Carrion Comfort is truly a complex and engaging book. It's filled with evil, mind-controlling vampires whose actions are so heinous that they seem to redefine evil itself. The story involves multiple parties, each with their own distinct storylines and actions. There isn't a single main character but rather several, along with numerous minor characters. Saul is my absolute favorite among the main characters. His journey from the past to the present is utterly captivating, especially his time in the WWII concentration camps. His cat and mouse game with the Oberst is fascinating, and I couldn't help but root for him to succeed and avenge the wrongdoings. The other characters like Natalie, Rob, Melanie, and Harod are also quite interesting. Even though some are on the evil side, their stories are still enjoyable to read. Melanie, in particular, is an extremely evil character. The way she uses people is despicable. And Harod... well, he's a sick pervert. The scenes involving him, like those with the airplane and hot tub, are disturbing. However, despite these flaws, the overall story is well-crafted and full of action. There are a few areas that could have been improved, such as some parts feeling a bit long-winded. Also, I didn't find the book as scary as I expected, although it was definitely disturbing. There were a few instances where the flow of the story felt a bit off, but these are minor issues. Overall, Carrion Comfort is a great read and definitely worth checking out.

Dan Simmons penned his epic horror novel "Carrion Comfort" in the early '80s. However, he seemingly faced a great deal of difficulty in getting it published.

In the years that followed, Simmons managed to write several other novels. He won the World Fantasy Award for his highly acclaimed first novel "Song of Kali" and also published his sci-fi series "Hyperion".

Fortunately, Thomas Dunne Books has recently released a beautiful 20th Anniversary Edition of "Carrion Comfort". Stephen King has described this book as "one of the three greatest horror novels of the twentieth century. Simple as that."

"Carrion Comfort" offers a fascinating twist on the vampire legend. In the novel, "mind vampires" are extremely rare individuals who possess an uncanny ability. They can not only read people's minds but also control their actions. These are individuals who "feed" off people's fears and psychically "use" them to commit horrendous acts of violence.

Simmons's premise is that these people have existed since the dawn of humanity. They are a select few humans who are more evolutionarily advanced in terms of their brain's capacity, and they have been shaping human history.

Some of these individuals, like Adolf Hitler, are endowed with what appears to be a preternatural charisma. They have the ability to sway individual opinions and create mass hysteria. Hitler might not have even been aware of his own psychic power.

Many of these "mind vampires" may go through life without realizing their abilities. However, some begin to detect early on that they have psychic control over others. They learn to control and refine it.

Simmons poses the question: What if these select few "Users" (as they call themselves) decided to come together in a secret cabal, a "shadow government", and use their abilities to reshape global events, start wars, and initiate major tragedies that would alter world economies and foreign policies?

If you thought "The X-Files" was paranoid with its conspiracy theories, you haven't read this novel. "Carrion Comfort" is unbelievably freaky. It is also extremely well-written, with a breakneck pace. It's hard to categorize, being a blend of horror, science fiction, military, and espionage thriller. The storyline constantly takes unexpected and strange detours, but they are always fascinating.

If you've read Simmons's novels "The Hollow Man" and "Drood", you'll notice a recurring theme of the power of the mind over matter. He takes the "psychological thriller" to a whole new level.

Simmons is not only a great horror novelist but, more importantly, a great novelist in general. He has a sharp and intelligent focus on human psychology and the human condition.

This was the second novel Dan Simmons wrote, immediately following Song of Kali. However, it wasn't his second published novel. To discover the reason, one needs to read the introduction to this edition; it makes for a good story on its own, aside from the rather abrupt ending.

Simmons' genre-hopping tendencies begin to manifest right here. Supposedly a horror story, it reads more like his take on a Robert Ludlum thriller, but with psychic, mind-controlling villains. It's definitely a page-turner, which is beneficial considering its length, although there's a slow section right at the start of the End Game. When considered along with all of Simmons' other works, it only reinforces my view that this author can handle any genre and produce competent work.

So, what's the deal with End Game? There's a chess theme running throughout the novel, which is divided into three sections: Opening, Middle Game, and End Game. It's an integral part of the novel, but towards the end, it becomes overt and slows the pace when one would expect the opposite. On the other hand, the device resolves some significant plot issues in a believable manner. I'd be curious to know if the end-game depicted in the book is regarded as well-played by serious chess players.

One of the protagonists is Jewish and has a tattoo on his arm. This could be seen as a cheap trick by an author to gain immediate sympathy and moral authority for the character, but in this case, such accusations would be unfounded. This book is essentially about the Holocaust and what led to it; that all-important question of what would you have done? Would you have followed orders and massacred Jews by the millions? Would you have done whatever it took to survive as a Jew in the camps, including tacit collaboration by working for the Nazis? Why is industrial genocide possible? Simmons is suggesting, in a highly exaggerated way, that the dominance of will by a minority or even an individual can cause all of this, although his "mind vampires" are not meant as a completely literal explanation.

