The Stinal Countdown: Fear Street: Fear Hall: The Conclusion

Once more into the breach as we conclude Fear Hall. A book that's not so much about the actual university dorm, but more another story that boils down to weight issues and split personalities. I can't say I'm not at least intrigued as to how this book finishes a story that seemed to play its hand very early last book. I mean, we know the main crux as to what's up with Hope. What else is there to learn? And can Stine do the unthinkable and actually stick the landing? I doubt it, but there's a first time for everything. Let's see if he can as we cover Fear Hall: The Conclusion.

See, this is what I meant last time when it came to my issues with the covers. They just aren't all that engaging compared to what we got from the classic covers. When most of the art is just a door, it doesn't leap out and make me go "Hot damn, I have to see what this is about." I will say having Hope peering out the door given the context of what we know, it does work a bit better. But without the context, it just seems really dull. Also the tagline "Welcome back to the most terrifying dorm on campus", when most of the killings weren't even in the dorm. Fear Hall just exists as a place at this point. Even the mention of the Fear Family has played so little to the actual story. I mean, there's still time, but I'm not holding my breath. 

The Stinal Countdown: Fear Street: Fear Hall: The Beginning

It's time to take yet another trip into Shadyside. And we have a two-parter on our hands. Multi-part Stine books can be concerning. Mainly in that it can feel like he has a big idea, but the page count either feels lacking, or the story feels forcibly stretched to make it work. The best example of a Stine two-part story faltering is Invasion of the Body Squeezers for Goosebumps Series 2000. So here's two Fear Street books, each at about the length of a Super Chiller. I have a feeling we're in for padding so soft you can sleep like Rip Van Winkle. Will I be proven wrong? Let's find out with Fear Hall: The Beginning.

I'm gonna be honest. This might be the most boring cover we've had in all of Fear Street. It doesn't help that I really don't like the later formatting of the covers by the end of the initial run, but the main cover itself is "girl looking through rainy window". Honestly, the above image of the silhouetted character and the university itself is far more exciting an image. That should have been the cover. And, if we were in the older format, maybe it would have been. But I really don't get as strong a vibe with the main image. It feels like a far weaker take on the cover for The Babysitter. I know I pine on cool covers that don't play too much into the actual story, but at least they're interesting to look at. This one, not as much.

Back to Ghoul: The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids #04: Leprechauns Don't Play Basketball

"Next book's got a maybe leprechaun. Hopefully I don't wait until March next year to get to it."

Well, crap. Timing has gotten me once again. Blame not having an actual blogging schedule and going all by the seat of my pants. And yes, technically I was wrong as the next book in the line is Santa Claus Doesn't Mop Floors, but, being me, I just up and forgot. I promise it won't take until Christmas to get to it, I swear. But seein' as it be St. Patrick's day, what a better way to spend an ol' St. Paddy's than another trip back into the world of Debbie Dadey's "Maybe but probably not a monster" book series? I mean, maybe a lot of other things would be better but dammit, this is what I have planned. So let's read a story about a maybe, but probably not leprechaun as we assume that Leprechauns Don't Play Basketball.

Cover is decent, although I will say the kids on the cover seem less shocked by the hoop game of our maybe-leprechaun O'Grady, but increasingly more of a slack-jawed dulled. I guess four books in and their constant questioning of if some normal person's a monster might finally be getting tiresome. As for O'Grady, I like his design, but I feel like it looks very, I guess, Mickey Rooney-ish? Like if they tried for a live action version in the 90s that's who they would cast. Also, not ruling out an awakening character, but I'd probably say our least likeliest so far. But hey, if you want a supposed leprechaun as a basketball wunderkind, then this is the cover for you.

Point by Numbers: Twisted

Last year we covered R.L. Stine's first horror book Blind Date. And it's certainly a first horror book by someone. A real case of Stine not knowing his structure, albeit knowing exactly what much of the formula for ideas he would have for many books to come. So when it came time for the second book in the Point Horror line, it would be Stine up to bat yet again. Is this a case of a better Bob? Let's see what's up when things get Twisted.

There are two notable covers for this one, but I'll stick to the cover that I think is the better of the two. And I like it. It's a very simple cover, but still has a striking visual. The reflection of a girl holding lipstick looking through a cracked mirror. If the intention of the book is to sell us on a crazed character without going too over the top, then I think it does what it sets out to do. Granted, in the grand scheme, it's probably one of the least memorable covers to come from a Stine book, both in Point and outside of Point, but for what it needs to do and what it needs to sell, it's solid.

The Stinal Countdown: Goosebumps House of Shivers #04: Say My Name! Say My Name!

It's been a long six months, but we're finally back with another edition of House of Shivers. And so far it's been three for three in terms of books I've enjoyed. But I will say adventures of mysterious books, mummy mayhem and goblin goofery at least were stories I could gage from a cursory glance. This one, from a year ago when the first bit of info was released on it, I have no clue what to get from it. Its description sounds bizarre, as does every piece of info I've gained from it. Be it early chapter previews or an audiobook preview. So I'm expecting this to be a classic Stine ride book. Which could be either really good or really bad, or on rare occasions really just okay. What wonders await us in this trip to the woods? Don't tell Destiny's Child, because it's time to Say My Name! Say My Name!

I really love how Robert Ball does covers. And with each new cover, I get more impressed with how he uses color and shadows. That strong pop of brighter neon colors that feel in like with something out of a Jacobus era cover, while also using shadows really well to add ambiguity to our protagonists. This was something I noticed with Scariest Book and it's definitely noticeable here. I love the bright green sky and the twisted looking trees, giving this forest a dreamlike feel. Alien enough to feel like you're in another world. And then there's the giant fish. I love its design. The colors pop off of it, while its intense eyes and sharp teeth work to make it feel like a threat. Which, given I've been burned oh so many times with cover monsters, makes me worry a bit. Even it blowing bubbles comes off as kind of creepy. Might honestly be up there in terms of my favorite covers ever.

NNtG: Shadow Zone: Guess Who's Dating a Werewolf?

It's time for another journey into the Shadow Zone, a place that we still don't really understand, but I guess at this rate "zone that makes scary stuff" is the best descriptor. And we have werewolves this time, and romance, and dating. Look, the last couple Shadow Zone books I've covered have been a bit shaky, but with a title like this, this one had better be a home run, dude. It's time to Guess Who's Dating a Werewolf?

This is the perfect kind of goofy 90s cover. Our protagonists with some shocked and concerned faces as they look at the werewolf on the hill, though they might be looking to the right past him because the perspective is as goofy as the cover. It almost gives off the feeling of our titular werewolf trying to get their attention with his goofy pose, but they're just more interested in whatever's not on the cover. Shadow Zone's covers continue to win for me, and this might be my favorite that I've gotten to talk about. 

The Ten Worst Books I've Read in 2024

In terms of blogs for 2024, it was a mostly in the middle year for stuff. Not too many things annoyed me, most were very "meh". But there were some that absolutely drove me mad. From one of the worst scenes in any book I've read, to a trilogy of books that I have no clue what Stine was thinking to a book that lives up to the disgusting promises of its title, there was still some shit to traverse through in 2024, literally in the case of one book. It's time for ten books I read in 2024 that reached high mark in hellish awfulness.