The Tomb (Adversary Cycle/Repairman Jack)

Book Description

Much to the chagrin of his girlfriend, Gia, Repairman Jack doesn't deal with electronic appliances-he fixes situations for people, situations that usually involve putting himself in deadly danger. His latest project is recovering a stolen necklace, which carries with it an ancient curse that may unleash a horde of Bengali demons. Jack is used to danger, but this time Gia's daughter Vicky is threatened. Can Jack overcome the curse of the yellow necklace and bring Vicky safely back home?

Customer Reviews:

Best novel I've ever read.......2007-04-02

Way back in 1984, I picked up this book and couldn't put it down until it was finished. It's the best horror novel I've ever read. It's one of those books that only a skilled storyteller could write.

Superb!

A CURSE FROM THE PAST INVADES THE PRESENT..........2006-11-24

The horror genre is enriched by this book, which is inventive and original. Though the book is plot, rather than character, driven, it does not suffer for its lack of character development. The reader is kept too busy thinking about the plot to worry unduly about character development. Such is the power of this unusual and compelling horror story.

The plot is relatively simple. The horror reaches out across the world from India to the United States. A heinous defilement and murders by British soldiers in a temple in mid-nineteenth century India unleashes a curse that is to follow the descendants of the leader of the attack. Coupled with that curse is an entourage of creatures of unimaginable horror that have once again risen to do the bidding of one who would avenge past wrongs. With great power, however, comes great responsibility.

Enter Repairman Jack, a man who works to right what once went wrong and who earns his living by his wits and by his ability to defend himself to the death, if necessary. If one has a problem, he will fix it. When he agrees to help a one-armed Indian gentleman, Kusum Bahkti, retrieve a necklace that is a priceless family heirloom, he soon discovers just how priceless it is.

Jack suddenly finds himself thrust into the middle of a series of almost inexplicable events. Besieged by mysterious disappearances, rank odors, unusual substances of Indian origin, he finds that the necklace holds the key to an ancient horror. He then comes up against the most formidable foes he has ever encountered. He must find a way to vanquish some pretty hellish creatures or risk losing those whom he loves.

Highly original and inventive, this is a pretty well written horror story that should keep even the most jaded of readers turning its pages. It is also the book that introduced Repairman Jack, a popular character that would go on to have a series of books revolve around him.

Repairman Jack's first book.......2006-11-02

Repairman Jack could be described as a fixer - you got problem and for a fee, he can fix it, or a champion of the oppressed - you can't afford a fee, we'll work something out. To the government he doesn't exist. He has never collected a paycheck and has never paid income tax. He has no credit, no credit cards, no FICO score, has never voted, has no social security card, has never been arrested, has no driver's license or passport (at least in his real name). In short, he works outside the system totally under the radar.

Jack has a fiancee named Gia, who has a nine year old daughter named Vickey. She doesn't approve of what Jack does but Jack has saved both their lives on more than one occasion, so she grudgingly accepts his occupation. Jack is crazy about both of them and Vickey idolizes Jack.

More about Jack

Jack is average in every way - average height, weight, looks, hair and eyes and clothes. Since Jacks works within an underground society he works at blending in, being non descript if you will but that's where all similarities to an average man end.

Jack is tough as nails. When he doesn't have a client he works out and practices martial arts. Jack is deadly in a fight and is afraid of no one. Has Jack beat anyone up? You bet. Has he killed anyone? Only those who deserved it and even then, reluctantly. Jack has friends in low places like the intractable, Abe, proprietor of a sporting goods store that is a front for an armory, both legal and illegal weapons. The more you read him the more you decide that Jack is a very interesting fellow.

The Tomb

Jack can be your worst nightmare but as nightmares go, everything is relative and Jack takes second fiddle in this book!

Jack Meets a lovely but troubled woman named Gia. She has an adolescent daughter named Vicky. Jack grows to love Gia and Vicky. He would lay down his life for either and in this story he almost does.

Vicky's father (who's divorced and not in the book) has the surname Wesphalen and hence Vicky's is Wesphalen. None believe it but the Wesphalen family is living under a curse, precipitated by the murderous acts committed by an unnamed, greedy ancestor over a hundred years ago in India.

Kusum Bhakti, an East Indian priest of a tiny sect that worships the bloodthirsty deity Kali and his sister Kolobati are descendants of the victims of the atrocities perpetrated by this elder Wesphalen. They have come to New York City to carry out their vendetta and wipe out the rest of the Westphalen line. Kusum has brought with him the Rakoshi, vicious, flesh eating monsters, to accomplish this horrible undertaking.

Rakoshi are huge (over eight feet tall) hideous, malodorous, perversions of the humanity created eons ago.

Coincidently, Kusum hires Jack to locate the thief that mugged his aged grandmother and stole a necklace which is a family heirloom. Jacks thinks lightning just might strike twice so he dresses up like an old lady and sure enough our perp. attacks him. Jack quickly turns the tables and after a couple broken bones convinces the perp. to relinquish his ill gotten gains. Funny thing, the perp. claims the victim was young.

In fact, the aged grandmother is Kolobati, Kusum's younger sister and both of them are almost 150 years old. They maintain their young appearance because of the necklaces they wear (the family heirlooms) and of course when the mugger took the necklace, Kolobati began to age immediately.

When Jack returns with the necklace, Kusum is ecstatic and Jack walks away a few thousand richer and now has to visit Gia and Vicky. Gia called while Jack was on the Mugger case and needed to see him.

Gia Westphalen, who is a freelance commercial artist, had broken off her relationship with Jack after accidentally discovering his real occupation but decided to call Jack anyway, when one of Vicky's two aunts disappeared.

She's decided Jacks line of work, which she abhors and is the reason she broke with Jack, might be helpful to locate the Aunt. Unfortunately the aunt is long gone and the other aunt is next and Jack and Gia get dragged into a battle with Kusum and supernatural creatures, the Rakoshi to save the last remaining Wesphalen - Vicky

Conclusion

Not for the faint of heart, this story gets quite scary as our hero Jack must confront the apparently insane, murderous Kusum and his nest of monsters in order to save Vicky.

Wilson does introduce some homey, risible moments into the story, through Jack and a couple friends of his. For instance, Julio owns a bar which sometimes substitutes for Jacks office. Julio's Bar (Julio's) has dozens of dead potted ferns located around the bar because he thinks it will keep the yuppies away. Abe owns a pawnshop which is also Jacks armory. While Jack is somewhat upbeat, Abe is kind dour and pessimistic, always predicting a financial or a social catastrophe and he always seems to have a spot of ketchup or mustard on his shirt. Wilson uses moments of levity to lighten the overall darkness of the story.

The Tomb is an excellent fast paced read that I personally have read four times. Wilson's writing is very reader friendly and fast moving, though he does digress occasionally. The novel is fast paced and seems to cover a lot of ground in just over 400 pages. Wilson seems to be a natural storyteller. In this and other novels I have read by him, he draws you in and makes you terrified for our hero and his loved ones. For horror fans this is essential reading!!!!

This novel has ultimately been listed as one of six books that form the Adversary Cycle. I don't think it started out that way but it ended up that way. It and "The Touch" are self contained reads that can be taken that way with no further reading; however they should be read sometime before reading the final book of the series "Nightworld".

