Rating:  Summary: An extraordinary apocalyptic tale. Review: "Get this message into your head. You, too, have a monster to kill. And this book just might save your life." These are the first three lines of a novel that is nothing short of fantastic. One morning Nick Aten wakes up to find that the world has gone insane. The adults are systematically killing all the children. The story that follows is a story of survival, tragedy and hope. The small number of children and teenagers that have survived the initial attacks are banding together and reforming their own society. They face the dangers of a civilization that is now extinct while the adults continue to hunt and kill them. Nick Aten, the narrator, is an unlikely hero. He describes himself with the following: "I was born without ambition. My plans were to earn a bit of money, drink more beer and have a good time." His biggest problem, until the world went mad, is a ferocious town bully named Tug Slatter. This is what makes him one of the finest characters I've ever encountered. A regular kid forced to grow up fast in order to survive the new world. All the characters are incredibly realistic, well developed and a testament to the human spirit. Clark's writing style is crisp, clean and chilling. There is a constant build up of tension and dread. This book contains some of the creepiest scenes I've read in a long time. Not in the slash-em-up style either. Although there are some gruesome scenes in this book, it's never gratuitous. The scenes are there to show you the horror that these kids are facing everyday. This book is frightening, inspiring and thought provoking. It pulls you in from page one and doesn't let go until the brutal climax. I'm a big fan of apocalyptic horror stories and I I've heard this novel compared to King's "The Stand" and McCammon's "Swan Song". It really shouldn't be because, although those books were excellent, Clark's style and vision are completely original. Expect to be drawn into this book, to feel for the characters (even the evil ones). I give this book a strong recommendation. I'd also like to add a heartfelt thanks to the folks at Leisure Publishing for putting such excellent horror novels back on the market.
Rating:  Summary: Reluctant hero / Epic novel Review: As many have already reported in their reviews of "Blood Crazy", this is a book that contains elements of many earlier literary works. It's part "Lord of the Flies", part "Earth Abides" and part "Dawn of the Living Dead". If you enjoyed any or all of those books, then this novel is for you! Simon Clark has created an epic work in less than 400 pages. This is an extremely fast "read" and you'll find yourself wanting more at the conclusion. Evidently Clark, himself, realized that when he finished "Blood Crazy" because the door is certainly open for a sequel. The characterization in the book is terrific and the story grabs you by the throat in the first few pages and refuses to let go until the very end. Vividly graphic word pictures are woven throughout the novel and some of the sections are not for the faint of heart. If you can get over that little "hurdle" then by all means find a copy of this book. While the premise of this book is about parents attempt to systematically eliminate all the children from the earth, much of it is about the growth of a young man named Nick who is forced to assume a leadership role even though he is reluctant to do so. He finds that the "doubt demons" in his mind are almost as dangerous to his development as his parents. This is the 2nd of many Simon Clark books that will be published in the US because I predict that his fans will be legion. Good work, Mr. Clark, I can't wait for more!
Rating:  Summary: Apocalyptic novel worth checking out Review: Blood Crazy is the first Simon Clark book that I've had a chance to check out and found it to be thoroughly enjoyable. The story, which relvolves around a teen named Nick Aten, grabs you from the opening chapter. Something has happened to all the adults in the world whick will prove deadly to anyone under 19. Nick and the teens he meets up with must find a way to survive in this new and frightening new world. This book has elements of Lord of the Flies, The Stand, and a little Night of the Living Dead all wrapped up in a great story. This one's worth picking up.
Rating:  Summary: Crazy, man! Review: Blood Crazy isn't a supernatural novel but it is a horror story. One day (for reasons that remain mostly mysterious) the entire adult population of the world starts killing all its children. Nick Aten is a survivor of this carnage, (though his brother is brutally murdered by their parents), and the book details his struggles to survive in the post-apocalyptic world. In many ways this is the archetypal apocalyptic novel that has been the bread and butter of SF fare ever since H. G. Wells invented it. It was great a century ago, and it is just as great now - there is an eternal fascination about the theme and Simon Clark does it proud. Towards the end of the book, there is a half-baked attempt at an explanation as to why the adults acted the way they did. It's all rather mystical and fey and Clark really does nothing with it. It feels like an afterthought, an attempt to try and pin a logical structure on the plot. It's best to pay no attention to it and simply to groove on the violence, the pain and the sheer terror of this very dangerous post-apocalyptic world. Approached on that level, this is a superb example of the genre. It isn't quite up there with the masters (George Stewart's Earth Abides or John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids) but it is still pretty good.
Rating:  Summary: Interesting Review: Blood Crazy started off kinda...well abit corney. In one sentence it describes a mother-with what we thought-kissing her baby only to be told she was eating the babys face.In the midst of total chaos and walking zombies the town bully still has the time to take a kids eye glasses and tease the child with try to get em. I sorta had to chuckle. Then it picked up. A good story of survival and a mans battle within his self to be responsible. It also relates to CR Jung and the conscious and sub-consious mind. Which was a very interesting factor to the book.
