Dan Simmons has an extraordinary ability to construct a great novel! This fact became crystal clear to me after delving deep into this captivating read.

There is an incredible depth and richness to this tale of evil. One of the aspects that I adored the most was the mystery and suspense element of the book. Being a huge mystery fan, Simmons truly satisfied that craving within me. He has masterfully written and created the worst evil ever witnessed in this novel. I found myself passionately cheering on those who aimed to rid the world of such malevolence. I felt as if I was right there with them, struggling and trying to offer them hope. I was completely consumed by it.

The vivid descriptions of the characters and their lives, combined with the 'extreme' moments, truly enhanced the surrealism of the novel. You gained a comprehensive understanding of every character. Additionally, I loved how all the characters were intricately involved in the story. And just when you thought you could relax after an intense moment, Simmons would bring the source of that climax back into the spotlight, causing you to get all worked up again. He brilliantly utilized each and every one of his characters.

We begin with Saul, who not only endured the horrors of the concentration camps but also survived them. His strength and will to live were derived from three simple words: "I will live!" His character is defined so brilliantly that it makes you believe he actually survived the Holocaust. It seems as if his name, Saul Laski, should be etched into the history books.

As the story unfolds, I was delighted to see how much more of Saul's history was revealed. This was a great addition to the book, allowing me to get to know him on a much deeper level. It provided insights into his journey and better explained why he is the way he is. One of the questions posed in the book is, "Is he here for justice or revenge?" As I read further, it seemed that the two were indistinguishable.

Natalie is another of my favorite characters. She felt so natural and real, yet there was an otherworldly quality to her because it is rare to find someone with such a purpose of seeking the good in others. I loved her non-judgmental attitude towards others. She accepted them for who they were and loved them unconditionally. I also admired how she had a mission and was so determined to complete it! She is someone you would definitely want on your side.

Gentry was yet another favorite of mine. You could sense the "good ole boy" charm in him. And he would do whatever it takes to protect those he loves, regardless of the consequences. You can feel this as you read about him.

We encounter a plethora of different people, both good and evil, those we love to hate and those we simply love. I found myself searching for redeeming qualities in these monsters, but unfortunately, none really emerged. Let the bad guys be bad guys. All the characters are unique and beautifully constructed. They all fit their roles to perfection. Simmons also seemed to give each of his characters an equal amount of time in the spotlight, and I truly appreciate a book that is not solely dependent on one single "main" character. I think it adds so much more flavor to the story.

However, there was one thing that slightly bothered me, and that was the switching between different time periods. Fortunately, the chapters were dated, which was extremely helpful. Otherwise, you could easily become lost and confused in certain areas, leaving you wondering, "What on earth just happened?"

In conclusion, I want to emphasize that this is an extremely riveting tale that is sure to keep you hooked solely based on its intensity. It is a definite "must read." Simmons brings a whole new era of terror to the forefront with this novel. It earns a 4.5-star rating from me.

Carrion Comfort is a book that is dirty, gritty, violent, and bone-chilling in certain parts.

However, its needless length and meandering plot, which sometimes becomes almost completely stagnant, balance these elements nicely.

Carrion Comfort could have benefited greatly from a strict editor. Such an editor would have been able to eliminate many aspects of the plot that were of no use to the reader whatsoever.

This would have transformed Carrion Comfort from a merely entertaining read into a tightly wound, nicely paced, and perfectly plotted work of horror that truly chills the bones.

Instead, it remains a solid 3-star book that requires far too much effort to get through and does not nearly showcase the author's talents as well as it could have.

Read my full review here:

http://bookwormblues.blogspot.com/201...

Imagine having the extraordinary power to delve deep into people's thoughts, uncover their innermost weaknesses, and unearth their most closely guarded secrets. Moreover, being able to make them do exactly as you desire, without any limitations.

Now, picture the opposite side of the coin - being physically and mentally used and manipulated, with no way to break free from this terrifying situation.

This is precisely the horror that "Carrion Comfort" presents.

Published in 1980, this old novel is one of Simmons' few forays into the horror genre. It is a lengthy and captivating tale that introduces a distinct form of vampirism. Instead of the traditional bloodsuckers, Simmons' monsters feed and flourish on violence and the human mind. Garlic, crucifixes, and holy water hold no sway over them. They can freely walk in daylight, don't require coffins for slumber, and cast both shadows and reflections. Additionally, they are highly intelligent, wealthy, and powerful. However, they are mortal.

