Want a NOOK? Explore Now
R.L. Stine, New York Times bestselling author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series—the biggest selling children’s books of all time—delivers a terrifying new adult horror novel centered on a town in the grip of a sinister revolt.
Before there was J.K. Rowling, before there was Stephenie Meyer or Suzanne Collins, there was R.L. Stine. Witty, creepy, and compulsively readable, he defined horror for a generation of young readers—readers who have now come of age.
Travel writer Lea Sutter finds herself on a small island off the coast of South Carolina, the wrong place at the wrong time. A merciless, unanticipated hurricane cuts a path of destruction and Lea barely escapes with her life. In the storm’s aftermath, she discovers orphaned twin boys and impulsively decides to adopt them. The boys, Samuel and Daniel, seem amiable and immensely grateful; Lea’s family back on Long Island—husband Mark and their two children, Ira and Elena—aren’t quite so pleased. But even they can’t anticipate the twins’ true nature—or predict that, within a few weeks’ time, Mark will wind up implicated in two brutal murders, with the police narrowing in.
For the millions of readers who grew up on Goosebumps, and for every fan of deviously inventive horror, this is a must-read from a beloved master of the genre.
“It's a page turner until the end, with short chapters that help increase the pace. Stine enjoys himself writing not for kids but about them.”
“Stine’s story is a creepy, fun read.…"
“With this brilliantly written novel "Red Rain", Stine proves that he definitely has it in him to challenge the greats in the Thriller/Horror genre ... think Dean Koontz, Douglas Preston, Harlan Coben and then amp-it-up by a hundred!”
R.L. Stine, author of the multimillion-selling Goosebumps and Fear Street series, lives in New York City with his wife, Jane, an editor and publisher, and their dog, Minnie. Visit RLStine.com.
However believable his plots seem to his readers, Stine insists he has never lived one of his stories. "I've never turned into a bee -- I've never been chased by a mummy or met a ghost. But many of the ideas in my books are suggested by real life. For example, one Halloween my son, Matt, put a mask on and then had trouble pulling it off. That gave me the idea for The Haunted Mask."
Although he never experienced terror first hand, he did enjoy reading about it. "When I was a kid, there were these great comic books called Tales From The Crypt and The Vault of Horror. They were gruesome. I discovered them in the barbershop and thought they were fabulous. I used to get a haircut every Saturday so I wouldn't miss any of these comic books. I had no hair at all when I was a kid!"
His ideas came from two sources: his memory and his imagination. "When I write, I try to think back to what I was afraid of or what was scary to me, and try to put those feelings into books." He also keeps a tribal mask and a skeleton hanging in his writing studio to provide eerie surroundings. Although he handles the writing by himself, Stine says he gets "lots of help from my editors, my readers, and my friends."
Kids reading Goosebumps may be looking for a scare, but the laughs they get are no accident. Before he was R. L., he was Jovial Bob, author of such works as 101 Silly Monster Jokes, and Bozos on Patrol and editor of Bananas magazine. His ability to know what kids will laugh at , as well as what will frighten them, makes the Goosebumps series all the more enjoyable for his readers.
Stine started writing when he was 9 years old! He would write stories and jokes on an old typewriter and hand them out at school. "The teacher would grab them and take them away," Stine says, "but I kept doing it." He wrote for his high school newspaper in Columbus Ohio. After graduating from Ohio State University, he moved to New York City, where he worked on a variety of writing jobs.
Although his books are fun and exciting, writing them is serious stuff. He treats writing "...like a job." To unwind after work he enjoys playing the pinball machine conveniently located in his own apartment.
For aspiring authors, Stine feels reading is as important as writing. He offers this advice: "If you want to be a writer, don't worry so much about writing. Read as much as you can. Read as many different writers as you can. Soak up the styles. You can learn all kinds of ways to say things." As a boy he read Norse legends, Greek myths, Edgar Allan Poe and baseball stories. "And Mad Magazine changed my life." Author biography courtesy of Scholastic, Inc.
"My first job in New York was making up fake interviews with movie and TV stars for a group of six movie magazines. I never spoke to the stars I wrote about. I wrote three-to-four "interviews" a day, all out of my imagination."