Repairman Jack's first adventure.......2006-09-16

WARNING: SPOILERS APLENTY!

A successful series character can be both a blessing and a curse. While authors desire the economic rewards that come from creating such a character, they sometimes grow tired of revisiting their children, often wishing (and even writing) them dead (the most famous example being Sherlock Holmes' plunge over the Reichenbach Falls). Perversely, a series both lowers and raises readers' expectations. Fans crave new thrills, but resist radical changes to characters they've grown fond of.

F. Paul Wilson understands this dichotomy, and so has handled his most popular creation, the enigmatic Repairman Jack, very carefully. For years, the author was down right stingy in using the character, limiting his appearances to a handful of short stories and two novels (THE TOMB and NIGHTWORLD). Then, in 1997, he published LEGACIES, the first of several novels which account for the time that elapsed between those two novels.

Jack conceals his identity from the authorities, choosing to operate in the shadows--he earns his living as a fixer, a professional who solves problems for a fee. Jack is a tough, creative individual, a man with a touch of the adventurer in him, a combination of Travis McGee, Dirk Pitt, and Alan Quartermain. The pragmatic repairman does what he must to
resolve problems, and will kill an adversary without regret if necessary.

Initially, I saw Jack as a distant cousin to John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee. When I questioned Wilson on this point, he acknowledged the similarity, but said that Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu stories had a far more direct influence on the books. Once stated, the resemblance is obvious, especially in relation to THE TOMB. Wilson cannily updates Rohmer's pulpish notions, creating equally evil, but far more realistic villains for Jack. Instead of the stereotype of the inhuman, inscrutable Chinese (Rohmer called Fu Manchu "The Devil's agent on earth!"), Wilson uses Indians and Arabs, real human beings with plausible motivations and real emotions. In THE TOMB, Kusum's sister Kolabati is an analog for Fah Lo Suee, Fu Manchu's sexy daughter. Jack himself is a stand in for Nayland Smith, a brash American who shares many of that adventurer's finer qualities.

In THE TOMB, Jack faces two dilemmas, one fantastic, the other more mundane. Jack, who, since his first repair job at the age of eleven has gained a substantial reputation for his effectiveness and discretion, is hired by an Indian diplomat named Kusum Bahkti to find the man who mugged his mother for a necklace she was wearing. Jack succeeds in this quest, returning the jewelry, little realizing the profound effect this repair Job will have on his life.

Jack's other problem involves his girlfriend Gia DiLauro, who only recently discovered the true nature of his "consulting" business. Shocked, she confronts him, leaving him when he refuses to give up his odd way of life. When Gia's Aunt Grace disappears, however, she reluctantly seeks Jack's assistance. Jack's search for the old woman leads him back to Kusum and his sister Kolabati, who are pursuing an ancient vendetta against Gia's in-laws, the Westphalens.

Aiding Kusum in his quest for vengeance are the Rakoshi, a savage race of monsters whose ferocity is only exceeded by their viciousness. Over the decades, Kusum and his kin have used the Rakoshi to exterminate the Westphalen family, until only Gia's aunts and Gia's daughter Vicky remain. At the conclusion of The Tomb, Jack is forced to battle dozens of these merciless creatures to rescue Vicky, the last Westphalen, who is like a daughter to him.

THE TOMB ends with Jack dazed and bleeding in his apartment, too weak to summon assistance. Jack survived, and subsequently appeared in several short stories and in NIGHTWORLD, part of Wilson's legendary Adversary cycle. Jack returned to center stage after many years in 1997's LEGACIES and has made almost annual appearances ever since. Each entry in the series is well written, deftly plotted, and well worth your time.

I have found a new favorite author!!.......2006-09-12

What a powerhouse storyteller! I was enthralled from beginning to end! Repairman Jack is one of the best thought out and interesting characters I have come across in a long time. All the characters in this book are believable and well developed. The story itself flows along at a perfect pace. I plan on reading the whole series!!

Essential Tomb of Dracula, Vol. 4 (Marvel Essentials)

Average customer rating:

Graphic SF Reader
Surprisingly good.
Reprinting all of Marvel's black & white "Dracula" stories

Essential Tomb of Dracula, Vol. 4 (Marvel Essentials)
Marv Wolfman , Steve Gerber , Doug Moench , Gerry Conway , Gene Colan , and Tony Isabella
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0785117091

Book Description

The Essential Tomb of Dracula series continues featuring tales of Dracula through the ages - from when he first became a vampire and eventually Lord of the Undead to his resurfacing in modern times. Collects stories from Tomb of Dracula Magazine #2, 4-6, Dracula Lives! #1-13 and Frankenstein Monster #7-9.

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

The end of the Tomb of Dracula series is contained in this volume. There are other things like Dracula magazines and other bits and pieces put in to fill it out.

Note that it has been discovered that the excellent original artwork has been altered and censored in some cases. That sort of prudishness in very disappointing in something that was always aimed at adults.

Surprisingly good........2006-10-02

This volume could be suspected of being solely for completists, since it reprints little-known short stories from Marvel's many horror mags. In fact, before reading it, I feared it might feel like a lot of inventory material. I was quite happy to be proven wrong.

Editorial care was taken to present these stories in chronological order, giving them a biographical flavor (we follow Dracula from the late XVth century to the present). The artwork is unequal, but we're treated to some good work by Neal Adams, John Buscema and Alan Lee Weis, by many Filipino artists whose art never looks so good as in black and white, by a young Paul Gulacy and by Dracula's best illustrator ever, Gene Colan.

This final Essential Dracula tome can not compete with the previous three, since they presented the brilliant run of the main Dracula title by Wolfman and Colan; however, it certainly makes a welcome companion. And as ever, at the price, it's a bargain.

Reprinting all of Marvel's black & white "Dracula" stories.......2005-05-10

I was surprised there was a Volume 4 of the "Essential Tomb of Dracula" because once they got to the end of the run of the Marvel comic book mostly written by Marv Wolfman and drawn by Gene Colan, I figured that was it. But there were some black & white magazines being put out at the same time and it is largely the Dracula stories from those titles that are collected here. However, there is also the original pencil art for the pages that Wolfman and Colan had to excise from "Tomb of Dracula" #70 when the finale was finally decided to be a double-issue. Half the pages have dialogue and there is an issue break, so you can have some fun figuring where these pages would have gone. But at least fans of the comic book get a little something new here even if they are familiar with all of the reprints.

What we have in Volume are stories from issues #2-6 of "Tomb of Dracula" magazine, "Dracula Lives" #1-13, and "Frankenstein Monster" #7-9. However, the neat thing about this collection is that the stories are, for the most part, arranged "chronologically" according to the "life" of Dracula. After an article on "Bloodline: A Probable Outline of the Career of Count Vlad Dracula" compiled by Peter Gillis we go back to 1452 with the Marvel origin of the character in "That Dracula May Live Again" by Marv Wolfman and Neal Adams. There are six stories from the 15th century, another dozen before Stoker's "Dracula" in 1890, a three-part encounter with the Frankenstein Monster in 1898 (already reprinted in the "Essential Monster of Frankenstein"), and then 20th century stories from 1903, 1926, and 1944 (the Nazis meet Dracula) before we get to "Today" and the final eleven stories.

