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Monday, November 13, 2023

David Vorhees Top Ten Favorite Horror Novels


TOP TEN FAVORITE HORROR NOVELS

10. Cycle of the Werewolf - I am starting this list with one of my favorites, and is in fact, my absolute favorite werewolf story. Stephen King takes the old, outdated, and worn-out werewolf lore and updates it into a unique horrifying and scary tale. Month to month the story builds on the tension it creates with deep characters. Although it is a novella, the length of the book only enhances it’s greatness. It leaves you wanting more without overstaying it’s welcome.

9. Memnoch the Devil – This was the fifth entry into the Vampire Chronicles series by Anne Rice and the last one I read. Although I enjoy Rice’s writing a lot, especially the Vampire Chronicles as you will see later in this list. The one part I could gripe about is the heavy reliance on romance. The books have always been supernatural romance and an open love letter to her dark character Lestat. However, in this chapter of the series she delves into the religious aspects of the vampire and even introduces the idea that the term Devil is more of a title and has had many demons carry it starting with Lucifer, that it’s a job created by God to give balance and choice to mankind. This allows the reader to wonder if God truly wanted free will for mankind did he instigate Lucifer’s fall from grace to give us a options to choose from?

8. Interview with a Vampire – The Vampire Chronicles may be Rice’s best works, it surely is my favorite, and this book is the best one in that series that I have personally read. She completely redefines the vampire and changes them from the stuffy old count types like Dracula and King’s Barlowe and gives them a modern flare while rooting them deeply in the lore surrounding the vampire. They retain who they are when they were human after there transformation by the dark gift and even though they search for blood to quench their over controlling thirst they also want to live life to the fullest and they also Want to love and be loved. In their own way, love is at the heart of their desires more so than blood like the vampires of old. Lestat Changes Louis because he loves him, he Changes the child Claudia to try and make Louis happy. The aspect that the Vampire is also out in the world living and enjoying the night life to it’s fullest instead if hiding away in a dilapidated old castle was fresh and new for its time. Rice’s interview began a whole to found romance for vampires that changed how they were viewed for all time.

7. Masque of the Red Death – This is the first entry for Edgar Allen Poe, but it will not be his last. I love how Poe uses the veil of a person as the embodiment of disease. I like how it shoes that no matter how rich  or important a person is they can not hide from death and disease. Poe has a knack for creating short stories that make you think long after you are done reading them. 

6. The Stand - Another story about disease, this one from King. This one has recently been on a lot of people’s minds since Covid has breached our world in a similar the super or captain trips did in this book. However, King take post disease apocalyptic world and make it a battle of good versus evil. I love how he shows how the disease spreads  but the character development and the reality of what it would take to re-establish society needs such as water and electricity. 

5. The Tell Tale Heart – This is my favorite Poe story. I wrote a story for my first collection about a man who kills his wife on New Year’s Eve in hope to start a new life with the start of the new year. When the police show up the murderer begins hearing the sound of his wife’s cell phone. This is not just a direct nod to the Tell Tale Heart, but in my own way, a celebration of that story. I love how the heinous act of killing weighs so heavily on the murderer’s mind that he hears the heartbeat of the man he killed until so wracked with guilt and fear he confesses to the police his horrific deed. In this day with death and murder so prevalent in movies and television, one forgets how unnatural it is to kill and how heavy it would weigh ion one’s mind and soul.

4. The Shinning – I remember the first time I read this book. I had just previously introduced my ex-wife to Kubrick’s version of The Shinning. Of all the King Books I read, this one alluded me for some reason so I headed to the library and checked it out. It was summer and very hot, especially in the trailer we lived in that had no air conditioning. I recall laying on the couch on a blistering Saturday afternoon, reading this book and feeling cold chills run across my skin and the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up. TO say this book was frightening is to sell the effect of King’s masterful storytelling short. This book had me engrossed and scared. I would hear noises outside wondering if it was the wind or something more sinister at work. I loved this book instantly and understood exactly why King dislikes the movie so much and ever since then I have agreed with him and have nit been ale to re-watch that movie since.

3. Billy Summers – This is my favorites book of the modern King era. As you may already be able to tell Stephen King is my favorite author and although some of his stories are drawn out needlessly, tend to get a bit boring at time, and the endings, especially to happily ever after ones, seem to come out of nowhere, he is a master storyteller that always follow where the story leads him no matter what. This story is no different. Much like Misery you get two stories for the price of one. Billy Summers is ex-military currently working as a hitman. Although Billy has a code, he only kills bad guys. He also has the intelligence to down play his intelligence to his employers and because f this he stumbles onto the conspiracy that after the hit is done his employer plane=s on killing him. While waiting for the hit order he poses as a writer in the town he is staying in and begins to s=write his life story. He makes the hit, survives the attempt on his life, rescues a girl, escapes and begins to hunt down his actual employer through the handler that hired him directly and along the way finds out the horrific truth about his employer. The adventure, the action, and the suspense makes this book stand out from King’s more normal works. This could be the basis for a James bond or Mission Impossible type of film. This stand apart is one of the reasons this book has quickly become one of my favorites of his. Not a classical horror but still has plenty of horror moments in it,. It also has a reference to the Overlook hotel, placing it firmly in the same universe as The Shining and Doctor Sleep. 