It is with these unique monsters, along with a handful of ordinary humans who dedicate their resources, time, and lives to combat them, that the novel weaves a rather thought-provoking narrative. As a Simmons work, a scientific backdrop is provided to explain the nature and possible origin of these mind-vampires. The absence of supernaturalism lends a realistic tone to the story, while still maintaining the excitement in the thrilling peaks and unexpected twists of the plot. For me, it was a great and chilling summer read.

Well, this was truly surprising. Dan Simmons is an author whom I have read before. His Hyperion books are indeed amazing works of sci-fi. It turns out that Mr. Simmons also dabbles in horror, and very good horror at that.

Saul Laski, a Jew, is trapped in the horror of Auschwitz. He has the misfortune of encountering SS Oberst von Borchert, who has the ability to take over a person's mind and completely control them. Thus, we are introduced to a rather unique type of vampire - a "vampire" that feeds on controlling minds.

The story then fast-forwards to 1980, and we are introduced to a powerful trio of these creatures: Willi, Nina, and Melanie. They have been acquaintances for centuries and play a game where they use mortal pawns to commit heinous acts for points and then meet up to tally the results. This is the premise that kicks off the story, and it proves to be a truly crazy one. It combines elements of horror, spy novels, mystery, and even adventure. It may sound strange that a book can have all these elements, but this one most certainly does.

As the story progresses and an elderly Dr. Laski sets out to hunt down his past demon, he stumbles upon a vast conspiracy where a cabal of powerful "vampires" aims to play the game on a global scale. To stop this threat, Dr. Laski embarks on a strange adventure, accompanied by Natalie Preston, a young woman whose father was murdered by one of these vampire games. They must face not only the vampires but also their pawns.

This is a very interesting premise and a great story. The ending was also quite surprising and I really appreciated it. It is a fine example of Mr. Simmon's horror writing skills. The story is vast and exciting. The "vampire" Willi Borden (SS Oberst Wilhelm Von Borchert) is a truly evil character and stands out for his particular level of cruelty.

An interesting story and cool characters make for an excellent horror story. Far better than the typical horror fare, this one will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you appreciate all the twists and turns. As a fan of vampire or vampire-like creatures, I really enjoyed this Simmon's horror novel. I will definitely read the rest of his horror novels. Highly recommended to any horror fan.

There is no doubt that Simmons is a great storyteller. He has the ability to write in a variety of genres, most notably horror, historical, and science fiction. What makes his writing truly remarkable is his skill for creating incredibly human characters in realistic situations. His words flow very well, and his pacing is to my liking.

However, my main problem with this book is its length. I'm willing to bet money that most people have said the same. There were simply too many perspectives and too many attempts to endear the reader to characters who may or may not survive (more than likely not). All of this needed greater space, which led to the details stretching on and on at times.

If you enjoy such books, then I can highly recommend this one. I once enjoyed such books myself, with the motto "the longer the better!" being my mantra in middle/high school many years ago. This book brought all of those youthful feelings associated with that motto back as well, especially since the story takes place in the '80s. That's a decade I would rather forget. I first read King's It and The Stand in those days and was blown away. However, my rating for those books would be a bit different if I were to read them today. This is at least in part to blame for why I no longer read Stephen King. I'm afraid that my feelings for Simmons are now the same. The respect will always be there, but no longer the desire to read his books.

What I'm getting at is that the formula for these types of grand good vs. evil epics is fairly predictable, and I no longer find predictability as comforting as I once did. I remember being impressed and surprised as a child. Now, I'm only impressed, as I will not belittle the talent needed to weave a story such as Carrion Comfort. But as a reader, I desperately want to be surprised. Maybe this book was surprising when first published. If so, then the book is not surviving the test of time.

I also wish the book had delved deeper into the why of everything. I liked the parts of the book discussing violence, but the topic was never taken as far as I wanted. The surface was only skimmed. Simmons seems to have researched a good many things to accurately include in this book, but I wanted more psychological questions raised, if not answered. I wanted a book that made me think more than this one did.