Simmons is bold and proposes that the history of the modern state of Israel is not a simple black-and-white matter and asks what one should be prepared to do to root out evil? How many "innocents" must die before it becomes morally unacceptable to take decisive action against a mass murderer who will continue and escalate his activities? Is revenge a moral justification? Is inaction morally justifiable? Should you involve others in what you know is a deadly conflict? The book doesn't necessarily answer all these questions; the idea is to make the reader think about them.

The "bad guys" in this book are truly bad, but one of them is given a first-person voice, and as a result, she comes across as an utterly vile and increasingly deranged character. Sharing her thoughts made me feel unclean; she's an appalling, disgusting creature. It would be easy to call her a monster, not human, but that's a cop-out: her bigotry and evil are entirely human, and that's what we have to confront. Humanity has this potential.

This is a good and thought-provoking book, but it's not perfect. It may be about 50-100 pages too long, the chess theme isn't overly original or clever, and I don't like the very end, though explaining why would involve spoilers. Is there any unnecessary literary name-dropping? Yes, this time Simmons' favorite "junk" writers are mentioned. These are mainly thriller writers, including Ludlum.

The description provided here is truly captivating. Saul's shivering gives us a sense of the terror that lies beneath the surface. The man behind the calm voice and human puppet is a murderer of scores, perhaps even thousands of people. This sets a dark and menacing tone for the story.

The comparison to the epic scope of "The Eight", the gut-wrenching agony of "Schindler's List", and the paranormal malevolence of Stephen King emphasizes the unique and powerful nature of this work. It combines elements of different genres to create something truly special.

For horror fans, this is an absolute must-read. The author's ability to evoke such strong emotions and create a sense of dread is remarkable. I will surely remember this story always, and it will make me shudder.

The final line, "Winter is coming. And I am very, very hungry," adds an additional layer of mystery and foreboding. It leaves us wondering what horrors await in the cold winter months and what this hunger might signify.

"Saul shivered. Behind the calm voice and the human puppet was a man who had directly murdered scores - perhaps thousands - of human beings."

The epic scope of The Eight.

The gut clenching agony of Schindler’s List.

The paranormal malevolence of Stephen King.

Oh my friends, this was something special. An absolute Must Read for the Horror Fan. I will remember it always... and shudder.

"Winter is coming. And I am very, very hungry."

Just a notch below King's reworking of the vampire mythos,

Simmons spins a terrifying story of psychic vampires of the darkest sort.

His narrative weaves a web of horror that entraps the reader from the very beginning.

The characters are vividly drawn, their fears and desires palpable.

As the story unfolds, the reader is plunged into a world where the boundaries between the living and the dead are blurred.

The psychic vampires in Simmons' tale are not your typical bloodsuckers.

They feed on the emotions and souls of their victims, leaving behind a trail of destruction and despair.

The author's use of language is masterful, painting a vivid picture of the macabre events that take place.

With each turn of the page, the tension builds, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat.

Simmons' story is a must-read for fans of horror and those who enjoy a good scare.

Chess, anyone? And you thought that game was for geeks, huh? Trust me... you’ll never look at it the same way again after you read this epic horror blockbuster.

Carrion Comfort is simultaneously one of the most inventive horror novels I’ve ever encountered and easily one of the most overwritten novels I’ve ever read. The punishingly small print makes matters worse. Get ready to read for hours on end without making a dent in this cinderblock of a book.

Despite the gargantuan elephant in the room, this book has some fascinating ideas. The villains are loathsome, with incredible powers and the wickedest of intentions. There is also a trio of protagonists that you truly care for. These three very different people bring their own strengths to the plot. The settings are greatly varied, jumping between multiple locations and timelines. We have a WW2 era concentration camp in Europe, a mysterious island where the evilest of evil men let loose, Israel, Los Angeles, South Carolina, and a gang-ridden section of Philadelphia... just to name a few.

Despite the fact that this story could use a major, major, MAJOR trim, the epic plot weaves together very well. It culminates in an amazingly riveting conclusion that absolutely justifies the LONG journey. I mean, what a phenomenal ending! The last 150 pages were astounding. Long story short (I wish, Simmons... I wish), this is a true horror classic that has some of the best sequences I’ve read in the genre. The ONLY thing keeping this from the perfect 5 is the length. Push through it... much like childbirth, I promise the reward will be worth the hard work.

The first 400 pages of this book truly had a captivating effect on me. The story was so engaging and filled with interesting details that I couldn't put it down.

However, as I progressed to the next 200 pages, I found myself losing focus. It wasn't that the book had suddenly become bad; rather, it might have been a result of my own ADD.

Despite my initial enthusiasm, I ended up not picking up the book again for a whole year. Now, I have decided to remove it from my "currently reading" list.

This doesn't mean that I didn't appreciate the book. It was still a wonderful piece of work, but for some reason, I just couldn't seem to finish it.

Maybe one day, when my attention span is better, I will give it another try and see if I can finally complete this captivating story.

It felt really good when I clicked "i'm finished" on my status of this book.

I AM FINISHED! Page 618 of 767 and I just had to stop. If I were to read one more page of this book, I might probably never read again. I've been forcing myself to read this book in 3-page increments, but I simply can't do it anymore. For what purpose? No one really cares whether or not I finish reading Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons.

