Phantom Feast [Paperback]

Diana Barron (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2001

A haunted antique circus wagon . . .

A murderous dwarf . . .

A disappearing town under siege . . .

The citizens of sleepy little Hester, New York are plunged into unimaginable terror when their town is transformed into snowy old-growth forests, lush, steamy jungles, and grassy, golden savannas by a powerful, supernatural force determined to live . . . again.

Danger and death stalk two handsome young cops, a retired couple and their dog, the town 'bad girl', her younger sister's boyfriend, and three members of the local motorcycle gang.

They find themselves battling the elements, restless spirits, and each other on a perilous journey into the unknown, where nothing is familiar, and people are not what they at first appear to be. Who, or what, are the real monsters?

Editorial Reviews

Review

... fine balance in horror fiction...marks her as a pro.

...reminiscent of Stephen King,... -- THE SWAMP Book Review

...hauntingly dark tale...the edge of my seat...slept only with the light on. A masterful tale of horror. -- Joan M. McCarty, Senior Editor/Publisher, Alternate Realities Webzine

...is a blood-soaked novel of horror and magic...with plot twists a-plenty and characters you won't soon forget. -- Edo van Belkom, Bram Stoker Award winning author of 'Teeth'

...perfect for a dark Halloween night...your elephant gun within easy reach.

...feast for the die-hard horror fan . -- Jo Rogers, MyShelf.com

...will keep you enraptured long into the evening... relentless and inventive...you've never read anything like it before... -- HELLNOTES

Barron's comic style is as entertaining as the story is chilling... -- RUE MORGUE MAGAZINE

PHANTOM FEAST... a gruesome and original tale...rare to find something as unique as this...thoroughly enjoyed this novel... -- Horror, Thriller, Mystery, and Suspense site

This is a supernatural tale of first order as Barron blends psychological edges with...a few bucketfuls of gore... -- Really Scary: Horror Industry News for Movies, TV, DVDs, Books, Writers, Toys & More

From the Author

Phantom Feast was been nominated for the 2001 BRAM STOKER AWARD from THE HORROR WRITERS ASSOCIATION for Superior Achievement in the First Novel Category.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 269 pages
• Publisher: Spectral Visions (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931402213
• ISBN-13: 978-1931402217
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,784,981 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprising, non-stop, or in a word, compelling., October 26, 2001

By 

phillip tomasso III (rochester, new york United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Phantom Feast (Paperback)

Surprising, non-stop, or in a word, compelling. Diana Barron must have an unparalleled mind when it comes to imagination. Her first novel, Phatom Feast, in my opinion, is a successful cross of genres. The book is full of dark and bizarre horror ingredients, while magical fantasy is added to spice up the already hot story. Topping off this `Feast', is a mystery that kept me turning pages.

Everything must start at the beginning. Phatom Feast is no different. Barron introduces a line of characters that are each more unique than the next and each with a background more mystifyingly intense then the one before it. When a house touched by magic seemingly takes over the city-when a jungle explodes into the heart of Hester, New York-when everything was once considered sane and, if not normal, at least explainable . . .

Some unknown horror stalks those who are unfortunate enough to find themselves as victims of prey. If the city streets still resembled paved roads instead of wintry woods full of carnivorous beasts, perhaps escaping with your life might seem more possible. But when the unexpected is the norm, then . . . good luck finding a sanctuary.

Phatom Feast is an almost guaranteed haunting read. Clever dialogue and creative narrative allow a reader to become absorbed into the story, as if an included character in Diana Barron's story. From the beginning until the magical end, Barron's novel not only held my interest it demanded my attention. I will impatiently be awaiting more from this talented writer.

--Phillip Tomasso III, author of Third Ring & Tenth House

2.0 out of 5 stars Ehhh....., November 10, 2009

By 

Yolanda S. Bean (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Phantom Feast (Paperback)

This was a very strange book. I must say that I expected more after reading the reviews. It was not scary, just unnecessarily gory. The only character that was at all likable was Solly the golden retriever. I just didn't like this book very much. For having a lot of action, it came off as a story being told, with cliche wording and odd phrases that just seemed childish, not edgy e.g. "trying to turn Solly into coleslaw." Most of the people were wooden and the plot was more ridiculous than anything else, with a lack of motivation/explanation behind it. All in all, this was disappointing.

2.0 out of 5 stars disappointed, October 27, 2009

By 

C. beckley "CB" (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Phantom Feast (Paperback)

I read the reviews for this book and even selected it for my first book club meeting. It was very disappointing. The characters were all equally developed, there was none that stood out to which I could identify and often the descriptions were just plain boring. Characters seemed stereotypical and the pages describing them were often only two pages before they were killed. It got to the point where I just skipped ahead because what is the point of reading a cliche description of a stereotyped character, that you don't develop any feelings for, only to have them leave the plot two pages later. Technically, I thought the reading level was very low- tenth grade. The alternate reality was mildly interesting, but nothing particularly clever or page-turning. I'm sorry to say that I disliked the book enough to spend the time reviewing it so that others might not waste their time if they are looking for something with any depth at all.