This is an uneven collection of stories, which is to be expected with other Marvel writers and artists getting into the act in telling Dracula stories. The best of the bunch are "Sanctuary" by Roger McKenzie and Colon, the Adams drawn story mentioned above, "Suffer Not a Witch" by Roy Thomas with art by Alan Weiss and Dick Giordano, the Civil War tale "A House Divided" by James Shooter and Colan (okay, any time Colan draws a Dracula story it just looks so much better than, say, Frank Robbins), the short "Bounty for a Vampire" by Tony Isabell and Tony DeZeuniga," and "A Night in the Unlife" by Gerry Conway and Alfredo Alcala." But "This Blood Is Mine," a story that has Dracula meeting up with the Countess Elizabeth Bathory, is particularly disappointing as do most of the attempts to introduce the Count into a particular time and place (e.g., the Fascist Rome of 1926 passing for gangland Chicago).

This has to be the last volume in the collection and it certainly qualifies as complete from my perspective. I appreciate having "The Tomb of Dracula" completed, but if they would just get further along with the "Essential Fantastic Four," "Essential Thor," and "Essential Daredevil" I could be even happier.

Tomb of Horrors (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Module S1) (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons)

Average customer rating:

Classic Meatgrinder Module
Holy house of horrors, Batman!
A classic
SURVIVOR MEETS D&D
rough diamond

Tomb of Horrors (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Module S1) (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons)
Gary Gygax
Manufacturer: Tsr, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0935696121

Customer Reviews:

Classic Meatgrinder Module.......2006-02-16

Two editions of Tomb of Horrors exist: The 1978 Monochrome cover, and the 1981 Color cover. Both are essentially the same inside, with a 12-page module and 20-page illustration booklet, with much of the art done by the late David C. Sutherland III. Both editions share the same ISBN.

The adventure's reputation speaks for itself. Suffice it to say that Horrors is more suitable as a one-shot tournament module using the pre-rolled characters in the back.

Wayne Gralian
Wayne's World of Books

Holy house of horrors, Batman!.......2004-06-21

"Nice work Boy Wonder. Now if I can only reach inside my batbelt and pull out my......lucky d20."

Come no further all you pretenders with your bloated 3rd edition characters. This one is the biggy, the real test of your metal. A legendary necropolis filled with traps and deadly foes. Game Masters, do you ever have that sickening feeling when your regular crew of faithful characters are woefully outmatched? It is here in abundance. Never has a Game Master had such perverse pleasure; I hate to see grown men cry.

A classic.......2003-12-04

Dnugeons and Dragons (D&D) has been around since the 1970's, but for all the books and accessories and modules that have been published by TSR and Wizards of the Coast the standard by which all are judged is this one: S1 The Tomb of horrors.

This module was first written by none other than Gary Gygax, the man who brought fantasy roleplaying onto the bookshelves and into the mainstream. He carried it around in his briefcase (so I've heard) to bring out should any players he encountered think they could handle any challenge. The deviousness, the subtely, the pure lethality of the traps and pitfalls in this module transcend the hack-and-slash so many players expect when they think of a "killer module". Sure, any player will die one-on-one against a dragon, but this module gives the players a chance to _think_ and get past the traps and snares on their own merit, not just by the luck of the dice.

This module is for "role" playing, not "roll" playing. If you can get your hands on a copy of this classic treasure, do so. It makes Grimtooth's traps look like child's play. Beware...

SURVIVOR MEETS D&D.......2002-03-13

The Tomb of Horrors is one of TSR's first adventure modules for the Advanced Dungeond and Dragons Game. Its reputation comes from the fact that this dungeon crawl is filled with so many diabolic traps that you probably need at least 16 people, and see who will be the last one standing. If you are not sliced or diced by the few monsters within, you will probably be crushed, thrown into a lava, turned to green slime, killed by poison gas, blown up by a gem, or worse, get soul sucked by the demi-lich at the end.

The fact that this dungeon is so lethal also points out its weaknesses. The fact that NO SAVING THROW ALLOWED is one of the most repeated phrases in the adventure should tell you a lot. In the end, when you do meet the main villain of the piece, it can only be destroyed by what seems to be a random set of spells and circumstances.

This module is best played with pregenerated characters rather than the one you have played with for a while and have grown quite attached to. Because unless the DM is kind hearted and tone it down and allow saving throws, be prepared for a high body count.

rough diamond.......2002-01-07

I'm sorry to degrade something considered by many to be a classic, but I didn't really like this one at all... It is so obviously one of the earliest modules and it shows. Poor background (since it was a tournament module), far too many instances where the PC's are killed off without any saving throw, and the final assault on Acererak is just a bit too contrived. It's too much like an assortment of traps to cut high level characters down to size, loosely wrapped around a premise of the tomb of a lich. Worth hunting down for interest's sake, but would take a lot of tinkering to play in 2002 I think.

Mondo Macabro : Weird & Wonderful Cinema Around the World

Average customer rating:

Mondo Macabro go go!
A Film Junkie's Dream!
Foreign Film as you have never seen it before!

Mondo Macabro : Weird & Wonderful Cinema Around the World
Peter Tombs
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Immoral Tales: European Sex & Horror Movies, 1956-1984

ASIN: 0312187483

Amazon.com

"Sometimes it feels like there's nothing left to discover. Bookshelves bend under the weight of tomes devoted to all things 'cult,' 'B,' or obscure. Films you might once have crossed town to see now turn up on new video labels every week. [But] for those who still value the shock of the new, the special kind of thrill that comes from confronting previously unsung greatness, ... there are plenty of strange new worlds left to explore.... Mondo Macabro is a peek into the treasure trove of fifty years of film from around the world. We've sifted through the dross and picked out the dusty jewels."

Those who enjoy horror movies, and bizarre movies of all types, will find Peter Tombs's Mondo Macabro: Weird and Wonderful Cinema Around the World a welcome companion on the shelf next to their (and Cathal Tohill's) Immoral Tales: European Sex & Horror Movies 1956-1984. With the help of three other writers (Giovanni Scognamillo, Diego Curubeto, and David Wilt), Tombs gives us an overflowing cornucopia of well-written descriptions of movies made in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Turkey, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Japan. Each section provides film-historical background on the individual countries and studios, a handy folklore primer on the indigenous monsters and myths that appear in the films, plenty of movie stills and poster art, and portraits of important personalities such as Brazil's José Mojica Marins (creator of the infamous evil persona Zé do Caixão, a.k.a. Coffin Joe).

As horror-fantasy writer Ian McDowell writes, "The sheer range of bizarre cinema that Tombs covers is amazing. My only serious cavil involves his first chapter, one of three on Hong Kong cinema. I know that he leaves the mainstream fare to others, but he still makes some odd statements about the timing of the golden age of Chinese martial arts films."

