Superstitious [Mass Market Paperback]

R. L. Stine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1996

Stine is the world's bestselling horror writer for children, but this is his first novel for adults. Liam is a bachelor professor of folklore and he's incurably superstitious. When people start getting murdered, it seems that Liam's demons are real.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stine has written 56 YA novels and one adult novel, all horror. Readers will recognize this as the adult novel because it's hardcover and several characters in it curse, enjoy X-rated sex and die gruesomely detailed deaths. Otherwise, this simple, sturdy story of occult mayhem on a bucolic college campus features the sort of crude yet functional casting, plotting and prose that have made Stine America's bestselling YA author: characters verge on caricature, for easy identification; stormy nights and cliff-hangers abound; and no-frills prose, arranged in short sentences and paragraphs for speed reading, tells the tale ("The fingers stab deep. Her eyeballs make a soft plop plop as they are pried out"). Even those with minimal attention spans will keep turning pages as grad student Sara Morgan meets and marries hunky prof Liam Morgan. So what if Liam has a murky past, lives with his sister and takes his field?Irish folklore?so seriously that he throws salt over his shoulder for good luck and cringes in terror when a black cat jumps on his lap? Does that mean he's involved in the brutal mutilation-murders that are plaguing Moore State? Stine shakes a finger at two other suspects but doesn't reveal the reason for the bloodletting until novel's end. And that's just as well since, like the rest of this story, the underlying premise is about as sophisticated, though as effective, as jumping out from a dark corner and yelling "boo!" Major ad/promo; film rights to Miramax (Brandon Tartikoff, producer); Time/Warner audio due in October; author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA?In his first adult book, Stine continues his page-turning incorporation of horror, the supernatural, and a naive heroine. Short sentences and a relatively simple plot will capture the attention of YAs in this tale of love (or is it self-centered delight in apparent adoration and sexual gratification?) before the horror takes over. Sara Morgan, fleeing an abusive relationship, returns to Moore State College for a masters in psychology. Swept off her feet by Liam O'Connor, a glamorous and brilliant visiting professor of folklore, she soon becomes his devoted wife. She views her husband's adherence to supersititon fondly at first, but gradually finds it wearing and extreme. Liam tells her his behavior keeps the demons at bay. In fact, their first argument involves supersitition, as does the shocking circumstance of their final estrangement. The book is a long way from "Fear Street" (Pocket), and sure to be as popular.?Barbara Hawkins, Oakton High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446603503
• ISBN-13: 978-0446603508
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 0.7 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,408,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( S ) > Stine, R. L.

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars THE SWEET SUPERSTITIOUS REVIEW, January 7, 2000

By 

CANDACE (united states) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Superstitious (Mass Market Paperback)

I was very reluctant when I saw R.L.Stine was the author of "SUPERSTITIOUS" because he was reknowned as a mainly children's book writer. When I first read the book and got past the first chapter I was immediately captivated and couldn't put it down. I would rush home form school just to read it and it put me in some kind-of trance which I was in a alternate world and was living Sara's life. It sent chills down my spine and made me re-examine my life to the superstition rules... I really liked the book and reccommend it to all.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not horror ... just horrible!, December 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Superstitious (Hardcover)

Superstitious was billed as R.L. Stine's triumphant leap from his teenage "Goosebumps" series into intense adult horror fiction. Far from being terrified by this book, I found myself laughing at the ridiculous actions and insipid dialogue of Mr. Stine's stereotypical cast of characters. The author's lack of research concerning real police procedures is also quite evident. The only true horror I experienced was that such poor quality writing was ever published in the first place.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What was that?, March 22, 2009

By 

Quistis (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Superstitious (Mass Market Paperback)

From 1993 until about 1996, the Fear Street series were my books of choice since I was a preteen to teenager into horror. Around 1995, R.L. Stine first released Superstitious, his first book for adults and it was mentioned in a few of the Fear Street novels. Fast-forward to the summer of 2007, I found a copy of Superstitious at work and started to read it. Reading it made me remember the Fear Street series very quickly. The style was like an adult Fear Street book and it was quite interesting for most of the book. The latter half of the book is where it got extremely twisted. As my subject says, many times during the last few chapters, I was thinking, "What was that" or "What the hell?" It was memorable for sure and I am glad Stine has made an adult novel (and I heard there are at least two more now), but this was one of the most disturbing novels I have read and not because of the scare factor.