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Language of Fear by James
With an introduction by W. Axl RoseDel James unleashes an extraordinary collection of snapshots from hell—our hell. Here are spine-chilling stories of everyday people, all caught up in terrible urges—sex and obsession, addiction and violence—all sharing the universal language of fear. . . .A heavy-metal dreamer locked in a savage war with his television set. An artist seduced by a vampire. Two boys trapped by an urban legend come to life—or a drug-induced nightmare. A modern-day gladiator engaged in a brutal death match. A rock-and-roll star who years to be with the one good woman he has ever known—and so ignites a blaze of mad destruction.Praise for The Language of Fear� The Language of Fear is spoken in tunes of rock'n'roll, of barking dogs and net-trapped fish, of acid-sizzled flesh and tattoo needles, and after these few lessons, you'll speak it too.� � Cemetery Dance“Pissed-off, heartbroken rock'n'roll surprisingly tender, garage-band crude, savage as a shotgun blast and audacious as an exit wound.� —John Skipp“After a hard day in Hell, James writes down what he saw. Good reading.� —John Shirley“Best described as an updated Night Shift, the contemporary tales [are] short and nasty.� —Cindy Baum, Scream Magazine
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
40 people are currently reading
435 people want to read
About the author
Del James
15Ìýbooks23ÌýfollowersDel James is the author of The Language of Fear, a collection of short horror stories.
Del James, is an American musician, writer, journalist and artist best known for writing the short story that reportedly inspired the "November Rain" video by hard rock band Guns N' Roses. He is a close friend to Axl Rose and is the road manager for Guns N' Roses.
Del James, is an American musician, writer, journalist and artist best known for writing the short story that reportedly inspired the "November Rain" video by hard rock band Guns N' Roses. He is a close friend to Axl Rose and is the road manager for Guns N' Roses.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
May 12, 2018
I enjoyed a few of the stories, but it wasn't what I expected and painful to read at times...
June 7, 2010
A Tale of Two Heroines: A prostitute shoots her way into a heroin den to rescue her daughter - !
Adult Nature Material: A racist, alcoholic porn theater usher exacts Biblical vengeance upon a customer - but the universe has its own cruel fate in store for him!
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Down and dirty tales of the dangerous L.A. underworld that throb with the muscular rhythms of Sunset Strip rock and roll and oldtime pulp.
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Oh. God. I wanted to be a fanboy and get a visceral horrorthrill out of these stories. Del James (a pseudonym, by the by) is touted as a thriller writer, a horror writer, a merchant of the macabre. But...I can't even bring myself to write the title of one of the stories as it is so devoid of...well, it shouldn't be used as a title. I've stopped smackdab in the middle of "High School Memoirs" to tap down some thoughts, as I don't want anyone to think that this might make a fun, spooky summer read. It's as if a blacked-out Jim Thompson and coke-fueled Bret Easton Ellis are tag-teaming a typewriter, trying to outdark each other. I am willing to overlook grammatical laziness if the author is desperate to share a feeling. I'm not if it's just one symptom of a deeply sick, unrelenting, adolescent misogyny.
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Bloodlust: An underground boxing champion tells you, the reader, what it's like to win a deathmatch.
High School Memoirs: One bad day leads to a 10-Year Class Reunion...in Hell.
Mama's Boy: A handsome writer of pornography has an ugly secret.
Mindwarp: 666 channels and no remote control.
Saltwater and Blood: The dolphins have had all they're going to take!
Skin Deep: A shrewd businessman is hiding more than a body covered from the neck down in tattoos.
The Atheist Prayer: A young woman and a homeless man have much more in common than having to share a bench at a bus stop.
Fumes of Friendship: Huffing paint leads nowhere good for a homeless man...or the students and janitor of a nearby night school.
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I get it. I get it now: Del James has brought the wrath of an Old Testament prophet to early-90s Los Angeles - revealing the sins of its people and letting punishment overwhelm the crime.
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For a primer in the imagery of Language of Fear, see this video, the visuals of which are a veritable Jamesian pastiche:
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The Immortals: A wifebeating biker finds out what it means to have a heart when he's randomly targeted by a renegade-hillbilly organ donation service.