Best of all, Tombs prizes the pungent, if sometimes raw, flavors of individual creativity and local traditions, so his book is especially helpful for distinguishing between horror films that are unique to a country or region, those that are hybrids of Western models and local themes, and those that are mere copies of Western films. Mondo Macabro also includes top 10 lists from five world cinema experts, tips on where to find the videos, and an index of film titles. --Fiona Webster

Customer Reviews:

Mondo Macabro go go!.......2001-11-19

If I had the money, I would travel to Asia, South America, and Eastern Europe to learn about each region's culture. I wouldn't go to museums, but rather to the movies, especially the exploitative, sexual, and violent ones. Since I'm short on funds, I decided to read Pete Tomb's Mondo Macabro: Weird & Wonderful Cinema Around the World instead. For $18.95, I developed my own case of culture shock by reading about the B movies of Japan, Turkey, the Philippines, China, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, India, and Indonesia. What we have here is an attention-grabbing introduction to an entire world of films that are full of bizarre sexuality, brutality, and horror. Tomb focuses on how these films react to, and contribute to, their particular culture's makeup and character. The film business in Istanbul, Turkey, for example, didn't get going until the '50s, when they made Drakula Istanbul'da (Dracula in Istanbul). To say the special effects were low-tech would be putting it mildly; to show fog in a graveyard, the crew lay on the ground and puffed on lots of cigarettes. After that success, there were films such as Tarzan in Istanbul and The Invisible Man in Istanbul -- there's nothing like national pride. Mondo Macabro concentrates not only on film lore but also on the literature and legends of these nations. It is rare to get a book on this subject that is so well written and informative for even the amateur film fanatic. Sadly, due to distribution and business practices, most people won't be able to see films such as India's Kali, The Bloodthirsty Bride of Shiva, Japan's Rapeman, or the Turkish version of Star Wars. So our alternative is this wonderful, well-researched book featuring stills from enchanting films I have never seen and, most likely, never will.

A Film Junkie's Dream!.......2000-11-21

If you're in a movie rut and aren't interested in anything at your local video store, I implore you to check out Mondo Macabro! This book is fantastic! Its full of the strangest movies ever made throughout the world. Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Hong Kong, India, you name it and its in here. Peter Tombs covers all bases, including the countries' film history and cultural practices, in order to give readers a better understanding as to why certain films were made. And some of it is still unexplainable! He even goes so far as to lead readers in the direction on where to find the films. I've picked up a few of the films in this book and I've been changed. Mondo Macabro raises the bar that film books must hurdle in order to be deemed thourough. If you're a fan of b-movies or in the mood for a total change of pace, Mondo Macabro can help you. This is a film junkie's dream! Also, be sure to check out Immoral Tales, also by Tombs, which covers European films.

Foreign Film as you have never seen it before!.......2000-04-10

When most people think of foreign film it's usualy something very european, more then likely french. Not that there is anything wrong with that but here's something you don't see everyday. In Pete Tombs book MONDO MACABRO we see the great "trash" films and filmmakers for the world. My favorite in the book and on the screen is a man who's character is known as "Ze do Caixao" in his home land of Brazil but "Coffin Joe" to you english speaking folks. Jose Mojica Marins is "Ze" the "evil" undertaker of his own written, directed and produced films. Check out "At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul Away" from 1963, it's a masterpiece.

Tombs' book goes to all areas of the globe to find you the best and the strangest films you will ever see. Including a Turkish version of "Star Trek". The book is well written, has many original photos and posters arts so you can get a sense of what it take to make these kinds of films. Now the only challange is trying to find them on video.

Customer Reviews:

Drac is back.......2007-10-07

Its volume 3 of Essential Tomb of dracula, and the fun and excitement never stop. In these twenty some reprint issues of the popular horror comic, Frank Drake, Blade, Rachel Van Helsing and others must fight Dracula as he seeks to dominate mankind.
In this issue, he continues his quest to take over a Cult of Satan worshipers. Yet his life gets more complicated as he takes a bride!! The stories are fresh and unique, and continue to surprise me with their plot twists and turns!
This is also Gene Colan's art at its best! I feel his art is best viewed in black and white, it adds to the atmosphere and overall tension of the story.
I recommend this series to anyone who is a fan of horror comics!

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Gene Colan is fabulous, and black and white is the way to see this man's art. Granted, a bunch of 70s cheese, here, but it it is fun vampire hunting stuff, with Dracula, again, as a character that has understandable motivations. He is a complicated man. Ok, well, he is a complicated undead vampire. He does have his own code of honor, even if it is sometimes rather twisted, and a vampire still has to eat, too.

Dracula Goes Domestic!.......2007-08-26

In the early issues of The Tomb of Dracula - chronicled in Essential Tomb of Dracula Volumes 1 and 2 - the title character is clearly a villain, essentially a lone wolf character who is friendless and is perfectly happy that way. As Volume 3 opens, however, the situation has changed drastically (a carryover from the end of the previous volume): Dracula is happily married and expecting a child.

Of course, this is not Father Knows Best. Dracula has set himself up as the object of worship for a Satanic cult, and his wife Domini is one of the members. The leader of the cult intends on using all three for his own sinister purposes. Meanwhile, Dracula's hunters - Quincy Harker, Rachel Van Helsing, Frank Drake (Dracula's descendant), Blade and the annoying Harold Harold - are hot on his trail.

After a brief confrontation with the Silver Surfer, the main plotline kicks in, with Domini giving birth, but the child winding up far different than anticipated, eventually transforming into an angel who is destined to kill Dracula. As if that isn't bad enough, Dracula is ensnared by Satan himself who exacts a terrible punishment for the Count's hubris, one that will not only threaten his lordship over vampires but his very existence.

This volume wraps up the original series, which ended after seventy issues. Also included are the first four issues of the Tomb of Dracula Magazine, which continues the story, albeit without many of the principals from the comic. Out of the various Marvel horror magazines of the 1970s, Tomb of Dracula is clearly the best, in large part because of the continuous influence of Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan as the main writer and artist respectively. I can imagine that reading this as a bi-monthly comic was probably a little dissatisfying as the big stories took years to fully unfold, but in this compressed (albeit black-and-white) format, the whole Dracula tale can be read as one long, seventy issue graphic novel. If you haven't read Volumes 1 and 2, you will not get complete enjoyment out of this one. On the other hand, if you have enjoyed the previous volumes in this series - and I have - then this is a must-purchase.

A Letter I Wrote To Marv Wolfman.......2007-05-28

To the writer of this era of Tomb of Dracula:

Hi Marv, my name is Andy DiGelsomina and I have loved your writing since 1976 (well, that's when I discovered Tomb of Dracula!). I wanted to thank you; I never forgot the "Janus" saga, or your overall fascinating, anti-hero depiction of the Count (my favorite depiction, bar none).

This might sound really strange, but I'm a huge fan of Mozart and Wagner's operas, and I thought the level of complexity of your storyline in the classic TOD wasn't extraordinarily far from the great operas, especially in terms of plot development. I realize that there are people whom would ridicule this assertion, but who cares what they think ? I have just started checking out the full length TOD (available also in this digest) with Steve Ditko and Gene Colan drawing (Gene is my favorite of course!) and I'm enjoying them as well.

Bottom line for those curious: Marvel Comics' Tomb of Dracula is probably the greatest horror comic series ever published. Although I wasn't crazy about the no-colour format, it's at a nearly irresistible price.

