[.ca] Grimm Memorials (ISBN 0786016981)

Gruesome horror thriller.:
It's been a long time since I read this classic horror novel, but it still haunts me to this day. A young family moves into a new home and become the target of an evil crone that preys on children and their nightmares. Hands down, this is one of the most horrific novels I've ever read. Gates pulls no punches here, so beware. It is unbelievably graphic. Not for the weak hearted but a must for horror fans!

A lost classic:
It was purely by coincidence that I discovered R. Patrick Gates and managed to get my hands on this classic of horror. I was at a dusty old used bookstore searching for out of print Edward Lee books. Not surprisingly I didn't have any luck but the store owner suggested that if I liked Lee, I ought to try ought Gates. I read the back cover and was impressed, it seemed like an ideal read for the halloween season. I'm really glad Gates was brought to my attention because Grimm Memorials ended up being the most successfully horrifying novel I have ever read. Ever. The story centers around Steve Nailer, his pregnant wife Diane and their two kids Jackie and Jennifer. When Steve is offered a teaching job in the small, ideallic New England town of Northwood, he jumps at the opportunity, and the Nailers soon move into a nice cozy little house on the edge of the woods. One afternoon while the kids are exploring the woods behind their house and going maybe a little bit farther than they should, they discover an old, seemingly abandoned funeral home with a sign at the front that reads: "Grimm Memorials." Little do they know that a witch lives there. An old witch named Eleanor who is seeking eternal life. For her to gain immortal life she must perform a sacrifice on the night of Samhain that involves the sacrifice of thirteen young boys and one pregnant mother. Only a few days are left untill the night of Samhain and Eleanour will stop at nothing to get the little boys that she needs. Grimm Memorials really turned out to be the perfect halloween season read. It takes place duing the same season, has scenes involving lost children in the woods, a gothic New England setting and a witch who has to be one of the most evil characters ever created in horror fiction. She shows absolutely no remorse for the atrocities she commits on the children. The gore scenes in this novel are beyond belief. Like an Edward Lee or Charlie Jacob novel, I found the gore to be so mind-shattering that I was re-reading sentences twice just to make sure I was not hallucinating and had really read what I thought I'd read. There are some scenes that are simply too outrageous and must be read to be believed. One scene involves a middle-aged man in a bar who sees a gorgeous 20-something blond beauty. Soon after, he is having sex with her right on top of a table. What he doesn't know is that the woman he's having sex with is really the witch Eleanour who put a spell on him. To outsiders in the bar (like the 3 college jocks at a nearby table) they are watching a guy giving it to a 90-year old woman. This scene plays out over several pages and simply must be read to be believed. I have tried to find out more about Gates but there's next to nothing about him on the internet. He wrote a handful of novels in the early to mid 90's but has seemingly dissapeared since then. All of his novels are sadly out of print but if you can find Grimm Memorials in a used bookstore like I did don't pass it up. It's even worth hunting down if you are a fan of extreme horror looking for a book that will stretch your limits.

Very gruesome:
Althought there is a lot to like in this book, the level of violence against children turned me off. A lot of sex, also. A lot was writen from the witch's viewpoint, which made her more vivid that most horror villians.

The best horror book EVER - hands down!:
I read this book several years ago and my friends agree with me. It's simply the best horror book ever written. It conjures up scenes and characters so vividly that you'd swear you were watching a movie instead of reading a book! I hope if it's ever made into a movie that it's not ruined - they usually are. The only other book I've read by him was "Fear," which I remember being not too thrilled with. I do have his other books in my line-up and intend to read the rest. If "Grimm Memorials" is still out of print you owe it to yourself to get a copy now!

OH MY GOD:
I read this book when I was 13 and it kept me up at night. I just finished reading it for the second time at 21 and it's even scarier than the first time. This old woman portrays exactly what kids are scared of. This is a story of Hansel and Gretal gona bad. JESUS, I don't think I could ever read this again.