DNF -

This book, for me, is a bit of a mess. My first encounter with Dan Simmons was through "The Terror", a phenomenal horror story that was recommended to me here on Goodreads, and I absolutely adored it. The style, atmosphere, and characters in "The Terror" combined to create one amazing horror experience. However, "Carrion Comfort" did not have the same effect on me.

"Carrion Comfort" is about a group of beings that have the power to control people and make them do anything. They can also feed off the life force of those affected. It's sort of a unique take on the vampire concept, where the victims are turned into Thralls. The premise is very good, and the book starts off really strong. But I found that around a third of the way through, it began to lose its way.

The characters didn't seem to be consistent. For example, Melanie undergoes a massive character change from being opposed to what she was doing to now being evil in her use of the power. The amazing horror slasher scene that occurs early in the book is brilliant, but future scenes seem a little forced and just not interesting. Maybe it's just that the first scene was so unexpected that it made all future "horror" seem dull in comparison.

I also found this book a hard read due to the derogatory comments about everyone. It didn't make it a pleasant reading experience. Plus, a lot of horrific things happen, such as forced incest and child murder, which are just shocking.

Overall, the book just became too ordinary for me and wasn't to my taste. Nevertheless, Dan Simmons is still a great writer.

Hyperion is a highly regarded work that receives a great deal of love and attention. However, I find it rather astonishing that I seldom come across any mention of another amazing book by the same author, Simmons.

It is important to note that this particular book is very different from Hyperion, but this is not at all unusual for Simmons, who is known for his remarkable versatility as a writer.

Carrion Comfort is a masterpiece of sf/horror, reaching the highest calibre. In fact, it could be said that it is the kind of work that Stephen King might produce when he is in his absolute top form, yet with even better prose.

The central premise of this book revolves around people who possess mind control abilities of varying strengths. From this seemingly simple concept, a plethora of riveting plotlines are generated, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat from start to finish.

I will refrain from delving into any specific details to avoid spoiling the experience for you. Suffice it to say that I wholeheartedly recommend that you do not miss this book, even if you do not typically enjoy reading horror. It is truly a remarkable and unforgettable piece of literature.

I’ve finally done it.

After deliberately forcing myself to put the book down last night, I dedicated most of today to reading it.

As I had been informed, the last 150 pages or so were truly gripping and shocking.

I must admit, I have fallen in love with this book. It is simply great.

Once I have had a bit of time to let it all sink in and digest, I will definitely write a full and detailed review.

This book has had a profound impact on me, and I can’t wait to share my thoughts and feelings about it with others.

It has kept me on the edge of my seat, and I have been completely immersed in its story.

I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good read.

Just recently, I finished reading Carrion Comfort (for the second time), a full 30 years after first stumbling upon this truly incredible work by Dan Simmons. It's been such a long time, but this classic horror tale remains just as powerful and impactful as it was when I was a young 22-year-old Marine. This latest read has only served to reaffirm its position as my second-favorite novel of all time.

Carrion Comfort was an absolute masterpiece when it was first published, and it still holds that status today. It has the ability to draw you in from the very first page and keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. The characters are well-developed, the plot is engaging, and the atmosphere is downright chilling.

In conclusion, Carrion Comfort was, is, and always shall be a confirmed ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ read. It's a book that I would highly recommend to anyone who loves a good horror story or just a great piece of literature in general. If you haven't read it yet, do yourself a favor and pick it up today.

The book was poorly written, but the author later became much better. I was so bored that I reluctantly forced myself to read it, especially the last 400 pages - it was torture!

The idea of brain vampires is not very original, but unfortunately here it is developed chaotically and ineptly. The characters also didn't appeal to me. :(

Anyway, I remain a loyal reader of Hyperion and Horror!

This is a brand new, fascinating, and (in my opinion) eerily effective mutation of the vampire ethos. I wholeheartedly support the idea of taking a well-known monster and teaching it some novel tricks - as long as they are believable and functional! Some authors have taken our fearsome legendary monsters and transformed them into feeble shadows of their former selves. This is a lamentable situation that, fortunately, Mr. Simmons has not replicated.

His vampires are not solely interested in sucking your blood; they are intrigued by you: your brain, the very essence of who you are. They extract that, to varying degrees. Sometimes it's just a brief encounter that leaves you shaken and uneasy, vaguely sensing something amiss. For others, it's more invasive and complete, with total possession that culminates in injury or death, and the unfortunate possessed is fully aware. Others become completely enslaved, their own minds entirely obliterated.

I believe this is presented extremely well. The story is fast-paced, filled with numerous actions. The main characters, including the antagonists, are well-developed and thoroughly fleshed out. The story jumps between different perspectives, including first-person from one of the mind-vampires herself, a genteel elderly southern belle who manages to be utterly horrifying while never neglecting to say "please" or "thank you." The story spans approximately forty years, from WWII to the eighties. This book is indeed very long, but I have a penchant for long books, and this one kept me entertained throughout. I listened to it on Audible and was never inclined to fast forward.

It is recommended for fans of vampires and lengthy tomes.

For now, I have decided to give it a middle rating.

It's truly a pity because this had the potential to be an outstanding piece. Holy crap, there were moments when it felt like a complete snoozefest.

Clearly, this should have been trimmed down significantly. My gosh, there was an overwhelming amount of unnecessary stuff within these pages.

Yes, that includes the repetitive and gratuitous rape scenes and blatant racism. The story became so unrealistic that I simply couldn't stop rolling my eyes.

