Rating: 
Summary: entertaining and fast paced
Review: Chapter headings (see Swan Song), setting (Gone South) and writing style make me think this is the work of Robert R. McCammon writing under a pseudonym. As good as his acknowledged work, but too similar to the others to publish as his. The same goes with Blood Kin, a mid south version of They Thirst. Good stuff for horror fans no matter who wrote it.
Rating: 
Summary: a slow boring book that climaxes in the last chapter
Review: I first picked up this book at a used book store out of boredom and because I need to fill my trade in credit. This book takes tooo long to reach its point. The monster is attacking a small town. The "hero" spends almost the whole book travling to see a witch doctor to obtain a "weapon" to kill the creature. The return trip takes only half a chapter and the resulting "battle" is over in just a few pages. I was bored with this book and have since put it back into the used book recyling system in another used book store.
Rating:
Summary: More scary and haunting then King in my opinion
Review: I picked it up at the airport not expecting much, but was I surprised!As another editorial stated, the first 1/2 (I think the first 1/4) was run of the mill monster story, but as the story unfolded, I could not put it down. I was hoping for delays just so I can turn the page. The imagary and immagination are frightful and make for a whopping scary tale. Who would have thought Tennessee could be the background for a truly scary book? It was also fun to read through the backwoods jargon. Though the book was a page turner, it was also quite an accomplishment he was able to switch between pretty nice writing and backwoods hillbilly lingo. Ain't no thang. Loved it.
Rating:
Summary: A Hidden Gem, Actually quite scary
Review: I picked up this book on a whim, expecting an ordinary run-of-the-mill pulp story. For the first half, that's mostly what you get, an average monster comes to town yarn. But the second half, oh my! The story becomes really creepy as the young hero goes of on a quest. I don't scare easily, but this book did it to me.
Rating:
Summary: Frightfully good!
Review: I read Kelly's Blood Kin and figured I needed to give this author another try. Blood Kin was a fun read, and Kelly seems to be able to deliver a good story. Fear was even better than Kin, and I'm so glad I picked it up.
Jeb is a normal ten-year-old growing up in Pikesville, Tennessee in the late 40s. He lives with his ailing grandmother and his father, Sam, who came back from fighting the Nazis with his "brains adled." Jeb has a lot on his mind when his small town finds itself at the mercy of a menacing creature that starts out killing livestock and then moves on to some tastier treats. When no one believes him about the creature, Jeb sets out with his father, his bluetick hound named Buckshot, and a traveling bluesman, Roscoe Ledbetter, to find the Granny Woman in Fear County. Jeb is hoping that she has some special magic that will help him, his family, and his town. Kelly then takes the reader on an adventure with these heroes, and he introduces a series of creepy events and bizarre characters. Will Jeb find the magic he needs to help his father and his grandmother? Will he win the heart of the rich girl he loves? What will happen to this group of adventurers?
Jeb is a wonderfully drawn character. I enjoyed reading about his journey and was eager to find out how things would turn out for him. Kelly is a great storyteller, and I could almost hear him telling this story around a campfire. Fear is a well written, enjoyable book, and I am now a confirmed Kelly fan.
Rating: 
Summary: Fear always held a special place in my heart
Review: I read this years and years ago...most books not long after I read them, even if I really loved them during the read. I read so many books, they become like broken records after awhile. Fear, however, always stayed with me. I loved it then, and after I found another copy recently, I love it now just as much.
It reads almost like an adult fairy tale type. Young adults could read and enjoy this one as much as adults, but that shouldn't put off the 'grown up' readers. It almost seems like Kelly took every horrible thing he could think of out of his brain and placed it in this book. There’s not just one monster there’s this one, that one, and even that one over there. The atmosphere in different areas of the county the woods, or the water, or the cabin all were amazing.
Much of the beginning is focused on the internal issues Jeb has, so some may feel impatient to get the action moving, but while there isn't as much action present, it was all interesting and fun. I really felt drawn to the characters in a real, emotional way, cheering them on the whole time.
