Customer Reviews

Dead Souls

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

New England preacher Benjamin Conroy thought he had it all figured out. The keys to his family's eternal salvation lied in an ancient Egyptian ritual to the god Osiris. Following a little black magic... and the crucifiction of his entire family... the Conroys would rise from the dead, united for all of eternity, bringing Salvation to the world. Assuming, that is, that the ritual went off with out a hitch. But for the Conroys, things went drastically wrong, and death was just the beginning of their suffering.

17 years later, 18-year-old Johnny Petrie receives a letter from a lawyer stating that he is the sole heir to the Conroy estate, a property valued at nearly 2 million dollars. Seeking to escape the isolation of his overprotective, religious zealot family, Johnny leaves Manhattan on the morning of his father's suicide, seeking a new life.

What follows is a rollercoaster ride of chills as Johnny begins to realize that he has inherited far more than an estate. Laimo masterfully takes us back and forth through time, alternating between the perspectives of the Conroy family in 1988 and the young Petrie boy in 2005. Events unfold in perfect sequence, revealing just enough to keep you eagerly flipping to the next chapter.

But consider yourself forewarned. This novel contains some of the most graphic depictions of visceral gore that I have yet to read. Laimo has come a long way from his early works, and his current writings have taken on a distinct Occult theme that isn't as common in modern-day horror as it should be.

This book is fresh, original, and comes highly recommended. Read it... if you feel your stomach can take it.

After reading and loving Deep in the Darkness I wasn't quite sure what to expect...how could it be better right? This book is fantastic, an absolute page turner...thrilling and scary. The authors amazing creativity really comes through.

Like the great Christopher Lee satanic films from the 70's, DEAD SOULS brings horror back to it's essential roots with hidden codes from the bible, elaborate occult rituals, evil possessions, and calculated suspense that evolves into brutally shocking violence. The first two thirds might feel a bit slow, but the payoff of the last third is well worth it. There were a few plot points that I questioned, but it's so much fun that I just ran with it and you'll be glad you did too. DEAD SOULS is Laimo's best work, second only to his DEEP IN THE DARKNESS - which is a must read for any horror fan.

... and visit the Conroy house -- if you dare. Dead Souls is a tightly written, creepy horror book. It's the story of Johnny Petrie who inherits the Conroy estate when he turns eighteen. The chapters alternate; you follow Johnny in present day in one chapter and in the other, you follow Benjamin Conroy's story in 1988. Benjamin Conroy conducts a ritual to gain him and his family eternal life. The ceremony involves Osiris, the Egyptian God and goes terribly wrong.

This is one of those books that'll have you turning the pages really fast. Although the story loses a bit of steam halfway through, when it picks up again, the pacing is fast and furious, leading to a gruesome third act. The characters are well fleshed out, and the setting of the estate in Wellfield contributes in giving the book an eerie vibe. I've always been a fan of stories conjuring up the devil or ancient gods and this one hits bullseye.

This was my first Michael Laimo book, I have Deep in the Darkness on my pile of books and am looking forward to reading it.

Dead Souls by Michael Laimo is an example of how someone can mistranslate sections of the bible and come up with disastrous results. The writing is much better and the prose is smoother that the previous novel that I read, "Deep in the Darkness". The main plot is Benjamin Conroy's obsession with resurrection and the possibilities. I could say more, but I prefer to avoid any possible spoilers. There are also a couple sub plots, one dealing with the main protagonist's life living with a very religious mother, the history of the house that he is the sole heir of, and another that may reveal too much.

In this book, Mr. Laimo switches back and forth every other chapter to tell his tale during two different time frames. To some, this may be a turn off as the book jumps back and forth every chapter, but for me it was not so. The chapters are really short and only deal with two different situations at a time and so this actually did not hurt the flow of the story and helped a lot to enhance the suspense and made me want to keep reading to see what was going to happen next. The character development was well placed and since the story in both time frames only spans a few days, so even though there was not a lot of development, what there was made sense and didn't miss out or put too much in. The characters themselves didn't seem one dimensional and so I was actually able to connect with a few of them and also feel some sympathy towards them.