2. IT – This book has been a part of my psyche ever since I read it back in High School. Many have come to know and love Pennywise because of the old ABC miniseries or the recently released two-part film and I understand that completely. I my first introduction to the evil clown was the min-series I jus spoke of, but it wasn’t until I read the novel that I became engrossed with IT. I read this book nonstop, except for school and work, for less than two weeks. U was enthralled with it. I struggle to put it down at night to go to bed and on the weekends I fell asleep reading it into the early hours of the morning. My favorite parts were the ones that took place when the cast were children. The scariest parts for me didn’t involve Pennywise though, it was the bullies. As a child I was bullied form time to time myself and I understood their fear, if not their pain. No one ever carved their initials into me. although there were a few scenes that became increasingly uncomfortable, like the kids in the sewer after they defeated Pennywise the first time, the overall book was a masterpiece. The way he interconnected themes from childhood to adult almost perfectly describes how we grow and yet some of the things that defined us as children are still very much present in our adult selves. It was scary and even if I didn’t understand all the adult themes back when I originally read IT, I do now.

1. Pet Sematary – Those that know me know I am not a big fan of zombies. The idea of corpses being reanimated hungry for the flesh and brains with the ability to move without muscle and tendons seem unfathomable to me. The one exception is King’s Pet Sematary. Though not many connect this with zombies, much like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, that is exactly what it is. King’s zombies are more than reanimated corpses but living breathing vessels of pure supernatural evil. These members of the walking dead not only have the memories of the their lives before death, but they also use them to terrorize and kill. The characters are so well written and the more you read the more you tend to care about these doomed people. This book didn’t scare me like The Shining, but it raised the bar so high for zombies that no one has been able to come remotely close top. It changed the whole sub-genre for me. 

As you can tell by this list King and Poe are my absolute favorite authors of all time. I have read other authors, but none have had the same affect on me and I have no doubt that if and when ou read my works you will see their influence peppered throughout. 

Brother’s Keeper
David Vorhees

Genre: horror, thriller, family drama
Date of Publication: October 31
ISBN: 9798849162690
ASIN: B0CKYGKPL1
Number of pages: paperback 355
Word Count: 89595
Cover Artist: Myers Taylor

Tagline: Families love. Families support. Families betray.

Book Description:

Shea receives a call that completely upends her existence and forces her to return to Sundown, the town she thought she had left behind. Tensions increase as she deals with her brother Donovan’s untimely death, and long-buried family dynamics start to show again. Shea’s return brings back memories of a town with a troubled past that is racially divided as she makes new connections with her childhood friend Marcus, the town’s new police chief, and her elder brother Jay, who is now mayor. The repercussions of the past challenge the ties between family and friends.

Angelo, Andy to his friends, a Navy Veteran who retires from his civilian job of 35 years and decides to return the San Francisco Bay area to see the places he never saw while he was stationed there. Andy meets a beautiful woman who runs the bed and breakfast and almost instantly falls for her. As they grow closer Andy grows closer to unveiling a horrifying secret about this woman and her sick son in A Mother’s Love.

Quarantine tells the story of a Father and Husband who goes to great and horrific lengths to save his family from the ravages of a new and mysterious disease. These and many more tales of family, love, and betrayal await you.

Brother’s Keeper is a gripping collection of love, loss, and the enduring power of family ties. These stories will leave you captivated and emotionally invested in the characters’ journey, making it impossible to put down. Don’t miss these compelling narratives that tackle pressing social issues while delivering heartfelt and engaging stories.  A must-read that will linger with you long after the final page is turned.

Don’t miss out on this emotionally charged tale that challenges societal norms and leaves you craving more.

Dive into “Brother’s Keeper” today and get ready to confront your own assumptions and biases as you become engrossed in a world where love and loyalty are put to the ultimate test.


Excerpt – Sundown

“Coffee?” the young pretty waitress asked, holding a pot of coffee.

“Oh, yes, thank you, Shelby,” Jay said and she turned his cup over for her to fill.

“Do you want your usual?” Shelby asked, smiling brightly.

“Please,” Jay said, smiling back.

Shelby turned and looked towards Shea, and without smiling at her, said, “And you?”

Just coffee please,” Shea said, feeling a little uncomfortable. “Uncle Jeb made me eat a big breakfast before I left.”

“Shelby, you remember my sister, Shea?” Jay said.

“Your sister?” Shelby said, finally looking at the young woman sitting in the booth across from Jay. “Oh my God! Shea! Honey, I didn’t recognize you. Get up here and give me a hug.” Shea stood up and hugged her.