The Melrose Vampire: A temperamental L.A. artist learns what it means to finally be appreciated...over many lifetimes.
The Nerve: Even monsters in the forest get hungry. Especially monsters in the forest, come to think of it.
Without You: Rock star Mayne Mann has a bit of trouble getting over the loss of his main woman.
Adult Nature Material: A racist, alcoholic porn theater usher exacts Biblical vengeance upon a customer - but the universe has its own cruel fate in store for him!
----
Down and dirty tales of the dangerous L.A. underworld that throb with the muscular rhythms of Sunset Strip rock and roll and oldtime pulp.
----
Oh. God. I wanted to be a fanboy and get a visceral horrorthrill out of these stories. Del James (a pseudonym, by the by) is touted as a thriller writer, a horror writer, a merchant of the macabre. But...I can't even bring myself to write the title of one of the stories as it is so devoid of...well, it shouldn't be used as a title. I've stopped smackdab in the middle of "High School Memoirs" to tap down some thoughts, as I don't want anyone to think that this might make a fun, spooky summer read. It's as if a blacked-out Jim Thompson and coke-fueled Bret Easton Ellis are tag-teaming a typewriter, trying to outdark each other. I am willing to overlook grammatical laziness if the author is desperate to share a feeling. I'm not if it's just one symptom of a deeply sick, unrelenting, adolescent misogyny.
----
Bloodlust: An underground boxing champion tells you, the reader, what it's like to win a deathmatch.
High School Memoirs: One bad day leads to a 10-Year Class Reunion...in Hell.
Mama's Boy: A handsome writer of pornography has an ugly secret.
Mindwarp: 666 channels and no remote control.
Saltwater and Blood: The dolphins have had all they're going to take!
Skin Deep: A shrewd businessman is hiding more than a body covered from the neck down in tattoos.
The Atheist Prayer: A young woman and a homeless man have much more in common than having to share a bench at a bus stop.
Fumes of Friendship: Huffing paint leads nowhere good for a homeless man...or the students and janitor of a nearby night school.
----
I get it. I get it now: Del James has brought the wrath of an Old Testament prophet to early-90s Los Angeles - revealing the sins of its people and letting punishment overwhelm the crime.
----
For a primer in the imagery of Language of Fear, see this video, the visuals of which are a veritable Jamesian pastiche:
----
The Immortals: A wifebeating biker finds out what it means to have a heart when he's randomly targeted by a renegade-hillbilly organ donation service.
The Melrose Vampire: A temperamental L.A. artist learns what it means to finally be appreciated...over many lifetimes.
The Nerve: Even monsters in the forest get hungry. Especially monsters in the forest, come to think of it.
Without You: Rock star Mayne Mann has a bit of trouble getting over the loss of his main woman.
August 2, 2015
Like most readers, I was curious about this book because it contains the story "Without You" that was the inspiration for Guns N' Roses's "November Rain" video. What a pleasant surprise it was to find the the entire collection is excellent.
Del James was mostly known to me for working with GN'R and contributing lyrics to other bands such as Testament. His fiction seems to be almost a secret, but it is so well crafted and consistently great that it makes me sad that this is his only collection. Many stories take unexpected turns, but not in a gimmicky M. Night Shyamalan way. For an example of this see "The Atheist Prayer," maybe my favorite of the whole book. Mr. James paints complete characters within the confines of a short story, to the point that each one feels like a mini novel.
While I wish there was more of Del James's fiction available there is something to be said for having a perfect record. The Language of Fear is a true classic and a book I cherish in my collection. 5 stars.
Del James was mostly known to me for working with GN'R and contributing lyrics to other bands such as Testament. His fiction seems to be almost a secret, but it is so well crafted and consistently great that it makes me sad that this is his only collection. Many stories take unexpected turns, but not in a gimmicky M. Night Shyamalan way. For an example of this see "The Atheist Prayer," maybe my favorite of the whole book. Mr. James paints complete characters within the confines of a short story, to the point that each one feels like a mini novel.