This book had such a great concept: Nazi mind vampires. However, this book is just extremely boring. I don't have any interest in any of the characters, whether they are good or bad. I'm also a little bit annoyed with Mr. Dan Simmons. I read the twentieth anniversary edition of this book, which included an introduction by Simmons, giving the publishing history of this book. In particular, he talked about one young editor who wanted him to cut the book in half. I read the intro before reading the book, and I was like, "yeah, fight the man, you're an artist".

Now, I'm like "well, maybe she was right, and maybe it should've been cut by more than half". This book was painfully boring to me, and I feel guilty because I really liked the other book I've read by Dan Simmons (Ilium). All of his books sound really interesting to me, and I thought I was going to love this book. But I didn't, and I'm done now. And now I can read again.

I'm looking forward to exploring other books and finding ones that can truly capture my attention and imagination. Maybe the next book will be the one that makes me fall in love with reading all over again.

I decided to read this one for Halloween this year, and truly, I had no inkling of what awaited me!

This was an extensive novel, nearing 900 pages, and it took me over a week to devour. It was a fascinating blend of various genres such as horror, science fiction, and political thriller.

The main focus is on a group of potent "mind vampires" who have existed for years. Some of them were crucial in the horrors of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. These individuals can compel others to carry out gruesome tasks by subduing their minds.

These powerful beings often use others in games that are extremely bloody and deadly, resulting in the deaths of numerous innocents. The games involve hunting human prey and gruesome games of chess with people as pieces, who are eliminated when captured during the game.

The protagonists in the novel who attempt to oppose these "mind vampires" include Saul Laski, a Holocaust survivor who was used as a pawn in one of these deadly games during the war by the Oberest, a Nazi named Wilhelm von Borchert. Saul is dedicated to tracking Borchert down and making him answer for his atrocities.

Then there is Natalie Preston, seeking vengeance for her father who was killed when he encountered Melanie Fuller, an ancient Mind Vampire who kills indiscriminately as part of a game she has played for years with Borchert and another mind vampire named Nina.

And Sheriff Bobby Joe Gentry is drawn into the conflict after investigating multiple murders in Charleston, including Natalie's father. Simmons introduces many other characters and side stories to flesh out this massive novel.

I've read a couple of other novels by Simmons, like SUMMER OF NIGHT, which I really enjoyed. CARRION COMFORT was superbly written, but at times it was overly excessive and included a great deal of graphic violence that could have been toned down a bit. It was also extremely long. I think it could have been edited down by approximately a third without any issue. However, it did keep me engaged, constantly wondering what insanity was going to occur next. I have a few other novels by Simmons that I need to read, including THE TERROR, which I've heard great things about. Hopefully, sometime soon.

A truly monstrous and captivating tale unfolds, exploring the depths of what people are capable of when they possess ultimate power. We follow the story of an African American female photography student, a survivor of a Concentration Camp, and an overweight Southern Sheriff. These three individuals, from vastly different backgrounds, find themselves facing a common and terrifying threat - what can only be described as mind-rapists.

Simmons presents a no holds barred look at evil in this book, which is easily the darkest 'vampire' themed work I've ever encountered. The author goes to great lengths to vividly illustrate the nature of immortality and how it can drive people to the most extreme lengths in order to maintain it. It's a thought-provoking and disturbing exploration of the human psyche.

Overall, I would rate this book 8 out of 12. It's not without its flaws, but it manages to grip the reader's attention and leave a lasting impression.

800-odd pages of sheer awfulness.

I really should have been deterred after reading the author's 20th anniversary forward. It was incredibly pretentious, self-absorbed, and overly long-winded.

However, despite that, people had recommended this book to me as one of the scariest they'd ever read.

But the only thing scary about this book is how the author managed to take what could have been a truly terrifying premise and turn it into something so mind-numbingly boring.

Moreover, the editor that the author bad-mouths in the introduction was completely correct. He should have indeed cut out all the Holocaust-related content.

Using such a tragic and solemn topic in a rubbish book like this is an absolute insult to all the victims and survivors.

It's a real pity that such a potentially interesting concept was ruined by the author's poor execution and disrespectful treatment of important historical events.

Overall, this book is a major disappointment and not worth the time or effort of reading.

1 star--I didn't like it. Wrong reader!

Dan Simmons, the author of this book, also penned Hyperion, which I absolutely adore. However, I was disappointed that this particular work didn't suit my taste. Firstly, I had anticipated and desired horror, but instead, what I got was more of a blockbuster thriller. There were numerous FBI agents, explosions, and such elements that dominated the story.

Secondly, the graphic rape scenes really turned me off. Although they were perpetrated by a "bad guy" and not presented in a positive light, I could have done without the detailed descriptions of a woman's fear and pain. Especially when it occurred more than once in the book and didn't seem to advance the plot significantly. (We already understand that he's a rapist.)

And along a similar vein, I grew tired of reading the n-word and other racial slurs. Once again, these were used by the bad guys, but I found it rather wearying.

I truly wish there had been more focus on mental vampirism and less on racism! All in all, this book is not for me. However, I'm aware that a lot of people love it, so your mileage may vary.