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.

- Wood Killers -
- Tressa Graves -

There are a few things that you will notice straight away with "Wood Killers," 
the first novel from Tressa Graves. The first is it is very short. At only 
eighty-five pages in length it is more akin to a short story than a full-blown 
novel. Personally, I think there could have been a lot more background to the 
characters in the book, the surroundings and the events that lead up to what 
happens and possibly the aftermath. I think that maybe this story, as it stands, 
would have been better in a book of short stories. But, this is just my opinion. 
If you would for once prefer to have a "short sharp shock," no in-depth reasoning’s 
as to why what is happening is happening, then look no further. The other problems 
I had with this book are the atrocious spelling mistakes, phrasing of some of 
the words and the paragraphing. However, I have been informed by Tressa Graves 
herself that these issues will soon be sorted out. There is a 'revised edition' 
of the book coming out and the paragraphing, etc will all be rectified. So now 
you know what I didn’t like about it. Was there anything that I actually did like?
Well believe it or not, regardless of it’s length and the soon to be rectified 
problems, I actually enjoyed reading "Wood Killers." Unlike some, it does not try
to be something it’s not. It’s a horror story plain and simple and it knows it. 
It doesn't try to be anything else. There's no hidden moralistic meanings, no 
nothing. Just horror, pure and simple. The story may have elements borrowed from 
films such as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and it’s ilk. But it also throws some
of it’s own ideas in to the pot and mixes them up to come up with one hell of a 
sick stew of it's own. Personally, I like the taste. 
If you’re easily offended by violence and gore, especially against women, then you 
will not like this. If however you are one of the many who can actually determine 
reality from fantasy and so know that it’s only a story and nobody was really hurt, 
then you just maybe surprised. When you consider that this was actually written by 
a woman, maybe it's time to realise that the horror genre is no longer a "man's world."
So what of the story?
'Timothy' and 'Ann Diggens' decide to leave 'Tim’s' medical practice in Virginia 
to take over a practice in a small town just outside of Tampa, Florida. Unfortunately 
for them, what they were not told before they bought the dream house that goes 
along with the job is that the previous Doctor, his wife and two kids were horrifically 
murdered. To make matters worse, the killer or killers, were never caught. When 
On a trip into town, 'Tim' accidentally hits an old man, who is seemingly just 
out riding his bike. Being the decent man he is and a Doctor, 'Tim' stops to help 
the man. Unfortunately, the old man is one of a trio of the murderer’s that butchered 
the original Doctor and his family, amongst others who have all mysteriously 
disappeared. Now, he has set his sights on 'Tim' and 'Ann.' What should have 
been a dream home and job, quickly escalates into a nightmare orgy of blood and 
violence that in some parts only the strongest of stomachs will be able to endure. 
Needless to say, they were my favourite parts. 
Despite the small niggles I have, which for the most part will be rectified in 
the next edition of the book and so will no longer be a factor and the sometimes 
loss of coherence in the story, which I suspect once everything else is sorted out 
these sections will automatically make sense, I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Wood 
Killers" immensely. This is only Tressa Graves's first book so things can only get 
better and I suspect that they will. Personally, I can’t wait for the next one.

Reviewed By Dracula.

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