Dialogue is told through a small-town, hickish type dialect, with words such as "'ol," "how're," "gonna," and "dangrum." Surprisingly this doesn't get annoying. The style of writing is easily comprehended, straightforward, and consistent. The ending was one that was happy and miserable at the same time. Kelly relies on as much internal dialogue as external. "Fear" is written in multiple POV viewpoints, mainly third person flexible, but the majority is seen through the eyes of the child 'Jeb.'
I heard from somewhere that Kelly hasn’t been writing anymore; if this is true, it’s a shame, because he has talent.
Rating:
Summary: Ronald Kelly does it again.
Review: I've been a fan of Ronald Kelly every since I read his novel BLOOD KIN. Not only because he's a fellow Tennessean but because his work is just so damn fun. Kelly is a natural storyteller, with a nice southern flair, and he always delivers entertaining horror. FEAR is no exception and he really pulls out all the stops with this one. It's just after WWII in the small town of Pikesville, TN and young Jeb Sweeny finds himself on the edge of personal tragedy and a greater evil that is devouring livestock and abducting children in the night. It's up to him, his handicapped war veteran father, and an old blues player Roscoe Ledbetter to save the town and find some kind of salvation. And if the bloodthirsty creature roaming Pikesville wasn't enough, they face even greater horrors when they venture into Fear County to seek help from a local legend known as The Granny Woman. Not only is this book full of dark adventure, but it's got a lot of heart. You'll find yourself cheering Jeb Sweeny on until the very end. A fun read and a great book. The only question I had when I turned the last page was: when's your next novel, Mr. Kelly?
Rating:
Summary: Great, fun, scary, and lots of heart
Review: Okay, so I see a lot of negative reviews here, but I think people are missing one very very important fact. This book is fun. I enjoyed and was totally enthralled by every page. What's funny about this book is that the parts with the main monster are fairly anticlimatic, but I think Kelly intend it this way. You begin the novel thinking "Oh...monster killing kids...looks like a snake...got it." but only later realize where the book TRULY gets its monster and its name. Fear County may be full of cliches but it's an exciting, scary, and 110% worthwhile trip all the way. Jeb, Roscoe, and Sam are great characters and I found myself all but cheering out loud for them many times throughout reading. Further, I was totally impressed with the fact the author used so little gore and such a miniscule body count, yet still created more horror than any Steven King slaughterfest. Buy this book, read it on a lazy afternoon in the shade and prepare for a truly memorable adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Great, fun, scary, and lots of heart
Review: Okay, so I see a lot of negative reviews here, but I think people are missing one very very important fact. This book is fun. I enjoyed and was totally enthralled by every page. What's funny about this book is that the parts with the main monster are fairly anticlimatic, but I think Kelly intend it this way. You begin the novel thinking "Oh...monster killing kids...looks like a snake...got it." but only later realize where the book TRULY gets its monster and its name. Fear County may be full of cliches but it's an exciting, scary, and 110% worthwhile trip all the way. Jeb, Roscoe, and Sam are great characters and I found myself all but cheering out loud for them many times throughout reading. Further, I was totally impressed with the fact the author used so little gore and such a miniscule body count, yet still created more horror than any Steven King slaughterfest. Buy this book, read it on a lazy afternoon in the shade and prepare for a truly memorable adventure.
Rating:
Summary: stay away from Ronald Kelly!
Review: RK's got to be the worst writer in horror i've ever read. his descriptions are so obvious. i know you can't use that word about descriptions, but in this case you can. you can actually see the descriptions coming. a monster hunting. yes, and...? it attacks? yes, i guessed as much. no, that seems to be it. RK introduces some characters we are supposed to feel sorry for. and he describes how they are outcasts, etc. i was waiting for the story to develop. but that seemed to be the story. how much a pityit was. so sad. they were not tolerated. it's not even written well, and it has nothing to do with horror. i've read another book by RK too. exactly the same stuff!
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