Prince of Nightmares

Oh wow. This is precisely why I can't just abandon horror altogether. Because every so often a book like this comes along and, despite the cheesy cover and a relatively unknown author, does in 189 pages what so many try and fail to do in twice that much...genuinely thrills, scares and disturbs. Hotels offer many amenities, gym, sauna, HBO...why not nightmares? McNee's awesome unhinged imagination dreamt up a hotel where nightmares are guaranteed and it's quite popular. When an aging tycoon checks in, he unwittingly sets of a chain of events decades in the making, nightmares one can't quite wake up from. This book reads like night terrors must feel, hallucinatory, strange, profoundly messed up, there is enough gore and guts for any horror fan so inclined and yet McNee also manages originality, excellent character development, coherent cohesive backstory and terrifically paced narrative. This is an excellent example of a all things done right, making for an absolutely awesome scary read. Most auspicious introduction to a blazing new talent. A definite must for any horror aficionado. Highly recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

The Ballador House Hotel has built itself quite a reputation for causing its guests terrible nightmares. Its history is stained by blood, oil, meat and misery. Now seekers of the morbid have turned it into a tourist hot spot. Get a room and get ready for the stay of a lifetime. One tip…stay away from the Residents. They feed on pain and suffering and are getting stronger every day. They want out. They want to play.
Victor Treversham found out that his recently deceased wife, Josephine, made a reservation for him at the infamous Ballador House only hours before her untimely demise. Regardless, of the nightmares he is sure to endure, he intends to stay at the hotel himself. Now he must navigate a grotesque cavalcade of ghosts and demons in order to try and sift thru what is reality and what is just a dream. Or are they one and the same?

This one had a cool “13 Ghosts” vibe to it. The relatively few characters had plenty of depth to them and the back story of the Ballador House was well thought out and realized. There was also an appropriate amount of violence and gore. A very well done tale of horror and suspense. 4.5 Stars and Highly Recommended.

*I received an advanced readers copy of this work from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Prince of Darkness is a horror novel that doesn't immediately jump up at you but, once it gets started, it grabs you and doesn't let go. After his wife kills herself, billionaire Victor Teversham goes to the Ballador House to find out why the last thing she ever did was make a reservation there for him. But this Scottish building is not a normal hotel, it is said that everyone who stays there has horrible, vivid nightmares. Victor is no exception, and the other hotel guests are also under the influence of whatever forces cause these awful dreams. And what nightmares! They reminded me of the Hellraiser series - on steroids! The plot keeps moving along, so it’s not just a series of disconnected vignettes but it takes Victor and the reader to a terrifying but satisfying conclusion. As a fan of horror, I really recommend this book.

Let me start by saying how much I loved the fact that the main character in this book wasn't a young kid, young woman, newlyweds on their honeymoon, etc. Instead, you get an old (and by old I mean almost 80) white guy as the protagonist. The only place I'm used to seeing old white guys is when they're running for some sort of office. The only running Victor does is in fear.

This book was so well-written. It really calls to mind some of my most-loved horror movies. The ones that have just that twist of something different to make them stand-out. Primarily, the fantastic imagery. Ghost Ship, Thir13een Ghosts, The Sixth Sense, Silent Hill, etc. This book has that quality to it.

The Ballador Country House Hotel is one of those places that will haunt your nightmares long after you finish reading the book. The descriptions of the ghosts will linger behind your eyelids, and make you just a little more reluctant to turn the lights off when its time to go to bed. Just like all good horror books and movies. do.

Oh, yeah, the ending was perfect too. This is definitely a must-read for any horror fans out there!

I loved this story. A completely new twist on the haunted house tale. It is very gorey so if you dont like that you wont be a fan. But the descriptions and the pace of the story were fantastic.

This book was definitely not what I expected at all. I thought it would be the usual haunted hotel novel but it has a new twist to it. Ballador Country House Hotel is not your typical hotel because it offers something no other hotel can offer: guaranteed nightmares.
Before she committed suicide, Victor Teversham's wife made a reservation for him at the hotel. Victor comes face to face with powerful supernatural forces and he finds himself the target.
I would love to read a prequel ( I don't want to give anything away) on the "history" of the hotel. I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review.

Set in a remote part of Scotland, the Ballador Country House Hotel guarantees its guests nightmares. What a delicious premise!

