Showing posts with label Gothic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gothic. Show all posts

The Taking Summary

Dean Koontz, Action, Adventure, Fiction, Ghost, Gothic, Horror, Occult, Psychological, Romance, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller

The Taking

Published: 2004
Author: Dean Koontz
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fiction, Ghost, Gothic, Horror, Occult, Psychological, Romance, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller

Check out the review of this book here:


Summary

Molly Sloan awakens in the middle of the night in the midst of an unusually rapid heavy rainstorm. She leaves her husband Neil in bed, unable to sleep, and goes downstairs to work on a screenplay she is working on.

Coyotes from the adjacent woodland gather on her doorstep in huddles. She wonders what could have terrified such creatures into fleeing the safety of the deep forests and exposing themselves to human contact. 

She walks outdoors, disturbed, to stand among the wild beasts, and is terrified — not by the animals, but by the unusual, strangely glowing rain. She recognizes, instinctively, that the rain is dirty.

Molly and Neil scour the news for information once she returns home. They can only gather that the same phenomena are occurring all around the planet before all contact is lost. 

They decide to abandon their remote house, meeting with the people of a nearby little mountain town to prepare a resistance, despite the fact that they have no idea what they would be fighting against. 

The rain finally stops after ten hours of pouring. A heavy, gloomy fog has replaced it, obscuring everything and transforming trees and buildings into towering shadows. 

Molly and Neil are now in the local bar, where about 60 people have come with their pets and children. The occurrence is said to be the result of an extraterrestrial invasion.

Unusual sounds and lights are heard and observed. Strange fungi sprout in a local tavern's lavatory, and a terrifying fungus spreads on trees, lawns, buildings, and people alike. 

Huge things glide above the scared populace from time to time, and people feel as though they are entirely known by whatever or whoever fills these aerial ships - assuming the quiet, drifting objects are crafts of some type. 

Molly and Neil set off on a quest to rescue the town's youngsters, many of whom are trapped in their houses, accompanied by a stray dog named Virgil. Meanwhile, the tavern's patrons, divided into warring groups, battle the strange menace that has engulfed their town. 

Surprisingly, Virgil appears to be able to tell when and where particular youngsters are in danger. Later, it is discovered that other animals are directing rescue attempts to save other youngsters.

As they seek answers, the townsfolk come to the conclusion that they are under attack by extraterrestrial invaders who have arrived as an advanced group to reverse-terraform the Earth so that its changed atmosphere will support their alien body’s needs. 

However, while doing so, they will poison the planet's human inhabitants, who must die in order for the invaders to exist. 

Molly feels that the invaders are of the most malignant sort and that they seek nothing but devastation at all times. 

Even when they face the most horrifying and twisted animals on their quest, Molly and Neil are able to save 13 children with the assistance of Virgil and other animals after going through many tragedies. 

Molly is certain that the aliens permitted them to save the children in order to harvest them for some more heinous purpose; yet, a series of circumstances lead her to feel that there is still hope and that the children have been spared for a unique cause. 

After 36 hours of rain, mist, and darkness, a new rain falls, much to the satisfaction of the characters, and wipes away all the monsters, fungi, and sick alien presences on the planet.

Molly, Neil, and eight of the children they rescued had been living in a house for at least a year. Society has begun a sluggish process of restoration; the majority of survivors are children and those who saved them, as well as dogs and animals that assisted in the rescues. 

Molly is now a teacher, and Neil has returned to his church job. Most people don't talk about what happened, and the reasons for the aliens' departure are never mentioned. 

However, while the identity or origin of the invaders is never fully addressed, towards the conclusion of the novel, Molly discovers that the invaders were not aliens at all, but they had really lived through the biblical apocalypse and that the monsters were demons sent to Earth to exterminate mankind. 

Only a few would be saved, like on Noah's Ark, to rebuild a better world. Several facts in the story corroborate her opinion.

The novel concludes on a lighter note, with Molly resolving to write another book — this time for her soon-to-be-born son or daughter, rather than for publication. When Neil asks her what the book will be about, she responds, "Hope."


Useful Search Related Words & Keywords

Alien Invasion, Black Lake, Husband Neil, Koontz Books, Left Behind, Molly And Neil, Odd Thomas, Waste Of Time, Years Ago


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The Mysteries of Udolpho Summary

The Mysteries of Udolpho Summary
The Mysteries of Udolpho

Published: 8, May 1794

Author: Ann Ward Radcliffe

Genres: 80/100, Adventure, Classic, Education, Fiction, Gothic, History, Horror, Literary, Literature, Mystery, Romance, Supernatural


Check out the review of this book here:

The Mysteries of Udolpho is a classic Gothic tale, full of physical and psychological terrors such as lonely decaying castles, supposedly supernatural happenings, a brooding, plotting villain, and a persecuted heroine.