Yet, the book does deserve points for making me tear up more than a handful of times. Most horror fans will enjoy this as long as they have the time and patience to do so and are not looking for something completely unlike anything else they have read.

5 Stars... clearly, Ja?

I must say that after reading this book, I am in a complete mess both in appearance and mentally. I am utterly spent. This book has truly worn me out. It was a thrilling ride of the highest caliber, and it creeped me out throughout the entire process. I don't want to give away any details and provide spoilers. I'm afraid that 'someone' might find this out and play a mind-game on me.

This book is about mind-control and vampirism that not only drains your life essence but also your very soul. It's about having absolute power over individuals, perhaps entire cities or communities, and most definitely the entire world. Will they succeed? I don't know. But I feel like I need an aluminum helmet like in "Signs" to keep 'ME' being me.

So, if this intrigues you to take the plunge and use this book for entertainment, don't say I didn't warn you... or did I? I can't seem to remember.

Below review is from my first read.

Five words that I never thought I would say: "Couldn't it have been longer?". Seriously, for someone who dreads a book that passes the 600 page mark, I should have been absolutely dying over this 900 page monster. But this is one of those rare horror books that manages to maintain the suspense and horror over the course of the book. Long books often make it difficult for the author to maintain suspense without the story dragging. However, I found that Simmons managed to maintain a fairly consistent level of suspense. In 884 pages and 39:32 of audio, I was never once bored. Another truly impressive thing was that he created some of the most harrowing scenes I've ever read in a horror book but he never relied on gore to do it. Chess? Yes, I will never look at chess the same way again.

Much of the suspense of the story is in how it develops so I don't want to give a synopsis. I'll just say that there are these really bad dudes (and dudettes) that are able to control the actions of other people. Over the course of the book they're eventually called "mind vampires". One of the bad guys does use this for sexual violence so there are definitely triggers in this, but it did only happen at the beginning and then the story became much larger and more complex and he wasn't in the book enough for it to be a consistent issue.

A horror book with only one disemboweling and characters that redefine sadism. It was a very solid 4 stars and easily pushing 4.5. A truly fantastic book and now I want to read anything Simmons has written. EDIT: I'm increasing the rating to 5 stars. I'm comparing it to all of my monthly reads and I have several 5 star reads, yet this was my favorite read of all of them.

What a snide bore!

Dan Simmons is admittedly hit or miss with me most of the time. His works are usually like a beautiful person who is 20 kilos overweight and has a bad habit of nose-picking. This is his first work I've read that isn't beautiful in any sense for the following reasons:

It's not scary. It's an unrealistic thriller with too high a body count to make one care. The premise of the 'psychic vampires' is mildly unsettling to think about, but linking such unrealistic ideas to real historical events makes the work flimsy. The story fails to create a sense of genuine terror or engage the reader on an emotional level.

It's poorly researched. Although Simmons seemed to be arguing via Sheriff Gentry that his book is just 'good junk', the slander he levelled at Armia Krajowa during WWII is morally repulsive. Apparently Simmons is content with Soviet propaganda for his sources. There's even a part where a character describes another as being 'right to Atilla the Hun' based on his vehement opposition to the USSR (which amassed a higher body count than Hitler's Germany). This shows a lack of respect for historical accuracy and a willingness to distort facts for the sake of the story.

In the vein of morally repulsive scenes, the masturbatory rapes made me want to wretch, and they have contaminated all the other female centric scenes in his other books. There's a decent way to handle rape and make it terrifying. These were just grossly explicit and seemed gratuitous. They added nothing to the story and only served to shock and disgust the reader.

I remember once telling a ghost story about a carousel to my sisters. The moment I lost them? When I decided to describe each horse in detail. We needn't know what every gang member, passerby, room, or shopping trip looks like. I think Stephen King said the editor is always right. Simmons's editor needs to win more often. The book could have benefited from tighter editing and a more focused narrative. There are too many unnecessary details that detract from the overall story.

So who could like this? Paranoid Democrats with secret rape fantasies might get a few kicks out of it. Otherwise, this book has no right to claim so much of any one's time. It's a disappointment and a waste of paper. I would not recommend it to anyone.

This is a briskly-paced supernatural thriller that delves into the themes of mind control and the power to manipulate the world around us.