With an elderly magnate as the protagonist, I couldn't help but wonder how the author was going to make him come alive, but come alive he did-without being at all likable. An interesting choice for protagonist, but John McNee pulls it off.

Without going further into the plot, I can say that there are some wildly creative ideas here and the author delivers on them. Descriptions that defy reality often bother me, but here there is a good reason for them which gives the author a lot of wiggle room. Mr. McNee does not waste it. I have to give proper respect to the imaginative mind that comes up with such ideas. (Or as the kids say I give him mad respect. At least, I think that's what they say.??) Anyway, the ideas were KILLER.

I also feel I have to give an appreciative nod to the writing skills on display here. I felt this story was well written. The author found ways to describe numerous horrific incidents without being repetitive or losing my interest-something that doesn't happen very often.

I highly recommend this book to all fans of horror, but especially fans of early Clive Barker and the Splatterpunk genre! You can pre-order this book here: Prince of Nightmares.

Thanks goes out to fellow Goodreader Bandit, whose review caused me to head over to Net Galley and request this book. Thanks Bandit!

*And thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing this book for free, in exchange for an honest review. This is it.*

4.5 stars.

PRINCE OF NIGHTMARES is the first book I've read by author John McNee. In this, I've discovered a writer with a great deal of talent, that I will be keeping an eye out for in the future.

Very little about this novel struck me as "typical". Our main character, Victor Teversham, is an elderly billionaire tycoon, who got to where he was by stepping on, and using everything and everyone around him. A man who thought little of anyone except himself, with very few--if any--redeeming qualities, and yet somehow managed to completely captivate me from the start.

Mere hours before her suicide, Josie Teversham booked a reservation for her husband at the Ballador Country House Hotel in Scotland--a place which boasted "guaranteed realistic nightmares" to anyone sleeping in one of their main rooms.

"....a great many focused on the theme of 'nostalgia.' More specifically, it was the nostalgia of terror."

Victor decides to go, searching for a clue as to why his late wife did this, and then followed up by killing herself.

What he finds, however, defies every attempt at rationalization. "Fear. It all came back to fear."

For these "nightmares" are held in check by a very thin boundary, and that boundary can be breached . . .

The descriptions of the horrors and mutilations are so expertly written, that I could practically "see" the atrocities before me! "They made knots of her limbs, fracturing the bones in a hundred places and forcing them into gruesome loops." While I can't say that I honestly cared much about any of the characters, sufficient information was given on each to enable them to play their roles most effectively. Although I expected to be reading another average haunted house tale, what I got instead was something much more fresh and distinctive. McNee's writing style practically floats you along from page to page.

My only two minute criticisms were that 1.) there were those annoying times when I (along with the characters) had to wonder if we were in a dream, or reality; and 2.) I would have liked a little more depth into the background information of the Ballador Hotel presented, as I found this a very fascinating part of the tale that McNee could have capitalized more on with an added scene or two.

Overall, I was highly impressed by this unique story and the writing style, in general. There are some scenes in particular that were painted so vividly that they may, in fact, permeate even the reader's nightmares . . . "Evil isn't an alien thing. It exists in the minds of every man and woman."

Highly recommended!

Review: PRINCE OF NIGHTMARES by John McNee

I was eager to read this book after perusing a Goodreads review, and found PRINCE OF NIGHTMARES every bit as appealing as I'd hope. Mr. McNee has a vast imagination, and weaves it extensively. I predict fans of Clive Barker and Bryan D. Smith will admire this novel. Not for anyone without a cast-iron heart, stomach, and brain, but nevertheless exquisitely designed. Touching on some original theories about the nature of both reality and perception, the author draws the veil between consensus reality and nightmare reality so taut it thins, stretches, then snaps, making nightmares overrun "reality"; and oh, that incredible ending!! In your face--quite literally.

Mr. McNee searched far and wide for the many cinematic and literary themes of this delightfully terrifying and masterfully written horror novel.

The author begins with a mysterious suicide and trip to a haunted hotel in Scotland. What begins as a mystery and haunted house tale evolves into a fascinating terror trip that has stops at Forbidden Planet, Clive Barker's house and Phil Dick's Ubiq, with a little bit of Duke University's Rhine labs.

Fabulous horror book - can't wait to read Mr. McNee's next foray into horror.

Exciting, horrific read! This is what I consider 'true' horror, not a zombie or vampire in sight. This a must read for all horror fans. Thank you, John McNee for this spine-tingling book.