The end of Comicdom's Number 1 Fear Magazine.......2004-11-09

Dracula first appeared in the Marvel Universe in the early 1970s when "The Tomb of Dracula" first appeared. Penciler Gene Colan, the perfect artist for the comic book, was there from the beginning, but Tom Palmer, who would ink the vast majority of issues did not arrive until the third issue, and writer Marv Wolfman did not take over the scripting duties until the seventh issue. By that point most of the cast of characters had been established: Frank Drake, the American descendant of Dracula himself, Rachel Van Helsing, the great-granddaughter of the professor in Bram Stoker's novel, and Taj, her mute servant from India. But Wolfman immediately added the final member of the core group, Quincy Harker, the son of Jonathan and Mina Harker, now an old man in a wheelchair (because of an encounter with the Count), who brings a scientific approach to vampire slaying.

More importantly, Wolfman took the long view towards the characters and the comic book. There is an inherent problem in that your basic comic book story for "The Tomb of Dracula" requires the heroes NOT to kill the villain, otherwise the comic book turns to dust along with Dracula. Wolfman and Colan portrayed Dracula as a vampire with a plan, who was out to do more than kill the vampire slayers before they killed him. This comic book took its time, a fact that was best indicated by the Doctor Sun plotline, where for issue after issue we were treated to a page or less of scenes showing Chinese minions acting out the orders of the mysterious Doctor Sun. Wolfman milked the set up for all it was worth before finally revealing the Doctor Sun was (gasp!) a disembodied brain. Wolfman also created off beat characters for a vampire comic book, such as Hannibal King, the Vampire Detective, Blade (#58, "Undead by Daylight!"), and the quirky nebbish Harold H. Harold, author of "The Vampire Conspiracy" (#56).

In the first story in this collection, "Where Soars the Silver Surfer" (#50), we have one of the few times that Dracula interacted with other characters from the Marvel Universe. Previously it had been the Werewolf from "Werewolf by Night" and Dr. Strange, both of whom make sense for a horror comic, while the Silver Surfer is the rare exception of a more traditional superhero. However, it is his purity in contrast to the vampire's cursed soul that makes their conflict particularly dramatic. In the end, the idea that "The Tomb of Dracula" is out of the mainstream of the Marvel Universe is preserved.

The end-game for the comic book that plays out in these issues has to do with Janus, the son of Dracula born to his wife, Domini. When Dracula got married and his new bride conceived a child as a result of an arcane ritual, that was certainly strange enough. But Wolfman was interested in playing out the battle between good and evil on a larger scale, which culminated in a confrontation between Dracula and Satan himself ("Life After Undeath," #64) at which point the vampire is turned back into a human being by the Prince of Darkness. However, do not fear: the final fate of Dracula will come down to a last battle between the Lord of Vampires and the humans who have been pursuing him for a half-dozen years in the pages of these comic books.

As good as Wolfman was in plotting these tales he was helped by having the perfect artist for "The Tomb of Dracula" in Gene Colan. Nobody could have illustrated Dracula's transformations better than Colan, with his swirling lines as the vampire morphed into a giant bat. Add rain into the picture, as Colan does on the cover and throughout #60, and you ample proof of this perfection. Palmer's best ink work was done over Neal Adam's pencils, but his partnership with Colan on this comic book is a more substantial body of work and when another inker stepped in, the results were always less impressive. Fortunately, in Volume 3 the only example from this is when Bob McCleod inks Colan's pencils for a "Tomb of Dracula Magazine" story, which ends up being arguably the best of the non-Palmer inked Colan stories because it was intended for a black & white magazine.

The cover art is taken from the cover of the final issue of "The Tomb of Dracula," #70. In addition to the final issues of the comic book (#50-70), there are also stories from the black & white "Tomb of Dracula Magazine," which, the back of this collection is quick to say, were "unrated by the Comics Code Authority!" Just so you know, Volume 1 of the "Essential Tomb of Dracula" contains issues #1-25 of "The Tomb of Dracula," along with a cross-over story in "Werewolf By Night" #15 and the "Giant-Size Chillers" #1 story that introduced Lilith, Dracula's daguther. Volume 2 has issues #26-49 of "Tomb of Dracula," a cross-over with "Dr. Strange" #14, and a quartet of less than stellar stories from "Giant-Size Dracula" #2-5. You really have to get all three volumes so that you can appreciate how Wolfman, Colan, and Palmer crafted what is still from a qualitative standpoint the best "fear" comic book since the days of E.C.

The Tomb and Other Tales (A Del Rey Book)

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Real Horror for Real Lovers of the Occult Horror genre
Fascinating, but Lovecraft beginners should start elsewhere
NOT LOVECRAFT'S BEST
It's H.P.L...i mean...Duh
Thought-provoking Gothic horror

The Tomb and Other Tales (A Del Rey Book)
Howard Phillips Lovecraft
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345336615
Release Date: 1986-02-12

Book Description

This extraordinary collection features 13 spine-tingling tales of delicious terror by the unquestioned master of the horror genre, as well as portions of stories he never fully completed. Discover how the mind of H.P. Lovecraft worked, and how much his early and late stories tell about this intriguing writer.

Customer Reviews:

Real Horror for Real Lovers of the Occult Horror genre.......2002-09-28

Three words can describe this book: tongue in cheek. One of the best written works of horror fiction that any author can ever write about! Only Lovecraft fully knows the potential of using the occult in the work of fiction! This book is a must along with the other books that Ballantine has compiled for Lovecraft! It is also a must for those interested in using Lovecraft's fiction for their rituals, too! I suggest all Masonic Temple of Satan and Order of the Horned Goat members to read up on this.

Fascinating, but Lovecraft beginners should start elsewhere.......2002-03-13

In terms of readability or pure enjoyment, this title ranks low among the myriad Lovecraft titles. However, for the Lovecraft devotee, it offers enlightening insights into the author's writing. There is quite a hodge-podge of tales to be found in these pages. "The Tomb" is a fairly standard horror piece, "Imprisoned With the Pharoahs" is a story ghost written for Harry Houdini which I count among Lovecraft's lesser tales, "In the Walls of Eryx" is a compelling, uniquely Lovecraftian science fiction story set on Venus. "The Horror of Red Hook," while harkening to the types of unworldly themes Lovecraft came to be known for, is a somewhat dense story which I had unaccustomed trouble reading--largely, I feel, because it was written in the third person. "The Festival," "He," and "The Strange High House in the Mist" concern ancient rites and hints of unearthly terrors while also hinting at the dream worlds that Lovecraft so often contemplated; not surprisingly, I find these stories to be the best ones in this collection.

The really interesting parts of this book consist of a number of early tales and fragments. There are four stories Lovecraft wrote during his teens, and it is almost incredible to see the distinctive Lovecraft voice and style so well developed at such an early age. "Poetry and the Gods" and "The Street" are unusual and bear an ethereal air that did not find its way into his mature writings, while "The Beast in the Cave" and "The Alchemist" foreshadow the stories whose fame we now celebrate. The four story fragments are fascinating; though incomplete, they easily fit into a Lovecraftian world in that certain sometimes obscure references point to elements, characters, and themes developed more fully in other stories. One begins to see that all of Lovecraft's tales, Mythos and non-Mythos, share a mysterious thread or foundation. It is for this reason that I would not recommend reading this book without having read some of Lovecraft's better known stories. Certainly, those not yet fascinated by Lovecraft will reap small rewards from reading the fragments and early writings, and the other tales collected here are much less satisfying than those of the Cthulhu Mythos.

