Rating: 
Summary: What a great ride!!!
Review: Straight on 'til Morning, the latest novel from some-time Buffy the Vampire Slayer author Chris Golden is easily his most personal and gripping work to date. Fully the first half of this novel is time well spent getting familiar with the characters. People it feels like the author knew growing up. Don't mistake that for a slow start though folks. It IS time well spent. There's enough story here to last a trilogy, or at least a real page-turner of a serial.Golden captures the teenage feelings of displacement and misplaced love that everyone went through and wraps it up nicely in the 1980s, a period I am intimately familiar with. The music is represented, as is a relatively new phenomena of the time, the single parent household. The characters here will ring true to anyone that grew up at any time during the "me" decade. The main theme seems to be a loss of innocence. These young people are already smoking cigarettes, drinking beer and (some) are experimenting with the odd light narcotic substance, but it is all in a well-protected environment. It all happens in parent's basements, on decks and in backyards until a band of new, slightly older kids come to town. At this point the young folks learn that the world doesn't always offer beds to hide under and blankets to pull over one's head. It is skillfully written and builds to a climax that only Chris Golden could have envisioned. I actually finished the last hundred and fifty pages in one sitting, late at night without a yawn because it was so gripping. Fans of his Shadow Saga and Buffy's Pretty Maids will know why. Very few people out there can write epic battles the way Chris Golden does. In short- buy the book. You will not be disappointed. It is available in two editions; Paperback and a special autographed hardback from Boneyard Press. If you (like me) prefer hardcovers, please act quickly. The run is limited and sure to sell out.
Rating:
Summary: A magical paranormal tale tat is excellent
Review: Thirteen years old Kevin, like most males his age, runs wild with raging hormones. He has a crush on an older woman, fifteen years old Nikki who spends lots of time alone with Kevin, but sees him as a friend, not a boyfriend. At a local teen hangout, Peter Starling accompanied by his brother Doug and two friends confront Kevin and his closest friends, but though punches are thrown, no one is hurt. Just when he finds the courage to confess to Nikki he loves her, she informs him that she is involved with Peter. Kevin tries to become friendly with Peter so he remain near his beloved, but begins observing behavior impossible for humans to perform. However, when he sees Peter, his cohorts and Nikki fly to the "second star to the right and straight on until morning", Kevin and company follows though he cannot believe that he is about to begin a fantastic adventure in Neverland. The mortal characters are young, but possess the courage of a hardened warrior and the wisdom of an Ancient One. Christopher Golden has written a horror novel with appeal to young adults, though older reader will enjoy it too. This urban fantasy is a clever twist on Peter Pan that hooks the audience from STRAIGHT ON TIL MORNING. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: An after school special
Review: This book reminded me of a cheesy after school special.. or one of those live-action Saturday morning adventure shows that were around in the late 70's/early 80's (think "Land of the Lost"). Sure, the author tries to add maturity to the book, simply by adding (gasp) curse words and naughty lines. Oh, the horrah! But in the end, I felt like I was reading a homework assignment for a ninth grader's "Creative Writing" class. The story starts out on a fairly decent pace. Suddenly things get jumbled together and the reader is plunged into a typical fantasy world that makes "Welcome to Pooh Corner" look downright creative and spooky. I just couldn't buy into fantasy creatures named "Curt" and "Doug". Also, maybe I'm naive and ignorant, but reading about 13 year olds who go out drinking every night seems equally far-fetched. I see how this book can appeal to fans of "Buffy" and other WB shows... but hey, if that's your cup of tea, then grab a saucer and a cup for a big serving of lame adventure. The author also notes that a few of these things really happened to him as a kid. That may be why the first 200-some pages are spent detailing teen love, and the last 100 are spent on the rushed fantasy shlop. Ya write what ya know, I guess.
Rating: 
Summary: Could Easily Have Been a 5 Star Book
Review: This is the first time I have read anything by Golden. While the book was well written, I couldn't help but feel cheated after having finished it. The book tells the story of 13 year old Kevin Murphy, whose day to day existence is disrupted by the entrace of Peter and Doug Starling and their friends. When you first meet this quartet of bad boys, they seem like nothing more than that, a bunch of teen-agers out looking for trouble. But when Pete and Nikki, Kevin's friend and unknowningly the object of his affections, we begin to see that there might be more to Peter Starling and company than meets the eye, because around them, as Kevin comments, impossible things always seem to happen. Kevin knows that Pete and his buddies are no good, as are most of the guys that Nikki has dated in the past, and Nikki has always been closed to whatever Kevin has to say until her heart is broken. But the frustrating part for Kevin is that he wants Nikki for himself, and he feels that if he tries to expose Pete for what he really is, while at the same time confessing his own true feelings for Nikki, she might think that that was his true motive for trying to break up her and Pete. When Kevin is finally pressured by his friends and brother, it's literally too late. Nikki has been totally won over by Pete and, as wild as she had been in the past, has decided that he will be the one she will go all the way with for the first time. Kevin's timing is perfect, as they are interrupted before Nikki has the opportunity to make the mistake of a life time. But in the process, Kevin is beaten to the point of passing out by Doug and friends. As he awakens, the books leaps from reality into the realm of fantasy (it's about time), as Kevin hears "second to the right and straight on 'til morning." He sees five people flying past the moon, and one of them he knows is Nikki. Thus starts the real adventure, as Kevin persuades his brother and friends to go with him as they head off to Neverland to rescue Nikki. How they get there and what happens there I will not reveal. As already mentioned, the book is well written, but I feel it took too long to get to the meat of the matter. You are half-way through the book before you get to Neverland, and the action that takes place there is over way too quickly. The book is full of believable characters, even in Neverland, where everything is magical, and there's even an unexpected surprise -- keep an eye on April as the book progresses. For me, the book would have been better if the trip to Neverland had come sooner, and the action that takes place there had lasted longer. It may not have been Golden's intention, but this concept could very easily have been drawn out to a number of books, a possible trilogy, almost a "Kevin's Adventures in Wonderland."
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Summary: A Horror Story Turned into Fantasy with Elves and Goblins
Review: This was the first book I've read by Christopher Golden. It started out great. I grew up in the early 80's so it was nostalgic and brought back some great and not-so great memories. The first third of the book was very interesting. Golden began laying the plot and the story out. It reminded me of Stephen King's Sometimes They Come Back. Four hoods are tormenting a 13 year-old teen who is getting ready to enter high school. There was a love story which will remind most adults of their first love and the insecurities that go along with it. Then the book took a turn for the worst. It crossed over into a fantasy novel complete with elves, goblins, seal-dog like creatures, castles, etc. (SPOILER) The adventure transported the teenaged protagonists to Neverland. It got worse. Peter Pan was part of the story. Give me a break! This book should be advertised as Fantasy and not Horror. I wish I would have bought the paperback instead of the limited edition. It was a waste of my time and money.
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