Despite the potential richness of the multi-leveled subject matter and the wide-ranging narrative that spans from World War 2 Germany to present-day Hollywood and numerous locales in between, it unfortunately comes across as rather one-dimensional.

The novel and several of its characters have an obsession with chess, which does lead to some intriguing action sequences. While it contains several wonderfully creepy set-pieces, overall, it leans more towards being action-oriented than horror.

This is Simmons' second book, and perhaps that's the reason for the occasionally stilted writing and the evident need for an editor.

Amidst all the third-person narratives, the single first-person strand is from one of the villainous'mind vampires'. This allows for some enjoyably tricky twists of perspective during various tense and loaded scenes. It also plays a crucial role in creating a devious and punchy ending.

Besides being an interesting narrative tool, I believe this character is the novel's main strength. She is a highly ironic portrayal of a vicious, racist, murderous, insanely self-absorbed, semi-senile southern belle. Yet, she manages to be somewhat sympathetic and surprisingly funny, especially when she details her prudish and judgmental view of modern society. What a bitch! But not just any bitch - a mind-controlling bitch who will stop at nothing to get you and all your loved ones if you dare to stand in her way. Just imagine if prudish, semi-senile southern belles had control over your mind and body... shudder. The possibilities are truly terrifying.

Yeah, I'm not even a quarter of the way in, and there have already been two lovingly described extensive rape scenes.

Seriously, Dan Simmons, I'm going to stop you right there.

Moreover, there are a few too many female characters being described in a rather odd way, with an overemphasis on their breasts.

We aren't all constantly hyper aware of our breasts at every single moment.

What on earth is wrong with some male writers?

It seems like they have a strange fixation or an inability to write female characters in a more natural and respectful way.

These kinds of descriptions not only make the reading experience uncomfortable but also seem to perpetuate some rather unflattering and inaccurate stereotypes about women.

It's high time that writers, especially male writers, start to be more conscious of how they depict female characters and avoid such gratuitous and inappropriate content.

Yes, I am re-reading this book again.

I think this will be the fourth time, but the first time in English.

Lots of killing and lots of sex. Yay.

One of my all-time favorite books. I've read it about three times in Dutch and now finally have an English copy.

This book is about vampires, but not the normal kind. These are mental vampires. They can take control of your mind and body, and I love it!

(Oops, just discovered I have written in the book the day I received it. On 1991 Sinterklaas day in my country.)

Update November 16.

Got an ebook version now as well, so it might be time soon perhaps to read my beloved Carrion Comfort for the fourth time?

I do recall it took me a bit to get into the story, so do not give up. It is like a SK story.

Love, love, love it. This book truly has a unique charm. The concept of mental vampires is both fascinating and thrilling. It keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire reading experience. The vivid descriptions and well-developed characters make it easy to immerse yourself in the story. I can't wait to read it again and discover new details and nuances that I might have missed before.

On the cover of the Kindle edition I own of this book, it states:

“Dark…Macabre…Epic horror in the tradition of King’s The Stand.” — San Francisco Chronicle.

I have read The Stand and truly enjoyed it. I can somewhat understand where the San Francisco Chronicle is coming from, but Carrion Comfort is distinct enough to hold its own…and even better. While reading The Stand, I was entertained and had my thoughts provoked in certain places. However, with Carrion Comfort, I was flipping through this thick book twice as fast as The Stand, or at least it felt that way with all its twists, turns, tangles, cluster fucks, and questions.

While The Stand is the game played between God and the Devil and its psychic aspect stems from these higher forces, Carrion Comfort is about humans with the Ability. The Ability to control the actions of others. It commences with a Jewish man, Saul, as a teenager in a concentration camp and his first encounter with someone having the Ability, a Nazi officer…

The story then proceeds to introduce a plethora of other characters, all very well-developed, even if their roles were small. I was highly impressed with Simmons's characterization. There are characters to loathe, love, and those that make you feel like you shouldn't have certain feelings. The plot was also something I admire about this writer. There are so many threads in this story, and he did an amazing job of keeping track of them and making it understandable to readers.

This novel涵盖了不仅是善与恶的概念，还有正义与复仇、支配与服从、种族问题、爱情、道德和死亡。

I would rate it Five Stars + One.