This is part of a series. Isn't every book anymore? It centers around a town that really goes overboard with the Halloween stuff. It's a quick a read and in the horror genre. I did not find it particularly scary, although it is entertaining enough that I'm reading another in the series. If you are looking for a quick horror read with a Halloween theme, you might want to check this book out. ( )

Not a bad book overall. Obviously partially a hack job of trying to connect three independent stories, "Hornets," "Pumpkin Boy," and "Orangefield" into a coherent novel. Hornets and Orangefield are pretty good but Pumpkin Boy is pretty bad. ( )

I had some serious issues with this book. But I digress. I guess the main issue of this book that I had was the misleading cover. That is one of my biggest pet peeves with books. The stories were okay but only that. Don't think I'd really recommend this one. ( )

Consisting of 3 stories about the town of Orangefield, this is a fairly good Halloween book. The last and longest story is the best although the first one about Hornets kept me very interested. The stories are sort of linked together by references to each other and a police detective named Grant. The writing style draws you in and I would have rather just had the last story in a longer version. They do have an old time horror feel, which I like. It does not rely on just grossing you out with blood and guts. ( )

If you are looking for a nice, leisurely book to read around Halloween that is both light and easy yet spooky and dark enough to feel like an 'adult' book, Horrorween might be just what you are looking for. It collects 3 novellas; Hornets, The Pumpkin Boy, and Orangefield; and roughly strings them together to give them the feel of a full-length novel.

The whole book is set in Orangefield, a very Halloween-oriented town, and all 3 stories take place during the month of October. The first story, Hornets, doesn't really feel very Halloweenish, but it does to a good job of setting the mood. It's dark and scary, and it relates a man being haunted by a swarm of bees as they infest his house in a mid-October heat wave.

Story 2, "Pumpkin Boy," injects a bit more of Halloween into the mix, but still preventing the reader from being fully submerged in the spooky holiday atmosphere. There are numerous sightings of a 'pumpkin boy,' a walking pumpkin with mechanical legs, and the town is aghast at the disappearance of two young boys rumored to have been kidnapped by the mysterious phantom.

Finally, once the final story begins, the reader is fully plunged into the bone-chilling waters of Halloween with "Orangefield," which involves Samhaim, the dark Celtic god of death and his malicious plot to send shock waves of fear throughout the town that all comes to a roiling conclusion on Halloween night.

I admit it's far from the greatest book I've ever read, but the format actually makes it perfect to dip into during October. The horror and Halloween-theme ramp up throughout the book, making it a great way to get yourself into the mood slowly throughout the month. As I said in my opening paragraph, if you're looking for a nice and leisurely book to read around Halloween, this might be one worth looking into. ( )