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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN num: 9780843957600
ISBN number: 0843957603
Label: Dorchester Publishing Company
Manufacturer: Dorchester Publishing Company
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 340
Printing Date: January 30, 2007
Publishing house: Dorchester Publishing Company
Sale Popularity Level: 192713
Studio: Dorchester Publishing Company
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Rated by buyers 
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Dead Souls by Michael Laimo is an example of how someone can mistranslate sections of the bible and come up with disastrous results. The writing is much better and the prose is smoother that the previous novel that I read, "Deep in the Darkness". The main plot is Benjamin Conroy's obsession with resurrection and the possibilities. I could say more, but I prefer to avoid any possible spoilers. There are also a couple sub plots, one dealing with the main protagonist's life living with a very religious mother, the history of the house that he is the sole heir of, and another that may reveal too much.
In this book, Mr. Laimo switches back and forth every other chapter to tell his tale during two different time frames. To some, this may be a turn off as the book jumps back and forth every chapter, but for me it was not so. The chapters are really short and only deal with two different situations at a time and so this actually did not hurt the flow of the story and helped a lot to enhance the suspense and made me want to keep reading to see what was going to happen next. The character development was well placed and since the story in both time frames only spans a few days, so even though there was not a lot of development, what there was made sense and didn't miss out or put too much in. The characters themselves didn't seem one dimensional and so I was actually able to connect with a few of them and also feel some sympathy towards them.
Now, if you are a person who only likes a little bit of gore in your horror novels, then this one is not for you. This book, once the initial setting and story arc get moving, is full of gore and does not pull any punches. It is just one thing after another and the gore is so detailed that you could see it, smell it and feel it all around you.
Some criticisms:
1. I like to have quite a bit of gore in my horror novels, but in this case it actually seemed too much and took away from the story in the sense that it just never seemed to end and became a bit boring reading about it. The gore just went on and on because there was so much of it.
2. This has nothing to do with the author. Once again this book also comes with an order form smack dab in the middle of the book, but this time I made sure that I tore out only the order form and not one of the pages.
Some positives:
1. The suspense. The way that the story was separated into the small chapters and ending a chapter at a critical moment. There were times that I was only going to read a few chapters and then go to bed and I found myself still reading ten chapters later.
2. The flow was a lot better and I didn't find myself having to stop and reread anything. Mr. Laimo was able to continually choose the right words to keep everything alive.
3. Even with only a few days advancing in the storyline, Mr. Laimo was still able to add just the right amount of character development and also was able to create the feelings in the reader to be able to connect with
the characters I was reading about.
Overall, I was very satisfied that I purchased this novel and glad that I have read it. I will not say that I am a complete fan yet, but I am still curious to read his other novels and see how he may be able to entertain me more. If you love to read about blood and gore, then this is a novel for you. There is not a lot of sex and nudity in it but when he gets you to the sex part, it is no holds barred. As for being scary, well, it is hard to read anything that is actually scary to the point of nightmares or even looking over ones shoulder anymore, so for me, no, nothing really scary. I would have chosen 3 1/2 stars if it was offered so I had to choose 4 because it was definitely better than average.
If a movie version was to be made it would be rated R/NC-17 for Graphic Violence, Explicit Blood and Gore, Adult Situations, Adult Language, Nudity, and Strong Sexual Content, (there is a part with a sexual scene that is described in this book to the point of being X-rated or more)
Rated by buyers -
'Dead Souls' had me gripped within the very first 30 pages and kept me compulsively reading right until the very end. The alternating chapters of 1988 and 2005 provide the background to current circumstances and help to build a great deal of suspense that grows as 18 year old Johnny Petrie returns to claim his inheritance...and gradually learns the truth about his destiny. There's gore aplenty in scene after gruesome scene. A solid writer, Laimo is blessed with a fantastic imagination. He's also skilled at creating a wonderfully menacing mood as well as painting a bloody portrait with words. Horror fans will not be disappointed. A perfect vacation read.