While I wish there was more of Del James's fiction available there is something to be said for having a perfect record. The Language of Fear is a true classic and a book I cherish in my collection. 5 stars.
November 9, 2019
Oh my God, this is the worst book I've ever read. And I've read Son of Rosemary!
The prose to these stories is flat and unemotional. The characters aren't even one-dimensional, if that's even possible. Every story is nothing but telling and cliches, reduced to nothing but excuses to shock with the most depraved ideas James could imagine.
I mean, one of the stories is about a guy who trades a baby for drugs, but there's no examination of the characters there to make it worthwhile. In the end, the mother goes to the dealer with a gun and tells the guy, "You have my baby, I want him back", and the drug lord is all, "Oh, man, that's fucked up, we never should have done that, here, take him back", and that's it. There's no point to this story. There's no point to ANY of these stories.
The stories all feel immature, like they're written by a thirteen-year-old who just wants to shock and titillate. In one story, he has a character who's supposed to be in love with this woman, and to show how much this character loves her, he has the guy masturbate to a picture of her, like this is the highest compliment he could give her. It's just ... what?
James is also fond of flashbacks. Damn near every story has one, and he fits them in like a kid hammering a cube block into a round hole.
Oh, speaking of geometry, one of the lines is, "He aimed the pistol at one of his platinum DISCS [records] on another wall and blasted the shiny SPHERE" (emphasis mine).
I got angry as I was reading this book, it was so bad. I'm offended by it, not by its content, but by the fact that this was ever actually published. All I can figure is Guns N' Roses were huge at the time, and one of the stories is the basis for the "November Rain" video (which is mentioned on the cover of the damn book, because even the marketing department was like, "How else are we going to sell this shit?").
Don't read this book. Even as a hate-read, it's not worth it.
Abyss #45
The prose to these stories is flat and unemotional. The characters aren't even one-dimensional, if that's even possible. Every story is nothing but telling and cliches, reduced to nothing but excuses to shock with the most depraved ideas James could imagine.
I mean, one of the stories is about a guy who trades a baby for drugs, but there's no examination of the characters there to make it worthwhile. In the end, the mother goes to the dealer with a gun and tells the guy, "You have my baby, I want him back", and the drug lord is all, "Oh, man, that's fucked up, we never should have done that, here, take him back", and that's it. There's no point to this story. There's no point to ANY of these stories.
The stories all feel immature, like they're written by a thirteen-year-old who just wants to shock and titillate. In one story, he has a character who's supposed to be in love with this woman, and to show how much this character loves her, he has the guy masturbate to a picture of her, like this is the highest compliment he could give her. It's just ... what?
James is also fond of flashbacks. Damn near every story has one, and he fits them in like a kid hammering a cube block into a round hole.
Oh, speaking of geometry, one of the lines is, "He aimed the pistol at one of his platinum DISCS [records] on another wall and blasted the shiny SPHERE" (emphasis mine).
I got angry as I was reading this book, it was so bad. I'm offended by it, not by its content, but by the fact that this was ever actually published. All I can figure is Guns N' Roses were huge at the time, and one of the stories is the basis for the "November Rain" video (which is mentioned on the cover of the damn book, because even the marketing department was like, "How else are we going to sell this shit?").
Don't read this book. Even as a hate-read, it's not worth it.
Abyss #45
October 29, 2014
Kind of disappointed in this one. I remember Del James from back when he was the editor of RIP magazine and was looking forward to Cemetery Dance's limited edition of The Language of Fear. The stories themselves were okay - James seemed a bit formulaic in the way he would set up/describe his characters at the beginning of his tales of murder, ghosts, zombies, depravity, drugs and all sorts of other fun stuff - although when he delved into stories about the world of Rock and Heavy Metal things seemed more polished.
I guess what disappointed me most about the book was the large number of errors in the finished product - I saw more misspelled words/typos in this one CD publication than I have seen in all the other books I've collected combined from Cemetery Dance in the past fifteen years.
