By Stephen King
Publisher: Scribner | 320pgs
Release Date: April 24, 2012

Summary:
Fans of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series will rejoice with the release of the new book The Wind Through the Keyhole. Those who have been jonesing for more stories about the Gunslinger Roland Deschain and his adventures through Mid-World, will get the rush of plunging into the author’s incredibly detailed Western/Sci-Fi/Fantasy world for the eighth time. This book, considerably shorter than the last few novels of the series, is a detour that falls between the fourth book Wizard and Glass and the fifth book Wolves of the Calla, in the Dark Tower timeline. As Roland and his ka-tet (Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and Oy) take refuge from a destructive storm, he recounts a story from his youth, the hunt for a vicious shape-shifting serial killer. The teenage Gunslinger investigates the murders, and befriends a young boy left bereft in the wake of the shape-shifter’s violence, comforting him with a mythical legend. Thus begins an intricate story within a story, crafted with King’s signature style and imagination. Read more…

If any of you are looking for a scary tale to settle down with after all the little candy goblins have slipped dreamily into a sugar coma, try the classic blood-sucking tale Dracula by Bram Stoker. A recent AP article sings the praises of the archetypal vampire, comparing him favorably to the contemporary literary vampires of the angst-y teen heartthrob and tragic Southern gentlemen varieties. “Vampires have become too soft, too lovelorn, too nice. There’s no good side to the original Count Dracula. He’s evil, plain and simple.”

“From the first pages of the 1897 novel, with all those villagers watching solicitor Jonathan Harker make his way to the Count’s castle in Transylvania, the book draws you in…Dracula is surprisingly easy to read, and I highly recommend its company while waiting for trick or treaters.” Read more…

Fans of The Walking Dead get a double dose of zombie mayhem with the premier of season two of the AMC television series last night and the recent release of The Walking Dead: Rise of The Governor (Thomas Dunne Books, 320pgs), a book written by story creator Robert Kirkman and horror writer Jay Bonansinga. This is the first novel for The Walking Dead franchise, which began as a series of comic books. “I always thought about branching out into prose and doing a Walking Dead novel,” Kirkman explains in a interview with USA Today. “With the hype around the second season and the comic book series doing so well, it seems like the perfect time to launch it.” Read more…

By J.D. McGhoul with Pat Kilbane
Mythodrome, Inc. ©2011 | Hardcover 160pgs

For those who find themselves unexpectedly among the undead in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, The Brain Eater’s Bible: Sound Advice for the Newly Reanimated Zombie is a must read. Written from the perspective of J.D. McGhoul, an unusual zombie specimen who has retained both his mental faculties and physical agility, the book guides those new to the ways of the walking dead through the ins and outs of zombiedom. The brainchild (mmm, brains) of actor Pat Kilbane (Mad TV, Day of the Dead), this full-color tongue in cheek treatise is chockfull of practical advice, dark humor, detailed diagrams and delightfully gruesome photographs featuring stellar creature designs by special effects pro Dean Jones. Throughout the book, the cold, hard facts of the undead existence are intermixed with excerpts from McGhoul’s diary, which chronicles his personal zombie journey. His private thoughts, revelations and musings will be quite comforting to anyone who has woken up looking “like the ass end of a rotten pizza.” Read more…

Screenshots from "Dracula: The Official Stoker Family Edition" interactive eBook app for the iPad.

A thoroughly modern approach to Bram Stoker’s classic spooky tale, Dracula, makes its debut on Apple’s App Store today, just in time for Halloween. Dracula: The Official Stoker Family Edition, a fully interactive eBook, blends nearly 300 pages of text with 600 illustrations and implements the iPad’s touch screen functionality to create a user experience similar to video game play. Readers can use a lantern to light up words on a page, reveal information on tombstones by blowing away leaves and use their virtual blood to uncover hidden messages. The interactive book was developed by Padworx Digital Media using the company’s proprietary game engine. “It really is a different kind of reading experience,” Jeffrey Schechter of Padworx Digital Media tells USA TODAY. “…Not only can we do everything other interactive books can do, but we can also bring in 3-D graphics and game-play elements.” Read more…

By Joe Hill
William Morrow | 384pgs
Release Date: February 16, 2010

After a night of hard partying, a hungover Ignatius Perrish wakes to find a pair of horns growing from his forehead in Horns, the new supernatural thriller by Joe Hill. The horns mark another bizarre and unwelcome experience for Ig, whose life has been a living hell for the past year. Born into a family of prestige and power, he had previously been living a charmed, happy life with his true love, Merrin Williams. But after Merrin is viciously raped and murdered, Ig’s life falls apart, as he becomes the prime suspect in her death. Though he is never prosecuted, due to lack of evidence, the court of public opinion has found him guilty and condemned him. The people of Gideon, New Hampshire believe that Ig’s freedom is not a testament to his innocence, but rather to his parents’ deep pockets. Ig is shocked to learn that curious powers accompany the grotesque horns; people blurt out their deepest, most private thoughts, at his touch. He’s soon hellbent on using his dark powers to bring Merrin’s true killer to justice and exacting a satisfying revenge.

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Stephen King fans can’t wait to see what’s Under the Dome. Over the past couple weeks, the cover artwork for his new book Under the Dome has been revealed in stages at: stephenkingunderthedome.com. The final reveal will be on Monday, October 5. King conceived the idea for the cover, and Scribner art director Rex Bonomelli worked with artists in the U.S. and abroad to realize the vision. The artists used a combination of illustrations, 3D renderings and photographs to bring the cover to life.

©2009 Simon & Schuster

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