Specters

As a long time fan of Gelb's Hot Blood series, I didn't rest until I tracked down a copy of this book, expecting the same sharp, erotic fiction Gelb writes for the Hot Blood anthologies. I did not find that contained in this novel. Instead, Gelb's story is a strait on horror story, about psychic powers, the battle of good vs. evil, and much more. Always, Gelb's writing is sharp and solid, this book is no exception. The characters are complex and developed well over the course of the book. Don't come into this book excepting a novel length story ready for Hot Blood, but if you just want a good, solid horror novel that will be fun and enjoyable, this is a safe bet! Recommended.

As I understand 'Specters' was this authors first, full lenght horrornovel and I must say, it doesn't disappoint. I read this book a while ago and some of it's images have kept with me. 'Specters' has a lot of different elements; the supernatural is in it, and sick Halloween pranks, a mad axekiller with a whodunnit twist and even an almost celestial finale in which the evil force takes on the form of Adolf Hitler (among others)!! It's a broad canvas Mister Gelb paints for himself, but thank God it works!In short 'Specters' is about this boy with supernatural powers (aren't most of these novels about that?) who must confront different hurdles (and evildoers) to come to terms with his gift, and himself. Anyway, he stumbles across a diabolical conspiracy and gets help in the form of an old women with, you guessed it...the same powers he has. It sounds cheesy, but all is executed in a nice 'pull you in from the start' kind of manner. Although some of the elements of the plot seem to unravel in completely different directions it all comes together nicely in the end. Another pro.I liked the parts with the killer and the Halloween gags (boy the stuff with the corpse was creepy) the most. This book is just what the writer (in my opinion anyway) tried to do: write a fun, not too much thoughtprovoking horrornovel. My only cons are; the cover. It has a cartoonish ring to it and I -- for the life -- can't understand why those soldiers are on it. They sure weren't a big part of the story!...P>After this book Gelb went on to edit a lot of anthologies. I own a few of them ('Shock Rock', a couple of books in his 'Hot Blood' series). I read somewhere he was also working on another novel. I wonder what ever happened to that? <br>I sure'd love to have read some more of his 'kitchensink' works!