"'I've written over 300 books but I never learned to type. I use only one finger, the pointer on my left hand -- that's all. Three hundred books on one finger! The finger is very ugly now -- completely bent and curled and callused. When I show it to audiences, they can't believe it! This is my sacrifice for my art!"
"Sometimes kids show up at my country house and ask if my son Matt can come out and play. That's because they saw him mentioned in the back of my books. But they're very disappointed when he comes to the door -- because Matt is in his mid-twenties now! They were reading very old books! Matt is a musician, composer, and sound designer. You can hear his music at my web site, www.rlstine.com."
"I hope my readers get a chance to see my 4-D movie, R. L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse. The movie stars Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Lea Thompson, Weird Al, and others. You can find it playing at four parks: SeaWorld San Antonio, SeaWorld San Diego, Busch Gardens Tampa, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Virginia. Watch out -- you might get very wet!"
Anonymous
Posted November 21, 2012
Im not much of a reader, but I could not put this book down. I finished it in one week and was sad it was over. Looking forward to his next one.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Ixchel_99
Posted November 2, 2012
A fun easy read, definitely reminiscent of "Children of the Damned". I'd like to see this author dig deeper into the darkness of his adult psyche, let's see what original horror is in his mind. The story is well written and carries you easily along with a nice little twist at the end. I'll be looking forward to the next book, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 12, 2012
I can't wait until his next book!
2 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 16, 2013
I read many Goosebump stories back in the day, and still encourage young readers to try them. This was a fun read. Revenir, revenir, revenir. Once I started, I couldn't stop reading. Stayed up at night reading like I used to with the Goosebump stories.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I was super excited when I had seen that R.L. Stine was writing adult fiction. I was an avid reader of his Fear Street series in high school. When I got the chance to review his latest, Red Rain, I couldn’t say no.
Lea Sutter has survived Hurricane Ernesto on the island of Cape Le Chat Noir and found two orphaned angelic looking twin boys, Daniel and Samuel, who lost their family. She immediately feels the need to be their mother and bring them home to her husband, Mark, and her children. Mark is a renowned child psychologist whose latest book has a lot of parents gunning for him. Once situated the twins began their devious plans to “rule the school”. Mark is immediately unsettled with the children and feel that they are taking his wife away from him. The twins decide that they need Mark out of their way so they kill several people that could be linked to Mark in order to frame him.
Let’s just say the only unique party of this book is the intriguing island that Lea was on. I had high hopes after reading about this island that the dead and the living coexist. Lea also witnesses a ritual that men commit suicide and then brought back to life. Once Lea leaves the island that is the end of it. Nothing really ties back to it. We already know the twins are evil and it is no secret when the murders are committed who were behind it.
Red Rain is full of gore as a good horror book should have but that is about it. It did not have a scare factor at all and personally the narrator wasn’t my cup of tea. It was just like any other horror book I have read before. Every now and then Stine threw in a sex scene that felt forced and a “have to” for it to be considered an “adult” book. The police detectives were not very intelligent and seemed to be typical for what you would find in a standard horror novel.
Still, if you are a diehard R.L. Stine reader then you will enjoy the trip down memory lane in his latest gruesome creation.
(Audiobook was provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.ElegantlyBoundReviews
Posted November 30, 2012
I grew up reading R.L. Stine. He writes such great horror that I couldn't get enough of him when I was in elementary school and junior high. I read as many Goosebumps as I could and then moved on to the Fear Street novels! Looking back now they're probably pretty cheesy but R.L. Stine definitely installed himself as one of the great middle grade horror writers! So when I heard that he was writing a horror for adults, I knew that I absolutely had to read it!
The basic plot of Red Rain is that Lea is a travel blog writer and she goes to a little island off the coast of South Carolina. While she's there, a hurricane hits and she ends up taking home twin boys whose parents died in the storm. When they get to Long Island, horrible things start happening and the whole town goes a little crazy. Even though I really enjoyed the story, it's not a mystery to try and figure out what's happening or who is killing people. It's revealed right in the beginning who the twins really are and what their intent is. I enjoy a good horror novel when I have no idea who is behind the murderous and anyone who jumps out could be the killer! But there is still a twist in the end that's revealed which I didn't realize until I was almost finished with the book.