Radcliffe added extended descriptions of exotic landscapes in the Pyrenees and Apennines, as well as Venice, none of which she had visited, to which modern editors point out that only about a third of the novel takes place in the titular Gothic castle, and that the tone and style of the work vary significantly between sections. She depended on travel guides for specifics, which resulted in various inaccuracies.

The story, set in southern France and northern Italy in 1584, follows Emily St. Aubert, a young French woman orphaned by her father's death. Signor Montoni, an Italian brigand who has married her aunt and guardian Madame Cheron, has her imprisoned at Castle Udolpho. Emily's relationship with the dashing Valancourt is thwarted by him and others. Emily also looks into her father's relationship with the Marchioness de Villeroi and how it relates to Castle Udolpho.

Emily St. Aubert is the sole child of a wealthy rural family on the verge of bankruptcy. Emily and her father have a very strong relationship based on their common love of nature. Following her mother's death from sickness, they become further closer. She travels with him from their home Gascony to the Mediterranean coast of Roussillon, passing through several rugged regions. During their travels, they meet Valancourt, a dashing young man who has a mysterious connection with nature. Emily and Valancourt develop feelings for one another.

Emily's father passes away after a lengthy illness. Emily, who is now orphaned, is forced to live with her aunt, Madame Cheron, who has no interest in Emily's hobbies and displays no compassion for her. Her aunt marries Montoni, a shady Italian aristocrat. He wants to marry Emily's friend, Count Morano and attempts to force him on her. Montoni invites Emily and her aunt to his secluded castle of Udolpho after finding Morano is virtually demolished.

Emily is concerned that she has lost Valancourt for good. Morano looks for Emily and attempts to smuggle her away from Udolpho in the dark, but Emily's heart belongs to Valancourt, and she refuses. Montoni discovers Morano's attempted escape and wounds him before chasing him away. Montoni threatens his wife with violence in the months following, attempting to get her to sign up her possessions in Toulouse, which would otherwise pass to Emily upon his wife's death. Madame Cheron dies of a serious illness brought on by her husband's harshness without renouncing her inheritance.

In the castle, many terrifying yet fortuitous incidents occur, but Emily tries to leave with the assistance of a hidden lover, Du Pont, who is also a prisoner there, and the servants Annette and Ludovico. When Emily returns to her aunt's house, she discovers that Valancourt has fled to Paris and squandered his fortune. Despite this, she gains control of the land and is eventually reunited with Valancourt.


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Rating: 80/100
Recommended: 90/100 Yes.

Buy the Kindle version here:


Free with free Audible trial:


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The Castle of Otranto Summary

The Castle of Otranto Summary

The Castle of Otranto

Published: 1764

Author: Horace Walpole

Genres: 90/100, Classic, Fiction, Gothic, History, Horror, Literary, Literature, Occult, Supernatural


Check out the review of this book here:



Summary

The narrative of Manfred, the castle's lord, and his family are told in The Castle of Otranto. On the wedding day of his ailing son Conrad and Princess Isabella, the story begins. Conrad, however, is crushed to death by a massive helmet that descends on him from above just before the wedding.

This strange occurrence is all the more concerning in light of an old prophecy that "the castle and lordship of Otranto should depart from the present line after the true owner has grown too large to occupy it." Manfred, fearful that Conrad's death may spell the end of his dynasty, decides to marry Isabella himself while divorcing his present wife, Hippolita, whom he believes has failed to produce him a legitimate heir owing to Conrad's frail condition before his untimely death.

Isabella, however, flees to a chapel with the help of a peasant called Theodore while Manfred seeks to marry her. While speaking with the monk Jerome, who insured Isabella's safety at the church, Manfred orders Theodore's killing. Jerome detects a marking below Theodore's shoulder and recognizes Theodore as his own son as Theodore removes his shirt to be executed.

Jerome cries out for his son's life, but Manfred tells him that he must choose between the princess and his son's life. They are interrupted by the sound of a trumpet and the arrival of knights from another realm, who want to transfer Isabella and the castle to her father, Fredric because Fredric has a better claim to it (another reason Manfred wishes to wed Isabella). As a result, the knights and Manfred set off on a quest to find Isabella.

Theodore, who had been imprisoned by Manfred in a tower, is set free by Manfred's daughter, Matilda. He dashes to the basement chapel, where he discovers Isabella. To protect her from Manfred, he hides her in a cave and shuts it, but he ends up battling one of the strange knights. The knight, who reveals out to be Isabella's father, Frederic, is seriously injured by Theodore. They all head up to the palace to figure things out after that. Frederic and Manfred establish an agreement to marry one other's daughters when they fall in love with Matilda. After being warned by an apparition of a skeleton, Frederic withdraws.