I guess what disappointed me most about the book was the large number of errors in the finished product - I saw more misspelled words/typos in this one CD publication than I have seen in all the other books I've collected combined from Cemetery Dance in the past fifteen years.
August 25, 2011
This is not a book I reccomend to anyone who scares easily, or would not like to read about violence. It's a horror book that has some very suggestive material. I have only read one story in this collection, and that is "Without You". I am a die-hard G&R fan, and I have always been touched by the song "November Rain". "Without You" is the background story and I had to read it. To say the very least, my review of this book is based on one of the short stories, and like the song, it personally touched my heart. Love, betrayal and drugs are a suicidal combination.
June 26, 2009
A collection of short stories that I really enjoyed. Excellent stuff. I don't know what happened to Del James. I'd like to have seen books from him.
February 4, 2023
I came to read this book because finally, literally decades later, I wanted to find out what was behind Guns N’Roses� “November Rain�. Now that I've read it, I am none the wiser, except that I was very disappointed. The music video is actually more interesting than the story that it is based on. All in all, I read three more short stories, and leafed through two others before I gave up. I don’t even remember when I last came across such utter drivel.
Apparently the writer is friends with Axl Rose, and it’s obvious how much Del James admires him, as several characters are modelled on him, and Axl Rose even wrote an introduction. At the point when this collection came out (1995), they were both very committed to their lavish sex, drugs and rock’n’roll lifestyle. I’m not sure where they are now, though. Not that it matters much�.
Del James is marketed as a “horror writer� (sometimes bizarre supernatural encounters take place) and a “thriller writer� (unpleasant people do detestable things), who obviously strives to compete with Stephen King. However, even though James puts all these depraved characters on a literary map, he fails to make any point at all. It’s really just porn put on paper � sex porn, violence porn, addiction porn, bad taste porn, and poverty porn, all poured into one book. Accordingly, the writing is so atrocious it beggars belief. It’s exceedingly flat and unengaging, and devoid of any discernible artistic concept.
I knew a person once who lived this sort of life style, swerving between self-indulgence and self-pity. I can only assume he would relish this book, because he’d feel understood. Everyone else, save yourselves the trouble and skip this amateurish array of tales about awful people.
Apparently the writer is friends with Axl Rose, and it’s obvious how much Del James admires him, as several characters are modelled on him, and Axl Rose even wrote an introduction. At the point when this collection came out (1995), they were both very committed to their lavish sex, drugs and rock’n’roll lifestyle. I’m not sure where they are now, though. Not that it matters much�.
Del James is marketed as a “horror writer� (sometimes bizarre supernatural encounters take place) and a “thriller writer� (unpleasant people do detestable things), who obviously strives to compete with Stephen King. However, even though James puts all these depraved characters on a literary map, he fails to make any point at all. It’s really just porn put on paper � sex porn, violence porn, addiction porn, bad taste porn, and poverty porn, all poured into one book. Accordingly, the writing is so atrocious it beggars belief. It’s exceedingly flat and unengaging, and devoid of any discernible artistic concept.
I knew a person once who lived this sort of life style, swerving between self-indulgence and self-pity. I can only assume he would relish this book, because he’d feel understood. Everyone else, save yourselves the trouble and skip this amateurish array of tales about awful people.
Want to read
July 23, 2011Stephen King endorsed the entire Dell Abyss Horror line. Here is his blurb:
"Thank you for introducing me to the remarkable line of novels currently being issued under Dell's Abyss imprint. I have given a great many blurbs over the last twelve years or so, but this one marks two firsts: first unsolicited blurb (I called you) and the first time I have blurbed a whole line of books. In terms of quality, production, and plain old story-telling reliability (that's the bottom line, isn't it), Dell's new line is amazingly satisfying...a rare and wonderful bargain for readers. I hope to be looking into the Abyss for a long time to come."
"Thank you for introducing me to the remarkable line of novels currently being issued under Dell's Abyss imprint. I have given a great many blurbs over the last twelve years or so, but this one marks two firsts: first unsolicited blurb (I called you) and the first time I have blurbed a whole line of books. In terms of quality, production, and plain old story-telling reliability (that's the bottom line, isn't it), Dell's new line is amazingly satisfying...a rare and wonderful bargain for readers. I hope to be looking into the Abyss for a long time to come."
