Long before the film there was the written word. Long before we settled down in
front of video or now DVD players for our fright-fests, we would read tales of 
terror by candlelight.
For most, this has been lost, however there are still those that prefer the pages
to celluloid or even both and why not?
This section then is for you. To help you to search through the rubbish and find
stories worth your time to read. If you're an avid reader of horror novels then
why not join 'Castle Dracula' as an official 'staff member' reviewing them.
To do so, just click on the 'Join My Staff' link in the menu to the left for details
of this and other vacancies.

- Whisper of Death -
- Christopher Pike -

FROM THE BACK OF THE BOOK:
'Roxanne' and 'Pepper' are a teenage couple with problems. They leave their small
town for a weekend to try and solve them. They don't really succeed, and when they
return home they find their town empty. They call other towns. They find the whole 
world empty. But eventually they discover three other kids their age who are still 
alive in town. They cannot imagine why the five of thems seem to be the only ones 
left of the entire human race. They have only one thing in common. They were each 
directly or indirectly involved in the death of 'Betty Sue' - the plain, shy girl 
who commited suicide only a short time ago. 'Betty Sue' - the quiet, brilliant girl 
who wrote short stories about each of them. Stories of hate, of revenge, of death 
in a dead world. It makes them wonder who 'Betty Sue' really was. Or what 'Betty 
Sue' was.

THE REVIEW:

Although Christopher Pike is a young adult author and this book was technically 
written for the younger crowd, it's one you just can't outgrow. It has been years 
since I've picked this bad baby up, but I'm glad I kept it around when I forced 
to get rid of other beloved novels over the years. (*cough* Moving in with arrogant 
ex's *cough*). 
The plot is creative as hell - this thing goes through so many twists and turns 
it's like a maze. It's hard to predict what will happen next, the ending was hard 
to figure out, the events were pretty surprising if you've read it for the first 
time, it had a large touch of originality to it, it dealt with things pretty darn 
bizarre. It intrigued, it confused, it brought out tears in my eyes are certain 
parts. Superb story.
The pacing of the novel was swift and sweet. Although the first chapter dragged a 
tad bit in some areas (perhaps Pike could have incorporated lead up in a different 
way) I don't hold this against it, for the story itself kept growing and growing 
until it could barely fit into the paperback trying to hold it inside.
The atmosphere was both dark and depressing; it concerned normal teenage issues, 
random acts of violence of people you cared about, and areas meant to be creepy 
were. The ending was dark and dusty, leaving a bitter feeling in my stomach. 
Definitely not an atmosphere just for the young 'uns.
"Whisper of Death" was written in First Person POV style. While I always loved 
this way of writing, it has lost a lot of favor from the publishing industry and 
readers as of late. Still, I think it holds it own sort of power if done right. 
Seeing through the main character, 'Roxanne's,' eyes, helped not be sure about 
the mystery of 'Pepper,' as well as what the other characters intentions (and 
secrets) were. I prefer not knowing and finding out. 'Roxanne' seemed like a 
normal teen with normal issues concerning how to deal with the possibility of 
losing her first 'love.' 
My feelings for 'Pepper' kept evolving but eventually settled into something good. 
All did their part well and added to the story. I must applaud Pike for his writing 
technique. While much of the story is written in chopped, short styles in order 
to keep the pace moving, at moments he breathes out some wording that's more 
poetic than anything. For example, the beginning of the first chapter in the book 
reads like this:

"I sit alone in a dead world. The wind blows hot and dry, and the dust gathers like 
particles of memory waiting to be swept away."

Amazing. Obviously if Pike kept writing like this throughout though, it wouldn't turn
out good. He saves the drama for rarer occasions in order to have the biggest impact.
His paragraphs are generally long, although not overly so. He relies heavily on dialogue 
that further builds and then unravels the mystery. There is much drama injected into 
several powerful, heart wrenching scenes. 
I closed this book thinking of how overjoyed I was saving this from years gone by, 
and reliving it now. The magic of it is simply timeless. If you've never experienced 
Pike, go ahead and try, don't let a little thing like age stop you.

Reviewed By Erin Williams.

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