The House of Caine

Rating:
Summary: One star is being to kind....
Review: I love reading vampire books. Just love to. When I saw the cover at a used bookstore, I had to buy it. I loved the cover. That's about all I loved about this book. "The House of Caine" would have made a better short story. This book is 501 pages, it's about 480 pages to long. This would have made a much better short story. Heck, the vampire isn't really mentioned until about page 400. And this is a vampire novel?? One problem that the reader will face is that most is the book isn't nessessary to read. So much space (and time the reader gives this book) is wasted.

Here's the "plot".Robert Martin comes back home, only to find out that he isn't welcome. His family has a secret that everyone knows about (but Robert) but never really mentions until the end of the book. Robert has to interview Robert Kennedy. He stops over in the town where he grew up, "just passing through." Here his friend who he's traveling with, is missing. Robert has to solve the mystery of his friend, and face the sins of his family. When he does this, it leads him to a vampire. Like I said, this would have been a wonderful short story.

The "plot" with RFK has nothing to do with the story. For that matter, most of the book has nothing to do with the plot. Eulo seems to make a lot of references to Vietman...but it has nothing to do do with the "plot". A lot of space is used for this book, and not a lot is being said.

Take my advise...don't read this book. It's not really worth it. I kept on saying to myself that "this has to get better", well, it doesen't. Normally I saw that when I read a book that I dont' really like, get it at a used bookstore, so you won't pay so much. In the case of "The House of Caine", dont' even look for it at a used bookstore. If I could, I'd given this 0 stars.

Rating:
Summary: One star is being to kind....
Review: I love reading vampire books. Just love to. When I saw the cover at a used bookstore, I had to buy it. I loved the cover. That's about all I loved about this book. "The House of Caine" would have made a better short story. This book is 501 pages, it's about 480 pages to long. This would have made a much better short story. Heck, the vampire isn't really mentioned until about page 400. And this is a vampire novel?? One problem that the reader will face is that most is the book isn't nessessary to read. So much space (and time the reader gives this book) is wasted.

Here's the "plot".Robert Martin comes back home, only to find out that he isn't welcome. His family has a secret that everyone knows about (but Robert) but never really mentions until the end of the book. Robert has to interview Robert Kennedy. He stops over in the town where he grew up, "just passing through." Here his friend who he's traveling with, is missing. Robert has to solve the mystery of his friend, and face the sins of his family. When he does this, it leads him to a vampire. Like I said, this would have been a wonderful short story.

The "plot" with RFK has nothing to do with the story. For that matter, most of the book has nothing to do with the plot. Eulo seems to make a lot of references to Vietman...but it has nothing to do do with the "plot". A lot of space is used for this book, and not a lot is being said.

Take my advise...don't read this book. It's not really worth it. I kept on saying to myself that "this has to get better", well, it doesen't. Normally I saw that when I read a book that I dont' really like, get it at a used bookstore, so you won't pay so much. In the case of "The House of Caine", dont' even look for it at a used bookstore. If I could, I'd given this 0 stars.

Rating:
Summary: More than just a horror story¿
Review: This book is about more than just vampires. It's about a time and a place; the confused, lost society of the 80's. The House of Caine is about people searching for meaning, order and identity in that era. What makes this book interesting is reading between the lines, looking for the metaphors planted there by the author. Ken Eulo is known for giving his tales multiple meanings, and this book does not disappoint.

Rating:
Summary: Better social comment than horror novel
Review: This is a hard book to rate. It is good, but not really scary. It's about vampires who's take over of the town is so gradual, that when people figure out what happened it's way past too late. Nothing major happenes until the last hundred pages or so. It is 500 pages long. But I loved the social commentery on the late '60s. It seems to me that the town has already changed and become disillusioned; dispite what the old timers say, the chaos in rest the rest of the country is experiencing (the Vietnam War, Charles Whitman shootings, ect.) actually started in towns like Milhouse. The hero, a Miami Herald reporter Rob, is very lacking in heroics. But in his defense, Elizabeth is a lot worse than he is. The action is sparatic and badly done. But somehow it seemed like a fast read. I just don't know what to say. I remember thinking that if Stephen King's "'Salem's Lot" is a watered down version of Bram Stoker's "Dracula", than Ken Eulo's "The House of Caine" is a watered down version of "'Salem's Lot". And what we are left with is a vampire novel that is drowning; not in blood, but in sloshy water. I don't think the majority of horror fans will like it.

Rating:
Summary: Better social comment than horror novel
Review: This is a hard book to rate. It is good, but not really scary. It's about vampires who's take over of the town is so gradual, that when people figure out what happened it's way past too late. Nothing major happenes until the last hundred pages or so. It is 500 pages long. But I loved the social commentery on the late '60s. It seems to me that the town has already changed and become disillusioned; dispite what the old timers say, the chaos in rest the rest of the country is experiencing (the Vietnam War, Charles Whitman shootings, ect.) actually started in towns like Milhouse. The hero, a Miami Herald reporter Rob, is very lacking in heroics. But in his defense, Elizabeth is a lot worse than he is. The action is sparatic and badly done. But somehow it seemed like a fast read. I just don't know what to say. I remember thinking that if Stephen King's "'Salem's Lot" is a watered down version of Bram Stoker's "Dracula", than Ken Eulo's "The House of Caine" is a watered down version of "'Salem's Lot". And what we are left with is a vampire novel that is drowning; not in blood, but in sloshy water. I don't think the majority of horror fans will like it.