Manfred brings a knife into the chapel where Matilda is meeting Theodore, fearing Isabella is having a tryst with Theodore. He stabs Isabella, mistaking her for his own daughter. As Matilda dies, Theodore is revealed to be the actual prince of Otranto, forcing Manfred to repent. The prophecy is realized, as a gigantic ghostly apparition arrives, shattering the castle walls.

Manfred abdicates the principality and, together with Hippolita, retires to religion. Theodore is made prince of the castle's ruins and married to Isabella, who is the only person who genuinely understands his grief.

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Rating: 90/100
Recommended: 95/100 Yes.

Buy the Kindle version here:


Free with free Audible trial:


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The Monk Summary

The Monk Summary

The Monk

Published: 1796

Author: Mathew Lewis

Genres: 95/100, Adult, Classic, Drama, Fantasy, Fiction, Gothic, Horror, Literature, Magic, Romance, Suspense


Check out the review of this book here:



Summary

There are two primary plotlines in The Monk. The first is about the monk Ambrosio's corruption and demise, as well as his contacts with the demon-in-disguise Matilda and the virtuous virgin Antonia. The relationship between Raymond and the nun Agnes is the focus of the subplot. The story also features numerous extensive accounts of people with Gothic backstories who share their stories at various moments.

Antonia, who has just arrived in Madrid, goes to hear a sermon by Ambrosio, who was abandoned at the monastery as a child and is now a well-known monk. She meets Lorenzo, who is smitten by her. Lorenzo pays a visit to his sister Agnes, who is a nun at the convent nearby. He notices someone bringing a letter from Raymond to Agnes. Nuns, including Agnes, later pay Ambrosio a visit for confession. When Agnes admits to being pregnant with Raymond's kid, Ambrosio sends her to her abbey's Prioress for punishment.

Among the monks, Ambrosio's closest buddy exposes himself to be a woman named Matilda, who disguised herself to be near Ambrosio. Ambrosio is bitten by a snake while selecting a rose for her and becomes fatally ill. Matilda looks after him. Matilda explains that she swallowed the poison from Ambrosio's wound and is now dying herself as he recovers. Matilda asks him to make love to her right before she dies, and he gives in to the temptation.

Raymond's connection with his sister Agnes is brought up by Lorenzo. Raymond recounts their lengthy relationship together. Raymond was traveling across Germany when he was stuck in a home owned by a robber who kills and robs travelers due to a carriage mishap. Raymond avoided being slain thanks to a warning from the bandit's wife and escaped with a Baroness who was also staying at the cottage. After that, when visiting the Baroness, Raymond fell in love with her niece Agnes. The Baroness, on the other hand, was madly in love with Raymond, and when he turned down her overtures, she made plans to transfer Agnes to a convent.

Raymond and Agnes decided to marry on the spur of the moment. Agnes intended to dress up as the Bleeding Nun, a ghost that haunts the castle and leaves at midnight. Raymond had an unintentional elopement with the real-life spirit of the real-life Bleeding Nun. The Wandering Jew was needed to help exorcise the ghost of the Bleeding Nun. When he was released, he went to the monastery and met Agnes. He seduced Agnes there. She begged him to help her flee when she found out she was pregnant.

Lorenzo offers to assist Raymond in eloping with Agnes when Raymond concludes his narrative. He obtains a papal bull that frees Agnes from her vows as a nun, allowing her to marry Raymond. When he brings it to the Prioress, however, she informs Lorenzo that Agnes had died a few days previously. Lorenzo doesn't believe it, but Agnes hasn't been heard from in over two months. Meanwhile, Lorenzo has obtained his family's approval for his marriage to Antonia.

Matilda heals herself of the poison by performing a ceremony at the graveyard after having sex with Ambrosio. She and Ambrosio remain secret lovers, but Ambrosio has had enough of her. When Ambrosio first meets Antonia, he is immediately drawn to her. He begins paying regular visits to Antonia's mother, Elvira, in the hopes of seducing Antonia. Ambrosio hugs Antonia on a visit, but she refuses. Elvira greets him and urges him to go. Matilda informs Ambrosio that she can assist him in obtaining Antonia's charms, in the same manner, she was cured of the poison: through witchcraft.

Ambrosio is in a state of shock. He accepts, though, when she shows him a magical mirror in which Antonia is swimming. Matilda and Ambrosio return to the cemetery, where Matilda summons Lucifer, a youthful and attractive figure. He provides Matilda with a magical myrtle twig that allows Ambrosio to access any door and satisfy his passion for Antonia without her realizing who is the ravisher. Ambrosio accepts without selling himself to the devil, he believes.

Raymond's servant disguises himself as a beggar and visits the monastery in an attempt to locate Agnes. Mother St. Ursula hands him a basket of goodies as he walks away, hiding a message instructing Raymond to have the cardinal arrest both Mother St. Ursula and the Prioress for Agnes' murder.