October 6, 2010
I own this book because I'm a huge Guns N Roses fan, and this book contains the short story the "November Rain" video is based on.
I was bored by the book. It just wasn't my thing.
I was bored by the book. It just wasn't my thing.
Want to read
November 23, 2014This is a signed copy of 750 produced.
July 31, 2020
I liked half of the stories, the themes, and the messages but I didn't quite enjoy the author's style of writing. At times, it felt cheap and amateurish. I listened to November Rain and Don't Cry a lot as a teen and GN'R have a special place in my heart. The music videos of the songs have fascinated me as a child growing up and this is how I stumbled upon this book. I love reading books that have inspired other artists to create. Now that I have finally managed to finish reading this book, here are my thoughts:
- I love books that explore the dark side of humans. However, these type of books, if not properly written can totally miss the mark and I am not after cheap horror.
- A tale of two heroines: Meh! The only thing that can upgrade this story is if the last line meant that Lisa was planning to do the same thing her boyfriend did. Then, that would be a great story.
- Adult Nature Material: horrifying, but loved this one a lot.
- Bloodlust: boring.
- Date Rape: I liked this one. Twisted
- High school memoirs: Loved it. It was a triggering story and it made me feel sad and afraid too.
- Mama's boy: boring and cheap
- Mindwarp: from this story on, the book started to become less realistic and went more into the supernatural territory. Didn't like it that much because I feel humans are monsters enough, and quite formidable at that. No need for cheap tricks and supernatural monsters.
- Saltwater and blood: my top favourite! Very well written! Hit me in the feels.
- Skin deep: boring, cheap, stupid
- The atheist prayer: Loved it! Two humans that couldn't be any different and yet so fundamentally the same. The ending was perfect!
- The fumes of friendship: liked it. Twisted psychos.
- The immortals: cheap
- The melrose vampire: stupid. Entertaining, but stupid.
- The nerve: liked it. Liked it a lot. This is the story the book got its title from.
- Without you: Even though this story inspired the music video of "November Rain" it fell short of my expectations. Maybe it was relatable to Axel, but I couldn't relate. It was quite boring honestly.
- I love books that explore the dark side of humans. However, these type of books, if not properly written can totally miss the mark and I am not after cheap horror.
- A tale of two heroines: Meh! The only thing that can upgrade this story is if the last line meant that Lisa was planning to do the same thing her boyfriend did. Then, that would be a great story.
- Adult Nature Material: horrifying, but loved this one a lot.
- Bloodlust: boring.
- Date Rape: I liked this one. Twisted
- High school memoirs: Loved it. It was a triggering story and it made me feel sad and afraid too.
- Mama's boy: boring and cheap
- Mindwarp: from this story on, the book started to become less realistic and went more into the supernatural territory. Didn't like it that much because I feel humans are monsters enough, and quite formidable at that. No need for cheap tricks and supernatural monsters.
- Saltwater and blood: my top favourite! Very well written! Hit me in the feels.
- Skin deep: boring, cheap, stupid
- The atheist prayer: Loved it! Two humans that couldn't be any different and yet so fundamentally the same. The ending was perfect!
- The fumes of friendship: liked it. Twisted psychos.
- The immortals: cheap
- The melrose vampire: stupid. Entertaining, but stupid.
- The nerve: liked it. Liked it a lot. This is the story the book got its title from.
- Without you: Even though this story inspired the music video of "November Rain" it fell short of my expectations. Maybe it was relatable to Axel, but I couldn't relate. It was quite boring honestly.