I received a free copy of Prince of Nightmares from the publisher in return for an honest review.

The premise of Prince of Nightmares really intrigued me and as an added bonus I discovered that not only is John McNee a Scottish horror author but the story is also set in Scotland. Result! Wild horses couldn't have held me back. I love all kinds of horror but being from Scotland myself it's a real treat to come across a Scottish horror author, especially one who sets their story in Scotland. Of course that doesn't mean that I am going to love it or that I'm going to give it 5 stars based on those facts alone.

Prince of Nightmares is expertly written, a pleasure to read and much more than I was expecting. At times I wasn't sure if what I was reading was real or if it was a dream but that just added to the imagery and surreal feel of the story.

I honestly don't think I could pick just one thing that stood out for me. I enjoyed everything about this one: the writing style, the imagery, the pacing, the atmosphere, and more. Fans of horror will devour the imaginative, twisted and horrific scenes within the pages of this book. I know I certainly did. It's bloody, it's gory, it's vicious and certainly not for the faint of heart and I was totally immersed and enjoyed every minute.

I would love to read a prequel set around the history behind the hotel.

Highly recommended.

The Ballador House is set in the remote reaches of Scotland and it has some very unique characteristics. Anyone that stays there is guaranteed to have nightmares. This guarantee has transformed the Ballador House into a must-stay destination for some very unusual clientele that happen to be into that kind of thing. Not the kind of people that the elderly multi-millionaire, Victor Taversham, would be seen associating with. But that all changed after his wife, Josephine, booked a stay there right before she went into the bathroom and blew her brains out. A distraught Victor is desperately seeking for answers on why his wife decided to take her life and why would the last thing that she was to ever do be reserving a room at this bazaar inn if she didn't plan on ever going? So Victor decides to keep the reservation to see if he can discover any clues to his wife's mysterious suicide. As promised, the Ballador House delivers the nightmares and they pack a punch. Can Victor sort out what is real and what is dream so that he can find out what the connection the house has with Josephine? Or does the house have plans for Victor?

Prince of Nightmares is a wonderful, surreal marriage of Clive Barker's Hellraiser, The Shining, and Thirteen Ghosts. While it shares shades of color from these three tales, it ends up standing on its own two feet and delivers on its own merit. Many times you'll wonder if what you're reading is a dream or is it real. McNee makes you pay attention similar to the way Barker's stories do and, like Barker, brings out the red stuff in the final act. A description of a mutilation that includes the breaking of bones to twist a body into a pretzel will linger in your subconscious long after you finish the story. I enjoyed the slow burn while trying to discover what was really going on. McNee has a good writing style that flows well. The characters, while colorful, did have a tendency to not be fully fleshed out and I would've liked to have learned more of the backstory. That's the only thing that made me give it a 4 1/2 instead of a 5. Still a very worthwhile tale that is worth the price of admission.

4 1/2 surreal nightmares out of 5

This ARC was supplied by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Having read so much mediocre horror fiction recently it has been a pleasure to read something with real originality and style and outstanding evil that resides at the Ballador House Hotel.

An eclectic mix of characters are in resident at the Ballador Hotel all hoping to encounter and meet paranormal apparitions as night approaches. One particular resident Victor Teversham is praying that the hotel will supply an answer as to why his wife Josephine booked a getaway break here before committing suicide.

We meet the mysterious and beautiful Gia, the night manager Mrs Dempsey and the loud and boisterous Heinrich Stritzel. The author accomplishes, what many writers fail to do, he makes all the players that we encounter very believable. At times I felt this was almost a modern horror remaking of Casablanca where all meet and encounter horror at a central point with no means of escape. What was extraordinary in the story telling , not only for the main antagonists but also for the reader, was the inability to distinguish between what was real and what was fiction....what was a dream and what was reality. This confusion added greatly to the constant feeling of dread and fear that permeated the unravelling of the mysterious ghostly events taking place.

There is a clever connection between Victor and his wife and a woman from the past known as Evelyn Burgess, and when the true intentions of the ghostly "residents" becomes apparent it is too late to stop the ensuing bloodbath..." The Residents are the parts of ourselves we wanted to keep hidden. The parts we didn't like. The parts we suppressed. Invasive thoughts, base urges, and hateful impulses."

So a highly original story with a gruesome and bloody conclusion, a most enjoyable treat for lovers of good horror. I received an advance copy of Prince of Nightmares for an honest review and that is what I have written.