Ambrosio enters Antonia's bedroom with the magical bough. He is about to rape her when Elvira arrives and confronts him. Ambrosio kills Elvira in a frenzy and returns to the convent, dissatisfied with his passion and frightened that he has now become a murderer. Antonia, bereaved by her mother's death, encounters her mother's spirit. Antonia faints from fear and is discovered by her landlady, who summons Ambrosio for assistance. Matilda assists Ambrosio in obtaining a mixture that would place Antonia in a deathlike stupor. Ambrosio delivers the poison while caring for Antonia and Antonia seems to die.

Lorenzo returns to Madrid, accompanied by an Inquisition official. The Prioress is detained during a procession honoring Saint Clare. Agnes' death at the hands of the sisters is publicly described by Mother St. Ursula. The parade throng turns into a raging mob when they learn that the Prioress is a murderer. They assassinate the Prioress, assault other nuns, and set fire to the monastery. Lorenzo discovers a group of nuns and a young woman called Virginia sheltering in the crypt among the chaos.

Lorenzo finds Agnes alive and carrying the lifeless body of the infant she had given birth to while abandoned in the dungeon. Lorenzo saves Agnes and the other nuns from the vault with Virginia's aid. Meanwhile, in the crypt, Antonia awakens from her drugged slumber, and Ambrosio rapes her. After that, he's just as disgusted with Antonia as he was with Matilda, the woman who came to warn him about the incident. In an attempt to flee, Ambrosio murders Antonia.

Virginia pays Lorenzo a visit when he is grieving, and the two become closer. Agnes goes into great detail about her dreadful time in the prison. Agnes and Raymond marry, and the couple goes with Lorenzo and Virginia from Madrid to Raymond's castle, where they subsequently marry.

The Inquisition summons Ambrosio and Matilda to appear before it. Matilda admits her guilt and is condemned to death by fire. She sells her soul to the devil in return for her freedom and life before the punishment is carried out. Ambrosio is tormented because he insists on his innocence. Matilda appears to him and advises him to surrender his soul to Satan. Ambrosio protests his innocence again, but after being tortured, he admits to rape, murder, and magic, and is sentenced to death by fire.

Ambrosio, in desperation, requests Lucifer to spare his life, but he is told that it would cost him his soul. Ambrosio is hesitant to give up hope of God's forgiveness, but Lucifer assures him that it isn't possible. Ambrosio finally agrees to the contract after considerable deliberation. Lucifer takes him out of his dungeon and into the forest. Lucifer reveals that Elvira was his mother, making Antonia his sister, and adding incest to his list of sins. Ambrosio then discovers that he accepted Lucifer's offer only minutes before being pardoned.

Lucifer says that gaining Ambrosio's soul has been his objective for a long time, and Matilda was a demon assisting him. Lucifer then points out a flaw in Ambrosio's deal: Ambrosio simply wanted to be released from his confinement. Lucifer has completed his half of the contract and is now free to murder Ambrosio and take his soul. He lifts Ambrosio into the air and lands him on the cliffs below. Ambrosio endures for six days before dying alone and eternally cursed.


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Rating: 95/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.

Buy the Kindle version here:


Free with free Audible trial:


The Monk (2013) (R):


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Doctor Sleep Summary

Doctor Sleep

Published: 24, September 2013

Author: Stephen King

Book 2 of 2: The Shining

Genres: American, Contemporary, Fiction, Ghost, Gothic, Horror, Literature, Psychological, Supernatural, Thrillers, Movie Tie-In, Occult, Suspense, Psychic, Vampires


Check out the review of this book here:


Useful Search Related Words & Keywords:

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Summary:

Danny Torrance remains mentally damaged by the events of The Shining, despite obtaining compensation from the Overlook Hotel's proprietors. His mother Wendy heals slowly from her injuries. They are currently residing in the state of Florida. Angry Overlook ghosts, including the woman from Room 217, are still on the hunt for Danny and his incredible "shining" ability. Danny is taught to build lockboxes in his head to imprison the spirits, including those of former Overlook owner Horace Derwent, by Dick Hallorann, the restaurant's chef.

Danny (now known as Dan) continues his father's heritage of rage and drinking as an adult. Dan spends years traveling around the United States before settling in New Hampshire and deciding to stop drinking. He settles in Frazier, where he works for the Frazier municipal department before moving on to the local hospice and attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. His telepathic skills, which had been repressed by his drinking, resurface, allowing him to console dying patients. Dan earns the moniker "Doctor Sleep" because of a cat named "Azzie" who can feel when someone is going to die.

Meanwhile, Abra Stone, a newborn girl born in 2001, begins to show signs of psychic abilities when she appears to foretell the 9/11 events. She develops a psychic link with Dan slowly and accidentally. As she matures, the touch becomes more aware and voluntary, and her radiance surpasses even his. One night, Abra psychically watches the True Knot, a gang of quasi-immortal psychic vampires, many of whom have their own "shine" powers, torturing and murdering a young child.