NOT LOVECRAFT'S BEST.......2001-03-30

I guess THE BEST OF H.P. LOVECRAFT spoiled me. When I got to this book, I found the stories not near as frightening or appealing. There are some fragments in this book, though, and the most important thing is that they ARE fragments. No pastiche authors here, thank you. Then there's a part of the book showing off some of HPL's earlier work. It's interesting to compare his earlier work with his later work, to see how he matured as a writer. By the way, did you know that HPL ghost-wrote a story for HARRY HOUDINI? I didn't either, until I read this book. I give this book 3 stars because I feel that only books that are TRULY OUTSTANDING deserve 4 or 5 stars. Only books that are absolutely terrible and have no merit deserve 1 or 2. So I give this book a conservative 3 stars.

It's H.P.L...i mean...Duh.......2000-01-01

If u have not heard of Lovecraft, then i highly recommend that you purchase atleast one Lovecraft book NOW. The man was a genius and it is a shame that he died at such a young age. This book, or At The Mountains of Madness is a good place to start. This next comment is directed towards the first review of this book: At no point in Lovecraft's life was he mentally insane. He probably was eccentric but certainly not insane.

Thought-provoking Gothic horror.......1998-09-09

When I first tried reading this book in high school, I put it down after the third story. About four years later, I read it again - and loved it. You have to get into Lovecraft's style of writing - first-person perspective, typical gothic-horror themes. Once you do, you'll be immersed into the stories. They leave you with something many books don't - thoughts and memories of the stories. A good relaxing read for those who want to sit and immerse themself into a story.

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You can almost hear the dice roll
Good beginning to a bright career!
Best of the Greyhawk Novels
A great adapation to one great game
Ruined By Formulaic Writing

The Tomb of Horrors (Greyhawk Classics)
Keith Strohm
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 078692702X
Release Date: 2002-02-01

Book Description

Kaerion Whitehart was once a mighty paladin, but sins of the past have cast him far from the light. Together with an elf mercenary, he now survives by the might of his sword alone.

In exchange for a hefty purse, the two friends agree to accompany a band of patriots into a tomb haunted by fear and legend. They soon find the mission growing beyond their control. As warring factions vie for the ultimate prize of a long-dead wizard, Kaerion finds himself caught between death and redemption.

The Tomb of Horrors is the latest title in the Greyhawk Classics series, a set of novels that revisits the most popular adventures of the original Dungeons & Dragons game.

Customer Reviews:

You can almost hear the dice roll.......2006-12-10

This is the first and only D&D book that fully captures the feeling of living a D&D module. The only thing I cannot fathom is why the Greyhawk series is so hard to find at most book stores. The inferior R.A. Salvatore books are everywhere. This book is very faithful to the D7D module yet still manages to tell it's own story. The dialog gets stiff at times and the plot "twists" are not very twisty, but the pace is snappy and you actually want to see what happens to the characters. The Forgotten Realms books are simply a series of battles.

Good beginning to a bright career!.......2006-07-09

Having read many of the Dragonlance and Forgotten Realm books (I own over 100 combined), I have to say Keith Strohm's "Tomb of Horrors" is a definite must read. Since this was his first full novel published, you can not ask for a better start to a writers career. I know some are saying blah blah, it was so boring and just bad, but those of us who love to actually read and imagine what is going on in the books we read will find this fullfilling in the least.

Best of the Greyhawk Novels.......2005-08-26

The story of redemption and salvation, told well, never gets old and this story is told very well. Though some have described it as generic and formulaic, I believe it actually achieves greater success because it does use common elements so effectively. This is a classic tale retold well in a D&D novel, using the "Tomb of Horrors" as scene and metaphor. Both similar and distinctive from the journey of man into a dark region of the world and, by metaphor, into himself (akin but not equal, of course, to Conrad's "Heart of Darkness"). The main character is deeply troubled and flawed but not beyond all hope. And the finding of salvation, ultimately, through his own power to call out for help and succor--and not by the initiative of supreme powers or faceless forces--recalls and reinforces the power of the individual over his or her environment. Classic storytelling and classic Greyhawk.

A great adapation to one great game.......2004-07-08

Having played the original TSR "Tomb of Horrors" Module this book caught my eye right away, despite reading it in 2004. I am glad to say I was not disappointed in my purchase. I found it to have a compelling plot, to be faithful to the Greyhawk theme, and to have one hell of a final chapter. The last chapter was just fantastic, in my humble opinion. The author took the time to think out why the characters are doing what they are doing, despite the obvious danger, and managed to add some depth to all the characters. My only regret is that Wizards of the Coast does not take the time to expand on the Greyhawk line to make other such novels. I am now looking forward to reading other books from this publisher including the "Forgotten Realms" line and other Greyhawk novels. It truly was a great read, and a much needed diversion. Enjoy!

Ruined By Formulaic Writing.......2004-03-09

This would have been a dynamite book had not the page count been limited to a mere 300 pages. Wizards of The Coast are known for keeping their page count to around 300 pages, and most of their writers do a good job portraying a good story in that word count. Strohm, however, fails in this, as his story seemed to have a lot more life to it before he pulled the plug. The 300 page formula makes him wrap up the climax in a paltry 20 pages, when it should and could have lasted 100 pages alone.

Customer Reviews:

Acererak's Tomb is revisited, and You Can be There!.......2007-05-10

"Iron men, of visage grim,
Do more than meets the viewer's eye.
You've left and left and found my tomb
And now your soul will die!"

These words struck fear into the hearts of players at Origins I. With them, they knew that they had entered the most devious of all the creations to emerge from the mind of E. Gary Gygax. As player after player lost his character to Acererak's tomb, the creator of AD&D looked on, I'm sure, with an evil grin.

Tomb of Horrors was the first module ever published by TSR. It set the bar high for all that would follow. It inspired people like Grmitooth to try to invent increasingly deadly traps. It made AD&D into a game of intellect and wits, not one of hacking and slashing. It is probably the most popular adventure of all time.

So who is the upstart, Bruce R. Cordell, who thinks he can write a sequel? Does he think he can do justice to the master, the father of all adventures, the Great Gygax? Does this sequel, Return to Tomb of Horrors, do anything more than insult the greatest of all dungeon crawls? Read on, you might be surprised.

To answer the question, we must look at Gygax's original intention. Was he trying to smite players everywhere? Was he trying to make them frightened and instill a feeling of hopelessness? Was he just being mean?

No. He had fallen into a trap many of us do. He had characters, Rob Kuntz's Robilar and Ernie Gygax's Tenser, who seemed to walk through whatever challenges he put before them. He needed something that would test them to their limits. Something that would teach them humility. He needed an adventure that not even they could defeat.

Alan Lucien gave him the idea. He locked himself in his writer's room and began to invent the deadliest adventure that ever was. This time, they'd know a challenge.

So what happened? Robilar sacrifice many orc retainers to get to the last tomb. There, he dumped the treasure into a bag of holding and amscrayed. Tenser manage to defeat Acererak himself, proving to Gygax that an ingenious player can negotiate any but the most arbitrary death traps.