Rated by buyers -
Dead Souls was my very first Laimo book, I wasn't sure what to expect because I have been lucky so far with some of the new horror authors I have tried, and I feared I was pushing my luck. This was a very fast read at the standard Leisure horror length of 330 pages and can easily be read in an evening. The writing style is simple and straight forward, and the verbiage is standard enough that you won't need to whip out your thesaurus.
Short Summary: We have two tales going on simultaneously in the book, 18 years apart. Johnny Petri just turned 18, and longs to break away from his controlling religious zealot mother and his loafing father who pays no attention to him. Johnny suddenly gets his chance when he receives a letter from an attorney stating that he has a large inheritance for him to come and claim now that he is 18. Meanwhile - 18 years earlier, Benjamin Conroy has enlisted his family to help him perform a ritual that he believes will secure their everlasting lives, allowing them to return as saviors the same as Jesus. Things begin to go awry and Benjamin turns out to be a little more out there than we previously thought. Several deaths later (in both times) Johnny finds himself fast approaching the Conroy house, and the evil that has remained within it's walls.
First I would like to compliment Laimo for his masterful way of switching back and forth between the two times in the book. Many authors have tried it and most fail by giving away too much in one time or another which erases the tension in the other half of the book. (Example - Dan Simmons "Fires of Eden" the diary gives away everything that is about to happen in the regular time) Laimo handles this masterfully, leaping back and forth between the two tales, giving enough of a hint to make the reader suspicious of what will happen but never laying it out in their lap. The story weaves tightly around the religiously insane, one who believes he has unlocked the secrets hidden deep within the Bible, the other who lives in panic and terror, hiding behind their belief like a security blanket. Now even though the religiously insane are the focal point and driving force of the novel, this book never ventures too deeply into actual religion. There is a strong message about those who seek so deeply in their religion for something to make them special that they become mislead, misguided, and easily manipulated by the darker forces in the world.
Now many have said that this is a very gory book, I didn't find it to be over the top, or gruesomely described, but then again I have read hundreds of horror books, so I'm a bit jaded when it comes to the gore level. There is also some sex in this book, but it isn't a major feature, and the descriptions don't come anywhere near a Laymon book.
What did I not like about this book? Two things, very first the editor needed one more read through before publishing... there are a few small typos and one instance that really threw me where Johnny was referred to as Eddie. Second the ending is very hurried, and the climax becomes a bit muddled to the point of my needing to re-read a paragraph or two to figure out exactly what was transpiring and make sure I hadn't missed anything. The ending wasn't bad, but it could have used a little reworking because there were so many characters in a small space, amidst chaos that I kept wondering - okay so these two are fighting, what are the rest of them doing? Just standing around and watching?
On the whole this book was a fairly fun read, it's quick and rather mindless. I didn't feel that it pushed the envelope in any sense, but it was entertaining. If you've read through all of your other horror books and don't know where to go next, give this one a shot, Laimo won't be for everyone but I do know that I will read more by him.
Rated by buyers 
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The very first word that comes to mind after reading this book is "WOW". From the beginning up to the very end it was non stop horror with a plot that kept getting more and more interesting as you turned to the subsequent page.
I honestly didnt think I would ever read a book as good as the Demonologist... until I read this book. This is the perfect book that I cound enjoy viewing as a movie and could see it receiving an Oscar.
Its a shame that there arent other authors out there whom put the same amount of effort,hard work, and thought into creating a well written masterpiece as well as Michael Laimo only seems able to do.
Tomorrow I will be starting Fires Rising....psyched about that one!
Rated by buyers -
This book gives the true meaning to "edge of your seat"!! From the beginning to the end it is full of twists and turns!! The way Michael describes the people and places really make you feel connected to each and every character!! It was very hard for me to put this book down once I started! I highly recommend any book written by this very talented writer!
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