Members of the True Knot travel across the United States, feeding on "steam," a mental essence created when those who possess the shining die in agony. Their victims are referred to as Rubes. Rose the Hat, the True Knot's commander, learns of Abra's existence and devises a scheme to abduct her and keep her alive by forcing her to create an endless supply of steam.

The True Knot are dying of measles, which they got from their previous victim, a little boy called Bradley Trevor, and they believe that Abra's steam will cure them. Dan agrees to assist Abra, and he tells her father David, and their family doctor, John Dalton, about their relationship. Initially enraged and hesitant, David eventually comes to trust Dan and agrees to help him save Abra. They prevent and murder a raiding party sent by Rose, commanded by Rose's boyfriend Crow Daddy, with the help of one of Dan's pals, Billy Freeman.

Dan, on the other hand, understands that Rose would persistently pursue Abra for vengeance. He telepathically discovers through Abra's great-grandmother Concetta, who is dying of cancer, that he and Abra's mother Lucy are half-siblings with the same father: Jack Torrance. Dan absorbs Concetta's sick steam inside himself as she dies. Meanwhile, discord among The True Knot's ranks, along with Rose's infatuation with Abra, leads to the group's disbandment, leaving Rose with even fewer supporters.

Abra leads Rose into confronting her at the area where the Overlook Hotel once stood in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, now home to a campground owned by the True Knot, following another kidnapping attempt that Abra foils with Dan's psychic assistance. Dan and Billy journey to the location, with Abra assisting them through astral projection. Dan waits in the shadows and releases the steam collected from Concetta on the remaining True Knot members, killing them all.

He also frees Horace Derwent's spirit to assassinate the final remaining member, Silent Sarey, who was preparing to ambush him and Abra, and the two fight Rose in a protracted psychic battle. They throw Rose over an observation platform with the aid of Billy and the spirit of Dan's father, Jack Torrance, so she falls to the earth, breaking her neck and dies. Dan sees his father wave farewell before departing the campground, having finally found peace.

Dan celebrates 15 years of sobriety and attends Abra's 15th birthday celebration in the epilogue. He informs her about his family's history of drunkenness and aggressive conduct and cautions her not to follow in his footsteps by drinking or succumbing to wrath. Dan is summoned back to his hospice, where he comforts a dying colleague who had previously antagonized him. Before they can conclude their chat, Dan is called back to his hospice, where he comforts a dying colleague who had previously antagonized him.


Rating: 100/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.

Buy The Kindle Version Here:


Free With Free Audible Trial:


Doctor Sleep (Rated R):


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The Shining Summary

The Shining

Published: 28, January 1977

Author: Stephen King

Book 1 of 2: The Shining

Genres: American, Contemporary, Fiction, Ghost, Gothic, Horror, Literature, Psychological, Supernatural, Thrillers


Check out the review of this book here:


Useful Search Related Words & Keywords:

Doctor Sleep, Ever Read, Highly Recommend, Jack Nicholson, Jack Torrance, King at His Best, Much Better, Must Read, Overlook Hotel, Son Danny, Stanley Kubrick, Stephen King

Summary:

The story is set mostly at the fictitious Overlook Hotel, a remote and haunted resort hotel in the Colorado Rockies. Several individuals recount the hotel's history, which includes the deaths of several of its visitors as well as past winter keeper Delbert Grady, who "suffered from cabin fever" and killed his family and himself.

After accepting the post as winter caretaker, Jack Torrance, his wife Wendy, and their five-year-old son Danny move into the hotel. Jack is an aspiring writer and recovering alcoholic with rage issues, which led to his unintentionally breaking Danny's arm and losing his job as a teacher after punching a pupil previous to the narrative. The hotel's isolation, Jack believes, would help him reconnect with his family and provide the impetus he needs to work on a play. Danny has psychic talents known as "shining," which allow him to read people's thoughts and experience premonitions as well as clairvoyance, which his parents are unaware of.

On the day of closing, the Torrances arrive at the hotel and are given a tour by the manager. They meet chef Dick Hallorann, who has similar talents to Danny's and helps to explain them to him, forming a unique bond between Hallorann and Danny. The hotel's remaining workers and visitors vacate the premises, leaving the Torrances alone for the winter.

Danny experiences ghosts and terrifying visions as the Torrances settle in at the Overlook. Danny is close to both of his parents, but he keeps his visions hidden from them since he knows the caretaking profession is crucial to his father's and the family's future. Wendy proposes leaving Jack at the Overlook to complete the task on his own; Danny resists, believing that his father would be happy if they stay.

Danny quickly discovers, however, that his presence at the hotel amplifies the supernatural activity, turning echoes of past tragedies into deadly dangers. Apparitions take shape, and the topiary creatures in the garden come to life. The Torrances are blocked off from the outside world at their remote motel due to the winter snowstorm.