July 3, 2024
If you're reading this please stay with me as I'm going to edit this as I read. I have listened to guns and roses for a while now and recently my uncle told me all the information about November rain, triggering my obsession, and I did research and found this book. As I waited for it to get delivered I read comments and found out how the book would be, everyone says it's not worth it but I think there's something so beautiful about this book. Waiting for it to be delivered I read comments like "did I get answers for the music video: yes. was it worth it?: no." And I feel like those people don't see the beauty of this book. I am not a horror fan so I didn't want to read it until I found out it's not like horror horror, it's LIFE horror, and that is what makes this book so beautiful to me. It's a bunch of short stories talking about real life horror, sure most of it probably won't happen the way it's told, but addiction, drugs, and all those touchy topics are talked about, and personally I love when things talk about the touchy things. Before reading I give the book 5/5 because of how beautiful it is.
A Tale of Two Heroins: As the title reveals, it's about two heroin addicts and what they would do for drugs and family. (Without saying too much.) The way Del James described things in this was beautiful. Typically I don't catch onto the literature comparing but I caught on to this and it blew my mind. Gorgeous phrasing of words to describe addiction. The story was good, but I'm so obsessed with the story line of, "Without You," that I feel this could be better. I give this story 4/5 stars.
Adult Nature Material: 3/5 I honsetly don't even have words for this story, we read about a man's shift at a pornographic theater. I didn't expect the ending to happen that way and I feel like it could be better.
Bloodlust: 4/5 absolutely have no words for this. Was not expecting that at all and was in shock for a good few minutes.
A Tale of Two Heroins: As the title reveals, it's about two heroin addicts and what they would do for drugs and family. (Without saying too much.) The way Del James described things in this was beautiful. Typically I don't catch onto the literature comparing but I caught on to this and it blew my mind. Gorgeous phrasing of words to describe addiction. The story was good, but I'm so obsessed with the story line of, "Without You," that I feel this could be better. I give this story 4/5 stars.
Adult Nature Material: 3/5 I honsetly don't even have words for this story, we read about a man's shift at a pornographic theater. I didn't expect the ending to happen that way and I feel like it could be better.
Bloodlust: 4/5 absolutely have no words for this. Was not expecting that at all and was in shock for a good few minutes.
June 7, 2018
The idea of a horror and suspense short story collection written by a Guns 'n Roses songwriter is probably better than the book itself. Del James isn't a bad writer, but there's something less than polished and complete about most of his stories. Like a second-rate Robert McCammon, his tales of decadence and depravity and moments of childlike wonder have strong ideas but rarely feel fully formed. In fact, many of them do not end as much as just... stop when James seems to have grown tired of them. His story "Without You" may have inspired the infamous, mysterious video for "November Rain," but the story in the video is much more evocative and thought-provoking than the rather banal story that claims inspiration here.
July 29, 2018
A collection of short stories of various quality and genre, The Language of Fear focuses mainly on the period of time it was written (late 80s-very early 90s). Most of the stories are reasonably engaging, ending with "Without You", the story that inspired the GnR video for "November Rain".
One thing that I found distracting was repeated referrals to brand names as status symbols, like Ellis and McInerney did in their books about contemptible yuppies. It always just seems like a forced device to give cred to a character's affluence. Just say that the dude ripped apart his stereo, it doesn't have to be a Fisher.
That said, generally the book is worth the read. Would I read it again? Maybe the last two stories.
One thing that I found distracting was repeated referrals to brand names as status symbols, like Ellis and McInerney did in their books about contemptible yuppies. It always just seems like a forced device to give cred to a character's affluence. Just say that the dude ripped apart his stereo, it doesn't have to be a Fisher.
That said, generally the book is worth the read. Would I read it again? Maybe the last two stories.
December 29, 2019
A painfully real picture of what appears to be a collection of the weirdest nightmares. And yet, the daring lack of mercy for the reader makes you respect this bold writer, who is capable of killing the protagonist in just half a sentence without even hinting of his intentions. Very vivid, raw, mind-blowing and last but not least, a fearful bunch of stories. Thank you, Del, for this journey, and thank you for "Without you" - you made a lot more than it seems!
February 28, 2024
I came for “Without You� and stayed for the rest of them.
In The Language of Fear, Del James explores the very worst of humanity. This book is grungy and disgusting, horrifying and tragic and so cerebral.
