overall both stories have a quieter aura than most horror novels I have read and are spellbinding! Enjoy!!!
Rating:
Summary: Nightmare House and Purity
Review: I loved Nightmare House. This was a really creepy tale that begins with just omens and hints of what's to come. The house itself is disturbing enough, but once the haunting begins, I got goosebumps. This is an atmospheric, quietly chilling tale of a haunting with everything from exorcism to burial alive within it. I loved it, and it ended on a really chilly note too. The bonus novel, Purity, was also pretty creepy. It was more of a suspense story about a really evil boy on an island. It had a little Lovecraft overtone to it, but not much. Very dark and then explosive. Nightmare House is an unusual book. It's a historical, set in the mid-1920s. It reminded me somewhat of old-fashioned ghost stories to a point. Then, when it jumped into hyperdrive, it really got twisted. Both novels play with viewpoint and sometimes the horror in your mind is worse than what's on the page. For those looking for more of a gorey-kind of horror story, you might look elsewhere. Nightmare House is quite a read, but not for anyone looking for blood and guts. I just order Clegg's The Infinite and Mischief, both books about the same house but at different time periods. Harrow is a place I would not want to spend the night but I would love to read more about it.
Rating:
Summary: Much better effort
Review: I read Douglas Clegg's "You Come When I call You", and was blown away by the sheer badness of the novel. But I kept hearing what a great writer he was, so I decided to give him another chance. I heard that his "Harrow" trilogy was good, so I decided to start there. I am glad I did. "Nightmare House" is set in 1926 New England, where Ethan Gravesend inherits Harrow, his insane grandfather's warped house. The house is haunted; by who or why is the motivating mystery, so I can not tell you. Ethan is a pretty well thought out character, as is Pocket, the police officer who knows all of Harrow's secrets. "Nightmare House" also contains the short novella "Purity", which seems inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's "Dagon". It is about 18 year old Owen Crites who plots revenge against his sweetheart's new boyfriend. He begins to prey to Dagon for guidence, and creates a brillant plan to eliminate the boyfriend. Is Dagon real, or is Owen just insanely projecting his own thoughts and plans to this pagan deity? You'll have to be the judge. It is clear that Clegg knows his gothic horror, because he recalls Lovecraft, Stoker, and a little bit of Shirley Jackson in his novels, and uses them to great effect. Unlike, "You Come When I Call You", there is no overt gore andf violence in these two stories; it is mostly atmosphere and frame of mind. I am glad that I gave him another chance, and we'll see how he dose in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Much better effort
Review: I read Douglas Clegg's "You Come When I call You", and was blown away by the sheer badness of the novel. But I kept hearing what a great writer he was, so I decided to give him another chance. I heard that his "Harrow" trilogy was good, so I decided to start there. I am glad I did. "Nightmare House" is set in 1926 New England, where Ethan Gravesend inherits Harrow, his insane grandfather's warped house. The house is haunted; by who or why is the motivating mystery, so I can not tell you. Ethan is a pretty well thought out character, as is Pocket, the police officer who knows all of Harrow's secrets. "Nightmare House" also contains the short novella "Purity", which seems inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's "Dagon". It is about 18 year old Owen Crites who plots revenge against his sweetheart's new boyfriend. He begins to prey to Dagon for guidence, and creates a brillant plan to eliminate the boyfriend. Is Dagon real, or is Owen just insanely projecting his own thoughts and plans to this pagan deity? You'll have to be the judge. It is clear that Clegg knows his gothic horror, because he recalls Lovecraft, Stoker, and a little bit of Shirley Jackson in his novels, and uses them to great effect. Unlike, "You Come When I Call You", there is no overt gore andf violence in these two stories; it is mostly atmosphere and frame of mind. I am glad that I gave him another chance, and we'll see how he dose in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Detailed
Review: I thought the book was extremely well written and detailed. It wasn't very long, and I did read it in one night. It kinda gave me "heebie-jeebies" how very well I could picture a town like this, everyone knowing everyone, and keeping their secrets. I thought the end was...left a little too open. I really enjoyed the "Purity" story also. It was a little twisted, and the end, again, was left too open (besides, I really thought he'd get the girl) but I really enjoyed the book.
Rating:
Summary: Very Detailed
Review: I thought the book was extremely well written and detailed. It wasn't very long, and I did read it in one night. It kinda gave me "heebie-jeebies" how very well I could picture a town like this, everyone knowing everyone, and keeping their secrets. I thought the end was...left a little too open. I really enjoyed the "Purity" story also. It was a little twisted, and the end, again, was left too open (besides, I really thought he'd get the girl) but I really enjoyed the book.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT STORY THAT SCARES YOU INTO WANTING MORE!
Review: Nightmare House is a fast-paced nightmare ride through one hell of a scary place. I loved this book. I couldn't read it fast enough. There are tons of haunted house books out there, but this brings a different flavor to the table. And if the horrifying events (hauntings) are not enough to make you want to read this book, the mystery and history of Harrow and the family should be. This book makes me want more. I am craving the rest of the story of Harrow. This book hints an an evil that is so much deeper than any house that it grabs you on the first page, drags you to the inevitable last page where you wake up and realize that you need another book to continue the tale. YOU GOTTA READ THIS!!!
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