Because the Overlook is having trouble enslaving Danny, it begins to enslave Jack by thwarting his desire to work and tempting him with the hotel's legendary past via a scrapbook and records in the basement. Jack develops cabin fever and grows progressively erratic, smashing a CB radio and sabotaging a snowcat, the Torrances' only two means of communication with the outside world. Following a disagreement with Wendy, Jack discovers the hotel's bar, which had previously been vacant, fully stocked with booze and watches a party at which he encounters the spirit of a bartender called Lloyd.

He also has a dance with a young female ghost who is attempting to seduce Jack. The hotel employs the ghost of previous caretaker Grady to persuade Jack to murder his wife and son while he is inebriated. He first resists, but the hotel's growing power, mixed with Jack's own drunkenness and rage, proves too much for him. He gives in to his evil side and the hotel's influence. Wendy and Danny outsmart Jack after he assaults Wendy and locks him in the walk-in pantry, but the spirit of Delbert Grady frees him after he promises to bring him Danny and murder Wendy.

Wendy is severely injured when Jack assaults her with one of the hotel's roque mallets, but she flees to the caretaker's suite and locks herself in the toilet. Wendy cuts Jack's hand with a razor blade to discourage him from breaking the door with the mallet.

Meanwhile, while working at a Florida winter resort, Hallorann receives a telepathic distress call from Danny. Hallorann returns to the Overlook only to be assaulted by the topiary creatures and seriously hurt by Jack. As Jack chases Danny into the Overlook and corners him on the hotel's top level, he regains control and implores Danny to flee after Danny holds firm and denounces Jack as the hotel's mask and false face.

The hotel regains control of Jack, forcing him to severely smash his own face and skull with the mallet, obliterating all traces of Jack and replacing him with the hotel's own malicious "manager" personality. Danny warns the hotel that the unstable boiler is ready to blow, recalling that Jack failed to alleviate the strain on it. While Danny, Wendy, and Hallorann leave, the hotel-creature races to the basement to try to relieve the pressure, but it's too late, and the boiler explodes, killing Jack and destroying the Overlook. Defying the hotel's final effort to control him, Hallorann leads Danny and Wendy to safety.

The epilogue of the book takes place the following summer. While Wendy recovers from the injuries Jack perpetrated on her, Hallorann, who has accepted a chef's position at a resort in Maine, consoles Danny over the death of his father.


Rating: 100/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.

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The Shining (1980) (18+)
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Frankenstein Summary

Or, The Modern Prometheus

Original 1818 Uncensored Version

Published: 1, January 1818

Author: Mary Shelley

Genres: Gothic, Historical, Horror, Literary, Literature, Romance, Science Fiction

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Summary:

Captain Walton's Narrative:

Frankenstein is a framing narrative told in the style of epistolary letters. It tells the story of Captain Robert Walton's fictitious communication with his sister, Margaret Walton Saville. In the eighteenth century, the tale takes place (the letters are dated as "17-"). Robert Walton is a failing writer who embarks on a journey to the North Pole in the hopes of learning more about science.

During the journey, the group notices a dog sled being pulled by a massive figure. A few hours later, the group finds Victor Frankenstein, who is practically frozen and malnourished. Frankenstein has been on the lookout for the colossal guy spotted by Walton's crew. Frankenstein begins to recover from his effort; he recognizes in Walton the same fixation that has ruined him, and as a warning, he tells Walton a narrative of his life's sorrows. The narrated story serves as the backdrop for Frankenstein's story.

Victor Frankenstein's narrative:

Victor begins by recounting his early years. Victor and his younger brothers, Ernest and William, are the sons of Alphonse Frankenstein and the former Caroline Beaufort and were born in Naples, Italy, into a rich Genevan family. Victor has had a great desire to comprehend the world since he was a child. He is infatuated with alchemical notions, even though as he grows older, he knows that such beliefs are much out of date. Victor's parents adopt Elizabeth Lavenza, the orphaned daughter of an expropriated Italian aristocrat when he is five years old, and Victor eventually marries her. Justine Moritz, Victor's nanny, is subsequently adopted by Victor's parents.

Victor's mother dies of scarlet fever just weeks before he goes to the University of Ingolstadt in Germany and he buries himself in his research to cope. He succeeds in chemistry and other disciplines at university, and he develops a secret way to give non-living things life. Victor attempts the development of a humanoid, but due to the difficulty in reproducing the minute elements of the human body, the Creature is tall, around 8 feet (2.4 m) tall, and proportionally enormous.

Despite Victor's choice of attractive characteristics, the Creature seems to be ugly when animated, with watery white eyes and yellow skin that barely hides the muscles and blood vessels beneath. Victor departs, disgusted with his job. He finds his boyhood buddy, Henry Clerval, while walking the streets the next day and takes him back to his flat, terrified of Henry's response if he sees the creature. The Creature, on the other hand, is gone when Victor returns to his laboratory.

