The Doorkeepers

When it comes to horror, Masterton comes right up there with the best. Its a pity that his work has not received wider acknowledgement, since he has written some of the best horror novels of the past few decades. Mirror, Tengu, Devils of D-Day, Night Hymn, House that Jack Built and Spirit come readily to mind. Doorkeepers while not his best effort, is still quite good. While the story starts off in a routine manner, it progresses in a very different and unpredictable direction, involving alternate worlds, parallel universes, telepathic communication with animals and occult stuff. Its a horror that touches you in the other worldly sense. The description of puritanical, Orwellian London is so chillingly real (more so because such worlds still exist on this earth) that one feels numbed. The woman who keeps the doors between parallel worlds open, and how the doorkeepers want to create her successors is frightening. The ending looks slightly forced, where the hero emerges victorious despite all odds, and while a happy ending doesn't detract from the book, Masterton has written books which have more courageous endings. Tengu is a case in point.

This book has nothing to do with demons or angels, but with alternate realities. I was hesitant to read this but coming from the MASTER of horror, I could not pass it up. I am so glad I decided to do so. Not only is this book full of gore and horror, but it is full of humor at times. This is a must for all horror fans.

Mr. M. takes us through a murder mystery, evil incarnate, ancient pagan practices and through alternate outcomes of our worlds history. This is a page turner from the start till the end. Never could I have imagined the twists of plot that the story takes. Josh Winward, an american in London investigating the disapearance of his sister, opens a can of vipers that will change his life forever. With assistance from a band of rebels in the alternate London and an "imigrant" from that world, Josh learns puzzeling and horrifying clues that lead him right into the hands of the hooded men and their "Harp" a torturous instrument of truth. When Josh leaves his veternary practice and his wife in America, he has no idea that he is entering worlds of horrifying evil. EXCELLENT AND TRULY ENGAGING BOOK.

The only down side to this book is that it does not seem to be available in hard-back. I thoroughly enjoyed Masterton's usual first person narrative, and the way he spreads out a mythos in a way only he can. Masterton has a history of doing material that is excruciatingly painful in its detail ... I mean that he depicts some horrific acts very well, but always in context, and never in a gratuitous manner( see TENGU as one example of some very extreme work). But his thematic work in this genre is brilliant. If someone could option these stories and do a film based on even some of Masterton's material, we would have some great and scarey films. Masterton has covered such a wide range of genres, and so many books, that he is bound to have a few "lesser" books, but this is all relative, since a lesser book in the Graham Masterton world of stories is always far superior to the dross of some "popular" writers, and Masterton always provides value for money. Great scares without a turgid, unreadable conceit !!!

When I think of the "Masters of Horror", Graham Masterton has earned his place alongside King, McCammon, Dan Simmons, and Koontz. Masterton has written some of the most frightening and brilliant novels I've ever read. (NIGHT WARRIORS, WALKERS, PREY, MIRROR, and PARIAH, stand out in my mind.) He can make the incredible credible and he does not flinch when it comes to in-your-face terror. Read the first chapter of MASTER OF LIES, PREY, or the kitchen scene in NIGHT WARRIORS and they will leave the most jaded horror readers mouth agape. (And I'm not talking about gore for gore's sake. Masterton backs those elements up with brilliant storytelling and an amazing imagination.) THE DOORKEEPERS was a very satisfying read, but a little different than most of his horror novels. It is a little more fantastic (as in Fantasy) and there is nothing overtly supernatural to it. But it is a terrifying read nonethless and it had me on the edge of my seat. I would recommend it for all horror fans. Thank you for the ride, Mr. Masterton. You can't write fast enough for my tastes!