There were two stories that included harm to animals and I had to skip those but if you can stomach body horror, the dark and the depraved, I will recommend this book 100% of the time. These are NOT feel good stories but man, there is something so sublimely beautiful about James’s work.
In The Language of Fear, Del James explores the very worst of humanity. This book is grungy and disgusting, horrifying and tragic and so cerebral.
There were two stories that included harm to animals and I had to skip those but if you can stomach body horror, the dark and the depraved, I will recommend this book 100% of the time. These are NOT feel good stories but man, there is something so sublimely beautiful about James’s work.
Read
December 29, 2021Full disclosure: I didn’t read this whole book. I only read the story “Without You� because I know it was the basis for the video for “November Rain� by Guns ‘n� Roses, my favorite G’N’R song. It was a great story, but I didn’t read anything else. Del James writes some pretty hefty horror, and that is NOT a genre I care for.
Want to read
May 26, 2024I am sorry to leave a comment here under reviews for a book that I have not read yet but I wanted to assign a date for this book and the date set functionality of the website currently seems to be broken. If they get this working I will use this and delete this review.
08-15-2011
08-15-2011
January 25, 2025
The stories themselves are mixed bags in terms of content, but the atmosphere and prose is great in all of them.
Definitely worth reading for "The Melrose Vampire", "The Nerve", and "Without You" alone!
Definitely worth reading for "The Melrose Vampire", "The Nerve", and "Without You" alone!
October 27, 2023
A gritty collection of short stories that skirt the outer fringes of humanity. Not for the faint of heart or easily offended.
December 9, 2023
My favorite part was the guitar solo.
December 7, 2014
¡Este es un libro muy pero muy malo! Si lo enfocamos meramente desde el punto de vista literario, y no hablando de la litaratura en general, sino ciñéndonos especÃficamente a la literatura de horror, la verdad es que es muy plano. Del James es muy limitado en recursos y eso se nota, conformándose con apiñar cliché tras cliché en historias que no trascienden más allá de una simple exposición de hechos.
Sin embargo, ¡también debo decir que es muy entretenido!, a ver, básicamente si usted es un fan del horror serie B, de la pornografÃa y del mundo de las drogas y el rock 'n roll, sin duda va a encontrar muchas de las historias de este libro muy entretenidas. O sea, si lo leen sin ningún tipo de expectativas pero tienen gustos afines a los del autor, muy probablemente va a desquitar la inversión de tiempo en su lectura. Asà me ha pasado a mi, si bien desde un punto de vista serio literario no le encuentro mucho valor, la verdad es que si me he divertido bastante con el mundo de James. Aparte el libro tiene el mérito adicional de contener la historia esa en la que se basó el video de "November rain" de los Guns 'n Roses, una de las piezas que definitvamente marcaron mi juventud.
Asi que ya saben, fans de la literatura seria, abstenerse. Fans del cine barato de horror, del rock 'n roll más salvaje, ¡aquà encontrarán diversión!
Sin embargo, ¡también debo decir que es muy entretenido!, a ver, básicamente si usted es un fan del horror serie B, de la pornografÃa y del mundo de las drogas y el rock 'n roll, sin duda va a encontrar muchas de las historias de este libro muy entretenidas. O sea, si lo leen sin ningún tipo de expectativas pero tienen gustos afines a los del autor, muy probablemente va a desquitar la inversión de tiempo en su lectura. Asà me ha pasado a mi, si bien desde un punto de vista serio literario no le encuentro mucho valor, la verdad es que si me he divertido bastante con el mundo de James. Aparte el libro tiene el mérito adicional de contener la historia esa en la que se basó el video de "November rain" de los Guns 'n Roses, una de las piezas que definitvamente marcaron mi juventud.
Asi que ya saben, fans de la literatura seria, abstenerse. Fans del cine barato de horror, del rock 'n roll más salvaje, ¡aquà encontrarán diversión!