Victor becomes unwell as a result of the ordeal and is nursed back to health by Henry. After a four-month recuperation period, he receives a letter from his father informing him of his brother William's murder. Victor finds the Creature at the crime site when he arrives in Geneva and believes his invention is to blame. After William's locket, which included a small portrait of Caroline, is discovered in her pocket, Justine Moritz, William's nanny, is convicted of the murder.

If Victor attempts to clear Justine's name, no one will believe him, and she will be hung. Victor escapes into the mountains, ravaged by grief and remorse. While hiking through the Mer de Glace on Mont Blanc, he is contacted by the Creature, who begs Victor to listen to his story.

The Creature's narrative:

The Creature, intelligent and articulate, recounts his early days as a lone survivor in the woods. People were scared of and despised him because of his looks, leading him to fear and hide from them. He got fond of the impoverished family who lived there while living in an abandoned structure attached to a cottage and secretly gathered firewood for them, removed snow from their walk and performed other things to aid them. The Creature learned to talk by listening to them and taught himself to read after locating a forgotten bag of books in the woods while living secretly close to the cottage for months.

He knew his look was terrible when he saw his reflection in a pool, and it terrified him as much as it horrified regular humans. He got increasingly connected to the family as he learned more about their predicament, and he ultimately approached them in the hopes of becoming their friend, entering the house while only the blind father was present. The two conversed, but when the others returned, the rest of them were terrified. The Creature departed the house after being attacked by the blind man's son. Fearing that he might return the next day, the family abandoned their house.

The way the Creature was treated angered him, and he lost all hope of ever being accepted by mankind. Despite his hatred for his creator for leaving him, he chose to journey to Geneva in order to locate him since he felt Victor was the only one who could heal him. On the way, he saved a kid who had fallen into a river, but her father shot him in the shoulder, assuming the Creature was out to kill them. The Creature then vowed to exact vengeance on all mankind. He used information from Victor's notebook to fly to Geneva, murder William, and frame Justine for the crime.

Victor is required by the Creature to construct a female partner who is similar to himself. He claims that he has a right to happiness as a living person. If Victor fulfills the Creature's request, he and his companion will vanish into the South American forest, never to be seen again. If Victor refuses, the Creature threatens to murder all of Victor's surviving friends and loved ones until he has totally destroyed him. Victor hesitantly accepts, fearful for his family's safety. The Creature vows to keep an eye on Victor's progress.

Victor Frankenstein's narrative resumes:

Clerval travels with Victor to England, but they split up at Perth, Scotland, at Victor's request. Victor believes the Creature is after him. He is troubled with catastrophic forebodings while working on the female monster on the Orkney Islands. He is afraid that the female may despise the Creature or turn eviler than he is. Even more concerning to him is the possibility that producing the second monster would result in the breeding of a species that will wreak havoc on humanity. After seeing the Creation, who had followed Victor, peering through a window, he rips apart the incomplete female creature.

The Creature rushes through the door to face Victor and threatens him into working again, but Victor is certain that because the Creature is evil, his mate would be bad as well, and the couple will endanger mankind by giving birth to a new species that looks just like them. "I will be with you on your wedding night," the Creature says as he walks away. Victor takes this as a death threat, believing that the Creature would murder him once he achieves happiness. Victor goes out to sea to dispose of his instruments, falls asleep in the boat, is unable to return to land due to weather changes, and is blown to the Irish coast.

Victor is imprisoned for Clerval's murder when he arrives in Ireland, as the Creature strangled Clerval and left the body where his creator had arrived. Victor has another mental collapse and awakens in a jail cell. He is later proven to be innocent, and after being released, he comes home with his father, who has restored some of Elizabeth's father's money to her.

Victor is going to marry Elizabeth in Geneva, and he is preparing to battle the Creature to the death, armed with pistols and a knife. Victor asks Elizabeth to stay in her room the night after their wedding while he searches for "the demon." The Creature strangles Elizabeth as Victor investigates the home and grounds. Victor sees the Creature from the window, tauntingly pointing at Elizabeth's body; Victor tries to kill him, but the Creature flees. Victor's father dies a few days later, weakened by age and the death of Elizabeth.

Victor follows the Creature through Europe, then north into Russia, seeking vengeance, but the Creature is always one step ahead of him. Victor eventually reaches a point when he is within a mile of the Creature, but he falls from weariness and hypothermia before he can discover his target, allowing the Creature to flee. The ice around Victor's sled eventually breaks apart, and the resulting ice floe approaches Walton's ship.

Captain Walton's conclusion:

Captain Walton picks up where Victor left off and continues the story. The ship becomes caught in pack ice a few days after the Creature disappears, and several crewmen perish in the cold before the rest of Walton's crew insists on heading south once it is released. Victor gets enraged when he hears the crew's demands and, despite his state, delivers a forceful speech to them.

