The First Horror (99 Fear Street, No. 1) [Paperback]

R. L. Stine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1994

The first book in a scary new trilogy contributing to a series with more than 8.5 million copies in print. Here begins the terrifying story of a family who moves into the house that even their neighbors on Fear Street are afraid to enter. Twin sisters must learn the secret of the evil or be the next victims.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

R.L. Stine invented the teen horror genre with Fear Street, the bestselling teen horror series of all time. He also changed the face of children's publishing with the mega-successful Goosebumps series, which Guinness World Records cites as the Best-Selling Children's Books ever, and went on to become a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. He lives in New York City with his wife, Jane, and their dog, Nadine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse; Original edition (August 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671885626
• ISBN-13: 978-0671885625
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #377,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Teens > Horror

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gross Book, December 28, 2008

By 

Menchu Fernandez "cD mOnStEr" (Manila, Philippines) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The First Horror (99 Fear Street, No. 1) (Paperback)

Twins Cally and Kody Frasier are not thrilled that they are moving into 99 Fear Street. They've heard the strange stories about the house. About a family who checked out the house and five minutes later, the wife and the children had no heads..

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL YET A CASE OF DEJA VU, April 5, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Texas, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The First Horror (Hardcover)

I loved this book when I first read it. IT was wonderful in the sense that it kept you on the edge of your seat. I currently own the entire trilogy of 99 Fear Street. But I could not help to notice how much I have heard this story before. Then it dawned on me. The Amityville Horror. The plots are the same. The types of home are the same. And.....if you look at the house on the cover of the book and at a picture of the Amityville house...you can't help but notice how much they are the same. Overall, I recommend this book to everyone.

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Scary, September 4, 2009

By 

Lisa the Nerd (MN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The First Horror (99 Fear Street, No. 1) (Paperback)

in a sentence or so: the frasier family moves into what may be the creepiest and dingiest house ever. much scariness ensues.

i checked this out on an impulse during my last trip to the library. i thought, R.L. Stine? Fear Street? yes please! i anticipated a cheesy joke of a horror book that resolved itself and everyone was happy in the end. that's how i thought i remembered them being from when i read them 15 years ago. apparently, i need to get my memory checked.

Cally and Kody (twins), their brother James, and their parents move to 99 Fear Street, Shadyside. not only is the real estate agent a super-creep, the house is a total wreck and it appears to be haunted right off the bat after nearly decapitating Cally the first time she steps on the porch. but, Mr. and Mrs. Frasier (that's right, we never learn their actual names) insist that this will be a fresh start and lots of space for the former New York residents. but as things get weirder, and they discover attacking rats, ceilings dripping with blood, and green vomit coming from the sink...the Frasiers decide to do a little research about what they've gotten themselves into.

what they discover about their house on 99 fear street is unnerving, surreal, and downright creepy. let me tell you, R.L. Stine packed more horror into this book than i thought possible. granted, my bar was set pretty low to begin with, but i was pleasantly surprised by the creepy scenes he was able to create and the fear i felt.

this felt a lot like a script for a horror movie. while there are no token sex scenes (this is the mid-90s and a book for teens after all), there is a long drawn out kiss with the neighbor boy, working in a boutique in town, and hitting up a coffeehouse amongst the stabbings and disappearances. while the distractions may be fun in cinematic form, i found them to be dated and obnoxious in written form. i wanted more action! or suspense. or at least mystery...not wondering what high school was going to be like for them or if Anthony really liked Cally.

this book, while at times horribly dated and a bit hokey, was genuinely frightening. particularly near the end. i went through the first half with few surprises, but by the time i finished, i had to stay awake an extra hour doing other things to distract myself from the creepiness! as if the mere 150 pages wasn't enough to make this a quick read, the fact that every chapter ends in cliffhanger makes it almost unputdownable.

fave quote: "she had no way of knowing she would never see her brother again" (115)

fix er up: okay, i am a total sucker for being scared. so while this isn't the highest quality of literature, it gets the job done. the job being scaring the reader and making me want more!