Now, if you are a person who only likes a little bit of gore in your horror novels, then this one is not for you. This book, once the initial setting and story arc get moving, is full of gore and does not pull any punches. It is just one thing after another and the gore is so detailed that you could see it, smell it and feel it all around you.

Some criticisms:

1. I like to have quite a bit of gore in my horror novels, but in this case it actually seemed too much and took away from the story in the sense that it just never seemed to end and became a bit boring reading about it. The gore just went on and on because there was so much of it.

2. This has nothing to do with the author. Once again this book also comes with an order form smack dab in the middle of the book, but this time I made sure that I tore out only the order form and not one of the pages.

Some positives:

1. The suspense. The way that the story was separated into the small chapters and ending a chapter at a critical moment. There were times that I was only going to read a few chapters and then go to bed and I found myself still reading ten chapters later.

2. The flow was a lot better and I didn't find myself having to stop and reread anything. Mr. Laimo was able to continually choose the right words to keep everything alive.

3. Even with only a few days advancing in the storyline, Mr. Laimo was still able to add just the right amount of character development and also was able to create the feelings in the reader to be able to connect with
the characters I was reading about.

Overall, I was very satisfied that I purchased this novel and glad that I have read it. I will not say that I am a complete fan yet, but I am still curious to read his other novels and see how he may be able to entertain me more. If you love to read about blood and gore, then this is a novel for you. There is not a lot of sex and nudity in it but when he gets you to the sex part, it is no holds barred. As for being scary, well, it is hard to read anything that is actually scary to the point of nightmares or even looking over ones shoulder anymore, so for me, no, nothing really scary. I would have chosen 3 1/2 stars if it was offered so I had to choose 4 because it was definitely better than average.

If a movie version was to be made it would be rated R/NC-17 for Graphic Violence, Explicit Blood and Gore, Adult Situations, Adult Language, Nudity, and Strong Sexual Content, (there is a part with a sexual scene that is described in this book to the point of being X-rated or more)

The book was a well written guide into one man's madness.
I could not put it down until the last page was turned.
Horror at it's finest.
You must own Dead Souls.
Michael Laimo goes where Clive Barker couldn't dare, and where Stephen King left off.

Dead Souls, puts Michael Laimos in the higher ranks of horror writers, right up there with Clive Barker. This was the first of his books that I read but I am eager to get my hands on more!!!

This was my first experience with a Michael Laimo novel and since I finished reading Dead Souls, I have gone through withdrawal... so I'm going to order one of his previous novels to get my fix. :) Michael Laimo's writing is like a hybrid of Clive Barker and John Saul with more of a John Grisham voice. This means you don't just read the book, you experience it. While the novel isn't perfect, the flaws are very trivial.... so if you're the type that likes to pick a novel apart as you read it, you'll find it very easy to forgive a flaw when you come across it. If you like horror stories with a supernatural/occult theme, this is a great read and I highly recommend it. If you've never read Michael Laimo before, be prepared to come down with the same withdrawal syndrome I did (in other words, go ahead and order more than one of his novels so you don't have to wait)

Laimo once again raises the bar on freaky stuff in this horror novel that combines a ghost story with a bit of Egyptian mythology and basic weird religion (as Buffy would say "Note to self: religion = freaky"). I couldn't put it down - had to keep reading to find out what would happen next. As others have warned, this is high on the gore-o-meter, but it also has a strong plot and compelling characters. Definitely a thumb's up from this horror fan.

'Dead Souls' had me gripped within the first 30 pages and kept me compulsively reading right until the very end. The alternating chapters of 1988 and 2005 provide the background to current circumstances and help to build a great deal of suspense that grows as 18 year old Johnny Petrie returns to claim his inheritance...and gradually learns the truth about his destiny. There's gore aplenty in scene after gruesome scene. A solid writer, Laimo is blessed with a fantastic imagination. He's also skilled at creating a wonderfully menacing mood as well as painting a bloody portrait with words. Horror fans will not be disappointed. A perfect vacation read.