Customer Reviews

Night of the Beast

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

If you are looking for a fun, page-turner to scare your pants off - this is it. Harry Shannon's story of murder, ghouls and antiheros in a small desert town is nothing short of mesmerizing. There's something here for every horror afficianado - vampires, zombies, spiders and things with no name. Shannon's writing is stellar, suspenseful and at times amusing. This is horror "pulp" at it's finest! I highly recommend this book.

Having received Harry Shannons Night of the Beast and also having heard so many good things about it, I picked it up yesterday and Im about 100 pages from completing it. I had little doubt that Id like it, as so many astute readers and authors have praised it.

Sacred Indian Grounds and Ancient Evil are just about the hoariest clichés in the horror field. Right up there with bloodsucking vampires. In Night of the Beast, Harry Shannon proves that there are no tired ideas or genres; only poorly executed ones. Which excludes this fun book. Harry obviously loves the genre and this story could have come up in the glory days of the mid 1080s. A burnt out songwriter flees LA to his boyhood home, where something seems to be VERY wrong. Many of his old friends are still there, and they are glad to see him, but strange things are happening to them.

No, this isnt a blazingly original plot, but Harry clearly states in his introduction that Night of the Beast wasnt intended to be. It is a labor of love and is intended to be a lot of fun. Does he succeed? Id say, YES. Im enjoying the hell out of NotB and I heartily recommend it to those old enough to remember the old days and also to younger readers who are just looking to have a great, scary time reading a pulpy novel. The pages fly, but not at the expense of the characters, which is really where the heart of this novel seems to be. Ive said it again and again, thats what great fiction is all about; the characters and whether we care enough about them to keep reading until the end. Harry Shannon has assembled a lovable assortment of small town eccentrics that keeps this novels pace going strong.

If I had to compare Night of the Beast with any other authors works that Ive read, Id say Rick Hautala or Joseph Citro or even Bentley Little. I even see a bit of early Stephen King in these pages.

If one cares enough to look for these things, I see Night of the Beast working on different levels as well. It appears to me to be about redemption and exorcising personal demons from our minds and our past. In his intro, Harry is pretty forthright about the hurdles he had to overcome during the long passage of this books struggle for life. I get the feeling that even had this novel never seen publication, it would have been remarkably therapeutic for the author to create.

However, Night of the Beast did see publication, from a small press horror outlet. Thats very nice, but this book deserves more. It would be a perfect entry in Leisure Books line of paperback titles. Even before Im actually finished it, I can tell its a lot more engaging than some of the Leisure Books Ive read in the last couple of years.

One of the best things about Harry Shannon's book NIGHT OF THE BEAST, is that he is supremely adept at drawing the reader into their own memories while a character goes through the same. One of the earliest examples of this occurs when a character comes across a dead dog and recalls his own childhood experience with a mangy mutt and the perfect little girl who helped him care for the animal. In the short space of two pages, Shannon plunges your emotions on a roller-coaster ride of happiness, excitement, love, heartbreak, and agony - and that's just one simple flashback! Throughout this fine book, Shannon weaves a tale of horror - yes - but this book is also a masterpiece of human condition. The intricate and interesting lives of several characters coincide beautifully, producing a scary page-turner reminiscent of the great horror novels of yesteryear. This is a multi-layered book that reaches into the hearts and minds of all readers, leading them along a twisted maze of chills and excitement. Don't miss this excellent read by one of horror's brightest new stars.

Harry Shannon's "Night of the Beast" is proof positive that a well-worn genre like horror fiction can be infused with fresh life. This one jumps off the page, gripping the reader's imagination and never letting go. And at the same time, it transcends the genre, becoming much more than just a thriller. Harry Shannon is easily the equal of Stephen King. Bravo!

Not being one who usually reads horrors/thrillers, when Night of the Beast was recommended to me, I hesitated to read it. Needless to say, I found myself drawn into Harry Shannon's small Nevada town and the characters he has created. From start to finish, I was enthralled,and I read the book quickly and voraciously. Night of the Beast is a book I highly recommend, especially to all those out there like me, who usually steer away from this genre. Read it. You'll definitely be taken in as his story unfolds, and as the truth is revealed, you'll learn something about the darkness we all have lurking within.

This book is thrilling terrifying. And, it doesn't just scare you while you are reading it. It sneaks up on you later when you are driving around or doing the dishes. Very creepy. Shannon threads the horror elements through such a richly constructed and identifiable world, it's hard to leave it behind when you put the book down. I'm still trying.

This is an interesting and well written book. I read the book in a week, which is fast for me. I thought the characters were very well developed and the story moved along at a quick pace.

The atmosphere the author sets up through the novel is great. This is a no holds barred horror novel. I found it an unperdicatble fun read.

If you are looking for new authors to try out I would recommend giving this book a try. It is Shannon's first novel and in my opinion shows alot of promise. I have already bought his second book and plan on starting that one soon.

I am always trying to find new authors of horror fiction to read. the most recent ones I have tried were Bentley Little and Douglas Clegg. I found Shannon to be a far superiour story teller to these two writers.

Check this one out.

Harry Shannon must have loved those 1980's horror novels as much as I did, because with Night Of the Beast he pays great respect to those old books, taking what was great from the good ones and winking at the bad ones.

Night Of The Beast has all of the plot elements you would expect to find from horror books from that time period; supernatual entities, monsters, vampires, hell, just about all sorts of creatures in a plot loaded with multiple plot lines and enough characters to fill up a church on Sunday morning.

And even though it is a tribute to those old novels, Night Of The Beast is the real deal...it's thrilling, scary, and just as importantly, a lot of fun to read.

So, If you love reading horror that doesn't try to force it self on you with scenes that are meant to gross you out, or uses extreme violence or hardcore sex to get its message across, then give Night Of The Beast a shot. It earns it horror credentials the old fashion way, with great atmosphere, excellent characterization, and some pretty darn good plotting.

Don't pass this one up nor any of Harry Shannon's books. This is a monster of a book; a thrill-ride that can't be topped by the best amusement park. Read it if you dare! Read it in one sitting!

I bought this book in the hopes that I'd be able to revisit the old pulp horror days when horror novels made the hair stand on the back of your neck. It didn't. Night of the Beast didn't make the hair stand up, it plucked them out, attacked my dog and snarled in my face before beating me across the head and shoulders with a table lamp.

This scared the bejesus out of me.

Get this book if you want to have to sleep with the lights on for the next couple of months.