“Hi, Shelby,” Shea said. “It’s good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you. How long are you back for?”

“Till tomorrow. I will be leaving after the funeral,” Shea replied.

“Oh, yes, I am so sorry about your brother. Everyone loved Donovan,” Shelby said. “He truly was a good man.”

“Thank you,” Shea said, then Jay cleared his throat intentionally.

“Ok, Mr. Mayor, I hear ya. Let me go and put this order in and I’ll let you guys visit.

We’ll talk later,” Shelby said and walked away.

“You know, I think she has a crush on you,” Shea said slyly.

“You think? I hope so since we have been dating for the past year,” Jay said, laughing.

“Really!? That’s wonderful. I always liked her,” she said.

“She always liked you too,” Jay said.

“So, do you see this going somewhere? I mean, you’re getting a little long in the tooth, don’t ya think?” she said jokingly.

“Yeah, maybe,” he said, smiling. Then his smile faded. “But we’re not here to talk about my love life. We’re here to talk about your husband and kids.”

“Oh, so your love life is off the table but mine is the topic of conversation?” Shea asked sternly, looking at him with a hardened look.

“Don’t look at me like that, Shea. I am just trying to say that maybe it’s not the best idea for them to come to the funeral,” he said.

“Why? Because my husband is white and my kids are mixed?” she asked coldly.

“Yes,” he stated bluntly. He had never approved of her marrying a white guy. Daniel was nice enough but he was white and Jay could not let that go, especially after who killed their parents and now who killed Donovan.

“Uh-huh, I see,” she said. “You have hated Daniel since the very first time you saw him.”

“I didn’t hate him, but you have to understand how wrong it is,” Jay said, trying to reason with her. It was difficult to reason with her when she got mad and, even after all these years, he could tell she was getting angry.

“Oh, you’re so full of shit. I had been dating Daniel for almost a year. I never brought him home because I knew how you would react to him, and then one day, you and Marcus show up at my school unannounced. You yell at me and get in my face because you caught me kissing a white man, and Marcus gets in Daniel’s face and threatens him. You embarrassed yourself, me, this family, and this whole damn town that day. I never forgave either of you for that and I hoped that maybe because of Donovan, we could get past that and become family again, but I guess not.”

“Well, we wouldn’t have had to come to your school to find out what or who you were hiding if you would have just told us,” Jay said. “I still can’t believe you would even consider dating a white guy after what happened to Mom and Dad.”

“Told you? Why, so you could come up there and threaten to kick his ass if he didn’t leave me alone? Oh, wait, you did that anyways. Besides, what happened to Mom and Dad was an accident. It could have been anybody driving that other car drunk, it just happened to be a white guy. You can’t hold Daniel responsible for that,” Shea said.

“A white guy that got what… two years’ probation and a stint in a rehab?” Jay said, getting angry himself now. “And every white person is responsible for that.”

“The white guy didn’t pick his punishment, that was the system and the system is broken. We all know that,” Shea said.

“And who set up the broken system? White guys.”

“And we are trying to fix it. Daniel and Donovan were—are—trying to fix and change the system and ya know Donovan liked Daniel and loved those kids. He would want them there, and maybe if you got over your racist bullshit, you’d see how wonderful they are.” She stood, getting ready to leave.

“It ain’t about that. You know how this town is and you know what could happen,” he said.

“I know what could happen, huh?” she said. “I know what should happen. This town you so dearly love should join the rest of us in the 21st motherfucking century. That’s what should fucking happen!” Shea said, turning to head for the door.

“Shea!” Jay tried to say.

“Nah, fuck you. You don’t get to threaten my family and try to justify it,” Shea said. “Fuck you and fuck this town. This kind of shit is why I stayed away for so long, and after tomorrow, I ain’t never coming back again.” She turned and walked away.

“Shea! Shea!” he called after her as she left the diner.

“I don’t know what happened, but I am pretty sure you need to apologize,” Shelby said

“Yeah, I know, and I will after she gets back home. I promise,” Jay said as he sat back down. Everyone in the diner had stopped to watch them and now they turned their attention back to their food and their conversations.



About the Author:

Horror and drams are passions to David as a Book Author at Amazon Direct Publishing. He has published three books, The Feast and Other Horrifying Tales and Abigail’s Odyssey, and Brother’s Keeper that explore different themes, scenarios, and characters in these genres. 

David’s writing skills are also rooted in journalism education and experience.  He studied Journalism at the University of Phoenix, which he completed online while working as an Assembly Line Worker at Addecco Staffing. Before becoming a Book Author, he worked as a Reporter at The Wapakoneta Daily News, covering local news, events, and stories, as well as taking photos and designing pages. David enjoys learning new things, exploring different perspectives, and creating engaging and original content.

David lives in Ohio with his wife and family.










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