He reminds them why they opted to join the mission, and that a great enterprise like theirs is defined by struggle and risk, not ease. He exhorts them to be men rather than cowards. Even though the speech had an impact on the crew, it is insufficient to persuade them to alter their views, and when the ship is released, Walton sadly decides to return to the South. Victor, despite his weakened position, declares that he will continue on his own. He is unwavering in his belief that the Creature must perish.

Victor dies soon after, encouraging Walton to seek "pleasure in calm and eschew ambition" in his final words. Walton encounters the Creature aboard his ship, where he is mourning Victor's death. Victor's death, the Creature informs Walton, has not provided him peace; rather, his misdeeds have left him much more wretched than Victor was. Walton watches as the Creature drifts away on an ice raft, never to be seen again, vowing to kill himself so that no one else would ever know of his presence.


Rating: 100/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.

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Frankenstein (1931):


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Dracula Summary

Published: May 26, 1897

Author: Bram Stoker

Genres: Fiction, Gothic, Horror. Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Saga, Vampires

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Summary:

Jonathan Harker, a freshly certified English solicitor, pays a visit to Count Dracula at his Carpathian Mountains castle in order to assist the Count in purchasing a home near London. Harker walks the castle, ignoring the Count's warning, and sees three vampire women; Harker is rescued by Dracula, who presents the women with a tiny kid tied within a sack. Harker wakes up in bed; Dracula departs the castle shortly after, abandoning him to the ladies; Harker manages to flee with his life and ends up insane in a Budapest hospital.

Dracula boards a ship bound for England, laden with dirt from his castle. The captain's log recounts the crew's disappearance until he is left alone at the helm to keep the ship on track. When the ship goes aground in Whitby, an animal like a big dog is seen leaping ashore.

Lucy Westenra discusses her marriage offers from Dr. John Seward, Quincey Morris, and Arthur Holmwood in a letter to Harker's fiancée Mina Murray. Lucy accepts Holmwood's offer, but the three of them remain friends. Mina goes to Whitby with her friend Lucy for a vacation. Lucy starts to sleepwalk. Dracula chases Lucy once his ship arrives. Mina receives a letter informing her that her vanished fiancé is unwell, and she travels to Budapest to care for him. Lucy develops a serious illness. Professor Abraham Van Helsing, Seward's former instructor, determines the nature of Lucy's illness but refuses to reveal it.

He diagnoses her with severe anemia. Van Helsing decorates her chamber with garlic blossoms and fashions a necklace out of them. The garlic blossoms are removed by Lucy's mother, who is unaware that they repel vampires. Lucy and her mother are scared by a wolf while Seward and Van Helsing are out, and Mrs. Westenra dies of a heart attack; Lucy dies shortly after.

Following Lucy's burial, newspapers describe a "bloofer woman" (beautiful lady) stalking children in the night, which Van Helsing deduces is Lucy. When the four arrive at her grave, they discover that she is a vampire. They pierce her heart, decapitate her, and stuff garlic into her mouth. Jonathan Harker and Mina, his now-wife, have returned to the fight against Dracula.

As the men begin their quest for Dracula, everyone remains in Dr. Seward's asylum. Only vampires from their country may rest on Earth, according to Van Helsing. Renfield, Seward's patient, is a crazy man who consumes vermin to absorb their life energy, and Dracula speaks with him. Dracula employs Renfield to get access to the asylum after learning of the group's scheme against him. He assaults Mina three times in secrecy, each time drinking her blood and forcing her to drink his blood on the third visit. Unless Dracula is destroyed, she is doomed to become a vampire after her death.

Many earth boxes are discovered while the men search for Dracula's homes. Each of the boxes is opened, and wafers of sacramental bread are sealed within, rendering them worthless to Dracula. They try to capture the Count at his Piccadilly home, but he manages to flee. They discover that Dracula is escaping with his final box to his castle in Transylvania. Mina has a flimsy psychic link to Dracula, which Van Helsing uses to follow Dracula's movements via hypnosis. They are pursuing him, led by Mina.

The hunters in Galatz, Romania, broke apart. Van Helsing and Mina travel to Dracula's castle, where the professor kills the vampire ladies. On the river, Jonathan Harker and Arthur Holmwood are following Dracula's boat, while Quincey Morris and John Seward are following them on land. The hunters converge and attack Dracula's box when it is eventually put onto a wagon by Szgany men.

Harker cuts Dracula's neck and Quincey stabs him in the heart after routing the Szgany. Mina is set free from her vampiric curse as Dracula crumbles to dust. In the struggle against the Szgany, Quincey is gravely wounded. He succumbs to his wounds, content in the knowledge that Mina has been saved. Seven years later, Jonathan Harker writes that the Harkers have a son called Quincey.


Rating: 100/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.

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