Even though I really liked the book I didn't like that the murderers were these twelve year old twins. I understand that they're pretty unsuspecting and that the adults in the novel would never have guessed that these innocent looking boys are killing people but I thought it was just kind of weird. And I didn't like their accents. They were supposed to be these white boys with blonde hair and blue eyes but they sounded Jamaican! So that kind of threw me off! I also didn't like that the story changed from so many perspectives. That's just a personal preference though.
Red Rain is a great horror novel to read around Halloween time! I give Red Rain 4 hearts because even though the story was a little weird, it still has all the blood, guts and gore that I'm looking for in my horror novels!
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 21, 2012
All I will say is I would have liked this novel a lot better if I was 13.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 18, 2013
Aside from the first thirty pages, I finished this book in one day. It was so good and kept my attention. I couldn't put it down. I loved his goosebumps books when I was a kid and now I love his adult book.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 16, 2013
I agree with another reviewer: R.L. Stine should stick to children's books. I was looking forward to a good horror story, but the writing was mediocre. Sorry I wasted my time on this one.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 12, 2013
Not worth the time it took to read.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.ENMBookworm
Posted January 7, 2013
I was a big fan of R.L. Stine as a kid and was excited to see he had written an adult novel. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. I was not scared at any point in the book. The storyline was weird and the only thing "adult" about the book was the sex scene and the gore. It wasn't a bad book, but definitely not up there with the other adult suspense/thriller writers. He is a good storyteller for the younger readers, but sorry to say I won't be reading any future adult books.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 19, 2012
*little ehite kit walks up* is this a clan?
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 17, 2012
I want to join rain clan
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 15, 2012
R.L Stine was my favorite author growing up. I was so sad this turrned out to be a such a dissapointment. I have to say sadly the first few chapters ruined it for me. As a girl born and raised in North Carolina, who has been tbrough multiple hurricanes, my experiance made this book hard to even get into. First of all, the Outer Banks are in NC not SC. Secondly the incorrect use of the word "ya'll" really bugged me. It means "you all" not "you" we aren't just a bunch of uneducated idiots down here. Also the whole hurricane experiance is laughable. I grew up on a small island on the coast of NC and when a hurricane comes, everyone evacuates. So these graphic scenes described in the book are completely ludicrous. I hate to hate it, but come on Stine, if you are going to write for adults, you have to do your research!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 12, 2012
Take a longer goosebump book, throw in some cursing and sex...viola. you have a goosebump book with an adult edge. I was hoping for a koontz or a king and instead got a campfire story for girl scout cadets. At the first mention of magic hands and hurricanes. I knew the whole book. I was disappointed. I had expected better. Better luck next time Mr. Stine, I doubt if I purchase your next adult book, but I wish you all the bes
AD
Anonymous
Posted December 4, 2012
If you weren't disappointed as a kid with RL, you certainly won't be with Red Rain!!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 5, 2012
Okay.
0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 26, 2012
Not a bad horror novel but, then, not great either. The book is fun if not a bit cliche. The twist I didn't see coming but should have. Reading this is like watching a decent horror movie on Fear Net. The book does hold your interest as you try to figure what these twins are about but the other characters are rather flat. Plot is okay. The book is probably most fun for fans of the old series Fear Street. There's a familiarity there and the book reads fast. Like most of Fear Street, however, Red Rain is just not good enough to stick.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 2, 2012
I would love to have you as deputy. Can you adertise this clan and tell everyone you know to join. Rainclan needs more members.
0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.MaggiemaeMI
Posted November 19, 2012
Waiting for Christmas for my daughter to read, she has really been anxious to have this book
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Overview
R.L. Stine, New York Times bestselling author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series—the biggest selling children’s books of all time—delivers a terrifying new adult horror novel centered on a town in the grip of a sinister revolt.
Before there was J.K. Rowling, before there was Stephenie Meyer or Suzanne Collins, there was R.L. Stine. Witty, creepy, and compulsively readable, he defined horror for a generation of young readers—readers who ...