Long before the film there was the written word. Long before we settled down in
front of video or now DVD players for our fright-fests, we would read tales of 
terror by candlelight.
For most, this has been lost, however there are still those that prefer the pages
to celluloid or even both and why not?
This section then is for you. To help you to search through the rubbish and find
stories worth your time to read. If you're an avid reader of horror novels then
why not join 'Castle Dracula' as an official 'staff member' reviewing them.
To do so, just click on the 'Join My Staff' link in the menu to the left for details
of this and other vacancies.

- Fear -
- Ronald Kelly -

"Fear" begins with the horrifying slaughter of a large cow in a small-town farmers barn. 
Right off the reader is treated to a precise description of the hideous beast terrorizing 
'Mangrum County.' Usually a ploy such as this (showing the villain in the spotlight right
off), is a risky move but in this instance it worked. There are plenty of untold terrors 
still out there waiting to be revealed. Kelly's novel is crawling with imaginative horrors 
- it's almost as if he squeezed out most of what he could think of.
The plot is packed full of action, although most of the beginning is focused on 'Jeb's' 
personal problems instead of the 'snake-critter.' Still, things do unfold during all 
parts that are creepy, and the emotional conflicts 'Jeb' faces are emotionally driven and 
interesting. The characters were endearing and easy to latch on to. They seemed genuine 
and were an aide to the novel. Once the three main characters, 10 year old 'Jeb,' 'Sweeney,'
'Sam' and 'Roscoe,' enter 'Fear County,' the pace keeps speeding along, the scenes more 
dependent on horror.
In a way "Fear" reads like an adult horror fairy-tale. 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.'
Kelly is good with avoiding repeats of words, and thus the reading remains smooth. Suspenseful
scenes were just that - suspenseful. The atmosphere, especially once the group crossed 'Fear 
County' lines, was positively eerie. There were plenty of monsters waiting across the county 
line. Each chapter was devoted to a different nightmare in the second half. The first half 
built up plenty of forboding, and although it relies heavily on the protagonists internal 
struggles much of the way, this thankfully didn't distract from the plot as much as it usually 
would have. 
I couldn't put "Fear" down once I picked it up. 

Reviewed By Erin Williams.

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