With Prince of Nightmares, John McNee welcomes you to the Ballador Hotel. A hotel promoted to whip up the most gloriously vivid nightmares for its guests., attracts all sorts of dark dream-filled folks wanting to see these evil wonders.

Victor Teversham. a rich business man, has come for his own reasons. After his wife killed herself he discovered her reservation at the Ballador. He feels the secret to unlocking why she omitted suicide awaits him there. While he arrives, chuckling at the nonsense of "promised nightmares", he quickly finds there to be more to these "dreams"

The novel is full of great characters and a fantastic backstory that McNee unveils in perfect time and without any lag. Though there is plenty of blood and guts here, Prince of Nightmares unfolds like a long lost Clive Barker tale. If you're a Hellraiser fan, you will appreciate the little nasties McNee brings to life, but you'll also love the story.

And if you enjoyed my novel,The Haunted Halls , you will love this book!

I give Prince of Nightmares 5 Stars!

***I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. The opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***
Prince of Nightmares is a horror story written by John McNee and for this being his FIRST horror novel I have to say that in my opinion he has done a very good job of it. Prince of Nightmare is a truly engaging story that grips you from the first and keeps you turning page after page until you get to the final page of the story. There are twists, turns, secrets, mysteries and fear and it all comes together to weave a thrilling story that for the faint of heart might even make them not want to go to sleep at night for fear of their own nightmares. The story starts off with a chapter that immediately grabs your attention and makes you want to know who the two characters are that we are so mysteriously introduced to but then it immediately shifts forward years and leaves us reeling from a sudden death as the main character, Victor, loses his wife suddenly and then finds himself at the Ballador House Hotel. The hotel is a favorite place for those who are into the supernatural and are looking for a good scare with the rooms that are proposed to give people nightmares being booked and reserved constantly. But Victor has a reservation…made by his late wife…before she died. She wanted him there…but why?
As time progresses with his stay there things begin to happen to Victor but not just to him…to the other guests who are staying there. The nightmares seem so real…they are happening more frequently…but why? What is happening? Who are the Residents, truly? This book has you having questions but it answers them all before the end. I loved this story. It was so well written: the horror, the nightmares…how wake and sleep seemed and began to blend all into one until you never knew the difference. Each of the characters are unique in their own way and it just ups the level of how good this story is. For horror fans I’d say this book is a must read. I even think that it would do good being made into a movie because of how engaging it was! John McNee has really got some serious talent with this story and I hope that he takes the time to write another. I give this story 5 out of 5 stars and will definitely be purchasing a copy for myself and recommending to any and all fans of horror. This book has great potential to become a classic of horror for sure in my opinion.

Victor’s wife Josie had committed suicide in the bathroom of their home Victor had been on a business call when he first heard the gunshot but didn’t do anything about it as he was engrossed in his phone call. Josie had reserved the Library Suite at the Ballador House Hotel. Harry had come with Victor even though Victor had said he would be found but Harry ignored him and came anyway. But the suite he was suppose to be in was given to another guest so Victor was put in the Honeymoon Suite. The hotel has been known to be haunted . for some reason Josie wanted Victor to be here for four days and he was determined to do just that hoping to understand why Josie killed herself. When Victor looked in the mirror in bedroom he saw a frail old man. Victor went down to the lobby and talked to the manager and while talking victor said it couldn’t be that bad in the hotel and she told him she had slept at the hotel one night ten years ago and it would be another 100 years before she did it again. The hotel had a had a restaurant but also a bar that was open twenty four hours a day. The manager felt it was worth it so guests could sit in the bar and tell their stories to each other. As the hotel was guaranteed to give you even signed a waiver of not holding the hotel responsible for any psychological or physical problems that may occur while there. The history of the hotel is one of blood and misery. The residents feed on pain and suffering. Victor must navigate through ghosts and demons to decide which are reality and which are just dreams. Victor got to where he was by stepping on anyone or anything that got in his way . he really doesn’t have any redeeming qualities and he only cares for himself.
I myself was reminded of Clive Barker’s work. Some of this was a little too gross for me. But all and all was a good horror story. I wish there had been more history of the Ballard House before it was a hotel. I got a little annoyed when at times it was hard to tell between nightmare and reality. But I got through it. As I said good but gross in spots . But well worth the four star rating I gave. I recommend.