Rating:  Summary: I loved it! Review: Blood Crazy,
Simon Clark has penned an interesting story albeit another zombie tale. This book moved at a nice pace and was filled with some interesting characters, but for me I had read this story many times in the past. The Lord Of the Flies and even I Am Legend seem to have been greatly borrowed from to create Mr. Simmons novel `Blood Crazy'. There are new twists added, such as the parents killing the young and the reason or theory behind the madness.
Many people claim this to be one of Mr. Clark's best novels. I hope this isn't so, although I enjoyed the book I did find it to be quite formulaic.
Overall I enjoyed the book I would recommend it to would be Simon Clark fans. I know I will be reading more of his work in the near future.
Rating:  Summary: A Fantastic Story! Review: Congratulations to Simon Clark for the first 5 star novel I've read in 2001. I absolutely loved "Blood Crazy". Readers will be in for one hell of a devilish ride with this brilliant story! Nick Aten is the perfect hero for this tale. An average teenager whose main delights in life are: tinkering with his car, hanging out with his mates and a trip to the Golden Arches. Incidentally, it's amazing how enjoyable a read Mr. Clark makes the trip for a hamburger in this story. Nick really likes going out for his burgers. His character is fleshed out wonderfully. Everything in Nick's world is as it should be on the planet's last normal Saturday. Come Sunday morning, though, things are completely different. The adults of Doncaster begin the wholesale slaughter of any child under the age of 19. It's total chaos. What follows is an intense story of survival and self-realization. Nick comes to the aid of a girl named Sarah and her two younger sisters Vicki and Anne. They somehow manage to elude the crazed adults and find refuge with an ever-growing assortment of surviving teens and children. Into this mixture is thrown some interior turmoil, ever increasing Napoleon complexes from would-be teen thugs, the reoccurring appearance of Nick's nemesis Slatter and a population of adults that are growing more organized as each day passes. And yet, through all of this, Nick handles himself with as much courage and determination as possible. This novel was a fantastic read. I was disappointed to see end. Sequel, Mr. Clark!! This story is begging for a sequel! It would be wonderful to see where these characters end up in the future and what other obstacles stand in their way. Horror fans read this one! You will not be disappointed.
Rating:  Summary: Finished in Eight Hours Review: For those that need a fast paced type of read , this is the one. I read a little of everything, but lately, I felt a bit bored with some other types of work. I read ten pages, and borrowed it from my brother. Eight hours later I was finished. Very fast paced and easy to follow. A strong storyline, with survival of the fittest as the principal element. I am purchasing this book myself and others written by Mr. Clark because of what I just read. Don't take my word for it, if good vs. evil is your thing, try it. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:  Summary: Embarrassingly Awful--One star is being way too kind Review: Frankly, BLOOD CRAZY is a lousy book. Clark stretches a threadbare idea far beyond its breaking point in the service of one of the skimpiest excuses for a plot this side of Itchy & Scratchy. After an only mildly interesting beginning, the story boils down to the aimless wandering of its 1-dimensional protagonist around a supposedly decimated English countryside, nevertheless resulting in an endless number of forgettable encounters with almost identical groups of equally badly sketched and 1-dimensional "Super Kids" who've set up thriving communities here and there. There's also the irritating cardboard cut-out bully--and it doesn't take a psychic or a brain surgeon to see what's gonna happen with this guy about 200 pages early--who constantly reappears from out of nowhere to harass the hero when things get slow, which is frequent, and in fact most of the book is dreadfully slow and inconsequential. The sense of threat from the monsters, the "Creosotes" (well, at least they've got one of the stupidest names in monster history), fades quite early in the book after one too many lucky escapes for our hero makes them look about as menacing as the bumbling Nazis from your average Indiana Jones flick. A thorough critique of this book would take much more time and space than dreck like BLOOD CRAZY deserves. It's cheap and nasty books like this that have caused Horror Fiction to be perceived as Literature's equivalent to the immature kid in the pointy hat standing in the corner of the room, facing the wall. All the criticism a book like BLOOD CRAZY earns is the same terse appraisal famously afforded to Spinal Tap's fictitious opus "Shark Sandwich" (anyone not familiar with that review is recommended to view "This Is Spinal Tap").
Rating:  Summary: Adult writes and thinks like teenager. Review: Good book. Not really scary but very disconcerting in places. I was most impressed with Clarke's ability to write from the teenage point of view. It reads as though a teenager wrote it and the transition of the main character from a unmotivated nobody to a driven somebody is very indicative of the behavior changes a tramatic experience brings to a kid of Nick's age (I'm a teacher). I guess I'm impressed with the psychological aspects of the book as much as the story telling. I'd love to see the movie and I'd like to see the Hamer studios of London produce it.
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