And trust me, I'm usually quite capable of suspending my disbelief to fully enjoy a story, but this one was just... wow.

I also find myself in agreement with other readers that the multiple deus ex machinas solutions in the end were simply too excessive.

I'm just relieved that I finally managed to get through this behemoth of a book.

The book is indeed well-written, featuring some truly convincing passages that vividly describe the telepathic abilities of a special breed of vampires. However, for the most part, it drags on, and it's just way too long!

I can usually handle long books. For instance, IT by Stephen King is of a similar length, but that one flew by. In contrast, this book has an excessive amount of filler, making it a struggle to get through. As the story progresses, it becomes increasingly corny,充斥着大量俗气的对话。

The bad guys in this book are rather interesting. They have such an ambivalent attitude towards murders that I continued reading simply to relish their eventual downfall.

I'd also like to note that I never found this book scary in the slightest. I was anticipating a proper horror novel but was sorely disappointed. I don't understand why Stephen King deems it one of the best horror novels of the 20th century.

For horror fans, it's advisable to look elsewhere. But for action/suspense fans who are seeking a supernatural element, it might be worth checking out.

Well, the book I've just finished reading is the longest one I've come across in quite some time.

I have this feeling that I started it around the time when the story is mainly set, which is 1981.

There are indeed many aspects of the book that I liked. However, I'm sorry to say that I didn't truly love it.

Considering its length, the story isn't actually all that complicated or deeply involved.

It just goes on and on, with a large number of characters being introduced.

I think I had expected something that would really justify its epic size, but unfortunately, I didn't quite get the kind of scope that I was hoping for.

Overall, it's still worth reading, but it's not a tale that I'll be eager to return to in the future.

Maybe others will have a different perspective and find more to love about it.

But for me, it was an okay read, nothing more.

How do you even begin to describe or evaluate an epic like Carrion Comfort? I have been thinking about this review for the last few weeks, and now that I'm finished, I'm at a loss for words. Gotta write it out...

The book is far from perfect. At a whopping 884 pages, and packing a list of characters that would make a phone book jealous, it is possible to get lost in Carrion Comfort. Often times, entire groups of characters are introduced in the same scene with only minimal description devoted to each individual, and it is left to the reader to piece things together as events unfold. While important to the insanely complex plot in more ways than I can recall, I didn't particularly enjoy the middle part of the book that takes place in Philadelphia. At that point, I felt like Simmons was stretching out the same old ideas. There were also a few too many scenes depicting carnage involving cars, trucks, helicopters, passenger planes, yachts, city buses, battle cruisers, and bulldozers for my tastes.

However, these are minor shortcomings when compared to the numerous creatively creepy and downright disturbing scenarios that take place constantly throughout the story. This book is big enough for a handful of villains, each of whom brings his or her own sadistic/perverted/maniacal twist to the "Ability" of "using" their victims. This book has scenarios that I would have never dreamed of. My personal favorites were Natalie's ongoing interactions with Melanie's "family" of human marionettes. The protagonists were also very good, but paled in comparison to the cast of sociopaths they face.

Despite a few flaws that make sections of the book somewhat tedious, Carrion Comfort deserves to be considered as one of the truly great modern horror novels. Just be sure to clear your evenings for about a month before you begin! It's a journey that will keep you on the edge of your seat, filled with unexpected twists and turns that will leave you breathless.

I am extremely glad to have completed this particular novel. It was truly a relief when I turned that final page. This happens to be the third novel by Dan Simmons that I have read, and unfortunately, it is my least favorite among them. I perused a bit of the forward of this one, and it appears that it was a rather arduous task to get it published, and he wasn't overly appreciative of the editing (or the attempted editing, for that matter). In my opinion, it could have easily lost around 250 pages. But of course, that's just my personal take. While I was reading, I did find myself engaged in the story to some extent. However, I'm not entirely certain if I ever truly developed a deep caring for any of the characters. No, I didn't really care all that much. The story itself held some interesting aspects. I quite liked the flashbacks from Saul and even that rather horrific woman Melanie. Those glimpses into the past were quite captivating. At certain points, though, the reading felt like a chore. There was simply an overwhelming amount of information to sort through. Our monsters in this book are truly some of the most vile that I have ever come across. There are several depraved scenes in the book, which are extremely violent, and I'm not entirely sure what the purpose of them was. I understand that it was perhaps meant to show just how inhuman our monsters were, but I could have easily gone through life without having to read some of those parts. Personally, if you are considering checking out Mr. Simmons' work, I would highly recommend The Terror. I can't say with any certainty that I would really recommend this particular novel. All I know for sure is that I won't be able to get those 800 pages back, and I'm kind of left feeling a bit bitter about it.

I think that Simmons has the ability to create engaging stories, but in this case, it just felt a bit too long and convoluted for my taste. Maybe others will have a different experience, but for me, it was a bit of a disappointment.

I'll probably still give his other works a try in the future, but this one won't be at the top of my list.

This hardcover book is a truly special item. It is numbered 422 out of a limited edition of 550. What makes it even more remarkable is that it is signed by both Dan Simmons, the author, and Kathleen McNeil Sherman, the illustrator.

The combination of Simmons' masterful storytelling and Sherman's beautiful illustrations creates a captivating reading experience.

Owning this numbered and signed hardcover is like having a piece of literary art.

It is a collector's item that will be cherished by fans of Dan Simmons and lovers of fine books alike.

Whether displayed on a bookshelf or read and enjoyed, this hardcover is a testament to the talent and creativity of its creators.