November 7, 2010
This book is a slap in the face of horror enthusiasts that hits so hard it makes your eyes water. The evil doesn't come from an ancient creature deep in a cave, or from a silly space pod, instead it comes from the neighborhood you live in (or at least the street you should have been smart enough to move away from). This is hard horror without the splatter punk nonsense. Fine prose, decent characterization, and a very distinct voice -- what more could you ask for? This is an overall fine collection of short stories and I would have to say that it is highly recommended by this humble reader.
On a personal note, I remember selling my 1st. ed. copy on eBay over ten years ago back when it was a minor hot commodity for over fifty dollars, but the trade off was that I never got to read more than the first story (!). Thankfully, there is now a new edition available at a reasonable $8 cover price. The new edition has a cheaper feel to it, almost like it was a print-on-demand item, but it doesn't detract too much from this good little read. Ride on, Del James, ride on.
On a personal note, I remember selling my 1st. ed. copy on eBay over ten years ago back when it was a minor hot commodity for over fifty dollars, but the trade off was that I never got to read more than the first story (!). Thankfully, there is now a new edition available at a reasonable $8 cover price. The new edition has a cheaper feel to it, almost like it was a print-on-demand item, but it doesn't detract too much from this good little read. Ride on, Del James, ride on.
April 3, 2013
Well first off, I paid WAY too much for this book! (like $120 too much!) Which I suppose now gives you an idea of just how completely obsessed I am with Guns N' Roses.
ABOUT THE STORIES: I actually really liked them! Of course "Without You" was my favorite (because it gives the background to the song November Rain). But the other stories were pretty good too, pretty gnarly, sick, and wicked, but hey I'm all about that. So if you're into that sorta thing...by all means check it out, because now you don't have to spend $100 on a used book but you can buy a brand new one for somewhere around $5.99. And in case your wondering...YES, when I saw that my heart sunk into my stomach and I kinda wanted to cry.
ABOUT THE STORIES: I actually really liked them! Of course "Without You" was my favorite (because it gives the background to the song November Rain). But the other stories were pretty good too, pretty gnarly, sick, and wicked, but hey I'm all about that. So if you're into that sorta thing...by all means check it out, because now you don't have to spend $100 on a used book but you can buy a brand new one for somewhere around $5.99. And in case your wondering...YES, when I saw that my heart sunk into my stomach and I kinda wanted to cry.
December 26, 2023
A collection of brutal, razor-sharp stories from a writer who is not only well-versed in the macabre, but is also obviously quite well acquainted with the underbelly of L.A. It might just be me, but behind all the grit and violence that permeate this book there is something of a moralist about the author; a very tough man with a very big heart. One of the better collections of horror stories I've read in awhile.
(Note: If possible get the Cemetery Dance hardcover edition. Not only is it a great looking book, but it also contains twelve stories, with a new introduction, that don't appear in the paperback version. Also if you are an obsessive collector like me the book is signed and limited to 750 copies.)
(Note: If possible get the Cemetery Dance hardcover edition. Not only is it a great looking book, but it also contains twelve stories, with a new introduction, that don't appear in the paperback version. Also if you are an obsessive collector like me the book is signed and limited to 750 copies.)
March 19, 2017
I don't know what prompted me to pick this book up. It's been on my bookshelf for years and I'm not entirely certain where it came from. It's not my normal genera that I like to read. I guess I was just looking for a change. I wasn't really super impressed. This book is a collection of small stories...some of which were okay, others were just down right weird and boring. Glad to get this one out of the way to move on to much more enthralling books!
April 13, 2014
This book is terrible. More like budget pornographic 'literature' than horror or thriller material. Although the stories are violent and unpleasant, there is no intelligent concept or twists to these stories which means I was left feeling disappointed and with little sympathy for the characters at the end of every story. Gave up half way through. Would rather have a bit of Palahniuk any day.
January 2, 2012
i finally tracked this book down to read the short story that Guns & Roses video for November Rain in based upon, Without You. oh my god is the story boring. i've had the book almost 2 years and i still can't finish the story. it's good if i can't fall asleep though.
March 28, 2008
Very disappointing. I was thinking I would love this set of short stories due to the November Rain of GN'R and Estranged...Just not all that great.
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