Masterton is one of those British authors that doesn't get published in America quite as much as he should. Yes, we do get to see his novels from time to time but considering the volume of material that he has produced and the quality of his work, he takes up an amazingly small amount of space on my book shelves. I'm going to have to make it a point to include another novel or two of his in my next Amazon order.

Anyway, THE DOORKEEPERS is yet another excellent novel by Masterton. The story focuses on Josh Winward as he goes to London and tries get some resolution to his sister's death. The problem is that his sister has been living at an address that is 60 years old and working at a factory that doesn't exist. As Josh gets pulled deeper and deeper into the mystery, he discovers that there is more to this world and to any other for that matter.

About two-thirds of the way through, I started thinking that this would be a great novel to continue and have Josh Winward continue to explore. However, five minutes later those thoughts were dashed as the necessary end to the creatures guarding the doors was spelled out. Unfortunately that was also the point where it became predictable and much of the surprise in the ending was removed. Masterton played fair and it wasn't anything that didn't fit the rules of his novel but I wish that the ending didn't become telegraphed as of that point. ( )

Josh Winward has just found out that his sister was murdered. Julia's mutilated body was found in the Thames. Josh and his girlfriend, Nancy, travel across the ocean to England to figure out what she was doing in the months before her death and to figure out who killed her. But nothing makes sense - the company she was working for hasn't been in business for sixty years and she was living in a place that hasn't existed since the second World War. Josh and Nancy run into a woman with psychic abilities at the railway station, and the doors she can open are scary.

The concept of this book is cool - Julia started a new life. She had a job. She had friends and a crush at work. But to her brother, and everyone else for that matter, things didn't add up - nobody knew where she was for ten months. It's like she was living in a different world. It could have been soo good! Instead the whole thing was anticlimactic. The last chapter was horrible. I was so disappointed with this book and am glad it's over with.

( )

If you've read a few of my horror reviews covering this author, you should know that I revere him highly in the world of the written macabre. A powerful force to reckon with behind the pen, his imagination seemingly has no endless depth as he plunges the reader into bizarre, desperate worlds. Having the knack to paint truly horrendous scenarios that are almost too much, Masterton does nothing less here, particularly with the villains, the Hoodsmen, eerily crazed, creepy beings that are as merciless as you can get. Icky. Somehow he makes too strange situations seem plausible and - almost effortlessly, it sometimes seems - thrusts convincing characters into the mix.

The book almost rates suspense rather than horror, but that genre label is quickly tossed once you read a few of the more potent scenes. Some situations are grippingly edgy, keeping the suspense level high and fierce, especially (again) with the Hoodsmen. *shivers* This one isn't as supernatural as some of his other stuff screams to be, touched more with fantastical other world imaginings, and while I didn't dig it as much as I have some of his other stuff, it's still a more than worthy book to read for the horror fan.

Character wise, I really felt for poor Julia in the beginning, for it's hard to imagine something so horrifying happening to you. I really grew close to the hero, Josh, who was sweet and had a unique way with animals, although Masterton did not touch enough upon his grief over his sister realistically enough for my tastes at times. It almost felt like the poor girl really didn't have enough love to return to with his parents and other life outside in the common world. The idea of alternating realistic was intriguing but after awhile I almost lost patience. Still I barreled through and was a happy camper in the end.

One scene in particular will be hard for some of the queasy to bear, especially if you've experienced dental problems like I have. Not his best work, but holds the imagination you would expect from this great author. It always seems that lesser works by this man rival the better books from others. Fans of the fantasy/horror combo should be exceedingly pleased. ( )

I don't normally fall for the time travel or parallel universe type of stories for some reason—but after reading my first book by Graham Masterton, The Doorkeepers, I realized how stupid I've been for skipping out on some great literature.

How action-packed this was and how quickly everything passed surprised me. Except, of course, for those truly horrific moments that made you want to close your eyes. But more than anything, you wanted to press on and keep reading to find out what in the world was going to happen!

The past few books' authors I read before The Doorkeepers didn't spend enough time with the characters; Masterton expanded on the characters in this book so much that you feel for each of them in several different (and I mean different) ways. Some truly grotesque ways at that.
While there is a LOT going on in this book—so much that you may need a breather here and there—Masterton never fails to weave everything together. That is miraculous to me considering there are some heavy, touchy elements in this book, and some writers could easily fail at the task and leave some giant plot holes in their wake.

A couple parts were pretty gruesome and made me wince. I almost felt a character's pain at one point and started squeezing my jaw so tight it became sore. I felt a character's deep sorrow, I felt curiosity and anger. I wanted to be swept up and away in these different Londons! I already want to read this book again...

*I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

This book started with a bang and didn't let up until the very last page. Graham Masterton has a way of writing that keeps you hooked.
Josh receives the worst possible news that anyone can receive. His sister, Julia has been missing for almost a year and then her mutilated body is found in the Thames. She is far from the first victim of a suspected serial killer but the police are no closer to finding the perpetrator. Josh decides to fly to England to investigate on his own and what he discovers will shake the foundation of everything he has ever known about the world.
I was literally fascinated by the ideas that Graham Masterton put forward in this book and I found it a very interesting and entertaining read. It delves into not only sheer horror but there is a hint of science fiction speculation as well.
I received a copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review. ( )