Then he continued to carry it in his briefcase, pulling it out whenever a player claimed to have an unbeatable character. More often than not, they remembered things they had to do and quickly left the table as the other players looked down at their dead characters in horror.

The module then debuted at Origins I. It hit the shelves in 1978. The rest is history.

So now Cordell has written a sequel. How, you might ask yourself, can this box set pretend to be a sequel deadliest 12 pages in role playing history? Does this man actually think he can pull it off?

Let me assure you, gentle reader, he not only thinks he has, but he has.

The adventure starts years after treasure hunters spent their blood and souls in Acererak's final resting place. The place is all but forgotten by most, but as of late, and evil necromantic force has been reaching out of the Vast Swamp. The party begins examining the problem and comes across a name, "The Devourer."

This name leads them to the path of a man who sought the Devourer years before, a mage named Desatysso. As the party follows the long-cold trail of this mage, they discover that there is more to the Tomb than anyone has ever suspected.

You see, Acererak wanted to build a series of tests, to lead people toward a final great reward. Unfortunately, the knowledge of the true purpose of the Tomb was lost, and only Desatysso seems to have found it.

The test consists of three parts: a Tomb, a City and a Fortress. Evidently, crawling into the tomb and smashing Acererak's skull is not enough. He must be hunted to his conclusion and stopped in his dreaded apotheosis. Otherwise, his demonic minions will just keep rebuilding his tomb and adventurers will keep spending their souls there.

This dungeon is not for the weak of heart. It suggests that players not take their beloved characters in, and I wholeheartedly agree. The PK rate is extremely high.

I set up a party of fourteen characters, giving each player at least two. They then started the adventure. However, I couldn't see how they could have any guarantee of surviving the original Tomb (which is included in the boxed set), much less get far enough for me to produce an adequate review. I therefore began sending them dreams. Dreams of people who were not them, but they recognized as each other. They were going through this strange tomb, and they knew that all this had taken place years ago. Finally, at the end, they threw themselves against the demi-lich. The Paladin, who had died and failed his resurrection survival (a convenient accident, not a plot element), appeared and got them to vow to kill this force of evil, no matter what it took, no matter how many lives.

It was then that the players realized they were dreaming of a past life. They threw their might against Acererak and were soundly destroyed.

This plot device worked well. They had already played the Tomb by the time they got to it in present day, and were therefore able to get a full compliment of characters through it. It also gave them a sense of purpose that unified them with these characters they didn't know. It was a right proper epiphany, and feel free to use it when you buy this product yourself.

Anyway, this allowed them to progress beyond this most classic of Tombs, into a place where Orcus himself once walked, the city of Moil. This place has claimed four or five characters (though their pact is keeping Acererak from devouring their souls, so they can come back again in another 50 years, should the party fail).

I'll not give away any more of the plot. Buy this product, and you'll see.

I was not convinced I should give it this good of a review, however. You see, I have always loved the Tomb, and I was afraid I was biased. I therefore gave it to a friend who has never (in my memory) liked a TSR module. He gave this his grudging approval, unable to blow any holes in its plot.

A good product. The traps are as deadly as ever, but this adventure is surrounded by intricate plots and histories. There is so much going on here that the players will never even guess it all.

This is one of the things I love about this module. It is filled with information that the players will never know. They will never fully understand the history of the necromantic academy that has sprung up around the tomb. My players have figured out that the City of Moil worshiped Orcus, but they will never figure out that it was put to sleep because it turned to the worship of a God of Morning.

Most writers try to invent complicated and awkward ways of making sure that the players discover the core of all their intricate plans. Not Bruce R. Cordell. If he had James Bond in his clutches, when Bond asked what this was all about, he'd shrug and put a bullet in his head. It's enough that the GM knows, so that he can flush out details as needed. The players will never guess most of what's happened here.

My players have made me promise to tell all when it's done.

Anyway, this adventure tests players to their furthest. Not only have my players latched onto their characters, four of them have married now (the characters, that is), so that they can snatch some joy in the midst of all this horror. It takes a powerful setting to force people to start searching for affirmations of life.

So there it is. I'm rarely impressed with adventures anymore. I'm not forgiving enough. This module needs no forgiveness. Other than an abuse of absolutes ("nothing can save the character if happens"), I can find no criticism for this product. My players have been going through it for months now, and I have rarely had so much success.

So did they survive? I can hear the question in your minds.

The question should be "Will they survive?" The party has begun spending more time on roleplaying than problem solving. They lick their wounds and clutch each other in the night, whispering reassurances. The adventure continues at a slow, methodical pace, and has become a campaign unto itself. If they survive this, I don't think that can convince them to play other characters. I mean, when you've taken someone into the darkest of all pits, you develop a bond.

Too bad they'll all be dead by the time you read this.

A reader.......2002-02-23

Come on, people. Where do you get the crazy notion that a "killer" module is good? Are you so lame that you cannot create your own killer modules? It is pretty [dang] easy. And that is what TSR does here, it creates a killer module that makes little to no sense.

Everything starts good as a plot is well formed and progresses well for a little while. It gets even better when the party arrives at the environs of the old tomb. All right, ervything pretty [dang] cool thus far. Realistic, fun, and the players better think before they act rashly.

So you are thinking why 3 stars only? Well, the problem is it all goes downhill from there. Once the players leave the old Tomb the new area is just silly. It makes no sense that something this powerful would have ANY trouble with the PC's. Plus the traps are illogical and almost impossible to detect. By this time, roleplaying is long forgotten as players just push their characters from point to point and hope to make their saving rolls.

Still, it gets 3 stars for a good effort from TSR. But there certainly are better choices out there.

Finally, I am amazed so many D&D'ers are impressed with killer modules. Big ... deal. Give me something to excite the players' imagination. That is what role playing is supposed to be about.

Fantastic Module- one of the best ever.......2001-06-05

Although it is out of print and written for 2nd edition, i can't express enough what a high quality product this is. Even if you are running a 3rd edition campaign, this boxed set is definitely worth your picking up if you can find it. The conversion to the new rules might take a little effort on the DM's behalf, but the payoff is the most exciting, deadly, and awe-inspiring campaign ever put to paper. It wraps seamlessly around Gary Gygax's original Tomb of Horrors, and you even get the chance to go back and explore it again if you did so for the first time twenty years ago. My players have no clue what the Tomb really is, and i'm still keeping them in the dark until later. Like other reviewers have said though, be warned. The module is deadly, and about halfway through and all the way to the end, it can eat up PC's like candy. But far as quality, it has some of the best writing, the best traps, the best plot, and over sixty illustrations to mesmerize your players. Definitely try to check this one out, as its going into the history books.

This is a quality product.......2000-11-26

I've purchased dozens of probucts from this website, but this is the first time I've felt compelled to write a review.

Return To The Tomb of Horrors is a quality product from top to bottom. The boxed set includes many maps, illustrations, the original Tomb of Horrors, an expansion to the Tomb of Horrors story (the equivalent of 3 more adventures), and more.

I have not yet run this module, but have read all the contents, and plan to implement it as soon as possible. The story is well written, EXTREMELY original, and the many traps are truly inspiring. Despite the fact this boxed set is the equivalent of 4 normal length adventures, all of the encounters are unique and often ingenious. As I read the module, I found myself often wondering what the writers would think of next.

Note to GM's: This module is possibly the most deadly I've ever read. I would only recommend it for experienced players. Even then, expect casualties.

An Intense Deathtrap Challenge Even For Experienced Players.......2000-10-21

Return to the Tomb of Horrors is a new boxed adventure module based on the old S1: Tomb of Horrors module from tournaments and 1st edition AD&D. The scenario is intended for four to eight characters from 13th to 16th level. Like the original Tomb by Gary Gygax, Cordell's Return is an intense deathtrap challenge even for experienced veterans of the game.

Set in Greyhawk but usable in any campaign, this adventure begins with mysterious villager disappearances and swarms of undead. Your party comes to investigate and becomes entangled in a web of deadly schemes. But what does this have to do with the original Tomb of Horrors? The one that's been dared by many, plundered by few, over the years? Well, it's still in business, and still merrily eating heroes. But if the original deathtrap dungeon was a satisfying meal, this new adventure, wrapped around the original module and set 20 years later, is a murderous banquet. This is the first dungeon adventure I've ever read where I actually felt sorry for the players, and I'm including the original Tomb in that. The new story enfolds the original dungeon crawl in a deadly blanket of new traps and additional story, creating a hideous multi-stage gauntlet for anyone seeking the final mystery at the end. Yes, you get to visit the Tomb itself again, but its significance has changed and deepened.

I have to agree with the author on the use of characters for this adventure: either the group ought to be specifically rolled up for this adventure, or, if the players' regular favorites are to be run through the scenario, tone the thing down, WAAAYYY down. There are sections in this beastly tome that can kill one character per page, and, as the party penetrates the deeper mysteries, the killer trap rate escalates to one or more per room. This makes a party of four-to-eight high-level PCs seem rather puny, and suggests a horde of henchmen, hirelings, and cannon fodder, preferably walking out in front.

Can someone familiar with the original Tomb play or enjoy this? Absolutely. In fact, I'd like to see a group of players, all either DMs who have run Tomb or players who went through it successfully, go through the Return to the Tomb of Horrors. Maybe they'd live long enough to get to the second half of the adventure. Maybe.

This boxed set is stuffed with goodies. There are nine maps and seven new monsters in a full-color maps and monsters book. The maps are very clear, with one exception: Map 3 is so darkly printed that the color-coding is very difficult to make out, but I believe that because of the restricted movement in those areas there should be little impact on play. An illustrated "module" of 160 pages, with appendices of new spells and magic items, includes many "old" spells relying on several other AD&D books (some out of print) but the author urges the DM to make appropriate substitutions when necessary. There is a facsimile of the original S1: Tomb of Horrors module, which is actually used in play. DMs will want to go through this and make detailed adjustments beforehand, since it is not written to 2nd edition AD&D standards. No problem for collectors worried about the value of your original copy: this is not an exact facsimile, as the illustration booklet is bound into the middle. A new illustration book holds scenes to be shown to the players at various points in the adventure, and because since there are two scenes on each page you might want keep a sheet of plain paper folded length-wise handy for covering the second illustration. Lastly, there are handouts for the players, consisting of an eight-page "journal" (in a very difficult font) and a double-sided color card, with special instructions for photocopying and preparation.

In playing this adventure DMs may want to keep in mind their particular players' temperament and game style: are they looking for a real, undiluted challenge, or are they going to be murderously upset by the DM making their PCs into elf flambe, dwarf kabobs, and Halfling hash in one evening? If there is serious risk of you becoming a DM pretzel, you might want to edit this severely and just integrate it into your regular campaign.

Return to the Tomb of Horrors is an excellent adventure in the old module style.

Customer Reviews:

The curse of the mummys tomb.......2007-01-06

I just got done reading this book and it was pretty good. The book starts out kind of slow but gets really exciting towards the end. This book was a little scarier than some of the other gooosebumps books I've read. If you like the goosebumps series you should definetly read this one.

Creepy Good Fun!.......2006-12-24

Gabe, a boy on vacation in Cairo, Egypt with is parents (who are there on business) is looking forward to spending some time with his Uncle Ben who lives in Cairo and works at the Great Pyramid. When his parents suddenly receive a call, Gabe finds he's not going to see the pyramid OR his Uncle and he's not happy about that. With a bit of finagling Uncle Ben agrees to let Gabe stay with him for a couple of weeks while his parents are in Alexandria...the catch, Gabe's cousin (and nemesis...as much as a kid has a nemesis) Sari is also visiting and determined to show Gabe up at every opportunity. After a night alone and a bit of a scare due to a practical joke, Gabe, Sari and Uncle Ben are off to the pyramid where they meet Uncle Ben's workers and hear all about a "curse" that one of the workers feels has been unleashed because they've defiled the tomb. Everyone seems to laugh it off...but is there something to this curse? Ultimately, it is this competitive nature between them that leads to pranks and constant "one-upping" with exploring the Pyramid dig site that ultimately gets reveals some strange and unusual goings on in the Pyramid.

The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb is the fifth book in the Goosebumps series and has some genuine scares, creepy atmosphere, and actual danger (compared to other books I've read in this series), but they are "junior" scares, not as fleshed out or graphic as they might be. This is an easy, entertaining read for kids ages 8-12, probably best suited for those about 8-10 years old...older kids will probably find the plot and writing too simple to really be enjoyable or believable. I give it four stars and would recommend it as good "lite-horror" for kids.

Something Dead Has Been Here..........2006-02-12

Gabe has gone to Cairo Egypt with his parent's for their business trip. Gabe's mom and dad have to go to Alexandria so Gabe's Uncle Ben (who lives in Cairo) and his cousin Sari come over to watch Gabe. Uncle Ben is a famous archeologist and explores the Great Pyramid. Gabe is thrilled when he finds out he and Sari get to go inside the pyramid. Gabe is really into the Egyptian stuff. They go inside and meet Uncle Ben's workers. One them is really strange. He keeps going on about some curse that they have released. No one listens to him. The curse can't be real. Or can it?

What Will Wake The Dead?.......2006-01-09

well you'll find out in this fifth addition to the goosebumps Series. I found this book very enjoyable.

If you liked this book check out all of the other goosebumps books

DISCUSTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2005-08-14

I do have to say THIS BOOK STINKS!!!!!!!!!!!! I read it in second grade and it was EASY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The mummy parts were too REALISTIC and I wouldn't TOUCH brown,reddish-brown,white,off-white,crunchy,leathery food FOR TWO WWWWWEEEEEEKKKKKKKKSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am on a 9th grade reading level(I am going into 4th this year) and found this book revolting,discusting,terrifying,nasty,AND JUST PLAIN GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSS
p.s.I am easily grossed out.ESPECIALLY M...M...MUMMIES......

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Chill #2: The Sepulchre
Jory, Sherman
Manufacturer: Hard Shell Word Factory
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0759937877

Product Description

Dr. Russel V. Chillders (Chill) is a private investigator of the supernatural. His special lady and assistant is Laura Littlefawn, half-Sioux, with psychic powers, a sensitive, who sees beyond the natural world. This is the second in their spellbinding explorations into the realm of psychic phenomena.

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